Exactly how a beach on your vacation should be!…read more Two words: Tranquil & quiet! If you truly like quiet beaches that are peaceful and away from crowds, head here. Xcacelito is a sanctuary and beach for nesting turtles which is open to the public. The entrance 'fee' is a donation. The beach is breathtaking and one of a kind! The water was warm, pristine and crystal clear. You will not find a lot of folk here all at one time, which is a good thing. You practically feel like you're on a private beach that you own. I couldn't find anything wrong with this destination, except that the beach closes at 4pm and doesn't have much shade. We got here around 1pm. Next time, I would come earlier in the day (it opens at 10) and bring an umbrella but the few hours we spent here was amazing and this was the best beach of the trip. The only thing missing was booze and food. The only food allowed is fruit and water but that is all you really need I guess. Another highlight with this destination, is that It is very close to Dos Ojos Cenote so you can go to both places for a fun day trip. After your Ocean bath, you can enjoy a fresh-water-dip in a beautiful cenote (fresh water sinkhole) situated in the middle of the forest. That is what we did and it made for a perfect ending to our trip. In all, a top quality beach experience. No vendors, no crowds, and no hassles. Definitely leave Playa del Carmen and come here for a beach day. For the nature-lovers out there, this beach and sanctuary is paradise! Tips, Bearings & Points of Interest to keep in mine: * The North end is sheltered for turtle nesting and you will find the coral reefs here perfect for snorkeling. Lots of fish and sea-life to see. * The South end you will find the Cenote and cannot miss the signs.

This was the second time in the last month we have done this same exact tour. My nephew plays…read morebaseball for the Quintana Roo Tigres so we come down here now quite often. The weather for this excursion prevented us from going snorkeling, so they just let us cruise in the fast boats for 2 hours thru the marinas, bays, shorelines and mangroves of Cancun. So much fun. Alex our guide did a great job, even though one of our boats in the party suffered a propeller malfunction, they replaced the boat quickly and made up our downtime. Great time, and will do it again.

I know some things are beyond our control, especially when it comes to weather. We had booked the…read morespeedboat/snorkel tour. We spent the morning getting ready for our noon tour, then took the bus to the location. Through a bit of overzealousness on our part, we arrived 45 minutes early, only to find out the tour was cancelled to do...maybe the wind? The boats and snorkeling weren't possible to go out. A few of us cancelled, but some decided they wanted to still do the trip the following day (our last day), but we asked them to please notify us in case it was cancelled beforehand so they didn't have to take another bus ride for no reason. I emailed the morning of, because of the strong winds all throughout the night. I did receive an email back, saying they hadn't heard if the tour was going to take place but I'd be notified in case of something had changed. Welp, those that were going had no choice to leave and hop on the bus for their tour...only to find out, the snorkeling part was cancelled, but they could do the boat ride if they wanted. Since snorkeling was their main reason for going, they decided to cancel. It would have been great to know this before hand. The refunds were processed pretty promptly and we were grateful for that, but it's a shame there wasn't much communication that wasted time (and money) that could have used for something else both times.

Just go! This is a gem. Yes, you might be a little apprehensive about leaving the Hotel Zone and…read moreventuring out, but this is worth it. We ended up here twice during our trip. Our first trip was during an evening where things were quite lively. Live music was playing from the stage. There was dancing, families everywhere and many street vendors. There are also a number of food court restaurants near the palapas. The ones we visited, all were outstanding and the food was extremely reasonable (ok, cheap), but bring your pesos. My daughter got three huge empanadas for 95 pesos (less than $5.50 US). I got 4 street style pastor tacos for roughly $4.50 US. We also bought esquites both times for $2 for a small cup. Well worth it. On the second visit, it was late afternoon/early evening. The vibe wasn't as festive, but still busy and lively. The HZ buses drop you off nearby and the walk is very short and extremely safe. On our second visit, we walked from Mercado 28 and it was still very safe.

Hot! Bring ya hand fan!!! Tons of locals and their families flock to here on Sunday nights!!!! This…read moreis their go to spot! You want to find good local food, desserts, arts and crafts, vendors with local goods, local bars, and best prices in town, go here! Arrange uber in and out or taxi! It gets busy we rode the bus like some crazies, it was fun but packed and had ac but no private ride. Tacos, tortas, pizza, turkey legs, marquisette, crepes SnoCones, bags, clothes, art, massage stands. It's a one stop shop- socks, jewelry, kitchen dishes, souvenirs yes! I don't know if you would find a parking spot so I say uber. It starts around sundown and their out there until 11pm at least. It was so hot no winds and lots of people packed in there. Not much seating or benches, tables they had were occupied and people wasn't moving anytime soon. It depends time of year I'm sure as well, but like I said it's more locals here you will see O tourists unless they did their research hahaha

