Cancun! A Preview of Our Trip – 113

We are finally hanging out in person again. Day after tomorrow, we’ll be meeting in Cancun, Mexico. Today, we’ll offer you a preview of our trip.

• What we are doing
• Azul Beach Riviera Maya Cancun Resort
• Send Questions!
• Cancun Travel info.
• Is Cancun Safe??
• Cancun Airport
• Getting around: Have your transfers arranged and know what you are looking for! This is not the area to save money.
• Destination locations in the Quintana Roo/Cancun region
  • Hotel Zone (30 min from airport, end of strip)
  • Isa Mujeres
  • Riviera Maya area (or resort is 25 min from airport)
  • Playacar/Playa Del Carmen (hour from airport)
  • Akumal
  • Cozumel
  • Tulum (1.5 hours from the airport)

Question: What do you want to know about Cancun?

Please let us know in the All Things Travel Podcast Facebook group!

Where in the World is All Things Travel?

• Benito Juarez, Quintana Roo

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Episode 113 Transcripts

Episodes are transcribed with artificial intelligence, so there are likely some highly amusing translations!

Shayne: Hello, and welcome to All Things Travel. Ryan and I are finally hanging out in person again. Day after tomorrow, we’ll be meeting in Cancun, Mexico for a few days. And today we’re going to give you a preview of that trip. You’re listening to All Things Travel. Episode 113, original air date, June 15th, 2022.

Ryan: so Shayne we’re going on.

Shayne: Finally, getting to hang out.

Ryan: Yes, absolutely. We have not seen each other in person since correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m thinking January of 2021,

Shayne: That is correct agent

Ryan: we see each other at least once a week. we talk on the phone probably several times a week. We text incessantly every single day. So it’s not like we’re not around each other.

We’re just not physically around each other.

Shayne: grown men shouldn’t texts that

Ryan: I know we have a problem. We have a problem, but Hey, I’m excited to spend time with you. I’m excited to learn more about Ken Kuhn the area around that. And we have a great trip planned in order to help us do that. So I want to break it down for everybody, but first I think we have a very apropos where in the world is all things travel.

Shayne: Benito Juarez, Quintana, roo, AKA.

Ryan: Yeah. Quintana Roo is the area of Cancun kind of the municipality of Cancun. So that’s awesome. We’re so glad you’re listening.

Shayne: since the episode is about what we’re going to do in Cancun, we’ll save that for in a few minutes.

Ryan: Reach out to me, listener in Cancun, because I have a little gift for you for being featured on the show. You can reach out via email. You can reach out on the Facebook group. We would love to hear from you. um don’t hold any offense. If we’re wrong with information on this episode.

Shayne: You know what, and just for practice, I’m going to throw in gracias para escuchar.

Ryan: Very nice chain. Very nice.

on a later episode, I’m going to throw in some Hawaiian. So we’ll be even.

Shayne: Excellent.

Before we get started Ryan, one more thing. As of today’s recording, we reached 20,000 downloads.

Ryan: That’s awesome

Shayne: that is awesome because. We reached our second 20,000 in less than half the time. It took us to reach the first 10,000 and Ryan and I are super grateful for that and want to thank you for every minute that you’ve listened to our sweet, sweet voices.

Ryan: Absolutely. We love doing this. Part of the fun, more than part of the fun is when folks reach out and, and whether it’s the folks that have been featured on the show, whether it’s friends that we know that listen, or whether it’s folks that we know that just randomly say, I listened to you guys every week.

That’s awesome. We love it. And we’re so thankful for you. This is what we’re doing. Our agency Creating Magic Vacations, group of agents and our agency owners are going on. What’s called a fam trip or a familiarization trip and travel agents.

Do this tour operators do this, basically to learn about properties, to better help their clients, their guests pick the right properties for them. I’ve been on a couple of these trips. There are a lot of fun and there’s also a lot of education involved. So we’re going to be doing a lot of sightseeing resort, seeing an understanding these properties.

Shayne: It’s a business.

