Mexico - where for a first timer summer 2025 or 2026?
Discussion
Hi all, Mexico's a destination that's been on my list for some time and I've never got round to doing it. I was meant to go in 2021 but because of the stupid covid red list, a very cheap planned Cancun trip was scrapped. Now it's been a few years and I'm looking at going properly, Cancun seems to be the obvious choice for a stereotypical beach holiday, getting an all inclusive in the hotel zone and chilling out by the pool or beach and doing the odd excursion. However I've also heard good things about Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas, but Cancun seems to be the only location with a direct flight from the UK. I know when it comes to Cancun, a lot of people say to ignore all the aiport scammers etc and don't drink the tap water.
I'm very much the explorer when it comes to holidays, so like getting out there and seeing the local culture, exploring attractions and eating the food. For those who have been, where would you recommend a first timer to Mexico?
I'm very much the explorer when it comes to holidays, so like getting out there and seeing the local culture, exploring attractions and eating the food. For those who have been, where would you recommend a first timer to Mexico?
Cancún aka America on Sea serves its purpose. It’s a fun party town with nice beaches. I went there for spring break one year - Wowzer.
If you want something a little less developed and chilled I would head to Holbox and spend 3 or 4 nights there. We stayed at a place called Aurora I think, which was a decent little
Hotel.
I would personally avoid Tulum as it’s largely a hideously overpriced tourist trap, but if you really want to check it out there are a couple of cool (expensive) bars.
If you’re feeling intrepid, you can also go swimming with whale sharks, which we did. All doable from Cancun.
And finally you can do a day trip to Cozumel. But you might be surrounded by a bunch of annoying yanks!
Enjoy, Mexico is amazing, and so are the Mexicans
If you want something a little less developed and chilled I would head to Holbox and spend 3 or 4 nights there. We stayed at a place called Aurora I think, which was a decent little
Hotel.
I would personally avoid Tulum as it’s largely a hideously overpriced tourist trap, but if you really want to check it out there are a couple of cool (expensive) bars.
If you’re feeling intrepid, you can also go swimming with whale sharks, which we did. All doable from Cancun.
And finally you can do a day trip to Cozumel. But you might be surrounded by a bunch of annoying yanks!
Enjoy, Mexico is amazing, and so are the Mexicans
I live in Mexico and have explored a lot of the country, but I'd say it really depends on what you're looking for. If you want the typical all inclusive beach experience than Cancun is definitely the easiest option but you won't see much of the local culture, even if you take tours to places like Tulum as everything anywhere near there is geared up for tourists only.
Cities like Oaxaca, San Miguel De Allende or Merida are safe and far less touristy than Cancun, but you won't get the all inclusive experience like you would in Cancun, although you're not so far from the beach in Merida or Oaxaca.
My personal choice would be a week or so in Oaxaca, rent a car from there, drive to Puerto Escondido and do a few days at a nice hotel by the beach, then drive back to Oaxaca and fly home. That option will also be vastly cheaper than Cancun and you'll have access to the best food you can get in all of Mexico.
Cities like Oaxaca, San Miguel De Allende or Merida are safe and far less touristy than Cancun, but you won't get the all inclusive experience like you would in Cancun, although you're not so far from the beach in Merida or Oaxaca.
My personal choice would be a week or so in Oaxaca, rent a car from there, drive to Puerto Escondido and do a few days at a nice hotel by the beach, then drive back to Oaxaca and fly home. That option will also be vastly cheaper than Cancun and you'll have access to the best food you can get in all of Mexico.
Geekman said:
I live in Mexico and have explored a lot of the country, but I'd say it really depends on what you're looking for. If you want the typical all inclusive beach experience than Cancun is definitely the easiest option but you won't see much of the local culture, even if you take tours to places like Tulum as everything anywhere near there is geared up for tourists only.
Cities like Oaxaca, San Miguel De Allende or Merida are safe and far less touristy than Cancun, but you won't get the all inclusive experience like you would in Cancun, although you're not so far from the beach in Merida or Oaxaca.
My personal choice would be a week or so in Oaxaca, rent a car from there, drive to Puerto Escondido and do a few days at a nice hotel by the beach, then drive back to Oaxaca and fly home. That option will also be vastly cheaper than Cancun and you'll have access to the best food you can get in all of Mexico.
Cities like Oaxaca, San Miguel De Allende or Merida are safe and far less touristy than Cancun, but you won't get the all inclusive experience like you would in Cancun, although you're not so far from the beach in Merida or Oaxaca.
My personal choice would be a week or so in Oaxaca, rent a car from there, drive to Puerto Escondido and do a few days at a nice hotel by the beach, then drive back to Oaxaca and fly home. That option will also be vastly cheaper than Cancun and you'll have access to the best food you can get in all of Mexico.
