LaRae Groves

we are taking a 16 day vacation to Cancun in January and I am searching for budget hotels in downtown Cancun. Has anyone stayed at Las<BR>Margaritas or el Patio. Anyone any other similar ones?

Dee

I would never stay in a hotel in downtown Cancun. I would be concerned about safety, sanitation, and the distance from the beach. The water in the hotel zone is safe for drinking; the water downtown is not. Suggestion: cut down the length of your stay and find a package to a hotel in the hotel zone.

Traveler

Agree with Dee. You possibly could get very sick from the water if you stay somewhere out of the hotel zone.

Susan

To be honest, I wasn't that impressed with the hotel zone in Cancun, but I guess it depends on what you're looking for. We were just in transit and spent a night downtown - I preferred that. You can take buses out to the beach areas very easily, and I certainly didn't find it unsafe. Our hotel (and I'm sorry I can't remember the name) wasn't expensive, and it was clean and safe. I don't drink water at any hotels - I always use bottled water. <BR><BR>I think 16 days is way too long in Cancun. You might want to just book a couple of nights there and then see what you could find. You might want to go further south to the Playa del Carmen area or over to Isla Mujeres or even Cozumel. With 16 days, you could visit a few places.<BR><BR>As for your original question, I've heard good things about El Patio. Haven't heard anything about Las Margaritas, although the name is familiar.

Sandy

To answer your question . . .Hotel Hacienda Cancun, Sunyaxch&eacute;n 39-40 (next door to Caribe Internacional), Ph. (98) 84-12-08, 84-36-72. We paid $30.75 for a double w/ceiling fan, a/c, color tv, full bath. Hotel is very clean and has a nice pool.<BR><BR>Don't stay at the Caribe next door, we stayed there one night, a real dump and unhelpful/unfriendly employees.<BR><BR>Buen viaje,<BR>Sandy<BR>

Sue

We have stayed at El Patio a couple of times. I think the cost was $40 a night double - http://cancuninn.com/ The hotel is small with very pleasant staff. We also stayed at Novotel www.novotelcancun.com<BR>which is in a slightly more convenient location and costs about the same. I would stay at either of these hotels again. They are in good areas and you feel perfectly comfortably wandering around. I think both provided a large container of bottled water for guests, but you could certainly get your own very cheaply.

no Disney

I'm gonna take a wild guess that the first two posts are from people who have NEVER stayed outside a &quot;hotel zone&quot; anywhere in the world.<BR><BR>I encourage you to try downtown Cancun, drink bottled water, take normal safety precautions. You might actually have a Mexican experience instead of a &quot;Disneyland&quot; vacation that most people experience (and desire for whatever odd reason) in Cancun.

LaRae Groves

Thank you all very much. I have eagerly read all your replies. We have pretty much decided upon the Radisson Hotel,<BR>formerly the Holiday Inn. This is the first time I have &quot;written&quot; on line and it is so interesting. We have traveled throughout Mexico, Central and South America and Spain so I agree with Susan<BR>[email protected]. In world traveling one<BR>has to adjust his/her sights and standards. We will be walking everywhere,<BR>visiting sites and places, and drinking <BR>bottled water. We have never been sick<BR>in any country. However, staying on the side of caution is always wise. Thank you all again

Susan again

For LaRae, Since you mentioned you are new to travel board postings, you might also like to read Thorn Tree (bulletin board, Mexico branch) at www.lonelyplanet.com<BR><BR>It is more budget-oriented than Fodors but active with lots of good information and most often an open minded spirit.