Ryan: It is. it very much, I mean, people kind of look at you when you’re like, yeah, I’m going to be in Cancun for a business trip, but it really is a business trip. Now we obviously are staying at a very nice, all inclusive resort, which we’ll talk about here in a second. but there’s a lot business aspects to it.

We are staying in a charisma property and if you’ve traveled to Mexico or Dominican Republic, um, you may have heard of charisma before. Charisma is a group of all-inclusive resorts that has kind of everything you would want. So there’s adults only. There’s family style, uh, resorts. Their names.

You might’ve heard of our Azuls. You may have heard of Eldorado. I’m sure you’ve heard of Margaritaville. And then also Nickelodeon resorts and I’ve had friends go there with their kids that are very small a wonderful time. There they’ve got resorts throughout Mexico. They’ve got resorts in Punta Cana and they have one resort in Jamaica.

So this is a very common place for people that look for when it comes to vacation.

we are staying at the Azul Beach, Riviera my Cancun, right.

Shayne: Yeah, that is where we’re staying and I’m super excited about this place. It looks like it’s going to be a blast gorgeous resort. Pools, gorgeous bars, bars are made to be gorgeous.

Ryan: That’s true, especially when they’re swimming at pars in the pool.

Shayne: there’s a lot of swim up bars for us

Ryan: Yeah.

Shayne: out on a work trip. We’re going to have to be diligent to make sure that we experience all of that so that we can report back.

Ryan: This is true. I will create a checklist and I will print it out on a word document and I will take it on a clipboard and have it in the pool with me.

Shayne: The planners will all be very pleased with that.

Ryan: Okay. All right. No, I won’t do that, but I, I have been geeky like that in the past. Anyway. I mean, this is. As it will, beach is an amazing resort. It’s a family resort and it’s got kind of the, the prototypical resort. All inclusive menu with it. There are multiple, spaces. There are adults only spaces.

There’s multiple restaurants and bars, pools, spas. This is a, they have weddings and events here. They have meetings here. This is going to be a great resort to see. And then as part of our time, We are going to be touring other resorts. So part of our time is to go to a Nickelodeon resort or a Margaritaville resort or an Eldorado, and to get to understand what these resorts are and how they’re different, so that when you come to Shayne and me to talk about your all inclusive vacation, nudge, nudge, wink, wink, we can help you decide what makes sense for you.

Shayne: there are several different types of resort in the charisma family, and we’ll be able to help decide which one is the best for you.

Ryan: here’s what I want to do. As far as folks on the Facebook page, next week, and while we’re away, we’re obviously going to be posting a lot. We’re going to be, sharing content, but we want to answer your questions if it’s about charisma properties specifically, or if it’s about traveling to Cancun, or if it’s about staying in an all inclusive resort.

As an adult group or family group, we want to answer your questions. So ahead and reach out to us on the Facebook group. Like I said, we’ll put up a couple posts, but we want you to be proactive to send us a message, send us a Facebook posts. We want to answer those questions for you These are amazing vacations.

I love the Cancun area. I love staying in all inclusive resort. I’ve done it as an adult couple. I’ve done it with, as a family group. Now I’m going to do it with some friends, for a business trip. is a great way to vacation.

Shayne: And you should consider turning on notifications for the group because we may go live now and then with some information,

Ryan: Yeah, absolutely.

Shayne: some silliness and just show you how you can have fun and you a little bit of fun ourselves.

Ryan: To get us, excited about this trip and to help you understand Cancun a little bit better, we’re just going to give you some highlights of what it’s like to travel to Cancun and some things to consider when you’re planning your next Cancun vacation. the number one question I get when I talk to people about traveling to Mexico is Cancun safe. That’s the number one question that I have. how do you address that question?

Shayne: I had to do some research to figure out why people think Cancun isn’t safe

Ryan: Yeah.

Shayne: and it’s like any other city or any other foreign country, you have to pay attention to your surroundings where you’re going. Remember back to our scary travel stories.

Ryan: Yeah.

Shayne: wandered off the resort into an area, they told us not to go into

Ryan: And that was not canned Coon by the way.

Shayne: that was not Cancun.

