2005 Winter Trip to Cancun

Sunday, May 22, 2005 was the start of a well-deserved vacation beginning with a day-drive that turned in to night on the Eastern shore of Virginia and Maryland. We ended up in Annapolis. It rained on and off the entire drive, and the signs near Salisbury were confusing as hell. The Holiday Inn Express made us smarter. Ha ha. And we slept in the next morning before touring a little bit of Annapolis. We visited the old capital, the city dock, and walked around. We had a nice lunch at Griffin’s down at the dock area. Having two of us to do the work/navigation, we made an easy drive into BWI for our flight and parked in the A lot for long-term parking. We flew through Miami to change planes for Cancun. In Miami, incorrect info had us walking from one end of the airport to the other... about 2 miles in  total. Actually, we needed the exercise and we weren’t late… so it was all good. We got to the newly finished terminal in Cancun and there was a huge back up at immigration. 45 minutes later we cleared customs and shuttled to our hotel which was actually pretty close. The Royal Islander is part of a multiple of time share/hotel properties in the area. Unlike some timeshare locations they actually made non-member check-in easy. We bought some cheese and meat at the shop across the street and snacked with some beer in our room.

The next morning we attended a very well presented welcome orientation in a meeting room to start the day. After that we just did some beach time in the 90° weather and sweat out some of our work toxins.
May 27, 2005 finds me sitting on the beach again. Six days into a nice vacation! We went to the center city of Cancun on Sunday. Then we went by bus to Playa Del Carmen for $3.20 each way per person on Monday. We visited Tulum and Bahia Soliman by rental on Tuesday. We hung out locally near our hotel on Wednesday. And then we visited Chitchen Itza ruins and the interior town of Valladolid by rental on Thursday. Back at the resort on Friday, I suppose it is time to reflect on a few details.

Sunday in the center of Cancun we ate brunch at La Parilla. It was incredible, with everything from ceviche to eight different types of mole sauces. Downtown was deserted except for this busy place. We also stopped at 100% Natural for juice and whole wheat pastries. My kind of place.

Monday we took the first class ADO bus to Playa Del Carmen. Incredibly cheap! Once there we walked the entire northern part of the main commercial street, Calle 5, and over to the beach. We swam and walked back into town to the south. We found another 100% Natural... with a great tropical ambience this time. We had two huge smoothies there. We bargained a very disappointed vendor down in price on a couple of belts. Then we actually had some solid food, beef and suckling pork tacos at a true local dive a few blocks off of the main area. We grabbed some beer at a general store and some bread at a panaderia before catching the bus back to Cancun.

On Tuesday our trip to Tulum started with an easy car rental, at least by Mexican standards. We went directly to the ruins. It’s paradise every day there. It would have been the place to live if you were Mayan. Then we drove up to Bahia Soliman to eat at Oscar y Lalos on the beach. It’s back a gravel road off the main highway. The restaurant is really the only thing on the bay except for a company that leads mini adventure tours on quad runners. Their coming and going was the only noise we heard besides the breeze through the palm trees. We made friends with a dog named Balloo and kayaked in the bay. 
(2018- I’m adding an edit to this, because sadly things have changed in this area. A couple of years after this visit a hurricane wiped out the restaurant here. It also wiped out the little adventure touring business. The restaurant relocated out onto the highway. The food is probably still fine, but the beach ambience is gone and access for kayaking and swimming on that little bay is no longer an option. It’s a shame because that area is really a true paradise. Because the Mexican authorities have limited further development along the coast, at least that that will not be exploited any time soon. At least I hope not. To the south and around a small point is an almost equal sized bay that is lined with rental homes and small boutique hotels. It used to be cheap to stay there at the time of this trip, sadly that is no longer the case. It’s not out of reach but it’s some serious coin to stay there now. For my money, I would stay there if I really wanted to get away. You can just kayak around the point to the now deserted Bahia Soliman, and snorkel among the rocks and reef structures. There wouldn’t be another person around. You would also have the small beaches all to yourself.)

Wednesday was a quiet day of beach time, pool time, and finally dinner. Breakfast was courtesy of Hector at the Royal Sands. We went up there to tour that sister property and were comp’d our meal. We shopped in the afternoon where I bought an incredible Tissot T-touch watch for only $440 (usually $800+)! We decided to play tennis back at the resort in the evening. We had fun and were soaked with sweat within an hour. We ate later on at the JW Marriott property just north of us. They had an incredible restaurant there called Gustino at the time of our visit.

Thursday we rented a car to go to the ruins of Chichen Itza, the town of Vallodolid, and a cenote called Dzitnup. The ruins our big, bold, and hot hot hot! It’s a very formal layout there, and everything seems to be sculpted in relief. Very ornamental and elaborate. It’s a magnificent place.
(2018, as an edit now, the ruins are no longer magnificent, as they are so much more crowded than they used to be. There are hundreds upon hundreds of people there every hour now (thousands per day), and vendors lien all the once-deserted connecting trails and roads. It used to be that your visit was reflective and peaceful. That is no longer the case. It’s for that reason that I cannot recommend visiting here anymore. There are other ruins in Mexico that are much more authentic in terms of the experience) The cenote, as with almost all of them, was is mysterious, refreshing, and beautiful.

Some observations from this trip:

The worst things about Cancun are the relentless touristy things. It’s not real Mexico unless you visit the town center. It is like Las Vegas has been relocated to Mexico. College party goers and loud and obnoxious people are also very negative.

The best things about Cancun are the hotel properties that are top notch. The beach strand that is absolutely beautiful. Transportation on the bus system is extremely cheap and fun. And if you want to experience a more authentic Mexico you only need to go into the town center via bus and you can find true Mexico and a middle class Mexicans living their lives.

Other things that I’ve learned over time and many trips to Mexico:
Only rent a car if you absolutely have to. Use the bus systems to get from town to town, and around in town. They are cheap and easy to use. Also, don’t be afraid to try using collectivo vans to get from town to town that are located along a common highway.

Always have pesos and pay in pesos for the best deal. Or use a credit card and DECLINE THE CURRENCY TRANSFER OPTIONS TO PAY IN DOLLARS. Using dollars is for lazy American idiots.

If you are Staying in Cancun and have to arrange your own transportation to and from the airport, it’s best to take a pre-arranged shuttle to the property and make your arrival easy... unless you pack light and want to visit the center of town right away... In that case you can take the ADO bus. This is what I do. Interestingly, taxis are about half as expensive going back to the airport from your hotel property. So DO NOT BUY A ROUND TRIP SHUTTLE PASS… Since taxis can be arranged at a moment’s notice, you can maximize your vacation time the last day of your trip by taking a taxi back to the airport if that’s what you prefer.

A good guide book for the area is always a good idea. Read it before you go and make copies of the relevant pages leaving the heavy guide book at home if you can.