You’re all enthusiastic about your trip at one of many Quintana Roo seashores in Mexico, you then get to the Cancun Airport and meet with…mayhem. First you take care of a chaotic baggage and customs line, then cross a gauntlet of pushy timeshare salespeople in entrance of supposed “vacationer info” desks, solely to exit the doorways and face 30 folks attempting to get you into certainly one of their firm’s taxis.
However hey, not less than there’s a bar on the market.
The state of Quintana Roo seashores are sometimes pretty, the calm waters are as fairly as a Corona business, and nearly as good as they appear in your pal’s trip photographs that make you drool. Nicely, not less than when the sargassum just isn’t pummeling the Caribbean Coast that’s. The issue is getting there within the first place.
As a journey author who has landed in airports in as many international locations as I might have birthday candles on an precisely lined cake, I’d fee the Cancun Worldwide Airport (CUN) as being about probably the most disagreeable one on this planet for a first-time customer. On prime of all of the hassles simply to get out of it and get in your manner, there’s just one highway in and one highway out from the freeway, with no at present working accommodations contained in the airport zone when you’ve got a late arrival or early departure.
Which means that the airport authority and transportation corporations have all the facility and management over the way you get out of the place. They’ve a robust incentive to collude on costs to maintain them excessive. You’ve bought no different selection however to take care of the charges they set. You normally have to attend in your trip as effectively someplace in a car parking zone since there’s no handy pick-up space on the curb for anybody.
There’s no Blacklane or related worldwide service in Cancun and for now anyway, it’s a lot simpler to get an Uber trip to the airport than from it. The additional you’re going, the extra it’s going to value you. Getting from Cancun to Tulum by taxi is very dear because it’s round two hours away with any visitors within the combine.
When you’re staying at a real luxurious lodge that takes care of you from begin to end, like Casa de la Playa resort south of Playa del Carmen, then your switch can be included as a part of your keep. Most of them are usually not this beneficiant although, particularly the high-end a la carte chain accommodations that invoice you at premium charges for every little thing they will handle to tack on. It could possibly nonetheless pay to rearrange a switch with them so that you don’t should take care of the Cancun airport insanity, however it’s going to probably value you $80 to $200 per particular person.
Right here’s the best way to get to the varied lovely white sand seashores lined with palm bushes, beginning with the highest of the state at Holbox Island and happening to Tulum and the underside of the state previous that time.
Cancun Airport to Holbox Island
Till the Tulum airport is totally practical, this partly protected island within the northeast of the Yucatan Peninsula is the one Quintana Roo seaside space you may fly to in a aircraft as an alternative of going by land the entire manner. Sadly although, the corporate that used to serve this route on a set schedule appears to have modified possession and/or dropped that providing through the pandemic, so it’s a must to organize a constitution flight via a personal operator. If you wish to go the simple route, you may ebook a personal flight to Isla Holbox on Viator for round $1,000 for as much as 5 folks.
The subsequent-best choice is to rearrange a personal shuttle in your group from the Cancun airport to Chiquila. From there you’re taking the ferry throughout to the shallow waters of Holbox Island. It’s a couple of two-hour journey a technique.
In concept there’s an ADO bus, however you’d should get to the downtown Cancun bus station to board it, which is nowhere near the airport.
See our evaluations of the greatest luxurious accommodations on Holbox Island (scroll down on the web page to these three). Be aware too that this can be a prime jumping-off level to go see whale sharks in the proper time of yr.
Attending to Playa Mujeres
This stretch of coast on the mainland throughout from Isla Mujeres is a purpose-built lodge zone that’s meant for one factor solely: staying at a resort you don’t plan to depart. It’s quite removed from anything and there’s no native life round. You come right here to spend time along with your honey or your loved ones and you then return to the airport if you’re achieved.
Due to this, most friends get right here on some form of hotel-arranged switch. It’s too far to get to by taxi, particularly contemplating Cancun taxi cartel costs, although the rocky introduction of Uber would assist make this extra palatable should you might handle to get an Uber from the airport.
You might lease a automobile to return right here, however since few folks depart these remoted resorts, you wouldn’t use it for a lot else until you’re headed to Holbox or Yucatan state quickly after. If that you must arrange a switch your self, we’d advise doing it via the official airport website or arranging it with an organization like Journey Yucatan Transfers that we wrote about in that earlier weblog submit.
