Mexico – A combo luxury and budgeted trip

Places visited:

Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Yucatan, Valladolid

I’ve been to many white sand beaches in the Philippines and Europe but Cancun has the literal powdery beach sand.

Itinerary

Day 1

• Arrival in Cancun
• Brunch with the dolphins at Jugo de Limon
• La Isla shopping and activity booking
• Dinner at Hooters
• Side walking at the party district

Day 2

• Boat Party
• Dinner at Fred’s House

Day 3

• Bus tour
• Dinner at Gustino, JW Marriott

Day 4

• Buffet brunch at Sedona Grill
• Beach bumming
• Dinner with the crocodile at Lorrenzillo’s
• Souvenir shopping
• Club Party hopping

Day 5

Hangover Day & Departure Day!!!

• Buffet Brunch at Sedona Grill
• Jacuzzi
• Last minute pasalubong shopping
• Departure from Cancun

Trip Highlight

Boat Party

Cancun is a party place so getting on a boat to party is a must.

Inclusions:

• Open bar (drink all you want)
• Snorkeling the underwater museum (life jacket, fins and goggles are provided)

Please be ready to swim with your life jacket and fins in order to see the underwater museum. The waves are too big which makes it tiresome to swim.

• Spinnaker Activity

No swimming equipment allowed on this activity so only people who can swim is eligible to join. It’s similar to parasailing but you have to jump off the water. It was a shame that they can’t even provide any lifejacket or lifebuoy on the water to help you get back to the boat. Or maybe it was a shame I could not swim. Otherwise, I would have been up to try the activity

• Buffet Lunch at Isla Mujeres
• Tequila Tasting

Lots of liquor shops offer free tequila tasting. Of course, you won’t be able to try all of them, but you can get a taste of the best ones.

• Beach bumming at Isla Mujeres

Dinner at Fred’s House

Fred’s House is the number 1 seafood restaurant on TripAdvisor so we decided to give it a try. I was not that impressed by the grilled seafood platter but they have the best crab soup I ever tasted my entire life!

Bus Tour

Inclusions:

• Lunch at the Mayan Cooperative,
• Chichen Itza

Part of my bucket list is to visit all the New 7 Wonders of the World. I have been to Great Wall and Colosseum so I cannot miss the opportunity to visit this one. 3 out of 7 done!

• Swim in the tranquil Ik-Kil cenote

At first I was too excited to see a cenote and expecting to see blue Gatorade water, but was a disappointed when we got there so we decided not to swim

• See Valladolid, Yucatán’s third-largest city

Dinner at Lorenzillo’s

To anyone who loves lobsters, I strongly recommend this place. They serve lobster steak in different sauces to satisfy your taste bud. They also have the tastiest complementary bread in the planet. We thought that it was for sale as there is a bakery house next to the restaurant, but unfortunately the bread is only complementary for customers dining in. If I get the chance, I would definitely come back just for the bread.

Gallery

Room balcony view at JW Marriott

Beach bumming

Spinnaker

Lunch with the Dolphins at Jugo de Limon

Puntas de res a la mexicana at Jugo de Limon

Ricky Martin’s villa at Isla Mujeres

Lively party district of Cancun

Isla Mujeres

Beach at Isla Mujeres

Boat Party Crew!

One of the New 7 Wonders of the World – Chichen Itza

Traditional Mayan dance at Yucatan

Ik-kil Cenote

Oldest church in Valladolid

Infinity pool at JW Marriott

Beef Carpaccio at Gustino

Dos Equis

The tastiest bread in the planet at Lorrenzillo’s

Cold seafood platter at Lorrenzillo’s

Broiled and buttered lobster at Lorenzillo’s

Bridesmaids’ party with the bride to be at Congo

The bride to be…

You gotta let go of that slipper!

Dinner with the crocodile at Lorrenzillo’s

The best crab soup at Fred’s House

Expenses

Expenses for each individual based on 4pax traveling:

Total: GBP1,273.83 (USD1,640.90)

Return Flight: GBP 595.47 (USD 765.66)

Hotel: GBP 271.27 (USD 348.80)

Return Airport transfer:GBP 10.00 (USD 12.86)

Food & Drinks: GBP 200.00 (USD 257.16)

Taxi Fares: GBP 40.83 (USD 52.50)

Boat Party: GBP 42.77 (USD 55.00)

Bus Tour: GBP 38.89 (USD 50.00)

Laviquita Club Entrance: GBP 27.22 (USD 35.00)

Congo Club Entrance: GBP 15.55 (USD 20.00)

Souvenir: GBP 31.83 (USD 41.00)

IMPORTANT TIPS

• NEVER lose your immigration card.

If you enter Mexico visa free, you will have to fill an immigration card and part of the form will be given to you. The officer did not mention that the immigration card was needed on departure, so mine was misplaced somewhere. I had to run to the immigration office after we arrived in Mexico City, pay 500MXP (30USD) in order to get the immigration card replacement. It was so much hassle and I almost missed my flight. Thanks to my friends who tried to eat time at the boarding gate. This was the highlight of all my travel experience so far.

• You can bargain prices of activities

A lot of people try to book online in advance to secure a place and get cheaper price. Trust me, there is always a place for you and prices are much cheaper if you know how to bargain when you get to Cancun.

• A little bit of luxury won’t hurt

OK, we should say yes to bargain but we should not avoid having a little luxury meal. Maybe some people may think that Mexico is a cheap country, but not in Cancun. Prices can be similar to London. You can always skip one meal and eat like a King on the next one 🙂

• Pay in Mexican peso

They do accept USD in Cancun but the rate varies so it is better to pay in peso to save couple of bucks.

 

Gracias Amigos! Bisous!