Going to Cancun for the first time
 

Does anyone have any good suggestions on what I should see while there?

I've never really taken in the Cancun scene...just not my type of travel tho many enjoy it. May I suggest a day trip over to Isla Mujeres. Don't take a tour group...get a cab ($10-20 depending on where you are for up to 4 people..negotiate with cab driver on the front end) to the 30 minute ferry over ($4-5/person each way). Have a cocktail/beer on the way over. When you land take the bay side street you arrive on north to Playa Norte (north beach...note it is topless in some areas)...wander in any number of the beach bars. Stop by the bar at Posada del Mar hotel for happy hour as you will run into a number of US expats/retirees that are very friendly...say hello to the bartenders Romy and miguel...super nice guys. Feel free to take a dip in the bar side pool.. Head east and wander up and down main street...lots of good bars and restaurants that are very reasonably priced ($5 for two margueritas/beers $2 each)...decent lunch/dinner can be had for under $6/$10 per person).

Go to the town square AND PEOPLE WATCH. If you get there early enough go to the market place and stop in at Hortensia's shop...pick out a fabric and she will make the wifey a sun dress you can pick up later in the day for $10-12....women dig it.

Very few cars on the island...cabs are $5 anywhere you wanna go...flat rate and will haul up to 4 people for that amount. Take a cab ride down to the south end of the island (only 5 miles long x 1/2 mile wide) and stop in at Hotel Garrafon (not the touristy amusement park...the little hotel next door to it)...snorkel on the reef...mask/fin rental about $10...good little inecpensive snack bar there. Or rent a golf cart for $30/half day or moped $25/half day and explore on your own.

For info.. IslaMujeres.info - Your Guide to Isla Mujeres Mexico

If you are going for longer than a week Chichen Itza is well worth seeing. It is a bit of a trip inland though and makes for a very long day.

Take the family to xcaret and xhel-ha?? Awesome places, google them...

General rule about Mexico that I have been told; don't rent a car and drive yourself anywhere because if you get in an accident and a native is killed or injured, it is not uncommon with all the corruption that you'd be thrown in jail.

Even if the native is the one that ran the light and caused you to t-bone them.

And it can take a long, long time and many, many pesos paid under the table to get you out.

+1 on xcaret, make sure you take bathing suits under your clothes so u can get into the water.... and relax, its an all day deal, just buy a beer or whatever and don't get in a hurry... u can get in the water and float around the park... we took boat over to cozmel, the water is blue and beautiful, Playa de Carma is weird because it is 1st street by the water as you go out toward the highway it is slummy, my wife got food poisoning there at a place that had 4 stars in fodors so be careful

Not true. Actually quite the opposite.. (as long as you're not DUI).
One time my dad got really sick in Cancun and I had to drive like 2 times a day to a town between Cancun and Maya rivera and believe me there are many tourists driving along the Cancun rivera.

yea , I drove there, just make sure u have cash on hand, it gets u out of anything, oh and pharmacies close at 9:00 or 10:00 can't remember

OK... drive at your own risk, then. There were no traffic accidents in either of your cases, correct? Big difference.

Mark, the specific case I know about involved a fatality and it was the native's fault... Mexican woman ran a red light and the cops threw the American in jail. He was not drinking. I think it ultimately cost upwards of $70,000 in bribes and lawyers before he was allowed to leave.

So... drive if you want to.

I remember.. in isla we rented those 20+ old golf carts that had none, nada, zip brakes.. I crashed :( Fortunately all liquor helped not feel a thing. I didn't like isla personally, lots of poor houses that take some of the beauty from the island...
If you go to your travel clinic you can get shots for malaria, hep. A,B, and other stuff even something that will help you with diarrhea. Good luck and enjoy the trip.

I would pass on Chichen Itza (Chicken Pizza) and go to Coba. You can climb to the top, it's closer and the view over the forest canopy is great. Rent a car and leave early to beat the hordes arriving by bus.


