The Do’s and Don’ts of a Vacation in Mexico

To quote the great Starks of Winterfell, “Winter is Coming”. Fortunately for us, white walkers don’t come with it. With that being said, most people like to plan vacations to escape the cold weather. Tropical vacations are most popular during the winter months because the weather is gorgeous year round, and I mean GORGEOUS.

Our trip to Mexico was one of my favorite trips we have taken, although it was our honeymoon, which makes it extra special. But still, we truly had a blast and we still laugh about some of the times we had while in Cancun.

So today, I have put together a Do and Don’t guide to vacationing in Mexico, in hopes that it helps your tropical vacation be all that it can be.

Do – Stay in an All-Inclusive Resort

When we went to Cancun, we stayed at the Grand Oasis Sens in the Hotel Zone. And it. WAS. FABULOUS! I so enjoyed this hotel! It was gorgeous! The inside was like a dream, our room was so nice. And the restaurants were fantastic.

The amazing thing, and the thing that took me almost all week to get used to, is that we could just walk up to any restaurant, sit down, and order a delicious meal, and then get up and leave when we were done! With no bill! Whoa!

Because we chose an all inclusive resort, we did not have to worry about food or entertainment at all. At our resort, there were even some very fancy restaurants that we had to make reservations for with the concierge. So we were able to get all dressed up and enjoy the fanciest meal we have ever had, and most of it was included!

We did choose to splurge on the Dinner on the Beach package. It was no more expensive than a fancy dinner at home, but it came with the most gorgeous view of the ocean right in front of us. So be on the look out for this sort of deal at your resort too, because I am sure they offer it!

Another great thing about the all-inclusive resort is the entertainment it came with. There were pool tables, ping pong tables, and a game closet! Then there was an advent schedule that we were given when we arrived that detailed the different shows going on throughout the week.

We saw a fire show, dance show, a Mayan Rain Dance (so cool!). We also played volleyball on the beach, and participated in a bar tending show where they showed us how to make some of the most popular drinks at the resort.

Tip: If you are traveling as a couple, then I would highly recommend the Grand Oasis Sens. However, if you are traveling as a family, then this is not the place for you. For starters, it is only 21 or older, so no kids allowed. You also want to make sure when you book your hotel that it is not a nude friendly hotel. Ours, to my shock had a topless pool and beach, and this Georgia girl was not quite ready for that, haha.

Also: Check Groupon! We actually went to our resort with a groupon getaway, and it saved us a lot of money!

Don’t- Overbook Yourself

With this tip, I mean don’t plan every single second of your trip before you even get to Mexico (and trust me, this was a hard one for me to accept, because there are so many cool things to do).

For starters, when you arrive at your resort, they will hand you a handy dandy event calendar. This calendar will include games, shows and all sorts of other things. Plus, you just paid to stay at a gorgeous beach front resort, and there is amazing weather for chillin’ by the pool. So enjoy it!

When Tuan Anh and I were planning our trip to Mexico, this is a piece of advice that was offered to us, and I am so glad that we listened. When we arrived, we had not paid for a single excursion, or really planned a single day. We were completely free to do whatever we felt like. It made for a much more relaxing experience than we had even intended.

Tip: I am not saying don’t have a single idea of what you want to do! I just didn’t want to have pre-booked something every day, because I did not want to exhaust us. Something that I did was create a list of things that I knew we might like to do. Places to see, adventures to take, ect. That way we would have a reference point should we need something to do. ALSO, talk to the people that work at your resort. Not only is it their job to help you, but who better to give you advice about what to see than someone who lives in the area?

Do – Enjoy the Touristy Things

I am all about exploring like a local, and finding the things that the people who live in the area would actually do. But at the same time, I am a tourist! So sometimes I want to experience some of these things as well.

Lucky for us, our resort had a partnership with the local Aquaworld (as do many resorts in the Hotel Zone by the way), so they were offering a deal through the resort. So we were able to pick 3 excursions to do, and there was a massive list!

We chose to drive a speedboat (it was just Tuananh and I in the boat, and he was able to drive it, so that was a lot of fun!) and go snorkeling (in the same excursion! awesome deal!), we took a boat to a private beach on Isla Mujeres (us and about 30 other people, so it was very nice).

The coolest part about Isla Mujeres was that there are Mayan ruins on the island! So we got the Island trip, PLUS the ruins in one trip! Our third thing we chose to do was to go parasailing! Which was seriously so fun!

I am so happy that we chose to do these things, and I would highly recommend it!

