Cancun Travel Guide
Hi and welcome to today’s Cancun travel guide blog post. I hope you grabbed some coffee because it’s gonna be a long one! To make things a little easier, I structured it into categories Q&A style. In the blog post, I included:
WHAT YOU NEED TO TRAVEL TO MEXICO VIA AIRPLANE, RESORT REVIEW (name, location, restaurants, amenities in the resort, etc.), SAFETY OUTSIDE OF THE RESORT, DO YOU NEED TO EXCHANGE CURRENCY, WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT DRINK IN MEXICO, AND WHAT I DID WITH PEPPER & LUNA WHILE TRAVELING.
What do I need to travel to Mexico by airplane?
In order to travel to Mexico from the United States, you need a passport, negative COVID test three days BEFORE your flight departs. You’ll need to present documentation of your test result digitally or in print. I had mine ready to show on my email. YOUR RESORT MAY HAVE DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS — The resort we stayed at required us to have negative COVID test results at check-in, and they also provided FREE COVID tests at the concierge or front desk for guests staying three nights or more.
If you’re traveling to Mexico, you can fill out the required customs declaration and immigration form online before your trip instead of filling out paper forms in flight. I actually filled mine out online the night before the flight, but on the Delta airline I was on, they had us do it again in print. So be sure to bring a pen for the flight! Due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, all travelers entering Mexico from another country are required to complete a health questionnaire, which can also be submitted online. You can also fill this out on your phone via the QR code in the Customs line. You’ll need to know your airline flight number, passport number, name of the resort, etc.
Keep in mind, the requirements may be different for other countries, so be sure to read the airline instructions!
Did you take a direct flight to Cancun?
My first flight to Cancun was a direct flight. I flew out of JFK to Cancun International Airport. The flight time was 3 hours and 56 mins. The second flight back home, I had a connecting flight from Cancun to Atlanta and then to LaGuardia Airport.
RESORT REVIEW:
Where did you stay?
We stayed at the Presidente InterContinental Cancun Resort — located in the Hotel Zone. From the airport, we booked a roundtrip shuttle ride to our resort — we went ahead and scheduled a pick-up time and date for our return. I definitely recommend doing this while you’re at the airport. You just have to make sure you call 1-2 days ahead before your pick-up day to let them know you’ll need a shuttle ride to the airport!
The resort was in a convenient location — not to mention, my sister and I did a lot of looking to see other hotel areas and how much beach / pool space they had. Not to be biased, but this resort had TWO pools to choose from, five hot tubs, a beach bar with friendly staff who took food and drink orders from anywhere on the beach, another beach bar, and numerous amount of little huts and chairs for tanning and relaxing. In comparison to the other beach and pool ratios, I was a big fan of the resort we were at.
Day one required mango and strawberry margaritas.
I really enjoyed the pool / beach space. It was spacious and didn’t feel crowded during our stay there. We ended up ordering the fish tacos and guacamole TWICE during our stay. It was THAT good.
Are there restaurants in the resort?
Yes, there are actually three. We had dinner at one of the Carribean restaurants — El Caribeño — right on the beach just in time for the sunset. HIGHLY RECOMMEND the coconut shrimp as an appetizer.
Is breakfast included?
Breakfast is not included, but they do bill you at the end of your stay along with your hotel room and anything else you’ve added on — drinks at the bar, coconut water, snacks at the beach bar, etc. The breakfast at El Caribeño was really delicious — try the fresh watermelon juice and their quiche, potatoes, and pastries are to die for.
How many pools are there?
There are two huge outdoor pools and five hot tubs.
You can even go for a night swim — the pool closes at 10 PM.
You talked about the water being so blue. Is it always like that?
YES. IT’S BREATHTAKING. The Caribbean sea is so clear and blue because it has little presence of plankton, or other substances, and it’s relatively shallow so most of the light is reflected. The fact that the sand is light-colored and the water is relatively shallow also makes the water appear turquoise. Water gets its color from the interaction of sunlight with water and the substances in the water. (source)
We even found a starfish in the ocean!
What time was sunset there?
Sunset was at 7:30 pm, but the glow after the sun set was surreal. Keep scrolling down to see some of the sunset shots.
I had to show you one with no filter.
Is there a gym at the resort?
Yes, and you bet I checked beforehand. My sister and I have this ongoing joke that we tend to work out even MORE when we’re on vacation. It’s so true — we’re one of those families. You know, the ones that run 5Ks on Thanksgiving.
Is it safe to walk outside of the resort?
Yes! The resort is located in the Hotel Zone — basically a long strip of hotels, restaurants, bars, grocery markets, shops contributing to the Cancun tourism. It’s one big tourist area, so you’ll most likely find yourself surrounded by people. For our last night, we were walking to a nearby restaurant and settled for an authentic supermarket instead. We got some filet with rice and pastries from the top floor and ate out on the balcony overlooking the road and water. The supermarket was like a Mexican-style Whole Foods. If you get the chance to explore outside of the resort, definitely take advantage of it.
I also went for a run alongside the hotels — there was this long path that took us to the end of the strip.
As I said in this Instagram post, the humidity was on another level here. If you’re going to run here, definitely recommend waking up even earlier than 8 AM to get that run in.
Do I need to exchange money at the airport?
So this was something we learned while there. You can more than likely use your credit card or American dollars at the resort, taxis, bars, and restaurants. They’ll take pesos AND American dollars. I’d still recommend having some pesos for your trip — in case for any visits outside of Cancun, say local spots, tours, or even for tips.
This is the conversion from USD to MXN:
1.00 USD =19.877 MXN
10.00 USD = 198.770935 MXN
Can I drink the tap water there?
It is best advised to drink bottled water. Even if the tap water meets the standards of safety needed to be safe for drinking, a change in water from what you are used to can cause an upset stomach. Your best bet is to just drink bottled water. (source) Cancun’s tap water is contaminated — that doesn’t mean it’s not safe. However, there are so many contaminants and things that can get into the water, so essentially, you won’t be drinking pure water.
When we ordered our bottled waters, the restaurant gave us ice in cups. That was actually fine to drink.
How did you take care of Pepper and Luna while you were away?
I did a lot of research on cat-sitters here in New York City. Luckily, I found one that I genuinely love on Meowtel. I was able to meet her in person before I left to go over where everything was. She asked me a lot of questions about Pepper and Luna and I even gave her a tour of the apartment of where their treats, food, water, and toys were.
I’m not even kidding when I say she’s a cat whisperer. Pepper and Luna are always scared of any other human besides me, but they really opened up to her during the time I was away. On the website to book, you can schedule how many visits you want the cat sitter to come by the apartment. You can also choose between 20 mins, 45 mins and even longer. The cat-sitter took my additional key and she always reported back via text after each visit with photos of Pepper and Luna. Not to mention, I also bought this pet camera to keep an eye on them at all times.
I hope you enjoyed this travel guide! Have you been to Cancun before? Are you planning to visit?
I’d love to hear from you! Stay tuned for the next travel guide coming soon ;)