I took a solo trip to Cancun and the Riviera Maya over Memorial Day for work – just days after the CDC lifted its H1N1 travel advisory. It was my second time in Cancun and my first time on the Riviera Maya.

Logistics:

I flew non-stop to CUN from BWI on Air Tran. The flight was not full on the way there and I was able to get an exit row. It was a different story Monday – the plane was nearly full. No one on the flight wore a mask, but they did check our temperatures both arriving and leaving. We also had to fill out questionnaires asking about cold and flu symptoms.

I had been on the fence on whether or not to rent a car. I finally decided that it would be worth it, as I wanted to travel around on my own schedule. I went through Europcar. Their online rate was $6 per day, but the full insurance I bought took it up to nearly $50 per day. I’m glad I got the insurance, though, as I only left the car with a valet twice – and bam, I got a dent. If you rent a car, leave yourself plenty of time – I found it to take about twice as long to do the paperwork and get the car as it does in the States. I didn’t have any problems driving. There were a lot of police on 307, but I drove the speed limit (even though no one else was) and didn’t get stopped. I would do it again.

In Cancun, I stayed at Le Meridien Cancun Resort & Spa for one night. In Playa del Carmen, I was at Hotel Deseo on Quinta and 12th for one night and another at Royal Playa del Carmen, an all-inclusive within walking distance of downtown.

Highlights

Playa del Carmen. I really enjoyed Playa del Carmen – the restaurant and lounge scene seemed sophisticated and I liked visiting the shops. The beach was also lovely. Next time, I’d like to stay at a small hotel on the beach, possibly Playa Maya. There’s a lot to do in the area, and in three days I barely scratched the surface. It would have been fun to go to Cozumel for snorkeling, for example, or explore other towns on the Riviera Maya, possibly south to Tulum or Akumel or north to Puerto Morelos.  

No crowds: At the time I was there, hotel occupancy on the Riviera Maya was running around 27 percent right, and that was very evident in both Cancun and Playa del Garmen. Very sparse crowds in the shops, bars and restaurants. On the plus side: you can get into all of the restaurants, prices in the stores are open to negotiation, easy to book tours and excursions. Negatives: sparse staff at some resorts has led to poorer service, the obvious desperation of some of the vendors, the lack of energy when going out.  

Food. Because I stayed at an all-inclusive my last night, I only had a chance to try one restaurant in Playa del Carmen. I chose Di Vino by the Glass, right by my hotel (primarily because it was one of the few that had more than a handful of people). I wasn’t too hungry, so I had a grilled seafood starter and a fantastic radiccio salad. It was all so good that I wondered how the other dishes would be. I’m guessing delicious.      

Mixed:

All-inclusives.I chose the Royal Playa Del Carmen, an adults-only property, for my all-inclusive stay because it was highly ranked on TripAdvisor. I had a junior suite (could have upgraded for $40). The desk clerk said occupancy was at about 70 percent. I ate at three of the onsite restaurants – lunch at Pelicanos, dinner at Asiana and breakfast buffet at Spice (you can also eat at Real’s family-oriented resort across the street). You do have to wear a plastic bracelet. I also took advantage of the 50 percent off discount in the spa (80 minutes for $62.50 can’t be beat). My rate for one person for one night – $171 (couples were $215).

Even during the downturn, the pool area had a nice energy. Lots of beachfront daybeds (although it would be hard to get a chair at the pool if the occupancy was much higher). The rooms were a good size, nice bathrooms, The in-suite jacuzzi was fun. The resort itself is close enough to Playa del Carmen that you could walk in for something different. Also good service from the beach servers – cold grapes brought around, good drink service.

However…..I know this is a common complaint about all-inclusives, but I found the food lacking. For example, my Cancun pizza at Pelicanos had a flabby crust, and the food at Asiana was way too sweet. I was also disappointed in the house wine at Asiana – it was very poor quality, and nothing better was sold by the glass. I guess all-inclusives are all about hard alcohol (proven by the group of 20somethings at the table next to me, who felt that kamikaze shots were the right accompaniment for their meal!)

I’m just not sure that I’m an all-inclusive person. Because I was there for work, I spent time watching and talking to other guests and they were all much more into drinking than I am.And I would get sick of the restaurants if I was there too much longer. But I would recommend it to people I know who do like all-inclusives and it could be really fun for a group of friends.

Hotel? Or club? The 14-room Hotel Deseo was at full occupancy Saturday night. The clerk said it was because the chain had put forth promotions in Mexico City. I did see a lot of Mexican tourists in town over the weekend – more so than Americans and Europeans. This hotel is very Miami in style – the rooms are basically centered around a hopping rooftop bar and lounge (there’s also a pool). Lots of outdoor daybeds for lounging. Inside, the rooms are stark white, with platform beds and beach gear hanging from the walls. Kiehls products in the bathroom, along with a perfect shower. Condoms and earplugs by the bed. Speakers pipe music from the bar into the room. My rate was $129, without tax.  

 But wow,the NOISE. The fantastic hotel bar, which is just outside the room, closes at 1 a.m., so don’t plan to sleeping until then. I was fine with that. The bigger problem were the bars on the street next to the club, which continued late. And then, a group of motorcycles raced through town around 6 a.m. Even with the earplugs, I found it impossible to sleep.

Lowlights:

Lobster at Lorenzillos. In Cancun, people had recommended Puerto Morales or Harry’s, which were within walking distance of Le Meridien. But I saw a sign for lobster and couldn’t resist Lorenzillo’s. I should have. When the maitre’d saw that I was alone, he sat me in a remote area with two old ladies. I asked if I could wait for outdoor seating and he said no. Once I sat down, I could see through the aquarium that the other room was much more lively than where I was (although still, it was less than half full). I sadly watched the more fun side of the restaurant as I ate my lobster and couldn’t help but wonder if I would have been allowed to wait for an outdoor table if my husband was with me.

Xcarat: I was so curious about all of the ads for Xcarat that I saw up and down the coast that I had to go. Unfortunately, I found it a disappointment for the money. Several attractions were closed because of the light crowds. Lunch at the Mexican buffet was only average. And the “hidden river” that you float down seemed cloudy and slightly unsanitary. I couldn’t help but think that even a family with kids would have more fun going to real Mayan ruins and snorkeling on a regular reef.

It looks like I might go back to the Mexican Riviera next February with my husband, sister and her boyfriend. What did I miss this time in Playa that you’d recommend? Tell me here.

Searching for sun? Check out my other beach trip reports: Turks & Caicos, Costa Rica.