9 of us went to Cancun in October, ages ranged from 12 to 60. Flight was totally awful with us sitting on Manchester runway two hours for refuelling (we took off from Birmingham International). On arrival at Cancun Airport everybody’s suitcases were searched with dried milk powder being taken from visitors. At Tucancun Beach Hotel we found a beautiful hotel, which was between the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean Sea and the Nichupte Lagoon. Just across the road was the Kukulcan Plaza were you could find restaurants, entertainment and shops.
The hotel had 4 restaurants and the food was very good so good
we never eat outside of the hotel and no one had a upset stomache in the two weeks we were there. Food was varied but included Mexican, Italian, and also International. With three bars to choose from there was never a long wait at the bar and as one is poolside you did not have to walk far for a drink. The was evening entertainment and if I am truthful this let the hotel down and was possible bad point. The entertainment did not start until 9pm and was risqué to say the least. Best night of entertainment was Casino night you had the chips for free and won as much money as possible later an auction takes place for t. shirts, drinking glass and tequila highest bidder wins and you use your chips as money.
Non-motorized water sports at nearby marina included snorkelling, boogie boards & inner tubes. All the rooms had air-conditioning, which at times was a relief. You could also have loan hairdryers, which were very good, but had to be back at reception within one hour otherwise you were charged for them this was also the case for beach towels. The staff were mainly Mexican, Cuban and Argentinean and they were both helpful and friendly.
Also my sister in law celebrated her 50th birthday while at the hotel so after email them before we left they upgraded her room for free, made her a beautiful cake and treated her as a vip guest which really made the holiday for her. The beaches are beautiful white talcum powder and the fish are all the colours of the rainbow.
The restaurants in Cancun are varied and the are many ranges including international, Italian, Mexican, North American fast food, fish and seafood, and much more but a word of warning be careful and check prices before you go in some restaurants are reasonable, some very expensive. Also be sure if the prices are in US dollars or Mexican Pesos they both have the same symbol but it was 3 pesos to the dollar.
There are many trips to go on so you can see the real Mexico rather than the commercial part which canun is. These trips include the Cancun Queen where you enjoy a beautiful sunset aboard the boat while eating chicken or fish, (lobster is extra) while drinking white wine, listening to soft music, there is also dancing and an open bar.
Chichen Itza this is the most famous of Mayan sites. The site is dominated by the large central pyramid called El Castillo and the surrounding buildings include the Temple of the Warriors or 1,000 Columns; the Ball-court and the well from which Chichen Itza takes its name. The tour here takes about 90 minutes and is well worth visiting. We visited Tulum, which is also called the walled city this abandoned city towers above the deep turquoise of the Caribbean and a beautiful white sandy beach.
Tulum is a 1hr 40-minute drive south from Cancun the tour here takes around 45 minutes and then you get time to take photos of the view. We also visited Xel-Ha, which is a large area of protected inlets and lagoons, Xel-Ha is a beautiful natural aquarium, home to many varieties of colourful tropical fish. You can learn to snorkel and enjoy watching the fish.
Xel-Ha is 15 minutes north of Tulum, and most trips combine the two. There are several restaurants in the park and we did eat in two again we were not disappointed it was very good but can get busy, also would advise to go all inclusive here as prices are a bit steep. Enjoyed both with lots to do at Xel-Ha I even saw with a sea turtle.
Outside of your hotel in what is called the hotel zone prices are high and we never caught a taxi because they were very expensive. Instead we used the local bus system and as it is impossible to get lost in Cancun as the hotel zone is shaped like the number 7. The buses are handy and very cheap and unlike our buses there was a bus every couple of minutes.
The Mexican people are very friendly, for example we were trying to cross a busy road suddenly over a loud hailer a policeman stopped the traffic warning them “tourist” so that we could cross and then off he went. A friend we made at the hotel told us she was late for a trip, the meeting place was at a hotel further up the road, she asked a policeman where this other hotel was as she was late, he actually took her and her family in his car with sirens on amazing!
Just one word of warning they do search cases again on departure and weigh them anything over 20 kilos is £6 per kilo and I had to pay £26. Also in the departure lounge just as you are getting on the plane they search you again and this time it’s a body search with your shoes being checked. I enjoyed my stay and as we got a cheap deal £649.00 each (two weeks all inclusive in a 4* hotel) I would go back again because this holiday was one of the best I have ever had.
Hiya,
This is the best op I have read since I joined Ciao in October.
I want to go to Cancun now for my 50th bithday next year.
Must have a word with the old man.
Take Care and Well done!!
luv joy
averagepunter 20.01.2003 15:52
Great op. As a couple, the wife and I went to Cancun three times - it is a fantastic destination. Unfortunately with kids now part of the equation it is not so practical, but hopefully we'll get back there in a few years.
Morgenhund 19.01.2003 23:20
Great stuff! That's more like it - write like the revised version of this and you'll soon be moving up the ciao charts! Keep me posted! Mike
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Advantages: unique, in your face, great entertainment, superb value for money. Disadvantages: bit cheesy - but meant to be
TheWizardsSleeve 05.11.2007 (31.10.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Coco Bongo, Cancun, Mexico
Advantages: Trapeze acts, stage artists, great fun party music, atmosphere, strong drinks Disadvantages: Very busy, likely to get drinks spilled on you
![Video Visits: Mexico - Merida, Cancun, Belize [DVD] [1999] [US Import] [NTSC]](http://images.ciao.com/ide/images/icons/no_pic_generic_S1.gif "Video Visits: Mexico - Merida, Cancun, Belize [DVD] [1999] [US Import] [NTSC]"){kind=icon}
Jan 18th, 2003
(Jan 19th, 2003)
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