Category: Mexico

If you’ve been to Cancun at least once, I’m sure you have heard of the famous theme park, Xcaret. There are a total of six parks that fall under the Xcaret banner, which includes the Xcaret by Mexico, Xel-Ha, Xplor, Xplor Fuego, Xenses and Xoximilco.

We visited the Xcaret by Mexico park for a day and enjoyed it very much. There is just so much to do around the whole park and it’s a great day trip for all age groups. There are many things I wish I knew before we went that would have made our day a little more efficient and smooth. So, I decided to write a post about it for any of my followers who decide to go one day!

Admission

1 Print a copy of your confirmation or ticket, whichever is emailed to you before you leave on your trip. It is difficult, although not impossible, to find a internet cafe to print out the confirmation papers. As of 05/2021, they don’t allow you to show your confirmation on your phone or any devices.

2 Once you get there, you need to stand in line to get bands and other information needed for the whole day. Staff will try to sell other packages and offers to you; but you have already paid for a days worth of activities, so try to enjoy what you already have. Don’t waste time standing around once you enter.

3 Go Early! There is so much to do and not enough time, especially if you are a group of more than two. If you want to space out the activities and see the whole place, you want to go when they open. There are many places to take pictures and lines for activities or booths, both of which require even more time.

Getting Around

4 They don’t have paper maps anymore, so if you don’t want to walk around looking at your phone all day, print out a map ahead of time. I wish we did this so that we could have planned the day better. One thing we missed out on was the snorkeling, because by the time we found the place, we had already changed out of our swimwear.

5 That brings me to the next point. Look at the all the activities ahead of time in the Xcaret you booked and plan your day. It’s better to group all the water activities together and the land activities together. Lunch has to fall somewhere in between there, so the better you plan according to your families needs, the more you can make out of the trip.

Food

6 There is a buffet option that you can choose when you book your ticket. We took the plus ticket, which comes with 1 buffet per person. If you opt for the basic ticket, the buffet price is $30 USD. With that said, it’s an all you can eat buffet which follows all the COVID precautions. There are staff to serve you what you want and PLENTY of options to choose from. We ate at one of the several options given in the plus package. The quality of the buffet is as expected. The food was below average, the service was good.

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7 Freeze your drinks and bring a backpack filled with snacks and water if you want to save a little money. The booths located inside Xcaret are very overpriced, starting at around $14 bucks for a slushy. It gets very hot in the afternoon and you’ll need to stay hydrated. Since the buffet is a one time pass, it’s likely you will get hungry in between, especially if you are doing the water activities.

8 The bakery inside the Mayan Village is a must-go! Their fresh bakery good and coffee was the best. We went back a second time for an afternoon snack but unfortunately, they were closed by then! I wish we knew ahead of time so we could have planned it out better.

Attractions and more

9 There is a big show at the end of each day at the huge theater. Don’t miss it. It was a great show with lots of history about the Mayans. We were iffy about staying for it since it was getting dark, but we are glad we did. We were able to find a less crowded region since there are no assigned seating.

More things to know for visiting XCaret:

• Prices vary based on when you book and if there are deals going on. We paid a total of $238 for two adults, including tax.

• Towards the end of the day, more places starting closing. We were trying to look for staff and they seemed to be disappearing. It wasn’t until later that evening, we figured out why everyone was gone! The performers for the evening show were the same people who were staff who were working all day.

• Although our package said we would get towels after the water activities, they were not for free! We had to rent the towels out if we needed it. We were not happy about this because our ticket clearly said towels included.

Click here to get to their website and to book tickets!
Did I miss anything? Comment below and let me know!

Along with all the mouth watering food we had in Tulum (CLICK HERE if you have not read the post yet), we also had a fair share of fruits, ice cream and other sweets. When I say fair share, I mean a really large share. This section of desserts is the highlight of our trip, so keep reading!

Our go-to fruits in Tulum were mangoes and coconuts! With so many fruit carts on the main roads and all over the street, it’s hard NOT to think about these delicious fruits. We made the first fruit cart stop on our way from the Cancun airport. The price of these goodies highly varies depending on several things. Below are the two biggest factors that caught our attention.

