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Hello all,
As the title suggests, I'm going to be heading to Cancun, Mexico with 6-8 friends in February. I'll eventually update this or make another blog probably when I get back with pictures and such, but for now we are still in the planning phase.
We're not quite sure on any of the details yet and we're still looking at prices and resorts to stay at as well as anything specific we should do or check out there, so I figured I'd call the help of TL as I'm sure there's dozens of people here that have gone before.
Details:
- We're looking for a travel agencies/flight center to combo flight trips+resort booking+anything else that could be included easily.
- We're traveling from Kelowna, BC, Canada.
- We're 22-27yo, mix of male/female.
- We'll be staying a week.
- The cheaper the better, but we still have a list of things we are looking for, so if it's necessary to pay more to get exactly what we want that's alright.
Things we/I am looking for:
- Adult-only resort, no kids. I'm going to be on vacation, I can't stand being near kids/babies -_-
- Free booze in hotel room is a big bonus (
 ).
- Within walking distance to the beach.
- A swim-up bar would be really neat, or at least a bar at or by our hotel that is open late-ish.
- Cheap taxi/bus to downtown would be a bonus.
- Activities like scuba-diving/snorkeling/etc would be nice.
Probably a few more things I can think of given the time.
So I guess what I'm ask specifically is:
Any resorts you've been to or heard of that match what I'm looking for?
Anything I didn't list/mention that I should check out while I'm there?
Any travel agencies/flight centers available in my area that you would recommend?
Cheers!
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you must go to Xel-Ha. expensive, but you will fucking thank me. dont bother with tulum unless you dont do chichen itza.
do chichen itzal. there is a hotel right by the back entrance; forgot name, but can be bothered to ask for it if you want. you wake up early, go into the park, which is empty, and see everything then leave before the fucking 50 million tourists come and swamp the park like americans at a deep fry stand.
riu resort was nice, but it takes kids. all resorts are basically on the beach. but nobody uses the beach until late at night.
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I've been about 10-15 times between Cancun and Playa Del Carmen (like 45 minutes south of Cancun).
For everything you're looking for in Cancun, I'd highly recommend the Gran Caribe Real. Here are some quick details about the place:
- 4.5* (maybe 5*, I can't remember) all-inclusive
- It has a beautiful lobby and awesome lobby bar
- Staff are wonderful
- Good food, 2 restaurants and a buffet
- Decent quality drinks (Jose Cuervo, Bacardi, etc.) Most cheaper hotels use really shitty booze made in a barrel. It's disgusting.
- In-room bar. There are 4-6 bottles in your room (Vodka, Rum, Tequila, Brandy IIRC, maybe more), a fridge with free mix (pop, water, etc.) and usually 4-6 beers in it. The fridge is restocked daily.
- Right across the street from Basic (medium-sized club, probably 1k capacity) if you want to go to a club but not too far
- 20-30 minute walk from all the major clubs (Dadeo's, Coco Bongo, The City, Bulldog, etc.) or a $2-5 taxi ride.
- It's right in the center of the Hotel Zone so it's really easy to get around.
- Right on the beach, the sand is pumped in from the ocean, it's some of the nicer beach property around
I usually stay right next door at The Royal. If you have a little extra cash, I HIGHLY recommend that place. It's one of 5 places in all of Mexico with a Diamond Star rating (higher than 5*), abso-fucking-lutely unbelievable food, top shelf liquor (Grey Goose, Don Julio, Patron, etc.), the best service you'll ever experience, and extremely attractive guests (most of them are really wealthy). I've had better food at The Royal than I've had anywhere else in the world and I've been to a lot of top-rated restaurants all over.
Side Note: I'm guessing you guys are from UBC-O heading down for reading week?
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On December 15 2013 11:09 dAPhREAk wrote:
you must go to Xel-Ha. expensive, but you will fucking thank me. dont bother with tulum unless you dont do chichen itza.
do chichen itzal. there is a hotel right by the back entrance; forgot name, but can be bothered to ask for it if you want. you wake up early, go into the park, which is empty, and see everything then leave before the fucking 50 million tourists come and swamp the park like americans at a deep fry stand.
riu resort was nice, but it takes kids. all resorts are basically on the beach. but nobody uses the beach until late at night.
Cool stuff. I don't think we'll have a problem taking a bus/taxi ride to it if it's close to another resort we're interested in staying at. Even if it's expensive that's okay because there will be at least some of us (myself included) that would be interested in checking it out even if it's a little costly.
