We were faced with daunting tasks: to explore the south of this country, find the most interesting places, expose bad pop sights and collect all the information tourists need about a comfortable and inexpensive vacation in Mexico. I am glad to announce that we have successfully completed all the tasks entrusted to our shoulders.
At first we lived in Cancun for over a month, and then for three weeks we traveled around the country in a rented car. Behind there are thousands of kilometers of mountain roads, dozens of visited cities, the coast of two oceans, jungles, deserts and luxurious beaches. How to see all this beauty and not let all your savings go on vacation? Let's find out!
1. When is it cheaper to fly
The climate in the Caribbean is just a fairy tale! I declare this competently. Thailand, Bali and other Asia are nervously smoking on the sidelines. Therefore, get ready to catch an unearthly high.
High season in Cancun and other Caribbean resorts in Mexico lasts from November to April. At this time, the weather is dry and very pleasant: not hot, not cold, not humid. From the middle of spring, the low season begins - at this time the probability of rains and even typhoons appears. But, as experts on the topic note, this is just a probability, so it is not forbidden to come. According to eyewitnesses, in Cancun and the surrounding area, there is good mild weather all year round and you can relax.
In summer and early autumn, hotels are slightly cheaper than in winter. But in the high season, charters from Russia and Europe fly to the resorts of Mexico, which means that we can buy the cheapest tickets and tickets.
conclusions... Personally, I came to the conclusion that the best prices for vacations in Mexico will be at the junction of the seasons (mid-spring and autumn). And the weather at this time should not let you down.
2. Cheap tickets to Mexico
You can fly to Mexico very cheaply if you have the skills and luck to find inexpensive tickets, because they eat up most of the budget. Mexico is a distant country, it is long and expensive to fly there. You cannot argue with this axiom, but do not rush to get upset - there are exceptions to any rule.
Our budget will be saved by such a phenomenon as charter flights... These flights are launched at the peak of the tourist season for the mass transportation of tourists. Almost all tickets are bought by tour operators for their clients who have bought tickets. But if the operator sees that his next flight is not loaded to the eyeballs, then he starts selling tickets for vacant seats to everyone at a good price. Often at a very good price.
My partner and I flew to Mexico from Cuba on a regular flight, but flew home on a charter. I have been catching cheap tickets from Mexico for a long time and a week before departure I bought us tickets for the TUIfly flight from Cancun to Brussels for 340 euros per one. A few days later, the price dropped by another 100 euros. It was a little offensive, but the opposite could have happened. From Brussels we drove to Eindhoven, recharged ourselves there with positive energy and the next morning flew to Russia on the Pobeda flight. For our dates, this was the cheapest way to fly home.
Also, cheap tickets to Mexico and back can be bought for flights from Russia. There are charters from Moscow and St. Petersburg, usually planes fly every 11 days. If you're lucky, then buy tickets for only 25-30 thousand rubles in both directions.
Look for cheap flights on Aviasales and Skyscanner - they know how to search for charters too. You can also look at the Turdoma exchange, but there, in order to buy tickets for a charter, you need to communicate with the manager in the old fashioned way, double-check the availability of tickets and the price - this option often promises a bummer and disappointment.
You can try to find cheap tickets to Mexico and regular flights, sometimes there are good options. But be careful: usually the lowest prices are for air tickets with a transfer in the cities of the USA, Canada and the UK, and in all these cases, you definitely need a transit visa. If not, check these options and look for direct flights or options with connections in Istanbul, Europe or Arab countries.
conclusions... Catch cheap tickets for charters to Mexico from Moscow, St. Petersburg or Brussels a week or two before your holiday, or buy tickets for regular flights on a promotion in about six months.
Classified "Secret": How to buy air tickets cheaper.
3. Cheap tours to Mexico
You cannot buy frankly cheap tours to Cancun: prices start from 100K rubles for two, and you need to come to terms with this. More often, the minimum price is even higher - from 140 thousand. On duty, I happened to meet abnormally cheap tickets to Mexico for only 70 thousand for two. But such a phenomenon is extremely rare.
The cheapest deals will be to hotels in the center of Cancun, not in the hotelier's zone. I'll discuss this geographic difference in more detail below.
conclusions... Touring Mexico is usually cheaper than traveling on your own. So try your luck and check out inexpensive Mexico tours on Level.Travel and Travelata. It is there that I buy vouchers when I go on vacation in a bag. To everyone who wants to save money, I especially recommend reading my report at the link below.