Geekman, are you sure you have your map the right way up?! Not so far from the beach at Mérida and Oaxaca?! With Mérida that's like saying Norwich is not far from the beach as it's about the same distance to Progreso as it is from Norwich to Gt Yarmouth, and it's 45 mins drive on a good day. But saying Oaxaca is not far from the beach - lol. Do you know where Oaxaca is? It's at least 3 hours drive to the nearest beach and it'll be longer if you get stuck behind a bus or truck as every road south and west out of Oaxaca goes through the mountains to get to the coast.Mérida is quite quaint but not a lot going on. It is after all just a town in the middle of the Yucatán jungle and away from Centro comes with most of the wildlife and critters (snakes, spiders, big wildcats, monkeys, crocs) too. Mérida is full of American ex-pats who are friendly and will chat with you for hours, They love chatting with Brits
. I spend time there with a Mexican friend. If ruins are your thing then there are several old Mayan ruins dotted around the Yucatán peninsular to visit. Lots of videos on youtube , just search for what to do in Yucatán. Mérida is a long drive from Cancún too - it's like driving from Leeds to London distance wise, but without the motorway - expect 3.5 hours drive.Oaxaca is not a touristy place because it's in the middle of nowhere in relation to the main arrival airports from Europe. They don't see many tourists there and you'll find you need to speak Spanish to communicate. With limited time on your holiday you'll waste a lot of it just getting there and back unless you fly in and out.
Don't rule out PVR (Puerto Vallarta). Direct flights from MAN and LGW on TUI, same as Cancún. Lots of nice resorts and quaint eateries all over the old town. If you're in a resort in Nuevo Vallarta on the north side of the airport, watch out for the crocs, especially around the Ameca river area as they can be a real nuisance coming into the resort complex and chilling in the bushes. Much like Cancún, PdC and Tulum, PVR is very touristy and you'll pay gringo rates everywhere unless you hone your Spanish speaking skills to pay native rates.
If you don't like soap (coriander) on every meal, get used to saying 'sin cilantro' everywhere you go !
If you plan to hire a car and drive, make sure you check out YT for the common scams to watch out for. There are several good videos which will save your wallet.
r3g said:
Geekman said:
I live in Mexico and have explored a lot of the country, but I'd say it really depends on what you're looking for. If you want the typical all inclusive beach experience than Cancun is definitely the easiest option but you won't see much of the local culture, even if you take tours to places like Tulum as everything anywhere near there is geared up for tourists only.
Cities like Oaxaca, San Miguel De Allende or Merida are safe and far less touristy than Cancun, but you won't get the all inclusive experience like you would in Cancun, although you're not so far from the beach in Merida or Oaxaca.
My personal choice would be a week or so in Oaxaca, rent a car from there, drive to Puerto Escondido and do a few days at a nice hotel by the beach, then drive back to Oaxaca and fly home. That option will also be vastly cheaper than Cancun and you'll have access to the best food you can get in all of Mexico.
Cities like Oaxaca, San Miguel De Allende or Merida are safe and far less touristy than Cancun, but you won't get the all inclusive experience like you would in Cancun, although you're not so far from the beach in Merida or Oaxaca.
My personal choice would be a week or so in Oaxaca, rent a car from there, drive to Puerto Escondido and do a few days at a nice hotel by the beach, then drive back to Oaxaca and fly home. That option will also be vastly cheaper than Cancun and you'll have access to the best food you can get in all of Mexico.
Geekman, are you sure you have your map the right way up?! Not so far from the beach at Mérida and Oaxaca?! With Mérida that's like saying Norwich is not far from the beach as it's about the same distance to Progreso as it is from Norwich to Gt Yarmouth, and it's 45 mins drive on a good day. But saying Oaxaca is not far from the beach - lol. Do you know where Oaxaca is? It's at least 3 hours drive to the nearest beach and it'll be longer if you get stuck behind a bus or truck as every road south and west out of Oaxaca goes through the mountains to get to the coast.Mérida is quite quaint but not a lot going on. It is after all just a town in the middle of the Yucatán jungle and away from Centro comes with most of the wildlife and critters (snakes, spiders, big wildcats, monkeys, crocs) too. Mérida is full of American ex-pats who are friendly and will chat with you for hours, They love chatting with Brits
. I spend time there with a Mexican friend. If ruins are your thing then there are several old Mayan ruins dotted around the Yucatán peninsular to visit. Lots of videos on youtube , just search for what to do in Yucatán. Mérida is a long drive from Cancún too - it's like driving from Leeds to London distance wise, but without the motorway - expect 3.5 hours drive.Oaxaca is not a touristy place because it's in the middle of nowhere in relation to the main arrival airports from Europe. They don't see many tourists there and you'll find you need to speak Spanish to communicate. With limited time on your holiday you'll waste a lot of it just getting there and back unless you fly in and out.
