Budget Cancun
Description:
Transportation, food, shopping, tours, guides... so many aspects of a vacation in Cancun can be much cheaper but not lower quality if you know where to go and what to choose. The public bus system is an easy and comfortable way to get around, and the food can actually be better and more traditional at the less-expensive restaurants frequented by locals away from the tourist path.
Author: JennyMM
Day 1 - Cancun
Check into the hotel in the morning, then hop on one of the cheap buses into town to explore downtown Cancun on foot. The shopping outside of the hotel zone is much more interesting and less expensive, and there is lots of beautiful local architecture, including several notable churches. For lunch, stop into La Parrilla de Pepon for fresh authentic food right off the grill, then take a cheap ferry to Isla Mujeres, the perfect place to visit for a relaxed afternoon. The best way to explore the small island is by renting a golf cart and a couple of snorkels, and to check out several of the many beaches on your own. There are also lots of great stores, although they can be a bit touristy, and good eats. Have dinner on Isla Mujeres at the Mango Cafe, one of the best restaurants in all of the Cancun area, for some amazing Caribbean fusion, or try La Curva back in downtown Cancun for family-owned coziness and delicious shrimp dishes. The Fiesta Americana Condesa Cancun is the perfect place to stay to get all the luxury amenities of a resort, including beach, pool, swim-up bar, great restaurant, etc, but without the pretentiousness or the cost. The service here is even better than you'll get at some of the more expensive resorts, and the rooms are clean, quiet, and have beautiful views. For the price, the Fiesta is impossible to beat.
1
Iglesia de Cristo Rey
Location:
view in google mapsMargaritas 15 esquina Tulipanes Supermanzana 22
Centro
77509 Cancun, Mexico
Phone:
+52 998 287 3671 (Tourist Information)2
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen
Location:
view in google mapsAvenida de los Talleres s/n
Zona Verde / Centro
77509 Cancun, Mexico
Phone:
+52 998 888 21363
Parrilla de Pepón (La)
Location:
view in google mapsAvenida López Portillo Manzana 60 Lote 15 Local 1
López Portillo
77516 Cancun, Mexico
Phone:
52 998 888 39925
Curva (La)
Location:
view in google mapsAvenida Yaxchilán No. 39 S.M. 22
77500 Cancun, Mexico
Phone:
52 998 848 04586
Fiesta Americana Condesa Cancún
Location:
view in google mapsPaseo Kukulkán Km 16.5
Zona Hotelera, Lote 44
77500 Cancun, Mexico
Phone:
52 998 881 4200Day 2 - Cancun
Grab a very early breakfast at the hotel in the morning, then head to the downtown Cancun central terminal to catch a bus out to Chichen Itza. The trip takes only a bit more than if by private tour, and costs less than 100 pesos. There are plenty of vastly knowledgeable local guides that can be picked up when you get to the archeological site. Join up with another group for a cheaper price, as the tour guides charge per group, or just bring a really good guide book, which can be purchased at the small store on site, if you'd prefer to go at your own pace. There are some restrictions on climbing the ruins, but a few can still be scaled, and it's still a breathtaking experience to walk around the ancient Mayan city to view the different temples and structures. Bring tons of water and sunscreen, as well as good walking shoes. Have a big lunch at the restaurant at the Felix Inn, still small and mainly run and operated by the owner's family. You can stay here for a clean, comfortable room off the main tourist circuit if you feel like spending an entire day and night around Chichen Itza, or take the bus back into Cancun before it gets too hot in the afternoon. When you get back, try La Valentina, a cantina right outside the hotel zone, for a late dinner. All the usual dishes are great here, as is the seafood and the live music.
1
Chichen Itza
Location:
view in google mapsRoughly 125 miles west of Cancún.
Cancun, Mexico
2
Valentina (La)
Location:
view in google mapsBoulevard Kukulcán Km 15.6
Marina del Rey
77500 Cancun, Mexico
Phone:
52 998 885 0257Day 3 - Cancun
For exploring more of Yucatan's nature areas, travel with Ecocolors. Their all-day tour of the Sian Ka'an wilderness area is inexpensive, and includes transportation from and to Cancun, a tour of the ruins and fascinating flora and fauna of a Mayan Archaeological Zone, a boat trip through mangrove forests, swimming and snorkeling in a cenote, and lunch at a local restaurant. The tours are all given by biologists or naturalists, who are involved in local conservation efforts and are therefore amazing guides to the ecosystems of the Yucatan. You'll get back into Cancun in the early evening, perfect timing for dinner at La Farandula, where the traditional cuisine, music, and festive atmosphere make this a great place to kick back after a long day.
1
Ecocolors
Location:
view in google mapsCalle Cameron 32, Smza 27
77509 Cancun, Mexico
Phone:
52-998-884-36672
Farándula (La)
Location:
view in google mapsBoulevard Kukulcán y Calle Cenzontle
Centro
77500 Cancun, Mexico
Phone:
52 998 883 0160Day 4 - Cancun
Hop on the bus in the central station again for a day trip south to visit Akumal and Paamul. These are the best places to visit for a day where you'll see few other tourists, where you can enjoy the beaches and the local village without the bustle or heckling. In Akumal, you can snorkel above incredible reefs with tons of different colorful fish and can even see some huge sea turtles. Try lunch at the fisherman's cafe where the catch of the day is the main menu item, or another one of the amazing small restaurants around the village. The beaches around Akumal are pristine and never crowded, but for true beach solitude stop at Paamul on your way back north. There's more snorkeling and beach relaxation to be had here, and you'll rarely see another tourist. You can grab a snack at a pretty decent cafe here on the beach if you're hungry. Hop on the bus back up to Cancun in the late afternoon, and shower off at the hotel before heading back out to El Pescador (less expensive sister restaurant to La Mesa del Pescador). It's hard to choose which seafood dish to try here, but everything's so fresh that you can't really go wrong. There's also plenty of good traditional Mexican dishes on the menu if that's what you're in the mood for.
1
Akumal
Location:
view in google mapsCarretera Cancún-Chetumal Km 251
77500 Cancun, Mexico
Phone:
+52 998 287 36712
Paamul
Location:
view in google mapsCarretera Cancún-Playa del Carmen Km 92
75000 Cancun, Mexico
Phone:
+52 998 287 3671 (Tourist Information)3
Mesa del Pescador (La)
Location:
view in google mapsBoulevard Kukulcán Km 13
Plaza Kukulcán
77500 Cancun, Mexico
Phone:
52 998 885 0505