Category Archives: Ask the Experts…
AA & NA Meetings in Cancun
Cancun offers daily meetings for Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. Meetings are in English in downtown Cancun.
View AA & NA Meeting Place Cancun, Mexico in a larger map
From the Cancun Hotel Zone, come to downtown. Go straight at the first stoplight. The next main road to the right (not a stoplight) is Ave. Nadar. Turn right, do just about a block and you will see Plaza Nadar on the left.
Meetings in English each evening at 6:15PM. In the same location is the ALANON meetings every Tuesday & Thursday from 4:30PM to 5:30PM.
ALANON phone contact: Cancun cell: 044-998-170-3261 or 044-998-141-7040
Barlito’s Café on Isla Mujeres
We love this casual café on Isla Mujeres called Barlito’s Café.
Barlitos Café Isla Mujeres on Hidalgo & Abasolo
We went with our awesome friends TJ, Kathryn & Bruce. Kathryn ordered the sandwich named after her, I had their famous pulled-pork sandwich, and we all had the best time!
Barlito's Café Isla Mujeres menu
Bruce & Kathryn Blume at Barlito's Café on Isla Mujeres
Me, Tiffany & TJ at Barlito's Cafe
Pulled-Pork sandwiches with penne with pesto
I don't remember which Sandwich at Barlito's Café Isla Mujeres
This is what Bruce had but I don't remember the name of it...
I don't remember which sandwich this was either...
Barlito's Café Isla Mujeres menu
Black Bean Veggie Burger and mixed fruit side
We had a great time talking with the owners Brad and Tiffany. Fresh bread and cinnamon rolls were FABULOUS! TJ had the Oreo cake for dessert that we all tried…super yummy!
We bought a dozen of their fresh-made bagels to take home. We enjoyed a few and froze the rest for later, which worked out very nicely.
On our next trip to Isla Mujeres we will DEFINITELY go back to Barlito’s Café. All of us loved our sandwiches and the prices are very fair.Serving breakfast & lunch, open Tuesday to Saturday 8AM – 3PM. Outside and inside seating & take out available.
It is really easy to walk to the Café from the ferry dock or North Beach (playa norte).
Whale Shark season in Cancun for 2012
Whale shark season in Cancun, Mexico officially starts on May 15, 2012. The season lasts while the whale sharks are in this area. They usually move out of the Cancun / Isla Contoy area by mid-September.
Book your Whale Shark snorkel trip here: http://www.cancunandrivieramaya.com/whale_sharks.htm
Daylight Saving Time in Cancun
Mexico observes Daylight Saving Time on a different schedule than the US and Canada. Also, different states within Mexico change their clocks on different days. Confusing? Let me help explain.
Starting in 2010, the border states of Mexico with the US change their clock the same as the US does. The Mexican cities and states are:
City, State
Acuna, Coahuila
Anahuac, Nuevo Leon
Juarez, Chihuahua
Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Mexicali, Baja California
Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas
Ojinaga, Chihuahua
Piedras Negras, Coahuila
Reynosa, Tamaulipas
Tijuana, Baja California
| US and Border States of Mexico | ||
| 2012 | 11 March 2012 | 4 November 2012 |
| 2013 | 10 March 2013 | 3 November 2013 |
| 2014 | 9 March 2014 | 2 November 2014 |
| 2015 | 8 March 2015 | 1 November 2015 |
This was done to facilitate the commerce between the US and the Mexican border states. Here in Cancun, for the 3 weeks between the time the US changes and we change, it is confusing and chaotic. Some travelers to Cancun and the Riviera Maya have a difficult time figuring out their flight times. Here in Cancun we are on Central Standard Time (CST), but for those 3 weeks between time changes we are an hour different.
Now, for the rest of Mexico, including Cancun and Riviera Maya.
| Cancun & Riviera Maya Mexico | ||
| 2012 | April 1 | October 28 |
| 2013 | April 7 | October 27 |
| 2014 | April 6 | October 26 |
| 2015 | April 5 | October 25 |
I hope this information helps you understand the Daylight Saving Time differences between the US and Mexico.