Classified "Secret": How to buy tours cheaper.
4. How to choose a resort
The most famous and popular resorts in Mexico are located on the Riviera Maya. This is a tourist area on the shores of the Caribbean Sea, where you will find thousands of hotels of all levels, long beaches with white sand, azure waters and all the entertainment possible in this world. 99% of our compatriots rest there. On the opposite coast of Mexico, on the Pacific coast, mostly Canadians, Americans, hippies, nudists and all kinds of adventure seekers rest. Rest in those parts is several times cheaper than on the Riviera Maya, and in some ways even more pleasant and interesting, but getting there is more difficult. So let's focus our attention on the Caribbean coast.
For all resorts of the Riviera Maya, the classic principle works: the farther from the sea, the cheaper. On the first line along the entire coast there are large and expensive 4 and 5 star hotels, working mainly on "all inclusive" - prices usually start at $ 100 per room. But in the area of Hotelier Tulum, you can find fours for $ 70-80.
If you are looking for an inexpensive vacation in Mexico, choose accommodation away from the beach, in the center of large resorts. I advise you to pay special attention to Playa del Carmen: this is a large resort with all the infrastructure and a huge selection of accommodation, but the main thing is that you can easily walk from the city center to the beaches. But in Cancun and Tulum, you will have to travel to the sea by transport.
Open the list of all Riviera Maya hotels using the link, set limits and sort by price, set filters - so you can choose an inexpensive hotel to your liking. However, keep in mind that all flights arrive at Cancun airport, and to get to distant resorts, you will have to spend money.
conclusions... If you want to relax in Mexico extremely cheaply, come to Cancun and live in the city center for $ 15-30 per day for a double room. If you want to live closer to the sea, take a look at the hotels in Playa del Carmen and the Tulum hotelier zone - they are cheaper than in the Cancun hotelier zone.
5. How to cheaply rest in Cancun
In the course of my mission, I established with absolute certainty that there are not one, but two Cancuns.
First Cancun is the hotelier's zone. There are large and steep hotels on a long spit near the sea, it is expensive and prestigious to rest here.
The second Cancun is the city itself. Local residents live there, as well as thrifty tourists stay. It is easy to find an inexpensive hotel or apartment in the center of Cancun. We lived there for over a month in two cozy and comfortable apartments - one day's stay cost us $ 20-25. From Cancun city center, you can get to any beach in the hotelier's area in 15-30 minutes by city buses R1 and R2. They run every minute, and the fare is only 12 pesos (36 rubles).And it is in the center of Cancun that the most inexpensive cafes and restaurants, large shopping centers and supermarkets are located. So living in this part of the resort is profitable and convenient in all respects.
Browse hotels in Cancun.
Read the reviews of tourists about Cancun.
However, even in the hotelier's area, right on the first line, you can find fairly inexpensive options, for example:
- Flamingo Cancun Resort 4 * - from 5000₽
- Fiesta Americana Cancun Villas 5 * - from 6000₽
- Ocean Dream Cancun by GuruHotel 4 * - from 6500₽
- Emporio Cancun 4 * - from 7000₽
- Marriott Cancun Resort 4 * - from 15,000 rubles.
Don't be surprised at the prices, especially at the latest hotel - it's inexpensive by Cancun standards.
conclusions... You can spend cheap and comfortable rest in Mexico if you settle in the center of Cancun.
6. Hotels
To book a hotel at the lowest price, search not only on the Booking, but also on the Hotellook. The same hotel can sometimes be found 10-20% cheaper.
Check out Airbnb's accommodations too: in many cities, apartments and houses are cheaper than hotels. This is an especially good idea if you are relaxing with your family, company, come for a long time, you need a good internet connection for work, or you want to cook yourself. When booking for a week, two, or a month, many hosts give a good discount. In Cancun, we lived in two apartments with Airbnb - it turned out inexpensively and conveniently. For a comfortable three-room apartment in a quiet area, we paid $ 700 per month, and for a cozy studio we paid $ 20 per day.
conclusions... Compare prices from different booking systems on Hotellook, as well as view apartments and houses on Airbnb.
