Making Memories

With powdery sand and clear blue water, and affordable accommodations, Mexico is an ideal beach-vacation destination for couples as well as families. And if you were to ask Google for the most-visited beach destination in Mexico, surely Cancun would rank among the top. With many nonstop or direct flights from the US mainland, a strip of beach-front hotels and all-inclusive resorts near the airport, Cancun is very accessible and affordable comparing to other destinations.

In recent years, Tulum, once considered as a hidden gem, has attracted many tourists to Mexico. For that reason, many vacationers have pondered between choosing Cancun versus Tulum. Only 2 hours away by car, why would you need to choose? It is possible to visit both Cancun and Tulum on the same trip!

CANCUN

Although across the border, when arriving in the Cancun hotel zone (about 10 minutes from the airport), you would not realize you are in Mexico, especially if you live in the southern states where there are many Latinos residing. The main language being used is English, and the majority of the tourists are Americans. With reasonable prices, opting for all-inclusive resorts allows you to fully enjoy your vacation. Everything from food, drinks to entertainment is included. All-Inclusive is especially convenient for large groups. If you’re visiting just for a long weekend, then sun-bathing on the beach, lounging around the resort, and strolling the tourist/hotel zone would be enough. However, if your trip is longer or if you would like more activities, then you can take a snorkel tour, or venture to Chichen Itzá to see the Mayan Ruins. Note that snorkeling in Cancun is not nearby the shore. Even if joining a big tour group, you are assigned to your own speedboat where you will need to drive across the lagoon for about 10-15 minutes to get near the coral reef. Basically, you’ll be snorkeling in the middle of the ocean! Although everyone is required to wear a life-vest, regardless of your swimming ability, it can be quite scary if you don’t know how to swim because it’s very deep there. On the tour to the Mayan Ruins, remember to bring a hat and water and wear plenty of sunscreen; it is very hot and there isn’t any shade.

TULUM

If you like lively crowds and partying, then Cancun is more ideal for you. However, if you like a more chilled atmosphere, then Tulum may be your new favorite spot. Even though it is no longer considered a hidden gem since it has gained a lot more popularity in past years, it is still not as crowded comparing to Cancun. It’s understandable since it takes about 2 hours from the Cancun airport, so it is not as easily accessible.  Apart from beautiful beaches, Tulum is also home to many cenotes and the Parque Nacional Tulum (nation park). There are fewer all-inclusive resorts in Tulum, and most of them are adults-only resorts. When we visited Tulum, there was only one all-inclusive resort available that allowed children.

Cenotes

If you’re not afraid of depth, then consider visiting the cenotes where you will get to experience swimming in the most refreshing spring water, typically inside a cave. It is the most thrilling experience, even for a barely-know-to-swim person like me!! It is not required to be a good swimmer as you will be required to wear a life-vest, and the swimming distance is usually short. Goggles are provided if you don’t have your own. It is very dark inside the cave, so the tour-guide brings a flash light to guide your way. Most of the time, you will be able to swim/float with your head above the water; there are a few places where the water touches the top of the rock inside the cave, so you must dive under and swim past it. There are many types of cenotes, check the difficulty with your tour-guide ahead of time before entering so you can decide to join or skip. There are about 6000 cenotes in Mexico, and most are concentrated in the Yucatan Peninsula. In Tulum, the most popular cenotes are Cenote Dos Ojos, Cenote Calavera, Gran Cenote, Cenote Oxman, Cenote Suytun, Cenote Nicte-Ha, Cenote Azul, Cenote Zacil Ha, Cenote Sac Actun. The Mayans believed that the cenotes are the paths leading to the underworld, so they are considered sacred. In modern day, you get to experience the most unpolluted and refreshing swim ever.

Parque Nacional Tulum

If you would like to visit the Mayan Ruins, then visit Parque Nacional Tulum. There’s no need for tours, but tickets are required to enter the national park. Note that only Mexican pesos are accepted; neither US dollars nor credit cards are accepted here. You need to purchase 2 tickets: 1 to enter the national park and 1 to see the ruins. As previously noted, be sure to dress lightly, bring a hat, lots of water and wear plenty of sunscreen. Bottled water is sold at the entrance if you forgot yours.

