I’ll never say no to a week away anywhere, but Cancun is a place I’d go more than once. 

The first four months of the year haven’t been the easiest, and as my mid-March seasonal depression kicked in like clockwork, I was in desperate need of a vacation. My extreme wanderlust has always gotten the best of me, so after I landed my first big-girl, real-world job post college, I promised myself I’d put enough money aside for at least one vacation every year. So far, so good! After my 9-day trip to Aruba last year, it was finally time to brainstorm ideas for the next getaway.

With my current budget, it’s safe to say extravagance is a bit unrealistic. Since my dream, two-week vacation to Monaco was out of the question, I started thinking of destinations that wouldn’t break the bank. Finally, I decided Cancun, Mexico would be the next spot to cross off my travel bucket list.

By my side was one of my best friends from high school, Becca. I probably couldn’t have picked a better companion for this trip. Her presence was exactly what I needed – someone who doesn’t take herself too seriously or care about what anyone else thinks, not to mention she definitely knows how to have a good time.

After taking multiple shots of vodka on the plane from Newark to Mexico, we unsteadily made our way through customs and immigrations. Then, it was stretch limo time.

Yes, we booked a stretch limo to take us from the airport to our hotel. The price was relatively cheap and we booked through Cancun Limo, which I highly recommend! We had an awesome time popping champagne and blasting gangster rap in the back of our limo, but we arrived at our resort shortly after. And there we were, staring up at the GR Caribe, a spanish-style resort right on the water. It was absolutely beautiful, and our all-inclusive package gave us access to two other hotels in the resort chain. That was a pretty great deal.

Unfortunately, Becca broke her foot three days into our stay, so we weren’t able to accomplish everything we had planned. But stumbling around the resort was totally fun – and I got to kiss a hot doctor we met at the pool (sorry, dad). So, that was a huge win.

Either way, I did leave with some major takeaways that I’ll definitely keep in mind for my next visit to Cancun. Here’s what I’ll share:

Read online reviews.

Our resort received excellent reviews overall, but I wish we had looked into them further. The food at the resort is terrible, and from what I hear, this is a fairly common notion for all-inclusive resorts. Since you’ve already paid for the food ahead of time, they don’t feel as pressured to please you. The quality of the food was very relatable to what you’d find at a college dining hall, and many of the places to eat felt like you were in a college dining hall. As great as it was not having to worry about paying for every meal each day, I would have rather sacrificed our all-inclusive package for better meals.

Book your Cancun excursions ahead of time. 

There will be SO many people trying to sell you tours, adventures and water sport packages, but there’s really no way to tell you’re getting a good deal once you’re there. Check out what’s recommended on Trip Advisor and do some research to see where you can get the lowest price. Then, you won’t have to worry about booking all the non-resort activities during your trip.

Buy a bottle (or two) of alcohol once you land. 

Another common factor of an all-inclusive package is the weak drinks. and we definitely experienced that on our trip. First off, the size of the glasses they provided were tiny, and you’d have to drink at least six of them to get a decent buzz.

Second, even when we specifically requested double the alcohol, the drinks were still pretty weak. Thankfully, Becca thought to buy a bottle of Absolut once we landed in Cancun, and that pretty much saved us from staying sober all week. Thanks, Becca!

Use caution when traveling outside the resort.

We heard from multiple people that traveling outside of the resort was not safe at all, but we quickly learned that was only half true. There are parts of Cancun that are rather unsafe, especially for two young, boozy-eyed American girls at night. Before going anywhere, ask the front desk of your resort if it’s safe, how you should get there and what you should look out for. Never travel anywhere by yourself, and always make sure you’re in contact with someone back at the resort.

That’s all, my friends! Overall, Cancun was a beautiful place to be. We’re looking to make our second trip next year, but with plenty of preparation this time around!

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