With its white sandy beaches and turquoise water, believe me when I say that Cancun is incredible. There’s a reason it’s such a popular tourist destination. Cancun is pure beachside bliss and is perfect for a relaxing getaway.
Andrew and I spent a little over a week in Cancun enjoying the beach, the sun, the spa, and the food. If you’re looking for a similar relaxing, beachy getaway, keep reading for all the details you need to plan your own!
How to get there
Cancun is so easy to get to and is only about a 3.5-4 hour flight from Denver! There are a good amount of non-stop flights available with various airlines, so a lot of options as far as travel goes.
As usual, we were given customs forms to complete on the plane and once arriving provided these forms while showing our passports. Additionally, there’s an online form that you need to fill out on your phone once arriving. The form essentially asks where you’ve traveled in the past two weeks and if you’ve been exposed to COVID. Super quick and easy.
We had already booked transportation through Cancun Shuttle to get from the airport to the hotel. There are plenty of taxi drivers and other shuttle companies at the airport, but I highly recommend you book in advance to save yourself the hassle and start your vacation even quicker. The Hotel Zone, where the majority of resorts are found, is only about 20 minutes away from the airport.
Where to stay
We spent 7 nights at the Ritz-Carlton Cancun in an ocean front suite. The room had three balconies, one and a half bathrooms with ultra-plush robes, a separate living room area, and a separate dining room. Two of the balconies looked directly out at the sea, while the other had a great view of the pool. Definitely take advantage of the entire space – we ordered in room dining several times, sat outside on the balconies, and relaxed in the living room when we were rained off the beach.
The service was amazing as well! When we arrived, the doorman took my temperature and told me “it says you need more tequila.” I knew then that I was in for a good week. The service for the rest of our trip was equally welcoming and personalized. I truly felt like each staff member we encountered cared about our experience and it showed.
The Ritz-Carlton is in the center of the Hotel Zone. The location ended up being perfect because it was only a short walk to our favorite restaurants. It was also in one of the best spots on the beach.
Our getaway was all about relaxing, so we spent the majority of our time at the hotel. This made it so important that we chose well. Based on our experience, I would recommend the Ritz-Carlton Cancun without a doubt!
What to do
The best relaxing vacations involve a whole lot of nothing mixed with a little bit of activity. In true relaxing getaway form, we didn’t schedule a lot and for the most part decided what we wanted to do in the moment.
Our favorite activities were:
- Beach and pool: As expected, we spent the majority of our time camped out at either at the beach or pool. The staff set us up each day with lounge chairs, towels, and umbrellas, and came by to check on us frequently. We enjoyed our beach days reading (don’t forget a good beach read), playing in the water, drinking fruity cocktails, and simply soaking up the sunshine. If you’re looking for the ultimate relaxing experience, I suggest renting a cabana at least one day. The cabanas are private areas complete with a hammock, snacks, and several lounge areas in both the sun and shade.
- Sunrise yoga: The hotel offered sunrise yoga classes every other day, taught in both Spanish and English. The instructor constantly provided feedback and alternatives, so even though the class was beginner level it’s easy to customize it to your individual skill level. This was such a great way to start the morning and really set the tone for the day.
- Spa: No relaxing getaway is complete without a trip to the spa. The hotel spa at the Ritz-Carlton offers a wide variety of treatments. Before and after spa treatments, guests can use the spa facility, which includes steam rooms, aromatherapy showers, icy cold plunge pools, warm whirlpools (really nice after the plunge pool), and a variety of snacks and beverages. We did a couple’s massage and it was one of the highlights of our trip!
- Dining experiences: There’s nothing like having a long dinner and chatting about the day. Dinner with an amazing view is even better! In the evenings, our hotel transforms the beachside cabanas into private dining areas, which was such a fun experience. Other restaurants in the area have similarly unique atmospheres, so it’s worth trying several to find your favorite.
Where to eat
The food in Cancun was amazing! Even sticking around the Hotel Zone, we didn’t have a single bad meal.
