We are in Mexico bringing you our travel guide to Cancun!
Cancún is Mexico’s most famous tourist resort, sitting on the Caribbean coast in
the southeastern Mexican state of Quintana Roo.
It’s famous for having colourful nightlife and flashy all-inclusive hotels, but there
is another side to this region and we're going to show you why it’s worth exploring.
Take a couple of hours drive from the city and witness Mayan culture, historical ruins,
striped back beaches, and nature in all its beauty.
Sound tempting ….? Well, we’re here to show you how you can turn your trip into a
real adventure!
We're bringing you all the essential information to travel better, from food, money, transport,
and things to do.
But first how to get here …
It’s easy to fly to Cancun from the UK.
We flew direct flight from London Gatwick, which will take roughly 10 hours.
As it’s a long journey booking a lounge at the airport can be a good idea, we went
into Club Rooms and had breakfast before our flight.
Take a look at our website for prices.
If you have a British passport you won’t need a visa to enter the country.
You will, however, be asked to fill out a landing card before passing through customs.
It is really important to keep this card safe as you’ll need to it to leave the country.
If you don’t, you will have to pay a fine.
Cancun is really tourist friendly and many of the airport hotel packages will include
an airport transfer, but ig you’re doing it on your own then your best bet is to pre-book
a private airport taxi.
If you’re on a budget there are always public buses that run every half an hour from the
main air terminal, to the big downtown Cancun bus station.
From there you can take a cab or the Number 1 bus which runs very frequently to the strip.
I highly recommend travelling outside of Cancun to experience real Mexican culture.
Most hotels will include transfers with their excursion packages, ut if you’re doing it
your own way then don’t panic there are plenty on transport options on offer.
One of the most popular options is to book an ADO bus.
They are the Mexican version of Megabus or Greyhound so you can expect air con and wifi
on board.
The ADO buses run to all tourist locations such as Chichen Itza, Tulum and Coba.
So another option is to jump in a Collectivo, so these are 10 – 16 seater air conditioned
mini buses, that locals and tourists use.
The great thing is they tend to be a bit cheaper and run more often that buses.
Or finally you can do what we did, and hire a private driver.
So we booked through out hotel last night, and it’s cost us about £60 for the day.
But he’s taken us to Coba and the Cenotes so I think it’s well worth the money.
And as for getting around Cancun town, taking the local bus is really simple.
The R1 and R2 run through the hotel zone to downtown and come every 5minuets.
They can be used to get to the beach, and also into town if you want to explore the
market.
A single ticket costs 11 pesos, this part of Mexico is built fir tourists, and actually
has the largest police presence in the whole of the county, but it always pays to be vidulent.
So here are our top tips for staying safe in and around Cancun!
1.
Watch out for pick pockets 2.
The tap water might not be safe, so only use bottled water.
3.
Avoid using Uber, the rules for using this service are a bit of a grey area in Cancun
and we where advised by a local to always stick with the regulated taxi companies.
4.
And finally don’t leave your drink unattended in clubs or bars.
5.
If you want beaches and nightlife then Cancun has it in abundance, but there’s so much
more to explore outside of the City that is totally unique to Mexico, so here’s our
favourites.
Visit one of the seven wonders of the world, Chichen Itza a famous Mayan Ruin just two
hours from Cancun.
Most hotels will organise excursion packages here, although the ruins are a tourist haven
here it’s worth checking out.
The main pyramid El Castilo is very impressive, we got there early to avoid the crowds and
the heat.
Cool off in a Cenote, you’ll find loads of these natural water caves around in the
area.
The water is super refreshing, and great fun to jump into.
A tip is to hire a private driver to take you to the best Cenotes.
So here’s a little tip for when planning your trip to the Cenotes, try to avoid going
on a Sunday, it’s a free day for locals and can get really busy!
Coba is less developed than other Mayan ruins, but actually the most exciting!
As you can hire bikes and peddle through the jungle surrounding the ruins.
A big plus is the you can climb the tallest ruin in Mexico at 42 meters high, 120 steps
up, and the perfect place for a selfie with stunning views.
Ok, we’re half way up, and it’s getting steep, but the views are looking pretty nice!
So apparently the Mayans said that the pyramids where the closest thing to heaven once you
get to the top.
So let’s hope that they were right!
Ok, I’m going to keep going!
Tulum is around a 2 hour drive from Chitchen Itza and Cancun, it’s right on the Carrabien
coat of seven miles of white sand, and clear blue sea.
I loved the laid back vibes to this costal town, everything seemed very local with cute
boutique hotels and shops.
Isla Mujeres is a small island that’s just a twenty minuet boat ride from Canucn, and
makes for a great day trip.
There’s so much to do on this island, try snorkelling, visit a turtle sanctuary, enjoy
the beaches, and head to Puerto Juarez most easily point in Mexico!
We hired a golf buggy to get around, and it was so much fun!
And finally, try some of the local food, some hotels with have Mexican restaurants, but
the food in Downtown Cancun is mainly American chains.
So if you want to try real local cuisine, head to market 23 or 28, for genuine Mexican
food.
I’m with Yuri from the Travel Foundation and she’s going to take us through some
Mexican language!
So thank you very much for joining us!
You’re very welcome.
So what’s the difference between Mexican Spanish and Spanish?
Well it’s pretty much the accent, we have as far as I know, in Mexico we have a very
natural accent, so I’ve hears from travellers that if they’re coming to Mexico and learning
Spanish, they feel like this is heaven, because it’s easier
to understand.
So
to begin with, very easy!
A huge thankyou to Yuri from the Travel Foundation for taking the time with me to teach us some
Spanish.
The Travel Foundation is a charity supported by Holiday extras, that help and promote sustainable
tourism in countries like Mexico.
For more details on the projects here’ follow the link in the description below!
The Mexican currency is Pesos, but plenty of places in Cancun will accept American Dollas,
now if you’re paying in American Dollas, always except change back in American Dollas
not pesos, otherwise you probably will get short changed!
As a rule of thumb it’s probably always best to just pay in Pesos if you’re using
change.
How expensive will your stay be in Cancun?
Well here’s a look back at our costs during our time here in Mexico.
Our return flights cost £557 each direct from British Airways.
Our world wide Travel Insurance was £16 per person for standard cover with Holiday Extras.
Our Holiday Extras transfer was £35 for a four seater car one way to Tulum.
A hotel room in Tulum cost us £57 per night.
These enchiladas in Cancun cost 110 pesos.
Entrance to Chichen Itzá cost us 242 pesos.
Entrance to the famous Ik Il Cenote is 80 pesos.
The return ferry to Isla Mujeres was 450 pesos per person.
And finally entrance to the Coba Ruins was 100 pesos each.
If you want to be sure of conversion rates then we recommend using XE.com, or download
the app.
And as our time in Mexico comes to an end, don’t forget to subscribe for more destinations,
tips and videos!
As we’ve got loads more travel content to come!
So that brings us to the end of our time in Mexico, my advice is to get out there, explore
Chitchen Itza, Coba and my personal favourite being Tulum!
It’s only a two hour drive from Cancun, and definitely worth it for the beautiful
beaches and a little bit more Mexican culture!