Mexico - What are must sees in/near Cancun?

My wife and I, along with our 12 and 15 year old, will be in Cancun the week before Christmas. We have never been to Mexico before, let alone Cancun. Besides hanging by the pool or beach what day trips would you recommend?

Thanks for any input.

Try this site for suggestions.

http://www.cancunmx.com/

Take a jungle tour/snorkeling trip on a jet ski or mini-speedboat throught the mangrove forest (with Aqua World or a similar vendor).

Visit the ruins at Tulum.

If you are scuba divers, take the ferry to Cozumel and dive there.

Otherwise, enjoy the beautiful beaches and warm, clear waters.

Thanks for the feedback.$

I've always enjoyed "getting out of Cancun" for a day or two...it's really nothing but a mess of hotels and U.S. tourists.

There was a place called Xcaret -- kind of a nature park with an underground lazy river, ruins, etc. About 45 mins from Cancun.

A day trip down to Puerto Aventuras or something like that will allow you to see some of "real Mexico."

Definitely try to spend sometime in downtown Cancun instead of the zona hotelera.

Tulúm is a nice, small archaeological site by the bearch, lots of tourists visit it. Chichén Itzá is a large and inmporant much-visited amd crowded archaeological site with 2 -3 hours from Cancún. Yawn! Xcaret, "Nature's Sacred Paradise," demonstrates people with enough money can wipe out an ecosystem and then build a Disneyesque replica of a stereotypical, but not real, "Maya paradise," to make even more money.

Cobá (http://www.mexperience.com/guide/archaeology/coba.htm) is down the coastal highway and inland - perhaps two + hours - from Cancún and not much visited by tourists at all. Go there - you will feel more like Indiana Jones than one of hunderds or thousands of tourists. Take water, and good walking shoes.

If you dive, Cozumel is where most people go - but for an adventure (for cetrtified divers) an hour or two south of Cancún (Scuba Cancún can make arrangements, or you can contact Tony and Nancy DeRosa at Aquatech (http://www.cenotes.com/divesites.htm) (they will help and make arrangements, and set you up with everything you need including a cave-certifed instructor) and dive the limestone caverns and caves. You have not dived until you find yourself in water so clear it looks like your buddy is suspended in air, with stalactites and stalagmites surrounding you, or emerging into a jungle sinkhole. Ponderosa, Carwash,Taj Mahal, the Temple of Doom, Dos Ojos, Nohoch nah Chich, these are the stuff lifelong legends and memories are made of.

A day visit to Isla Mujeres, nearby yet so different in atmosphere from busy Cancún. A meal in Los Almendros in Cancún itself, to try authentic Yucatec cuisine like fish Tikin Xic, Poc Chuuc, etc.

Skip Xcaret. :td: :td:

Isla Mujeres was not my cup of tea either.

We did enjoy Chichen Itza, as well as the drive there (rental car, NOT a tour bus).

Make sure that you get a discount card from www.entertainment-plus.net .

There's some good Cancun info on this site (if, like me, you value FT opinions more highly than some of the other internet sites), you just need to know where to look. For example, there's a lot of info in the hotel forums (in particular, the Hilton forum).

Cactuspete did you find driving down there to be a challenge at all? How long of a drive was it?

Cactuspete did you find driving down there to be a challenge at all? How long of a drive was it?

Not at all. IIRC, it was 2.5 hours going (on the toll road - hardly any traffic - - just watch out for the large "tricycles" carrying firewood :eek: ), more than that on the way home (on the smaller 2-lane roads). Very easy. Also, much faster than a tour bus, and you don't have to stop at every hotel in the Zone to load/unload.

Some general Mexico driving tips may be found at Post 243 et seq of this Cancun Hilton thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3420534.

Thanks again. Now I just need to talk Mrs. Wherenext into renting a car.

You have a couple of options: renting a vehicle (read elsewhere in this forum about the caveats of renting in Mexico, particularly how its Napoleonic code-based laws can affect you,) or hiring a car and driver - e.g. a taxi driver you meet and get along with and his reliable car. You may find the pricing quite comparable, but the taxi driver will probably be more familiar with the routes and conditions, be there to guard the car and any personal items left inside, etc. I've driven Mexico over 50 years, and I would say "it is not like renting adn driving in the USA" is a significant understatement.

Thanks again. Now I just need to talk Mrs. Wherenext into renting a car.

I've driven Mexico over 50 years, and I would say "it is not like renting adn driving in the USA" is a significant understatement.

Perhaps that is true in general or in certain parts of Mexico (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=587471) (and I don't doubt you), but IME that is not accurate vis-a-vis the toll road (or, really, the 2-lane highway) between Cancun and Chichen Itza.

Not at all. IIRC, it was 2.5 hours going (on the toll road - hardly any traffic - - just watch out for the large "tricycles" carrying firewood :eek: ), more than that on the way home (on the smaller 2-lane roads). Very easy. Also, much faster than a tour bus, and you don't have to stop at every hotel in the Zone to load/unload.

Some general Mexico driving tips may be found at Post 243 et seq of this Cancun Hilton thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3420534.

Thanks for the feedback cactuspete, my brother is thinking about driving to Chichen Itza via rental car. ^ ^


Anyone else make this drive?


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We are going to be in Cancun for only a short amount of time and want to do some diving off of Cancun (rather than spend a whole long day for a 2 tank dive in Cozumel). Does anybody have any advice as to diving in Cancun? Dive shops that are especially good, or more importantly those to avoid? I have heard you need to beware of boats overpacked w/ divers... Anybody dive the wrecks off of Cancun that all the local places offer trips to (I think one is called C-58)?