Most of our meals were at the hotel because we were too busy enjoying the beach to step away. Our favorite dining at the Ritz-Carlton included:
- The Caribe Bar & Grill: This restaurant served all the oceanside food both at the cabana, our lounge chairs, or at its beachside tables. The menu is pretty casual and includes sandwiches, salads, pizzas, and some Mexican food.
- D-Lounge: D-Lounge is the hotel bar and is an ideal place to grab a few margaritas while enjoying the live music.
- El Café Mexicano: We spent our breakfasts here and took advantage of the daily breakfast buffet. The buffet includes traditional Mexican plates, made-to-order egg dishes, and a variety of fruit and other healthy items.
- Casitas: We rented a private casita right on the water and spent dinner enjoying sounds of the ocean and the cutest atmosphere. The menu includes a variety of seafood, steak, and chicken options, a creative drink list, and amazing desserts. The service here was equally as good as the food. Casitas operates based on weather conditions, but it started pouring rain during our meal and we stayed dry and were even brought towels to keep warm.
- Room service: There’s nothing more relaxing than having dinner in-room wearing a fluffy hotel robe. The room service menu is similar to the Caribe Bar & Grill and includes salads, wraps and sandwiches, beverages, and desserts, among other things. Toward the end of our trip, our nightly routine was ordering a pot of tea and two scoops of ice cream (okay, and a few margaritas on occasion), but we also had lunch and dinner in-room a couple times.
Despite how much we loved the hotel’s restaurants, we did actually go other places to eat. Outside of the hotel, our favorite restaurants were:
- Hacienda Sisal: Hacienda Sisal is all about the traditional Mexican food and delicious drinks, often with live music. Although it doesn’t have a water view like so many other restaurants, it’s worth checking out for the food and drinks alone. I recommend ordering a shot of tequila at the end of your meal! The server brings around the tequila cart and helps you select one to sip on. Your chosen shot is then served with red and green sangritas to cleanse the palate between each sip.
- Porfirio’s: Porfirio’s is such a fun place! This was our favorite restaurant of the trip and was the only place we went twice. The atmosphere is lively, the drink and food menus are varied, and the service is friendly and welcoming. For dessert, make sure to order the churros. The churros are an experience on their own, served on the cutest cart with four different dips. If the weather is good, which it usually is, try and get a table outside on the water.
- El Fish Fritanga: This unique restaurant is lively, fun, and serves up great seafood. It’s located right on the bay and is frequented by crocodiles that hang out in the water. Sitting outside while being serenaded by a mariachi band, eating fresh seafood, and wondering if the crocodiles are real (they are) is an unbeatable way to spend an evening.
There are so many excellent dining experiences in the Hotel Zone area. No matter where you choose to eat during your relaxing getaway, it’s hard to go wrong!
What to know
Planning a getaway to Cancun is pretty easy in general, especially if you’re trying to focus on rest and relaxation. However, as you’re planning there are a few things you should keep in mind.
Rainy season lasts from around April /May to October/November depending on the year. We went during the end of November at the tail end of rainy season and it ended up being beautiful. Temperatures ranged from lows in the 70s and highs in the 80s, which was comfortable both day and night. The forecast said rain nearly every day, but we only got rain twice. Every single morning was gorgeous, and it was only in the afternoons that it became more overcast. During the dry season (i.e., the rest of the year), weather is usually better, but prices can be higher.
COVID precautions were great everywhere we went. In general, people were more careful around the airport, hotel, and city than they are back home. There was hand sanitizer and mask use everywhere, the hotel sanitized our luggage before bringing it to our room, and the hotel and most restaurants took our temperatures before we went in. If you’re looking for a safe place (well, as safe as you can get during a pandemic) for a relaxing getaway, Cancun is an ideal location.
When leaving the country, there is a form you’ll need to fill out on your phone. In order to enter the security line, you have to show confirmation that you completed the form. I highly recommend completing it before getting to security to save time. There were tons of people gathered around security filling theirs out and it was so nice to just walk past them into line.
Are you planning any relaxing getaways? What destinations are on your list?
