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from expedia.com
So, it’s only July, but I’m already thinking about where I’m going to go during this winter break. Not that I have anywhere near enough money to pay for an elaborate vacation. My friends that I went to Cancun with last year really want to go back because it was so much fun. And I agree, it was a good time; I loved the beach, clubs, and laid-back party atmosphere, but why not try something different?
I think a cruise would be the perfect solution. I’ve never been on one; they’re pretty inexpensive; you get to see multiple islands; and food is included. Can’t get too much better than that. Plus most cruises leave out of some place in Florida, and domestic flights are way cheaper than international ones. Even if you’re only flying to some place like Cancun or the Bahamas.
The hard part about finding a cruise, though, is that the cruise chooses your travel days for you, unlike staying in a hotel where you get to choose the days. If I had it my way, any money wasn’t a problem, I would somehow be able to squeeze in a cruise, a trip to Cancun, and time at home for Christmas during my three-week-long winter break, but I don’t think that’s possible.
Over the past couple of day’s I’ve been looking at different cruises on expedia.com, trying to find the best deal on the best travel days. The last day of finals is December 21st, so going on any trip before Christmas won’t work, and spending Christmas away from home is out of the question, so I’m left with the first week and a half of January.
I begin my search looking at the least expensive cruises, and work my way up. Of course, the cheapest cruises are 3 or 4 night Bahamas cruises (the cheapest of all being a $189 3-night Carnival cruise to the Bahamas), but if I’m going to spend the money, I might as well go all out.
I spot some 4 night Western Caribbean cruises, that stop in Key West and Cozumel for only slightly over $200, but I keep scrolling. I’ve already been to Mexico; I need something new.
These are the best ones I found were:
7 night Carnival Western Caribbean out of Miami that stops in Cozumel, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands for $379
7 night Carnival Bahamas out of Miami that stops in the Bahamas, St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, and the Turks & Caicos for $539. This one might be a good compromise. Not too expensive and stops in some nice ports.
7 night Carnival Caribbean out of San Juan that goes EVERYWHERE (St. Thomas, Dominica, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Kitts) for the small price of $579. I’ve never been to any of those islands, and they seem more exclusive than just the Bahamas or Mexico. Unfortunately a flight to Puerto Rico is probably $100 more than a flight to Florida. This cruise still would be one of my favorite options because it stops at so many islands.
7 night Noregian Eastern Caribbean out of Miami that stops in the Dominican Republic, St. Thomas, the British Virigin Islands, and the Bahamas for $629.
7 night Holland America Southern Caribbean out of Fort Lauderdale that stops in the Bahamas, Aruba, and the Netheraland Antilles for $599
7 night Holland America Eastern Caribbean out of Fourt Lauderdale that stops in the Turks and Caicos, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and the Bahamas for $599.
Or…$750 for 7 nights in Cancun, staying at Oasis Cancun, the all-inclusive party resort I stayed in last January. Add in the flight and the price of the trip reaches about $1000, and that doesn’t even include spending money. The more expensive cruises also end up being around $1000 when a flight is added in, so either way I’m going to be spending a lot of money. The question is whether I want to spend my money going to the same beautiful, fun destination that I went to last year, or if I want to visit a bunch of new, beautiful, fun locations. I’m not sure as of right now, but I’ll probably end up going on the cruise. Hopefully I don’t get seasick.
All of us at Senor Frogs
It’s been forever since I’ve posted because I’ve been busy with work. One of my last posts was a review of the hotel we stayed at in Cancun last January, so now that I’ve told you where to stay, I’m going to give you some insight into where to go.
First of all, nightlife in Cancun is never ending. It’s not like Boston, where all the bars close at 2 am. In Cancun, people party all night, every night. I don’t think that we stayed at any club until anywhere near closing time, and we always left after 2. The clubs also open later, and the busiest hours seem to be between 12 and 3. How people are up at 9 am laying by the pool after staying up until 4 is beyond me. We did it a few times, and ended up so exhausted we went to sleep at 9 pm one night!
craziness of Coco Bongo
We spent seven nights in Cancun, and went to three different clubs while we were there: Senor Frogs, Dady O’s, and Coco Bongo. All of the clubs are located in the middle of the Hotel Zone area of Cancun, and are only a $6.50 peso (50 cent American), 10ish minute bus ride away. That said, the bus is definitely the easiest, quickest, and cheapest way to travel around Cancun. You usually end up with some free (or cheaply tipped) entertainment from singing Mexicans, too. You can’t beat that.