Don't rule out PVR (Puerto Vallarta). Direct flights from MAN and LGW on TUI, same as Cancún. Lots of nice resorts and quaint eateries all over the old town. If you're in a resort in Nuevo Vallarta on the north side of the airport, watch out for the crocs, especially around the Ameca river area as they can be a real nuisance coming into the resort complex and chilling in the bushes. Much like Cancún, PdC and Tulum, PVR is very touristy and you'll pay gringo rates everywhere unless you hone your Spanish speaking skills to pay native rates.
If you don't like soap (coriander) on every meal, get used to saying 'sin cilantro' everywhere you go !
If you plan to hire a car and drive, make sure you check out YT for the common scams to watch out for. There are several good videos which will save your wallet.
Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido is about 3hrs, Merida to Progreso is less than an hour or as you say you can get to Cancun in 3.5hrs.
I've been to Puerto Vallarta too, it just seemed like a smaller, quieter Cancun to me. If the OP wants a normal beach holiday it's a good choice but personally I'd take Oaxaca over Puerto Vallarta any day of the week.
He'd need to fly there then. You are not driving from either CUN or PVR to Oaxaca ! A quick check of googlemaps and it's 1040 miles from CUN and 800 miles from PVR. On typical Mexican roads that's a full day of 15 hours driving and then some. And if he's in a hire car with the name on the side, he'll be getting pulled over every 5 minutes by bent cops wanting their mordida lol.
r3g said:
He'd need to fly there then. You are not driving from either CUN or PVR to Oaxaca ! A quick check of googlemaps and it's 1040 miles from CUN and 800 miles from PVR. On typical Mexican roads that's a full day of 15 hours driving and then some. And if he's in a hire car with the name on the side, he'll be getting pulled over every 5 minutes by bent cops wanting their mordida lol.
Oh yeah for sure, I'd never suggest driving from there to Oaxaca, that's definitely too far! Should be fairly easy and cheap to fly into Mexico City or Cancun and from there to Oaxaca though.r3g said:
Geekman, are you sure you have your map the right way up?! Not so far from the beach at Mérida and Oaxaca?! With Mérida that's like saying Norwich is not far from the beach as it's about the same distance to Progreso as it is from Norwich to Gt Yarmouth, and it's 45 mins drive on a good day. But saying Oaxaca is not far from the beach - lol. Do you know where Oaxaca is? It's at least 3 hours drive to the nearest beach and it'll be longer if you get stuck behind a bus or truck as every road south and west out of Oaxaca goes through the mountains to get to the coast.Mérida is quite quaint but not a lot going on. It is after all just a town in the middle of the Yucatán jungle and away from Centro comes with most of the wildlife and critters (snakes, spiders, big wildcats, monkeys, crocs) too. Mérida is full of American ex-pats who are friendly and will chat with you for hours, They love chatting with Brits
. I spend time there with a Mexican friend. If ruins are your thing then there are several old Mayan ruins dotted around the Yucatán peninsular to visit. Lots of videos on youtube , just search for what to do in Yucatán. Mérida is a long drive from Cancún too - it's like driving from Leeds to London distance wise, but without the motorway - expect 3.5 hours drive.Oaxaca is not a touristy place because it's in the middle of nowhere in relation to the main arrival airports from Europe. They don't see many tourists there and you'll find you need to speak Spanish to communicate. With limited time on your holiday you'll waste a lot of it just getting there and back unless you fly in and out.
Don't rule out PVR (Puerto Vallarta). Direct flights from MAN and LGW on TUI, same as Cancún. Lots of nice resorts and quaint eateries all over the old town. If you're in a resort in Nuevo Vallarta on the north side of the airport, watch out for the crocs, especially around the Ameca river area as they can be a real nuisance coming into the resort complex and chilling in the bushes. Much like Cancún, PdC and Tulum, PVR is very touristy and you'll pay gringo rates everywhere unless you hone your Spanish speaking skills to pay native rates.
If you don't like soap (coriander) on every meal, get used to saying 'sin cilantro' everywhere you go !
If you plan to hire a car and drive, make sure you check out YT for the common scams to watch out for. There are several good videos which will save your wallet.
In 2022 we (family of 4) drove from Acapulco across Mexico to Tulum. Fantastic holiday, roads were good.
The itinerary was
- 2 nights Mexico City - met daughter's friend
- 3 nights Acapulco - really great beach and activities
- 1 night in Puerto Escondido (should have stayed longer)
- 2 nights Tuxtla Gutiérrez - for the Cañón del Sumidero
- 1 night Agua Azul - really basic hotel, fantastic food
- 2 nights Palenque - Mayan ruins
- 1 night Isla Aguada - Gulf of Mexico (huge thunderstorm)
- 2 nights Chichén-Itzá - more Mayan ruins
- 3 nights Tulum - sea was covered in a weed/bloom, no swimming and foul smell.
