México 2022

Tulum, Playa de Carmen, Cancún

Intro

Disclaimer: This post is strictly for educational and informational purposes. There are no forms of professional advice in my post- only my opinions and experiences are given. I encourage you to speak to a professional in the area prior to making travel plans. I am not responsible nor liable for any damages or losses resulting from and or related to your use of the information I have provided.

BOOKING FLIGHTS:

Back in February 2022, my boyfriend and I were talking about how he had NEVER left Canada in his 27 years of life… Surely, I had to get him on his first trip ASAP. Before the age of 19, I had been to 12 countries… travelling is a huge passion of mine & sharing that passion with my best friend makes life that much better.

I am going to let you in on my secret to buying the cheapest flights… https://www.skyscanner.ca. I have been using this website to compare the cheapest flights for years! In 2019, I got round-trip flights from Vancouver to Cancún for less than $300 using this website. I also purchased a one-way from Vancouver to London, England in early 2022 for $200 using Skyscanner. The key is that you have to look either on Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays and book 2+ months out!

For this vacation, our round-trip flights from Vancouver to Cancún (after tax) were $584.27 CAD each – which included 1 personal item and 1 carry-on (and free meals/beverages on the plane) however it did not include checked bags. We paid roughly $40 CAD both ways to check our (1) suitcase.

ITINERARY:

I always book flights before anything then I figure out the details later. Our flight dates were the night of May 7th, 2022 (red-eye flight) to May 18th, 2022- giving us 10 full days in México. After booking the flights, I started my research through Pinterest, TikTok and the Internet to find out the best places to stay, places to eat and activities/ experiences to do in each city we were planning to visit.

Since my boyfriend had never been to a new country before, I wanted him to have the full experience: jungle, city and resort. I planned for 3 nights in Tulum at a beautiful Airbnb, 3 nights in Playa del Carmen at Hotel 52 and 4 nights in Cancún at the resort Riu Cancún.

I wanted to make the most of our time in México and have the best experiences with my boyfriend, especially for his first vacation. Creating an itinerary allowed for us to do just that. We did not follow it to a T, but it was a great outline to have.

RENTAL CAR:

Disclaimer: I had no issues with discover cars. It is a great and helpful website. It was my error to not do research on the company I reserved our car rental with.

I had spent many hours reading several blogs and reviews about discovercars.com. I saw a ton of great reviews and people raving their services, so, of course, I went to use their service to book our rental car too. We had selected a 4-door sedan for a week with MEX Rent-A-Car through this site which came to a total of just under $200 CAD that we paid for upon making the reservation… However once we arrived to Cancún and went to pick up our car, we were hit with a new reality…

DO YOUR RESEARCH!! MY EXPERIENCE WITH MEX RENT A CAR:

Mex Rent-A-Car told us that we never paid for anything despite holding the reservation confirmation and receipt in my hands. They refused to give us the vehicle without paying another $700 CAD…so we had to hand it over in order to continue on with our vacation. I noticed every other person in the facility was experiencing the same thing. I spoke with another Canadian couple that told me they had just been scammed as well. This was by far the worst experience we had this trip. (When returning our vehicle we had no issues or charges… Just make sure you bring all your original documentation with you).

NOTE: Whenever you rent a car: take a video of the vehicle’s outside and inside before driving it away for proof later on.

Shortly after this incident, we went to fill up gas… where we were unfortunately scammed again.

NOTE:

1. Get out of your vehicle and insist to fill it up yourself.
2. Watch the price the entire time.
3. If you pay with card, keep your eye on the terminal the entire time as well.

SIM CARD:

We chose to get a SIM card in México for one main reason: its much cheaper… Our phone plans in Canada asked for us to pay an extra $15 a day to use our phone overseas.

For just $11.77 CAD each, we were able to get a new SIM card and 1000MB of data ( i know isn’t much ) but with unlimited social media data usage. The only time we really used our data (other than social media) was for google maps and for the most part, we loaded our maps when there was wifi around.

Most gas stations carry these SIM cards and data plans but the ones at OXXOs are the cheapest. OXXO gas stations are everywhere – Just find one and ask for a SIM card!

CURRENCY:

In México, their form of currency is pesos. They also accept USD however you will end up spending more money that way due to conversions. We took out pesos from our banks in Canada and used those for the most part. If possible, try to avoid using your credit card as there are usually transaction fees of anywhere from 2-6%.