On December 15 2013 11:39 chadissilent wrote:
I've been about 10-15 times between Cancun and Playa Del Carmen (like 45 minutes south of Cancun).
For everything you're looking for in Cancun, I'd highly recommend the Gran Caribe Real. Here are some quick details about the place:
- 4.5* (maybe 5*, I can't remember) all-inclusive
- It has a beautiful lobby and awesome lobby bar
- Staff are wonderful
- Good food, 2 restaurants and a buffet
- Decent quality drinks (Jose Cuervo, Bacardi, etc.) Most cheaper hotels use really shitty booze made in a barrel. It's disgusting.
- In-room bar. There are 4-6 bottles in your room (Vodka, Rum, Tequila, Brandy IIRC, maybe more), a fridge with free mix (pop, water, etc.) and usually 4-6 beers in it. The fridge is restocked daily.
- Right across the street from Basic (medium-sized club, probably 1k capacity) if you want to go to a club but not too far
- 20-30 minute walk from all the major clubs (Dadeo's, Coco Bongo, The City, Bulldog, etc.) or a $2-5 taxi ride.
- It's right in the center of the Hotel Zone so it's really easy to get around.
- Right on the beach, the sand is pumped in from the ocean, it's some of the nicer beach property around
I usually stay right next door at The Royal. If you have a little extra cash, I HIGHLY recommend that place. It's one of 5 places in all of Mexico with a Diamond Star rating (higher than 5*), abso-fucking-lutely unbelievable food, top shelf liquor (Grey Goose, Don Julio, Patron, etc.), the best service you'll ever experience, and extremely attractive guests (most of them are really wealthy). I've had better food at The Royal than I've had anywhere else in the world and I've been to a lot of top-rated restaurants all over.
Side Note: I'm guessing you guys are from UBC-O heading down for reading week?
Wow, thanks for all the details. I've got a dinner to go to shortly but I'll be checking back on this later and I've already got a few pages bookmarked to check out. The Royal sounds really nice, not sure if all of us will have it in our budget, but we're getting together later this week to bring suggestions to the table to discuss exactly these things so thanks for the info.
A couple of us are from UBC-O, I went to OC, but I think we'll be planning during the reading week because the friends that do go to UBC-O will need a chunk of time off to come
Thanks for the input so far!
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Not a problem man, if you have any specific questions just shoot me a message.
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Definitely go to Chichen Itza, and don't hesitate to spend a few extra dollars if it includes drinks/lunch; the Sopa De Lima I had as part of a Chichen tour deal was amazing, and already having drinks covered is a godsend when the tourist exploiters descend. The hotel deal isn't a bad option either, only I've never stayed there because my aunt thinks the owner is a prick (she lives in Cancun proper).
Hotel wise, check out the Hotel Riu Cancun; it's a short, cheap taxi ride from the airport, is all inclusive, fairly cheap, and is full to the brim with non-American tourists, which I personally really enjoy. Many British folk pick the Riu chain due to it having started in Spain and it is also popular with Brazilians. In any case, the club groups that head out at night are awesome opportunities to mix with foreign beauties 
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"The Yucatan Peninsula, which includes the tourist destinations of Cancun, Cozumel, Riviera Maya, Merida and Progreso, has not been significantly affected by violence or insecurity."
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The Yuc is absolutely safe, just don't be a fool and be aware.
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yeah if youre not being a dumbass when youre walking off the resort, you will be totally fine.
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Cool. Yeah mostly everyone I talked to last night about this is totally down for checking out chichen itza and/or xel-ha. Dunno if we'll be going with any of the hotels listed above due to budget issues with other people, but the other hotel we found has mostly all the same stuff.
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I went this summer to this place
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g150810-d1175973-Reviews-Privilege_Aluxes-Isla_Mujeres_Yucatan_Peninsula.html
Isla Mujeres is actually an island off the coast of Cancun. Idk how old you are and what you are looking for exactly, but this place was really cool. Mainland Cancun is better if you're all about clubs and going out to get ripshit drunk. This place is pretty much a big village. The primary method of transportation is golf carts that you can rent. The streets are super narrow and there are lots of hole in the wall food places and stuff. The resort is on a really nice beach, the all inclusive food is pretty solid and includes two ala carte places too.
We were on a budget and were looking at a number of places on mainland. This blew them away in quality. The only downside is that it is a bit of a hike from mainland. It's like 20 min or so cab + a 20 or 30 min ferry. Really gorgeous island though.
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EPT
