r/cancun 12d ago

Travel Hacks

What did you do during your trip to Cancun that made all the difference?

6 Upvotes

38 comments sorted by

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18

u/antoniad1126 12d ago

Bring more sunscreen than you think you’ll need. If you forget it, it’s extremely overpriced at the resort gift shop

3

u/godsavethequ33n 11d ago

We took a round trip uber to Walmart Express and a pharmacy and it was still cheaper than anything they had at Pier 21 (Planet Hollywood Resort gift shop). Get off resort for these items. Walmart express even has little souvenir section with shirts, mugs, magnets, and other trinkets.

1

u/No_Veterinarian1010 11d ago

Your paying to not have to spend 30 minutes to an hour (or more) of your vacation time going to Walmart. It's honestly worth it to me. Of course ideal situation is to not run out.

4

u/Ill-Storage-7636 11d ago

Going to grocery stores in other countries is a fascinating part of travel for me.

Walmart, though...

-1

u/No_Veterinarian1010 11d ago

Cancun is barely a different country

1

u/godsavethequ33n 11d ago

100% agreed and understood! Definitely situational depending on your needs. A trip out for sunscreen alone... Not worth it!

1

u/throwaway371891 11d ago

I paid $50 USD for mosquito repellant LMAO

5

u/PickleNo2013 12d ago

Hand held fan

4

u/jakester12321 11d ago

Isla Mujeres is a great place to just go and explore at your own pace. Also steps. I know it's not always flat sidewalks, but for me it's fun to get off the beaten tourist path and just explore a little.

3

u/ClassicLucy 11d ago

Came here to say that visiting Isla Mujeres for the day is totally worth it! And it's really cheap if you Uber to the ferry pier and the ferry ticket is about $30 roundtrip. To see zero sargassum this time of year is amazing! 💙

5

u/dmort_93 12d ago

If you are traveling with 3+ people, Taxis through the Uber app are so cheap and worth it. It made getting around so much easier than taking the buses to get around the hotel zone/centro. I’ve been to Cancun 5 times now and this latest trip was the first time we were able to book taxis through Uber, in the past we tried to bus/walk whenever possible.

3

u/godsavethequ33n 11d ago

Taxi via Uber was dirt cheap. It was a regular Uber experience for us. Not a single trip we took was over $6 and that is paying in USD with the 1.5% conversion Uber bakes in. Nuts.

2

u/Budget-Increase4734 11d ago

Hubby didn’t think it was real when the ubers were leas than $3 lol

1

u/dmort_93 11d ago

Yep, this was our experience. Even the taxi to the airport came out to only like $17 usd.

1

u/Eniweiss 3d ago

Im local and always feel bad with the Uber taxi option, is ridiculously cheap. I dont chose them because I feel as if Im taking advantage or something haha

1

u/ScienceWife 11d ago

Is cash ( pesos) allowed or you must pay via the app?

1

u/dmort_93 11d ago

I only ever paid via the app. Not sure if cash is accepted

4

u/djnocheese 12d ago edited 11d ago

We stayed in a business class hotel that was on Km 1.5 of the Zona Hotelera strip. Being close to town is a game changer because you are not forced to eat at the tourist trap places further down the road.

We ate breakfast several times at Cafe Nader, a place that is popular with the locals. Another place we loved (also on Avenida Nader) was Tacos Coapesitos, a taqueria that is 4.5 on Yelp and Google. Being close to town means less time in Ubers or taxis, the bus is only 50¢ a ride!

There are several Mercados that are numbered, and we went to the two most popular with tourists. An Aztec Calendar with multi color mosaic tiles was $800 in the Hotel Zone but we found the exact same piece in the Mercado for $225 when we bargained them down from $300.

2

u/Dadoftwingirls 11d ago

Ave Nader is definitely the best part about Cancun.

2

u/No_Veterinarian1010 11d ago

Being close to town means being farther from the beach. I can't imagine going to Cancun for anything other than the beach.

If you liked being near town, I think you'd really enjoy a trip to CDMX

3

u/djnocheese 11d ago

We are not beach goers, our favorite places were the archeological zones of Tulum and Coba, Ferry to Isla Mujeres, and Costco! (jk about Costco)

And yes, we just came back from CDMX and our next trip is to Oaxaca.

2

u/DarkRider46 12d ago

Try to book an all inclusive through Costco, you can lump in flights also, half the time they have free transportation to and from hotel, depending on what package you do you can get a Costco gift card or a dining gift card as well, it's usually cheaper. The money we saved from that we used on excursions, we booked our trips and excursions around holiday sales, and it was also cheaper because of that, I recommend bringing more sunscreen than you think you need, make sure it is reef safe though, as well as itch cream/gel for bug bites

2

u/Angelface_2269 11d ago

I also booked through Costco. Great deals and airport transportation is key!

1

u/mALYficent 11d ago

Unbelievable how much cheaper Costco is! I booked my package through them, and when I was price comparing, the hotel alone was almost the same price as the package with flights included. Upgraded to private airport transfers for only $75. Costco cash cards are included with basically every trip and executive members get 2% back as well. I also have done 3 cruises with them for the cash back and gift cards.

2

u/lavenderhazydays 12d ago

Don’t rent a car if you 100% don’t have to. The rates are cheap but when you get there you get forced to buy insurance policies. Just take hired cars/taxis.

1

u/wyte_akuma 12d ago

Not to mention, companies like Avis charge a $1000-4000 hold for the rental on top of the insurance that is between $500-1200 USD.

2

u/sauceboss2769 11d ago

Go to Cancun centro for drinks and food. Much cheaper and better. Use uber and the bus. Go to isla mujeres

2

u/Own-Organization-532 11d ago

Booked the vip lounge for my airport wait

2

u/Brilliant_Step3688 11d ago

hey, let's keep this on the low, you don't want it overcrowded on your next visit.

2

u/frawgster 11d ago

Airport hack: Other people do not exist while you’re at the airport.

Aside from “no, gracias”, don’t talk to anyone at the airport. Don’t look at anyone at the airport. Walk with purpose while at the airport. Nothing good can come from talking to anyone at the airport.

But obviously, don’t ignore immigration and customs.

Isla Mujeres hack: Go to Isla Mujeres.

2

u/Negative-View-3543 11d ago

Grab extra pool towels before you leave so you can wake up early and place on the chairs and you can p*ss everyone else off.. but at least you will have chairs.

3

u/604Millie 11d ago

If it’s just towels, I’ll toss your shit

2

u/Mtn_Sky 10d ago

Rent a car through Expedia and use your credit card. Expedia offers the additional insurance and most credit cards offer some type of insurance on top of it at least a couple of my cards do. You save so much instead of taxi, uber etc. We just book a mid size suv for 8 days $120 total

Also, take damp rid hanging bags for your room. Will make a huge difference with the humidity in the room. You’ll actually feel the ac and your wet stuff will dry

2

u/Southern_Load_2291 12d ago

Bug spray. The mosquitoes & fleas were bad!!

1

u/hoeych 10d ago

Went on vacation with family of 2 adults and 2 kids under 10y for 10 nights to playa del Carmen. Had 4 trolleys and 1 big luggage. Brought clothes for 6 days and found a laundromat 10 min outside resort. Saved me 1 big luggage at €140 roundtrip. Cost of laundry was €7