If someone were to ask me about OSHA Rios being safe, I wouldn’t be as confident about that as I am about Cancun

being safe.

Ryan: I think to be honest, I think a lot of it has to do with media portrayal. whether it’s television shows or things like that, people have a certain connotation of what they’re going to get there. That’s not what you’re going to get in the canned Kuhn Riviera Maya. This is a major tourist area for, uh, Quintana roo.

And for Mexico, they keep these areas very safe. Like Shayne said, it, this is no worse than going to a larger city as far as needing to keep aware and knowing your surroundings. But there is probably a language barrier if you don’t speak fluent Spanish. And I would say, with the things to look out for.

If you aren’t looking for them, they’re not gonna find you.

Shayne: Well, And one of the things that I. People were concerned about generally involved travelers, doing things that they shouldn’t be

Ryan: Right. Exactly.

Shayne: want to do a lot. And a lot of it was people to purchase some type of drugs while they were there too. I get to enjoy while they’re there.

And like one of the articles that I read said, if you can’t go on a vacation without needing some kind of drugs, maybe you shouldn’t be right. Don’t, don’t go on the vacation

Ryan: Yeah.

Shayne: Don’t buy that there because that’s gonna introduce you to those types of people where something dangerous could happen and take you into those areas where something dangerous could happen.

Ryan: Yeah. So, so no, I have traveled to Cancun multiple times. It is not unsafe. Do you need to make some plans ahead of time and know what you’re doing? Absolutely. But as you’ve heard on this show, we recommend you do that anywhere. So let’s talk Shayne about getting to Cancun. How’s the airport.

Shayne: It is crazy.

Ryan: It can be. And, and, and what you’re going to find when you go to Cancun is they actually have a really nice modern airport. Again, this is a major tourist destination in Mexico for people from all over the world. So the airport itself is very, very nice. Now what happens is, and what I’ve got in the notes here is you have to be ready for the hustle.

Don’t you.

Shayne: The hustle. That’s a good way to put it.

Ryan: Once you get your bags. Once you go through customs, you’re going to go through these sliding doors. And you’ve heard me talk about this on the podcast before you basically have to run a gun. Of folks wanting to provide you services, to provide you transfers, up for excursions.

Some people assume you don’t have a hotel room to go to. So they want to book you there they will walk up to you and they will ask you if you need any help and they will talk to you. You are in no danger whatsoever. just hustling pretty hard. my advice when I talked to clients, You’re going to be meeting your transfer outside that second set of doors.

Just walk straight through. Don’t talk to anybody. Don’t interact with anybody, just walk straight through and you’ll be perfectly fine. Now, when you get outside to kind of the patio area where all the transfers are. You’re also going to be met with lots of people with signs and things like that. this brings me to my next area.

How do you get around? sure in Cancun you have, your transfers are ranged. This is not a place to save money. On your vacation. So whether it’s through your resort or whether it’s through a private company that your travel advisor is set up for, you know, what you’re looking for and every canned Coon resort that I’ve worked with will send very explicit directions.

Your driver will meet you with a sign that looks like this. They will be in this color polo shirt, please proceed directly to them. once you go, you’re going to understand that you do need to have that level of detail, because I have had people Shayne and that gauntlet of folks in the highway or in the hallway actually come up and they see the papers that I’m holding and they’re like, oh yeah.

You’re when you’re looking for so-and-so that’s us over here. And

it wasn’t.

Shayne: pretend to be who you

Ryan: Yeah,

Shayne: to ride with.

Ryan: and again, they’re just trying to get business. You just ignore it. You go out, you look for the person you’re supposed to have that stuff. Prearranged and travel advisors can help you with that. Your resort can help you with that.

Whether it’s paid, whether it’s included in your vacation, please, please, please take care of it.

Shayne: And chances are, if you use one of their services to get to where you’re going, you would probably make it.

safely.

Ryan: Oh,

absolutely.

Shayne: it’s better to go ahead and arrange for that in advance. Instead of having to wonder, when you, when you just find someone from the airport or they find you and you travel with them versus having it prearranged And knowing exactly who you’re riding with, who they work for and where they’re taking you.

