Cancun in March - What to do while we're there!
 

I'm turning 40 in March & Heading to Cancun with another couple. What should we do? What should we NOT do? Thank you!!

Hi Terri,<BR>Chitzen Itza is great, Tulum is its poor relation, I went in June but I assume everything is open year round. Senor Frogs is great as its a fun place and not full of obnoxious teenagers, the jungle tour on jet skis is really good also. The Hard Rock Cafe has a really good band from 10pm onwards. The only place I felt was a waste of money was the water world at the top of the peninsula, there's an Aqua park near it which is ok but don't bother with the Wet N Wild. <BR>

Since this is the U.S. board and so many Americans visit Cancun, you may get responses here. However, I'd crosspost on the Latin America board for more info!

Snorkeling at Isla Mujeres is a must. I still haven't found water as clear in the Caribbean or even other parts of Cancun. It was wonderful. <BR><BR>Have a great time and Happy Birthday.

To get some really helpful information from friendly posters, go to www.cancunandrivieramaya.com<BR><BR>Snorkeling is good just off Club Med. You can take an organized tour or hop the bus, get off near the Westing, and walk on down to Club Med. You need your own gear if you do the bus. You can also snorkle at Xel-Ha or Akumal, further down the coast. Rent a car and drive yourself.<BR><BR>Go to www.cancunmap.com to order a great map.<BR><BR>Go downtown to eat. Try La Parilla, Perico's,El Pescador, La Habichuela, Rosa Mexicana. Avoid the teenager clubs, especially in March since that is spring break time. (In March Senor Frogs will be full of spring breakers.)<BR><BR>Chichen Itza is great, but it takes a whole day. If you don't want to do that, then go to Tulum. It is absolutely gorgeous. There are also some small ruins in the hotel zone. Look for the sign that says Ruinas El Ray as you ride the bus toward the Westin.<BR><BR>Use 30 sun screen and take a chewable Pepto Bismol with each meal to avoid Montezuma's revenge.

Be sure to catch a Donkey show (if you know what I mean and I think you do).

My husband &amp; I stayed at the RIU Palace in Playa del Carmen. It was beautiful. Actually all of Playa del Carmen was nice. <BR>We especially liked the tour of Tulum and Xel -Ha. We spent 1/2 the day at Tulum, (which was very interesting, but 1/2 a day was all we needed)and the other 1/2 snorkeling at Xel-Ha. It's a beautiful lagoon. The package we purchased was all-inclusive. We ate ribeye steaks, ice cream and whatever we wanted to drink. You can purchase time to swim with the dolphins if you'd like.

There are bezillions of things to do in the Cancun area.<BR><BR>My top picks:<BR><BR>A day at Chichen Itza via luxury bus with a professional tour guide.<BR><BR>Rent a car and drive to Playa del Carmen for the day. Gorgeous beach, fun shopping, great restaurants and a funky laid back vibe.<BR><BR>Snorkel in Akumal at Yalku Lagoon to see beautiful tropical fish in an inland, bath-water-warm lagoon. <BR><BR>Take a day tour to the ruins at Tulum and Coba.<BR><BR>Skip Xel Ha and Xcaret - touristy, over-priced, over-crowded, high on the tacky-ometer spots that are a waste of time.<BR><BR>I would ask you to please not do the dolphin swim. They are incredibly cruel. I did it once and was sorry ever since. No matter how clean or nice it looks, more than half of the dolphins die within 60 to 90 days of capture. <BR>In order to make an informed decision, please visit:<BR><BR>http://dolphinproject.org/ <BR><BR>http://www.hsus.org/ace/11727<BR><BR>(The second site is the Humane Society of the United States' position on SWTD programs.)<BR>

Wow. This was so interesting for me to read, as I was in Cancun over 30 years ago, when there was &quot;nothing&quot; there. We went to the ruins (and that is all that was there - ruins) and came back starving. We went birding and there were wonderful jungle walks and great birds with a local (?) guide. The beaches were very empty - just a few hotels sprouting up. I remember snorkeling someplace - maybe Xel ha, and they had about 5 snorkels to &quot;rent.&quot; (We had our own, fortunately.) Due to a shortage of restaurants, we ate someplace that was like a guy cooking out on a barbeque - that was great! It was probably one of the most magical vacations ever - maybe more so because I know I could never go back now. Sounds like a lot has changed there.

The Cancun of thirty years ago is no where close to the Cancun of today. It was a magnificent place then. Magical and fun. I stopped going there 15 years ago! Now it is no different than Miami.

Teri, I would also like to add to what has been said all ready. You can opt for a day of horsebackriding on the beach. This was the highlight of my trip to Cancun. I actually rode a horse into the water up to my waist. It was something I alway wanted to do. Just another choice.