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This past December I traveled to Cancun, Mexico with my girlfriend Emily for the 2015 New Year! We spent 7 days and 6 nights in Cancun - split between two different resorts. The total cost of the airfare and hotels was just $166.22 for the two of us! You can read how to get the exact same deal with less than 2 hours of total work in this post: Seven Days in Cancun Mexico for $166.22.
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| The view from our room at the Westin Lagunamr Ocean Resort in Cancun, Mexico |
Landing in Cancun and Making Mistakes
Emily and I flew from Chicago's Midway airport directly to Cancun, Mexico via Southwest airlines on New Year's Eve day. We landed mid-afternoon. The only issues we had throughout the entire trip were within our first hour in Cancun, but they were two lessons that make for wise travel in the future.
Lesson 1: Instead of exchanging money at an airport currency exchange, use the local ATMs. The exchange rate at the airport kiosk was 11.5 Mexican Pesos (MXN) to 1 USD where as you get the full valued exchange rate of ~15 MXN to 1 USD when withdrawing Pesos from your checking account at the ATM. Here's the math showing why this can be a very expensive mistake:
Person 1 exchanges $300 USD at a rate of 11.5 MXN at the airport exchange kiosk = 3,450 MXN
Person 2 withdraws $300 USD from the ATM and pays a withdrawal fee of $3 USD = 4,500 MXN
With the exchange rate of 15 MXN - 1 USD, Person 1 now only has $230 USD ( 3,450 / 15 ) worth of Pesos! Person 2 has $300 USD worth of Pesos.
Person 1 lost $70 USD by using the airport currency exchange instead of the ATM!
If it's your first time travelling internationally just give your bank a quick call and let them know you will be heading to Mexico and you will have no problems using the local Mexican ATMs with your debit card. I always advise to bring extra cash along in case of an emergency as well.
The second lesson we learned was that there's no easy way to escape the Cancun airport. The transportation services at the exit of the airport are highly regulated and very expensive. Emily and I didn't plan ahead and had to pay $55 USD for a 4 mile trip from the airport to our first hotel... It was a very upsetting experience, but it doesn't have to be...
There are two better options for escaping the Cancun airport. The first is to book transportation ahead of time. A company like USA transfers will charge you $25 USD for the trip. The second option is to take a bus from the airport to downtown Cancun and then another bus from downtown Cancun to the hotel zone. A bus ride costs $0.75 USD, so the second option will cost $1.50 USD per person but will take between 1 and 1.5 hours. The second option is a lot of work and after a long flight I would recommend just paying the overpriced van transfer service so you can begin enjoying your time in Cancun.
After making our two mistakes at the airport we had finally arrived at our first hotel which was the Westin Resort & Spa Cancun.
Westin Resort & Spa Cancun
The Westin Resort & Spa Cancun is located at the far South end of the Hotel Zone. The Hotel Zone is a seven mile stretch of land situated between the Caribbean sea and a large lagoon. Here's a rough map of Cancun and the Hotel Zone:
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| The Westin Resort and Spa was at the far South end of the hotel zone which I've circled in red. |
The Westin was amazing, relaxing, and peaceful. The South end of the hotel zone is much quieter than the North end. The rooms were clean and spacious. Half of the rooms had views of the ocean and the other half had views of the lagoon, which were just as beautiful:
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| Our view of the lagoon from our room at the Westin. |
There were numerous pools as well as an amazing beach for swimming in the ocean. As a Platinum SPG member Emily and I received complimentary breakfast each morning and also had access to a free nightly manager's reception with a full service bar (lot's of delicious Mexican margaritas for free!)
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| Very spacious room at the Westin Resort and Spa Cancun |
NYE in Cancun and David Guetta
Cancun is a very popular destination during New Year's Eve which can result in sky-high rates at the resorts. Thankfully, SPG's free night redemption policy for points doesn't fluctuate based on popularity! We had no plans for NYE but meet up with a fraternity brother of mine, Matt Dohse, who was also vacationing in Cancun. The three of us jumped on a city bus next to the hotel and went to the North part of the hotel zone in search of a place to celebrate NYE. When we got to the bar area we were bombarded by salesmen trying to sell us tickets to NYE parties in the various bars. The majority of the salesmen were charging between $70-$120 for the night with drinks included, but we decided to instead grab beers from a convenience store and enjoyed the celebration in the streets with the locals.
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| Celebrating NYE in the streets of Cancun with Emily and Matt. |
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| Our NYE Midnight hike |
Standing in the sand on a warm NYE night in Cancun while watching David Guetta perform, with two people who are very special to me, was an amazing start to 2015 and definitely a magical memory!
