*Mexico*

[Twist]

Hey guys thinking of going to mexico from Dec 17 till like the 25th or something. Any ideas on where to go and where not to go? I think I want to do an all inclusive resort deal. That way I know exactly how much everything is gonna cost me.

[redz]

Cancun is good for partying. Are you planning on going with buddies? or a lady friend?

[gixxerboy1]

Cabo

[Twist]

My bro is supposed to have leave from the military for almost a month from dec 15-jan15ish. My gf and I will be going with him to Mexico. Wanna know where to go (like hotels) and where to avoid. Idk what areas are dangerous right now.

[lovbyts]

Stick to the resort type areas and you will be fine. Dont rent a car and go driving alone anywhere or out of town. I would even think 2x about doing any tour excursions. It sound like they are not being picky about who they snag anymore.

Playa Del Carmen is a nice area also. More up scale resorts/clubs, nice large several block area to roam around, shop, eat, drink; it's also only about 1 hr from Cancun.
Cancun is more college party area and Cabo more laid back beach resort area with some older towns.
Cozumel is also quite nice and no worries about any of the bad guys since it's an Island and much more easier to keep secure, no rebels.

I defiantly would not consider doing again what I did a few years ago. I took a local bus from Playa Del Carmen all the way to Belize. It was quite the adventure considering I had missed the cruise ship I was on that had stopped at Cozumel and continued to Belize and only had $15 us total. Credit cards still on the ship. A border patrol at Mexico/Belize border let me go through without the proper fee. I was $1.50 short. LOL

[FireGuy]

Cabo

X2, half the price of cancun and twice as fun.

[SlimmerMe]

so 3 of you and your brother is single?

[baseline_9]

I went to Playa Del Carmen this summer and it was great... Really just chilled out the whole time

We stayed in a 5* resort, all inclusive for 7 nights for £1000 or $1600..... We could have gone for 2 weeks for not much more (about £400 extra)

[Hoggage_54]

I stayed at this resort twice when I was 18 and 19.

http://grandpalladiumrivieramaya.com/

We spent Christmas there both times. It was a good resort, more of a middle aged crowd.

[Twist]

Cabo

X2, half the price of cancun and twice as fun.

You guys fly in or is there a cruise ship that goes there?

so 3 of you and your brother is single?

yep

I stayed at this resort twice when I was 18 and 19.

http://grandpalladiumrivieramaya.com/

We spent Christmas there both times. It was a good resort, more of a middle aged crowd.

Thanks bro looks good. I'll look into it

[FireGuy]

You can do either, we fly in. Also, I am not a big fan of the All Inclusive deals. There are a little bit cheaper but they really tie you down to having all your meals and drinks at the same place. One of our favorite things about vacations is dining out at different places and with All Inclusive packages you tend not to do that as you have already paid to eat everything at the place you are staying.

What we have found works best is to hit Walmart or Costco our first day down there and stock up staple food products. Makes it very convenient not to mention cheaper.

[gixxerboy1]

i flew, never been on a cruise.

[Twist]

You can do either, we fly in. Also, I am not a big fan of the All Inclusive deals. There are a little bit cheaper but they really tie you down to having all your meals and drinks at the same place. One of our favorite things about vacations is dining out at different places and with All Inclusive packages you tend not to do that as you have already paid to eat everything at the place you are staying.

What we have found works best is to hit Walmart or Costco our first day down there and stock up staple food products. Makes it very convenient not to mention cheaper.

i flew, never been on a cruise.

What resorts/hotels have you guys been to?

[FireGuy]

We are going to Cabo again later this month for 9 days. It will be my 8th trip to Mexico and 5th time in Cabo. Sunset Beach resort in Cabo is my favorite by far. Stayed at the ME Malia in Cancun and wasnt impressed. The Blanco and Rose in Cabo were decent, the Pacifico in Cabo was very nice (adults only). Nice thing about Pacifico and Sunset Beach is they have miles of private beach (no bums trying to sell you stuff) yet its only a 10 minute free shuttle into town.

[Twist]

THanks for the info Fire

[SlimmerMe]

Questions:

Do you like to do sports on your vacation like:
water ski
scuba
volleyball
sailing
swimming
windsail

Does your girlfriend like to do sports too or sunbathe more?

Does your brother like to do sports?

Do you like to dance?

Do you like to walk on a beach as opposed to simply a cove?
or is a cove beach okay?

Do you want a vacation where you do not have to think of what to do next or where to eat?
or a vacation where you want to discover things and search for meals and arrange for everyone being on the same page all the time

Do you drink? does your girl? and what about your brother?
And if so, just a bit or since on vacation perhaps fairly much and perhaps even during the day?

Do you want to meet new people? or simply hang amongst the 3 of you?

