Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP): We recommend any United States citizen or permanent residents of the United States sign up for this free service from the nearest embassy or consulate. This service provides you with safety information and conditions in your destination country, will contact you with any emergencies (natural, family, or civil unrest), and assist family members get in contact with you in an emergency. We never leave home without completing the short form and reading through any information they may send us.
Travel dates: High season is typically between December to Easter. If you select this timeframe, expect to pay more for hotel, activities, and anything else. The weather is usually cooler during this time, so many travelers flock to the western Caribbean during high season. Expect the opposite during low/rainy season, which is from Easter to November. Prices are much lower, and discounts are aplenty. However, the weather is much hotter and humid, so that is your tradeoff.
Medication: A question I’m asked all the time through my blog is “do I need a prescription to refill medications while in Mexico?” I decided to reach out to one of my physician’s at Hospiten Riviera Maya for an answer. His response “in Mexico, the only medications you need prescriptions for are antibiotics and psychotropics.” The bottom line is that you should be able to get most of your medications here in Mexico without a prescription. However, not all pharmacies may have what you need, so you may have to check a couple of pharmacies to find your medication. If you are bringing a prescription medication to Mexico with you, make sure it’s in its original packaging. And, for your basic over the counter (OTC) meds, I would recommend bringing a small amount with you or purchasing once you arrive in Mexico. Please keep in mind that if you purchase your OTC meds in Mexico, at a resort, you will pay a lot more than at a Mexican pharmacy or grocery store. A word of caution, when purchasing any medication in Mexico, always check the expiration dates.
Medical and Dental Services: If you need any medical and/or dental services during your visit to Mexico, please be aware that you will need to pay for your services in full, before receiving treatment. The facility will however provide you with a receipt that you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement (if applicable). Most facilities do accept, cash and/or credit cards.
Drinking Water: Several hotels, Airbnb’s, resorts, and rentals offer bottled drinking water as part of their package. However, some don’t. This is something you want to inquire about while making your reservations. Although water from the tap may be acceptable for bathing, taking a shower, or brushing your teeth, it is not recommended to drink tap water in Mexico unless you know that there is a water filtration system installed. Otherwise, plan on buying your drinking water throughout your visit. Another note of importance…it is safe to order ice in your beverage at a restaurant. Restaurant’s use filtered water to produce their ice, so you should be just fine.
Security checks: To ensure you have an enjoyable time during your visit to Mexico, please make sure you always carry your original passport. Remember to make a copy or two and leave at home, make a copy, and keep that copy on your smart device. There are times when the Mexico police may ask for your identification to ensure that you are in the country legally; so make sure you carry your original passport and stay out of situations that may get you “locked up abroad?” Always ensure you have your original passport with you…not those passport cards that look like credit cards, but your actual original passport. I can’t stress this enough!!!
Translation app: Make sure you download a Spanish-English translation app for your smart phone; it will come in very handy while you are in Mexico. We use a translation app pretty much every day.
Accommodations: Puerto Aventuras, Mexico has several excellent options, all within the heart of the resort with shops, restaurants, and the farmer’s market.
Aventuras Club (https://aventuras.club/) – We had guests come last May and they stayed at this resort…they loved it! It is a condo hotel, so all the units have full kitchens with dishes and appliances, 2 bedrooms, 2-3 bathrooms, patio/balcony, sleeps up to 8, and has on-site laundry facilities on each floor. It is basically a home away from home and is very spacious. They have Marina and Lagoon locations…you would want to be in the Marina location (it is much closer to everything, in a central location).PA Beach Club and Hotel (https://puertoaventurashotel.com/)
Inmense Hotels-Chez Waffle Hotel (https://hotelchezwaffle.com/)
Residence Inn Hotel (Residence Inn in Playa del Carmen)
Cancun Resorts and Hotel Zone (https://destinationlesstravel.com/cancun-hotel-zone/)
And don’t forget to check out Airbnb in Puerto Aventuras, Mexico. There are plenty of owners that are snowbirds and may list their homes on Airbnb.
