Cancun

So I've been to Cancun twice. Once when I was really little, again for our honeymoon in 2016, and just recently with my family in 2017. And I do not doubt we will go back there a couple more times in our lifetime! I feel like Cancun has been the main tourism location in Mexico for quite a long time, and you don't want to do it wrong! So instead of doing a full on summary of each time we've been there, I'm going to ramble about different topics and talk about them overall.

I really don't think you would want to be there for over 10 days, and I think 10 days is a stretch unless you're just doing a relaxing retreat type of vibe.  I've done a trip there for 5 days, and another time for a week. I feel like that was the perfect amount of time. 

Our first time in Cancun together at the Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach

For Josh and I's honeymoon, we stayed at the Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach. We loved it. It's a chic pink and tropical hotel, and it's affordable. Their staff was friendly, there were multiple pools, there were more tourists there from within Mexico which we loved, and it's in an amazing area to walk around. There's a lot of good food and entertainment around which is a win. There was even a grocery store nearby so you don't get financially destroyed on things like water bottles. Since we stayed here right after our wedding, we wanted somewhere we could just relax, hit up the spa, and watch the olympics. So I highly recommend. To book this hotel, click here. With my family last year we stayed at the Villa del Palmar Cancun. This hotel had all-inclusive, but we didn't bother with it so we wouldn't feel like we had to only eat at the hotel to get our money's worth. They had really nice pools, a lot of fun activities and the restaurants were really good. There was also a lot of entertainment. Even though this hotel was a lot more secluded, it wasn't an issue because we rented a car and we enjoyed just hanging out at the hotel all day as a family. So I also highly recommend this hotel, just depends the vibe you're going for. To book this hotel, clock here.

left: Villa del Palmar hotel center: Ik kil cenote right: shops in Tulum

Now time for the fun stuff... things to do! You have to do Chichen Itza. I've done a full day tour to Chichen Itza, a cenote, and a Mayan village. It was really fun, but if you and your party feel comfortable renting a car and driving around, I would actually recommend that. Mostly because when we went with our family, we were able to use all of our time exactly how we wanted. It's usually super hot, so bring water and a hat! And if you want to buy something at one of the stands, feel free to haggle so you can get goods for cheap. Make sure you go swim in a cenote. We went to several, and we kind of just looked up ones that were on our way to places we were already going. Tulum isn't very far from cancun, and since we had a car we were able to do a little day trip there. There is an ancient Mayan civilization right by the ocean and there's a beautiful beach, so I highly recommend Tulum. On the main road there are tons and tons of trendy food and dessert places, so make sure you get your taco game on. Okay, last but not least, you HAVE to go spend a day at Isla Mujeres. Josh and I were there a day longer than our family, and we didn't go there on our honeymoon, so we decided we would take the ferry over from the port right next to our hotel (Villa del Palmar Cancun). Upon arrival, make sure to rent a golf cart. The island is really small and quaint, and you can make it around the whole island in like 45 minutes. Some stops we went to along the way were beaches, a turtle farm, art installations and beautiful ocean views. It was really cool. The streets of Isla Mujeres are small, colorful, and authentic. This was one of our favorite parts of Cancun because it was unexpected.

Long story short, plan/ book your trip asap!

xx, Al

beach in Tulum

ruins in Tulum