We are able to spend approx. $900-$1,000 for 5-6 days in Cancun in Jan. or Feb. What hotel do you suggest. We want to be in an area close to the action...shopping/nightlife. I checked Apple Vacations, what other online site can I use that might be more economical? Thanks.

We went through Apple Vacations to Cancun several years ago. I was sick the entire time due to the water (though I realize this doesn't happen to everyone). The advice I've received due to this is to pick an all-inclusive or "american" hotel. We stayed at Camino Real which I wouldn't recommend. I don't know that you're going to find anything more economical than Apple Vacations. Have fun!!

Would you consider Playa del Carmen just a bit south of Cancun? You might be able to find a nice boutique hotel there close to your budget. Plenty of nightlife in Playa! Check out playadelcarmeninfo.com. Then check into airlines on expedia or orbitz...find a good fare and go to that airline site directly...

Where are all the posting police this evening????

Why not post on the Latin America board since Cancun is in Mexico.

Snowrooster, the advice you received is simply not true. You can get sick quite easily at an all-inclusive resort, especially the low-budget ones that rely on buffet-style serving for food. As for getting sick from water, everyone I know who visits Mexico drinks only bottled water, no matter what kind of hotel they stay at.

Nancy,
You can stay at some of the nicer hotels in Cancun in Jan or Feb for $100 to $150 per night, and depending on where you are flying from, can get airfare for $300+ rt.

Close in and very nice are, Presidente Intercontinental, Camino Real, Fiesta Americana. (There are some very luxurious properties there as well - Ritz Carlton, Le Meridien, etc. - but they will be over your budget.

I have stayed at Camino Real twice, and liked it very much for the reason snowrooster probably did not; it had a very Mexican feel and ambiance. If I want an "American" hotel, I'll stay in America.

We go to Mexico every year at least once, and have been going for 11 years. I have been sick once for one day in hundreds of meals. Most people who go to Mexico know to drink bottled water.

I usually use travelocity for my trips, but my last airfare I got to Cancun was $268 from RDU via Intratours.

Another good site to check into is skyauction.com. You can find a lot of great deals to Mexico. I NEVER suggest AI's to people traveling to the area. There are simply too many super restaurants to choose from, and almost everyone I know of who has gotten sick in Mexico was staying at an AI.

Your budget is certainly doable.

I didn't like the hotel because the majority of people staying there were drunken, screaming teenagers who kept us up all night (and it wasn't during spring break).

I don't know how you drink all bottled water - don't you have ice cubes in your drinks? They wash the vegetables with tap water, so you are bound to consume some. Either way, I don't plan to return. Too many other fabulous places to visit!!

I hope I didn't ask this question in the wrong way...what does this mean... "I wonder where all the Post Police are?" Did I do something wrong here?

Yes, for posting this on the US instead of Latin America forum, you are sentenced to.... (help me out, fodors police).

well, I'm new to this site...maybe that is no excuse. Anyway, I did get some answers. Sorry for whomever I annoyed or inconvenienced. And, thank you to those who helped. I will go there and post it as well. Thanks.

Nancy,
Greenhouse and I are joking. But you might get more responses by posting on the Latin America forum.

beachbum, she is sentenced to going to Cancun and writing a really entertaining trip report when she returns.
That is payment for our assistance

I just returned from Cancun, the Omni (in Cancun) on an all inclusive package.
We were a bit disappointed with the rooms but the staff was wonderful and the food was very good.
I posted a review of the property on tripadvisor.com

snowrooster, I understand your point because i have several friends who won't set foot in Mexico again because they always get sick when they visit.

For anyone else who's interested in the subject... bottled water is available everywhere, even Mexican families have it delivered to their homes. As for the issue of ice, most resorts, hotels and restaurants get ice delivered which is made from purified water (you can tell by the shape of it with the hole in the middle). and yes i only eat cooked vegetables not salads or raw ones.

The point I wanted to make is you can get sick in an "american" hotel or all-inclusive resort exactly as easily as anywhere else.

i stay in budget places and eat tacos from street vendors and have not been sick. the few times i had a problem it was after a meal in a nice "tourist" restaurant.

I've heard that if you go and get sick on a visit your body builds up some sort immunity and you won't get sick again. Does anyone know if this is true? We had some great snorkeling at XelHa and I've seen some fabulous resorts on tv in Mexico, but I'm just scared to go back after my last experience.

My husband & I got dreadfully ill in Cancun a few years ago. We stayed at the Westin Regina & ate all our meals in the hotel zone. But we did take a (miserable) trip to the Pyramids, which included lunch. We were stupid enough to eat the salad, never thinking that a "tourist trap" would not use bottled water.

Loved Cancun, but we'll never go back.

It is not only water that produce is washed in, it also depends where it was grown. Lettuce has a very high water content so can be contaminated within from ground water.

It's interesting to me that the people who are posting bad experiences are all from Cancun (notorious tourist hub) and stay in high-end "american" style resorts. Generally speaking and in my experience the people who are roughing it are having a healthier vacation!

snowrooster, you don't get sick from the water but from by different bacteria than your body is used to being introduced to your system. It isn't bad or good bacteria just different.

I've been to Mexico probably 20 times and never gotten sick. I like Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, Cancun (with a bunch of people for a flat out party), Isla Murjeres, Acapulco, Ixtapa, and Manzanillo.

We only drink bottled or can beer and hope for the best with the food.

The Palace Resorts are the best for Cancun and Riviera Maya because they have the best all inclusive facilities, include off property excursions, and you can use the facilities at any of their many properties which includes transportation between properties. At last count they had somewhere around 10 resorts between Cancun and Riviera Maya/Playa del Carmen.

For Cancun, we loved the Moon Palace.

Early January right after New Years is a cheaper time than the weeks after that.