Traveling to Mexico from Ireland Advice

lindsay689

Hello,

My husband to be and I will be travelling to Mexico, Cancun for our Honeymoon next March. I am looking for all and any advice for anyone who has been there recently. We are staying in a resort for one week and then onto a hotel hopefully in Tulum (we have not booked yet) for four nights. We are getting a connection flight, Dublin to Dallas, Dallas to Cancun.

I am looking for any advice on fun, best places to be, an Irish person in Mexico, need to see, can I use my mobile (I am with GOMO), safety, Vaccines, Visas, modes of transport etc.

All help is greatly appreciated!

I will be watching this thread, I am travelling solo for a week at Christmas staying at Occidental Xcaret on all-inclusive basis 😁 I’m travelling with American Airlines Dublin-Philadelphia-Cancun, getting wheelchair assistance as I have MS.

barneygumble99

We were in Cancun last summer. We only stayed in all inclusive resort. Transfers from airport to resort. We were told not to leave the resort whilst there as tourists can be targeted. There are recommended vaccines but we didn’t get any. Wi-Fi available all across the resort , on beach as well. Private beach.

We still talk about how great Cancun was , almost every day, food was great, staff amazing, great sense of humour, resort was spotless , honestly couldn’t fault it even though it was a mid range all inclusive. Lots of activities every day to keep you busy if you don’t feel like soaking up the sun all day.

We drank on the beach every day. Bars nearby with waiter service. Tip them a dollar every time and your drinks will have a higher alcohol content. They can be weak but that’s because they don’t want people drinking too much and swimming. Food was fantastic. Different restaurants every night of the week and snacks available 24/7.

We didn't need any visa to get into Mexico but we flew from New York so obviously there were requirements to be in USA in the first place

One issue Cancun has is lots of seaweed washing up but there were workers constantly removing it with tractors. Also it’ll be full of Americans and they’re loud. In general though it was an amazing holiday and we will go back again as soon as we can. We stayed in Secrets Maroma.

Cetyl Palmitate

It will be quite difficult to leave the resorts without paying a fortune for a cab. Local cabs are quite cheap but there are no meters so if the milk bottles are out expect to pay for the privilege.

That said, if you do decide to go outside the resorts, there is loads to do and see around. Not much in Cancun itself in my opinion. Playa del Carmen is nicer. Better still go to Cozumel or Isla de Mujeres. Both are more laid back and have really beautiful beaches etc.

A little further away is Tulum. Lots of cenotes and snorkelling places all around the area.

I’m very interested in finding out what will be put on the buffet for Christmas! I love spicy food, likely there will be among other things turkey with a twist. And I know some of the difference between Mexican food and Tex Mex, I’ve made one or two dishes of fruity/sour/spicy combinations out of a cookbook!

Dial Hard

I've been to Cancun three times now - most recently this August - and never had any vaccines. Visas aren't required either, but you will need an ESTA as you're transiting through the US.

It's perfectly safe to leave your resort as long as you book taxis, trips etc. through your hotel. If you're getting a taxi back from, say, downtown Cancun, make sure you get it from a manned rank and agree the fare in advance. You will get hustled by street vendors/guys trying to sell boat trips etc. but a very firm but polite "No thanks" is all that's required. Haggle for everything you buy.

Highly, highly, highly recommend a trip to Isla Mujeres. Again, book via your hotel, they all have dedicated excursion desks. Definitely do a cenote/river/jungle trip too.

Seaweed is an issue in Playa del Carmen but a boat trip will sort that out.

Tip in USD, it's hugely appreciated. And learn a cúpla focal en Espanol before you go, it goes a long way.

It's an amazing place, enjoy it.

Dial Hard

Also, if you're staying all-inclusive (only way to do it, imo) tip whoever brings you your first drink of the day at the pool/beach $5 - $10 and they'll look after you for the day.

Oh, and bring an insulated cup with a lid with you. They'll happily make your drinks in that every time and they'll stay waaaaaay colder.

The Xcaret Occidental I am staying in now, arrived last night, is the nicest resort hotel I’ve ever stayed at. It is extraordinarily nice. Very suited to me with my walking issues (MS) yet I can get tons of good exercise on flat shady paths. I imagine other hotels here share similarities.

You won’t make a mistake by coming Mexico way, and I could not fault the flights with American Airlines, economy . Had the wheelchair assistance, hassle free all the way,

There was a couple in economy in front of me, ultra friendly flight attendant chatting with everyone, heard the couple were on honeymoon, so champagne arrived for them!

Just back from my Christmas week in Mexico, absolutely wonderful experience. Hotel ultra clean, ate all the food, plenty of purified water, no problems. Visited the terrific Xcaret Park which is connected to the Occidental Xcaret where I was staying, and Chichen Itza.

Mexicans are lovely and attentive people, but beware everything is aimed at the fatter US wallet, they think everyone is made of money so prices for stuff (outside my all-inclusive hotel) are astronomical. I went for discounted tickets for activities but had to sit through a time-share session.

Man trying to sell it to me was pleasant, and asked me how much it cost to book the hotel from Ireland, when I told him he was very downcast and asked how I had got such a bargain. He knew then it was hopeless to continue to sell to me as the set-up was priced entirely for wealthy Americans.

I found there were some fairly “sophisticated” pressurised sell tactics elsewhere for various things, though not in the style of Egypt etc. My advice is to politely ignore anyone trying to suck you in. Eg the timeshare first contact merchants are located inside each accommodation building posing as concierge service. Just to politely decline engaging with them, but it is impossible to avoid passing them any time you enter or exit your hotel room. I don’t know if other hotel groups outside Barceló do this here, but I imagine e mine was not an outlier. The view of Mexicans is, where there are Americans there’s money.

lindsay689

Thank you so much for you very informative responses. It’s good to get Irish tourist relevant insights. You hotel looks amazing! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, happy new year!