halperp

Hi!
I am starting to plan a trip to Mexico for Jan for my husband and I. We are 30 and have miles that can get us to Cancun easily (direct flight from chicago and lots of them).
We are planning on going for 4 nights/5 days, as a get away for our birthdays.
We'll be leaving the baby at home with grandma, so we're hoping for a nice and relaxing, yet fun, trip.
My husband went to Cancun in college and doesn't want to go back, so we were thinking either Playa Del Carmen or Cozumel. It seems like Playa is mostly AI, and I'm a little against that (I like to test out different restauants and get some culture, BUT, if it's worth it, then I'll do AI).

SO, any suggestions on where to go?
We're open, just don't want to be around lots of 18 year olds....

THANKS!!!
Trish

miguelgcuadra

Why Cancun? Why do not you try the exotic Rio de Janeiro - Brasil.. you have about 5 days available, only thing is the long flight, but it is overnight. Lots of things are said about Brsil, once you are in RIO, it is hard to believe the natural beauty and many things to do, restaurants, walking, exotic beaches, sightseeing... you will never regret it. It will be more miles, once there US dollars last an eternity.

PegS

Try Isla Mujeres. More local flavor than Playa, gorgeous beach, and good food.

halperp

thanks for the suggestions...
as for Brazil, Rio is on our list of places we'd like to visit, but for this particular trip, we'd rather be a little closer to home. Weather in Chicago is bad that time of year, so there is always a chance of flight delays, etc..so 4 nights/5 days could become very short if there are local weather problems.
I'll check out Isla Mujeres...

any more suggestions?
thanks again!

Little_Man

Just my personal preference, but I've been to Isla and wouldn't really want to spend a lot of time there. (maybe I'm just not an "island" person, but the vibe there didn't seem as friendly as on mainland Mexico.) I've been to Cancun and stayed in an upscale hotel there and absolutely loved it. The beach in Cancun is beautiful beyond belief. Playa del Carmen seems to be beloved by almost everyone who visits, and people on this board have had great things to say about the Playa Maya, La Tortuga and Shangri La Caribe hotels in downtown Playa del Carmen.

mjz

We based ourselves about 20 minutes south of Playa del Carmen in a marina community called Puerto Aventuras. There were a couple of hotels (an Omni being one of them) and many condos to rent. We actually stayed in a beach front condo....it was great. This location gave us many options from Playa del Carmen to Tulum to a day trip to Cozumel to just hoping in the jeep and searching out remote beaches. This is such a great area of Mexico to visit. Wonderful beaches, history, culture, really good restaurants (especially in Playa), lots of accomadation options. Personally, I would not recommend staying at an AI. Playa has many quality, non AI choices and the dining scene is quite good as is the nightlife. I'm not a big repeat destination person as their is too much to see in this world, but I will definitely return back to this area one day. By the way, we went in January two years ago and the weather was awesome. It was very cold and snowy in Kansas City the whole time we were gone...hehe.

Enjoy your trip!

JeanH

I'm a big fan of Isla Mujeres, but it's not a destination for everyone. Small town, small hotels, lots of beach bars, beautiful beach. Pretty quiet at night.

I also like Playa del Carmen, but would certainly not stay in an all-inclusive. We've stayed at La Tortuga in March, nice hotel, but not a luxury property. There are loads of great restaurants. If you are interested in a larger property, Gran Porto Real is beachfront and might be an option. I think they have a non-inclusive plan. The beach in front isn't very wide, and can be rocky. But, just north a few minutes walk is a wonderful stretch of beach.

Whatever you decide, have a great trip.

Jean

halperp

Thanks for ALL the suggestions!!
I think we are going to shoot for a non-AI in Playa...I am going to check out all of your suggestions.
Now the only problem is I have to wait until January to go

lomayalo

Why not try Cozumel? It's an easy trip via bus/ferry from the airport in Cancun to Coz. There are nice non AI hotels to choose from (my favorite is the Presidente). The snorkeling, snuba and scuba diving are wonderful. There are beautiful beaches and great restaurants on the island. It's my favorite place in the world!

Dee3

For such a short trip, why not stay in Cancun. I'm sure your husband's college experience is very different than what the two of you would enjoy now! As previously stated, Cancun has the most beautiful beaches, great hotels, restaurants, and pools. Just perfect for some relaxing without baby

RobertSDF

I would definitely go for the Playa or Cozumel suggestions--and skip Cancun. The non-AI's are a good choice--that way you get to sample much more of the local food and culture!

elvisisdead

If you're going to Playa (there's tons of non AI type properties) and want to stay on the beach I'd look at Playa Maya and Shangri La Caribe.

Playa Maya is right in the action; if you want to be right in Playa, this is the place to be.

Shangri La Caribe is just north of town (a 10-15 minute walk to downtown)on a fabulous beach and is my favorite place in Playa; the bungalows on the beach are great. It has two meals included (if I remember correctly), but we never ate there.

There are lots of other great places to stay that will fit anyone's taste.

GeordieFoley

My favorite place to vist is the Yucatan and the best way to get there is through Cancun.

Playa is wonderful (if you stay at an all-inclusive try the Royal Hidaway) go futher south and stay in/around Tulum (try Las Ranitas on the road from Tulum to Punta Allen)

Or do something really great and stay at one of Starwood's Hacendia Hotels in the interior (find them in Starwood's "The Luxury Collection&quot

By the way driving in the Yucatan is a great way to get around, so rent a car and drive to different places

Have fun