plexwriter5

I am planning a 5 day trip (excluding the arrival and departure days) to Cancun. This is my first time being there and I am thinking of joining 3 tours (3 days total and relax on hotel beach or explore downtown for the rest). I decided to go to Chichen Itza for sure as I heard it has some good archeological remainings. I can't decide the rest two and I was wondering if anyone could make recommendations. Places I am considering are:

Isla Mujeres
Cozumel
Tulum/Xel-Ha
Xcaret

I would like to do snorkeling at a place which has good visibility and coral reefs. It seems like Isla Mujeres is popular while Cozumel is more beautiful. Any suggestion on choosing between the two? Also, if I visit Chichen Itza, is it worth to visit Tulum ruins? How good is the snorkeling at xel-ha and xcarlet?

Also, which tour companies should I pick for these tours? I am thinking of booking in advance before the trip to save money and time. I looked into expedia and travelocity.com and saw the options provided by the companies like Best Day Tours or Olympus Tours. I heard some tour groups waste a lot of time picking up and gathering people at the hotels and I was wondering if these were the case. Does anybody know anything about the quality of the tours provided by these companies? Is it better to book tours while I'm in Cancun through concierge? Are smaller companies/ind. tours better?

I was thinking about all inclusive option provided by the Sun Palace Resort which also includes free tours and excursions. Are they of good quality? I know it's money-saving but if it is waste of time, then I'd rather spend my vacation joining other tours. Any advice on tours provided this resort would also help. Thank you.

SweetD

Well if you are only doing 3 tours and you already decided to go to Chichen Itza, I would suggest Xcaret or Xel-ha. You are only going to be there for 5 days. Do you want to spend all your time on a bus?
Isla Mujeres is nice, but the reef "El Garafon" (I know the spelling is incorrect), is protected. You have to wear a life jacket and can't dive under the water. So you spend your time getting slapped around by the waves on the surface.
I have stayed on Isla and Cozumel. I like them both, but if Sun Palace offers free excursion/tours go with them. Go to Chichen Itza (2-3 hour bus trip) and a snorkeling tour.
Then just sit back and relax, believe me, there is never enough time for that.
Good luck.

Keith

plexwriter5, asked some questions I have, and some I didn't think of.

Any more answers?

Keith

Ally

Next to the overpriced park of El Garafon Park is the Garafon Hotel. You can go in there and snorkel the same reef as the park next door. You don't have to ware a life jacket, there will be far less crowds than anywhere else (including Xel-Ha and Xcaret) and much, much cheaper too. They have a small restaurant, lockers, bathrooms and sell fish food.

blondlady

After Chichen Itza, I suggest Xcaret. It's a full day excursion. Plenty to do and its very beautiful. They have a lovely river snorkel included in the price. It is fun and much, much better than Xel-ha Cozumel may be suffering from the hurricanes. You need more than one day to really enjoy snorkeling in Cozumel. However, Cozumel from the Cancun area is the VERY BEST for snorkelers if you happen upon a good tour group. But remember its 45 minutes from Cancun to Playa Del Carmen, then another 45 by ferry to Cozumel, then taxi or boat tour to your snorkeling place or places. Playa Del Carmen is an excellent downtown area (5th Avenue) to explore, one block up from the beach. Have Fun