In March of 2022 I had the chance to adventure to Cancún, Mexico for a wedding taking place. An opportunity I was excited for as I had never had the chance to travel to Mexico. Dates were set, flights and hotels were booked, all that was left was my least favorite part, waiting.
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I am the type of person to start packing my suitcase the week leading up to a trip. Up until then, I have notes in my phone listing what I want to make sure include in my packing so I don’t forget anything. We had a layover in Mexico City prior to landing in Cancún. Of course, I had done a bit of research. I also talked to friends who had traveled to Cancún and to make sure I was prepared to the best of my ability.
Flying over Mexico City was the biggest culture shock I had experienced yet. The city is densely packed with people and watching the traffic was starting to set off stressors for me. Touchdown in Mexico City, traveling through customs, and going through security for a second time. It was getting close to dinner and after sitting on a plane for six hours, I was definitely hungry. This was where I started to truly experience the environment, even though I hadn’t yet reached my destination. Being yelled at from workers trying to get my attention to spend money in their various restaurant shops, even though they were serving people right in front of them, and getting dangerously close to hanger, it was not an environment I was loving so far.
Grabbed food, boarded the plane to Cancún, and landed just before midnight. It was a long day. Got to the hotel, settled in, and proceed to pass out from stress and exhaustion from the day. My partner, whom I was traveling with, had booked the hotel for four nights, the entire duration of our stay and adventure in Cancún.
Exploring La Isla Mujeres
Our first full day in Cancún we had time to explore the area and decided to take a ferry to La Isla Mujeres, which was only about $5 USD. The ferry ride itself happens often. We didn’t feel stressed to catch one at a certain time and knew there would be another soon. We docked on the Island and decided to rent a golf cart for the day to travel up and down the island. The golf carts could be rented hourly, for half a day, or for the full day. It cost us $50 USD to rent one for the full day. Best decision we made on this trip. Driving from point to point, took about 45 minutes.
We travelled all the way south to La Punta Sur, where there were lots of people enjoying the lookout points there. Our goal for the trip was to be away from tourists as much as possible and stay on a budget. If you don’t know, almost all of the activities on the island you have to pay for, including beach access. We grabbed drinks at a bar at La Punta Sur (which offers the most delicious strawberry daiquiri I had ever had) and sat out to enjoy the weather and do our best to relax.
Afternoon was quickly approaching and we were starting to get hungry. Time to look up somewhere to eat! I found a restaurant that didn’t look too busy and decided to give it a go. We parked and walked up to Mar-Bella Rawbar and Grill. The meals were delicious and the restaurant was more of an outdoor setting with a bar in the center and open air feeling right on the beach. After our meals, we wanted to walk around before heading back to the ferry.
Not far from the restaurant we just had lunch at, was this sign and swing (picture below). I managed to get a quick picture before someone approached us letting us know that we needed wrist bands to be on this section of the beach, which would have cost $80 USD between the two of us. Later, I realized it was Albatros Beach Club we had accidentally walked onto. Since we were just passing through, we decided not to stay and gathered our things before attempting another location.
We drove up and down the Island several times. It probably happened twice or even three times before we found a spot to park. Finally, we walked out onto a beach. We set down our stuff and started to lay out on a couple of open spots we found with the plastic beach chairs and umbrellas. Not long after, someone approached us again. They let us know that it cost $20 to be at this location. Both of us were pretty frustrated. We decided to just pay. There was no guarantee it wasn’t someone trying to scam tourists. We weren’t given a wrist band or any other type of proof that we had paid.
We left shortly after arriving. Unfortunately, We were seated next to someone who was talking on their cell phone. They were not saying very nice things regarding their significant other and smoking cigarettes, so we left after about 20 minutes. I went out into the ocean a couple of times. All we wanted was was to try and relax. Since I had travelled all that way, I figured, why not? The ocean was much saltier than I had expected so I didn’t get fully submerged. It was finally time to head back to the hotel.
Wedding Day
The wedding we were attending wasn’t taking place until the late afternoon. We stayed close to the hotel to allow plenty of time to get ready. We also needed time to order a ride share to the destination. The wedding was taking place in one of the hotels off of Hotel Row, a name given to a section of Cancún since it’s mainly geared towards tourists. An area that my partner and I decided to steer clear of, except for to go to for the wedding. Most of the individuals who were attending the wedding opted to stay at this particular “all inclusive resort” for the weekend. My partner and I agreed to look into other options for our stay. These hotels ended up being much quieter since they were away from lots of group gatherings. They also turned out to be much cheaper.
The hotel we stayed at had a lovely hotel that offered free breakfasts and a dinner and drink menu you could purchase off of, and a pool that was cleaned once a day. The alcoholic drinks we had were delicious. They were much better than the ones at the “all inclusive resort.” There, the drinks were watered down and incorporated into the price of the rooms.
Learn from my mistakes
- Try and use public transportation as much as possible. It’s cheaper and you won’t be haggled for taxi fares.
- When this trip took place, there was a union in place preventing ride share platforms from existing, forcing individuals to use taxis instead. Of course they still did, as long as you weren’t trying to be picked up at any federal buildings/areas (aka: the airport), you would be fine. Also, ride share drivers preferred someone to ride up front. This way, it wasn’t so obvious they were driving for a platform.
Overall Thoughts
Overall, the experience I had was vastly different from what my friends reported and from what I am sure many people experience. I was grateful to have had the opportunity to visit the area and finally see Mexico. Would I go to Cancún again? No. It was not a destination I was entirely fond of. However, actions we took on this trip I would apply on other adventures. For example, we booked a hotel away from high tourist areas. We gave ourselves time for relaxation. We made a list of locations or sights we were looking forward to seeing. However, we did not pressure ourselves to stick to a strict itinerary. The one experience I thoroughly enjoyed, was taking a ferry out the Isla Mujeres, renting a golf cart, and exploring the Island.
Thanks for joining me on this adventure, and until next time, Adventure Awaits!