Coconut Scuba - If you are a first time scuba diver,…read moreuncertified as myself, and looking for an unreal and unique experience - this is perfect! My friend and I bought a discovery tour that included : - 1 lesson in the pool - 1 dive at the museum (Isla Mujeres) - 1 dive at the coral reef (Isla Mujeres) - boat ride (to the spots, but still nice) The instructors are so incredibly patient and kind! Personally, I had Manuel and Ulysses and they were personable, thoughtful, funny, and easy to understand. My friend and I felt extremely lucky to have such guidance in a first time experience! The layout of the day definitely took longer than we thought. The day started at 10, but they needed to drive us down to the new location. After our lesson, we actually waited an hour for a the certified divers to arrive so that we could all leave on the boat together. That did not bother myself and my friend, we just took a nap in the sun! But for anyone trying to have set plans afterwards, be mindful that you won't arrive back to port until 5:30/6pm. My friend and I were STARVING afterwards, having eaten light to help with nausea that can come with diving. I would recommend bringing a snack for AFTER your final dive, but eat fruit or granola and yogurt beforehand. The museum was actually prettier than I thought! I had believed that the museum was somewhat of a waste, but it was beautiful due to the wildlife that has taken root among the statues. I had never scuba dove, but had snorkeled and done snuba. If you have done these activities - you will feel right at home ! My friend had done none of these and caught on super quickly as well! The reef was spectacular. We saw many bright fish including the parrotfish! Yellow, blue, reds and orange, and even a small pufferfish. We saw a turtle once we got back onto the boat - timing is everything! If you are mindful of all the different coral and types of underwater sea life you can truly appreciate the dive regardless. You enter a new world and the time flies by as you soar over the reef. My friend made a comment that isn't as saturated with color, and I do think that is a good point. Don't expect neon edited colors, although some purple's did pop, as this is a natural place! Overall, I'd return to dive with coconut divers, and would recommend them to a friend.

I did my Advanced Open Water PADI with Coconut Divers and it was the best experience. Gonzalo is an…read moreexcellent teacher who was very thorough and you can tell how much he loves and respects diving by how he cares about his students and their training. I felt so comfortable and really came out of the course a better diver because of him! The rest of the crew was just as amazing and caring. Ulysses is a very skilled master who helped everyone really enjoy themselves. I was able to watch him with beginners doing a discovery during my cert dives and he was kind, patient, and helped them have the best time! My brother and sister in law also did their advanced cert with him and they had nothing but great things to say. Ricardo was a great captain and Poncho took incredible photos underwater for us! We saw so many amazing things and creatures during each dive (wreck, reefs, and underwater museum) and our favorite was the night dive! We saw a ton of rays at the wreck, spotted a shark, barracuda, eels, octopus, and many turtles, lobsters and crabs during the night dive. We had the best adventures even when the waters were a bit choppy because of the winds, we always felt very safe. They were so flexible and willing to take us out because we almost couldn't go due to the harbor closing because of high winds. They communicated constantly with us and when they found out the good news it would open, just later that day, they offered and we jumped at the opportunity to do the dives we planned! We stayed at the Riu Palace Peninsula and it was literally a couple minute walk across the street. We'll never forget our experiences with the crew and will definitely be back for more when come back to Cancun! Highly recommend for all levels and ages.

If you're in here you should ONLY be here for the Dolphin Experience! The aquarium itself contains…read moreless fish than your local pet-smart. That being said its wonderful place to view dolphins up close and personal with the family, especially if you're staying in the hotel zone. Its conveniently located in the Isla shopping center which offers many of your favorite stores/restaurants to explore before you splash around with flipper. So my take is come here and swim with the dolphins otherwise you will be greatly disappointed, but the area is still worth a visit in itself. Like others have mentioned the photos packages are more expensive than the experience itself, but when are you going to have the chance to have a photo of swimming with dolphins again (they know it!) I bought 2 photos and called it a good experience.

Cute little aquarium with lots of interactivity! You'll only need an hour or so it isn't a huge…read moreplace but they do a nice job of using the space they have. They even have dolphin and sea lion shows. Where this place shines is the interactivity for visitors. They have a snuba experience dolphin swimming and interactive experience and a super nice exhibition outside with touch tanks. Great for kiddos and affordable at only 15 per adult and less for kids. Again it isn't an all day experience but it's a nice escape from the heat of the day!