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LOCATION

One major factor that drives the prices is the location. If you park your nice car on the highway, get out and go to the fruit cart (like we did) obviously the price will be higher. We paid the highest here; 60 pesos for a cup of mangoes and 60 for a bag of coconut pieces. (This was our first encounter and we were super excited to get our hands on some delicious mangos!)

Places such as Hotel Zone in Tulum and Cancun will also have higher prices because it is a touristy area. They expect tourists from US and other destinations to be their main customers. One example of this is the price of ice cream. We had our daily share of ice cream in Centro Tulum for about 40 pesos a cone. However in Hotel Zone Tulum, it cost us about 85 pesos and for a smaller cone!

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YOU

The next factor is dependent upon you! If you are dressed like a local and speak a little bit of Spanish, the lower the price is. However, if you carry a dslr on you and dress like a tourist, it’s clear you are a tourist. Therefore you will get the tourist price. Just knowing a little bit of Spanish can go a long way while dealing with vendors. This is common everywhere, but we noticed it so much here because we bought from outdoor vendors EVERY day!

Besides mangoes and coconuts, we also bought many fruits straight from the shops! We went to a local corner grocery shop (see picture below) and it was a great local experience. From there, we bought guavas, more mangoes and a pineapple, all for just 95 pesos! We also got fresh papaya from a bigger supermarket along with some local sweets. Since we didn’t opt for an all inclusive stay, we had these fruits for breakfast and for afternoon snacks by the pool!

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More Sweets!

Ice cream was our second go-to dessert in Tulum. Like I mentioned before, our main stop for ice cream was in Tulum Centro at a ice cream store called Panna e Cioccolato. This was a small shop, but had a great selection of flavors. We also tried out upscale creameries such as Campanella Cremerie and Aldo’s Gelato.

Besides ice cream shops and fruit stands, we also checked out a few coffee spots, juice bars and shops. One place worth mentioning is Matcha Mama, which serves more than just coffee. Matcha mama has a variety of smoothies, acai bowls, fruit juices and more. I had heard about the Matcha Mama in Hotel Zone, but had no clue they had a new location in Tulum Central. We stumbled upon it as we were walking around town and absolutely loved the whole setting. We got there late afternoon and had the whole place to ourselves. The location in Central Tulum was SO much bigger and better than the one in Hotel Zone. If you want to go for the experience, I would highly recommend this location.

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Hubby loves mangonadas and fruit juices, so we tried several late night carts with both. There was one specific store that we got fresh juice from several times, for a very cheap price. If you walk a block or two away from the main road in Tulum Centro, you will find more authentic shops for local prices.

Writing this post made me miss Tulum Centro very much. We got to see each nook and corner of Tulum the week we were there. If you haven’t check out our list of the amazing TACOS and other food we had while in Tulum, check it out here!

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Eating locally is one of our most favorite things to do while traveling abroad. Both hubby and I love trying out authentic local dishes. Sometimes we like it and sometimes we don’t. During our trip to Tulum, it was neither of the two. We LOVED it. We had so many tacos that we lost count! And the best part? It didn’t cost an arm and leg. Majority of the time, we ate at small shops that the locals eat from. We also got a chance to try out plenty of street food from food carts.

Here, I am going to list ALL of the food we had in Tulum and give you a quick summary on what we thought. This list is in no particular order, but I have highlighted the MUST HAVES!

I’m going to start with our favorite and of course, the most MUST HAVE food in Tulum, street tacos. We ate from a street cart in Centro Tulum two times and unfortunately, the third time we came back, there was a different cart in this location. It doesn’t really have a name, but it is located right in front of the Super Aki Supermarket on the main highway (highway 307). Hubby had tacos each time we went and I had quesadillas. Even without the sauces, the food was amazing, but the sauces definitely brought it up a notch. This was hands down the best tacos and quesadillas we had in Tulum.

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We also ate at Antojitos La Chiapaneca two times. This place is very local, very cheap and the most authentic food we had in town. Although I didn’t enjoy their quesadillas as much, hubby who is a meat lover absolutely loved their tacos! We enjoyed this place, not only for their tacos, but also for their homely atmosphere. With the cooking area set up on the outside, we were able to see how they make everything. There were many ladies continuously working and being very efficient. The male cooks were cooking a trompo of meat for the tacos, with choices of chicken, pork and beef. If you specifically want authentic Mexican, put this on your MUST HAVE list!

