Well, we just got back last night from our trip to Cancun. We may have to move there some day. You can live in a house, on the beach, in Playa del Carmen (a little south of Cancun) for about $200k. That's disgusting compared to what you would pay for anything in the USA that is situated along a nice shoreline.
We had a blast. Snorkeled everyday we were there. There was a reef about a mile from our hotel(Dreams) that we went to one day. Wow. It was as if you were looking into a 2 foot deep aquarium, but from around 20-30 feet above! Sooo clear. Even at our hotel beach, there were small rays all over the place. Many, many fish to see also.
Stay away from Market 28 in Cancun. No bargains there(at least to Mexico standards). No bartering either. The merchants would let you walk without countering. The price displayed is what you were gonna pay. What's up with that? I guess they feel that with the huge amount of touristas that come through, they figure someone is going to buy. Your best bet is still Tijuana.
The Wal Mart was a trip. I think they have 3 of them in Cancun. We went into the one nearest Market 28(Sam's Club is right next door). It was absolutely the nicest Wal Mart I have ever been in. The seafood section was incredible(they even had a ray on ice). They make their own tortillas on-site. The bakery section was bigger than any bakery I have ever been in and the quality even rivaled Panera's. They had a lot of the same things we have down the grocery aisles. But it is cheaper, even after the conversion. Stopping at Wal Mart was definitely a highlight of our trip.
Tulum was....wow. It is located a little over an hour away south of Cancun near the eco-park of Xel-Ha.(pronounced: shell-ha) No wonder the Mayans lived there. What a view. Iguanas thrive in this area. They are all over the ruins and even on top of the buildings. Fairly tame. You can get up pretty damn close without them running away.
Anyways, enjoy the pics. As soon as I get our underwater cameras developed, I will throw some of those up too.
Flying over Cancun:
View from our room:
Another view:
Taking advantage of the spa facilities(massage on the water):
And here I am getting a manicure(keep the jokes to yourselves!) I also had a pedicure done too
Some of the many locals you will see in the area:
The snorkeling lagoon at Xel-Ha(eco-park):
Lazy river at Xel-Ha:
Tulum:
The most photographed spot at Tulum:
Another lookout point in Tulum:
Would you like to pet my lizard?
Twirling along the pier at our hotel:
Great pics! Cancun is just a short ferry ride away from Cozumel, the island I like to go scuba diving at.