Visiting Cancun and the Riviera Maya
As the plane made its approach to Cancun’s airport, the destruction left behind by last fall’s hurricane was evident in the vegetation, the structures and to the beaches. Once we picked up our rental car and drove to our hotel zone, it really hit us hard: some buildings were being rebuilt, others were being torn down while others disappeared completely. But there were a lot of businesses and hotels that were open and looked like nothing had happened.
Later, when we drove south to Tulum, we also saw more crews rebuilding some of the all-inclusive hotels that are scattered throughout the Riviera Maya. But again, there are plenty of places to stay and visit: the archeological site of Tulum was open as were Xcaret and the dive-site of Dos Ojos.
Where I stayed in Cancun
I wanted to stay at a nice all inclusive hotel in Cancun, at least a four star. My parents suggested I consider Playa del Carmen but I thought it was just a small town (as it was when I was last there (it used to be a place to catch the ferry to Cozumel and where American hippies hung out smoking pot). Playa del Carmen is almost an hour from Cancun and my parents so I decided to stay in Cancun.
I looked at staying at Le Meridien but one reviewer on Expedia wrote that the hotel did not have direct access to the beach after the hurricane so I settled on the Riu Palace las Americas. (I later visited Le Meridien and found it did have access to the beach – I really wished I had stayed there!)
The Riu Palace was not bad but I would consider it a 4 star hotel and not a 5 star hotel as it is categorized on Expedia. The service was good, the room was nice and the food was also good. I also enjoyed the entertainment provided. I did not care for not having a valet or someone to take your luggage when you pulled up to the hotel. I was impressed by the state of the hotel – it looked like it had never been through a hurricane.
Even though my parents own a home in Cancun, on my first trip to Cancun in over a decade, I chose to stay in a hotel in the hotel zone partly because my parents were remodeling their home and I did not want to get in their way. When I saw their home was in excellent shape (my parents made it sound like I would be stepping over construction), I chose to stay at their home on my second trip in January.
Where I would like to stay the next time I visit the Riviera Maya
After visiting Playa del Carmen, I think I will stay there the next time. I really liked the little town: I like the idea of being able to walk to good restaurants and the beaches. There are many excellent dive sites close to Playa, too. For more diving, it is easy to catch the ferry to Cozumel from Playa.
Walking down avenida 5 (“La Quinta”) in Playa is also great if you want to people watch, find an excellent restaurant or do some other kind of shopping. Cancun should take a few lessons from Playa: vendors/time share salespeople are not allowed to accost you like they do in Cancun.
The small town is kept clean and the police have little tolerance for drunks. I also liked that the tourists intermingle with the nationals, something that comes across as being discouraged in Cancun. I have to say that my favorite restaurants were in Playa, too. The food was much tastier than in Cancun, the service excellent and the prices very reasonable.