Ryan: And how much it’s going to cost too,

Shayne: And.

Ryan: it other than a tip for your driver or a tip for the Porter, that’s helping you with your bag. You’ve already paid for that. And it’s one less thing to worry about. you get to an airport and if I can prearrange stuff and it takes a variable way, I almost always do that Shayne.

Shayne: Yeah. Great for convenience and for safety.

Ryan: So let’s talk a little bit about the Cancun area, because if, as you start to play in your vacation, there’s a lot of different segments, that pop up that make up the canned Coon area. So, uh, the Quintana Roo area, if you will. So let’s talk through those.

Shayne: so up there at the Northern end, just east, the city of Cancun, east of the airport, that’s the hotel’s zone

Ryan: And it’s like, it’s a strip. I mean, it’s, it’s a literal strip with a lagoon on one side and, uh, and the beach on the.

Shayne: Probably the most active for nightlife and maybe partying that type of thing. Although there are several all-inclusive family resorts there too.

Ryan: And so shame the hotels zone from, from airport to the very top is about a half an hour drive. So most likely if you’re staying in the hotels zone, you’re probably 15 minutes from the airport, unless you’re staying at the very tip of that island area there.

Shayne: Yeah, that’s something to think about when you’re planning your trip. Do you want something quieter or do you want something closer to the airport? Because that’s going to be a big part of deciding where to stay,

Ryan: Now if we want a little quieter, but we still want to stay on the north side of the Cancun area. What would be a, what would be a, an option there?

Shayne: Islam Isla Mujeres

Ryan: oh, tell us about that.

Shayne: It’s an island, so you’ll have to take a ferry to get across to east Isla Mujeres, and it is quieter, probably a little nicer and maybe the biggest advantage of, of the island Mujeres if you can stay on the west side of the way it’s situated in the Caribbean there, you’re going to have a lot less of the seaweed on that.

Ryan: there’s a couple of resorts that I’m certainly eyeing on that island to, to stay, on one of my Cancun trips. Absolutely. So we start to make our way south. Out of Cancun proper away from the airport. And then we enter the area called Riviera Maya. And if you see resorts that are listed as Riviera Maya, they could be.

10 minutes from the airport, they could be an hour or longer away from the airport. So this is important when you’re choosing a resort, how far do you want to be from the airport? When my family stayed at Hard Rock Riviera Maya, we were probably 40, a good 45 minute drive in good track from the airport to the resort.

If traffic was, it was a little heavier, it would be a good hour or so to get down there. And we were in the heart of the Riviera Maya, our resort that we’re going to be staying at next week. It’s about. A 25 minute drive from the airport.

Shayne: That is, those are going to show up whether it’s

Ryan: Yeah, absolutely.

Shayne: from the airport, both of those are going to show up when you search for resorts in Cancun.

Ryan: So for instance, our, our resort is Azul beach Riviera Maya slash Cancun. So again, this whole area kind of has the same, you know, it’s kind of like searching for a hotel in New York City. Well, that could be anywhere within, you know, miles radius. So just keep that in mind as we’re moving south and we head into Playa car and Playa Del Carmen about an hour south of the year.

Shayne: And that is still lets those are towns pueblos inside the Riviera Maya across the water from Playa Del Carmen is where you would find the island of Cozumel,

which is a really fun destination too.

Good to know is that it’s not like east Isla Mujeres, where if you’re on the west side of Cozumel, the beaches there don’t have that same protection from the seaweed. So you still might have a little bit.

Ryan: Yeah. And we’ve brought up seaweed a couple of times, Shayne and, seaweed is an issue in the Cancun Riviera Maya area. And to be quite honest, There is no rhyme or reason. There is no better time than others. There’s no temperature that dictates anything. It is really sometimes they’re seaweed on the beach.

Sometimes they’re seaweed in the water. Sometimes they’re seaweed in both. Sometimes you have no seaweed at all. And yes, there are places that you have a better chance not having seaweed. Your any resort can have it. They are certainly making efforts to make it less, and that should not keep you from going to the resort, but that is certainly thing to keep in mind.

