Cancun Quick Stop Travel Information
Overview Map of Cancun Airport, Resort Zone, City
City Map of Cancun Showing Exit Points
Suggestions for Cancun Hotels & Activities
Map of Downtown Hotels/Nightlife
Online Guide for Cancun & Playa del Carmen
Online Travel Guide for Merida & Yucatan
Google Map of Cancun City
OSEA participants typically fly in and out of Cancun when departure city is East Coast, the South, or Midwest. From Cancun airport you can buy an ADO First Class bus ticket to Merida, Playa del Carmen, Valladolid. Points west require a 40 pesos shuttle to the downtown bus station. There are plenty of good and cheap hostels in downtown Cancun. I strongly recommend Moloch Hostel and Suites for 3-star hotel premises at student hostel prices. This is REAL good bargain with pool, massive TV, community space for socializing and cooking. The hostel next to it, Mayan Hostel, is more of a hippie less frills, more naturale place. Check out the clientele you want to hang with. These two are the closest, most inexpensive options. Great cheap taquerias, seafood restaurants, and then some other established restaurants can be found in the nearby parks, Parque del Artesano and Parque de la Palapa. Further south in this same area is the very nice Hostel Quetzal -- check it out in the hostel listings below. If you are lucky there may be a concert or social events in that park the night you are there.
Parque de la Palapa is the true heart of the city for Cancun residents. This is local real life here.
If you are sharing a room and want to splurge a little then try the Hotel Plaza Caribe directly in front of the bus station or the Hotel Cancun Rosa located on the side street between the Bus Station and Moloch
Cancun Hotels, under $50-60 a night for double occupancy
Hotel Antillano, on Av. Tulum.
Hotel Plaza Caribe, in front of Bus Station. #11
Hotel Alux, US$24.00) Av. Uxmal #21 sm 23 mza 3, on Av. #9 on map
Hotel Coty, (US$35.00)Across street from Alux www.hotelcotty.com . Av. Uxmal 44. #7
Hotel Tankah, near bus on Av. Uxmal. (i think)
Hotel Margaritas, on Yaxchilan, with pool & balconies.. near #24 on map
Hotel Soberanis, on Tulum (south/down), opposite end of the block from Bus
Las Palmas Hotel (US$30.00). Av. Palmera 43-- #2 on map
Av. Palmera 30. # 5 below
#17 is a massive walmart style grocery plus dept. store for shopping if you want.
Cancun Hostel Listings
Hostels in Cancun. Listings on HostelWorld.com
Hostel Listing in Cancun from Hostel.com
Cancun Hostel listings on Hostelbookers.com
Mexico Hostels www.mexicohostels.com
When you check out the listings above make sure you locate the hostel on a map. There are a few hostels on the Cancun Island or "Hotel Zone" and a majority are in Cancun City in the downtown area show in this map. There are some great cheap hostels and hotels near SM 22 which is this large public park that is filled with activities for local Cancunenses. These are located on Margaritas between Av. Uxmal and one block south of Parque de las Palapas -- the SM22 park on second map. These are really conveniently located to the night life on Av. Tulum which is more foreign tourism and the night life on Av. Yaxchilan which is the heart of Mexican and local nightlife. Great cheaper restaurants. As well this is conveniently located to the Bus Station.
Restaurants
Good inexpensive restaurants up and down Uxmal from Bus Station to Av. Yaxchilan and then also all along Yaxchilan Av. the whole length of street. This is the Mexican Tourist Zone of Cancún. Also lots of additional restuarants where local eat on Uxmal opposite the bus station (away from Yaxchilan Av.)
Gringo Tourist zone is on Tulum Av. from Bus Station South to Av. Kukulcan. Kukulcan takes you to the Zona Hotelera or the resort strip on Cancún Island and the beaches.
see the map links to the right above
Breakfast in Cancun
Recommendations: to the side of the bus station, (out front door, left, and then left again towards Av. Tulum) is the famous Mexican chain of restaurants called Sanborns -- this is a cross between like an upscale Denny's and uhm, well thats good enough description. you can eat for 40-80 pesos a breakfast in AC and well disciplined waiting staff. There wiill be childrens seats for lilly. Dont go here unless you have given yourself enough time to order, eat, pay, and then go to bus! Alternatively, more quick service, cheaper food but also good food would be one or another restaurants on the short strip of Av. Uxmal between Av. Tulum and Av. Yaxchilan --- see the maps I posted on the osea online library pages. This is the strip where the hotels Alux and Coty are located. Also, the hotel plaza caribe (in front of the bus station) has a full restaurant and might be ideal if you chose that hotel.
Also in the mornings, there are always people with portable stalls that sell breakfast tacos and fresh juices in front of the bus station or around the corner there. If you run out of time there is the OXXO in front of the bus station where you can quickly just grab some snack foods -- my favorites are the JUMEX brand of juices that come in the CAN, these are extra cold, mango juice in the morning is delicious.
Travel Information About Cancun
Suggestions for Cancun Hotels & Activities
Overview Map of Cancun Airport, Resort Zone, City
City Map of Cancun Showing Exit/Entrance Points
Map of Downtown Hotels/Nightlife
Online Guide for Cancun & Playa del Carmen
Online Travel Guide for Merida & Yucatan
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Suggestions for Spending Time in Cancun
There are many different neighborhoods and areas of Cancun and Resort Cancun. If you are overnighting in the resort zone/island, then you are in the heart of the US-oriented nightlife. The Convention Center is now an area with more than a dozen bars/clubs/dance places to suit a variety of party tastes. Its loud and partytime. There are of course areas of Zona Hotelera that are for non-20 years olds on spring break. Fancy restaurants, love-nests, romantic getaways, etc. Thus, before you make a night of it the resort zone beware of the dominant trend, as well as the fact that it will take 20-30 mins. to get there from Downtown because of traffic.
Downtown Cancun is much more relaxed and quite nice place to be. There are several zones: the main tourist zone on both sides of Av. Tulum between Av. Kukulcan and Uxmal. Here you can walk down the street and have your mexican restaurant hustlers drag you into an overprized place for non-stop happy hour. Party scene and you pay for it. However there are also handicraft markets, ATMS, bookstores, clothing stores, groceries, electronics, bars and clubs here on this strip. Amongst the hotels are a few good inexpensive ones.
Parallel and "behind" Tulum is Av. Yaxchilan. This is ALSO a very happening nightlife, bar/club scene, very good Mexican restaurants at affordable prices -- this is the Tourism Zone of Cancun for the Mexican middle class. Its very good place to get away from Gringos. Also note that between Yaxchilan and Tulum are a series of parks, getaway restaurants, movie houses, and so forth where the local Cancun population goes to enjoy a weekend night, a movie, good food, etc. Check it out. Its a nice place to hang.
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