Just between us, I’m tired of running around on 12 day vacations in Europe/Asia. We’re discussing going to Cancun this fall. We want to hang out, relax, and do nothing. Maybe we’ll do a day trip/hike somewhere. Is Cancun more of a long weekend trip, or should we go for a week?
I think you want to be in Playa del Carmen or somewhere else outside of the Cancun strip, unless you’re fond of all-inclusives.
Easy to do a week there. Tolum is amazing. You got Chichen Itza and Merida. Isla Mujeres is worth checking out. Akumal and the cenotes.
Go rent a house on a beach. locogringo is a great site for villa rentals. Fall is “cheap” due to hurricane season.
George
I would go to somewhere “around” Cancun rather than Cancun. I am fond of Mayakoba, personally. I think four or five days is about right, but we come in from Atlanta so its a short flight.
If you actually want to do nothing, consider Cozumel
If you dive, definitely Cozumel.
One fabulous trip I took in the area was a stay in Merida. Great little city, better food than Cancun (turkey in mole sauce - turkey is indigenous to the Yucatan), and much easier to get to aaUxmal. You could fly into Cancun, veg a few days, then go to Chichen Itza, stay over to catch it before the crowds in the morning, on to Merida for a few days, day trip to Uxmal, fly home from Merida.
That is about 300 miles, on good roads. Chichen Itza is sort of midway between Cancun and Merida (closer to Merida). There is a nice Hyatt in Merida, especially good for the points crowd. All my info is 10 years old though.
Cancun is a pretty beach but it wasn’t swimmable when I was there (surf). The ruins are absolutely amazing, on par with the ruins in Rome.
Just got back a few weeks ago from Tulum. AWESOME place. My only warning is that when we were there the beaches were getting a bunch of seaweed washing up.
Thanks folks. Looks like I have additional research to do.
Last time I was in Tulum, there were no hotels, no development. My advice is not current
I thought it was a historic site… i can’t imagine someone developing a resort there…
Chichen Itza blew my mind when I came upon a small building with a Egyptian and Mari warrior carved into the stone. How did that come about?
We disliked Cancun itself but the surrounding areas are quite nice.
Not on the site, but unexploited beach is a sin
What type of hotel/resort are you considering? We go to cancun often. Can offer some suggestions. We live in the Midwest and cancun is by the the easiest tropical destination for us to reach.
You can also pm me if you want.
I’m considering the all inclusive Hyatt. I plan on using our free night certs there + points for additional nights.
surprised you can you use free night certs at All-Inclusives. May be the only hotel brand that allows it
There are several hotels around Tulum. None of them are at the site of the Mayan ruins.
You lose most of a day to fly in and leave soon after breakfast the day you leave. I would say four nights if you don’t leave the hotel. The all inclusive hotels in Cancun are modern, well maintained and pretty luxurious. Upgraded rooms are worth it, if available. Easy to spend a week by renting a car for the day to drive to Tulum for the ruins or one of the eco-parks. We drove to Tulum, visited a cenote on the way and had lunch in a beach shack. The eco-parks are fun and unique. Like a Disneyland you snorkel through. Playa del Carmen is good for scuba. Chichen Itza is absolutely worth a day.