Shayne: And that’s something to keep in mind.

for anywhere in the Caribbean too. It’s not just going to be that Quintana area.

Ryan: as we continue further south the resort areas become a little further. Apart from each other, the towns become a little smaller and we are going to hit some smaller towns and a well-known resort area is Akumal and Akumal is north of Talum, and you’ve certainly heard of balloons.

Shayne: Oh, yes.

Ryan: what’s interesting though, is people think of Talum as a destination. However, what they’re actually thinking of is the resorts along the beach, 15 minutes outside of Talum which is fine. There’s nothing wrong with that. But Talum town. Has some hotels has some areas to stay, but it’s not on the beach.

And it’s much smaller than most people think. So Tulum proper tends to be more, a place that you go during the day to sight-see where Tulum the resorts along the coast are tend to be where you stay and Tulum from Cancun airport all the way down to Tulum it’s about an hour and a half.

Shayne: There are some nice Boutique hotels into

loan, but you’re not going to find any all-inclusive resorts there and Not, any beach resorts

within Tulum.

Ryan: You will outside along the coast.

Shayne: And not as many, there are definitely a few on the coast.

near Tulum, but, if you’re wanting an all-inclusive resort, More than likely going to be staying north of there nor in Cozumel, Riviera Maya Cancun, proper area.

But there,

Ryan: yeah,

Shayne: are. A handful Tulum and there they’re really nice. going to be more, lot of the, um, the eco-friendly

Ryan: Yes. Yup.

Shayne: live and there are a lot smaller. In fact, I’ve found some where you could rent, they call it a resort, but you’re essentially renting a big house. So it’d be for a group to go and stay at this place.

Yeah, if you’re more into nature and natural surroundings or want a quieter Tulum is going to be.

Ryan: I like it. So that’s just to give you a little primmer of all the different areas you’re going to encounter. As you’re looking at a trip, you’re booking a trip. So Shayne, as we wrap up here, what are you most excited about next week when we’re in the Cancun?

Shayne: I should probably say something about the resort or the area, but I think just hanging out. with some travel advisor, friends that’s going to be the most fun part. I certainly want to have some authentic Mexican food. If it’s available.

Ryan: I think that’s a must. I don’t even think that’s an if we can. So I always love to see different properties, to help people plan because when I see it, when I stay there, when I know it, I can talk about it from firsthand now, It’s a much better conversation with a client, but the same with you.

I mean, we’re going with some really good people. We’re going with some of our closer friends and it’s going to be a lot of fun and you and I are going to have some fun podcasting doing lives.

Shayne: Yeah. it’s been a lot of times we’ve both been to places where the pictures didn’t match up with what we saw when we got there. So it’s nice to be able to see these places and be able to explain the differences between them and let travelers know for sure what they can expect

Ryan: Yeah.

Shayne: they arrive at these resort.

Ryan: So, Hey, follow along next week again, we’re going to be there Friday to choose. So you want to join the Facebook group if you have not yet. That’s where we’ll be posting most of our things, but we also have personal professional. That we post on mine is Disney travel dad, three words on both Facebook and Instagram.

I’ll be posting this stuff there as well as our All Things Travel group. How about you Shayne?

Shayne: According to our show notes here, you can find me at my space, comma, Shayne?

5, 4, 6 at America, online.com. But I don’t think that’s where it is.

Ryan: Oh, okay. All right. So maybe you want to share some updated.

Shayne: Yeah, let’s try. Just go with Shayne S H a Y N e.fun. And that’s going to be the same thing on Instagram or Facebook

Ryan: we are even more passionate about this area with vacations with our upcoming trip, but you know that Shayne and I would love to help you plan an amazing vacation. We are both travel advisors with Creating Magic Vacations. to talk about Canucn,

you can reach out to me, Ryan, R Y a n@creatingmagicvacations.com. Or you could reach out to Shayne S H a Y N E at creating magic vacations.

Shayne: Most families are confused and overwhelmed when planning a vacation we’ll work with you to plan a trip. Perfect. For your interests, saving you time, money, and stress.