7. How to eat cheaply
Look for places where Mexicans themselves eat. True, even such establishments will be two to three times more expensive than Russian canteens and inexpensive cafes. Usually for lunch or dinner, we spent $ 10-20 for two. Even on the highway, in seedy trucker cafes, we could not find dishes under $ 5. Eating in a tourist restaurant will be significantly more expensive. The worst places on the highway are near popular attractions (Chichen Itza, Uxmal) - avoid such places.
I will not say that the portions in Mexico are especially large, so you won't be able to take one dish for two. But in the menu of many restaurants there are special dishes for two and large companies - this way you can save a little.
Quick and cheap snacks - hot dogs, coffee and pastries at popular Oxxo stores. But after a couple of such snacks, you will start to turn back from them.
Popular and inexpensive fast food in Mexico: tacos, burgers, cakes. It will take about $ 5-7 per person to eat.
In general, this is not at all Asia with its superhuman food prices. However, Mexico has an interesting and distinctive cuisine, so it is worth trying different dishes. Just look for locals, not tourists, and enjoy your meal there.
You will save money on food in Mexico if, like us, you rent an apartment with a kitchen and prepare simple meals yourself. Buy cheap groceries at large supermarkets like Walmart and Soriana. At least breakfast will not take you much time and effort, but you will save well. True, food prices in stores in Mexico are higher than ours, but you can buy quality meat, seafood and fruits inexpensively.
conclusions... Try national cuisine in a cafe for locals, snack on hot dogs, burgers and tacos, cook yourself if you have a kitchen. Find out more about food prices in Mexico.
8. Refusal of excursions
Excursions in Mexico are terribly expensive, so if you want cheap holidays, forget about them and plan your trips yourself. Public transport or car rental will help you do without travel agencies. And if you want to see the real Mexico, and not a tourist reservation, then you just need to give up excursions. The car will be especially helpful in this matter - for me autotrip in Mexico has become a very pleasant and exciting experience.
We traveled by car in Mexico for three whole weeks and got so far, where the tourist hardly ever set foot. If you have only one or two weeks of rest at your disposal, you are unlikely to travel across the country to the Pacific coast. This is not necessary: it will be enough for you to rent a car for a few days and independently go to several Mayan pyramids, to cenotes, to the Bacalar lagoon and colonial cities. One day is enough for you to travel to any of these places. So you will save hundreds or even thousands of dollars (if you are vacationing with your family) on excursions.
conclusions... Do not take any excursions, they are godlessly expensive in Mexico. You can visit any attraction on your own.
9. Car rental
The best way to see the sights of Mexico is by renting a car. It will turn out inexpensively and very interesting. All excursions take tourists to the most boring, expensive and crowded places. In your car, you can see the pyramids and cenotes without the crowds of tourists and heaps of merchants on the territory. You can also use public transport, but this will waste a lot of time and visit half as many places as by car. In addition, buses in Mexico are quite expensive, so even the savings will be dubious, if not even more expensive.
I booked the car on Rentalcars.com, because this service finds the best prices and clearly sets out all the rental conditions.
Gasoline costs about $ 1 per liter, car rental starts at $ 10 per day, and all toll roads can be bypassed by alternative free ones. I will prepare a separate report about the nuances of car rental in Mexico and the specifics of road traffic. There are important points!
conclusions... My verdict is tough and categorical: rent a car and enjoy the freedom and beauty of Mexico.
10. Good and bad attractions
This dichotomy is very pronounced in Mexico. The price tag for visiting the most popular pyramids and cenotes can be 5-10 times higher than that of their lesser known counterparts. At the same time, it is almost always the latter that will give you the most vivid and pleasant impressions.
Do not visit such glorified places as Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Ek Balam and Grand Cenote, where tourists are taken in packs. And it's not only about the money (and the ticket prices there are simply shamelessly raised), but also the pleasure that you will receive. In the unpopular ruins of Mayan cities and cenotes, you can enjoy the beauty of these places almost alone! While in the promoted places there will be scary crowds and a bunch of restrictions that will ruin your whole experience.
Explore our reports on the most interesting pyramids, cenotes, caves and other attractions in Southern Mexico. Trust me, you can still find beautiful and authentic places there without the crowds of tourists. Many you can easily visit in one day, leaving the resort.
conclusions... Do not visit the promoted sights, but go to lesser-known places.
