Cancun Hotels
 

My wife and I are planning on taking a trip to Cancun and I heard that here are two areas where hotels are located. One I believe was the "Downtown" area and the other (don't know what it's called) had the other hotels. <BR> <BR>I was told one area is where the "college/younger people" stayed and the other area was more adult oriented. I was wondering if this was true or not and if so which area was which and what hotels are the one more in tune for adults? I would like to stay in the area with the older adult crowd. So if you could tell me where the hotels with more adults are located or which ones they are, the help would be appreciated.

There are 2 distinct areas in Cancun - Downtown, and the Hotel Zone. The Hotel Zone has primarily beachfront or lagoonfront properties, while downtown has NO beach. If you stay downtown, your costs will be very low, and you will not find the same quality of services.You will always have to take a bus or a cab to be on or near the water. The hotels downtown are generally not of the same quality as those of the Hotel Zone. Downtown attracts people on a budget. But there are a lot of kids out in the Hotel Zone, and most of the notorious clubs are out in the Hotel Zone.

We stayed at a fabulous hotel in Cancun-- it had such a mix of people; mostly older-than-college-younger-than-geriatrics crowd. It was the Fiesta Americana (there are 3 properties on Cancun) This one was the mid-priced one. It was great and very very reasonable.

BTW that Fiesta Americana was the Condessa (Not the Cancun or Coral Beach)...

We were in Cancun for two weeks last May... stayed at the Melia Cancun and I would highly recommend it! It is located in the hotel zone, right on the water. Five-star hotel (we had a suite) that seemed to have fewer kids than some of the others closer in. Picture the hotel zone as a "seven" ..... the top of the seven is closest to downtown... the "corner" of the seven is where all the action (nightclubs, etc) is... and the further down the seven you go, the "calmer" it seems to be. Of course, the bus/taxi service in Cancun is superb, so being "out" a bit doesn't matter one bit. If there's any further info you need, feel free to Email me. <BR> <BR>You'll love Cancun!

I would definitely recommend either the Melia Cancun as posted above, OR the Caesar Park. They are both beautiful, extremely clean, the service is great, the food was wonderful. Don't do all-inclusive which is offered 'cus there are a lot of fun and interesting restaurants in Cancun. Both the Melia and the Caesar Park are further down the "7" but the bus service is so easy and cheap that everything is only about 10 min. away on the bus. E-mail me if you have any more questions on these resorts.

There are other benefits to the downtown area of Cancun. There are excellent, inexpensive restaurants downtown for more traditional Mexican/Yucatecan cuisine. The atmosphere is still touristy but much less so. We even saw a Catholic procession while out one day. We stayed at the Hotel Antillano. We thought the hotel was pretty good, and it is in close proximity to a bus stop to get to the beach, money exchanges with good rates, grocery/drug stores and the bus station for day trips. It is supposed to be one of the best values there - I think about $50 per night. Ask for a room in the quieter parts of the hotel though. The streets can be noisy at night, and the hotel lobby opens to the outside (ie., no doors). They have small hotel safes too behind the service desk. One of the best downtown restaurants, Rosa Mexicano, is right across on the same small side street. There is definitely a different group of people downtown. We were there during high school grad week and only knew it after a few days, since virtually none of them ventured away from the beach area. A bus to the beach will take you about 15-30 minutes, and they run often.

Don't stay at the Melia Cancun. This is the hotel chain that has purchases X'cacel and is planning on destroying one of the most important sea turtle nesting areas on the coast. We should not support a hotel chain that is planning to do this. Check out www.turtledisaster.org and take time to fill out the petition and look at the site.

Be sure to go downtown and eat at La Habichuela. Sit in the garden in big lacy backed white chairs among beautiful tropical plants sprinkled with twinkling white lights and candles. The service is exquisite and the prices really are quite reasonable. Especially if you stick to "catch of the day" which is usually red snapper or grouper. mmmmmmm

<BR>A few years ago we tried to save $ and stayed at the Arista Hotel in the hotel zone. Big mistake! Loaded w/college kids. However, we did visit the one recommended by our travel agent, the Westin (one of the farthest down the coast) and it was lovely, though more expensive. Older crowd, peaceful, well-appointed. The lagoon is opposite the beach and they have a concrete patio/deck on which to have drinks and watch the sunset facing the lagoon. I would look into that hotel next trip. <BR> <BR>However, for almost the same price, look into Cozumel. A bit longer of a trip, but worth it. We stayed at a wonderful, relatively new all inclusive called Reef Club Isla Cozumel in March. Highly recommend it.