This underwater art museum is SO AWESOME! I found a dive trip for a great price with an excellent…read morecompany (see my other reviews for the dive shop name, because I don't think I can list it here) to get here and it was SO WORTH IT! The great thing about this "museum" is you can see it diving, obviously, but also snorkeling, and even in those boats with the underwater view decks. You cannot beat this dive experience, because you can get so unclose and personal, but if diving isn't your thing, it still worth it to go snorkel or on a boat tour. i know this isn't your typical shipwreck, as I'm usually not a fan of "intentionally sunken" wrecks to dive at, but this was still so awesome even though it was intentionally put there. I mean these statues would be cool in a building, but not THAT awesome, however, putting them underwater in the crystal clear, turquoise waters of Mexico's Caribbean, there's a magical eeriness about it that makes is one-of-a-kind. I loved all the fish swimming in between all the statues. It's an easy dive, not too deep, with lots of swimming room.

We went on a catamaran trip to Isla Mujeres that we signed up for at our hotel. The communication…read morewas poor from the beginning. They were 15+ min late picking us up only to wait for 1+ hours at the dock for the catamaran. It was advertised as a catamaran, snorkel, island adventure, and then an exclusive beach club. Snorkeling was amazing but equipment was cheap and not enough time to do it. The "exclusive" beach club was not nice at all. Food was mediocre at best and felt like we were eating at a mess hall. Basically this was a booze cruise, which is great for some, but it was not sold to us as such and it was a totally disappointing experience. It felt like a floating frat party with cheap alcohol and workers pouring tequila down teenagers throats.

Muy decepcionada con el servicio al cliente de Erika. Estuve esperando en línea casi 40 minutos…read moremientras ella me ignoraba por completo para atender a una familia de cuatro personas que llegó a un lado de su escritorio hablando español. No sé si los conocía personalmente o cuál era la situación, pero yo ya estaba formada y me pareció muy injusto y poco profesional. Cuando le pregunté de manera educada si me podían atender primero porque yo ya estaba esperando en la fila, respondió con una actitud grosera en lugar de manejar la situación profesionalmente. Después de finalmente entregarnos las pulseras, ni siquiera nos explicó a dónde teníamos que ir. En general, fue una experiencia frustrante, desorganizada y muy poco profesional.

we went snorkeling on 11/21, 4 adults and 3 kids (ages 7, 7, and 11). It was our son's first time,…read moreand everything went great! The crew - Rosa, Moises, and Miguel, - were fantastic! They were nice, helpful, and knowledgable. The water was a little choppy (not their fault), but we still managed to have a great experience. We saw the underwater scuplutres, the shipwreck, fish, turtles, and an eagle sting-ray. The underwater photos and videos are worth purchasing at the end - thank you for a great experience! Fuimos a bucear el 21/11, 4 adultos y 3 niños (de 7, 7 y 11 años). ¡Era la primera vez de nuestro hijo y todo salió genial! ¡El equipo, Rosa, Moisés y Miguel, fue fantástico! Fueron amables, serviciales y conocedores. El agua estaba un poco agitada (no es su culpa), pero aún así logramos tener una gran experiencia. Vimos las esculturas submarinas, el naufragio, peces, tortugas y una raya águila. Vale la pena comprar las fotos y videos submarinos al final. ¡Gracias por una gran experiencia!

We purchased a catamaran that included snorkeling and 3 hour stop on Isla Mujeres through our…read moreresort, The Fives Beach Hotel and Residences. We got onto a boat with a large group of others. We received flippers and were given instructions on the length of the snorkeling. We snorkeled for about 30 minutes. The fish were so pretty and there are statues underwater to look for. We weren't given any details about the types of fish or what to expect to see. When we got back to the boat, we received lots of drinks, tequila for days, and a middle school type lunch(Romain lettuce, pasta salad, a turkey sandwich). The lunch was disappointing and should be changed. They give you 3 hours to do whatever on the island and we definitely enjoyed that time. The beach is stunning but was very overcrowded because we went on a Saturday. The music and the crew were the best of this trip. The guys were so nice and full of life. I would recommend this trip to others for a great experience.

