MistyShults

We are traveling with a 3 and 5 year old for a 2 week stay in soliman bay at a beach house. Our flight arrives in cancun at 4:00 pm. We are renting a car. Should we just head to our house rental which is about a 90 minute drive i believe or should we stay a night in cancun near airport and head down the next day. We will want to load up on groceries for the house since we are gluten free. I thought we would find better shopping near cancun and didn't want to backtrack the day after for groceries if this is the case. If we should stay in cancun any suggestions on where to stay?

MistyShults

Marco,
Thank you so much for the information on health food stores not far from us. We will definitely be going there. I think I would rather just drive an extra 30 minutes to our beach house rental instead of staying a night in Playa since we will already be so close at that point. Are there any stores in Mexico that are similar to costco in the US?

yucatangitana

Hi Michelle,
Cancun has a Costco and there is a Sam's in Playa del Carmen which you will drive by on the main highway on your way to Tulum. There is also a very nice hew Chedraui store in Tulum, it is kind of a Mexican Walmart and in the one in Tulum you will be able to find a lot of the brands you are familiar with since it is geared for tourists. There is also another large grocery store, Bodega Aurrera, in Tulum.

yucatangitana

I'm sorry, the other large grocery store in Tulum is a San Francisco grocery store.

Rohelio

First of all, lets get realistic here... If you arrive in Cancun at 4.00pm you will in no way arrive in Playa at 6.00 pm. The logistics involved are too many. Upon arrival you need to go through customs, then the baggage carousel, then through inspection stations and hopefully you will not hit the red lite for luggage check. Lets not forget that you have 2 young ones etc. I am not sure where you plan to rent the car but lets assume that it's at the airport. You need to go through this scenario and that everything comes out OK. (dont forget to check the car for damages, inside and out). Do you know your way around, do you speak any Spanish (which helps). Load the luggage and the kids and by the way, do you need a baby seat ? I do support the idea of spending the night in Playa (not Cancun) where you have access to big box stores such as Wal-Mart, Mega and many more. The next morning you will be in good shape to get ready for your vacation before you get to your condo. Tulum does not have much to offer for your supplies so Playa has got to be your go to place for resources. By the way Playa is less than a 1/2 hour away from Solomon bay.

MistyShults

You are all so kind. I greatly appreciate the detail in your responses. I have 2 years of Spanish under my belt but that was almost 15 years ago. I need to Find a good app to download that will help me brush up on it. We are so excited to check out this awesome country with our family. Keep the tips coming if you more....thanks!!!!

SambaChula

We've always gotten out of the airport fairly quickly, not more than an hour. Arriving at about that time, we pick up our car (Easyway, highly recommended, they pick you up outside the terminal, take you to their office, and you're on your way quickly), and have gotten to Tulum pretty easily and quickly, same day, in about an hour and 40 minutes. The 307 road is an easy shot, much like any US two lane each way highway. One of you could settle in with the kids in Soliman bay by about 7:30 while the other heads to the well stocked Chedurai in Tulum (left at the same traffic light on 307 that indicates Coba to the right) to stock up. Locogringo, a great informational site for the area btw, puts the time between Soliman and Tulum at 10 minutes. There will be street stalls setting up at the north end of Tulum pueblo, and plenty of restaurants and shops open (on 307, the main street), if the kids feel like going, and then doing a supermarket run together.
Have a great time!

Rohelio

I dont mean to be disrespectful here, but there is no way on God's green earth that you can be at Soliman Bay at 7.30 if you arrive in Cancun at 4.00pm, plus rent a car beforhand... with two kids... no way... never mind the pit stop for a bite !!!
I do agree with renting from Easyway though. Please check the car thoroughly for scratches and small dings etc. and purchase all the insurance coverage available.

MistyShults

It's ok to have different opinions that is what I love about this site. I appreciate all points of view. Thanks for the detail on how to get around tulum Samba. Seems like the easy way car rental is unanimous.