1st visit to Cancun ever!

[Ianneyan]

Hubby and I are going to Cancun for the 1st time ever, without kids! Used SOs to get 6 nights in a “studio premium villa” this spring. There’s so much to do that that I am overwhelmed and could use some help.

1) Should I request a particular building or floor?
2) What activities and tours are a MUST? Another couple will be there at the same time. We are all adventurous and active. Should I book these activities now? Please include who you booked through if positive experience — would love to save money when possible. Does it cost more to book through Lagunamar concierge?
3) How did you get around? I probably should look into airport-hotel transfers now, I think!
4) Which restaurants on and off site do you recommend?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[buzglyd]

You'll have a blast. You didn't mention your age or how active you are so activities are difficult to recommend.

Getting around is a breeze. There are many good restaurants walking distance and the buses run up and down the hotel zone are only 12 pesos.

El Fish Fritanga is very good and walking distance. Make sure you don't order from the takeout stand but walk down stairs to sit under the palapa bar lagoon side.
Tacun is very good for casual fare and an easy walk.
Harry's is very upscale and delicious. Book a reservation around sunset. The service is outstanding.

 

[Sea Six]

Talk to the concierge about activities. You can get a nice discount if you take the low-key owner's update. They also have menus for most of the popular restaurants, and they will book a table for you which will include a Westin discount or free drinks and such. Many of the on-site activities are great. We love the Mexican Fiesta buffet night, steak night, brick oven pizza by the pool bar, the breakfast buffet, fire up the fun, and so on. For day trips, they can book you the full day Chichen-Itza tour - WELL worth it! Also Excaret, Xel-ha, Isla Mujeres, and other day trips - talk to the concierge. We also just have the concierge book our pick-up at the airport - they use a company called The ONE. Fair warning - after you go thru customs and head for the exit from the airport, you will be BOMBARDED by time-share salesmen. Just IGNORE them and keep walking until you get out front, then find your ride. Getting out of the airport is a ZOO! It's much easier to just stroll into the USA from Mexico than being a law-abiding citizen trying to get into Mexico.

 

[pacman777]

Sorry every time there is a Cancun recommendation thread I have to chime in for one of my favorite restaurants anywhere Puerto Madero. It’s on the pricy side but well worth it. I think you might still be able to get a 10% discount if you show them your Lagunamar key card.

 

[byeloe]

Most transfer companies charge $55 for 2 people private transfer. USA transfers is very good. Will be cheaper than the ONE from lagunamar.
USA also has good prices on tours, likely better than the concierge. Cambalache is a good Argentina Steak House right across the street(same people as Puerto Madero)

 

[Ianneyan]

You'll have a blast. You didn't mention your age or how active you are so activities are difficult to recommend.

Getting around is a breeze. There are many good restaurants walking distance and the buses run up and down the hotel zone are only 12 pesos.

El Fish Fritanga is very good and walking distance. Make sure you don't order from the takeout stand but walk down stairs to sit under the palapa bar lagoon side.
Tacun is very good for casual fare and an easy walk.
Harry's is very upscale and delicious. Book a reservation around sunset. The service is outstanding.

We are in our early 40s. . Thanks for the recs!

 

[CPNY]

We are in our early 40s. . Thanks for the recs!

There are plenty of rooms in interval for both getaways and exchange, you may be able to save those star options and book getaway if it’s more than 60 days out. A lot Inventory was put in today.

 

[blondietink]

You will love it! The staff at Lagunamar is amazing and will bend over backwards to make your stay enjoyable. I was hesitant to take my special needs adult children to Mexico but they are treated like kings both at the resort and on any excursions we have taken. The people in Cancun are so warm, welcoming and friendly. Honestly, there is no bad room at the resort.

 

[jlp879]

I don't remember which specific tour it was, but we did a Chichen Itza, Coba and cenote tour. Stopping at the cenotes were a lot of fun and definitely for the adventurous. There was a high dive platform into the depths and the whole thing was underground. Not all cenotes are created equal! Some are open to the sky. This one near the Coba ruins was dark and mysterious. As for the Mayan ruins, they are fabulous. Coba is less well preserved than Chichen Itza but you can still climb the main pyramid there. A must do! At Chichen Itza, you cannot even touch any of the ruins.

Another thing I would recommend for the adventurous is to take yourself on a day trip to Isla Mujeres. We walked onto the car ferry at Punta Sam ferry terminal. Just getting there on public transit was an adventure. The open deck car ferry was full of Mexican nationals heading over to the island for the day and had a fun party atmosphere. Once there we walked off and followed the road to the gorgeous beach of Playa Norte. Such a beautiful beach! Sure the beach in front of Lagunamar is beautiful, but Playa Norte is smaller, has no waves or surf off of it, has beachfront restaurants and shops on it and just generally has a warm, tropical vibe to it.

 

[dlpearson]

Highly recommend a full day at Xel-Ha. Excellent swimming, snorkeling, tubing down a river, etc.

 

[ilene13]

Use Happy Shuttle for transfers they are fantastic and they are $48 for two people in a private van--round trip. You must book it before you go. Taxis are not allowed to pick up riders at the airport--union issue. If you want to get some drinks and snacks for your villa go to Soriano in the Kulkukan Plaza. The store in the Lagunamar is very expensive. Here are some restaurant recommendations:
Profirios--upscale Mexican
Harry's
Puerto Madero
La Parrilla--downtown
DuMexique- French with a Mexican flare. Very romantic.
Navios
Rosa Negra
Tora
Taboo
Thai Lounge- at La Isla
We have owned at the Royal Resorts since 1991 and we go 3 times a year.
I would try to go to XPlor. It's an adventure park with zip lining, swimming in cenotes, kayaking and off road ate rides. The price includes a buffet lunch. It is owned by the same company as Xel Ha which is fabulous too.
Hava a wonderful trip
If you have any specific questions feel free to send me a PM.

