Tacos, ceviche, margaritas, salsa, merengue, reggaetone, Rosalia, white sand, blue ocean, only 3.5 hour flight from YYZ - what is there not to LOVE about Mexico!?
Having travelled to different parts of Mexico, I will provide details of each area I visited in different blogs along with some of the attractions and highlights. This blog will focus on my most recent 2022 trip to Cancun and my trip 10 years prior.
Cancun is definitely a party given its relatively economical price and nightlife catered to a younger, spring break crowd. While you can go there for a relaxing non-party vacation as well, which I did in December 2022, you will notice the party scene everywhere.
RIU Hotel Cancun Location
My first visit to Cancun was when I was in my early 30s and into the party scene (well at least for one or two nights). We stayed at the RIU which is right in the middle of the hotel zone tourist area of Cancun on Kukulcan Blvd. (but not the actual downtown Cancun proper where the Walmart is located). It was across the street/next door, within in very short walking distance to a flea market, lots of shops, restaurants and the nightclub strip with The City Nightclub, Mandala and Coco Bongo.
I've stayed at three different RIU resorts and they were all decent, nice rooms, good food and good drinks. While they are not luxury, RIUs definitely offer good value for their price range.
Beach view from hotel room balcony
We set out our second night to go to Coco Bongo's next door. We ran into a promoter who told us that The City was actually the best option for dancing and partying and Coco Bongo was more for a family-oriented show. We paid the promoter $30 USD each and he walked us in with wristbands that included unlimited drinks from the bar. We went to the bar and asked for three shots and the bartender promptly poured us three shots of tequila. At the beginning of the night there was a fire show and then it became a nightclub with dancing. There was also an outdoor patio area. It was a very fun night overall. After we left we stopped in at Mandala where they had hookahs/shisha, music and dancing.
Daytime Activities
During the day we spent most of our time enjoying the white sand beach and fun waves in the ocean. We noticed that at about 3 p.m. the beach area of the RIU clouded over from the height of hotel blocking the sun, so we walked down the beach and found a place that you could buy a bucket of six Coronas and get a beach cabana/lounger, so we made that our afternoon swimming event to end the afternoon. We took the bus which is very cheap, safe and easy to do in Cancun) to the huge Las Americas Shopping Centre which was just like a mall at home, so we promptly left and found a place with good margaritas and ceviche. We also took the bus to Las Islas Shopping Centre, which had some better boutiques for shopping.
Afternoon swim spot
Diamond Club Check-In
Fast-forward 10 years, post-Covid lockdowns to Royalton Chic, Adults-Only Cancun. Cancun is not just for spring breakers, it also has a lot to offer for luxury seekers. Royalton Chic was definitely a step up from the RIU 10 years prior. We stayed in the Diamond Club, Presidential Suite. For check-in they bring you to a separate seated, Diamond Club Lounge and offer you a cocktail of your choosing and there is a table of canapes/hors d'oeuvres. You are assigned a butler that takes care of arranging your bags being brought to your suite, dinner reservations and anything else you should require to make your stay enjoyable.
Presidential Suite
The Presidential Suite was very spacious with a kitchen, dining room, living room, master suite, two washrooms (both with large showers), a jacuzzi tub in the master suite and a huge balcony with a jacuzzi. It was my first time staying in a Presidential Suite, so it was an incredible treat. To greet us, on the dining room table there was a bottle of champagne on ice, a decorated marble slab of macaroons, a Chichen Itza pyramid made of chocolate and a bowl of fresh fruit. Our butler, Maria then met us in our suite and made us a dinner reservation for that evening at the Mexican Restaurant. Maria was incredible, provided top-notch service throughout the week, making us nightly dinner reservations and ensuring we had everything we needed in our room throughout the week.
Dining
Our top three favourite a la carte restaurants/dinners at the resort were: La Hacienda (Mexican), Excite Sports Bar & Lounge and Level 18 Rooftop (Seafood). A fourth, but only one night special dinner was the special Diamond Club guests dinner.
Our first night we dined at La Hacienda (Mexican) restaurant and loved it. The food was excellent, authentic Mexican cuisine. We asked our server what was best and took him up on his recommendations. They made me the most delicious spicy strawberry margarita. The ceviche and Mayan style pork tacos were also amazing. Our flight got delayed, so our trip was extended three extra days, so we got to dine there on our last night as well. It made for a lovely start and finish to our Mexico vacation.
Enjoying a Spicy Strawberry Margarita at La Hacienda
Every day around 4 p.m. before we went back to the suite to wash up for dinner, we stopped in at Excite Sports Bar & Lounge patio that is mid-level of the hotel with a balcony overlooking the ocean for espresso martinis. They also have good appetizers to share. One day we ordered a hookah/shisha as well. They fill it with melon liquor and have several choices of flavoured tobacco. We enjoyed shisha with our espresso martinis!
On our second night the hotel held a special Diamond Club guests steak and lobster dinner on the Rooftop at Level 18. They seat you at a round banquet table with other guests, which is nice because you get to meet people. They had a violinist coming around the tables playing music, which made for a charming atmosphere. We met some fellow Canadians and ended up getting drinks with them after dinner during the resort's evening entertainment show.
Level 18 also has an indoor seafood restaurant, which we also really liked. We ended up dining there for dinner twice as well during our extended stay.
Beach
The beach is huge, the most beautiful white sand and the water was very nice for swimming. The waves were strong the deeper you go, but great for a daily workout! The Diamond Club has its own beach area and there are beach butlers to set you up with loungers, towels and there are also drink and food servers. Tip well and your drink will always be refreshed. One day they did a special BBQ at the Diamond Club beach bar and the Chef made Cochinita Pibil, which is a marinated pork, cooked wrapped in banana leaf underground overnight. The meat was so tender and mouth watering, absolutely incredible!
Shopping
Mercado/Market 28 - Downtown Cancun - Stay Away
Having been to the hotel zone flea market, Las Islas and Las Americas on my prior trip to Cancun, I wanted to go somewhere different/where the locals go. I asked some staff at the hotel and they oddly said Mercado/Market 28. As soon as we got off the bus we wanted to get back on, as it is a huge tourist trap. You get approached by people trying to sell you grossly overpriced tequila, jewellery, souvenirs. We should have got right back on the bus and left at that point, but then got led by a seemingly friendly older man to an overpriced restaurant and jewellery store in the older part of Mercado 28. This place is very sketchy and I recommend you stay away.
Hotel Zone Flea Market in hotel district, Las Islas, Las Americas
If you want to go shopping, you're best to go to the hotel zone flea market, or the large malls with reputable, well-known retailers at Las Islas, or Las Americas. It is very easy and safe to take the local bus, it is only $1 US and it takes you right to Las Islas/Las Americas. Just ask someone at your hotel where the bus stop is and what number bus to take where. The front of the bus tells you where it goes as well and you can confirm with the driver. We found a Mexican restaurant on the boardwalk at Las Islas and enjoyed some amazing margaritas, ceviche and tacos!
Tours/Attractions
Having previously visited the Mayan Riviera and done all of the tours/visited attractions on other trips, I did not do any scheduled tours on this trip. Nonetheless, if you are interested in a tour the top three I recommend: 1. Chichen Itza 2. Xel-Ha Park for snorkelling 3. Swimming in the Cenotes.
Overall, you can't go wrong with Cancun - a short flight from Toronto, decently priced all-inclusive trips, luxury hotels, beautiful white sand beaches with swimmable turquoise water, delicious Mexican cuisine and drinks and lots of things to do.
