Cancun in December

Best Things Nearby:
Restaurants and shops

Best Things About the Resort:
There are lots of activities and a great pool, and the resort is right on the beach.

Resort Experience:
This is a beautiful resort and beach/pool area. The carpeting in the hallways was old and needs replacing – we were told renovations are planned. The elevators are very small. The room was all tile flooring and very nice and clean. We stayed in the studio and were concerned that it might be too small, but it was fine. Our room was on the back side of the resort, but it faced the pool area of the resort next door and the view was unobstructed ocean. We were very pleased.

There was a nice range of activities available at the resort: aerobics, kayak tours, beach and pool volleyball, etc. We were offered some all-inclusive meal options at check-in and did not take advantage of them. With so many restaurants available in walking distance, we were glad that we did not spend the money for the all-inclusive options.

On check-out day, the resort made a "hospitality room" available to us for a half-hour so we could shower and change before leaving for the airport. You need to reserve this in advance.

• Unit Type: Studio
• Activities: Very Good
• Amenities: Very Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

Italian Roma Restaurant is a small Italian restaurant across the street from the resort. They have very good food at a good price. It is a nice opportunity to take a break from Mexican food. You can dine indoors or outdoors. You are right on the street, so there is no great view. I usually do not like outdoor dining, but this experience was okay. The food was like home-cooked Italian food – I really enjoyed it.

Garrafon is a reef park on Isla Mujeres. Off-season, they were doing a lot of repairs to the dock, so it was noisy and there was a crowded entrance stairway to the area for snorkeling. It was disappointing snorkeling. There were not as many fish or varieties as we had seen at Xel-Ha. Affiliated with Xel-Ha, the best price available is when you buy tickets for Garrafon at Xel-Ha. Prices ranged from $59 to $47 per person per day for the all-inclusive package. Food and drinks were good, and service was good. There were convenient lockers and showers available. The boat ride over to the island was a bit bumpy, and quite a few people got sick on the way over.

Xel-Ha’s natural water park offeredv arious water activities: snorkeling, tubing down the river, cliff jumping, cave exploring, swimming with dolphins, relaxing in a hammock, etc. The all-inclusive package includes a locker, snorkeling equipment, and food and drink throughout the park. The snorkeling was great, with so many different types of beautiful fish. The tubing down the river was very slow, as the current is minimal – it took more time than we wanted to spend on that activity.

We did the package that included a visit to Tulum, Mayan ruins on a cliff looking over the sea. There was a beautiful view and a very informative tour.

We decided to see Tulum instead of Chichen-Itza. It was a shorter distance and combined with the Xel-Ha package. It is very interesting from a historical perspective, but not as awe-inspiring as Chichen-Itza (from what others told us). If you are interested in devoting an entire day to seeing ruins, Chichen-Itza is the way to go. To get a taste of the ruins, we preferred Tulum. The view of the ocean from Tulum is also beautiful.