Suitcase Sagas

It was December and we wanted a nice warm place to have a relaxing short break. We were headed to the USA for a family event, so we picked out the Cancun in Mexico. While it is not a hot destination known globally it is a famous party spot for Americans! We were sure bowled over with the beautiful beaches, historical ruins, mysterious cenotes and the great food!

Holiday Snapshot:

While we booked the day trips in advance, the rest of the itinerary was determined by weather conditions. If the sea is too rough, scuba and snorkelling may be cancelled.

• Day 1 – Checked-in, booked the water sports package and hit the beach
• Day 2 – Scuba training in the pool and then Aquatwister (Jet Boat ride) in the evening
• Day 3 – Day Trip to Tulum, Coba and cenote
• Day 4 – Day Trip to Chichen Itza and cenote
• Day 5 – Playa Delfines beach, Cancun Museum and then Jungle Tour (Jet ski through Mangroves and then snorkelling)
• Day 6 – Scuba Diving and then Flow Rider
• Day 7 – Final trip to beach and time to go back home

SS Tip: If you have more time and inclination, you can consider going to theme parks close to Cancun – part of Xcaret group

 

Hotel

• The main Cancun hotel zone is a strip of land with large hotel properties in a line. They have beach access and provide the convenience of being right on the main road.
• We booked a Marriott Member package which included Oceanview room, breakfast, transfers, Wi-Fi and discounts at other Marriott restaurants. The room was spacious and had brilliant views overlooking the beautiful ocean.

• Apart from swimming pools, golf and tennis, they had a lot of other activities set-up around the property. Aquaworld had a booth on site and was located across the road, so booking water-sports was extremely convenient.

 

Water-Sports

• Scuba – We had a good practise session in the pool next door at JW Marriott where they helped us to control breathing and taught us how to handle different situations (including if someone pulls out your breathing pipe). When the weather cleared, we took the cruise to head out to Sea. Our group slowly descended using a rope and then we proceeded to explore the underwater world. We chose MUSA tour (Cancun underwater museum of art) where new corals are being formed over man-made objects (including a VW car). Brilliantly managed and great experience!

• Aqua Twister – This was a crazy fast speedboat ride where we got completely drenched. The sudden twists and turns have your adrenaline pumping. 30 minutes with party songs on high volume, this is one ride you won’t forget soon! The best part was, we had it all to ourselves on this last ride for the day!

• Jungle Tour – We got our own jet ski and followed the guide through the lagoon and mangroves to the sea. We jumped off to snorkel on the reef – we saw some corals and fishes. We then headed back the same way on our jet ski – this time I got to ride! SS Tip: If you do only 1 activity in Cancun, then this should be on top of your list!

• Flow Rider – It is a wave generator on an incline and they teach you to surf! They start off with you lying down on the surfboard, then sitting on it and then slowly progress to make you stand and balance. The water pressure is immense, and we did get shot up the incline a few times!

SS Tip: They have many more options to choose from – but suggest you get a package which turns out more reasonable. We paid around USD 315 as a couple for the above 4 rides

 

Day Trips

• We booked the day trips through Viator – loads of options available. Costs between USD 50-100 per person. Alternatively, you could book at the hotel (expensive) or at one of the multiple stores on the main road or shopping centres (similar price as online deals). But do check reviews of the actual company organising the trip on TripAdvisor.
• The buses picked us up from the hotel at the designated time. The trips were efficiently managed and after the initial guided talk, they gave us enough time to explore on our own.
• Check out details of the 3 sites – Mayan Ruins in Mexico

Travel

• While you wouldn’t feel like stepping off your property, but in case you want to explore, check-out restaurants or watch a movie, you could just walk along the main road or hop onto one of the public buses.
• Buses are frequent and bus stops are outside most of the big hotel gates – take an R1 or R2 to travel. Tickets are very cheap and cost around 10 pesos / 0.5 USD

Internet

• Wi-Fi was great in the hotel but very few places have free internet. We had USA mobile sims which worked perfectly in Mexico to keep us connected.