Cancun on the cheap
 

Hey y'all

I got a super deal on a 5* resort in Cancun but w/o the inclusive plan which is $150 a night.

Being on a budget, would you recommend me getting a car for $40a/i for 4 days from Budget?

And is renting feasible at all? I wanted to do some sightseeing to the pyramids and the sightseeings nearby. How is the parking around those places? Would you recommend getting a car at all, and eating at off the street restaurants(local)? How does the quality compare to the major resorts?

I do not drink alcohol, hence not getting the all inclusive option, so I will definitely not get my money worth on the inclusive package, but still wanted to try some real good food. And I am not going to cheap on the food but on everything else. I am just a food guy : )

What would you recommend in my situation?

Thanks in advance : )

I've been to Cancun six times. Haven't ever rented a car. So long as your hotel is in the Zona Hotelera, the bus will get you up and down Kukulcan Boulevard 24 hours a day for a paltry 6 pesos each way. That's the way to go. To get to the ruins at Tulum or Chichen Itza, just line up a day excursion with one of the many activity touts. As for restaurants, most of the non-chain, local restaurants will be found downtown, which you can also access via bus.

I agree w/SAT Lawyer. If you are in the hotel zone, use the bus, or a cab if you want to splurge. You can get to restaurants, downtown Cancun, Walmart, the ferry to Isla Mujeres, all via the bus.

I have heard so many bad stories that I will never rent a car in Mexico. If you have the misfortune to be involved in an accident, it will be your fault. Automatically. Rich man pays. And you will likely be expected to pay up on the spot.
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13F

PS This thread should be moved to the Mexico Forum. Cancun faces the Caribbean, but there is a better place for this thread.

wow thanks for the tips guys.
Did not know that bus is 6 pesos each way. I read that all the hotels are reached by only 2 companies which charge like $14 each way.
So that is why I figured renting a car because it is only $40 so I will pretty much break even. The resort at where I stay also has complimentary parking...

As far as tours, I read that they are also $70+ which is pretty steep just to get you to the place and then back. I mean if I decide to do it by driving wouldnt I just have to pay for gas?

or are there some cheapo tour companies that can do the same for much less...

If you plan to stay in Cancun, a car will give you freedom and driving will be relatively safe. If you want to leave the city (Mayan sites), a car will be cheaper, but risky. Chances are that nothing at all will happen, but if it does you will be on your own. Even if you can find a cop, they will will not be your friend.
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13F

It would really help to know exactly which hotel you are staying in. Many people lump hotels as Cancun when they are really out of the Zona Hotel. This may make a huge difference.

Please follow this to the Mexico forum.

l'etoile
sr moderator

thanks for the move mate.
I will be staying at the Le Blanc Spa Resort
got me a cheapie $50/night : )

2-day rental car is advertised at $130 locally, though you may be able to do it cheaper in advance. Gas is not cheap buy not as bad as Europe. Keep in mind mandatory insurance will jack up your rates as will potential traffic tix. Ergo for 1 person it makes a lot of sense to go with the tour. For a family of 4, not so much.

There are plenty of good non-hotel restaurants along the hotel strip. Try the Isla mall for starters and check Tripadvisor. You could eat out for a month and not hit the same place. No need to go downtown unless you want to waste time on the bus. The downtown places are authentic but with a couple of exceptions I would not go out of my way particularly if taking the bus.

From the very nice Cancun bus station in downtown Cancun, you can take a bus to Chichen Itza. I believe the actual bus stop is called Piste, but you can get off the bus at the gate to the ruins. Look it up on ticketbus.mx. There are "luxury buses" which stop less and get there faster, big plush seats, cold AC, very nice. You could make it an overnight in a better town Vallodolid and be able to also see Exmal, another closeby ruin that has more recently begun excavations, plus a major cenote in walking distance of town. Your transportation to the ruins from Valladolid would be cheap if you use, I forget the term, but a local minibus. Hotel Meson Marques there is cheaper than Cancun and nice enough that Jimmy Carter stayed there several times.

I'm just back from the Hotel Zone in Cancun. City busses running the strip are now 8 1/2 pesos (about 70 cents, USD)... still quite a bargain. Be sure to pay with Mexican pesos; the drivers do make change within reason.

Taxi from the south end of the hotel zone to the airport was $25 USD. Probably could have negotiated cheaper if I'd lugged my bags to the street and hailed a cab on the road, rather than letting the bellhop summons one for me.

As stated elsewhere, taxis from the CUN airport to the hotels are a ripoff. Instead, take a shared shuttle that the various travel agencies offer. But first contact your resort and inquire with the concierge, as some resorts do offer their own shuttle; otherwise the concierge can usually book a shuttle for you. (Some require a double occupancy booking.)

Generally don't take a bus from the airport to your hotel (or vice versa) because busses go to downtown Cancun first, and then out to the hotel zone, which will end up being in excess of an hour journey, when it should only take 20 minutes max.

I highly recommend that you do NOT rent a car in Mexico..

God forbid something happens (an accident), even a not-at fault one, you will most likely be arrested until they can establish faults and assign liability.

If you stay in the hotel zone you will be fine though. I believe we paid $25 USD for the taxi to the airport.

Hi All,
Just found this thread and thought I'd ask a question about hiring a car.

We've booked a hotel with a car included and had planned to drive it from the airport (flying into Cancun) to our hotel - The El Cid Marina in Puerto Morelos - but reading this thread has put me off by quite a bit! The main reason I'm put off is the worry should we have an accident, that could really spoil a holiday should that happen.
My thoughts now are giving me a couple of questions I'm hoping someone can answer:
a) Could we just not get the car at the airport and get a taxi to the hotel?
b) Would it be an idea to collect the car, drive it to the hotel, leave it parked there for the duration of our stay, use local transport for any outings we do and then just drive it back to the airport?
Answers greatly appreciated thank you.
Lady1964

From Cancun to Puerto Moreles, although a bus would have been possible we took a taxi, which is not cheap in the area anymore, just to save time and effort. There is a great bus station in downtown Cancun. From Cancun, you can get city to city very well, but where you are dropped for the smaller places or a sites you want to see may not be in the middle of town at a bus station, it may be the side of the road. It is worth checking out where the drop off actually is before deciding to take the bus. If you are not used to public transportation, Puerto Moreles would not be the best place to start. I've been wary of renting a car in Mexico so I've stayed where I could get easier access to transportation, day trips, etc. without a car. The website for Mexico's bus system is called "TicketBus".