Senor Frogs was the first club that we went to. We went on a Monday night, and it was only $35 to get in, which included open bar and large souvenir cups (LOVE the souvenir cups). The bartenders and other workers made it impossible not to have a good time. They walked around pouring shots and hoisting people onto the bar to dance, and there were funny dance contests on the stage, a large congo line, and an outdoor deck overlooking the water. Senor Frogs in Cancun is the perfect place to spend the night laughing, dancing, and just having a good time.
Outside Coco Bongo/Dady O's
We met a bunch of kids from New York at our hotel, and then ended up meeting up with them one night at Dady O’s (open bar like all clubs in Cancun). It was a fun time, but nothing special. The dance floor is kind of small and is surrounded by different levels of tables. If you paid extra, which we did, you got VIP service and a table. We ended up quickly leaving the table to dance, though. Fortunately, since we paid extra we were also allowed onto the rooftop outside bar, which was really nice. On the downside, they played only techno music up there, which was kind of weird.
Coco Bongo was by far our favorite club. We definitely saved the best for last; it was an experience like no other. Like your typical club, it has music, drinks, and dancing, but unlike your typical club, it also has 5ish-minute-long shows that are performed in front of, over, or next to you. We saw an Elvis show, Madonna show, a Spiderman show, a Michael Jackson show, and many others.
Elvis at Coco Bongo (taken from Ashely's facebook)
It’s really hard to explain how fun and entertaining Coco Bongo is, so you probably should just go and see for yourself. The cover charge was $55 (I think), and it included open bar and exciting entertainment. Word of advice: Get there before it opens at 11:00. You’ll have to wait in line for awhile, but you want to be there early to make sure that you get in. It gets packed pretty quickly.
As far as dining goes, we didn’t really go out to eat much. We had some coupons for free margaritas at Jimmy Buffet’s Magaritaville, so we had some drinks and appetizers there. Their nachos are the best deal: big enough for 4 people, cheap, and delicious.
For day trips, we went on excursion that included a catamaran ride, snorkeling, a buffet lunch, and a stop at Isla Mujeres, a small island off the coast of Cancun. It was a good time, but unfortunately the water was very choppy, and all of us felt sick during the boat ride. Of course, it also was the only time that it rained during our entire trip. I also went parasailing with one of my friends. It wasn’t my first time, but it was a nice ride. Parasailing is very relaxing; you just float along in the sky, looking at the beaches, resorts, and people below.
All of us at Margaritaville
For shopping, don’t forget to stop at the Coral Negro, a big flee market type of building in the Hotel Zone, where locals sell souvenirs and other gifts. The workers there are all very annoying, trying to get you to go into their shop, and screaming that they have better and cheaper T-shirts than the guy next door (even though it’s all the same). Try to ignore them, and you may find some good items. We also found a better souvenir shop behind Magaritaville: no annoying workers, cheaper prices, and a better selection. I bought a great picture frame that’s made out of sand.
The rest of the time, we just hung around at our hotel, Oasis Cancun. Cancun was such a great vacation; I really hope that I can go back in the near future! Next time, I plan to try out some other clubs, and maybe go see the ruins at Chichen Itza.
Oasis Cancun!
Think of Spring Break, and what do you think of? Cancun, Mexico, of course, with it’s packed beach parties, open bars at clubs, and continuous craziness. Spring break isn’t the only time to visit Cancun, though. In fact, I think that winter break is actually better. You still get the tropical party atmosphere, but it’s not as intense. If you don’t want to drink at 10 am, there’s room on the beach or by the pool for quiet relaxation. I’ve never been to Cancun during spring break, but I can imagine that quiet relaxation is near impossible.
Anyways, I went to Cancun with three of my friends during winter break this year. We got a great deal through my friend’s aunt who works at Gardner Travel Agency. I was a little upset that I didn’t get to do the planning, but it worked out well. We got the perfect week-long getaway from cold and snowy Massachusetts: gorgeous weather, a hotel on the beach, and never-ending nightlife for around $1100 total each. We stayed at Oasis Cancun, a large all inclusive resort that boasts 12 restaurants, 8 bars, one of the largest pools in Mexico, and a variety of other amenities. Apparently, it’s also the hotel that hosts a lot of parties, concerts, and activities during spring break.
the whole resort
One thing to remember if you’re staying at Oasis Cancun, is that you’re not staying at Grand Oasis Cancun, which is the pyramid style hotel in the middle. Guests at the Grand Oasis have different color wristbands and are allowed to dine in certain restaurants, drink at certain bars, and sit at certain sections of the pool, where guests of the regular Oasis aren’t allowed.
