Cancun: All-Inclusive or Nah?

For Christmas 2016, we decided we needed a warm, relaxing, and affordable vacation, so we chose Cancun. This trip surprised me in many ways. I was totally off my game that week and we forgot our GoPro, so we don’t have many pictures. 🙁 I like to think we were just living in the moment and enjoying ourselves. I don't come empty-handed though; I have a ton of tips about cheap accommodation, tours, and food!

The first decision to make was “Should we stay at an all-inclusive”? All-inclusives are tricky. I know people who swear by them and stay at them for every vacation. I think there’s a time and place for all-inclusives, and you just have to decide what kind of trip you want. If you want to veg out with friends or you are on your honeymoon and don’t plan to leave the resort at all, then yes by all means, an all-inclusive is the way to go. Food, drinks, and bed all in one place. No judgment here. BUT, me and my husband usually aren’t that type of vacationers. We like to explore, go to nearby towns, and do activities. A quick search  showed an abundance of restaurants and excursions in Cancun, so we decided not to stay at an all-inclusive because we would be paying for food, alcohol, and amenities we would not be using most of the time. We decided to stay at a hotel for half of the week and use AirBnB for the rest; a good mixture of experiences and really good for our wallet!

First off, we stayed toward the beginning of the Hotel Zone (it’s a little quieter and calmer). The hotel we stayed at was pretty basic ,but they had cheap AMAZING excursions and a good pool! (We found out that you can book excursions without staying there, so when you’re in the area, go check out the excursion/tour company at the BSEA hotel. Link: http://www.bseacancunplaza.com/hotel-1)!

Pool view

Excursions: As far as excursions go, I had done my research online and I knew the average prices for each one we wanted to do. The second day of vacation, we went swimming with dolphins. Online, the same tour was going for $139/person, but we got it for $99/person. I KNEW it was a great deal, so we snagged it. Here’s the best part, the tour also came with entrance to a water park PLUS open bar and buffet. WHAT!? I have no idea why an open bar is even necessary for this tour, but I guess they’re everywhere in Cancun. Overall it was the coolest experience ever, worth EVERY PENNY. Swimming with dolphins was the #1 item on both me and my mom's bucket list. My mom passed away when I was a teenager, so I wanted to do this for both of us! It was the perfect day! 😃 *Warning: the pictures/video for swimming with the dolphins were way overpriced, but the cheap entrance tickets balanced it out (plus, lets face it, you’re going to want pictures of this amazing experience!). Be sure to check it out: http://www.wetnwildcancun.com/

The next couple days we got some much-needed R&R relaxing at the beach and pool, reading, laughing, and sleeping. Then, we changed to an AirBnB. Here's the shocker: The AirBnB was inside a really nice resort – wayyy nicer than the previous one. We paid 1/3 of the price of what others paid simply by using AirBnB. Same experience, same type of room, same amenities, same everything for 1/3 the price. The owner was the nicest nice guy ever, gave great food recommendations, and even took us to the airport when we left. If you need a cheap, nice place to stay, contact me and I will hook you up with the owner! We LOVE AirBnB and will definitely stay here again!

AirBnB view

Food: Cancun has everything you could imagine (Bubba Gump, Margaritaville, etc). I don’t know about you, but I don’t leave America just to go eat American food chains. We ate at smaller local places along the beach and highway. By going local, the most we spent on a very big and quality meal was around $45 total. Our favorite place was the 19.5 km restaurant (great owners + great ceviche + really great guac). It was so good we went back the very next day. Check it out here: http://km19-5.com/. Highly recommended, highly affordable.

The restaurant's guest book.

Yes, we literally went two days in a row.

Another excursion we went on was a booze cruise to Isla Mujeres  (a neighboring island) for $100/couple (also booked through our first resort). Again, I knew this was a good deal and that we were saving at least $50. We went snorkeling, swimming, and stopped on the touristy island of Isla Mujeres to shop and have a buffet lunch (all open bar… of course). No GoPro = no pictures, but it was a fun, packed day with great staff, beautiful weather, and something to please everyone! There are several providers for this very popular tour, so shop around and don't be afraid to negotiate!

We decided we wanted our last day in Mexico to be very chill, and to just enjoy the sun and each other and not leave the resort. I'll admit, we kind of wanted the all-inclusive experience for a day. We went to the all-inclusive next door to our resort called the Grand Oasis SENS and got a Day Pass. It was around $47/person for all day drinks, all day food, all day amenities (multiple pools, games, etc). We got up really early and ate all 3 meals there to ensure we got our money's worth! It was a great deal, and we will definitely use this trick again. Score! Check it out here: http://www.oasissens.com/. We were SO impressed. If you really need to stay at an all-inclusive, I would recommend this one!

Our only picture together the whole trip.

Poolside at the all-inclusive.

Overall, the beaches were good, the crowd is becoming more family friendly (vs. partying spring breakers), the food was great, and we left over $500 under an already modest budget. You can’t beat that. We will definitely be back the next time we need a quick and cheap trip!

One thing I wish I had done in Cancun: I really wanted to go parasailing. It wasn’t available on the days we were free to go (due to slight winds, etc), but somehow, some way, I will go parasailing eventually! It’s always been on my bucket list, and I can’t believe I haven’t done it yet.

I was excited about this trip because we got a lot of value and had a blast, while staying (way) under budget. *I also wanted to explain why all-inclusives aren’t always worth it, so do your research and make the best decision for you!*

XOXO

P.S. I will be doing a post soon about other tips like these to save money on any trip while still getting good value. I have shared these with several friends lately, and it has saved them time, stress, and cash! I will also share my infamous packing skills so you can skip baggage fees and baggage claim (hello carry on!).

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