In my blog I convert what we paid into CAD.

Tulum

STAY:

To start our trip, we stayed at a beautiful, clean and private Airbnb in downtown Tulum. For 3 nights here, it was $269.19 CAD. The place is in a new subdivision so there is a bumpy gravel road to get there at the moment but it is so private and quiet- it was quite wonderful. Their AC worked very well, their appliances and furniture were all in good shape and their bed was the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in… (I even asked them where they purchased their mattress and pillows lol). The outdoor area had two hammocks next to the pool that we really enjoyed. We had excellent communication with the owners which made the process very easy and enjoyable. 10/10 recommend !

Link to the Airbnb

FOOD:

We ate at so many places but our favourites are listed down below:

ACTIVITIES:

• Airbnb Experience:
  • We did a 3-hour Cenote and bike-ride tour in Chemuyil – Here is the link to it!
  • We paid $47.14 CAD each for this experience. This price included the bike rental, a tour guide, snorkel gear (though we brought our own), fruits, drinks and entry to 3 different cenotes!
  • It was an amazing experience that we highly recommend- 10/10!
  • NOTE: You cannot wear sunscreen in order to preserve the wildlife so make sure you bring a coverup to wear when you’re not swimming to not get burnt (like I did)!

• Jungle Gym:
  • Along the beach/ hotel zone in Tulum there are a ton of instagrammable shops, places to eat and locations. For us, the Tulum Jungle Gym (beach location) was the most memorable.
  • Drop-in fees were $30 USD each ( at the beach location and $15 USD each at the town location.
  • A major thing we were looking forward to on this trip was the beach jungle gym. We had a blast here and got a ton of pictures/ videos for the gram. The city location was bigger, with more equipment and it was less busy when we went. They also had an ice bath to cool down after your workout which was awesome.
  • NOTE: The beach location was exceptionally difficult to find. When looking for the beach jungle gym, type in ‘Bagatelle’ in google maps. When looking at Bagatelle from the street, there is a pathway to your left with white stars. Follow those white stars – you will get free access to the beach from there. The access into the gym is only from the beach and other places may ask you for a fee to access the beach.

• Tulum Archeological Zone (Ruins):
  • The Tulum Ruins is a walled, ancient Mayan city that overlooks the beautiful Caribbean Sea. It is about a 45min-1 hour walking tour depending on your speed. If you hire a tour guide you may be there for more than three hours.
  • It was $5USD each to visit the ruins.
  • NOTE: It is in full sun, so try to go first thing in the morning when they open at 8AM to avoid the heat and blazing sun.

Overall, Tulum was a great experience!

Playa del Carmen

STAY:

For the following 3 nights, we stayed in Hotel 52- just off of 5th Avenue in downtown Playa del Carmen. It was only $169.83 CAD for our 3 nights here- crazy right!? The location was perfect. It was in a pretty safe area and offered underground parking. We had access to a beautiful rooftop that had a pool, hammocks and lounge chairs. The staff was so friendly and always insured our bedrooms were cleaned with fresh towels every day. It was a great place to stay while we were in Playa – 10/10 recommend!

FOOD:

Here are our faves from Playa:

ACTIVITIES:

• Airbnb Experience
  • We did a 3-hour Temazcal Ancestral Healing Ceremony in Playa- here is the link to it!
  • We paid $72.27 CAD each for this experience and it was worth every penny.
  • This Ancient Mayan ancestral healing ceremony is intense. You are placed in a pitch-black clay dome (aka “the womb”) which gradually increases in heat up to 45 degrees Celsius. The womb is a place you go to heal yourself and your past in order to be re-born. The point of this ceremony is to be one with your thoughts: and once you are able to control your mind, you can control your breathing and start to embrace the process.
  • I will admit, I struggled. There are four doors or phases you go through in this process. After the second door, I wanted to leave. My mind was taking over and my anxiety, stress and breathing increased. But, the whole point of the ceremony is to control your mind. After telling myself I could make it through the 3rd door, I calmed down and I embraced the process through those last two doors. I was extremely proud of myself and left there feeling proud, accomplished and re-born.