First of all, I would never recommend staying in downtown Cancun. The reason to go to Cancun is the beach, so you might as well stay on the beach. Second, I would always recommend eating in downtown Cancun, not in the hotel zone. My favorite is La Parilla. Check out www.cancunmx.com for all the information you could possibly want. The message boards are great!

Just got back from my 13th trip to Cancun in 20 years. Stayed at the Flamingo Hotel for the first time, and while the location was excellent - right across from the Flamingo Plaza mall - the service was less than desirable and the food was only so-so. Six people out of our party fo 8 got sick and from the way they were preparing food (out in the sun without cleaning the cutting board between slicing chicken, vegetables, etc.), I'm not surprised. <BR>My favorite place is the Royal Mayan (or any of the Royal Resotts, including Royal Caribbean, Royal Islander, and Vacation Club - though the latter doesn't have much of a beach since it's on the north side of the island.

Just got back from my 13th trip to Cancun in 20 years. Stayed at the Flamingo Hotel for the first time, and while the location was excellent - right across from the Flamingo Plaza mall - the service was less than desirable and the food was only so-so. Six people out of our party fo 8 got sick and from the way they were preparing food (out in the sun without cleaning the cutting board between slicing chicken, vegetables, etc.), I'm not surprised. <BR>My favorite place is the Royal Mayan (or any of the Royal Resotts, including Royal Caribbean, Royal Islander, and Vacation Club - though the latter doesn't have much of a beach since it's on the north side of the island.

There is a neat website that has pictures of the beaches for most of the Cancun hotels (beach and bay side): <BR> <BR> www.cancunmx.net ( .com?) you should be able to find it from this. <BR>Someone had a very good idea!

I think the best resort in Cancun is the Club med. It was the second resort built on the strip, so it has THE best location hands down. They are the only resort with access to the ocean as well as the lagoon, plus they have a natural barrier reef to one side so they also are the ONLY place in Cancun where one can snorkel. Lots of guests from other hotels would schlep over to snorkel. Plus, they have a great waterskiing centre on the lagoon side that no one else has. It's all-inclusive of course, and I found an even mix of singles and couples, as well as a broad age range of about 25 to 60. There was an 80 year old couple there as well. Some people, like myself, stayed on the gounds most of the time, but one is free to go into town all they want and of course go on the excursions. Plus, Club Med is the only, or one of the few, hotels with a whole area devoted to hammocks. They are strung up between palm trees, in the shade, and you just lie there and lightly sway in the tropical breezes. Just amazing! I would go back there in a second.

We are planning a family vacation with two sports active kids, aged 16 and 12. We were planning to stay at Westin Ceasars, but someone told me that it would be better to stay further up the hotel zone because the water was calmer and beaches were better. The Fiesta Americana Coral Beach was recommended. <BR> <BR>Could anyone compare the two hotels and amenities at both beach locations?

A comment on the Royal Resorts and their beaches. The 3 named Royal all have great ocean in front of them, and I can't speak for the beach there, but I believe that it comes and goes. And, often there is a red or black flag. At VCI, on the bay side of Cancun, there is a wide, flat beach with lots of palapas, a dock, and very calm water. It is safe for kids to swim or play in. <BR>Even if you stay in the Hotel Zone, don't miss the downtown restaurants. For under $10.00 you can have a delicious meal at La Parrilla, on Av. Yaxchilan. We could easily eat there every night. The menu has Mexican, seafood, steak, etc.

We returned two weeks ago from Cancun and Cozumel (with our two daughters). We highly recommend Royal Solaris, an all-inclusive resort hotel. Extremely clean, excellent service, great food (8 restaurants so you don't get bored), and enjoyable entertainment. <BR> <BR>In Cozumel we stayed at the Reef Club Isla Cozumel. Nice, large rooms, good service and food (but only one buffet and one restaurant). Nice for relaxing on the beach. <BR> <BR>Glad to provide details, just email. <BR>

When I go to Cancun I stay at one of the Palace Resorts. They are great because everything is incluced, Food, drinks, snacks, tours, activities, spa, water sports and so much more that we don't ever have enough time to do everything. They have 7 Resorts, everything from the Beach Palace which is close to down town to others like the Moon Palace which is more secluded. Another great thing is that when you stay in one you can use them all. I have a child and it was great not having to worry about carrying money to buy food with us to the beach or pool. When my son said he was hungry we walked up to the restaurant or snack bar and ordered what we wanted. It was a pleasure.