Mexico is a great destination to visit from the East Coast. Plenty of non-stop flights from the NYC metro area to destinations all across Mexico. Want an ultimate beach vacation? Check. Want to practice your Spanish and immerse yourself in local culture? Check. Want to seek a sense of adventure and thrill? Check. Want to celebrate the amazing people in your life? Check. Given the short flight duration and similar time zone, you can jet-set to Mexico for a weekend, a week or multiple weeks, depending on your budget and available time off from school, work or life.
Back in 2016, I did a road trip (Mexico, Baja California. Road Trippin’) from Los Angeles to Baja California, Mexico with a good friend. It was the kind of fun trip where you sort of plan just enough but also manage to “wing” it for parts of it. It was a drive through Southern California and then a land border crossing to Tijuana, Mexico. Easy to drive to Mexico. But we hit a lot of traffic on the way out. It was an “off-the-beaten-path” kind of trip. No fancy resorts as we picked a simple beach side resort in Rosarito. The trip was a relaxing one – spa day at the resort, beach day at a local beach (enjoyed seeing locals enjoy the day with family and friends, food, beach and games) and an evening road trip to Ensenada for sightseeing and dinner.
But my “travel resume” was missing the ultimate tourist beach resort vacation. One where you stay at a fancy resort with pools, beaches, spa, gym and just about average restaurants featuring anything but the authentic local cuisine (humor). If you luck out, you’ll find one with decent food. So that sort of adventure was missing from my travel resume. As leisure and pleasure travel made a comeback return in 2022, a beach resort vacation seemed like a good way to ease back into international travel and further pad my travel resume. Get another stamp in my passport. As I look back, I realize that this was one of the easier trips to plan. The packing was straightforward and easy! Lots of summer clothes, dresses and swimwear.
So here’s my attempt to recap my trip and itinerary (yes, we had one!) from a year ago. All thanks to my muscle memory and electronic receipts, or also referred to as gmail and credit card bills. This was a mothers and daughters trip so the trip was adapted to suit both generations. If you’re planning a similar trip, this is the trip guide for you!
The Where
We ended up staying at the fancy yet affordable JW Marriott Cancun Resort and Spa. I coordinated the entire booking through a major warehouse retailer. Since I’m vegetarian and selective about what I eat, I went with a non all-inclusive option. It kept the food options open and was the right decision for us. We ended up having all but four meals at the resort. It worked out well in the end. Fortunately, there was a choice of around 5-6 restaurants plus a cafe that featured sandwiches, pizza (delicious pizza coming from somewhere close to NYC) and small bites. The travel package also included a complimentary airport pickup and drop off. Navigating Cancun airport after leaving customs can be quite the event so its best to have transportation booked ahead of time. Even with the prior planning, it can take time to find the find representative since there are many vendors managing transportation and so many travelers and tourists trying to find their ride. While there is an option to book your flight together with the resort and transportation, I prefer to book flights directly with the airline since the change and cancellation policy tends to be more flexible. As such, my travel package did not include any flights. This may or may not be the right decision for you. But I ended up booking, canceling and rebooking a few times and ended up not owing a penny. As a frequent flyer of an airlines, this was the right decision for me and my travel group. Hotels and resorts are so much easier to book and then cancel when you change your mind. The same does not always hold true for flights.
The JW Marriott is conveniently located in the Hotel Zone in Cancun. What is the Hotel Zone? It’s the primary tourist destination in Cancun, a long and narrow strip of land sandwiched between two bodies of water. You have the hotels and their private beaches located on one side and restaurants, malls and retailers located on the other. The JW Marriot is a beautiful and spacious resort. It is on the newer end when compared to other resorts in the area. It is modern and sophisticated, with a very clean and breezy sleek design. The service is what you would expect at a high end branded resort. The only disappointment was the food. While you can use resort credits at the Marriott next door, the only restaurant I truly liked were: Gustino Italian Grill (Located in the JW Marriott) and the Polynesia Grill (Located in the Marriott) which surprisingly had some really delicious vegetarian and vegan options. The live music and dance was also a nice touch at Polynesia. The ambience of both restaurants were up to par as well. The Thai and Mexican restaurants (the usual go-to choices back home) really lacked the flavor and punch for me. But that is the resort life for you.
The What
You don’t stay at a resort and not enjoy the beaches and pools. What is the point then, right? Luckily JW had an amazingly large pool area, which featured an infinity pool. We spent most of our day and evening at the pool. There’s a separate pool area just for adults and a larger pool area open to everyone. The beaches were really nice especially with the parasailing. But here is a caveat – since 2022, there has been a high amount of Sargassum. What is Sargassum? It is an unusually high amount of seaweed on beaches, both in the water and on the sand. Its not really a big deal but the seaweed can be a minor to moderate discomfort at times. It can make walking on the beach a bit challenging. This problem isn’t just unique to Cancun as it also impacts other beaches and resorts in cities such as Miami.
I was really tempted to try a scuba diving class but ended up shying away from it last minute. The class is initially taught on premise at the resort with an instructor in a 1:1 setting. Then you try to apply the same in the “real” waters by taking a boat out to sea, under the supervision of experienced guides and instructors. It is something on my list for next time, if I can muster up the courage. Surfing in Hawaii is another item on my bucket list. I consider myself adventurous but when it comes to water sports, I am a novice and total beginner.