• Cenotes
  • During our stay in Playa we visited a couple more cenotes: Cenote Cristalino and Cenote Azul. They are right next to another on the highway.
  • Cenote Cristalino:
    • Entry fee was about $9 CAD each
    • There are 3 different cenotes here and as it was not so busy, we got one entirely to ourselves
    • We had a blast here and 10/10 recommend
  • Cenote Azul:
    • Entry fee was about $8 CAD each
    • It was extremely busy, slippery and shallow
    • We did not spend much time here due to it being overcrowded

• 5th av
  • Quinta Avenida, or 5th Ave. in Playa del Carmen has tons to look at, to do, to eat, to drink and to buy. We walked 5th Ave from our Hotel to Parque Los Fundadores (where there is the famous Playa sculpture and traditional Mayan dance performers) two separate times! That walk was roughly an hour roundtrip depending on our speed and if we stopped along the way. We loved stopping to admire beautiful sceneries and murals!

Cancún

STAY:

For our last 4 nights in México, we stayed at an all-inclusive in the hotel zone of Cancún. I had booked us at RIU Caribe which came to a total of $980 CAD. Upon arrival, we were offered a free upgrade to their “better” location: Riu Cancún. After asking several questions and making sure it was legit- sure enough, we were upgraded to an absolutely incredible resort. The resort had activities offered all day every day, held professional shows in the evening, had 4 pools, several bars (one being 24-hours), a delicious buffet, 6 different restaurants (all included), was exceptionally clean, an incredible view and access to the ocean/ water, was located right beside the Playa Caracol ferry terminal and an 8 minute walk to the nightlife bars, clubs and parties. We even made friends with the staff who got us free covers into clubs! I LOVED it here & I would 100% come back- 10000/100 !!!

FOOD:

We ate exclusively at our resort for the four days we were in Cancún. However on our trip to Isla Mujeres we ate at a restaurant called Kin-ha Isla Mujeres Restaurant. Decent food, overpriced, but good service and free access to the incredibly beautiful crystal-clear blue ocean.

ACTIVITIES:

• Cocobongo
  • This nightclub is advertised everywhere in México and there’s a ton of hype around it… As there should be-This place was incredible!
  • It was only an 8 minute walk away from our resort… amazing, right?!
  • NOTE: We purchased our tickets online two weeks before our trip (to avoid being scammed & because they sell out quickly). We paid for the premium tickets which were $147 CAD each. This price included our cover, access to the club all night (until close at 3am), several incredible performances by singers, dancers, actors and acrobats, and FREE all-you-can drink alcohol!
  • Somehow, I was able to avoid all security and got my boyfriend and I in the VIP Zone for the entire show… we had the BEST view and such an incredible time.
  • When all the performances were done, they allow people from the crowd to go and dance on stage… so… I went up and was asked to go front and center to be put on the big screen for about 15 minutes! This was a highlight of the trip for myself.

• Isla Mujeres
  • There is a beautiful island off the coast of Cancún called Isla Mujeres. To get here, you need to take the Ultramar Ferry leaving from one of three ports: Puerto Juárez, Playa Tortugas or Playa Caracol. The price varies depending on which port you leave from. Playa Caracol was a 5 minute walk from our hotel, so we took the ferry from here. It was $30 CAD roundtrip each.
  • On this island, you can only rent scooters or golf carts to get around. Look ahead of time online and compare prices of the companies that will rent you the cheapest golf-cart. If you get over there without a reservation for a golf-cart, you will be asked to pay significantly more to rent it for the day ($100 CAD). We booked ours on the Ultramar ferry to the island and we paid $50 CAD to rent it for the day (until 6pm).
  • Upon arrival, we drove to the very tip of the island and back just to see what it was about. Then, we stopped and ate at Kin-ha as mentioned previously.
  • NOTE: If you go swimming at Kin-ha, avoid the pillars under the dock. My boyfriend scraped his arm against the fire coral which cut him badly and left a very painful stinging sensation.
  • NOTE: Pay attention to the ferry times. Some have the last ferry leaving at 5pm.
  • Enjoy your time here! It’s beautiful, laid back and filled with things to do!

Cancún was incredible and it was an amazing way to finish up our trip!

Conclusion:

If you’ve made it to the end, THANK YOU for coming along our journey! This was an incredible trip and I am so happy, grateful and blessed to have made such beautiful memories with my best friend. I hope our experiences are able to help you in your future travels!

SOURCES:

• Discovercars.com
• Skyscanner.com
• Pinterest.com
• Youtube.com
• Google.com
• Airbnb.com
• TikTok