Originally Posted by
arizonawildcat
Rental cars just too much of a pain down there? Heading to Cancun because it checks the box for a bunch of things we are looking for. Not the least of which is a non-stop roundtrip flight on Southwest airlines on points and companion passes for all four of us. Been to Puerto Rico and Los Cabos/San Jose several times and wanting a new experience.
Cancun has a relatively good bus system in the touristy hotel zone. It's cheap and easy. There is no need for a taxi or rental car. Plus, renting a car is expensive, there's parking and then the stress over insurance coverage, theft, police bribes (if you get pulled over for some nonexistent driving infraction) and the risk of damage to the car.
I've stayed twice at the Intercontinental Presidente, once at the Marriott (is it still the Casa Magna?), once at the Westin Resort and once at the old Holiday Inn (no longer flagged as a Holiday Inn).
The Westin's location was nice because it was near the end of the hotel zone, which made it quieter than other hotels. This could be an important consideration in late February or early March, though I think Cancun no longer gets the spring break numbers that it did 10 or 15 years ago. I also believe it was recently renovated. For what it's worth, most people have always ranked the Intercontinental as having the best beach. It's also within walking distance of pretty much all the touristy restaurants and bars. I found the Marriott rather meh, but then again I got food poisoning from a room service pizza.
Regardless of where you stay, go to the Walmart outside the hotel zone and stock up on water, Coke or Pepsi, etc. The prices are super cheap.