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The first thing we did after picking up our rental car was find a restaurant to have lunch! Google helped us to find Los De Pescado, a small food spot next to a gas station in Cancun. This spot was only about 5 minutes from the airport, right off the main highway leading from Cancun to Tulum. We ordered some fish burritos, fish fried tacos and seafood ceviche. Paired with some Mexican Coca Cola, this was a great way to start our SEEfood diet!

We found many of the food carts and locations after searching reviews through google maps. Pepe’s Best Tacos in Tulum was located very close to our hotel so we tried out his cart one evening. Most of these food carts are very flexible and offer packaged food for those who prefer to take it home. There were also seating available for those who wanted to stick around.

We headed to La Barracuda for lunch on our down day. This was another food spot we wanted to come back to a second time because of how good their food was. Besides the good food and generous portion sizes, the atmosphere also caught our attention. There was a lady named Ms. Bascilia, sitting to the side and making fresh corn tortillas. I conversated with her and she told me about the whole process of making tortillas. She was making them rather quickly and efficiently, every single one with the perfect round shape. I would say this foot spot was one of our favorites and a MUST HAVE in our list!

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The high reviews and attention drawing lights drew us towards Burrito Amor, located right next to La Barracuda. The very relaxed atmosphere and chill vibe is perfect for people who are on a longer vacation in Tulum. Although this food spot was a little too healthy for us, they really do take into consideration all types of people. They had a huge variety of food to choose from, including vegan options, gluten free, dairy free and anything else free! Although the prices were more touristy prices than the other places we ate at, it was still reasonable. I had fish burritos, which came wrapped in banana leaves and hubby had a carne asada burrito bowl. It’s a MUST GO place for all vegans!

Taqueria Honorio is a very local food spot that attracted us. It was crowded the whole time we were there. We waited for about 20-30 minutes for a seat, but once we got in, everything went fairly fast. The workers are constantly working, needless to say their service was great. Hubby had breakfast tacos and I had my go-to; quesadillas! It was definitely of the most authentic food we had, with less cheese aka less American.

We decided to go for lunch at El Camello Jr one day and we enjoyed it. It was the only place we had fried fish from, which was charged by the pound. However ,the fish and the shrimp ceviche from here was very generous in size. We were very full after finishing the whole meal! This location was pretty packed even after lunch hours, but we only had to wait about ten minutes to get seated. The service was good and atmosphere was relaxing as we were able to sit in the patio.

One of the few high end places we ate as was from Hippo Marina Lounge in Puerto Aventuras. After our trip to Kantun Chi Ecopark, we headed to Puerto Aventuras to see the area. The whole bay area was so fancy, with a huge golf course, high end hotels, numerous pubs, grills, lounges and places to eat. In the midst of all this is the Dolphin Discovery experience, which we were able to see while we had lunch! For lunch, I had some chicken quesadillas while hubby choose a nacho dish. After days of eating locally, we felt the restaurant was too touristy for our liking. However we definitely enjoyed the yummy food!

We spent an evening in Portal Maya in Playa Del Carmen and checked out the chain restaurant Señor Frog’s Playa del Carmen. Although we just had some drinks there, it was a very lively restaurant. The staff were very friendly, the music was fun and the vibe was very chill. Although this restaurant was also catered towards tourists, we still found it enjoyable to hang out at. We later went back to our street tacos for dinner though 🙂

Besides all this delicious food you see here, we also tried so many ice cream shops, panaderias, dessert stands, coffee shops, fruit stands, supermarket goodies and more! If you enjoyed this list, be sure to check out the second part of this… coming soon!!

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Are you debating on whether to rent a car or to take a taxi while in Mexico? Last year, we opted for tours, taxis and public transportation during our stay in Cancun. During our recent visit to Tulum in mid May, a close friend helped us to decide to rent a car instead. It was definitely the right decision for us because of the convenience it gave us. Recently, I’ve been getting many inquiries about renting a car and driving in Mexico. I have put together a post with all the common questions. These answers are based on flying into the Cancun airport and driving from Cancun to Tulum. Comment below and let me know if I missed any questions you may have!

