I recently enjoyed a double destination Mexican vacation in Cancun and Playa del Carmen. This was my first trip to both cities and my first time staying in all-inclusive resorts. Some people may wonder about the benefits of visiting two cities in the same trip that are close to each other. Even though Cancun and Playa del Carmen are only an hour apart, they are very different cities. Each has its own charms.

I should start by saying that the Mayan Riviera (general location including both cities) is an extremely gorgeous place to visit. Near the shores and reefs, the ocean water is warm, light blue in color, and clear enough to see to the bottom. While on an all-day snorkeling adventure, I was able to see the large reef formations, schools of fish, crustaceans, and sea turtles that inhabited the waters. Some of the reef formations were so large they almost reached the water line.

I started my trip in Cancun and stayed at The Royal Cancun. The hotel is an exquisite six star, all-inclusive resort. While checking in, we received a glass of champagne to kick off the vacation. The hotel was very luxurious and definitely deserved its six-star rating. Our room had a view of the ocean, a two person shower, a hot tub next to a large ocean-view window, and a hammock on the balcony. The pool was massive and extended from one end of the resort to the other. The resort also had private beach cabanas and chairs. Each restaurant in the resort had its own style and all of the food was good. The best part was that we never paid for anything out-of-pocket.

Across the street, there was Pat O’Briens, Margaritaville, and a small flea market. About a half-mile away from the resort there was a large flea market, shopping mall, and nightclubs. There isn’t much to do in town during the day except shop at the flea market or mall, but the city is hopping at night. We went to Coco Bongo one night and had a great time. After you pay the $60 cover charge, you can enjoy the open bar and shows. The only downside of the town is that we couldn’t find any local restaurants. All of them seemed to be chain restaurants that can be found in the USA (e.g. Planet Hollywood, Chili’s, etc.).

On the third day of the trip, we checked out of the Cancun hotel and took an hour-long taxi ride to The Royal Playa del Carmen. The resort in Playa del Carmen was just as nice as the one in Cancun. The resort was located within one block of the town’s main road; this meant that we could walk to all of the shops, restaurants, bars, and clubs. When comparing this resort to the one in Cancun, the layout wasn’t as good (restaurants, bars, and shops are very spread out) and not all of the rooms were ocean-view. Both locations had the same restaurants, bars, and shops.

Playa del Carmen had much more to offer than Cancun. The main road (5th Avenue) is a pedestrian only road and doesn’t allow motorized vehicles. It was long with shops and restaurants running the length of the road. It had many kinds of restaurants and bars and being able to eat at places outside the resort was a nice change. We were able to try some of the great local Mexican restaurants and enjoy the more authentic culture than was available in the touristy city of Cancun. We took a resort-offered bike tour through town and saw some of the other areas we missed while walking.

Another great perk of the hotel is that all non-motorized sports were included in the hotel stay. This included use of kayaks, boogie boards, and snorkeling gear. You could also rent personal water crafts near the resort for a fee. The resort offered free activities during the day. This included a bike tour, kayak tour, pool activities, Spanish lessons, etc. Also included with the hotel stay was a very nice on-site gym.

Having the ability to visit two cities in one vacation was amazing. Multiple-destination vacations require transferring hotels, but add the benefit of experiencing multiple cities in one trip. Staying at multiple six-star, all-inclusive hotels didn’t hurt either. I will never forget the amazing time I had on my vacation.

Happy Vacationing!

Dan Sifuentes
SaveOnResorts.com
Director of Software Development