Cooking in Mexico

[ronandjoan]

Answering TUG notes on cooking in Mexico

I wrote: We have decided to go only once to Mexico after this year - it is too hard to cook all meals in the condo and too expensive to eat out very often....any thoughts on this?

An answer: I wonder why in Mexico, it seems too hard to cook in the room? Limited kitchens in the timeshares you've been to? We're in Mexico several weeks a year (Cabo, PV, and Mazatlan), and I don't think our meal planning is much different than at home. We go out for some great meals, but use our kitchens a lot. I'm definitely not a gourmet chef - I prepare fresh, simple meals with fish/meat and lots of fruits and vegetables. I love the grocery stores in Mexico with all the wonderful seafood and produce! And I can't seem to stay away from the panaderias for pastries and breads -- aaargghhh! It's a good thing we walk a lot!

I don't understand your point about Mexico compared to other timeshares. Is it because timeshares in Mexico don't generally have full kitchens? The dining out is generally cheaper in Mexico than other places.


My answer: I don’t have trouble cooking in a kitchenette, even with limited cooking pots and dishes, some timeshares in the States have limited kitchens too, but it is mainly when we go to the Mayan Palace at the Mayan Riviera that it such a problem since it has limited grocery stores nearby. There is a little “store” or “deli” in the resort’s “boutique” and we do utilize it the first day we are there, but the prices are 2 to 3 times the prices in a grocery store. The nearest grocery store we have found is in Playa del Carmen – has anyone else found a closer one? You can cross the highway and take a public bus (colectivo) although the resort now runs a shuttle (they said it was too dangerous for their guests to continually cross the highway – I wonder what really happened? Did anyone get seriously injured?)
The shuttle used to run to WalMart but now goes clear to 10th avenue, which is closer to the main drag at 5th avenue, yes, but more difficult to get groceries and bring them back on the shuttle. We prefer Mega, the Mexican supermarket, anyway, and so we walk down there, no problem. But to bring all of our purchases back to 10th avenue? When they are very heavy? No, we need to take a taxi, at $20.

The resort shuttle is $4 each one way. So that is an extra $28 added to the grocery bill. It just irritates me somewhat. We don’t eat out a lot, even though the prices are certainly reasonable, we are truly “on a budget” and usually eat all our meals in the room, just occasionally going out.

Well, you say, you shouldn’t be on such a tight budget.

Okay.

But north in Cancun hotel zone or in PV or Acapulco, it is much easier/cheaper to get to a grocery store – so it may be that we will just stick to those places.


Other thoughts?

 

[dreamin]

Supermarkets in PVR

Hi Ron & Joan,

We also like to cook in Mexico but usually just for breakfast and lunch. It is so much cheaper but there are always so many good restaurants to try. We will be at the LindoMar in PVR for New Year's week. Do you know where the closest supermarket would be? First time staying at the LindoMar. We know there is a huge Mega store close to the Sheraton Bouganvilias TS. Would that be the closest one to us?

 

[pjrose]

We eat inexpensively in Cancun and actually spend less than at home. We hardly ever go to the restaurants off-site - partly because of the expense, but mostly because we so love relaxing at our resort that we are too lazy to bother

Though our resort's kitchens are fully equipped, we rarely do "real" cooking. Instead, we make great use of the take-out at our resort. We get rotisserie chicken, which only costs a little more than at home but is much much larger, and a big pan of Mexican Rice, quart of soup, and a big salad, and have dinner for four for about $20. The leftover chicken becomes fajitas the next day, along with a can of beans, an onion, some tortillas, an avocado, and cheese from the resort mini-market - a really cheap dinner for four. DH even takes the bones and skin and makes them into soup! Other favorite take-outs are ribs and pizza.

At the restaurants - maybe 3x a week - we generally go for the nightly special or something lower cost, not necessarily to be cheapskates, but we often like what they're featuring. If we occasionally splurge, it all averages out, so we still end up eating at low cost.

 

[geekette]

... such a problem since it has limited grocery stores nearby.
... The shuttle used to run to WalMart but now goes clear to 10th avenue, which is closer to the main drag at 5th avenue, yes, but more difficult to get groceries and bring them back on the shuttle. We prefer Mega, the Mexican supermarket, anyway, and so we walk down there, no problem. But to bring all of our purchases back to 10th avenue? When they are very heavy? No, we need to take a taxi, at $20.

The resort shuttle is $4 each one way. So that is an extra $28 added to the grocery bill.
...
Other thoughts?

I would walk to Mega for the light stuff or bring a rolling backpack (worked perfectly for us in Ireland with our heavy groceries).

The "extra $28" would be because you would go to the grocery store daily? Easy to cut that cost substantially just by not shopping daily.

 

[ronandjoan]

Thanks for these responses, but at the Mayan Palace in Mayan Riviera, which is where I was talking about, you certianly don't WALK to any grocery store -it's a 15-20 minute drive to Playa.

yes, we find in PV it is GREAT! We really like the Mega stores, too, better than Walmart, and the smaller Mexican grocery stores are even cheaper.

For example, there is a small groery store in Cancun City - more easily accessible to timeshares in the hotel zone in Cancun than any from the Mayan Riviera , that is even CHEAPER than Mega.

Eating out: Well, again, choices of eating out at the Mayan Palace in MR are so limited unless you take the shuttle to Playa which is an additional $16 RT cost to add to your meal. So, I guess that decides me: it's too expensive to stay at MP or GP1

 

[ronandjoan]

The "extra $28" would be because you would go to the grocery store daily? Easy to cut that cost substantially just by not shopping daily.

The additional $28 is per shopping trip - and we shopped 2 times in 3 weeks! and ate every meal but 2 in the condo

Still, take your weekly shopping amount and add $28 to it - not fun.

 

[ronandjoan]

Hi Ron & Joan,

We will be at the LindoMar in PVR for New Year's week. Do you know where the closest supermarket would be? First time staying at the LindoMar. We know there is a huge Mega store close to the Sheraton Bouganvilias TS. Would that be the closest one to us?

HI Dreamin,
I'd be dreamin' too if I was going to LindoMar - always wanted to go there! We've stayed further south up the hill at Costa Sur and liked it and the area!

There is a grocery store just at the bottom of the hill at the end of the bus line - that you can catch right outside your door, about 2 short blocks to walk..sorry I cant remember the name, maybe someone else can. We usually got our groceries there.

 

[geekette]

ahhhh, I clearly misunderstood location and modes of transport.

sorry bout that.

 

[timesharejunkie4]

Hi Ron & Joan,

We also like to cook in Mexico but usually just for breakfast and lunch. It is so much cheaper but there are always so many good restaurants to try. We will be at the LindoMar in PVR for New Year's week. Do you know where the closest supermarket would be? First time staying at the LindoMar. We know there is a huge Mega store close to the Sheraton Bouganvilias TS. Would that be the closest one to us?

We were just at Lindo Mar in the 3 BR penthouse. It was fabulous! The closest grocery store is Rizo's in Old Town at Constitution and Aguiles Serdan. It's not as big as Mega but certainly more convenient. I know you can get the bus in to town near Lindo Mar and cabs are outside the resort. We had a car so I can't tell you any more than that.