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Cancun for spring break

Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2015 12:13 pm
by shoemak38
so the big news on our front is we are taking our daughter (and her big sister) to Cancun for spring break as they decided St. John was too quiet for them. We’re going back to CasaMagna Marriott (after a 25 year hiatus) as a wife and I both love the hotel.
Anyone have any good restaurant or day trip tips

Re: Cancun for spring break

Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2015 7:12 pm
by loria
no advice or recs but since my daughter and her now sorority sisters have been threatening to do the same thing over spring break .... might i pay you to be a look out?

Re: Cancun for spring break

Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2015 7:27 pm
by shoemak38
loria wrote:no advice or recs but since my daughter and her now sorority sisters have been threatening to do the same thing over spring break .... might i pay you to be a look out?
only if they are going the 1st week of March 8)

Re: Cancun for spring break

Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2015 11:24 am
by bdkane
We actually just returned from Cancun on Sunday... we had been Cancun regulars - back in our twenties and like you it fell off of our radar, we did make it back in April of this year and enjoyed it so much we went back in August, Cancun has grown up a lot, the nicest mall I believe is Las Ilsa, lots of nice stores.. there are a lot of restaurants and fast food items located there,Johnny Rockets, Ms Donald, Hooters, some local fast food like Mr Papas, TacoN Tequila etc... none were bad

We went deep sea fishing , it was awesome, my kids and wife loved it
https://www.facebook.com/fishingcancun?fref=ts

Xel-Há is an awesome day trip , we did it last time we were there

There is a "Jungle tour" that is a lot of fun, you may have done it 20 years ago... its the same thing
Anyway restaurant I would recommend:

We enjoyed Puerto Madero - this is my favorite http://www.puertomaderorestaurantes.com/en/cancun1 had the surf and turf, everything was very good

Limoncello , excellent Italian, try the stuffed meatball!, great specialty pizzas http://www.limoncellotrattoria.com/

La Parilla, Excellent authentic Mexican, there is one located in the La Isla shopping center near the Marina, good drink ;-)
http://www.laparrilla.com.mx/

LaMadonna http://www.lamadonna.com.mx/
in the Las Isla shopping mall is pretty good Italian, I feel Lemoncello is better though

La Habichuela was pretty good, id say 3star but it is a beautiful restaurant and they have a Mayan show that is interesting, it only runs on select nights so if you go check first http://lahabichuela.com/in

Senior Frogs... http://www.senorfrogscancun.com/
its not the same as you will remember from 20 years ago! hi tech , big stage, its a lot of fun with kind of a Fridays menu...

Hope some of this helps... enjoy you trip!

Re: Cancun for spring break

Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2015 5:06 pm
by Lovermont
Hi Shoe. I noticed that you had a topic on the Tripadvisor forum for Isla Mujeres. I spend two months of each winter on IM now, escaping the Vermont winters. I had meant to write earlier and suggest that you do a day trip to IM but it sounds like that may already be a plan.
Rent a golf cart (or my personal fave mode of transportation - a bike) and tour the island. Plenty of places to stop and take in the views and have a scenic drink or bite to eat. Definitely plan to be at Casa de Los Sueños for Happy Hour. I can't comment too much on the new water park as it was just under construction when I was there last winter.
Isla Mujeres does not have the amazing landscape of STJ but it makes up for it with beautiful locals, a vibrant culture, a plethora of fantastic little family run restaurants and toes in the sand watering holes.
If you have questions about IM, I'm happy to answer them. I've never stayed in Cancun, so I can't really comment on it.

Re: Cancun for spring break

Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2015 9:10 am
by shoemak38
Bdkane thanks for the restaurant tips. I like your choices. How long was the trip to Xel-Ha? Would two young women more interested in recreation find it a worthwhile excursion versus the beach and enjoying a few libations?

So, Love Vermont, I see you found a way not to listen to channel 3 telling you how cold it is in Saranac Lake. Yes, Isla Mujeres is definitely on at least for one day trip over depending on what other tours we do maybe two times. We even toyed around (still kind of) with staying on the island versus Cancun. The appeal of a nice resort area drew us to selecting Casa Magna or would you have a compelling reason to tell us we are making the wrong choice and we should be staying on IM.
This forum can still be relied on for some great information versus those big-box forums. :D :D
Thanks everyone

Re: Cancun for spring break

Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2015 6:14 pm
by Lovermont
Believe you me, I was very well aware of the temperature differential between VT and Isla Mujeres last winter. I felt like the smartest cookie around for escaping the Northeast for a couple of months.
Having never stayed in Cancun I can't really compare it to Isla. Since you mention that STJ wasn't in the running because of lack of things to do for the younger members of your traveling party, it sounds like a resort in Cancun might be the right fit. I like the immersive experience of Isla; shopping in local markets, snooping around little neighborhoods, recognizing locals from one year to the next. I think though, if I was trying to have a week long vacation with a lot of activities, then Isla might come up short. There's snorkeling (pales in comparison to STJ!), and as you know you could go to Casa de Los Sueños and rent kayaks and SUPs. But other than that, it's pretty much a toes in the sand, swimming in the ocean kind of place. The main beach (Playa Norte or North Beach) does have many beach clubs where you can rent lounge chairs and be waited on for your food and drink if that's what interests the girls. And, one thing that I really love about Isla is that there are a lot of options for live music, both during the day (on the beach) and at night (in restaurants and clubs).
On another note, I would recommend going down to Tulum for the day. The ruins are stuning, overlooking the turquoise Caribbean. After seeing the ruins, head slightly south (like 1/2 a mile or so) for a beautifully long expanse of white sandy beach.
I'll be on Isla until March 1st. If you are there by that time, please give me a shout and I'll meet your clan for a drink!

Re: Cancun for spring break

Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2015 9:17 pm
by shoemak38
We will miss you by a week :cry:

Re: Cancun for spring break

Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2015 11:52 am
by bdkane
[quote="shoemak38"]Bdkane thanks for the restaurant tips. I like your choices. How long was the trip to Xel-Ha? Would two young women more interested in recreation find it a worthwhile excursion versus the beach and enjoying a few libations?

Hello, The trip to Xel Ha is a all day thing, i believe it was about 12 hours door to door, the ride out is about 1.5 -2 hours, I think it depends a little on the tour company you use, some hit more hotels for pick ups and drop off that does take a while, its one of those things that you can do as little or as much as you'd like.. they have ALL things touristy there, dolphin, stingray, manatee, encounters, zip lining, there's a cliff jump, rope swing, etc.
we basically chose to snorkel and float the river and the inlet, our package did include food and drinks as well... for us it was more or less a day to relax away from the pool bar ;-) after 3-4 days of that the liver/body just needed a rest !

Re: Cancun for spring break

Posted: Thu May 19, 2016 4:03 pm
by travelingman
Man sounds like Cancun is the place to be. I feel like I'm the only person I know (Vancouver, BC) who hasn't tried those all exclusive resorts in Cancun. I'm currently fiishing my math tutor training and then I'll start traveling again.

Love to get a book or a course on traveling in Cancun. That would be awesome.

At least I got my drinking game sorted:
https://pinshape.com/items/15524-3d-pri ... n-the-shot

Ha! Maybe not this summer but I will be going there soon. Just kind of worried due to that weird virus (Zeeka virus) or something.