Quick Trip To Cancun

Our girls getaway took us to Cancun, Mexico.... This was my first trip to Cancun & my first experience through customs. ( I learned not to be friendly & outgoing just keep your mouth shut!!!) We stayed at the Oasis Cancun, an all inclusive resort and it included our airport transfers and Alamo Car Rentals were available. It was great not having to worry about arranging a ride and getting lost or perhaps driven off the road (they drive CRAZY in Cancun). Don't get talked into exchanging the U.S. dollar for Mexican money (pesos)the U.S. dollar is worth more. We learned that the hard way, we were told at the Cancun airport to exchange our money for a higher exchange rate.

So that's what we did to later discover they accept U.S. currency in Cancun. And if you want to exchange the pesos back to U.S. money you lose half the value... so the next time we visit Cancun we won't do that again!!!! Mid afternoon we arrived at the hotel (Oasis Cancun) from the outside the hotel appeared nice, but the inside not so nice very plain and hot no air condition. The marble floors were a nice touch but very slippery. The staff members of the Oasis were very friendly!!! We headed to our room which was small, very plain, our air conditioner wasn't working so we only had the fan slightly uncomfortable and the bathroom was small but we had a nice view from our balcony we could see portions of the pool. The hotel grounds and the pool area is landscaped perfectly!!! Creating the perfect tropical getaway with palm trees and huge tiki huts everywhere. All the bushes are manicured to perfection, the grass is green & lush topped off with beautiful peacocks walking freely around the grounds.

The hotel is right on the beach but the beach is very rocky so not you ideal swimming beach... However it's a great spot to lounge on a chair & soak up some sun without the crowd. Next, we found the area where you can book your excursions there are several fun and exciting choices and we decided we wanted to go snorkeling. Our adventure was booked for the next morning a two hour snorkeling trip about 45 minutes from the hotel. We also inquired about shopping, he suggested the Market aka:Market 28 so we caught a cab from the hotel and headed off to The Market which is located in central Cancun. They have every type of souvenir imaginable so no matter what you are looking for you should be able to find it here. A helpful tip: if you are looking for gold or silver jewelry be sure to look for signs posting the cost per gram or weight also make sure the piece of jewelry is stamped properly and remember everything is negotiable!!! When I purchased silver jewelry I was offered tequila shots not sure if it was to make a sale or just to party because I was on vacation... After a while you get tired of everyone trying to sell you something constantly you can only take so much and it's time to go.. We were vacationing during a slow time and the vendors wanted to see something so we did allot of negotiating... We caught another taxi and headed downtown Cancun where we walked around and window shopped.

The downtown area is the perfect location for eating at popular restaurants such as: The Rain Forest Cafe, Hard Rock Cafe, Carlos'n Charlie's, Senior Frogs and Daddy O's (this is a very popular night spot). We did not eat out while we were shopping we ate all of our meals at our Hotel. We were all shopped out and caught a taxi back to the hotel. There is public transportation available if you don't want to take a taxi. We headed back to our room to get ready for dinner. We dined at the Thai restaurant at the Oasis and this restaurant was a find the food was good not great but the restaurant itself was beautiful and offered outdoor dining right next to the ocean. The view was stunning and we had a very nice breeze we all laughed and said the temperature here was cooler than our room. They served the tastiest desserts especially the fried ice cream.... Then we called it a night.

Saturday morning we got up early for our snorkeling adventure, we all ate a good breakfast at the hotel and met out front of the hotel for our transportation taking us to Puerto Morelos for snorkeling. Our snorkeling guides were great they explained everything in great detail, we had some beginners in our group and it was GREAT. Our guide went the extra mile making sure we could see as much as we possibly could. He would even swim to the bottom of the reef turning over rocks to uncover marine life. He even caught a baby stingray for us to hold & he picked up a sea cucumber for us all to see up close it was amazing!!!!!!! We were very pleased with the Puerto Morelos Snorkeling Tour he took us to a very beautiful reef. We were in the water for about two hours it was a great trip. Once we got back we had about one hour until our transportation came to pick us up so we walked around the small little town and shopped along the street. We meet a few other people that were staying at the same hotel as us and we were all talking about shopping and they mentioned they got some great deals at La Isla Shopping Mall not too far from the Oasis Hotel. They thought good bargain prices compared to other malls and better deals compared to the Market. Either way I think you need to experience The Market..

When we arrived back at the hotel we decided to check out the pool and the rest of the hotel. The pool area was very nice and relaxing the main area was very loud and crowded as you pass that there are several quiet places to relax and take in the warm sun. There are several bar areas and a few swim up bars you won't go thirsty that's for sure... Another plus is the hotel is on the beach even though you can't swim in the ocean it's very relaxing to hear the waves crashing behind you as you swim or sun next to the pool. Plus, you have the constant breeze it's very relaxing!!!! Also you will see people para sailing this is very cool...
We all were getting hungry so we went back to our room and got ready for dinner tonight we dined on Mediterranean food it was good not great but once again the restaurant made up for the food. It was outdoor dining in an elegant & relaxing setting overlooking the pool not much breeze and the mosquito's were out. After our meal we walked around the pool and sat in relaxing beach chairs overlooking the ocean. There was a full moon that evening & the breeze was heavenly and our view was spectacular!!!!! We all were relaxing it was so awesome we almost spent the night in our beach chairs....

Sunday morning we got up early, ate a good breakfast and headed for the airport... Our trip was short but overall we had a fantastic time. Our room accommodations were not that great, uncomfortable with out air conditioning, the food was good not great And the gift shop didn't sell you common necessities such as towels, batteries, sunscreen and no first aid type things. What we did like was the pool area, all the outdoor landscape and the friendly staff. The Oasis Cancun is perfect for spring breakers.