Taxi and Ferry to Isla Mujeres
Isla Mujeres is on the other aspect of the Cancun Resort Zone from the airport, so a taxi to the ferry port will value you a couple of to a Cancun lodge. Then it’s a must to take the ferry throughout to the island and get one other taxi there until you’re staying close to the ferry dock.
As a result of that is quite convoluted, the perfect guess is to set all this up along with your lodge through the reserving course of or buy a package deal the place transfers are included. Some resorts have their very own water taxi to choose you up on the mainland.
Transportation to Riviera Maya Quintana Roo Seashores
The Riviera Maya is an enormous space alongside the entire coast of the Mexican Caribbean, encompassing dozens of Quintana Roo seashores corresponding to Puerto Morelos, Maroma Seashore, and many with no identify. Relating to resorts although, most of them tagged as being within the Riviera Maya are within the stretch of coast between Cancun and Playa del Carmen (together with Puerto Morelos) and the realm south of PDC stretching virtually to Tulum (together with Akumal Seashore).
When you might take your probabilities and simply get a taxi upon arrival, it’s an enormous problem and also you’ll face some predatory pricing if you don’t have a lot negotiating energy. It’s a lot much less hectic to set the switch up forward of time, particularly since a few of the Riviera Maya resorts are a mile or two from the freeway after you lastly get previous the gate. Those effectively south of Playa del Carmen, corresponding to the brand new Riviera Maya Conrad and Escencia, are going to take you an hour and a half in transit.
Ask the resort you booked with who they use or store round to search out the proper service. Final time I used to be there and made the brief journey to the Waldorf Astoria Cancun, which is south of the airport, I used their pickup service which was dear however glorious: Iconic Distinctive Experiences.
Cancun to Playa del Carmen
When you’re headed to Playa del Carmen correct and the lengthy public seaside, this is likely one of the best routes to navigate. In case your timing is nice, you may even take a pleasant ADO bus proper from the Cancun airport terminal to central PDC and be within the coronary heart of the motion in an hour and a half. Fares are round $14.
There are additionally shared van companies for about the identical worth which you could ebook prematurely and these observe a extra direct route, getting you there in about an hour. The quickest is a personal taxi or automobile service, in fact, which is able to probably be $70 to $100 for the automobile.
There’s additionally an organization referred to as Cancun Helicopters providing to get you from the CUN airport to a heliport on the Playacar growth near Royal Hideaway Playacar for a a lot faster choice.
Don’t neglect which you could catch a ferry from right here out to Cozumel if you wish to dive or snorkel round some coral reefs.
Cancun to Tulum Transportation
Sometime quickly you’ll be capable to fly on to the city of Tulum from Mexico Metropolis. We assume that ultimately some worldwide airways will fly into this new airport as effectively, so you then’ll be capable to skip Cancun and land two hours south to go straight to your Tulum luxurious lodge on the seaside.
When the controversial Maya Prepare is accomplished, that can go to Tulum city as effectively and can present a way more nice different to get down the coast, with far much less air pollution emitted as effectively. The prepare just isn’t from the Cancun airport although, so that you’ll nonetheless should get to the terminal from the airport to begin.
For now, you will have choices from $22 (a three-hour bus), $30 (a two-hour shared van), or a personal switch that can most likely value your group $100 to $300 relying on the automobile dimension and the way many individuals are going. Search all of the Cancun to Tulum transportation choices. Additionally keep in mind that Tulum is basically three areas: the Tulum Mayan ruins, the city with that identify that’s not on the water, and the seaside space jammed with eating places, costly accommodations, and buzzing mills.
Going Past to Mahual, Bacalar, and Belize
Not many vacationers enterprise additional south alongside the Caribbean Sea after touchdown on the Cancun airport. It’s simpler to only fly into Chetumal as an alternative should you’re taking a visit to Bacalar Lagoon (the place the turquoise waters are usually not salt water) or to the secluded, laid-back seaside city of Mahual (the place you’ve bought a greater likelihood than in most locations to see some sea turtles).
When you do need to enterprise down this removed from the Cancun airport, the perfect guess is to take a taxi to the Cancun bus station after which get a bus from there. Or simply lease a automobile on the airport and settle in for an extended drive down a straight highway with out a lot to see.
When you’re feeling like an adventurous overlander, you may hold going and cross the border into Belize to proceed. The crossing is simply south of Chetumal.
We hope you discovered this rundown on the best way to attain the Quintana Roo seashores from Cancun to be helpful. Have a fantastic journey and revel in Mexico!