Cancun Adventures
Cancun is full of awesome and exciting things to do. There's scuba diving, snorkeling, Mayan ruins, Cenotes, dolphins, and much more. Emily and I went on one guided tour while in Cancun to see the Cenotes. Cenotes are sinkholes in the limestone bedrock with fresh water feed from underground rivers. The Mayans swam in the sinkholes and performed religious rituals as well as sacrifices at them.
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| One of the larger Cenotes in the area with a relatively well preserved limestone ceiling. |
We visited 5 Cenotes on our tour and got to repel, zip-line, canoe, swim, and snorkel at each one. It was a full day tour and cost $100 USD per person. We booked the tour through Xenotes. Xenotes is part of a huge tour company and the entire trip was safe, well organized, and fun. If you're looking for a guaranteed enjoyable tour trip I'd recommend using their service.
We also took the bus from the Hotel Zone to downtown Cancun one evening and checked out the local shops and restaurants. The people were welcoming and it was nice to get away from the tourist area. The rest of our time in Cancun was spent swimming in the ocean, hanging out poolside, and relaxing!
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| Emily and I enjoying the pristine waters of a cenote. |
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| The beach along the Hotel Zone in Cancun had beautiful sand, the water was warm, and very clean. |
The Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort
Midway through our trip we changed hotels and went to the Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort. The Westin Lagunamar was near the North side of the Hotel Zone. It is a villa property which means every room has a kitchen with dishes, pots and pans, and all other necessary cooking equipment. The room also had a washer and dryer, Jacuzzi tub, and a balcony with amazing ocean views! The resort was massive and had 5 heated infinity pools and 4 hot tubs scattered throughout.
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| One of the infinity pools above the ocean at the Westin Lagunamar. |
The Westin Lagunamar is a timeshare property which means that many of the employees who have guest relation job titles are most likely salespeople... We were contacted multiple times throughout the stay via letters under our door regarding a free welcoming gift, a deeply discounted rate on our next visit, and local activity advice. However, knowing that accepting any of the offers would most likely result in a 2-3 hour sales pitch to buy into the time share, we politely declined all offers.
Also, a note for SPG snobs -- the only benefit we received for having SPG Platinum status was our welcoming gift which we chose to be free continental breakfast each morning and because it was a villa property suite, night upgrade awards could not be used.
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| The view from our villa balcony at the Westin Lagunamar |
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| Mayan ruin steps away from our hotel looking out towards the ocean. |
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| The Westin Lagunamar. |
Words for Wise Wandering
Spending the first week of 2015 basking in the sun in Cancun, Mexico was epic. It was also very affordable! Thanks to the SPG credit card I was able to redeem Starpoints for all of the hotels stays and paid $0. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card also gave me enough points to fly two people round-trip from Chicago to Cancun with only $166.22 total in taxes. Here's the link to the full post on how you can have the exact same trip for the same price: Six Days in Cancun Mexico for $166.22.
I highly recommend taking the bus everywhere in Cancun. It costs $0.75 USD per person, is safe, and the drivers speak enough English to be able to help you navigate around the city.
Also, be sure to leave your phone on airplane mode throughout your visit to avoid the ridiculous international fees phone carriers charge.
You should be using the GPS on your phone whenever you leave your hotel. Using the GPS system in your phone will never cost you data or fees because it is a separate piece of hardware from your cell provider's network. Google Maps also has a great feature that allows you to download maps for use offline so you can easily navigate any place in the world for free without a data connection.
Both of the SPG properties we stayed at were amazing. Here are the major differences between each property which may help you decide what one would be a better fit for your own trip.
Westin Resort and Spa Cancun (7,000 starpoints per night):
Pros:
- Calm and Relaxed (away from major party areas and bars)
- Great SPG Platinum member benefits
Cons:
- Not within walking distance of the majority of restaurants/shopping, so you will need to take the bus or taxi often
- Limited kid activities offered by resort
- Water is not filtered, you must drink from water bottles
Westin Lagunamar (10,000 starpoints per night):
Pros:
- Full kitchen with laundry and balcony, ocean views
- Very close to majority of restaurants and shopping
- Heated pool and hot tubs
- Great resort organized activities for teens and kids
- Water is filtered
Cons:
- Can be loud
- May have to listen to a timeshare sales pitch
Do be aware that the food and shopping is very expensive in the hotel zone and even in parts of downtown Cancun compared to the rest of Mexico. The prices are comparable to any vacation zone in the United States.
I am already looking forward to the next time I get to return to Cancun. The people were so incredibly kind, the weather was perfect, and we felt very safe the entire time.
Cancun is the ultimate balance of relaxation and adventure with modern day amenities!
Feel free to ask any questions you may have or add your own Cancun tips in the comment section below!
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