[Twist]

Questions:

Do you like to do sports on your vacation like:
water skiYes
scubayes
volleyballsure
sailingno
swimmingyes, the bigger the waves the better.
windsailnever done it

Does your girlfriend like to do sports too or sunbathe more?
She loves to sunbathe but is a very active person so I would say if sports is in the sun then sports.
Does your brother like to do sports?
Activities. When I say sports I am referring to activities like rock climbing, jet skiing etc. We are not into team stuff like soccer
Do you like to dance?
Not really but don't mind it. Definitely not a must or something that should be considered. Plenty of clubs where I am currently. However a beach party or something would be fun I guess.
Do you like to walk on a beach as opposed to simply a cove?
There has to be sand. I also like waves but if there are none because there is a nice reef or a very slight grade so you can walk really far out into the water that's fine with me
or is a cove beach okay?
I really don't know the difference I guess.
Do you want a vacation where you do not have to think of what to do next or where to eat?OF course! That's what vacations are all about. Not having to think!
or a vacation where you want to discover things and search for meals and arrange for everyone being on the same page all the time
I hate searching for meals. The more done for me the better.

Do you drink? does your girl? and what about your brother?
I CAN but usually don't have a drink. My brother will drink and my girlfriend does too but she only needs two or three max before she is floored.
And if so, just a bit or since on vacation perhaps fairly much and perhaps even during the day?
Me just a bit, my brother a lot, my gf has a low tolerance so a little.
Do you want to meet new people? or simply hang amongst the 3 of you?

DOn't care about meeting new people. In fact, the less people I am bothered with the better. Well that's if they are drunk idiots, I like meeting people doing activities. Not into the party scene much.

What you getting at slimmer?

[gbrice75]

Dude, I haven't read any of the replies because I don't need to. DO NOT GO ANYWHERE ELSE except for where i'm about to recommend. It's the best fvcking place in the world, I promise you. You want all inclusive? You want affordable? You want paradise?

Look up The 'Excellence' resort in Playa Mujeres. It's outside of Cancun but not very far. With that said, you don't get that 'spring break' atmosphere (unless that's what you want - in that case, take your pick - any hotel on the strip in Cancun will do), it's a bit more elegant and mature, but far from boring or stuffy.

There are 2 very close to eachother, so be careful and make sure you select Playa Mujeres!!! We've been to both and both were great, but I like this one better - it's newer and was just overall better IMO. Check out my pics on FB - the album is called 'Mexico, July 2010' to get a good view of the place.

On a scale of 1 to 10:

Service: 10
Activities: 10
Food: 8-10 (depends on which restaurant you eat at, but all were good)
rooms: 10
on and on and on...

Every room has a jacuzzi - you don't have to 'upgrade' your room to get one. Every room comes with room service, you don't have to upgrade to a special 'conceirge room' to get it. The restaurants have NO BUFFETS at all - except for the breakfast buffet which is AWESOME (prob my fav!). They use top shelf liquor (for REAL top shelf, not garbage - I asked for Tequila and was served Don Julio - way better than Patron IMO). They SERVE DRINKS POOLSIDE AND OCEAN/BEACHSIDE - even Sandals where I went for my Honeymoon (and paid more than double the price) didn't do that.

Dude, I don't have ONE SINGLE COMPLAINT about the place. We had the time of our lives. I wouldn't recommend anywhere else, and I won't bother trying anywhere else. Why search elsewhere when you've already found perfection??

Be sure to check out all the reviews on tripadvisor.

I really hope you go here, you won't regret it!!

[Twist]

GB:
1. Not many pics of the beach, what was the beach like?
2. Did you have to pay extra for ANYTHING? Looks like all the white table cloth stuff you would have to pay extra for.
3. How much did it cost you?
4. Did you do any activities?
5. Can you go in the pool at night? It seems empty...
6. What are the crowds like?
Ps. In the photos I "liked" you look better than when you are on here trying to pose.


December 17-15ish is a good time to go to mexico? I don't wanna get there and find out about some monsoon season or something.

[gbrice75]

GB:
1. Not many pics of the beach, what was the beach like?

In terms of beauty, not the nicest beach ever. I mean, it's Mexico. If you want breathtaking beaches, go to the Carribean. With that said, they had plenty of chairs to lay out on, with 'straw huts' over them for shade, we never had to look for one. Like I mentioned, they come out on to the beach and take your drink orders, which is fvcking awesome.

2. Did you have to pay extra for ANYTHING? Looks like all the white table cloth stuff you would have to pay extra for.

Nothing. Pretty sure it's a no cash resort. You are allowed to tip the staff (which we did, they work their fvcking asses off for very little, and they were awesome) but nobody will ever ask for it and it's certainly not expected or necessary.