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Then definitely go snorkeling in the Cenotes. Amazing. I'm not a tour guy, but I highly, highly recommend Altournative Adventures. You get to ride in a Unimog - totally cool - and they support local sustainable projects instead of the big commercial crud. Our trip had kayaking, snorkeling in a bay and in two cenotes, the jungle crossing in the Unimog, a complete blast.

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We honey moon there for 3 weeks. Do the cave snorking thing with Altournative. I have done their tours 3 times since and have not one bad thing to say. Do go on the jungle tour with them. I don't know about the Xhel-ha(sp?) Is like going to a Disneyland water park. Really no big deal. get out into the ocean and go snorking or dive. Try and go over to Cozemel and rent a jeep and drive around the island. Do the ATV guide tour. We rented mopeds to get around and ate at all the local restaurants. Gone into downtown Cancun once. Too many drunken Americans youths screaming with beer bottles in hand all over the streets. Did not enjoy that at all. We really enjoy the stay at Player Del Carman. A bit quieter and the restaurants were small and great. You don't get the Hardrock Cafe there. Plenty to do in the evening.

We felt absolute save in both Player and Cozemel. Oh, of course, you have to see all the big ruins. You will be doing a bit of walking and it will be hot. They have 2 seasons there. Hot and hotter.

If time permits, get out to see the biosphere. That's a whole day thing and you need to go on a boat. A bit costly, but worth every penny IMO.

Just thinking about it, now I want to go back. Good luck.

Jeff

+1 on Isla Mujeras. Keep in mind the water in the tourist zone in Cancun is purified. Once you get out of that area, don't drink water or eat anything that has been washed.
Spent last December driving all over Mexico in my truck (5000+ milres). No problems. Got stopped at lots of checkpoints, but didn't have any problem. DON'T buy fruit from vendors on the road. Chances are you'll get stopped and the fruita policia will confiscate it. I don't know about renting a car, the local transportation can be a hoot. Taxis will take you anywhere, but the buses are fun.

Isla Mujeres has some great restaurants, a fabulous beach. Beautiful graveyard. Laid back, peaceful. I love it there.
Cozumel - forget it - drunken cruise ship people.
Chitchen Itza is absolutely fantastic.
Xcaret. Great.
Akumal. Peaceful. Couple of great restaurants on the beach.
The bus system was great for getting down the coast.

Definitely Xel Ha and/or Xcaret, Tulum, Akumal. I never ventured out to Chichen Itza but will do it if in the region again (been there 3 times thus far).

Having done both Cancun as well as Playa Del Carmen / Playacar, I really prefer the latter. Cancun is a large city and I might as well not leave LA for that experience.

+1000 on Chitzen Itza - absolutely unbelievable.
We had a car and drove from Playa del Carmen - absolutely dead straight highway through the Yucatan jungle. A little spooky though, since there are very few on-ramps and not a lot of traffic. Every once in a while there'd be a bicyclist riding along the highway who would then turn into the jungle and disappear. Think the corn field in Field of Dreams.

Xcaret is a blast too (pronounced Ish-Caret).

+1 on all the above. Everyone pretty much covered the high points.

A few additional morsels:

Cancun is best AVOIDED during spring break and hurricane season.
Not all hotels/resorts are created equal WRT quality/service/beach access/etc..
If you want to stay in Cancun, I would recommend one of the hotels on Kukulcan Blvd. Personally, I like the Gran Melia. If all-inclusive is your thing, I would recommend the Paradisus Riviera in Puerto Morelos (half-way between Cancun & PdC).
If so inclined, stop by the cigar shop in Kukulcan Plaza for a few "island" sticks (Cuban cigars). All other places you are probably getting fakes.
If you are into fly-fishing, Ascension Bay, Bocapaila, & Isla Blanca are the preferred hot-spots for Bonefish & Tarpon.

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Resurrecting an old thread. Thanks for all the tips. We're heading out tomorrow morning and we decided to make the trek to Chichen Itza. I'll post pics and comments when we return next Sunday. Thanks again all who chimed in.

Cool! Have fun!