Punta Cana or Cancun

[BigErnMcCracken]

Funniest thing I saw there 2 years ago was a Brit walking through town a tank top on, no shorts, no underwear, and a proprietor of a hop come out and start whipping him with what looked like a riding crop.

The ability of drunk British people to ruin otherwise pleasant vacation spots is borderline incredible.

 

[Chin Diesel]

This thread is classic BY.

oh lets see......................... cancun where you can go all in on the best of everything for about 1/10th the cost of going all in on Italy, Greek islands, or wherever on the Mediterranean your heart takes you. Id rather be in Italy too, or Europe. But this is an extreme apples to oranges comparison wallet wise. Not to mention what your families desire for a vacation is.

OP said he was debating between Cancun and Punta Cana or he might go to Europe.

Classic BY. OP says they're thinking of going to Europe or Mexico. Posters give opinions on options.

Some rando joins in a day late and misses the point of the thread.

 

[boba]

Classic BY. OP says they're thinking of going to Europe or Mexico. Posters give opinions on options.

Some rando joins in a day late and misses the point of the thread.

Not "some" rando, but "THE" rando, the rando you should expect to appear.

Stuck going to Italy this year (must visit Frau's mother). Hope it's better than last year where I had fires chasing me around the state.

 

[superjohn]

I am going here with my family and in-laws in July. My wife is Mexican and her mother and sister just came back from there in March. What are your thoughts on sites to visit or places to make sure you see before you leave.

Staying for 7 nights.

Don't know where you're staying but the few times I've been I stayed at an air bnb in Condesa. I would stay in Condesa or Roma unless you're getting a hotel in the Centro Historico. Historic District is awesome during the day but pretty much shuts down at night, Bosforo is a great bar there though. Cafe de Tacuba is also there, it's good and one of the oldest restaurants in the city.

Chapultepec Park, it's twice the size of NYC Central Park. Walk up to the Castle in the park, it's a bit of a walk but worth it for the grounds and views. Go to the Anthropology Museum in the park, it's an incredible museum...

Take a stop along bus tour from Chapultapec Park to the Zocalo where the gov't buildings and the Cathedral are. Go into the Cathedral and the National Palace. Templo Mayor is down there as well. Walk around that area and head back to the Palacio de Bellas Artes which you pass coming into the Zocalo. Go to La Opera, it's right next to Palacio de Bellas Artes. It's the most famous bar in the city. There's another building down there which houses most of Diego Rivera's massive murals, you need to check that out.

Take a bus or Uber out to Coyoacan and spend the whole day out there, one of my favorite neighborhoods anywhere. The Frida Kahlo museum is there and worth it. Leon Trotsky lived there and was close with Frida and Diego Rivera. There's also a museum in his old home. Last time I was there some guy just came up to me and started talking to me, he showed me around the neighborhood. My Spanish is bad but he helped me along with his broken English and explained how it's the birthplace of Mexico City, he took me into the churches, showed me where the Pope slept. He was just an awesome guy from the neighborhood who is proud of his city and wanted to show it off to an American.

Condesa and Roma are great neighborhoods with parks, cafes, and bars all over. They're right next to each other and great for leisurely strolls during the day and food and drinks at night. I can't remember the names of many restaurants and bars but there's good food all around. A lot of the best eating I've done is at food stalls on the sidewalks and at the huge city markets. Stop into El Pescadito in Condesa for the best fish tacos ever. Pujol is considered one of the best restaurants in the world, I didn't go there but went to their little offshoot lunch place in Condesa and it was very good.

Polanco is Mexico City's Beverly Hills. Go to the Soumaya museum there, it's free. There's great museums and things to see all over and they're either free or a few bucks. Sit outside at a cafe in Polanco and people watch. El Piladero de Guadalajara is a restaurant next to the Four Seasons which is not fancy at all, great Tapatio food. Get the Carne en su jugo.

Take a trip out to Teotihuacan, it's about an hour away. A lot of people like the canals at Xochimilco but that was a long trip with traffic and I didn't really feel it was worth it. It might be fun if you have a large group.

Even if you aren't Catholic it's worth it to go to La Villa de Guadalupe. It's one of the major pilgrimage sites in the world. It gets a few million people per year, there's a bunch of churches there and it's just impressive. Another long walk to the top but it's worth it.

Enjoy, everyone is super friendly to a gringo who doesn't speak Spanish well. I never see many tourists/Americans down there.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

35 friends just went to punta Cana and 22 were very sick. Spent days in their rooms with gastro issues.

and there u have it.
yugo trip wins. thread over.

and then there's the stinky baby poop seaweed to complete the stomp on the dream vacation.

 

[Improviser]

35 friends just went to punta Cana and 22 were very sick. Spent days in their rooms with gastro issues.

I would think Europe would be a lot safer than Mexico in the current climate we live in. Not that long ago, I read about a shooting on the beach in Cancun. I don't know anything about Punta Cana.

Gastro problems are no stranger to American tourists visiting Mexico.

When I went to Cancun maybe 30 years ago, I made sure I knew to ask for Agua Mineral. I knew enough Spanish to overhear shortly afterwards, two of the workers at the restaurant laughing about the Americans or Gringos asking for Agua Mineral.

Also, wonder if the sickened friends are going to be upset with their travel agent, which is not an unusual reaction in these situations.

 

[husky429]

I would think Europe would be a lot safer than Mexico in the current climate we live in. Not that long ago, I read about a shooting on the beach in Cancun. I don't know anything about Punta Cana.

Gastro problems are no stranger to American tourists visiting Mexico.

When I went to Cancun maybe 30 years ago, I made sure I knew to ask for Agua Mineral. I knew enough Spanish to overhear shortly afterwards, two of the workers at the restaurant laughing about the Americans or Gringos asking for Agua Mineral.

Also, wonder if the sickened friends are going to be upset with their travel agent, which is not an unusual reaction in these situations.

The chances of being shot in any of these places is miniscule. Petty theft and scammers are the issue and a good head on your shoulders manages that well enough.

 

[superjohn]

I would think Europe would be a lot safer than Mexico in the current climate we live in. Not that long ago, I read about a shooting on the beach in Cancun. I don't know anything about Punta Cana.

Gastro problems are no stranger to American tourists visiting Mexico.

When I went to Cancun maybe 30 years ago, I made sure I knew to ask for Agua Mineral. I knew enough Spanish to overhear shortly afterwards, two of the workers at the restaurant laughing about the Americans or Gringos asking for Agua Mineral.

Also, wonder if the sickened friends are going to be upset with their travel agent, which is not an unusual reaction in these situations.

Some of the beach places are really dangerous...Acapulco has a terrible murder rate, so does Cancun now.

Mexico City is as safe or safer than American cities.

It's like anywhere, if you're buying drugs or looking for trouble it can find you. If you don't go looking for trouble the chances of it finding you are extremely low.