Being my first time in Cancun, a trip to one of the “New 7 Wonders of the World” Chichen Itza was a must. It can get quite monotonous staying at the resort for an entire week. Some may argue against that claim of mine but I require some sort of adventure and culture on my travels. There are many tours offered to see Chichen Itza. Pick the one that suits you. I prefer tours that are highly rated and offer conveniences such as hotel pickup and drop off. I’m not the type of traveler who likes to drive and navigate the hassles of the highway and international driving and rules. The tours make multiple stops along the Yuctuan Penisula and work as the perfect day trip. The tour bus was great – large, comfortable and spacious. Given it was 2022, there was also ample space to social distance. Our pickup from the resort was at around 7am in the morning and we were back at the resort 7pm. Our tour guide, Norma, was great – very experienced and knowledgeable about the history, facts and culture of Yuctuan and Chichen Itza. The first stop was Chichen Itza. We walked around the Mayan pyramids and learned about the area’s history and various stories and myths. While it was a hot humid June day, it was also surprisingly windy in the area. You need a hat when visiting since there’s very little shade and the sun is strong. Chichen Itza is a great place to pick up souvenirs but watch out as some items can be over priced and better bought elsewhere in Yuctuan or even in Cancun. After Chichen Itza, we had a lunch buffet at Cenote Zaci. I truly enjoyed the buffet and it featured some authentic Mexican dishes and desserts. For those interested in swimming, a visit to the Cenote Zaci was included. For anyone unaware, a cenote is a large underground cave filled with water, think of nature’s version of a large swimming pool (or sinkhole) with clean water. There is no need for chlorine to keep the water clean and hygienic since its naturally clean and fresh. Since the water is fresh and clean to begin with, everyone is expected to shower prior to entering the Cenote. You can jump into the water from quite a distance, which seems both fun and scary. Again, I shied away from the water and did not jump in. Partially because I did not want to get wet and partially because my hair is so long that there’s no way it would dry up that fast. I did get a photo op at the Cenote from the high up though.
The trip’s last stop was in Valladolid which is a pretty city in Yuctuan and features many old buildings with a distinct yellow hue. It was nice to walk around and explore the various stores, restaurants and the San Servacio Church. The city also features a large plaza with a park in the center. You will find vendors selling arts and crafts and food carts selling nutella crepes, cold drinks and ice cream to beat the heat. The San Servacio Church church is right across the street from the plaza and was originally built in 1545. An interesting fun fact – the church was built to face Rome. It was very lively in the late afternoon. The weather was perfect for strolling about the city square and plaza and was a pleasant way to end the day before heading back to Cancun. Valladolid is officially considered a city, but does give that small community feel. At least in the central part of the city where most tour groups stop by for a visit.
Another fun day trip option is sailing to Isla Mujeres, an island close to Cancun. Isla Mujeres which roughly translates to the Island of Women. The Luxury sailing trip was a fun and relaxing way to enjoy food, drinks and music out on the sea. We got a bento box as a late lunch featuring fresh avocados, pasta and salads. There was also an option for snorkeling right in the middle of the Caribbean. I did not have confidence in my swimming ability (and neither did my mother) to participate in the full snorkeling adventure but kudos to those who did and experienced the sights below the water. I did venture a bit into the water for a short time but could not experience the my own “Little Mermaid” adventure “Under the Sea”. I can attest to the fact that the water is tastes very salty. Good source of iodine if that is what you’re looking for, ha! I guess I can add swimming (or some form of it) in the Caribbean Sea to my growing list of adventures. While the actual island of Isla Mujeres is a typical tourist attraction, the sailing trip is a very cool way to spend a half day at sea. Some people end up renting a golf cart and visiting the entire island from start to end. We ended up walking around the main part of the island with the beach, shopping, restaurants and the classic photo op location with the “Isla Mujeres” sign. We only had around 1.5 hours on the island but it felt like more than enough time if you’re not venturing out too far. If you need a bathroom break when spending time on the island, just note that using the public bathrooms on the beach cost around $1.
The “luxury” sailing trip wasn’t a full day trip for us as the pickup was after 1pm and sailing time was at 2:30pm. It was roughly around 5-6 hours including driving time. Since we booked it last minute, we had a late start time but it ended up being for the best. It was nice since we had a late breakfast at the resort and could relax before heading out to sea. One of best parts of the day was watching the sunset over the water on the trip back to Cancun. It was truly that picture perfect moment worth sharing on social media. The timing worked out well but it also means you get back late for dinner.
We also made a trip to the La Isla Shopping Village for dinner at an Indian Thai fusion restaurant. The mall was about a 25-30 minute walk from the hotel or a 5 minute taxi ride. The mall has plenty of food options that enabled us to try some of the more “local” restaurants. Or at least non-resort restaurants. I recommend the restaurant not so much for the food (which was good in parts – the tandoori paneer was delicious and my favorite!) but for the ambience. Its like you’re having a meal on a floating village in the middle of the sea or river. The shopping mall was fun to walk around but nothing special from a shopping perspective. Most of the stores are the typical brand names that you can find back in the states. The mall is a great place to walk around and enjoy the waterfront and views. Perfect spot for photos. If you want to feel like you’re home without feeling home, this outdoor mall will give you that vibe. We don’t have many outdoor malls in the northeast thanks to the cold winter weather so this mall experience was somewhat uniquely different for me.
Recap
If you want to find the ultimate beach vacation, pay attention to the resort you stay at. It will largely shape your entire trip’s experience. When traveling, you normally don’t spend much time at the hotel. However this isn’t true for a resort trip. I recommend you determine what is important to you (location, food, beach, pool, resort amenities, activities and excursions, brand, points etc.) and then find a nice resort that meets your criteria and more. Enjoy the pools and beaches because all the resorts have them. Try to spend time away from the resort, maybe a day trip or two depending on how long your trip is. Explore and try to find some culture during your vacation if you please. Unless you’ve already seen it all and are a repeat visitor. In that case, please enjoy the beach, the pool, the food, the drinks and soak it all in again.