Cancun - Food Budget/Cost

[dioxide45]

We are spending seven nights in Cancun in May. We are staying in the hotel zone and wondering what we should plan on budgeting for food and drink for the week. We likely will be eating in the hotel zone most of the time.

I know many here stay in timeshares and probably cook in their units with full kitchens to help mitigate costs, but we won't have that luxury as we are staying in a regular hotel room

We usually don't eat a big breakfast, only have a small lunch, and then dinner is our big meal. Sometimes lunch is the big meal, with a smaller dinner.

We are not big drinkers, no wine with dinner, but perhaps the odd mixed drink or beer at the pool.

From reading about Cancun, it doesn't seem like there are many restaurants not in hotels in the hotel zone. It also appears that most restaurants in the zone are moderately to very expensive.

 

[BoaterMike]

We are spending seven nights in Cancun in May. We are staying in the hotel zone and wondering what we should plan on budgeting for food and drink for the week. We likely will be eating in the hotel zone most of the time.

I know many here stay in timeshares and probably cook in their units with full kitchens to help mitigate costs, but we won't have that luxury as we are staying in a regular hotel room

From reading about Cancun, it doesn't seem like there are many restaurants not in hotels in the hotel zone. It also appears that most restaurants in the zone are moderately to very expensive.

There are many restaurants not located in actual hotels. You have the well know "brands" like Carlos n Charlies, Margaritaville and well know fast food stores. Plus there are many other independent restauratns. I would take a good look at what is popular and what is highly recommended at TripAdvisor. Or, you can check out the Frommer's or Fodor's guides.

Suggesting a recommended budget is difficult for me. People have different tastes and dining interests. Generally speaking, we see lunch in the $10 to $15 pp range and dinner in the $20 - $50 range plus beverages.

Mike

 

[geoffb]

There are many, many restaurants in the hotel zone that are free standing or part of shopping arcades. And some very good options in downtown as well.

Budget depends entirely on what kind of dining you prefer. We typically budget an average of $100 per day for meals as a couple but that includes a fair number of cocktails and some of the more expensive places in town that we are fond of.

 

[dioxide45]

I guess it would have been important to include that it will only be two of us traveling.

 

[John Cummings]

We never cook any meals when vacationing. How much to budget depends a lot on what your eating habits are. Eating out at decent restaurants in Mexico is typically more expensive than in the US but what you would spend here will give you a rough guideline. Just allow a bit more to be on the safe side.

 

[Kenrabs]

Figure a budget of $100 a day for food and drinks if your not big drinkers to be safe. Breakfast will run $10-$20 a person. I usually like a good breakfast buffet that runs about $15 at a hotel and that also covers me for lunch. If you do lunch at a resort figure $10-$15. Dinner with a couple drinks runs about $25-$50 per person. Without drinks your meals should run about $50 a day per person, and that leaves $50 for drinks or excess splurging on meals. If I want a great cheap meal I go into town to Las Palapas park on the weekend and get a couple empanadas from Don Javiers empanada stand and churos from a vender and 2 people can eat for under $10 and listen to the music on the plaza stage. Then go and have some drinks at any spot around the Park before catching a bus home. The area around the park has a lot of good restaurants worth trying and are a lot cheaper than the hotel zone. Once comfortable with Cancun and the bus system there are a lot of places in town that are cheap,easy to find, and good.

 

[John Cummings]

There are many, many restaurants in the hotel zone that are free standing or part of shopping arcades. And some very good options in downtown as well.

Budget depends entirely on what kind of dining you prefer. We typically budget an average of $100 per day for meals as a couple but that includes a fair number of cocktails and some of the more expensive places in town that we are fond of.

You have to be joking. You are saying that you only spend $100 /day for both of you with cocktails and eating at expensive restaurants. Being very familiar with restaurant prices in Mexico, I find that very hard to believe unless you eat just once a day and even then that is pretty low.

 

[radmoo]

Are Cancun restaurant prices that much higher than in PV? We were in PV 2 years ago and found the food, even at nice hotels, to be VERY reasonable.

 

[Passepartout]

I'd say the prices are pretty close to the prices in resort areas in the U.S. Sure, there are empanada carts and street food, and you can take beers by the 6-pack and put in the hotel room sink with ice, but that doesn't sound like my idea of vacation.

Have access to a similar amount of cash you'd dip into at home. If you don't spend all of it, Hurray! Put the excess in the bank for the next trip. Just don't carry all of it around at one time. There's nothing worse than really wanting to try something and feeling too squeezed for cash to do it.

Unless you shop around for it in the 'Mexican' parts of town, Cancun area dining out will be more familiar- price and taste wise- than 'foreign'.

Jim Ricks

 

[John Cummings]

Are Cancun restaurant prices that much higher than in PV? We were in PV 2 years ago and found the food, even at nice hotels, to be VERY reasonable.

I would say that Cancun restaurant prices are somewhat higher than Puerto Vallarta.. But even in Puerto Vallarta, a couple is not going to eat on $100 /day if you are talking about expensive restaurants including cocktails. We don't drink adult beverages and have usually paid around $70-80 for a nice dinner in a good restaurant in PV. Drinking sodas in Mexican restaurants can be somewhat expensive because the glasses are small and you they don't give free refills.

Prices are cheaper in Mazatlan than Cancun or Puerto Vallarta.

Now you can find cheaper just like you can in the US but in general prices are higher in Mexico for comparable restaurants.

 

[geoffb]

You have to be joking. You are saying that you only spend $100 /day for both of you with cocktails and eating at expensive restaurants. Being very familiar with restaurant prices in Mexico, I find that very hard to believe unless you eat just once a day and even then that is pretty low.

We eat twice a day and $100/day is an average over a typical two week stay.

 

[easyrider]

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g150805-Yucatan_Peninsula.html

Some of our friends really like the restaurants in Mexico and can spend alot for a meal. I like fish so its fish tacos for Bill.

 

[clsmit]

2 for 1 card

The Entertainment Plus 2 for 1 card can help keep prices down if you want to eat in those places. (www.entertainment-plus.net)