Where should I rent the car from?

The best place to rent a car from is the Cancun International airport itself. We chose the car rental called MEX RentACar, but there are many more car rentals to choose from at the airport. Most of them offers shuttles from the airport to the car rental office and back to the airport, which was very convenient.
I would HIGHLY recommend MEX RentACar as they were very easy to work with. It only took us about 20 minutes to get the car and drive out. They were also very clear about the prices and we didn’t pay a penny more than the staff mentioned at the airport. This rental service is also open 24 hours, so even if you have a late night flight or an early morning flight like we did, nothing to worry about!

Do I need to pre-book or reserve my car?

You can pre-book your car online, but it’s not mandatory. If you are specific in which car you want, then it is better to book ahead of time. However, you can always book at the airport itself if you don’t mind which car you get. Upon arrival in the Cancun airport, there are many car rental stations and staff waiting to approach you with deals.

Will you have to pay more if you book on the spot?

Not necessarily. We had reserved a car from a private company prior to getting to Cancun. However, since their staff were not present to take us to the rental office, we decided not to book with them. This is an example of when reserving, not paying, was a good choice. We ended up getting a car from MEXCar for the same price and similar to the car we had reserved initially.
Are you wondering what is that price? Keep Reading!

About how much should I expect to pay for my car rental?

For a basic 4 passenger car, we paid 800 MXN (pesos) per day. This should come with full insurance and all taxes. (This was the same price that the private rental offered us as well.) Note that every company will also charge you a deposit fee that they return to you when you return the car safely. However, if you have caused any damages to the car, they will keep the deposit fee. For this company, the deposit fee was relatively low, around $75 USD.

Pro-tip: When you look at prices for the car rentals, look at the MXN pesos rate. They will tell you different USD rates, but that rate is not up to them! That rate is the conversion rate that is up to your bank and the market at the time of the transaction. Read the next section to find out an option to pay the least possible.

What is the cheapest and most efficient way to pay for your rental?

I didn’t think this through when we paid for the car, so I will share it with you so that you can try it out! There is a little bit of math involved so pay close attention. When you pay with a credit card, your credit card company is who decides the conversion. For example; we paid 800 per day for 7 days, which is a total of 5,600MXN. When we charged this on our credit card, we ended up paying for a conversion of 19.85. However on a chart at the rental office, they showed dollar conversion of 22.00. If we had paid in USD at the car rental location, we would have probably gotten a higher conversion rate and therefore a better deal.

What do you need to drive in Mexico?

The only thing you need is a valid (not expired) US drivers license. That’s right! You don’t need an IDP (International Drivers Permit) or anything else except your US drivers license.

How much does gas cost?

Gas is around 19-22 pesos per liter, depending on where you get gas from. Expect to spend around 1000 pesos for a full tank for a basic 4 passenger car. If you don’t fill up your tank all the way before returning your car, they will charge a few extra pesos per liter.

How are the roads and driving conditions compared to the US?

The main highway that connects Cancun to Tulum is in great condition. It is well lit and has several gas stations an restaurants along the way. The roads leading off from the highway are also mostly paved, but may have a pot hole here and there. Few roads that lead further into communities may be dirt roads with more pot holes. Speed bumps are very common on regular side streets as well as the highway! The speed bumps on the highway are placed when you come to an intersection or town. There will be several warning signs on the side and the speed limit will start to decrease as you come to a speed bump. However, there are NO reflectors, so you will need to pay close attention. Go slowly to avoid damaging your rental.

Is driving at night safe?

YES! This was one of my major concerns with driving. It’s as safe as driving in the US at night. Of course, you will need to take precautions such as not running out of gas and not getting out of your car in the middle of the street.
The best part about MEXCar being open 24 hours comes during night drives. Although we hope for the best, mishaps happen often. The better planned you are for it, the smoother it can be taken care of. If you’re having problems with your car or get a flat tire, you can CALL the rental office anytime and they will assist you.

(Above is a clip of driving in Tulum hotel zone.)

Where do you park? Is parking free/safe?

