Cancun and Surrounding Areas

We were originally supposed to stay at Imperial Las Perlas, their sister resort, which seemed a lot nicer of a hotel, but then the resort got our reservation mixed up and didn't have a room for us there. What a bad way to start a vacation!! We then got moved over to Dos Playas, which was a bad idea, but it was at a great location. We were right next to Fat Tuesday and there was a bus stop right next door. The beaches were full of locals, and I couldn't really relax on the beach. The rooms were very run down, but well kept. We had a window unit in our room, and our bathroom was split into two separate areas: shower and toilet in one room and sink/vanity area in the other. The rooms were extremely hot, and the bathroom kept flooding. If you are going to be spending money to go to Cancun, spend the extra money to be in a nicer resort.

We saw all of the advertisements trying to sell you snorkeling activities before we got to the Cancun and Cozumel area, and I am definitely glad we waited to do anything until we got there. You can purchase snorkeling activities over the Internet, but they will cost you between $75 and $90. If staying in Cancun, you can take a bus to the downtown bus terminal and take a connecting bus to the Playa Del Carmen bus terminal, which costs about $3.50. From there, you can take the ferry off of Avenue E, 2 blocks over from the bus terminal. The ferry, which cost $10 at the time, will get you to Cozumel. Spend some time in Playa Del Carmen while you are there. I wish I could have spent some more time there, as it is one of the most beautiful villages in the area.

When you decide to leave Playa Del Carmen, if you do, it will take you about an hour to make it into Cozumel. You can usually book a snorkeling trip on the ferry. Ours was only about $25, plus a $2 port fee, still much less than the $75 they were asking for through other places.

The Captain Hook Dinner Cruise was one of the best things our group did on our vacation. We wanted to go to the bars on our Spring Break, which we did, but everyone's favorite thing was the dinner cruise. Shortly after the moment you step on board the ship, a drink is placed in your hand, and drinks are flowing the entire trip. Mix that with dancing, and a rocking boat, and talk about an interesting trip. If you are bringing a family, it is still a great vacation, they get the kids involved in a treasure hunt, and they have a great crowd interaction. They have contests where they will pull out members out of the audience and get the whole crowd involved in the show. The meal is one of the best you will have while on your vacation. If you are in Cancun, this is one thing you can't miss.

Coco Bongo is one of the bars you truly can't miss. Mix a live show, with great music, and an open bar, and you have a great nightclub. The shows are some of the best things you can imagine with a great production team. Make sure you get the Entertainment Card before you go on your vacation, at the time, I was able to get $5 off the cover charge for each person in my party along with the Express Pass. For the price you pay for the card, it truly stretches your money while on vacation.

There is a market next to Fat Tuesday you should try to check out. You are able to find some of the same stuff you find everywhere else, but you can find some unique things and great bargains. So if you are in the area, it may be worth a look.

One thing I didn't see a whole lot of while preparing for my trip to Cancun was currency tips. The US Dollar is taken more than anything. I had heard to take Pesos, which is a good idea, I would change no more than $100 into Pesos, and keep the rest in cash. Travelers checks are good for your safety, but the merchants will usually hassle you about taking them. I used my Pesos a lot and also used my Check card or credit cards more than anything. Be sure to check with your bank before leaving on your trip, you may have international fees that may apply on your trip. Mine was 10% on every transaction, a big surprise when I got back.

After you get off your plane, you will go through the interesting customs procedures, you get your tourist card after you get your passport stamped. Make sure you hang on to your tourist card, you have to turn it in when checking on to your flight home. After exiting customs, you get your bags and go through the "Red Light/Green Light" screening process. I had heard that they didn't search you hardly ever, but for some reason, I got stopped at every checkpoint in the airport. When you go to the red light/green light, you will see two lights. You turn in your customs declaration and then press the button, if green, you get to pass through the exit to the airport, if red, you have to go get every piece of luggage searched.

When you exit in the Cancun airport, I had heard horror stories on the Internet about timeshare sharks, etc. Really, I had not one person approach me on my entire trip. I had more people hassling me asking me if I needed a ride than anything. Be sure to book round-trip transportation to and from the airport in advance. It makes your trip a lot easier and stress-free in the end. If you need a good transportation service, check out www.entertainment-plus.net
This is who I used and you will have a private service where only your party will be in the vehicle, and the drivers will point things out on your ride if you inquire about different things. Be sure if you do this, and to tip the person that leads you to your car and your driver.