Looking for Cancun recs - both diving and non-diving

[lowwall]

I'll be in Cancun with my family from April 8-15 and was hoping to find some suggestions about the area. And no, this wasn't my first choice and I can't change the location, my Mom gave us a week at the Westin Lagunamar (at Km 12.5 near the Aquarium and La Isla Cancun Shopping Village). We won't be renting a car. My wife and 8-year-old daughter will not be diving.

First questions are about the diving. It would be for my and my 13-year-old son. He's Jr. OW certified with only 2 dives following certification a year ago (we will do a couple of of refresher dives in our condo's pool before we go out). From what I have read, the diving is pretty easy there and maybe not the greatest, but it will be fine for our purposes which is mainly to give my son more experience. I don't want to bother with the drag over to Coz for a day or put him into a cenote yet. Although if there is something within easy reach that is suitable for beginners, I'd consider it. Does anyone have a rec for a dive op that picks up at the hotel or is at least easy to access from where our hotel is located? I am happy to pay something extra for smaller boats and better service.

Next question is about Cancun in general. Any recs for restaurants or activities? I did find a recent rec for Create Unforgettable Adventures in Cancun! for day trip stuff.

 

[BRT]

Puerto Morelos. 15 miles down the coast. Dive Home or Dorado Buceo.

 

[Rob9876]

I'll be in Cancun with my family from April 8-15 and was hoping to find some suggestions about the area. And no, this wasn't my first choice and I can't change the location, my Mom gave us a week at the Westin Lagunamar (at Km 12.5 near the Aquarium and La Isla Cancun Shopping Village). We won't be renting a car. My wife and 8-year-old daughter will not be diving.
. . .
Next question is about Cancun in general. Any recs for restaurants or activities? I did find a recent rec for Create Unforgettable Adventures in Cancun! for day trip stuff.

I haven't done any diving from the mainland other than cenotes, which I personally would not recommend to a diver with only a couple of dives since certification. So, I'll leave the dive op recommendations to others.

As for day trip stuff, I have used the website you mentioned and it's related web site for Cozumel for a good number of activities over a number of years, and have had good experiences with everything except airport transfers. As far as family activities, I think the ruins at Coba may be my favorite Mayan ruins that I've seen so far -- it is a pretty easy trip down the coast to Tulum and then into the interior about an hour. I know you're not planning to rent a car, but it might be worth it for a day or two -- if you set off early you might see Coba, have lunch, then go back by Tulum and then cool off at the beach next to Tulum. The roads were in pretty good shape, and we did not feel any safety concerns, just watch your speed and noticeably watch the gas station pump while the attendants fill your tank. Of course, you can also book through that tour website or others.

Chichen Itza is the most famous Mayan ruin site, and is definitely worth seeing if it fits your schedule. I like Coba a bit better because you can bicycle to the ruins from the entrance (they have bicycle taxis also), and when I was there you could still climb the main pyramid (you can't at Chichen Itza) and there was still one big ruin that was partially covered by jungle (so I could show my kids how the jungle reclaims the land over time).

My family enjoyed going to Xel-ha and doing the water activities there for a day. The snorkeling near the mangroves was really good and interesting to better appreciate that ecosphere (if that is the right term). There's also zip-lining over/into the water, biking through the jungle, and more. We did the all-inclusive and it was a fun day for the family. I believe Xel-ha may have shuttles, or you can catch a local bus or go through the tour website.

 

[Manuel Sam]

It's been a while and God knows if these places are still around. In recent years, I've only passed by Cancun on the way elsewhere. So assuming they survived the pandemic, Pizzeria Rolandi, and La Habichuela are my restaurant recommendations.

I've never eaten at Rolandi's in Cancun but have done so many times both in Isla Mujeres and Cozumel. Good pastas and pizzas. They were very consistently good at both locations, so I'd have to think that their Cancun location is just as good.

La Habichuela is an excellent Mexican restaurant. It is in the center of town, not in tourist row. It is a bit upscale (ie, pricey).

 

[lowwall]

I'm back. Only had 1 day of diving as port was closed for small boats due to high winds and chop. I knew the weather was going to be iffy so didn't bother to bring my gear beyond my torch (light), computer and prescription mask.