Most hotels have free parking for their guests. All the tourist destinations and most restaurants also have free parking. While in Tulum/Cancun Centro and other local areas, you can park on the street as long as you don’t see a sign with an E on it. (See picture below)
In Tulum hotel zone, there are many paid parking lots/dirt grounds, which range around 300 pesos for a whole day. In the touristy area of Playa Del Carmen, you’ll have to pay for street parking via a parking meter which is at the end of the street.

Tip: 1. Bargain down on the parking price if someone is present for the hotel zone parking lots. We were able to bargain down from 300 to 150, which was good because we only spent an hour there.
2. Parking meters in Playa Del Carmen are only 10 pesos for 1 hour, but they only accept coins, so be prepared.

Speed limit, police and more

• While you don’t need to worry about police or getting a speeding ticket, I would highly recommend you follow all the rules while driving and take an extra precaution.
• Stop signs in Mexico basically mean slow down. Although locals never come to a full stop, I would still recommend you do.
• When you come to a speed bump on a busy street with people (like in Tulum Centro), pedestrians have the right of way. You need to stop for them to cross before the speed bump.

Did I miss any questions you have? Let me know below or via Instagram!

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.

When you hear of a trip to Cancun, most people think of resorts, night clubs and bars and partying. But there is so much more to do than just that. My husband and I finally decided to make a trip to Cancun, Mexico and we loved it. We had about five days there and spent all five days exploring the Mexican and Mayan culture. This is not the typical weekend trip to Cancun, but here are a list of great things you can do while there! I will also add information on where you can book these tours and a quick review of how our tour went with each company!

Chichen Itza, Yucatan

This is probably the most overlooked wonder of the world. Chichen Itza is a two hour drive from Cancun, but most people don’t make that day trip to see these great ruins. For us, it was a no-brainer. We love day trips and seeing this world wonder was definitely high on our list while in Mexico! Check out my list of things you should know before visiting Chichen Itza here!

We booked the Chichen Itza tour as a 2 day package, along with an ATV experience, through a company called Cancunatvtours. This day included pick up from our hotel, a short stop at a local Mayan town, drive through a Mayan village, lunch, a dip in the cenote and a two hour guide tour in Chichen Itza. Since Yucatan is a different state, located two hours away from Cancun, it took some time to reach there. The good news is that there is a time zone difference, which allowed us an extra hour of day time!

Would I recommend this tour with this company?

It depends. If you have already visited a Cenote and is only interested in going to Chichen Itza, I would not recommend this trip. We thought this day was a bit of a drag since we had done two tours prior to this, which included similar places. We booked this trip specifically because it came as a package deal with the ATV drive on another day, which hubby and I both really wanted to do!

So, any another options?

I would highly recommend doing this early morning tour to Chichen Itza. This trip takes off at 5 in the morning and is back by the afternoon, leaving you to enjoying the rest of the day to yourself. You beat the crowd and can enter before it opens to the rest of the public.

Cenotes

Cenotes, deep natural sinkholes, are very common throughout Mexico. Sometimes the depth of the pool can go up to 150 feet. Not all are open and safe for tourists, but there is a good majority that is. We were able to see three Cenotes during this trip. However because we did not know how to swim, we did not get out into the sinkhole. Even though they offer life jackets, this would not be the place and time to practice your swimming skills. Many other expert swimmers jumped, dived and even zip lined into the water from the top. We were content just watching them 🙂

During the Mayan civilization, the cenotes were used to offer sacrifices to their gods. They sacrificed people and would throw them into the cenote to make peace with god. Over time, this practiced ended and now the cenotes are used for tourists and locals for a quick dip in the pool.

Tip: Most cenotes are free on Sundays. If you are planning to go by yourself, go on a Sunday!

Mayan Civilization & Ruins

Visiting the Mayan Ruins in Mexico gave us a chance to learn a little about their history and culture. The Mayans worshiped many gods, performed sacrifices and lived a completely different lifestyle than what we see now. The Spaniards came to Mexico and took over, introducing Spanish, Christianity, western education and much more to the country. Many people know about the beautiful Mayan ruins, left from the Mayan civilization in cities like Tulum and Coba. Not everyone knows about the Mayan people that still live in villages throughout Mexico. They speak the Mayan language and live similar lifestyles they used to centuries ago. We were lucky to see a little bit of both during this trip.

