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The Premise
Brenton is not a travel professional
or a media mogul - he's a tourist who loves Cancun and the Yucatan -
just like us - just like you. He's been traveling to Cancun since
1996, and has decided to put his experiences and recommendations in
print, much like we've done on
Cancun Discounts and
on our website at Johann
& Sandra's Web. The book is not a thorough rendition of each
and every thing to do in Cancun, but is rather a look at the most basic
questions and concerns of first-time and independent travelers to Cancun
- you know, the questions you see on forums like
TripAdvisor time and time again. Refreshingly, his book
does not feature shameless plugs for paid advertisers like most guidebooks
nowdays (with the possible exception of one pretty heavy push toward
a certain scuba diving operator in Cozumel).
The best part of this book is the
DVD that comes with it. It's not a standard travel video with
touched up paid plugs like you're used to seeing, or with bikini babes
and spring breakers. It is essentially home videos shot by Brenton
himself during his many visits to Cancun, narrated by him, and featuring
the sights and sounds you'll be most interested in. He shows you
what the airport will look like, what the buses and taxis will look
like, what the major tourist attractions and hotels look like, and what
the Hotel Zone and Playa Del Carmen look like. This is very valuable
to the first-time Cancun traveler - you can actually visualize things
like what bus stop to get off at, what your potential budget hotel might
look like, or where to buy tickets for the Playa Del Carmen ferry to
Cozumel.
Who Should Buy This Book
This book is geared toward first-time
visitors to Cancun and people who like to travel independently by bus
or rental car. It's also useful to those of you who might like
a budget hotel, particularly in Playa Del Carmen, instead of a major
resort. For these people, this book is great - it shows you the
ins and outs of the public transportation system and gives you ideas
of what to see when you go and what to expect. If you are a resort
lover who has been to Cancun before - knows the bus system, the ferry
system, likes the stress-free environment of established tours, and
has been to Playa Del Carmen, Xcaret, Xel-Ha, Chichen Itza, and Tulum,
then this is probably not going to help you that much.
What We Liked
DVD was fun to watch and very useful
to first-timers. Great addition to the book - loved the personal aspect
of both the book and DVD. Lots of information about rental cars and
buses and ferries. Enjoyable to hear a personal perspective instead
of a commercial sales pitch. Good information about the scene
at the airport and transportation. Lots of budget hotel websites
listed so you can see what your options are with personal insight into
the hotels themselves. Information about Playa Del Carmen and
other often-ignored locations like Isla Holbox and Puerto Morelos.
Detailed information on several of the major tourist attractions.
Personal Restaurant recommendations. Good recommendations for
airfare and vacation packages.
What We Didn't Like
It seems like Brenton found out what
we all know - very few things are cheap and free in Cancun these days.
There is a lot of emphasis on descriptions and tourist information -
not much information really about how to really go on the cheap.
We also see Brenton should have talked to us first! There's no
mention of the best deal in Cancun, the
Cancun
Discount Card that we all know and love, and very little mention
of other coupon opportunities or special times and prices. It's
more like "take the bus and pay the entry fee". The "Cheap and Free"
method is sometimes actually more expensive than our packaged tours
- for example, the "Cheap and Free" method to see Chichen Itza is estimated
at $65 - $85 while our
Chichen Itza
Tours start at just $40.00. No mention of some important
money-savers such as
Cancun
Hostels with rooms that start at just $5.00 per day, or of Happy
Hour specials, travel auctions, Air Hitch, bartering, beach vendors,
or much of any free entertainment (except a small section on street
vendors).
Our Overall Opinion
The book's biggest limitations are
also it's best features. As a tourist, Brenton just hasn't had
the opportunity to visit every tourist attraction, every restaurant,
or find every good deal in Cancun. However, it also gives you
great personal, unbiased insight into your vacation, and what to expect.
It's from the point of view of the visitor (you) rather than someone
who has lived there for a long time, or an intense researcher, which
is quite valuable, we think. Bottom line - if you're a first-time
visitor, particularly if you're thinking about trying out the bus system
or renting a car to save money, then this is an excellent guide for
you. The DVD will really help you visualize the things you've been reading
about on the message boards. If you've been there before, you
likely know most of the things in this book.
BUY WHAT'S CHEAP AND FREE IN CANCUN AND THE YUCATAN NOW
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