Also, seperate subject, but any recommendations for resaurants in downtown Cancun? We would like to get more of the local flavor and downtown seems preferable to eating in some big hotel. Any advice would be appreciated...

We are going to be in Cancun for only a short amount of time and want to do some diving off of Cancun (rather than spend a whole long day for a 2 tank dive in Cozumel).

My advice is to take the ferry to Cozumel. Here is my SAT-style analogy:

Diving in Cancun is to diving in Cozumel
. . . as . . .
eating a meal at Sizzler is to eating a meal at Taillevent.

If you can't stomach the thought of making the trip to Cozumel and must do your diving on the mainland, then you probably should consider a dive in the cenotes (http://www.caverndivingmexico.com/cenotediving.htm) rather than the ocean.

There is plenty of firsthand Cancun diving advice at Scubaboard (http://www.scubaboard.com/search.php?searchid=3773686) (search already pre-plugged in).

My advice is to take the ferry to Cozumel. Here is my SAT-style analogy:

Diving in Cancun is to diving in Cozumel
. . . as . . .
eating a meal at Sizzler is to eating a meal at Taillevent.

If you can't stomach the thought of making the trip to Cozumel and must do your diving on the mainland, then you probably should consider a dive in the cenotes (http://www.caverndivingmexico.com/cenotediving.htm) rather than the ocean.

There is plenty of firsthand Cancun diving advice at Scubaboard (http://www.scubaboard.com/search.php?searchid=3773686) (search already pre-plugged in).

Thanks for the reply and the link to Scubaboard.

From your experience, is diving in Cancun really that bad, or is diving in Cozumel really that good?

I had read some reviews and talked to other divers about Cozumel and many have said that it has become overcrowded and when combining that with the damage from the hurricane the reefs arent like they used to be. My logic was why travel all that way for OK diving if you can get OK diving in Cancun. But if I am off basis please let me know your opinion...

From your experience, is diving in Cancun really that bad, or is diving in Cozumel really that good?

More of the latter, although the cenotes on the mainland provide quite a nice diving experience.

I had read some reviews and talked to other divers about Cozumel and many have said that it has become overcrowded and when combining that with the damage from the hurricane the reefs arent like they used to be.

You can generally avoid the overcrowding issues by using a dive operator with fast six-pack boats rather than the cattle boats. I always use Roberta's Eco-Dive/Scuba Shack (http://www.xs4all.nl/~rbungen/test/). They can pick you up and drop you off at a pier that is right next to the ferry terminal. If Roberta's is booked, other excellent dive operations include Blue XT Sea (http://www.bluextseadiving.com/) and Dive with Martin (http://www.divewithmartin.com/).

The hurricanes did cause some reef damage, particularly to the shallower reefs and Santa Rosa Wall. However, things have been steadily improving ever since. There are still plenty of good dive sites that were largely unaffected and a good dive operation will know where to take you. The Columbia reefs, for example, are generally in good shape.

Personally I think it is a mistake to visit the Yucatan and not dive in Cozumel, the time consumption in getting to and from Cozumel notwithstanding.

Thanks for the feedback cactuspete, my brother is thinking about driving to Chichen Itza via rental car. ^ ^


Anyone else make this drive?


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I made the drive several years ago. Using the toll road it wasn't bad at all and I really enjoyed Chichen Itza and have recommended it to everyone I know who heads to Cancun. Everyone who has followed my suggestion has come back glad that they made the trek.

a few people have mentioned this already, but I can't say enough good things about the ruins at Coba (about 1.5 hours south of Cancun). the drive through the jungle and little villages on the way there is just fantastic, and there is a lot of wildlife in and around the ruins. it also has a big pyramid that you can climb (2nd tallest in the Yucatan), and from the top you can see the whole jungle.

another bonus of Coba is that you can really explore and get close to the ruins, while the more touristy sites like Tulum rope you off from most of it.

we used the Coba trip as an alternative to Chichen Itza because we wanted to avoid a long drive. we had no problems renting a car or driving in the area at all--very safe, roads clearly marked, impossible to get lost.

That's true; thanks for the correction. Some of the toll roads, like the autopista to Chichén Itzá, are well cared for, fenced off to exclude cattle (and pedestrians) and are quite fast and reliable. They are also patrolled by the "Green Angels," Mexico's tourist patrol in green pickup trucks / utes who patrol each section twice daily in each direction; they have first aid gear and knowledge, two way communications, basic spare parts and fuel, can repair tires, etc. and give directions in Castilian Spanish and English. These are one of the best feaures of driving Mexico's main roads. ^

Some of the other roads can be dicey - it is best to check first. Even the road south, though much of it is now quad-lane, is good to ask about in case there are any detours for construction, etc. (The road to Cobá is not heavily trafficked; just watch out for two- and four-legged traffic. As Lora54 says, Cobá is top notch and will make you feel like Indy Jones - just take water, decent walking shoes and a hat.)

Just be aware of what has been said elsewhere about checking the condition of the rental vehicle thoroughly and being aware of Mexican laws (and insurance that does not cover glass brakage or partial thefts.) It's "not undheard of" for some to return home and be socked with a large bill for damage caused previously by a few unscrupulous agencies.

Perhaps that is true in general or in certain parts of Mexico (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=587471) (and I don't doubt you), but IME that is not accurate vis-a-vis the toll road (or, really, the 2-lane highway) between Cancun and Chichen Itza.