Just returned from a week's stay in a 2BR Villa (which is really just a studio + 1BR)
Originally Posted by
miles_navigator
I took the airport service offered by the hotel and read it is cheaper to cab it back to airport when leaving.
Someone else in thread suggested USA Transfers. We used them and they were great. $65 round trip for a van for the 6 of us. They emailed with me ahead of time and while we were there. They were 10 mins early picking us up for our return
How much in local Pesos do I need in cash for general casual spending outside the property (groceries, meals, etc). Is credit card readily accepted outside the property or is it mostly cash?
We got away with zero. Now, with that said - we didn't venture too far and didn't do anything out of walking distance from the resort. DL and SPG Amex have no Fx fees, so we just charged everything on that. My wife tried to get a coffee at the chocolate shop in the mall across the street and they said they didn't take credit - so she went to Starbucks instead. The grocery is a 1/2 mile walk down the street. They take credit. As does the pharmacy across the road and every restaurant we went to.
We didn't deal with the buses on this trip, but they are very easy to navigate. There's only one road/route and they go back and forth constantly. It costs 10.50 pesos to ride (about $0.60). Drivers have some change, but you need to have pesos for that.
We are looking to just relax and for the most part, i.e. kids play in the pool/beach. However, any nearby activities that are must with the kids? Spending 12 hours on a bus to go to chichen itza doesn't sound like fun as much as I want to go (perhaps when the kids are much older and can endure that lengthy bus ride). I may go solo as a day trip or go to Tulum.
There's a small ruin on the property. Not a lot to do there, obviously. There is, however, a national park called El Rey with Mayan ruins down by the public beach. It's about 3 1/2 miles from the resort, but you can take the bus there. More here:
http://www.travelandleisure.com/loca...ns-near-cancun
We spent every day at the pools. The main pool area actually has 3 pools. 1 with a waterslide, one with the swimup bar, and a kids pool. The other pool area is also good for little kids b/c the entrance is ramped. The surf at the beach was really strong. I'm not sure if it's always like that at that part of the beach, if it's a winter thing, or if it was just the weather the week we were there. There were red flags up on the beach and we didn't feel comfortable letting our little ones play there with the undertow. Otherwise the beach is clean, lots of chairs. Not many people trying to sell you stuff like in other parts of Cancun.
Across the road on the lagoon there are all kinds of jetski, jetpack, speedboat adventure sorts of activities as well.
The one thing that I wasn't really fond of was the food. There are 2 (3 if you count the main pool bar) restaurants on property. It's fine if you need an easy lunch or even a quick dinner, but I don't think it's good enough for a week. There are some places across the road - Hooters, Chili's, Johnny Rockets...there are also a several "touristy" mexican restaurants on the water. Not bad, not great either. There is a trio of Asian restaurants: Thai, Indian, Sushi. We ate at the Thai place. Great atmosphere, OK food. Didn't really know what to expect for Thai food in Mexico...
15 mins walking north there is a Bubba Gump's and Outback. Again, not great. If you go down toward the Marriotts (maybe 1.5 miles?) there are few nicer places: Fred's, Harry's, Puerto Madero. We ate at Fred's. Again, it was fine, but not amazing. The concierge is mostly useless in this regard. They have a list of restaurants where there is a "discount" or "welcome drink" and that's all that they will tell you about.
We attempted to purchase food at the grocery store to cook for dinner one night. Don't expect the selection of meat/fish/vegetables that you get at home. There are lots of grills throughout the property and you can borrow grill tools from the market on the bottom floor of the hotel. However, not all the grills were working - it was pretty windy as well, which made the process of lighting them more difficult. Also, if you've ever tried to prep meat and veggies with marginally sharp, easily bendable knives ...