XP: Cancun/Riviera Maya recs?

[moreace01]

All of this advice really depends on where you will be since you won't have a car. Riviera Maya is very large.

Fun things to do:

Ruins in Tulum, Coba or Chichen Itza.

Snorkel a cenote - I think I did Dos Ojos, but I am somewhat forgetful.

This is rather cheesy, but you could do one of water parks like Xcaret or Xel-ha.

Visit Playa del Carmen and Tulum.

Snorkel Akumal.

Take ferry to Cozumel.

[mdgirl]

When we stayed on Isla Mujeres we went to PDC one day and it wasn't that tough. You take a bus to the ferry terminal and then take the ferry over. Isla is cute -- there's good food and Playa Norte is gorgeous. There are also organized day trips you can take that sail over, but I think they're more like booze cruises.

[MauMau]

Coba and rent a bike to tour around. Or the bike rickshaw to drive your around. It is too hot and humid to walk around and not feel tired. As of last year June you could still climb to the top of the Ixmoja pyramid. It has an awesome view!

I visited Tulum too. It was nice but I preferred Coba. We rented a car for the day and started at Tulum than drove to Coba and Valladolid after that. It wasn't to awful driving around and so much cheaper than a tour. My advice is if you have any thought that you might rent a car and drive. Take a portable GPS you have at home or make sure the rental has one. We drove with an old fashion map and read signs but it was a little overwhelming. Topas are speed bumps and they are plentiful and if you miss one you might stall out your automatic car.

[niki]

Xel-ha isn't cheesy! I thought it was amazing. I much hope to go back to see it again. It is this giant lagoon (not a water park!). I wish we could've spent another day just there.

[Deleted]

go to a cenotes it is really amazing.,,

here is a link so that you can see what i mean

www.locogringo.com/mexico/ways-to-play/riviera-maya/eco-adventure-parks/cenotes-caverns/

[moreace01]

Jun 17, 2014 22:52:57 GMT -5 niki said:

Xel-ha isn't cheesy! I thought it was amazing. I much hope to go back to see it again. It is this giant lagoon (not a water park!). I wish we could've spent another day just there.

Ah, good call. They are not water parks in the way we think of them - like with big water slides. Eco park I think is the right term (you can snorkel in lagoons or go down a lazy river in a tube). I think of them as somewhat cheesy because they are man made, or at least Xcaret is - unsure about Xel-ha. And I think Xcaret has nightly shows (I was there during the day, so don't quote me on this). Still, can be fun. I enjoyed Xcaret. 

For the OP - I don't have any recs for food. I did enjoy shopping in PDC though - there are some amazing swimsuit stores.  

Have fun!  

[moreace01]

@rock-n-Voll - mainly bikini shops. Not sure if one-piece is really well represented. Also, I'm in Chicago so swimsuit stores...well, we don't really have them here. So I'm easily impressed.