Cancun Day 5: Last Day

Last day :(  Our vacation was coming to an end. Both Dan and I felt that it went way too quickly and an extra day or two would have been nice. We had breakfast at the market cafe and lunch there as well. In between we went to swim at the pool. The weather was much better; it was warm, sunny with just a slight wind. They resumed all beach activities and we even saw people para sailing. Maybe yesterday's weather was an anomaly?

Summary: This was our first ever trip to Mexico and at an all inclusive resort. We both really enjoyed the resort and would really recommend it for anyone looking for a quick getaway from the US that is economical.

A couple of thoughts from our trip:

• It was really nice not having to worry about paying for meals and drinks. We didn't do any upgrades for premium drinks like certain wine so when we checked out, we had no additional fees to pay which was nice!!
• I did like our resort for its modern decor and its newness. Food was not bad (not super awesome but considering it's an all inclusive, I think they did a pretty good job).
• Service at the resort was great. Everyone we encountered was very polite!
• Even though not required, we tried to tip a bit since the workers and servers work hard and it's nice to show we appreciate their service. We actually didn't bring that many 1 dollar bills so ended up exchanging some at the resort. 
• We really enjoyed our trip--very relaxing with a good mix of relaxation and activities and the price you just can't beat. We compared the price to our recent trip to Kauai. In most of Hawaii, hotels range around $300-$400 USD per night, with an additional resort fee of around $25. Breakfast is typically not included. Tips are usually more expected rather than an extra for services. Wi-fi is also usually an additional fee. It really does add up, while for this trip, our out of pocket cost was pretty minimal. It's basically the return airport transfer, activities and tips. No extra money spent on food and drinks which usually takes up a big part of our budget. Since we haven't seen much more of Mexico and we have been to 3 of the 4 major Hawaiian islands, we both agreed that we would probably prefer another Mexican all inclusive vacation instead of another Hawaiian vacation.
• We didn't see too much of the "real" Mexico though. We wished we could have visited the smaller towns like Isla Mujeres or Puerto Morales. Cancun for the most part was very developed and touristy, and felt like the US, at least the parts we saw. If you don't leave your resort you would think that you are in the US.

Tips:

• Bring extra $1 bills to tip at the resort. If not, you can always exchange it at the reception area.
• We recommend doing an activity every other day. There's tons to see around Cancun so you can easily fill out your week with activities, but it's nice to also get in some relaxation / pool time.
• We highly recommend the cooking class that we took. It wasn't just about cooking but also learning about Mexican cuisine, culture and history. I also especially enjoyed seeing the hosts at their house which offers a glimpse of how they live.
• We stayed for 4 nights and thought it was a bit too short. 5 or 6 nights would have been ideal.
• We actually didn't exchange any money and just tipped in USD. We also paid for excursions in US dollars. If you do exchange to the local currency, you usually get a better rate, but you don't have to--almost everywhere accepted USD.  

That's it for now :) Sorry for the delay in finishing this report. We've been pretty preoccupied as you can tell.

Until next time!

Dan & Marcela