Cancun and the Riviera Maya are a great place to visit in the winter. Rates are low around American Thanksgiving and early January. They are highest at Christmas and also very high at spring break. The timing for spring break has become hard to determine, as so many different schools and colleges take time off in late February and early March. The best rates for this area are from August to October, but there’s a reason for this – hurricane season. The weather during our February week was excellent.
It was consistently about 28C (83F) for the high and 22C (72F) for the low.
It only rained for a few minutes during our stay. The humidity is a bit of a challenge as it hovers around 85%.
Our paper money quickly started to feel like it we’d taken it into the ocean and clothing usually felt damp.
Cancun has been expanding rapidly due to its popularity as a tourist
town. While the younger set tends to party in Cancun, a series of resorts has filled the coast to the south, extending well beyond
Puerto Morelos and Playa del Carmen to create what has become known as Riveriera Maya. With
Cozumel being easily accessible by ferry, the Cancun area is extensive. Add the diveristy
of interests that the area caters to and it's easy to see while this is
one of the most popular winter tourist destinations. There are
numerous tours that pick up at the hotels in Cancun and along the Riviera Maya.
THINGS TO DO:
Xel-Ha
Ecological Park - This amusement park is a pleasant surprise. It has something for everyone. Acres of jungle, freshwater rivers to float, cenotes (freshwater pools sunken into limestone), saltwater lagoon off the Caribbean
Sea and natural caves. Included in the price you will get meals at 4 restaurants, all alcohol and soft drinks,
snorkel gear, towels, inner tubes, life jackets, cliff jumping, zip lines
and even towels are probvided. They even have self-serve Corona on tap.
Disneyland could learn something from the all inclusive approach – it is
fabulous. Plus for a fee you can interact with dolphins and with manatees or snuba dive.
A great way to spend a day on the Riviera Maya. This is a very
popular park, but there's lots of room to accomodate everyone.
Highly recommended. See pictures of our Take
That Vacation visit to Xel-ha.
Tulum - Mayan ruins about 1.5 hours south of Cancun. Our
Take
That Vacation visit to Tulum was interesting, but it was over-run with tourists. Consider taking a cab or colectivo and arrive early in the morning or late afternoon, so that you miss the organized tours. You can walk to the site from the entrance or pay a few dollars to ride the open air tractor drawn trolleys. The site is not large and the pyramids are small compared to Chichen Itza, but it’s still worth seeing. Don’t forget to wear a swim suit so that you have an option to enjoy the beach at the base of the main pyramid. It’s one of the nicest on the Riviera Maya.
Akumal Bay - One of our most fun Take That Vacation experiences on our visit to the Mayan Riviera was an early morning trip to Akumal Bay to see the turtles.
We did this the morning of our noon departure from the Gran Bahia at noon. We took the hotel tram to the highway as I was determined to experience a collective – a Mexican shuttle bus. One was sitting at the hotel when we arrived and it honked to indicate we should get a move on if we wanted to catch it. The driver only spoke Spanish. I indicated Playa Akumal and he indicated 20 pesos.
I clarified in Spanish that it was per person and he confirmed – off we went.
We were the only non Mexicans in the van. I noticed that everyone else afterward paid when they left whereas I paid when I got on.
The ride was over in less than 10 minutes. The driver indicated in Spanish how to get to the beach from the highway and off we went.
Akumal Bay was very calm, which was a good sign as the beach at our hotel was closed to snorkeling due to the wind.
I could see several places where there were snorkelers, so I wasn’t sure where to begin, but it seemed likely that those a long way out were closest to the turtles.
A man on shore offered to take us in a boat for $25 each, including gear, but when I accepted for myself only, he indicated he would need to find another participant first.
I ended up going to the Akumal Dive Center and renting gear instead for $18.
They are right on the beach, directly in front of the turtles . I went alone and they indicated it would be easy to find the turtles on my own and that it was a good time of day as all the tourists hadn’t arrived.
I swam straight out into the bay toward others I could see and soon came on a couple turtles in about 6 – 8 feet of water.
Some had remora attached, which gave a strange sensation. They were about 3.5 – 4 feet long and were very busy munching the weeds on the sea floor.
They paid little attention to me when I swam over top of them. Swimming a little further I saw two more.
Then I realized that if I went any further, a boat of tourists had arrived and I’d soon be among them.
I returned to the turtles nearer the shore for one more good view and then happily returned to the diver center for a shower and a change of clothes.
Next it was off to catch the colectivo the other direction. This time I played the veteran traveler – no questions on price, no offer to pay up front and when my stop was called I handed some pesos and the driver grunted his acceptance.
