My mom and I are planning a trip to Mexico and trying to decide where we would like to go in the country.

I was wondering if anyone has ever been, where you went and what your impression of the area you traveled to was (good/bad)? Where their lots of things to do besides the beach? We are looking specifically at Mazatlan, Cancun and Puerto Vallarta but are open to any other places also.

Any info would be greatly appreciated : )

I haven't been to Mexico, but I saw a recent news story warning people about emergency care. There was a guy that was drowning at a resort (which you would think is safe) and got pulled out but no medical professionals were available and help was extremely slow to arrive. The guy was reportedly alive when he was pulled out, but died because of the lack of care. This was in Cancun.

Here is the story:

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/15922695/detail.html

The article recommended checking out your insurance coverage in Mexico and whether they will pay for medical evacuation. They also recommend having contact info of US consulates in Mexico just in case.

Anyway, not to put a damper on things...but just an fyi.

I've been to Mexico twice on family trips, and love it! Just recently I was in Playa del Carmen (in January), and it was one of the best vacations I've had. We pick all-inclusive resorts, and it's wonderful to eat and drink as much as you want. I would just lie on the beach all day with a strawberry daiquiri!

There's really neat tours and stuff to do as well-we did an ATV tour and a tour to see ancient ruins. I recommend Xel-Ha, it's a water sanctuary and the snorkeling is unbelievable!

I went to Acapulco for my honeymoon and it was fabulous! I loved the vibe of the city and people were really nice too, the beach was not as great as the beaches in Cuba or in the Caribbean but it was still very nice! It's sunny all the time and very hot (we went in january). I'd like to go to Riviera Maya next time! :)

Our very own Paola77 hails from Mexico, if I'm not mistaken, so maybe you could PM her with your questions? She's beyond sweet and gracious, and would have a slew of information for you, I'd bet! :)

My parents are from Zacatecas, Mexico and the last time I was there was 1988. We use to go every year to visit family but I haven't gone back since.
I've never been to the beach cities so I can't provide much information about them. We were going to go to Puerto Vallarta during one of our trips back in the 80's but relatives convinced my dad that we should do other things instead.
I'm still kind of upset about that because I really wanted to go.

On our last cruise we stopped in Cozumel. I took a ferry across to the mainland at Playa del Carmen and took a bus down to see the Mayan ruins in Tulum. It was amazing. The view from the cliff down to the water of the Caribbean Sea is like nothing I've ever seen.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f282/KatieLynn3/elmirador.jpg

I've been to Mexico a few times. It's my favorite place to visit and I LOVE the food there. I've been to Mazatlan, Cabo and Ensenada. While in Mazatlan we stayed at a time share that had beach access and a pool. We mostly stayed by the pool. We took the bus all over the city and just explored around there and shopped. The time share had events daily that you could participate in. While in Cabo we stayed at an all inclusive resort. I highly recommend doing all inclusive. You drink and eat all you want. It's included in your package. We stayed at the Presidente. It was huge! I must confess we didn't even leave the place we just stayed out at the pool all day and ate while we were there. I'd love to go back soon.

On our last cruise we stopped in Cozumel. I took a ferry across to the mainland at Playa del Carmen and took a bus down to see the Mayan ruins in Tulum. It was amazing. The view from the cliff down to the water of the Caribbean Sea is like nothing I've ever seen.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f282/KatieLynn3/elmirador.jpg

This picture is heavenly! Thanks for sharing it!

I just came back from an all-inclusive to the Mayan Riviera 3 weeks ago. I'm the same age as you and I wish I went to Cancun for more of a party place :p Mayan seemed like it was for more older people. You are going with your mom though so it may be a good place. It was very beautiful because you get the Caribbean Sea.

We had a couple of break ins at our place (Viva Windham Maya 4*) and received very poor customer service from management. We ended up going to their neighbouring resort because we didn't feel safe there. It was a 5 star, but we ended up going back to the 4* for everything besides sleep because it was so boring at the 5*!

Lots of things to do besides the beach. I actually didn't spend a lot of time at the beach. There are a lot of excursions. The 4* had a lot of free activities like archery, games, rock climbing...etc. We went to the Coba ruins (I don't recommend that one) and ferried to Cozumel for the day. You can go shopping too at Playa del Carmen.

Thanks for the tips and pictures everyone. I think we decided on Playa del Carmen (yah Becky!). I'm super excited, it will be so nice to get away....

Ooh, I hope you enjoy it! I'll try to look up where we stayed, it was a great all-inclusive resort (my mom books our trips so the name eludes me...). Definitely schedule a day to see the Tulum ruins and Xel-Ha if you can!

It seems like I'm a little bit late for this post, but even though I've never been there, I really think that the Riviera Maya is a paradise, good choice! People and friends have told me that. Those turquoise caribbean waters are awesome. And as Becky said, don't forget to visit the ruins, so much to see!

I live in Puerto Vallarta, it's different but northamericans seem to love it here too :) A nice option if you want to enjoy the Pacific.

Have a wonderful time on your vacation! ;)