3. How much did it cost you?

We booked through Cheapcarribean .com (I'd recommend them as well - AWESOME hassle free service). I can't remember exactly, but it was around $2k, give or take a few hundred dollars. This included round trip non stop airfare. I'm sure it will be more for you coming out of CA, and/or prices might be higher as it's a year later, but I don't think it'll be an astronomical difference.

4. Did you do any activities?

We didn't, because we just wanted to chill, drink, and eat - and gotdamn, did we ever! Definitely check out their website and/or tripadvisor on this, because I can't speak for it.

5. Can you go in the pool at night? It seems empty...

You're not 'supposed' to, but I remember a group a pool outside our room one night (They have a lazy river with a current that flows around half the resort, fvcking awesome!) and they were there for hours, being kinda rowdy tbh, and nobody said shit. I was actually kinda pissed!

6. What are the crowds like?

It's an adults only resort, but not a couples resort, necessarily. Point being, you will not have ANY little kids there - i.e. no families w/ kids, and that was fine by us. Who needs that crap when you're trying to relax? The age groups really ranged, early 20's to people in their 50's. I'd say 70% couples, there were a few wedding parties there which were fun, and others were just families (without the kids). There was one group there who was an office staff and their boss took them there - how cool is that guy?

No trouble, everybody was cool as hell, not a bunch of jerk offs which you WILL get in Cancun.

Ps. In the photos I "liked" you look better than when you are on here trying to pose.

Haha, That was my very first week after a 12 week test e cycle... I had it timed to end right before going! I was about 205lbs in those pics bro!

December 17-15ish is a good time to go to mexico? I don't wanna get there and find out about some monsoon season or something.

That I cannot answer as we were there (Riveria Cancun) in April, and (Playa Mujeres) in July. I can't stress enough that you need to go on tripadvisor - that site is awesome and I'll never go anywhere again without reading tons of reviews - I literally read hundreds. You need to check that out, and look for people who reviewed for their time stayed being in Dec - this is specified before their review, so you'll get a good idea of what to expect when you go. As you can imagine, in July, it was HOT. April was nicer. When we go again (not if, it's a definite - and we would have gone back this year if she hadn't gotten pregnant, but i'm not complaining... much!), we're gonna go in early June - should be perfect.

Let me know what you decide bro.

[songdog]

I agree cabo

[gbrice75]

Cabo is beautiful also and alot closer to you, but they haven't built an Excellence there yet, so F it!!

[Twist]

That place is like $500 per night not including air.

[gbrice75]

Which place... Excellence Playa Mujeres?

[SlimmerMe]

Another question:

Does your brother plan to "find a girl?" to hang out with the whole week? Or is this not in the plan...

Walking beach versus cove: A long beach where you can take a nice long walk as opposed to a beach which is very narrow and a cove and you are wedged in between 2 huge rocks. Basically the difference between the west coast of Mexico and the Carribean side.

The west is more rough with coves and rocky and colder water. The Yucatan side has aqua water and smooth and great for swimming and rarely would you see many waves since more suited for snorkeling and scuba.

[Twist]

Which place... Excellence Playa Mujeres?

Yeah. But I looked on their site and its cheaper. But with air its way too much.

Another question:

Does your brother plan to "find a girl?" to hang out with the whole week? Or is this not in the plan...
no he's just hanging out. If he finds a girl then cool but that's not what we are going for.
Walking beach versus cove: A long beach where you can take a nice long walk as opposed to a beach which is very narrow and a cove and you are wedged in between 2 huge rocks. Basically the difference between the west coast of Mexico and the Carribean side.
I don't care too much. Would rather the caribbean side but that's probably too pricey as I'm on the west coast
The west is more rough with coves and rocky and colder water. The Yucatan side has aqua water and smooth and great for swimming and rarely would you see many waves since more suited for snorkeling and scuba.

Well I like the yucatan side by description but I can't find things for a good price. For $400 a night I can go to south beach and live it up, or go on a 3 week cruise or something.

Maybe this question is stupid but is Cabo Cabo san lucas, San Jose del Cabo, or Los Cabos?

[lovbyts]

Los Cabos is nice if you are doing all inclusive and dont plan on doing anything but chill. It's also cheaper than Cabo San Lucas but it's about 30+ minutes drive to the clubs (Cabo San Lucas) if you plan on doing any bar hopping.

Cabo San lucas is nice if you like to bar hop and be in the action but it also has plenty of laid back bars and clubs. I have not been to San jose Del Cabo so I have no info on that.

Check with all the online sites, priceline, expedia etc for package deal. It's usually cheaper to buy it as a package than separate.

[Twist]

After looking online for countless hours I think it is going to be cheaper for me to fly to florida ($300) and then take a cruise for a week or so through the caribbean ($400-500).

I did this last time and it was amazing. These all inclusive places are really way too much money for what they offer.