The unusual part of the experience is when you arrive back at the hotel, there’s no over pass or crossing on the 4 lane highway.
You are simply expected to run across the only major highway on the coast to reach your hotel.
As you bolt through the traffic, others are running toward you to catch the colectivo that you’ve just left.
A truly Mexican experience!
Chichen
Itza - It was almost a 3 hour ride each way to Chichen Itza from the
Riviera Maya, but it was worth it. Although the original
pronunciation is to accent the second syllable of each word in the name,
the tourist trade seems to have changed this. Even the local guides
refer to the name in the modern pronunciation with the accent on the first
syllable of each word in the name. The pyramid and ruins at Chichen
Itza make Tulum look amateur. Truly deserving of status as one of
the 7 modern man-made wonders of the world.
The grounds are roped off to prevent people from wandering from the
central location, but you can tell by glancing into the forest that the
area covered by the site is much more extensive than what the tourists are
allowed to see. The local artisans and souvenir sellers are allowed
right on the site and they blanket the areas surrounding the ruins.
Some of the selling techniques are quite enjoyable:
“Come and see my junk”
“So cheap it’s almost free”
“Let me be the last one to rip you off today”
I was annoyed twice by vendors who offered items for a set price and
when you offered the cash, they indicated that particular item was much
more expensive. I left them behind and they were quite upset, but I
didn’t appreciate the approach.
Our excurion also stopped at the Hubiku Cenote near Chichen Itza.
The cenote is very large. It has steps down into the cavern from a side entrance. Inside is a large pool, centered on a hole in the ceiling where freshwater is showering down on the center of the pool. You can see small dark catfish at the edge of the pool and guppies also live in the waters.
The water temperature was quite cold, which made for a refreshing reprieve from the heat and humidity of the Yucatan peninsula.
T he tour buses come in steady droves, but there is often a lull between tours where you can have the place to yourself.
On the way back to Riviera Maya, we made a surprise 10 minute stop in
the central square in the town of Valladolid. It was the last day of
carnaval
and the square was full of people. Most of them were watching
various groups perform to music at the edge of the square. Truly a
different atmosphere in the interior of the Yucatan peninsula than it is
on the string of tourist resorts on the coast.
Cozumel - It’s a very long excursion day to Cozumel from Tulum.
We took a van to the ferry dock in Playa del Carmen and met up with the guides from Explore Tours.
There are two separate ferry companies that compete for business between Playa del Carmen on the mainland and San Miguel on Cozumel Island.
They are nearly identical in quality of service and length of trip. You are better off to buy one way tickets, as they don’t honor each other’s tickets and this will give you flexibility on your return to pick the one with the earlier departure. They run continuously and don’t keep to a strict schedule – if they have enough passengers, they depart.
The ferry dock in Playa del Carmen is located at the end of 5th Avenue and in San Miguel its located downtown at the Punta Langosta mall near the town square.
After crossing to Cozumel on a very full ferry, we took an open air bus down the west coast of the island to Punta Sur.
It was disappointing that thick jungle and a flat landscape prevented any views of the water.
There are many beautiful beaches in this section, but you need to turn off the main road and drive to the water to see each of them.
The beaches include Playa Azul, Playa Casitas, Chankanaab, Playa Corona, San Francisco, Paradise Beach, Playa Mia, Mr. Sancho's, Nachi Cocom Beach, Alberto's: Beach and Palancar.
Many tourists rented scooters and travelled on a paved pathway that paralleled the main road, but the view was continuously jungle.
Punta del Sur was beautiful. Low, sweet smelling vegetation, saltwater marshes infested with crocodiles, the Faro Celerain Lighthouse and one of the nicest beaches in the world.
We snorkeled at Punta Playa for more than an hour. It took a lot of effort to swim out to the reef.
It was 6 – 8 feet deep at the long narrow reef and we followed it along the shore line.
There were numerous fish. Turtles also breed here from August to November but we came in the height of the winter season in February, so none were to be seen.
At the edge of the reef there were some fabulous French Angels. The most striking thing about this snorkeling experience was the clarity of the water – it was sparkling clean like no other.
One of the best snorkeling experiences ever.
At Punta Sur we also visited the small Mayan ruin of El Carocal, which is about 4 feet high but is actually the top of a 3 story light house now buried in the sand.
Next we travelled up the east side of the island and this side afforded lots of views of the water.
It also became clear that except for a few restaurants and bars along the coast, this southern half of the island is basically uninhabited. Stops
for food, drink and souvenirs include Punta Chiqueros, Chen Rio Punta Morena, Coconuts cliffside bar, Senor Iguana's and Mezcalito's.
