Mexico is famous for its stunning white sand and turquoise seas. There is no denying its beauty but I promise you there is a huge amount more to Cancun if you look a little deeper.
Unusually for us, we opted for an all-inclusive trip to Mexico with the kiddies (it was the best deal I could find, and you’ll soon find out how much I love a good deal!) but we promised ourselves we were there to experience Mexico and not just our hotel, so we managed to move our bums off of those comfy sun loungers and get out and about most days. I thought I would just cover some of our favourite places that we discovered.
1.) Parque Las Palapas
The city’s main park is a large plaza encircled with food carts, local handicrafts and souvenirs, a playground, and a large stage. On weekend evenings, the park becomes a hotspot for local families to hang out and enjoy weekly events. For a taste of the real Cancun, I truly recommend you visit the park on a weekend. We ate the most amazing quesadillas here costing £2.50 for all four of us. Make sure you have a Marquesita or two! Its kind of like a Mexican Crepe only better. The atmosphere was electric, a real taste of Cancun culture.
2.) Xel-Ha!
A magical family day out. Xel Ha is about an hours coach drive from the hotel district but it is worth it! It is a paradise of blue lagoons, forest and cenotes (Mexican sink holes)
We spent the day snorkelling with angel fish, barracudas, sting rays, needle fish and many more! We zip wired over the amazing scenery, floated down the natural lazy river, dived off cliffs and got lost in a maze of caves. Honestly a day we will never forget.
3.) Chichen Itza
One of the seven new wonders of the world, Chichen Itza, gives you a magical insight in to the Mayan ways. It is believed that this city dates back to 550AD and once operated as the ceremonial centre of the ancient civilisation.
Bear in mind how sprawling Chichen Itza is, remember to be prepared with some proper shoes oh and remember your pesos. They do have card machines here, but in usual Mexican style, they often don’t work!
My final piece of advice for this stunning historical city is head over for opening time or later on in the afternoon, It gets super busy! Allow yourself around 2 to 3 hours to stroll around and if you really want to appreciate everything this place has to offer, hire a tour guide!
4.) Speedboat Through The Jungle
We booked the Cancun Jungle Tour Adventure through our hotel for our very last morning before heading off to the airport and what a way to complete our trip. It definitely was an experience of a lifetime, driving a 2 man speedboat we were guided through the mangrove canals and then out to Punta Nizuc bay – the perfect spot to see the Great Mayan Reef! Little man* and Bubba* constantly talk about this experience.
5.) Take That Cancun Sign Selfie
Come on! You’re in Cancun, it has to be done! Located on Playa Delfines (which is a stunning beach in its own right but I wont mention that as we aren’t here to talk about Cancun’s beaches!)
It was just a short stroll away from our hotel so we headed up early on our first morning as we couldn’t sleep anyway. We were lucky enough to catch the sunrise and had the place all to ourselves.
Living Our Best Life! 