I contacted three ops, the only one that didn't try to BS me about the weather was Nick, the diving program manager from Cthulhu Divers. They were more expensive then the others, but along with the above, he was good about responding on WhatsApp and pickup was included. He didn't even require me to leave a deposit since he wasn't sure if we'd be able to go out at all.

In the end, the weather did cooperate for one day. Nick picked me and my son up at our hotel at 8:15 and we went straight to the dock towards the north end of the hotel zone. We filled out paperwork and picked up the gear at a hotel right next to the dock. They had a pool with at least 4 scuba classes going on in different languages, I guess a bunch of the ops that aren't connected to a particular hotel use it.

The boat was a panga style. It probably could seat eight, but it was just the two of us along with Nick and his trainee DM. He gave us some options on sites. We chose Manchones Grande for the first dive. It has a couple of the statues that make up the underwater museum dive. He said if we liked them more than the reef, we could do the museum on the second dive. We did like the reef, so did Manchones Chico next.

Both dive sites were close to Isla Mujeres and were very shallow. 30' max and mostly 20' to 25'. Plenty of pretty fish and a decent variety of coral. I was surprised that we didn't see a single lobster or crab or eel. I shined my light under one ledge and Nick got pretty excited. I kept trying to spot what was back behind the spotted drum that kept getting in the way. When we surfaced he told me it was the drum as it's an unusual sight there.

There was no time limit, but my son is just starting out as a diver and burns through his air quite quickly. Nick was nice enough to send him up with the DM and continue to show me around on both dives. When the dive was over, we didn't bother with a safety stop, just a slow ascent. He covered this in the pre-briefing. The SI was only long enough to drink some water and move over to the new site.

The boat had a side ladder. You hand up the fins and climb aboard. I almost toppled back in climbing up with my gear after the first dive, so I took it off in the water and went up without it on the second.

All in all, it was a nice day out. Cancun is clearly not a diving destination, but if you are stuck there for whatever reason, I will happily recommend Nick for a day's dive. (continues in next post).

 

[lowwall]

Cthulhu Divers
+52 998 303 1727
Cthulhu Divers · Blvd. Kukulcan, Zona Hotelera, 77500 Cancún, Q.R., Mexiko

I only have a cheap action cam for pictures, but you can see that there's no shortage of life on these shallow reefs.

I also asked Nick for some restaurant recs outside the tourist zone. We were only able to get to one, but it was excellent and very reasonably priced compared to stuff in the hotel zone.

La Palapa del Mayor +52 800 839 2700 La Palapa del Mayor · Av Xcaret 20, 20, 77500 Cancún, Q.R., Mexiko

I have no idea why it only has a 4-star rating on Google Maps. I think maybe some tourists wanted a/c and and English-speaking staff?

 

[jwarrenod]

We're having a condo built in PM and I've done a bit of diving off of there and off of the Iberostar Paraiso Beach. Its not Cozumel, but its nice diving. I can see myself getting to know those reefs pretty well over the next 5-10 years.

If you are looking for day trips from there, I can't recommend Paco with Siesta Tours enough. He did a full day tour with my family and I to Ek Belam (ruins site) and other local touring. Super nice guy. PM me for his info if you want it.

 

[dkinpgh]

We're having a condo built in PM and I've done a bit of diving off of there and off of the Iberostar Paraiso Beach. Its not Cozumel, but its nice diving. I can see myself getting to know those reefs pretty well over the next 5-10 years.

If you are looking for day trips from there, I can't recommend Paco with Siesta Tours enough. He did a full day tour with my family and I to Ek Belam (ruins site) and other local touring. Super nice guy. PM me for his info if you want it.

Sounds like you're familiar with PM - any dive shop recommendations there? We'll be staying at Moon Palace next month and would like to get at least 1 day of diving in. Thanks,

 

[BRT]

Dive Home

 

[jwarrenod]

Sounds like you're familiar with PM - any dive shop recommendations there? We'll be staying at Moon Palace next month and would like to get at least 1 day of diving in. Thanks,

I’ve dove with Wet Set out of PM, good experiences. In Playa, Scuba 10 for both Cenote and Reef diving.

JW