Vacationing in Cancun – Gotchas to avoid for frugal travelers

This follow-up article on our Cancun vacation is geared towards frugal minded folks hoping to stretch their vacation dollars in Cancun. Our hints can be summarized as:

• Exchange Rate: In mid-June 2009, the exchange rate stood at 13.60 pesos per US dollar. We opted to exchange US dollars for Pesos at the hotel every morning and their rate averaged at 12.90. The exchange rate at the Hotel is comparable to that at the airport, banks, and other places and no particular advantage is gained by choosing one over the other. Several suggestions indicate currency conversion as unnecessary since US dollars is accepted most everywhere. Further, barring groceries and similar small items, prices are listed in Pesos and USD. In our experience, dealing in Pesos stretched the dollar – though the exchange rate varied among stores it was almost always less than 12 pesos to a US dollar. Change is given back in Pesos and more than 50% is lost on small items with US dollars as no change is returned for items priced between six to twelve Pesos – a classic example is the bus ticket where no change is given in Pesos by paying with a dollar.
• Bus System: Local bus fare is 7.5 pesos and is independent of the distance as long as the travel is within the hotel zone or Cancun proper. The transportation system is very efficient with buses every few minutes. Using taxis for transportation purposes is comparatively more expensive and is almost never a choice for frugal travelers - the bus operates 24 hours in the hotel zone. Of the four routes that service the hotel zone, Route 1 and Route 2 are downtown bound and hence more frequent. There is a caveat though - avoid using it like a hop-on, hop-off service. Every trip counts and it makes sense to plan your route beforehand. There is no need to tip the bus driver but giving back the ticket intact as you exit acts as one.
• Gratuity: Tipping is expected for everything with even a resemblance of a service. US rates (around 15% to 20%) are the norm for restaurants – sometimes restaurant include tip in the bill so be on the alert to avoid double paying. The frugal approach with respect to trivial services is to go along with it to prevent unpleasantness but focus on avoiding situations that calls for a tip as much as possible. For example, the airport is crowded with sales people and others eager to provide a service. Not engaging in a conversation with any of them helps to stay ahead of the game – book transportation to the hotel online before-hand and their personnel will get in touch with you.
• Hotels: There are plenty of rooms with ocean views and from our experience, getting into one of them at a reasonable price is possible by reserving early. However it pays to do comparison shopping across sites, and exercise patience before committing. The only decision to be made before reserving is whether or not to go for an all-inclusive option. Unless one is into imbibing a lot, it is easy to get around on $20 or so per day by making frugal choices on where to eat. Further, the benefits of the ‘all-inclusive’ option are diminished should one venture out of the hotel zone. For our purposes, the Cancun Caribe Park Royal was ideal. It was not all inclusive but as the facility, the view, and the service was well above par for a 4-star hotel.
• Food: Usually a mall or a restaurant is accessible within half a mile of one’s hotel location. In general, restaurants outside of the hotel are a better deal than those located within one. We used room service twice for breakfast but watched out for what we ordered. Full-service and other chain restaurants are priced at double the food-court prices in some of the malls. For example, at the Forum-by-the-Sea mall (Km 9.5 -a smaller mall within the first mile from the hotel) a pharmacy cum convenience store in the 2nd level housed an array of drinks and ice-cream priced for under a dollar. The food court (upper level) had fast food options, a burrito station (good), and Hong Kong express (worth a miss). In addition to open seating in the common area, “balcony” seating was available with great views of the beach and ocean – right above Chili’s seating at ground-level.
• Shopping: For Cancun/Mexican themed items, the hotel gift shop, premium stores at the malls, outlet stores at Kulkulcan, and Mercado’s all carry similar products the difference being the price. For those lacking excellent bargaining skills, the best bet is the outlet stores. We found good quality T-shirts and hats priced in the $7 to $20 range at the “Mexican Outlet” store in Flamingo plaza.
• Tours: It is best to book your tours online before embarking on the trip. This allows for the vacation to start early. Also, one can bypass sales pitches for time shares and other things. Though many choose to reserve after reaching Cancun for the flexibility it provides - the chance of last minute deals, the chance of earning a free tour as reward for sitting through a sales presentation of some kind (mostly time shares and variants) – the majority is left disappointed for one reason or the other…

Related Posts:

1. Cancun Trip Report.
2. Day tour to Chichen-Itza.
3. Vacationing in Cancun - Gotchas to avoid for frugal travelers.

Last Updated: 02/2011.