The only downside was that we felt that it was a bit rushed and we could have done with a couple of extra 3 night stops in the middle.
None of us spoke Spanish, and we only really started hearing English spoken when we got to Palenque.
Flights were BA to Mexico City, internal airlines for Mexico City to Acapulco and Cancun back to Mexico City. All accommodation booked through Booking.com. Car hire was with Europcar from Acapulco to Cancun.Had a puncture on the way to Chichén-Itzá, had to pay for a new tyre.
Highly recommended.
The itinerary was
- 2 nights Mexico City - met daughter's friend
- 3 nights Acapulco - really great beach and activities
- 1 night in Puerto Escondido (should have stayed longer)
- 2 nights Tuxtla Gutiérrez - for the Cañón del Sumidero
- 1 night Agua Azul - really basic hotel, fantastic food
- 2 nights Palenque - Mayan ruins
- 1 night Isla Aguada - Gulf of Mexico (huge thunderstorm)
- 2 nights Chichén-Itzá - more Mayan ruins
- 3 nights Tulum - sea was covered in a weed/bloom, no swimming and foul smell.
The only downside was that we felt that it was a bit rushed and we could have done with a couple of extra 3 night stops in the middle.
None of us spoke Spanish, and we only really started hearing English spoken when we got to Palenque.
Flights were BA to Mexico City, internal airlines for Mexico City to Acapulco and Cancun back to Mexico City. All accommodation booked through Booking.com. Car hire was with Europcar from Acapulco to Cancun.Had a puncture on the way to Chichén-Itzá, had to pay for a new tyre.
Highly recommended.
75Black said:
Regarding flights to PVR and Los Cabos, have these been stopped by TUI, because I've gone on the website to look and while it's on their list of Mexico destinations it's greyed out and you can't select it or are they seasonal flights? In terms of my Spanish, I'm limited to the basic phrases so I'm definitely going to get taken for gringo rates but that's expected!
What dates are you looking at ? If it's too short then the flights will already be full, and if it's too far in the future they won't have finalised the schedule yet. I use google flights to find availability but unlikely to be going out there this year due to other life stuff going on.CUN is Cancún, not Los Cabos. No direct flights from European to the latter. Cancún is the default entry point for all the European package holiday flights and there are flights all year round.
r3g said:
75Black said:
Regarding flights to PVR and Los Cabos, have these been stopped by TUI, because I've gone on the website to look and while it's on their list of Mexico destinations it's greyed out and you can't select it or are they seasonal flights? In terms of my Spanish, I'm limited to the basic phrases so I'm definitely going to get taken for gringo rates but that's expected!
What dates are you looking at ? If it's too short then the flights will already be full, and if it's too far in the future they won't have finalised the schedule yet. I use google flights to find availability but unlikely to be going out there this year due to other life stuff going on.CUN is Cancún, not Los Cabos. No direct flights from European to the latter. Cancún is the default entry point for all the European package holiday flights and there are flights all year round.
75Black said:
I've just been playing around with random dates, June time or thereabout. Cancun I'm aware has direct flights from LGW for both TUI and BA, of which BA are cheaper by about £2-300 for just flights. But no matter what date, PVR is always greyed out on TUI and I have a feeling there's no direct flights from the UK anymore because not even SkyScanner or Google flights bring any up that aren't a connecting flight. Los Cabos SJD I've searched before and never had a direct flight. My best bet if I wanted to fly to one of these destinations (PVR/ Los Cabos) would be a flight into Mexico City then fly on from there.
OK dunno then. I guess they are not doing PVR this season direct from the UK. Check availability for our winter season, typically 1 Nov to 31 Mar. Mexico is a more popular destination during our winter as their temperatures are more sensible for us then and you don't get thunderstorms and a total drenching every couple of hours like you do in the summer months.We went in June.
Stayed in Playa Del Carmen. Did the day trips to a Cenote, Whale Shark and Mayan Ruins. They are expensive but well organised and run, hotel pick up and drop off, air con bus/van etc.. It was a nice way to spend a couple of weeks, did All Inclusive too. Did a shopping trip to the local town, walked about and felt perfectly safe....
I would be reluctant to drive out there though, it was a touch manic
Stayed in Playa Del Carmen. Did the day trips to a Cenote, Whale Shark and Mayan Ruins. They are expensive but well organised and run, hotel pick up and drop off, air con bus/van etc.. It was a nice way to spend a couple of weeks, did All Inclusive too. Did a shopping trip to the local town, walked about and felt perfectly safe....
I would be reluctant to drive out there though, it was a touch manic
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