Mexico
MEXICO
LOCATION
MUST DO
- Swimming with dolphins
- Cliff jumping and swimming in cenotes
- Visit Mayan ruins at Chichén Itzá
- Ride a golf cart around Isla Mujeres on a day trip from Cancun
- Xcaret & Xel-Há theme parks
Trip Details
When: December 2005 & August 2015
Where: Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, Rosarito, Cancun
How: Family vacation; Norwegian Jewel Mexican Riviera Cruise & Independent travel with friends
TRAVEL TIPS
- Avoid drinking tap water, including ice cubes! Also avoid street food, if you can help it. It will save you from probably getting sick to your stomach 🙁 Although it’s so hard to resist that Mexican street corn, taquitos, or mango on a stick!
- Cancun:
- Eat: I love Mexican food and would eat it at every meal if I could, but we did try some other cuisines in the area and really enjoyed these restaurants:
- Casa Rolandi: Italian. Pricey, but worth it. Really good homemade pastas. I loved the Gnocchi! Try to time your reservation so that you’re seated outside to watch the sunset. Amazing views of the waterfront!
- La Habichuela Sunset: Mexican. Absolutely delicious! Cool ambiance. Mayan decor and bright colors. Can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. We were a big group, and every dish served was so good.
- Stay: Casamagna Marriott Cancun Resort. We were upgraded to an ocean front view for free! Amazing service. Somehow, they found out it was my birthday and the staff surprised me with balloons and a birthday message on the wall of the room! So nice! Great pool, hot tub, and nice section of the beach in the Hotel Zone.
- If you don’t have a lot of time or didn’t rent a car, a great way to get out to see Chichen Itza (one of the 7 Wonders of the World) is to take a day trip from Cancun. They usually include lunch and a swimming stop at a cenote.
- Cenote Ik Kil – cliff jumping and swimming
- Tulum Ruins archaeological site
- Xcaret and Xelha cultural and water parks
- Eat: I love Mexican food and would eat it at every meal if I could, but we did try some other cuisines in the area and really enjoyed these restaurants:
- Rosarito:
- Stay: Rosarito Beach Hotel & Spa : Affordable beachfront rooms! I have a lot of great memories of this resort when we visited several times as a child.
NOTES
I have fond memories of traveling to Mexico as a child. We visited Rosarito a few times with my cousins. We’d stay at a resort and live at the beach. I remember getting my hair braided at Rosarito beach and having the time of my life.
On another trip, my family took Mexican Riviera Cruise to Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta for New Years. The Norwegian Jewel was a fun ship — they had a huge New Years Eve party and even had fireworks! Swimming with dolphins was a highlight, as well as a boat tour in Cabo San Lucas and hiking in Mazatlan.
Last year, I spent my birthday with my mom, sister, and a few friends in Cancun. We stayed at the Marriott in the Hotel Zone. Though I usually like to stay in a less touristy area, I did enjoy the resort amenities and the location.