[lovbyts]

They are worth it if you like to drink. I have stayed at some that had 3 good restaurants and little cafe areas but they were not expensive to stay at, only $100 a night or so. With all the problems you would think it would be cheaper right now so they could get more guest.

Cruises are always good and GREAT food. Only problem is it's hurricane season so be prepared for your cruise to change course/destinations on the fly. Dont sweat it, just go with it, nothing you can do. I have done it and it all worked out good.

[gbrice75]

Sorry it didn't work out bro, maybe another time. I'll be going back for sure.

[Twist]

I haven't ruled out mexico completely.

They are worth it if you like to drink. I have stayed at some that had 3 good restaurants and little cafe areas but they were not expensive to stay at, only $100 a night or so. With all the problems you would think it would be cheaper right now so they could get more guest.

Cruises are always good and GREAT food. Only problem is it's hurricane season so be prepared for your cruise to change course/destinations on the fly. Dont sweat it, just go with it, nothing you can do. I have done it and it all worked out good.

Late december still hurricane season? I think hurricane season is over by then.

[SlimmerMe]

There is a catch where ever the 3 of you go.....2 rooms! more than likely.....and if an All Inclusive type of thing, your brother would more than likely share his room with a stranger unless he pays for a private room....so this being the case, then what about just finding 2 cheap rooms somewhere online in a good area like Playa del Carmen?

[Twist]

I can't find any rooms cheap enough + air fare to make it worth it to me. I'm also not sure about the areas and am not willing to take any chances. Without an all inclusive I have to worry about finding food for 3 people who eat 4-8X per day. So mediocre rooms + air fare + unsure eating conditions = not appealing.

I am looking for personal experiences so I know exactly what I am going into. I don't have a big money cushion in case something goes wrong so I can't afford any risks. Plus for the price of these places I was looking at $2k for a week... If that is the case I would throw in an extra $400 and go to Thailand.

[NOSUPERMODEL]

Go to the Royal Playa in Playa Del Carmen. I have stayed here twice now and it is awesome. Adults only all inclusive. Best part about it is that they have a sister property in Cancun that you can switch to and it is no charge. Just tell them you want to switch maybe the last two nights when you check in. Cancun is more "Americanized" to me. There is a nice little shopping area right by the hotel in Playa you can walk down. There is a HUGE mall in Cancun you can go to. Oh and you might see some topless ladies in Playa. Very European.

[Twist]

Go to the Royal Playa in Playa Del Carmen. I have stayed here twice now and it is awesome. Adults only all inclusive. Best part about it is that they have a sister property in Cancun that you can switch to and it is no charge. Just tell them you want to switch maybe the last two nights when you check in. Cancun is more "Americanized" to me. There is a nice little shopping area right by the hotel in Playa you can walk down. There is a HUGE mall in Cancun you can go to. Oh and you might see some topless ladies in Playa. Very European.

$450 per night not including airfare. I could go to Thailand (for two weeks) if I had that.

[brad1986]

HOnestly right now there isnt very many safe areas of mexica tbh. Never venture away from small groups and def dont do any excursions. I would stay near the hotel and make sure its in a very touristy town. But right now alot of criminals are preying on tourist towns so be carfull. Thb with you i personally wouldnt go there right now. The chance of kidnap is extreamly high even if you look broke

[juice box]

Went to Riviera Maya 3 times we stayed @ We @ adventura Spa palace it was great they have 5 gyms check it out .........

[Twist]

HOnestly right now there isnt very many safe areas of mexica tbh. Never venture away from small groups and def dont do any excursions. I would stay near the hotel and make sure its in a very touristy town. But right now alot of criminals are preying on tourist towns so be carfull. Thb with you i personally wouldnt go there right now. The chance of kidnap is extreamly high even if you look broke

This is why I wanted personal experience plus an all inclusive resort. I'm not about to go walking around towns or get into taxis and drive around.

[gbrice75]

HOnestly right now there isnt very many safe areas of mexica tbh. Never venture away from small groups and def dont do any excursions. I would stay near the hotel and make sure its in a very touristy town. But right now alot of criminals are preying on tourist towns so be carfull. Thb with you i personally wouldnt go there right now. The chance of kidnap is extreamly high even if you look broke

^^^ THIS. You saw my recent thread about my uncle leaving Mexico. The place is totally FVCKED right now. Not to scare you, but i'd be apprehensive right now tbh. Definitely don't do excursions, don't leave the resort property, and you should be fine. However, bear in mind you still have to worry about getting from the airport to the resort - and even though shuttle service is available, you're still out in public.

[NOSUPERMODEL]

$450 per night not including airfare. I could go to Thailand (for two weeks) if I had that.

I have done travel packages where it was $3500 for 7 days/6 nights for me and my wife. Airfare included.