Opinion: if you have seen the ruins in Rome, then you may be disappointed because the Mayan ruins are much smaller in scale. Nevertheless, each culture and time has its own uniqueness, so visit with an open-mind. What makes these ruins different is they are next to a beautiful beach, so you get see both the ruins and the beach. If you have never visited, it is worth seeing it at least once.

Flights

Being so near, from the US, airlines treat flights to Cancun like domestic flights. You get no perks like other international flights such as baggage allowance or meals. If the airline you use does not allow free checked bags for domestic flights, then the same applies to flights to Cancun. No American airline provides meals on flights to Cancun, only snacks and drinks. If you fly with Aeromexico, then a sandwich is provided during lunch or dinner hours. For Cancun, Tulum, Playa del Carmen and Cozumel, you need to fly into Cancun International Airport (CUN). Cozumel also has a smaller airport called Cozumel Airport (CZM).

Transportation

Car rental

If you plan to spend a few days in Cancun only, then there is no need for a car. You can use the bus, shuttle, taxi or private car hire to transport from the airport to the hotel. During your time in Cancun, you can walk around the hotel zone; big hotels also provide shuttles within the hotel zone; or you can use bus or taxi to go around the city. If you plan to visit other cities such as Tulum, Playa del Carmen or Cozumel (require a ferry ride), then you should rent a car. The car rental counters are at the CUN airport, but the actual car rental center is about 5 minutes away by bus.

Note: Even if you have a car reservation, upon arrival, the car rental companies may not honor the price listed on your reservation. If you booked via travel sites such as Expedia or Orbitz and purchased the protection plan or travel insurance, the agent in Cancun would still try to force you to purchase the insurance through them, stating that the insurance you purchased in the US may not cover for incidentals in Mexico. Please note, these are the representatives from rental companies such as Hertz or Enterprise, etc. From experience, I purchased the travel/car insurance upon reserving for the car in the US and declined all of the offers from the agent in Mexico. I’m not sure how the rental car insurance works in Mexico, but with the travel insurance purchased in the US, usually you would have to pay up-front in case of accidents, then later you work with the insurance company to get reimbursement.

If you’re staying under 6 months, then you can use the car driver license from your country, to drive in Mexico. In some cases, the car rental companies require that you have an international driving permit. To obtain an international driving permit in the US, it can be done within minutes at the AAA office for about 20 USD (more if you need to have passport-size photos taken). I have never been asked but heard of a few rare cases.

Public transportation

If you don’t want to rent a car or don’t want to drive in a foreign country, then there’s public transportation or private car hire to serve your needs. Below transportations are priced for trips between Cancun and Tulum.

ADO Bus

Priced at 13-16 USD per person, ADO Bus provides comfortable seats and roomy baggage storage. Advance ticket purchase can be done from ADO Bus official website. However, there has been reports that the US credit cards sometimes do not work on their website. If this is the case, then you can try purchasing tickets from Bookaway website. Tickets can also be purchased at the bus station, either at the counter or the kiosk where the buses park.

Note that ADO bus can only take you to the bus station. You would need to call a taxi to take you to the hotel.

Private car hire

Private car hire provides you with private transfer with your own driver. Price for a one-way trip between Cancun and Tulum is about 100 USD, and 175 USD for a round-trip. You can book a private car on Daytrip. Or if you want to transfer from CUN airport to Tulum, then consider using Cancun Airport Transportation.

Colectivo Bus

Colectivo is a widely used in-city bus system that also provides routes between Cancun and Tulum, with a transfer in Playa del Carmen. Price for this bus is about half of ADO; however, it does a lot more stops along the way. Therefore, instead of a 2-hour trip, the time to travel between Cancun and Tulum could double.

Note: As mentioned, Colectivo is an in-city bus system. So if you do not use the private car hire, then Colectivo bus can be used throughout the city. Price for each trip typically ranges from 2-2.5 USD. The bus will be labeled with either “Colectivo” or “Microbus“. The stops are printed on the windshield of the bus.

