Need Cancun Advice
 

After avoiding a return to Mexico after 12 years, my husband and I were talked into going with friends to Cancun at the end of May. <BR>Has anyone stayed at the Cancun Palace? Was it worth it? (We're used to relatively nice hotels)<BR>We love to snorkel, sit on the beach - what tours are worth our time? Read a lot about Isla Mujeres, Tulum &amp; Xel-Ha, Xcaret. We don't want to spend a day at the ruins (been there, done that), or hours of travel on a bus, but we would like a romantic place to go and have fun.<BR>Are there any beaches we may sneak off and find down the coast that are private?<BR>Good restaurants in town?<BR>Thanks, all!

anyone?

I don't know if it is possible to find privacy on a Cancun beach - my husband and I went to Cancun once and that was enough. But we like Playa del Carmen and Isla Mujeres, will be spending a week at each this year, and I think with a day trip to Isla you can find a quiet spot on one of the beaches.

My wife and I stayed at the Cancun Palace Thanksgiving week and we loved it! The service was wonderful and the entertainment was a lot of fun. It is probably the most active of the Palace resorts. If you are staying there, are you taking the all-inclusive option?<BR>If you do, you can visit the other Palace resorts and use all of their amenities. A tour of Isla Mujeres is nice and the boat ride back was a non-stop party!The beach at the Cancun Palace is also the best of the Palace resorts, although, I don't know any private areas of beach in the Cancun area.<BR>You will certainly enjoy your stay at the Cancun Palace!

Thank you for the advice! We are getting the all-inclusive deal, which we usually shy away from because we like a little variety if our stay is more than 3 days. However, we hear drinks and food are outrageous in Cancun, so I hope we made the right decision. Did anyone visit Xcaret or Xel-Ha? Which is better?<BR>Thanks, all.

Xcaret was a nice trip and if you stay for the evening show it is a long day,but worth it. I have never been to Xel-ha so I can't help you. When you go to the Cancun palace, please see Pinky, the cute little bartender in the lobby bar. He took very good (sometimes too good) care of us. If you are interested in pictures I can send you a link to our trip photos.

Hello mersingary!<BR>Thank you so much - we would love to check out some pics! We have only seen basic photos of the hotel and surroundings, so that would be great!<BR>Thanks again!

Here is a link to our vacation at the Cancun Palace Thanksgiving week.<BR>http://community.webshots.com/album/56607228LmqQOx

I was really enjoying those pictures..great room view, pretty water, etc....and then I got down to the dolphin pictures. How awful. Those poor dolphins.

Thanks for the warning Ally.<BR>I was getting ready to look at the pictures too.<BR>Think I'll pass now...

mersingary,<BR><BR>thank you so much for the pics! I'm even more excited, now! I noticed you guys used the facilities at Moon Palace-how was that? Did you eat at any of their restuarants or anything?<BR>thanks again!<BR><BR>p.s. ally and diana - is this a forum for activism as well? i personally won't be swimming with the dolphins, but please don't interject into other people's conversations - it's rude and I thought this site was classier than that.

I'm sorry ahrodriguez, you're right. <BR>Sometimes I just can't stop myself. Trying to learn how to bite my tongue.<BR>It's just that THIS is the way dolphins should be seen...and the ONLY way they should.<BR><BR>http://community.webshots.com/photo/...3824NFSzgMIMQh

Ally,<BR><BR>Very nice picture, thank you. Don't worry - I won't be swimming with the dolphins, okay? :)<BR><BR>

We were at the Moon Palace with friends of ours who are vacation club owners and we sat thru a presentation to try to get them to upgrade. We toured the facility and from what I could see, the beach did not look good. The Moon Palace was too big for our tastes.<BR>As far as the dolphins are concerned, I respect the opinions of anyone who thinks it is cruel and they are certainly entitled to their beliefs.<BR>It is an individual choice like being a vegetarian. I'm sure that some of the people who are so upset at the treatment of the dolphins sit down to a juicy steak occasionally.

hee, hee....<BR><BR>Thank you for all your help mesingery, as well as sharing your pics! I really appreciate it and I even emailed the pic site to our friends who are joining us- they loved it!<BR>happy travels!

Getting back to the original question.... There are some really lovely and private beaches south of Tulum. Most of the tourist traffic stops once you get south of the area, but you'll still find the occasional hut or two that rents out along the beach.

I stayed at Cancun Palace in July 2000. The AI food gets a little monotonous after a few days - so make reservations at the nicer restaraunts and other resorts. Italian at the Beach was worth the trip and the Japaneese restaurant at the Moon was the best. We had to pay for a cab to get there - the free shuttle was only for MOON guests! But splurge, go hang out in their GREAT pools for the day, (be warned, it was a topless resort) bring pants and skirt to put on over your bathing suit or they won't let you in the restaurant and they are NOT flexible! (My husband had to bum a pair from the maintainance department) Their beach stinks, covered with thick seaweed - no one is on it. Back to Cancun Palace - my sister inlaw had a hot tub that backed up and smelled like dead fish. (Ours was fine - and fun!) So take a wiff when you first check in. Pools were fun, drinks were good, - the waves were very violent. The resort put up yellow flags when every other resort had up red flags. A little girl broke her leg when the surf slammed her into the beach and an old woman almost drownd in the undertow (watch the undertow!) The best part of the vacation was seeing a GIANT mother sea turtle while walking on the beach at night. The resorts collect the eggs and put them in fenced in areas to protect them, then set the new hatchlings free in the ocean early in the mornings. Have Fun!

Thank you!