First time in... CANCUN
 

Hi there!

I'll be travelling in february to Cancun and I will make all the arrangements by myself.

First of all I am looking for a hotel in Cancun and at the beach. Which hotel can you suggest for a price ranging until US$100 per night for 2 people? I was thinking about Holiday Inn Cancun Arenas. Is it a good one?

How much should I consider when having dinner at a "good" restaurant? I mean for a good one like the standard of Hard Rock Cafe, T.G.I. Friday's, etc.

I can oonly take my vacantion in the beginning of february. Is it a good season to visit Cancun? How is the weather? Is ot full of people that are going there to have party or it is more like a destination for couples in honey moon?

A friend of mine suggested to visit Xel Ha, Xcaret, Chichen Itza, Tulun. What else do you suggest.

Thanks for this information. That will help me a lot when booking this trip! :D

No -- poor location. But if you must, see if you can snag a Friends and Family rate. Personally, I'd look for a hotel between KM 7.5 and 16.5 on Kukulkan Blvd., the higher the number, the further removed you'll be from the epicenter of the nightlife.

Try Name Your Own Price bidding with Priceline, consulting Bidding For Travel first. It usually dishes out decent options at the 4* level such as the OMNI and the Hyatt for under $100, sometimes substantially so. Prices have been depressed ever since the swine flu outbreak.

You'll find no shortage of American-chain restaurants in Cancun. Pretty much everywhere you look, in fact. They are, somewhat surprisingly for a first time visitor, slightly more expensive than their counterparts north of the border. If you want to save money and sample authentic Mexican fare, take the bus downtown.

The weather will be fine. The partiers tend to descend upon Cancun in droves in March, during Spring Break, although you can always find some nightlife, if that's your thing, on any weekend.

I enjoy a "jungle tour." Plenty of operators, and the prices are always negotiable.

If you are a scuba diver, take the ferry across to Cozumel and enjoy one of the world's best reefs.

@SAT Lawyer

Thanks for your detailed reply. Priceline is a new site for me. I didn't know it before. I'll have a look and try to find a hotel in the location that you suggested.

Thanks again!

Tripadvisor has a huge, loyal, and volunteering of info/advice "following" on it's Cancun boards. Might be worth a scan:
http://cancun-hotels.tripadvisor.com...Peninsula.html

This is quite a good website for Cancun. http://www.cancunmx.com/


The weather will be goon in Feb. Be aware that the Cancun Hotel Zone has a lagoon side and a Caribbean side. Make sure and look at a larger scale map when seeing where the hotel is located. Not every hotel is on a good beach, or a beach that has water access. Some areas are very rocky.

It really depends on what you want from the area if the Cancun Hotel Zone is the right place. There is also Playa de Carmen down the coast from Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Cozumel, two islands just off the coast to look at.

Agree with SATLawyer.

February is a great time to visit Cancun. I think it is before the spring break college crowd so you shouldn't have any problems bringing your family.

I would look for a hotel in the hotel zone - don't be penny wise and pound foolish. There are many great deals but you need to scour the web and also individual property sites.

All Inclusive
 

I'd recommend getting an All-Inclusive deal. All meals, snacks, and drinks, all day long, that you want, for a very reasonable all-inclusive pre-paid price.

The downside to going all-inclusive is that you are effectively locked into eating and drinking at the hotel's restaurants and bars. Every meal you eat elsewhere and every libation your drink elsewhere makes you feel guilty. Moreover, as a captive subject, you are at the mercy of the quality and selection of the food on offering. Also, it's not uncommon that the total cost of finding a standalone room deal plus the separate cost of food and beverage may be comparable to or even lesser than the all-inclusive price. Of course, if the all-inclusive price is right and the trip is short . . .

I'd say that anyone interested in visiting Tulum, Chichen Itza, etc., as the OP might be, shouldn't get one of these. They're fine for someone who wants to hang out on the same beach for the duration and avoid any hassles. (I'm not making value judgments about one type of vacation versus the other, just saying that they're different, and an all-inclusive deal is better suited to one of them.)

If the OP wants to get a bit further away from the totally-tourist experience, s/he might consider moving down the coast a bit to Playa del Carmen. Still lots of tourist amenities, all the facilities, etc., etc., but not quite as single-minded about it as Cancun is.