We encourage you to read the reviews on TripAdvisor before making any decisions about your accommodations.
Things to do –
activities/entertainment: It
depends on what you want to do and how long you are staying…just chill and
relax or get out and about and explore. You would need to research things
to do in the area. There is so much to do…shopping, archeological sites,
beaches, nightlife, restaurants, cenotes, etc. Again, TripAdvisor is a
great tool for this research. To help in researching, Cancun is
approximately an hour from Puerto Aventuras and Playa del Carmen is about 30
minutes from Puerto Aventuras and easily accessible by public
transportation. To provide you with additional ideas of “things to do”
here are some other suggestions:
Transportation: Because of public transportation, we have elected to not have a car in Mexico…we use public transportation (colectivos) for everything. If we need car service, we hire a taxi for a couple of hours or the day. Most of taxi drivers have basic English skills, so you will not have any problems getting around if you need this type of transportation.
From and to the airport: There are several private van shuttle services to select from. We have used Canada Transfers (https://www.canadatransfers.com/) and USA Transfers (https://www.usa-transfers.com/) with great success. We usually tip the greeter 20 pesos and the driver 50-100 pesos per bag. But feel free to give more if you prefer.
Budget: In addition to airline tickets, transportation, and hotel accommodations, you will need to set a budget based on what you want to do. This includes items such as: tips, food, shopping, excursions, souvenirs, etc. In researching the hotels, make sure to find out if they have all-inclusive options where some/all onsite food and entertainment are included.
Money/pesos: It is always best to use the local currency (pesos) to get the best deals when out and about. Most places do accept the U.S. dollar, but they will often give change in pesos. You can get pesos from your U.S. bank before leaving, or if you are comfortable with it, get pesos out of a bank ATM here in Mexico (you usually get a better rate from ATM in Mexico than from your bank at home). If you plan to use the ATM in Mexico, you may need to alert your bank so they will allow international use of your debit/credit card. Most places also accept U.S. credit cards, but then you need to be very careful to make sure your data is not stolen. It really is a personal choice based on your comfort level. We suggest you download a currency translation app to show exchange rates, so when you see prices in pesos, you can covert to U.S. dollars for reference. Unless you know the exchange rate and how to convert your USD change to pesos, it may be a challenge trying to determine if you are receiving the correct change back.
Using ATMs: I have created a checklist below that may be helpful when obtaining and using pesos. This list is by no means the be-all, end-all list on pesos. After all, depending on what country you are from, the processes described below may be different. What I hope to achieve with this list is provide a place to start…something to think about while you are making your travel plans for your well-earned trip. Let’s get started!
1) Check with your financial
institution to determine whether you need to provide any travel alerts with
dates of departure, how long you plan on staying and what countries you will be
visiting (some banks want this, others don’t).
5) Exchange rates may change minute-by-minute. I encourage you NOT to obsess about the fluctuations in exchange rate (you could drive yourself crazy trying to wait for the best rate), just withdraw money as you need it.
7) Make sure to check your withdrawn pesos (bills) for any rips or tears before leaving. If you notice any and it’s still business hours for the bank, go into the bank and exchange the ripped pesos for healthy ones. Stores, markets, restaurants, etc., will not accept any damaged pesos.
If you decide you prefer to
use USD while in Mexico, please be beware that although you will be paying with
USD, most stores, markets, restaurants, etc., will make change in pesos. Now
the challenge comes in by making sure you receive the correct change back since
they are giving your change in pesos and not USD. The way I do this is by
taking the amount of the bill (in USD), subtract that from the amount of USD
you gave them, then multiple that by the current exchange rate, and that should
be the correct amount of pesos you should receive for your change.