Hotels

Cancun

Hotel prices in Cancun are quite reasonable. Therefore, staying at an all-inclusive resort would be the most convenient. There are many types of all-inclusive resorts, depending on your budget. A few years ago, we stayed at RIU Palace Peninsula Cancun All Inclusive Resort, a kid-friendly resort. The food, entertainment, and service here are fairly good, and there are many games and activities for kids. The food served at the buffet is very generous with a wide variety of options. Besides the pool, there’s also beach volleyball, corn-hole, kids waterpark, etc. We have also stayed at GR Caribe Deluxe by Solaris All-Inclusive-Resort and Grand Park Royal All-Inclusive-Resort. There are 2 Solaris resorts  next to each other. If you stay at one resort, you are permitted to use the amenities of the sister resort. The Grand Park Royal has a great infinity pool but is not kid-friendly. It was more targeted towards the adult crowd. Equipment for water sports are available at all of the all-inclusive resorts I have stayed, as well as nightly entertainment.

Tulum

The first few nights in Tulum, we stayed at  Hilton Tulum Riviera Maya All Inclusive Resort, the only all-inclusive resort that we found that allowed kids under 18. The food at the resort is average. The lunch and dinner buffets are quite small comparing to the other all-inclusive resorts that we have experienced, and the options are quite limited. The a la carte restaurants are also average. However, the breakfast buffets are exceptionally good: large with many options. The resort is kid-friendly: many amenities and games for kids such as a huge playground, waterslides at the kiddie pool, waterslides at the adult pool for older kids, waterpark, kids club, teens club, etc.

For change of scenery, the later days in Tulum, we decided to stay at Diamante K Hotel, a non-all-inclusive resort inside the Tulum national park. This is truly a hidden gem, a hotel that I wanted to keep as a secret, fearing the next time we visit, the hotel would be too crowded. Its charm is in the awesome location and also for its quietness. Diamante K is the only hotel inside the national park with 1 side facing the beach and the other side is the jungle. The decoration is minimal, and the amenities are limited. It is designed so that you can experience a close-to-nature settings. There is no air conditioner, the bathroom is separated by a bamboo curtain and the floor is simply basic concrete. Each bed has a fan installed on the ceiling, inside the canopy – used to keep out the mosquitoes as it is necessary to open the windows. You will be surprised that the air from the fan circulated inside the canopy is enough to keep you cool at night. For a few days here, you will get to experience life a little different – as if you’re on a deserted island or in a jungle.

If the hotel as I have described is too wild for your taste, then you can stay at another hotel and visit Diamante K during the day for a meal at their restaurant, Casa Maria. Dining here, you will be permitted to use the hotel’s private beach and are able to walk around the premise. The food at Casa Maria is delicious and the service is very good. Along with the amazing view from both the beach and the restaurant, Casa Maria provided the best dining experience we have experienced in Mexico so far. Our family ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 3 consecutive days there but did not grow tired of the food!!

Every morning, Diamante K offers yoga classes and meditation classes in the evening. The classes are complimentary for hotel guests. The hotel also offers massage service in a hut surrounded by trees by the beach. There is also a swimming pool on the hill, surrounded by trees and flowers, overlooking the beach below. Other offerings include bike or scooter/motorcycle rental, shuttle to and from the airport (24-hour advance reservation is required).

Situated at an ideal location with the beach and the jungle, with viewpoints from the hill and beautiful beach rocks, there is really no need to go anywhere else!! Whether it is landscape photography or portrait photography, you can do it all right here at the hotel. Consider bringing colorful and playful outfits to contrast the blue ocean color, the greenery of the surrounding jungle, and brown color of the beach rocks. The below photos were taken at Diamante K hotel.

Mexico is blessed with many beautiful beaches along the coast. I have also visited Cozumel, but I only spent a day there during our Caribbean cruise, so I don’t have much information to share with you. Upon arriving at the port, we went to Chankanaab Beach Adventure Park. There, you can snorkel near the shore, spend time at the beach, etc. There are enough activities to spend a few hours before returning to the boat.

Cancun, Tulum and Cozumel are the places I have visited on the Caribbean side. In another post, I will share with you my experience at the beaches on the Pacific side. With tropical climate, Mexico can be visited almost any time of the year – except during hurricane season. Because it is so near the US, and most of the tourists are Americans, the resorts here honor big American holidays, and the food being served also follow the same holiday traditions. If you don’t have school-age kids, then visiting during off-peak months would be so much cheaper in terms of hotel and airfare. Even if you have school-age kids, consider visiting before June, right after school is out, then it would still be cheaper and less crowded. Mexico is also the ideal vacation destination during Fall and Winter. So, what are you waiting for? Pack your bag and hop over! Sea, sun, and sand are calling your name!!