While Cancun might be known as Mexico's vacation capital with a strip of hotels, bars and restaurants as a Marathon, it's for good reason. The travel deals to Cancun change fast and furiously, often dropping in price by 25% from their January and February highs. When the busy Spring Break season ends in late March, look for even more great deals to pop up as hotels fight for tourist dollars. And with the resurgence of Isla Mujeres, a small island of Cancun's coast, as a less expensive, quieter vacation alternative to crowded Cancun, the area is even more popular than before. So before March goes out like a lamb, book one of these warm weather getaways.
Four Discount Travel (tel. 800/323-6347; www.4discounttravel.com) has taken 30 percent off its regular price for a Cancun vacation if you book by March 12, 2005. The three-day/four-night package includes roundtrip airfare and accommodations at an all-inclusive, four-star hotel starting from $499 before taxes and fees. The only real catch to this bargain, called the "Mayan Fun and Sun Surprise," is that Funjet chooses the hotel for you. You get the name of the hotel at your airport check-in site in your departure city. So for the slightly adventurous type, this may work. Four Discounts assures the hotel is a four-star property. Departure cities for this Cancun surprise include cold Midwestern gateways such as Kansas City, Detroit and Chicago, a bonus for those usually passed over.
Apple Vacations (tel. 800/365-2775; www.applevacations.com) has a Cancun vacation sale that includes a three or four night air and hotel combo departing from Philadelphia and other cities starting from $659. These all-inclusive packages include meals, beverages, entertainment and water sports. Accommodations are at the Club Maeva Tulum Riviera Maya, a large resort situated on the beach with its own offshore reef for scuba diving and snorkeling. The hotel has two restaurants, a showroom for nightly entertainment and dancing, and full facilities for children of all ages. Trips depart from April 9, 2005 to June 5, 2005 with most dates leaving in May. For a seven-night trip labeled as a "Last Minute Deal," Apple Vacation has an all-inclusive air-land trip out of Atlanta and other cities costing approximately $829 for April mid-week departures. "Last Minute Deals" are available only while they are listed on the site. So check the "Last Minute Deals" page often, select the departure city nearest you and see what's available.
To get to Isla Mujeres, just a ten minute boat ride from Cancun's stretch of beaches, Intratours (tel. 800/334-8069; www.intratours.com) has a seasonal special to Cancun starting around $223 round-trip fro travel from Miami and $284 from Dallas. The air-specialists to Mexico and South America, Intratours has Spring deals to most of Mexico that allow travel through June 17, 2005. To get this especially low round of fares to Mexico, you have to book by March 15, 2005. Airport and security fees are additional.
Because of its location slightly off Cancun's more accessible hotel strip, boutique hotels on Isla Mujeres are much quieter, more romantic, extremely discreet and very private adult-only properties. Room prices are also less than on the mainland, as are most meals. The Hotel Secreto (tel. + 52 998/877-1039; www.hotelsecreto.com) is a gorgeous three-story white-stucco beach-front property with excellent services and luxury accommodations. Each room has a beachfront view with a fly netting on the beds more for decoration than necessity and an outdoor living room looking out on the azure water. Rates start at $160 for first-floor rooms with two double beds and go up to $220 for rooms with king-sized beds on higher floors. The hotel can arrange boat transportation to and from Cancun as well as guide you around the very small but quaint Isla Mujeres. At only 7.5 miles long, the island can be easily explored. If you don't want to call for reservations, the hotel has an excellent e-mail reservation system. Just hit the "Contact Us" button or address your e-mail to reserv@hotelsecreto.com with your travel dates, and they'll respond usually within one day. Hotel taxes are not included in the above rates.