Cancún Travel Forum

Has anyone stayed at Hotel Cancun Plaza condos? We are looking for a nice, inexpensive hotel on the beach and this looks like it might be a good spot. Also, where is the good snorkeling spots in Cancun? Thanks

I've never snorkeled from the beach in Cancun, you can take a public ferry to either Isla Mujeres or Cozumel, both have good snorkeling. My favorite spot in the Yucatan recently has been Yalku, a natural lagoon near Akumal, but that's a bit far from Cancun. If you are not looking for the spring break party scene, you might consider staying south of Cancun, we've been staying in Playa del Carmen for the past few years but even that is getting commercialized, next time I think we will look even further south to Akumal or Tulum.

Thanks for the tips! How far is Playa del Carmen from Cancun? How do you get there from the cancun airport? Thanks :)

I think it takes about an hour from the airport to PDC, longer if you are heading to Akumal or Tulum. We usually have transportation via whatever company we book with (Apple, Funjet, etc.) but one time we booked a shared van through our hotel, my notes say it was $71 round trip and I think that was for both of us. There is also a public bus which should be really inexpensive. This link has more info

http://www.travelyucatan.com/trans-4.htm#PLAYA

Hi Kym,

Are you planning on renting a car? P.D.C is probably 45 minutes to an hour from Cancun and is not a bad drive at all, very easy. We normally stay at the Kimbe Hotel in Playa but it's not directly on the beach. You can see the beach but it's one block off the water.

matt

Cancun Plaza is an OK hotel. Biggest problem on the strip is the beach. Very narrow from what it used to be in places. Check out this site for beach pictures that are up to date.
http://www.cancunmx.com/beachpics.htm
Gotta stay in Cancun, Playa has become a little Cancun. Much more fun in Cancun & easier to get to the ruins, Isla Mujeres & parks. There is a snorkling tour to the reef. You drive a wave runner, dock & snorkel 1/2 day.

Actually it's easier to get to the ruins from Playa if you are talking about Tulum or Coba, I think it's about the same distance to get to Chichen Itza and there are all kinds of daytrips there. Playa is also closer to Xelha and Yalku Lagoon plus I've done some snorkeling off the beach at Akumal.

If you don't want to rent a car and decide to stay in Playa, there are public shared vans called colectivos that go up and down the highway and cost close to nothing or there are buses that leave from central PDC.

Thanks for the great tips! I am not planning to rent a car, so I will look into the transportation options. I typically like to travel off the beaten path, but I know Cancun is pretty built up with hotels and tourist stuff...I may look into the other places to stay close by or break it up between the two. I appreciate the help :)