On the positive side, the sprawling resorts offers tons of places for relaxation. The pool and the beach are great, but if you want chairs you have to claim them by 8 am and if you want beach towels, you better get them by noon. Once you’re settled in the chair that you had to hunt for and have a clean towel, relaxing by the pool or on the beach is wonderful. The ocean water is the perfect temperature and turquoise color, and the breeze is just right. A dj plays music starting around 11:00 or 12:00, and everyone sips their frozen drinks and has a good time.
The food is decent. It’s great for the first few days, but once you realize that most of the restaurants serve the exact same food, it gets a little boring. Most of the restaurants are buffet style, which makes since because the food is free, but it kind of reminds me of a dining hall at school. One restaurant, the steakhouse, Serape (I think), is definitely the best, though. The atmosphere is a little more formal, and although you get your side dishes from the buffet, the waiters come around with so many different types of meat. They have chicken, filet minon, pork, sausage, etc. So delicious.
beautiful ocean
Drinks are also included. The bars offer frozen margaritas, daiquiris, pina coladas, wine, Corona, and other cocktails. The frozen drinks taste great, but they put only about a drop of alcohol in them, I’m guessing so that the guests don’t get drunk any faster than they already are.
Clearly, Oasis Cancun is the perfect fit if you’re my age (in college), but I wouldn’t recommend it to older adults or families who want to experience luxury, good service, or a family-friendly atmosphere. One of the pluses for college age visitors is that a great majority of the other visitors are the same age as you, which makes making friends easy. The hotel reminded me more of my freshman dorm than a resort; people were running down the hall obnoxiously at 4 am, making friends with the kids nextdoor, leaving their doors open, calling other rooms during the middle of the night. I’m not complaining, but I’m sure someone twenty years older than me with small children would be.
our leaky bathroom
The resort also lacks in the customer service department. Getting clean towels was a daily hassle that involved going up to the front desk 10 times. Also, when we arrived, one of the rooms we were staying in hadn’t been cleaned and there were no blankets on the bed. It took the staff about 8 hours, 5 phone calls, and 3 visits to the front desk to solve that problem. Then, a couple days before we left, my friend and I returned to our room to find that our bathroom ceiling had leaked and flooded the floor. Needless to say, they solved that problem hours later by putting a bucket and some towels on the floor, and never apologized.
Despite the negatives, I would definitely visit Oasis Cancun again. Maybe even next year if the swine flu is over. It’s the perfect destination for people in their late teens to early twenties who are just looking to have a good time. Next time, my standards won’t be so high, and I’ll enjoy my stay even more.
Coming soon: Where to go and what to do in Cancun.
So, this is my first post here on Sun, Sand, and Savings. In this blog, I plan to write reviews of places I’ve been to recently and post deals that I find for my vacation wish list. The majority of the places I review will be warm weather, beach destinations because that’s where I usually travel, but my wish list deals will be from around the world. I have a feeling that no one’s going to see this blog for a while, but I’ll start posting my finds anyways.
Planning and going on vacation has been a hobby of mine since I was a young girl. I can’t remember a family vacation that I didn’t help plan. Every time my parents announced that we would be taking a trip, my sister and I would spend hours online searching for the best hotel within our budget and the cheapest flights. My parents always listened to our suggestions, except once when I was about 11 and my dad picked this horrible hotel in Lake George, NY.
I love travel, but I haven’t been far. All the other travel bloggers have been everywhere. I, on the other hand, ventured outside of this timezone for the first time in January, and the only countries I’ve been to outside of the United States are Canada, Mexico, and the Bahamas.
I would love to travel more, but unfortunately I don’t have a great deal of money right now. Neither do my parents, hence the exclusively east coast travels during the first 18 years of my life.
I spent 24 hours a week this semester at two different unpaid internships and only was able to squeeze in about 20 hours of working as a sports bar server. Like every industry, the restaurant industry has been hit hard by the recession, and I’ve seen a substantial decline in my tips since last year. Fortunately, thanks to my wonderful credit card, I was able to take two trips this winter: Cancun during winter break and Puerto Rico during spring break. Thank god it wasn’t the other way around or I could be sick with swine flu right now.
Hopefully my future will be full of sun, sand, and savings on great vacations. Who knows, maybe one day this poor college student will be paid to review hotels around the world. Wouldn’t that be nice? Watch out Samantha Brown from the Travel Channel, I might be stealing your job.