 

[buzglyd]

Use Happy Shuttle for transfers they are fantastic and they are $48 for two people in a private van--round trip. You must book it before you go. Taxis are not allowed to pick up riders at the airport--union issue. If you want to get some drinks and snacks for your villa go to Soriano in the Kulkukan Plaza. The store in the Lagunamar is very expensive. Here are some restaurant recommendations:
Profirios--upscale Mexican
Harry's
Puerto Madero
La Parrilla--downtown
DuMexique- French with a Mexican flare. Very romantic.
Navios
Rosa Negra
Tora
Taboo
Thai Lounge- at La Isla
We have owned at the Royal Resorts since 1991 and we go 3 times a year.
I would try to go to XPlor. It's an adventure park with zip lining, swimming in cenotes, kayaking and off road ate rides. The price includes a buffet lunch. It is owned by the same company as Xel Ha which is fabulous too.
Hava a wonderful trip
If you have any specific questions feel free to send me a PM.

That’s a fantastic list Ilene. I might have to save that for my next visit.

 

[gritmuncher]

Use USATransfers. Book online before you come and book a roundtrip.

As soon as you get there go to the pool or beach (we prefer the beach over the pool).

Go to the Soriana Supermarket once the sun sets. You can walk there. Buy as much as you can (beer, wine, tequila, fruit, bread, coffee, bread, jam, lots of water (min 20 ltrs), etc.). Take a taxi back.

Go and swim with the Dolphins: is spectacular. Check other tours on TripAdvisor and book what you think you will like.

Lots of good restaurants are nearby. Use Yelp to see what you like and what is good. We usually go on at least 1 date night and book a top rated restaurant via OpenTable. Tempo and Ramona are very special restaurants we found. You need to get there by taxi. Rates for the taxi are displayed in the lobby and are non-negotiable. We also go at least one night to the nightclub district. There you can find lots of restaurants, bars and interesting night clubs.

Lots of other good recommendations can be found in earlier posts. Just do a bit more research and you'll be well prepared and will have a brilliant time!

 

[jmhpsu93]

We've been to Cancun 20+ times over the years so we've seen pretty much all there is to see tour-wise. You got some great recommendations above:

• We use USA Transfers for everything - a Canadian (funny, right?) named Brent owns it and it's been there for like 20 years. Sometimes he's the one who answers the phone.
• You can take the local bus everywhere you need to go locally - fare varies but typically like 10 pesos each way. They run like every 1-3 minutes and the drivers are nuts. They're used to tourists so you just tell them where you're going and they'll stop. They can get REALLY crowded around the shift changes at the resorts as the locals utilize them to get to work from Cancun city.
• Chitzen Itza is definitely a must-see at least once. We did a private tour through USA transfers...spendy but worth it IMO as you don't have to go resort to resort picking up people and you get a little more freedom on the tour or even do something custom.
• Tulum is a little closer and a little smaller and you could combine that with Xel-ha snorkeling with the sea turtles on the way back. The turtles are beautiful, majestic creatures and you're right next to them.
• Be sure to visit the local archeological museum at km 16.5 and the ruins at El Rey at km 18ish. Both really cheap and don't require an all-day commitment.
• The Jungle Tour is a great little two-hour thing you can do at Aquaworld or Sunset Marina (we use the latter, also through USA transfers). You drive your own speedboat out to a snorkeling "park" and snorkel for a while.
• There is a little hole in the wall called "km 19.5" on the lagoon side, next to a nicer seafood place called Avios. The food is really good and CHEAP. We also like Papas in the La Isla mall but we usually stay at an all-inclusive or eat on property at a Marriott so don't do much exploring restaurant-wise.
• If you golf, the Iberostar course in the hotel zone is good, and some resorts give you discounted rates - there's another one called Cancun Golf Club at Pok ta Pok which is an OK layout but it's built within residences and typically not in the best condition. Much cheaper though. There are other courses like Puerto Cancun and even farther away if you're interested that are REALLY nice.
• The night clubs are fun but I'm way too old to partake of such nonsense now, but damn they were fun on our honeymoon 20 years ago.

 

[jmhpsu93]

Talk to the concierge about activities. You can get a nice discount if you take the low-key owner's update. They also have menus for most of the popular restaurants, and they will book a table for you which will include a Westin discount or free drinks and such. Many of the on-site activities are great. We love the Mexican Fiesta buffet night, steak night, brick oven pizza by the pool bar, the breakfast buffet, fire up the fun, and so on. For day trips, they can book you the full day Chichen-Itza tour - WELL worth it! Also Excaret, Xel-ha, Isla Mujeres, and other day trips - talk to the concierge. We also just have the concierge book our pick-up at the airport - they use a company called The ONE. Fair warning - after you go thru customs and head for the exit from the airport, you will be BOMBARDED by time-share salesmen. Just IGNORE them and keep walking until you get out front, then find your ride. Getting out of the airport is a ZOO! It's much easier to just stroll into the USA from Mexico than being a law-abiding citizen trying to get into Mexico.

^^^THIS. Get outside at all costs, and then look for the sign of your transfer company. Someone will be holding it up. It is total chaos. People will offer to take your luggage and walk you to your contact (for a tip, of course) just politely say no thank you, I'm good and keep walking. Be sure to buy the most expensive beer in Mexico at one of the kiosks there while you're waiting for your car service.