Tulum

We booked a one day tour that took us to the ruins in Tulum for a few hours. Our tour guide here taught us the most about the Mayan culture and practices. Many of these ruins were temples and public places, where ceremonies were held. This was a beautiful location, with the ruins on one side and the beautiful ocean view on the other side.

Tip: It gets pretty hot, so don’t forget your sunglasses, hat and sunscreen!

Tip: You will see many iguanas sunbathing – they won’t hurt you.
Don’t hurt or feed them either.

Coba

Coba was another stop during our day trip and we loved it. This was one of the few places we were able to climb the ruins. If you get a chance to visit Coba, climb to the very top! It’s a lot more difficult and steeper than it looks but definitely worth it! One of my biggest regret was not making it to the top of this ruins. I would go back just to climb it once more!

Tip: When booking a package, ask for the plus packages with free drinks and a bike. We had the plus package and got the bikes for free, which allowed us to enjoy our time here a little more.

Buggy Tours/ ATV drives

We booked a day of adventure with ATV drive and zip-lining in a small town called Puerto Morelos. The half day tour consisted of pick up from the hotel, an hour of ATV drive, a small zip line track, lunch and a dip in the Cenote.

We booked this tour with Cancunatvtours. We chose the shared ATV but soon realized that it was not a good idea. Sitting in the back of the ATV is not comfortable because of the bumpy ride. We did get a chance to switch off in between the drive and sitting in the front and driving was a lot more enjoyable! The zip-lining was a short 4 course one and not nearly as high as the one I have done previously, but still fun! The lunch was authentic, but not good as we had hoped it to be.

Would I book with this company again?
Our main reason for booking this tour was for the ATV drive and would book it again only for the drive itself. The hour of ATV driving was the best part but the zip lining and cenote were good additions. The tour may have been a little overpriced considering all the other tours we have taken. If I find other ATV tours, I may opt out for something else next time.

Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen is a smaller city south of Cancun and closer to Cozumel. We toured only a small portion of Playa Del Carmen, but this town also has a lot to offer. From amusement parks with zip-lining to caves and water sports, this is a less expensive and less crowded version of Cancun.

Mercado 28 & Market 28, Cancun

Mercado 28 is different from Market 28! Initially I thought Market 28 was it, but there was a whole Mercado 28 right behind that a few streets down. Though we did not buy many souvenirs in either of the places, Mercado 28 was a great place to walk around and enjoy. They also have many authentic restaurants, where we had some of our favorite meals in Mexico.

Beach & Hotel Zone in Cancun

Hotel Zone offers a variety of entertainment and safe late night attractions. Though we did not hit up the Congo Bongo, we walked around the Punta Cancun section of the hotel zone during the evening. We also enjoyed the sunset on the beach out-looking the Carribbean Sea.

Many people think Cancun is for young people and not family friendly. Cancun is very family friendly! It makes a great place for a weekend trip, whether you are traveling as a group of friends, couple for a honeymoon or a family. It’s also a very safe and fun destination for families with children. The people in Mexico are very friendly, informal and welcoming. We spend half our time in hotel zone and our other half on tours. We used public transportation outside of hotel zone during day time and within hotel zone even after dark and had no problems. People even offered help and gave us information about buses and directions. Of course, knowing a little bit of Spanish always helps. If not, having a genuine smile and a little love and respect for their people and ways is all it really takes to get by with no issues.

After our trip to Cancun, I finally understand why people make several trips to Cancun. There is just so much to do! If we had more time in Cancun, here are a few additional day trips and things we would have planned!

• Xcaret Park (amusement park with attractions)
• Day trip to Isla Mujeres (ferries leave from Ultramar, Puerto Juarez and Punta Sam.)
• El Rey Archaeological Zone (Ruins)
• Day trip to Cozumel
• Ventura Park (amusement & water park) *great for kids!
• Xoximilco (floating fiesta on a boat) *great for a group of adults
• Río Secreto in Playa del Carmen

Check out my post on things to know before visiting Mexico!

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