The shocking disappointment about this paradise is that the beaches are smothered in plastic garbage that has drifted ashore from the Caribbean islands to the east.
Tour guides said the garbage builds up daily and cleaning crews can’t keep up with it.
If I ever end up in Cozumel again, I’ll try the Chan Kanaab
National Park, which is more like an amusement park. Chan Kanaab
is less than 15 minutes south of San Miguel. It gets its name from the small natural lagoon in the interior of the park.
The lagoon is land locked but is connected to the sea through two underwater caves, plus you can snorkel in the lagoon.
This park has an admission fee of just over $20US for the beach, tropical gardens and Mayan ruin replicas.
You can purchase lunch and drinks or shop for souvenirs, snorkel, scuba or snuba dive.
Chairs, palapas, lockers and restrooms are available for a fee. The park also provides additional attractions for a fee such as Dolphin Discovery, a manatee exhibit and guided snorkeling.
Try to avoid the days the cruise ships are in.
We also missed the San Gervasio Mayan ruins, which don’t get rated very highly be some.
These Mayan ruins are located about 7 km from San Miguel, traveling due east of town and then north. The ruins do not have much height but cover many acres. There is an entry fee and guided tours can be purchased.
Other spots to consider in Cozumel are:
Palancar Reef – a popular dive and snorkel location near the southern tip of the island
Isla de Pasion – (Passion Island) A wildlife sanctuary on a small island a very short distance off the northern tip of Cozumel Island
El Cedral – a village on the southern tip of the island with picturesque thatch bungalows and gardens. The Festival of Cedral takes place here from April 2 to May 3
One of the biggest challenges in visiting Cozumel is avoiding the influx of tourists from cruise ships.
The day we were there the Disney Magic, Celebrity Constellation and two Carnival cruise ships were in port.
That adds about 16,000 tourists to this small island. Tour guides indicated up to 12 cruise ships can visit in a single day.
Playa del Carmen - Catch the ferry to Cozumel here or wander the
waterfront along 5th Avenue for the best shopping and souvenirs in the
area. Great beaches and even a Senior Frogs right on the beach!
Comments by Kelly D on his excursion- We chose the Mayan
Adventure excursion through Aventuras
Mayas. There were 4 to choose from, but we had already gone to Tulum
and done the swimming with turtles at Akumal Bay ourselves. We really liked
this tour. It cost about $70, and included pick up from the hotel, and
catered lunch. It was broken down into 3 events, (1) an adventure park
with cliff jumping, zip lines and snorkelling, (2) cenote tour, (3)
estuary snorkel out to the mangrove forest. The slideshow in above link
attached is exactly what we saw.
Accommodation
Recommendations for Cancun and Riviera Maya
Although we provide links to book hotels in Cancun and Riviera Maya, we
highly recommend seeking package deals of at least a week and with airfare
as these yield considerable savings.
Gran Bahia Principe - One of the top sellers on the Riviera
Maya. See our Take That
Vacation Review. This hotel is suitable for singles, families, groups and for weddings. The Coba section is the furthest section from the beach, however it is ideal for people who prefer the pool over the ocean.
Typical of Gran Bahia, it has its own restaurants, spa, entertainment, pools and activities staff.
All rooms in the complex are junior suites, very spacious bathrooms with whirlpool bathtubs. The shuttle from the Coba & Sian Ka’an sections to the beach runs between 7 am – 7 pm.
The shuttle to the Hacienda shopping area at the front of the complex runs from 7 am – 3 am.
There are 22 restaurants in total. The gym is open 7 am – 7 pm.
Kids Club is available for ages 4 – 12 years old. Babysitting is $10 per child per hour.
The beach is 1.5 km long. There is a wedding gazebo on the beach in front of the Tulum section
and weddings can be done on the beach in front of the Akumal. GBP
can handle 6 weddings each day. There are ATM machines in every lobby
and free WiFi in the lobby. Complimentary bikes available. Good variety of food at the buffet. Suitable hotel for client with mobility issues. Guests can walk into the pool, no steps.
In the Sian Kaan section there is 27 hole golf course – 18 hole championship
course and 9 holes par 3
Tulum
- booked by Sunquest, intermediate location (Club Diamond upgrades).
New at the Tulum section is the Dolphin Aquarium. Guests staying at the Bahia complex can swim with the dolphins on site. 5 dolphins are on site. This excursion can be booked on site
Akumal - booked by Nolitours & Transat Holdiays (Royal
Golden rooms), closest to the water
Coba - booked by Sunquest, Nolitours & Transat Holdiays
(Royal Golden rooms), farthest from the water. You'll want these
units when the tropical storms and hurricanes hit.
