My first trip (to Playa Del Carmen, Quintana Roo)
 

I'll be making my first trip to Mexico shortly and staying in Playa del Carmen flying in to CUN.

I know I have to make transfer arrangements and have the names of a few transfer companies, or I can have the hotel make the arrangements.

Any other tips/tricks for a newbie? Anything special to bring? Tours to take? Things to watch out for?

I checked and there isn't anything that I can find for those making their first trip :)

Even if it's your tenth trip, it's better to make separate arrangements for transport than via your hotel most of the time - they will usually take a hefty commission to "help" you. And the taxi ranks at CUN are full of pirates, not to mention the condition of the taxis themselves is quite variable. If it's your first time, arranged transfers arevthevticket; when you're an old hand, use the bus. :) (I speak Spanish fluently and know the area very well.)

I've used USA Transfers and found them reasonable and reliable. See http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/mexic...uttle-etc.html for more. I'd recommend them.

Use sunscreen. Take your own mask and snorkel, lest you get assigned leaky or otherwise poorly fitting gear.

I'd recommend seeing Tulúm, a Maya site on the coast, as well as a tour inland to the archaeological zone of Cobá - you'll feel like Indiana Jones. Take a stop to snorkel in a cenote (limestone sinkhole). On a Sunday (when the cruise ships are gone), take the ferry to Cozumel.

Check TripAdvisor for top rated tour companies and tours. See this page on Viator to compare tours and prices from them.

Thank you so much. I was going to contact USA Transfers.

Do I need to bring something like Imodium, just in case? I've already got my Deet bug spray :)

PdC is too touristy for us, and IMO the beach isn't as nice as Tulum, but the shopping is fun, and there are a couple of good music clubs that get Afro-Cuban bands and salsa.

Try Yucatreks for small van trips to ruins and some of the cenotes.

Places to see:
Tulum beaches and the Sian Kaan biosphere are wonderful.
Swim/snorkel with huge turtles and rays in Akumal, another nice beach.
See Coba ruins by bike taxi.
Valladolid is a lovely Colonial town from which you can see Chichen Itza and Ek Balam ruins and a lot of cenotes. There's dancing on the plaza on Sunday evenings.

We've never gotten sick. And we eat in more local places than you're likely to. You drink and brush teeth with bottled water. PdC even has big US box stores for that kind of purchase.

Thanks for that info. It's appreciated.

I don't know how far we're likely to wander, beyond going to Mayakoba for a day, and a few of the major sites that have been mentioned. My goal is not to do a whole lot of anything, though I am looking for some touristy type things mentioned above for the mornings/early afternoon. Perhaps on a second trip we'll do a deeper dive.

Uber is now operational in Cancun

I use Cancun Transfers and pay with PayPal

Loperamide (Imodium ) or Pepto-Bismol, etc. can come in handy in case you encounter "Moctezuma's revenge" aka "Delhi belly" from the change in climate, etc. I'm sure you can find it easily in local farmacias. Sunscreen and skin protection, and some apply permethrin to their external clothing for the mosquitoes, keeping DEET etc. for exposed areas.

Thank you. So there's no need to carry the stuff with us since it's available locally? I'm staying at the Hyatt and from what I understand, the shopping areas are pretty nearby. Already have the sunscreen and know to cover up daily from our trips to Hawaii. 10 minutes and my husband would look like a lobster.

No doubt you'll find Loperamide / Imodium a local farmacias, as it's shall we say "popular", as are oral rehydration fluids and packets of oral rehydration crystals, etc. These are very useful when "Delhi belly" visits. (The ubiquitous Gatorade less so as I contains lots of sugars and minerals in less than optimum formulations. Pedialyte is much better, even nought most of us consider the taste awful.)

Pedialyte popsicles are a workable alternative - assuming you can find a freezer when on vacation. :)

Thanks much!!!!

If you are planning to be in any cenotes or any part of the ocean to see the reef, fish, turtles, etc (i.e. anywhere besides a swimming pool), you should have sunscreen that is BIODEGRADABLE ! The "regular" stuff is toxic to the marine life and water, and adds tot he destruction of the very things you have traveled to see.

Thank you for mentioning that. The oily stuff causes slicks and interferes with fishes' gill functions and respiration, ditto for delicate coral polyps; some of the chemicals in non biodegradable sun screens are quite hazardous to reef and marine life (and to some of the unique life forms that have adapted to living within the cenotes).

Thanks. I'll have to take a look into it. My husband is very fair and burns very easily. He needs the industrial strength sunscreen that doesn't wash off easily. We try to buy waterproof, when possible, or at least water resistant.

Just to hijack the thread as it's on topic could someone advise how safe it would be to rent a car for a day as we are staying up in Cancun and would like to visit some of the sites mentioned.