Tip: I definitely recommend checkout out Aquaworld if you are interested in doing adventure-y things. Another thing that we wanted to do, but just ran out of time, was the amusement park Xcaret! It looks amazing. So if you are traveling with kids, or if you are a kid at heart like us, then consider making time for Xcaret!

Don’t- Get suck without Pesos

Speaking of our amazing trip to Isla Mujeres, we made a small mistake that I honestly did not think twice about until it was too late. On our excursion to Isla Mujeres, WE FORGOT PESOS! AH! On this small island, the only place to get Pesos charges an insane amount to exchange the currency (smart on their part, but unfortunate for us).

The Island has the Mayan Ruins, which you need Pesos for. It has a marketplace, which you need Pesos for. There is also an extremely cool place called Tortugranja. This is a little Turtle Farm, where they are saving sea turtles and informing both the locals and tourists about these endangered species. But guess what? YOU NEED PESOS TO GET IN.

TIP: Our Hotel offered money exchange for a MUCH better rate. So do yourself a favor, and exchange enough money at your hotel BEFORE you leave for your excursion!

Do- Pack Sufficiently

Remember that you taking a trip to a tropical climate! For this reason, incorporate lots of light shorts and breathable fabrics. Do not forget your swimsuit either, as I suspect you will be spending plenty of time on the beach or by the pool (I know we did!).

For me, it was important to bring along a swimsuit coverup. There were plenty of people walking the hotel in just their swimsuits, but for me, I was much more comfortable throwing on my coverup.

Make sure that you check the weather before you finish packing as well! This way you can incorporate a light jacket for chilly nights, or an umberella if rain is expected.

Also, make sure that you research the restaurants at your resort to ensure their dress codes. As I said earlier, some of the restaurants we went to, while free (or rather included in our resort price), were very fancy. They required dresses and button up tops, and also banned sandals. I over heard a couple of disappointed guests get turned away from the restaurant because of their attire. So just be prepared.

Don’t – Underestimate the Sun

Going hand in hand with the above tip, please for the love of humanity remember the sun!!! You are going to a gorgeous tropical place, with highly reflective sand that is extremely close to the equator. It’s hot, and the sun is BRIGHT.

Tuananh and I brought sunscreen of course, however, we forgot to reapply. We also decided to play beach volleyball, and long story short, we got BURNED. Luckily, I knew that my milky skin would get burned (no matter how much sunscreen I apply, it happens) so I brought Aloe with me!

However, I did not bring enough… So please pack as much as you can! We ended up having to purchase some aloe from the resort gift shop, and it costed $22!!!!!! The Aloe I had bought at home costed me $3.99! Needless to say, these resorts are smart, and take advantage of the silly tourists who get burned in the Mexican sun, so don’t be that tourist!

TIP: Despite my intentions of being glamorous on the beach with a huge sunhat, I forgot it at home! So I purchased one from a seller on the beach. This is actually something I would suggest you do if you know you like hats. I was able to haggle with the seller for a good price, and have a cool handmade Cancun souvenir. Score! Tuan Anh also ended up getting a hat as his souvenir because it is so useful!

Do- Learn a bit of Spanish

The Hotel Zone in Cancun is made for tourists. For this reason, you can definitely get by with English, and you will be ok. That being said, it is nice to know a bit of Spanish here, because you can really get to know the locals! The employees at the resort also seemed appreciative, and almost more relaxed, when allowed to speak their native tongue with you.

Plus, you never know when you need to venture out of the resort and speaking the local language becomes necessary. For example, on our trip to Mexico, I forgot razors! (AH – maybe another do is make sure you pack correctly) We ended up running to the local convenient store called Oxo, and the people there spoke only Spanish! Also, for some reason, Razors were kept behind the counter.

Luckily, I paid attention in my college Spanish courses, and could ask the woman for the “sharp things behind her”. It was also helpful to know a bit when it came to the market places, asking how much things cost and things like that!

Was this helpful?

If you enjoyed this post, or it was helpful, let us know! I would also like to hear your Do’s and Don’ts of traveling in Mexico! Comment below if you have any other tips to offer.

Want to see more?

If you want to know more about us, then head on over to our About page, where we share a little more of our journey. If you are more of a domestic traveler, then check out our post of our camping adventure at Providence Canyon State Park! We also share pictures of our adventures daily on our instagram, including past travels and our current favorite places, so head on over for some daily inspiration!

 

Liked our post? Go ahead and pin it, so that others can be successful in planning their Mexican adventure!