TOURIST TRAP: Predatory Pricing, Deceptive Photography Scam, and Serious Cybersecurity Risk…read more I am leaving this review to warn other tourists. We passed through this marina to board a yacht charter booked through our hotel. The YachtLife boat and crew were excellent. This review is entirely about the Jetpack Adventures marina operation. USD Cash Only or You Pay More We were quoted $250 USD for dock and transportation fees ($130 + $120), payable at the marina. When I went to pay, the cashier made clear that $250 was only available as a price if I paid in exact USD cash. Every other option cost more. Paying in physical pesos was not accepted at the real exchange rate. Paying by card meant he would only charge in pesos using his own inflated exchange rate, not the actual market rate. The real rate at the time was approximately 17.6 pesos per dollar, meaning $250 should have been about 4,400 pesos. He quoted over 5,200 pesos. My card settled at $306.64, which is $56.64 more than the quoted price, with zero transparency and zero recourse. Because our yacht charter was non-refundable within 24 hours, we had no choice but to pay whatever he demanded. That is not a coincidence. That is a deliberate trap. Photography Scam, Same Payment Scheme A man behind the same counter will approach you before departure and say he is "your photographer for today's adventure." He shows photos implying he accompanies guests on the water throughout the day. He does not board the boat. He takes a few photos from the dock as you leave and flies a drone for roughly the first and last two minutes of your trip, then delivers raw unedited files. My father-in-law paid $100 upfront with no refunds for eight nearly identical dock photos and two short drone clips. The same payment scheme applies: USD cash is the only way to pay the quoted price. Any other form of payment goes through the same cashier at the same inflated peso rate. CYBERSECURITY WARNING: Do Not Plug In When we returned, the photographer attempted to transfer photos by plugging an unknown USB device directly into a guest's personal phone. Do not allow this under any circumstances. USB-based attacks can silently install malware, steal personal data, and enable identity fraud in seconds, with no technical knowledge required on the victim's part. We refused. Most tourists would have no idea this is dangerous. Whether intentional or careless, the potential consequences are devastating. Accept photo transfers only via AirDrop, QR code, cloud link, or email. Never a stranger's USB device. YachtLife's crew and boat were genuinely excellent. This marina operation was predatory, deceptive, and potentially dangerous. Go in with your eyes open.

Stayed at Hilton All-Inclusive for a week. Adolfo at Jetpack is a character, we LOVE this guy!!! He…read moreorganized our two excursions which I'll be reviewing here. 1. Snorkeling excursion at National Reef Park at Puerto Morelos - this is a short 10-15 min boat ride from the resort. The boat may pick up a few other snorkelers along the way. You get about an hour of snorkeling and the boat crew will jump in and take underwater video and photos for purchase if you would like. This was a great short excursion and got some beautiful fish and coral. 2. Isla Mujeres excursion - this is pretty much an all day event it was pretty much the highlight of our vacation despite the touristy connotation of an Isla Mujeres excursion. Adolfo gave us the hard sell on this excursion and he was right to do so, it was definitely worth it! Transport, drinks, and lunch were included (~$150/adult). We left the resort at 7:25am. Picked up some passengers on the way to the marina. We left the marina about 9am. There was a total of 10 passengers in a boat that hold up to 24 or so, it felt like almost a private yacht. We didn't expect to get the party started so early but there's nothing better than listening to dance music on a yacht with cocktail in hand gliding across the beautiful bay to Isla Mujeres! The crew kept the great music and drinks flowing and we kept the party rocking! Lol. We saw sea turtles!!! And stopped along the way at a small shipwreck and we're allowed to snorkel for a bit (got a little crowded with snorkelers because this seemed to be a popular spot to explore). Later, did a quick tour up and down the island and then docked for a couple hours at a seaside restaurant with access to buffet style lunch, beach pool, and swim up bar. You get an hour to eat and an hour to swim, drink or both (watch out at the bar, your drinks are included at the buffet but not the bar, beers were around ~$6 and a bartender threw away my partner's beer, without asking, before they had finished it so we didn't buy anymore). Swimming was nice the beach had kayaks etc that could be used but the water was full of sea grass so not great just ok. After lunch and swimming we got back on the boat, more drinks, music and dancing - we anchored at the north beach. This is where the archetypical Isla Mujeres image come from. Literally crystal clear super calm water at roughly 5' depth with white silky smooth sand. We swam here for about an hour diving off the back deck of the boat and having the time of our lives. The ride back to the marina was nice and fast, lasted about 30-minutes. What happened next was both a let down and a welcome surprise. After saying goodbye to our wonderful crew we found out or transport back to the resort was severely delayed. We ended up going to the marina restaurant for restroom, drinks, snacks and to wait. We were told the transport would be about 20-30minutes. Almost 1.5 hours later we left the marina back to the resort. We lost our dinner reservation because of the tardiness of the transport which was pretty disappointing. However, the marina restaurant had the most talented singer and guitar duo that magically entranced us with their music and we weren't as grumpy or upset at the situation by the time we left lol. Overall everything we did was Jetpack that Adolfo arranged for us was a great experience. I would've given a 4 star rating for the transport mishap but we were actually pleased to experience the entertainment at the marina restaurant.