the ferry from puerto juarez is fine but if you're staying in the hotel zone you can also catch the ultramar from the embarcadero at km 4.5, saves you a taxi ride and it's the same price. also for chichen itza, the guided tours often stop at a cenote on the way back, but if you go on your own you can skip the tourist trap lunch stop and eat at the little fondas just outside the entrance for half the price

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yeah the bus tip is key, the R-1 runs all night so you can stumble back from coco bongo without paying for a taxi. also for day 3, if you do chichen itza bring a bathing suit and towel, the cenote ik kil is right on the way back and most tours include a stop there, it's the big open one with vines hanging down, totally worth the plunge even if it's crowded

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Great guide, really solid. One thing I'd add for the markets is that Mercado 28 shuts down around 6 or 7 PM on weekdays, so don't save it for last. Also, if you're at Parque de las Palapas, grab a marquesita from one of the carts near the church, it's a crispy rolled crepe with Edam cheese and Nutella or cajeta, like 30 pesos and way better than the touristy ones in the hotel zone.

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this guide's pretty thorough, but i'd say skip the hotel zone restaurants altogether for dinner one night and head to Parque de las Palapas in downtown cancun instead. on weekend evenings they set up a ton of food stalls with everything from marquesitas to elotes, plus there's live music and a chill vibe. way cheaper than anything on boulevard kukulcan and you'll actually see locals hanging out instead of just tourists

also for the chichen itza day trip, if you drive yourself or take a collectivo instead of a tour bus you can get there right when it opens at 8am and beat the heat and the crowds by like two hours. the tour buses all roll in around 10-11 and it gets miserable with the sun and the hawkers. just bring cash for the entrance fee cause the card readers there are spotty sometimes

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good guide, covers the main stuff. one thing i'd add is that if you're flying out of cancun, the ADO bus from the hotel zone to the airport is way more reliable than a taxi. it's like 100 pesos per person and leaves every hour from the main stops on kukulcan, no worrying about a driver trying to charge you extra for traffic or luggage.

also for the Isla Mujeres day, the ultrafem ferry from puerto juarez is cheaper than the one from the hotel zone. it's 150 pesos round trip versus 300 from the embarcadero near the ritz carlton. the catch is you have to take a taxi or bus to puerto juarez, but that's still cheaper overall and the ferry runs just as often.

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honestly this is a really good breakdown, covers everything i wish someone had told me my first time. one thing i'd add is that the R-1 bus can get absolutely packed during peak hours like 5-7pm, so if you're heading back from the hotel zone to downtown around then just budget extra time or grab a taxi. also for the cenote day, skip Gran Cenote if you want to avoid crowds and go to Cenote Azul instead, it's cheaper (like 100 pesos vs 250) and you can swim with the little fish without fighting for space. the cochinita pibil tip is spot on but if you're in the hotel zone, try El Fogón at the corner of Bonampak and Yaxchilan, their tacos al pastor are fire and they're open till like 2am.

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