Sian Ka'an - condo rentals away from the beach and across
the highway, units similar to the other sections. The Sian
Ka'an ideal for golfers, couples, people looking for a quiet getaway.
420 rooms, unlimited a la carte dining, shuttle to the beach every 5 mins, unlimited golf, penthouse rooms have rooftop whirlpool. Full access to the
main Bahia complex.
Ocean Coral & Turquesa
Ocean Coral- booked by Sunquest. Adjoins the Turquesa.
Turquesa - This section is exclusive to Transat Holidays. It was built in 2007 with a total of 571 rooms between the 2 sections (Turquesa & Sands).
There are 4 U shaped buildings facing the ocean. The ground floors rooms will only have garden views. All rooms have a sofa bed. Jr Suite privilege rooms have an outdoor jacuzzi , no indoor Jacuzzi. Room service is from 11 am – 11 pm. The snack bar is open 10:30 pm – 6 am. They have Mike’s Coffee
Bar (like Starbucks) which offers a variety of coffee and tea drinks, pastries, sandwiches.
This hotel has an open air lobby, contemporary style. Ideal for families as
they can accommodate 5 or more in a room. This is ideal for young, urban guests as well.
Kids club 4 – 11 years old. Teens club 12 – 17 years old. Open from 9 – 4:30 pm
This is a small, compact hotel. There are 6 restaurants with no reservations required. All restaurants are located beside each other.
There are 2 spots on the beach for weddings. Portable gazebo structure.
This complex is ideal for families, including families of 5 or more. There is a baby club ( 1 – 3 years) kids club ( 4 – 12 years) teens club ( 13 – 17 years) . The clubs are open until 11 pm.
There are many dining choices with no reservations required for the a la carte restaurants and unlimited a la carte dining. This hotel has a food allergy program and the chef can prepare a menu for the entire stay. 24 hour snack bar.
The White Sand section is ideal for couples, more quiet section.
The Royal suites Yucatan are adults only. There is an adult only pool open until 10 pm
The Mayan suites are located on the manmade lagoon. Guests have use of canoes. These suites have outdoor showers and hammocks on the balcony. Individual bungalow suites on the water. Very romantic atmosphere.
This hotel has lots of stairs, walkways over the large pool area. Lots of pool chairs and permanent chairs in the pool.
There are covered walkways throughout the resort. No elevators. This hotel is ideal for weddings and groups. There is a wedding gazebo on the beach at the White Sand section. This is a permanent structure (white pillar) near the ocean. There is a beach gazebo (not permanent structure) that can be set up between the Colonial & Kantenah section. There is also a church onsite in the Colonial section.
The beach is very long and wide with lots of beach chairs.
The sections sold by Noli Tours and Transat Holidays are sell are
the White Sand with Imperial Club, Colonial and Kantenah.
This is a top selling complex in the Mayan Riviera. There
area 2753 rooms in the complex, no elevators, covered walkways throughout the resort. This hotel is ideal for the mass market, especially groups and weddings. The Colonial and Palace are part of
the Weddings Away program and this is
a top resort for this program. There is a wedding gazebo at the Palace section and a Catholic Chapel at the Colonial section.
The beach is amazing and made up of 3 bays. This is an ideal resort for beach lovers. The resort offers 1 hour snorkel gear complimentary. There is coral reef in front of the resort.
The Palace section has an adults only pool ( 18+). Both the Colonial & Palace have water parks for the kids, kids clubs open from 9 am – 9 pm for ages 4 – 12 years old. The teens club is ages 12 – 17 years old with Xbox, Wii.
The spa has 30 treatment rooms. 24 hour snack bar. Trolley throughout the resorts runs from 8 am – 2:30 am.
The Maya Beach section is promoted by Nolitours. The Palace Deluxe with Prestige Class & Colonial with Prestige Class
are promoted by Transat Holidays.
This beautiful 5 star adult only resort is a top pick for Adults
Only and is deal for honeymooners or anniversaries. This is a very romantic, quiet and tranquil resort. There are no timeshares at Excellence resorts.
There are many room categories, however the room is always the same but the location or inclusions differ on the room category (swim out suite, rooftop
terrace etc). There are 5 rooftop terraces which are 2 story units with the outdoor jacuzzi on the rooftop. They will be adding 7 more in the near future.
There are 8 a la carte restaurants with no reservations required. No wristband is worn at the Excellence resorts. There are vegetarian menus and wine menus.
For room service they have an "Xbox", as they call it. The food is delivered to your room and put into this box where guests have access to this box from their room so no one knocks on their door. A light will come on when the food arrives.
There are 6 pools. The spa is amazing and part of new Spa Packages.