Day tour to Chichen-Itza

Chichen Itza was on our radar ever since it received limelight by becoming one of the new Seven Wonders of the World following the worldwide voting initiative organized by the Swiss based New7Wonders foundation. Chichen Itza tours are offered by various groups. We opted for the Chichen Itza Plus tour offered by the Chichen Itza Tour company. This choice was dictated mainly by the fact that the tour guides of the Chichen Itza Plus Tour are accredited by the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History and also that refreshments were part of the deal. Tickets can be purchased from their site, other sites, or directly at tour booking counters in the hotel zone or downtown. The company offers other specialized tours of Chichen Itza such as the premier tour which includes a detour through the historic Spanish colonial town of Valladolid established in 1543, the light and sounds tour which includes both the bus tour of Valladolid and a light and sounds movie show in the evening (one late lunch buffet but no drinks or breakfast), and the VIP tour which is a more private version. Prices vary between $65 and $109 (lower for children) for the plus tour and can go all the way up to $200 for the VIP tour. Our reservation was done through CancunFunTours.com which was priced at $65 and $59 for adults and children respectively in the December timeframe (roughly six months before the date).


The Plus Tour is a well organized ten-hour tour that picks guests up from the hotel around 7:30 AM. Feeder buses pick guests up from hotels, drop them off at a meeting point near the airport and from there the tourists board their respective tour buses. This process takes about an hour and the actual tour starts around 8:30 AM. The tour is managed by four people – the driver, a bilingual head tour guide, a Spanish only tour guide, and a service person. The air-conditioned bus was comfortable for the purpose. Our head tour guide Raymundo engaged us with informational talk. On the two-hour bus ride, he held two sessions educating us about the Mayans, the local flora/fauna, and other things. The roads are devoid of traffic and the landscape itself is very barren – the entire state of Quintana Roo was sparsely populated until development for tourism started in the ‘70s. Even now, the state’s population is less than 1.5 million with the majority living in Cancun city and its vicinity. The infertile landscape is primarily because Quintana Roo and the adjacent state of Yucatan is a limestone slab with a very shallow layer of soil covering it.

The first stop was at the archeological park Cenote Ik-Kil – a sinkhole with access from the surface via steps built on the limestone slab. Cenotes are common in the Yucatan peninsula as the limestone slab just beneath the ground seeps all the water above ground to form underground water bodies. This explains the complete absence of surface water in the whole peninsula. Instead, the area reveals water bodies, caves, caverns, or cenote’s when the limestone is breached due to the dissolution of the rock. Many Cenote’s are tourist attractions. Cenote Ik-Kil is commercialized, complete with two gift shops, rental facility for swimmers, and restrooms all in a beautiful setting. The water is very deep (50 meters or so) and definitely not appropriate for novices. The tour guide suggested two unique gift ideas – a Mayan calendar inscribed with a date and name in Mayan paper (a thick brownish paper with a leathery texture) and a silver pendant with a name inscription in gold – the former is around $12 while the latter can trend upwards of $30 depending on the number of letters inscribed.

Next we stopped for the buffet lunch (included except for drinks) at the restaurant Hacienda Xaybe'h. The menu included chicken and fish (Mahi-Mahi) choices along with Mexican fare and pastas. A Mayan dance presentation was also included. The dancers in colorful outfits provided entertainment for about 10-15 minutes.

We arrived at the Chichen Itza entrance around 1:45 PM. Local artisans displayed their ware in the array of shops at the entrance while street sellers crowded the steps hawking an assortment of stuff for a few dollars. However, we did not find them aggressive. Entrance fees were included in our package – our tickets said 51 Pesos. Our tour group was split into two – Raymundo catered to the group who spoke English while the other guide led those who preferred Spanish. He spent a good hour walking with us and educating us on the history and relevance of significant structures. Some of the more amazing things he explained include:

1. The most imposing structure in the whole area is El Castillo, a structure shaped like a pyramid with the top cut-off which stands 25 meters tall. It represents a Mayan calendar. The total number steps add up to the number of days in a year (365) and each façade has 52 flat panels representing the 52 months of the Mayan calendar. The most amazing aspect of the structure is the appearance of a shadow shaped like a serpent on the first day of Spring and Fall in mid-afternoon. During the Equinox sun rays hit the structure all at the right angles creating the shadow effect which lasts for about three hours. Another shadow effect is when the serpent’s head at the bottom of the pyramid appears to point to the Sacred Cenote (Cenote Sagrado).
2. The ball court, the largest in Mesoamerica, is another impressive structure with an intriguing story. The game is played with a solid rubber ball, and the objective is to get the ball through a tiny circular opening high up on either side of the court. The rules, the size of the ball, and the size of the court varied. The game has religious connotations and culminated with a human sacrifice. It is not clear whether the winning captain or the losing captain got sacrificed. The current belief tends to the winning captain as the Mayans believed the winning privilege allowed for a direct ticket to heaven. Modern science is yet to solve the mystery regarding the acoustics of the ball court– directly beneath the ends of the ball court feature a “temple” structure, where a whisper can be heard at the other end 500 feet away.

Several other structures exist in the area and it is estimated that as many as 50,000 people resided in the surrounding area at one time. The extremely hot sun bearing down with little relief made it a little hard on the kids. We were ready to board the bus for the return trip to Cancun as soon as they opened the door at 3:20. Plenty of cold drinks were on offer. The trip back was uneventful and we were dropped off at the hotel door-step around 6:30 PM. All in all, a great tour and we recommend this tour to anyone without any reservations.


Related Posts:

1. Cancun Trip Report.
2. Day tour to Chichen-Itza.
3. Vacationing in Cancun - Gotchas to avoid for frugal travelers.

Last Updated: 09/2011.

Cancun Trip Report

We kicked off this year’s (2009) summer break with a 4-day vacation to Cancun in the 3rd week of June. The package was reserved six month’s in advance through Expedia after comparison shopping at many sites. An overnight flight aboard Mexicana Airways and a 3-night stay in the Hotel Zone came to around $1500 for the four of us. We complimented ourselves on the deal and on our timing, only to find the same deal offered in Expedia for a brief period in mid-February for around $1350 – between the time we reserved (around 6 months before the trip) through late May, the pricing fluctuated between $1350 to as high as $2200. Lesson learned - patience can be a virtue.

The flight was uneventful and the very short break in Mexico City was (less than two hours) was not a hassle. Mexicana service was fairly good – a boxed lunch (small sandwich and snacks) with drinks was offered on all the flights. A peculiarity we noticed at both the Mexico City and Cancun airports were janitors offering trivial services with the expectation of a tip. At Cancun airport the porters hustle you along without waiting for your consent. Quickly getting about one’s business and presenting a token tip for any services that you “caught on the way” is the best option as the other alternative is in one way or the other unpleasant.

Orientation at the Hotel zone is straightforward – Kukulcán Boulevard is the main road running the length. The hotel zone commences at Km-zero just outside Cancun city and covers an area shaped like the number seven, with the short-end starting at Km 0 and terminating at Km 21 near the airport at the long end of the seven. The seven enclose a lagoon and a duo of bridges at the ends of the seven connects the tourist area to the rest of Cancun. The area surrounding seven is a fully-planned exclusive tourist facility complete with around 150 hotels, shopping centers, and entertainment options. Public transportation is the best option to get around and they operate very frequently (every few minutes). Each bus ride is 75 pesos per trip per person including children, independent of distance traveled. Navigating the place via bus is simple once the bearings are in place.

Our hotel was not an all-inclusive resort, although there were three restaurants on-site. Since we had plans in place for sightseeing during the morning hours, this perfectly met our requirements. The facility and the staff were great. Cancun hotels can have several caveats one needs to be aware of:

1. Time-share sales pitches – many hotels are sites were timeshare sales representatives "camp" (sometimes disguised as concierge) pitching their line. Our experience was to the contrary - the solitary solicitation was a phone call from the Expedia desk at the hotel asking us to stop by their counter for tour coupons. We did not avail of that option. Of the three towers at the hotel, one is the Royal Tower featuring suites with terraces and related luxury features - could be that the sales personnel focused on guests in these rooms.
2. Strict prohibition of outside food – since it is not an all-inclusive resort, this restriction makes one feel dining at one of the three restaurants at the hotel is imposed. During check-in, it was mentioned that we had to sign something that said outside food was not allowed. But, the staff made it clear that outside personnel were curbed from delivering food to rooms for security reasons. We did not encounter any problem whatsoever in bringing in food purchased from outside the hotel.
3. “Nickel and Diming” and expecting a tip for everything – our experience was comparable to any US or international hotel (3-stars or above). Availing of bell service is the norm and since our room was at the tower removed from the main building, we were only too glad to let them handle the luggage and to have them escort us in the tram, and point out the various facilities and features of the place. None of the staff displayed any suggestions indicating a tip is warranted, and for us it is only common courtesy to tip for the service provided. We were asked to sign a waiver if we choose not to use the locker at $2 per day. We did avail of this option. Like most international hotels, pre-authorization using a credit card will take care of incidentals. For us, the pre-authorization was for 2000 pesos (less than $200). The charges incurred were for room-service and restaurant dining.

