Just thought I’d share our trip to Cancun (Playa del Carmen), it may contain some updated information that could be of use to someone.
When deciding whether to stay in Cancun/Isla Mujeres or Playa del Carmen, we ultimately wanted to be closer to city life because 5th Avenue in PDC is always full of action and night life. We also wanted an all-inclusive resort because hey, when in Mexico drink like the Mexicans do…bottomless tequila. There are soooo many hotels/resorts along the eastern corridor. We chose to stay at the Hilton, mainly for its location, as everything is walkable (aside from excursions of course). The room was quite pricey but for us it was worth it. We used UR to book the room. We could’ve used Hilton points, but the room we wanted was not worth their redemption value, plus it would still cost us $$$ after using points. They even offered to upgrade us to the presidential suite, their best room which offers a private rooftop pool, but the room itself s located on the opposite side of the resort, away from the beach, so we stuck with our original room, and we were glad we did. Perfect access to the beach and pools.
We flew from BWI>CUN with Southwest and had a companion pass. The flight only cost 19,000 points and about $50 each on taxes. For food we brought with us a Betty Crocker, a mixture of dry goods, packaged cheeses, cream cheese, vacuum sealed pre-cooked chicken, and other frozen non-meat/dairy items. At the airport in CUN, we were stopped by the dogs, and they took away our cream cheese and chicken, but not the other sliced/shredded cheese or other frozen foods. Go figure. Some people make it all the way through, others don’t. It’s completely ‘random.’ As you exit the airport, make sure you just keep walking all the way outside, ignoring all of the taxis, shuttles, and everyone else claiming they are your ride to your hotel. They aren’t. If you rented a car you go to your rental counter. If you booked a shuttle, you would see them standing outside waiting for you. They will have a sign with their company logo on it and you’ll be able to confirm with them. If someone else is approaching you, you probably shouldn’t go with them.
We used USA tours (from the CUN wiki page), it was $135 round trip, maybe a biiit more expensive than other companies, but it was smooth and seamless. They had a sign with their name, they had sent us a QR code to my email as backup proof, and they had a clipboard with our names and destination on it. Very safe and highly recommend.
The hotel itself was beautiful, and they really go out of their way to ensure you have everything you need. Our room was feet from the beach, though PDC is not known for its pretty beaches. The beach itself is public, but our room came with its own cabana, plus as Diamond members we were able to get a cabana on the beach. Otherwise, you’d have to rent it. I think it was around $10 for the day.
I was able to use the Betty Crocker in the room without an issue, and I even had room service bring us fresh raw eggs, avocados, tomatoes, and other fruits and vegetables every morning so we could make our own breakfast. They didn’t think twice about it. Every night the hotel has a different show or event. One night there was a silent DJ, another night there was a dancing group, and other events that we weren’t there for.
For activities in PDC, we booked through the hotel, but in hindsight we should’ve booked everything we did from street vendors. People would say that that’s super sketchy and they’d rather pay a little extra to book through the hotel and know you’ll get exactly what you paid for, but as you’ll see in a second, we did some through the hotel and some activities not, and it was just fine.
On day one we went swimming with dolphins. They picked us up from the hotel and brought us to Xcaret. It is expensive, but if you’ve never done it before, it’s definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. On day two, we took the ferry to Cozumel. We walked the 15 minutes to the ferry and bought one-way tickets for $11 each, a 45 minute ride. They say not to book round trip tickets because you never know when you’ll wanna take the ferry back. The night before we were walking down 5th avenue and we decided to just talk to a street vendor selling tours just to hear his pitch. We wanted to do a glass bottom boat tour and snorkeling all over Cozumel. His offer was pretty intriguing and the office we were sitting in was not a rundown little shack with a fan. It had big TVs, AC, and couches so it seemed legitimate (cue the rolling eyes, what an idiot tourist, look. I know). We decided to go for it, and for $100 for two people, we got exactly what we wanted. He tried to sell us on other activities, but we weren’t interested. The whole process was seamless and very professional. It was nearly half of what the hotel would’ve charged and would’ve been the exact same experience. Thinking back we could’ve booked all of our excursions with this guy for muuuch cheaper (you live and you learn). After lunch we had a taxi driver take us to the other side of the island where the nice beaches are. After getting in the car and asking him what he charges, he told us for $50 he can take us there wait for us for a few hours, and then take us back to the ferry. We initially said “no, we’ll find someone else to take us back,” but he laughed at us saying there won’t be a soul there to take us anywhere. And he was right. The beach had maybe 6 people there, and not a single other cab driver. June/July is off season for tourists, perhaps that’s why, but we’re glad we listened to him. The place was empty, we had the whole beach and beach chair sitting areas to ourselves. The driver made sure to take us back to the ferry to watch a gorgeous sunset.
On day three we went on another snorkeling tour in Akumal and then Cenotes in Tulum. If you’re only gonna do one thing in CUN, it has to be Cenotes. Both above ground cliff jumping/zip lining, and in a cave. It is beyond gorgeous, especially the cave. It is like swimming in a water bottle. Make sure you bring a waterproof case for your phone so you can take pics/vids. You’ll thank me later. At night we did a mix of staying at the hotel, and 5th Avenue, which does not disappoint. Free tequila tasting in basically every store (ask your LOR).
The restaurants in PDC are excellent, well priced, and open late. And hey, it’s a kosher restaurant. In Mexico. We went to Mas Pan, Moshe Cube, Two Smokers, Chocolatte in Cozumel, and the morning we left we got Malka bakery delivered to our hotel room. Mas Pan only allows cash or Zelle as payment. All other places take cc. I highly recommend the chummus and pita from Moshe Cube and anything that comes with the smoked potatoes from Two Smokers. Delicious!!!
The Hotel:
Swimming with Dolphins:
Cozumel:
Cenotes:
Food:
Conclusion: I highly recommend a trip here, it’s a short flight from the east coast, and there’s a ton to do. Plenty of excursions and kosher food options. PM me with questions and I can try my best to answer. Arriba!