For example: If you go into Chedraui shopping center and purchase a pair of swim trunks and give the cashier $50 USD, but the trunks are only $380 pesos (which is $20 USD with a 19-1 exchange rate that Chedraui was using at the time), your change would be $30 USD x 19 = $570 pesos in change. You can go through this process every time by using your USD or, not worry about receiving the correct change back (which is a HUGE mistake), or you can just use PESOS!!!
Here are the names of a
few bank ATMs I use:
INTERCAM
CI BANCO
CITI BANAMEX
HSBC
BBVA
FINAL NOTE: Do your due
diligence when using ATMs while traveling, use the local currency (it will make
your life easier); shop, eat, enjoy the local culture, and have fun!
Exercise away from home: Puerto Aventuras, Mexico is a beautiful place to take long walks, explore your home away from home, and enjoy the lovely greenery. However, depending on the dates of your travel plans, keep in mind that early in the morning may be a better time for walking, jogging, riding bikes, etc. So do a little research about the weather before you go. Here’s an excellent weather resource.
COVID-19: There are no restrictions for entering Mexico or leaving. Mask may be required in some settings.
Passports: You need a U.S. passport that does not expire within 6 months of the end of your trip (Mexico does not require this, however, some USA airlines do). Keep in mind that currently there is approximately an 8–10-week turnaround time for passports or renewal.
Weather and dress code: November through May is dry season in Puerto Aventuras, so only a few days with rain per month. It is a bit cooler (high temperatures in the upper 70s and 80s, low temperatures mostly in the low 70s and 80s). This is the western Caribbean, so keep in mind there is LOTS of sun, so bring your sunglasses, sunblock, and a hat! For clothes, casual is the rule. I recommend shorts, t-shirts/tank tops, sun dresses, and maybe a light sweater or jacket for cool mornings/evenings. And don’t forget your swimsuit if you plan to go to the beach or get in the hotel pool/spa! And remember to bring your mosquito repellent. Comfort rules for the feet... tennis shoes, flats, sandals, etc.
Phone Service while in Mexico: I would recommend you check with your cell phone provider to see if your plan includes calls and texts in Mexico/from Mexico. In addition, check to see if there is an additional fee. You don’t want any surprises when you get back home.
Church Services: There is a Catholic church on 5th avenue in Playa del Carmen called Our Lady of Carmen. As of this post, their Sunday services is at 10:00 a.m. for English. However, I would recommend you check the church’s website to confirm their schedule.
Arrival at the Cancun International Airport (CUN): Yahoo! You read through this entire blogpost, and still decided to come to Mexico! You are now at the airport…now what?
1) You will be directed towards the immigration section where they will stamp your passport.
2) Then you go to baggage claim to pick up your luggage. FYI – there is usually a restroom in the baggage claim area, we recommend using the restroom there since it is about an hour drive from the airport to Puerto Aventuras (depending on traffic and construction). And right now, there is lots of construction going on.
3) After getting your luggage you head through customs, where your luggage may or may not be searched. NO FORMS NEEDED.
4) After customs, you head outside to catch your transfer shuttle. You WILL encounter many salespeople/scam artists trying to get your attention…IGNORE THEM ALL!!! Don’t tell anyone which shuttle service you are looking for or what hotel you are going to. If you mention the shuttle service you are taking, they may be dishonest and say they are that company. If you tell them what hotel you are going to, they may contact you directly at your hotel and attempt to convince you to attend a timeshare presentation. And unfortunately, they may continue to contact you throughout your vacation. We usually put our sunglasses on as we leave the customs area to help in avoiding eye contact with the scammers.
5) Once you book your shuttle service the company will email you photos of their van and logo, so you will know what to look for. Once you get outside, there are many shuttles and taxi service greeters/attendants holding up signs. Look for the one with the name of your shuttle service and let them know your name. Check their clipboard yourself, to make sure you see your name on their list. There are several scammers that will try to get you to use their service. I would hate for you to end up miles away and at a time-share presentation!
6) The greeter will walk you and your luggage to the van and introduce you to the driver and then you are on your way.
HAVE A WONDERFUL VACATION!!!😊
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