The rooms are beautiful, with a 4 poster bed or 2 double beds, in room Jacuzzi.
There is a beautiful beach with lots of palapas and bar service. Coffee bar is open from 9 am – 1 am.
There are no stairs, only ramps throughout the resort. Ramp into the pool
are ideal for wheelchair access.
There is nightly entertainment. The shows rotate every 14 days.
There are no daily activities. It's very quiet during the day.
This hotel is promoted through Nolitours with their Cameleon Gold inclusions. This is a good hotel for families.
Nolitours has building #5 dedicated, which is located near the quiet pool. Next to the quiet pool guests can have breakfast and lunch.
In the evening the restaurant becomes an a la carte restaurant. This is an outdoor
restaurant too. The main pool area is near the beach which is a 5 – 10
minute walk or there is a trolley running throughout the resort. The pool area is very
large and there are lots of activities during the day. The beach is very narrow and not ideal for beach lovers. The rooms are spacious and well kept. There is concierge service in
the Nolitours units. The sports bar and theatre are joined together. The sports bar has video games. Once a week the banquet room becomes a dinner / show.
The Nolitours rooms are near the main buffet, some of the a la carte restaurants and the sports bar. In the afternoon the sports bar has snacks.
This is a top pick Adult Only resort is located in Playa Mujeres which is a gated community, residential area. This hotel is very similar to the Excellence Riviera Cancun. This hotel is ideal for honeymooners or anniversaries. It is very quiet and tranquil. This hotel was built in 2007. It is 25
minutes from the airport. This hotels looks across the water to the hotel zone and Isla Mujeres. There is a 18 hole golf course nearby.
This area is very secluded with no beach venders. The beach is beautiful with lots of palapas and beach beds.
There are 44 spa / pool view rooftop terraces with outdoor Jacuzzi.
The rooms are beautiful with 4 poster beds or 2 double beds. The bathroom has a rain shower, and separate room for the toilet. While in the shower you can look into the room as there is half wall made of glass. The in-room Jacuzzi is near the sliding glass doors
on the balcony and you can open the doors so it fee;s like you are outside. A curtain goes around the whole Jacuzzi. There is a outdoor bed on the balcony. Xbox for room service (secret compartment)
There are many room categories to choose from, including swim out
suites and rooftop terraces. All rooms are the same except the location and inclusions.
There are 9 restaurants, no reservations required. There
is a 2 bedroom private Villa that can be rented out for weddings or private functions.
This new hotel is located in Playa Mujeres near Excellence Playa Mujeres and La Amada.
This hotel has a Polynesian look and feel to it. It's like no other hotel
in Cancun / Mayan Riviera. This hotel is ideal for families as they can accommodate 5 or more in a room. All rooms have fully equipped kitchens and washer & dryer.
The deluxe rooms connect to a 1 Bedroom to make 2 bedroom suites.
It's a short walking beach. There are bali beds at the beach and there
is a portable wedding gazebo. Large pool area with lots of chairs. Walk right into the pool, no stairs.
No reservations required for a la carte dining. No theatre, no nightly entertainment.
Free shuttle to Plaza Forum, Plaza Las Americas and Market 28 (flea market). This van runs 6 times a day and can accommodate 8 people at a time.
This hotel is ideal for guests who do not want to stay in the hotel zone, but want to be close enough if they want to go shopping or experience night life.
This hotel is sold through Nolioturs. It is a pyramid style building with an inner solárium . There are 2 other blocks of rooms near the beach which are part of the Grand Oasis section. This hotel is ideal for younger
guests and Spring Break clients.This resort will be brining in famous DJ’s and music artists. No additional costs to attend these concerts.
The renovated rooms are called the Sense Room. The decor is White with tube lighting that changes color on its own.
This hotel is sold through Nolitours and is part of our Cameleon Gold program. This is a very active property, ideal for young clients. Located on a beautiful beach in the heart of the hotel zone.
What to expect during a hurricane / tropical storm
While staying at the Gran Bahia Coba the following took place
during hurricane Rean, which was downgraded to a tropical storm:
Shutters were closed over all sliding doors, notices were put under every guests room with updates and the TV also had updates on numerous channels. A la carte restaurants were closed and only the buffet was kept open. Guests staying in the Akumal Royal Golden section near the beach were moved to the Coba section. The night the storm was supposed to hit, boxed food was brought to our room in the evening for the following day’s breakfast. Guests were advised not to come out of their room until they were advised it is safe to do so.
Since the hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm, the following morning we could come out of our rooms. I was very impressed with the constant communication and updates posted in the lobby and notices being put under guest’s
rooms.