Our reservation was at the tower called the premium tower which had newer rooms with a small balcony overlooking the great ocean. Watching the ships sail by in the horizon was delightful.

Half a km away from the hotel, we found medium priced familiar chains such as Bubba Gump. Though the pricing at this seafood restaurant in the Forrest Gump movie theme is comparable to its US counterparts, the service was a little better. The closest shopping plaza was the Flamingo Plaza - one of the smaller shopping malls that dot the entire stretch of the 20 and odd km of the hotel zone. The plaza itself was devoid of customers in the mid-afternoon hour we visited and the shop-keepers vaguely interested, a far-cry from the “aggressive” nature we were warned of prior to the trip. The pools were fairly crowded in the afternoon-hours, but plenty of beds and sofa parlors were available to stretch out. The pool was lovely and we had a wonderful time there. The private beach-front is excellent when not windy.

The hotel zone has options for activities at various levels. For those interested in the Mayan ruins, the El Rey ruins (37 pesos – roughly US $3 for adults and children are free) are located at at Km 18.5 on Kukulcán. Playa Delfines (Kukulcán, Km 18 near punta nizuc) the highest point in the hotel zone and provides a very good view of the area. Visitors inclined to hone their bargaining skills can find an outlet at the Mercados (similar to flea markets in the US with bargaining being the norm). The one on Kukulcán at Km 9.5 called Coral Negro and three more in Cancun proper – Mercado 28, Mercado 23, and Ki Huic Market are the more popular ones. Route 1 or Route 2 bus from the Ocean side will get one to Cancun downtown from the hotel zone. For Mercado 28 (the most popular one), choose Route 2 and alight at the first stop after the bus passes Avenida Tulum – the driver usually points out this spot, but even otherwise it is hard to miss as it is mass exodus at this point. Route 15 and Route 27 are minor routes that also serve the hotel zone. Buses that say "zona hoteleres" in the front all lead to the hotel zone.

For traditional shopping there are six shopping malls in the hotel zone between Km 8.5 and Km 13. These shopping malls combine both restaurants and entertainment options. The La Isla shopping center (Km 12.5) features an interactive aquarium and the place mimics Venice with bridges and canals in Las Vegas style. Kukulcán Plaza (Km 13), the largest of the malls on the other hand, incorporates movie theaters and bowling alleys in addition to 300-odd shops and restaurants. Flamingo Plaza (Km 11.5), Forum-by-the-sea (Km 9.5), and Plaza Maya Fair (Km 8.5) are smaller malls, but still with their own entertainment options – the Plaza Maya Fair is themed around a rainforest and offers nightly Mayan dance and other music shows while Forum-by-the-sea highlight is a multi-level structure with a large common area in the middle where there are options for rock climbing and other make-shift performances. The mall also features the Rainforest Café on the 2nd floor. The third-floor is a budget food-court – a reasonable dining option for frugal minded travelers. Plaza Caracol (Km 8.5) is on the other end of the spectrum with high-end shops and galleries.

In a nutshell, Cancun delivers for a tourist vacationing in a tropical resort – wonderful beaches, food choices galore, excellent public transportation, organized tours to nearby attractions, and not to mention a large hotel zone completely planned out as a tourist Mecca. Although many would consider a three-night vacation “too short”, for our lifestyle this was wonderfully right on time. Our highlight of the trip was the visit to Chichen Itza, a Mayan ruin which is now one of the Seven Wonders of the World. 

Related Posts:

1. Cancun Trip Report.
2. Day tour to Chichen-Itza.
3. Vacationing in Cancun - Gotchas to avoid for frugal travelers.

Last Updated: 02/2011.