Semana Santa – Easter Week Begins in Cancun
It’s here! One of the busiest times of year in Cancun is Easter Week, called Semana Santa (Saints Week). Beginning today, March 30th, Cancun sees many vacationers from within Mexico including Mexico City, Guadalajara, Veracruz and all over the country people flock to the white sandy beaches of Cancun.
This also marks the end of American and Canadian Spring Break. Cancun doesn’t have a chance to recover from the intense parties and extremely fun nightlife that happens during March for Spring Break before we jump right into Semana Santa for one of the busiest weeks of the whole year.
Semana Santa is the holy week at the end of the 40 day Lent. Most churches celebrate the week with parades and pageants with mass on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
Mexico is 90% catholic, so this is considered the 2nd most important holiday after Christmas. It is a Mexican tradition to break “cascarones”, which are colored egg shells filled with confetti over the heads of family and friends.
Cancun Baseball – Go Tigres!
Cancun’s baseball team, the Tigres, is so much fun to watch! We have a blast every time we go to a game. The seats are only $95 pesos each and you really can’t get any closer to the field. The best part is the FOOD! Vendors come by our seats constantly to offer their fried foods, nuts, hot dogs, and many Mexican traditional foods. Beer is only 25 pesos and you never have to leave your seat to get all this.
Last season the Cancun Tigres won the championship and they are looking just as good this season. It is so much fun to cheer for a winning team. Noisemakers are abundant and unlike in the USA, in Cancun the crowd yells when their team is batting. That took me by surprise, however it was a lot of fun to join in the cheering!
Speaking of cheering, the cheerleaders are a sight to be seen. Yes, I said baseball cheerleaders. You’ll have to see that for yourself…come check out the Cancun Baseball Tigres next game.
Tepache de Piña – very unique local drink in Cancun
There are little carts in downtown Cancun that sell “Tepache de piña” or fermented pineapple juice. It might not sound good, but it really is!
We have seen these carts for a long time and finally decided to try it yesterday. To me it tasted a little like pineapple flavored apple cider. Delicious!
We received our “juice in a bag” for only 10 pesos and I think it was about 1 liter of juice.
If you are craving this unique beverage and can’t come to Cancun, you can get it through Amazon. Yep, that’s right, Amazon has everything.
Va q’ Va Seafood restaurant in downtown Cancun
WOW, Va q’ Va is my new favorite seafood restaurant in Cancun. This place is VERY off the beaten path but so unique and friendly. Carved chairs and tables under a canopy of jungle vegetation and musician playing the xylophones gives Va q’ Va a wonderful atmosphere. This is a good sized restaurant and it was completely full when we went at about 3PM on Friday but we didn’t have to wait for a table.
Great local prices and best of all the FOOD! We had 2 kinds of fish and 3 kinds of shrimp that were worth writing home about.
Va q Va menu
Va q Va menu 2
Va q Va menu 3
Va q' Va Michelada, which is a bit more spicy than a regular michelada
Fish and Shrimp Platter at Va q Va
I am looking forward to next Friday’s adventure…stay tuned!
Cancun Surfing
Get personalized one-on-one surf lessons in Cancun. We’ll pick you up at your hotel and provide all the gear, board & instructions. Learn the basics of surfing in one lesson! Each lesson is 90 minutes to 2 hours, depending on your endurance.
Whether you are a beginner or intermediate surfer, you’ll learn tips and tricks to get up and stay up. The water in Cancun is warm year round and ideal for beginner surfers. We offer almost 40 years of experience to teach you how to surf. Kids and adults alike can enjoy surfing in Cancun, Mexico.
Includes:
- Pick-up at your Cancun hotel
- All day surfboard (any size , depending on your level and waves),wax, leash, lycra, local spot information.
- Burrito lunch at Surfin Burrito
- Tour time: 1 hour 30 min
Exchanging money in Cancun
It is very easy to exchange US Dollars, Canadian Dollars, British Pounds or Euros into Mexico Pesos once you arrive to Cancun. Try to avoid exchanging money at the airport or your hotel front desk as they generally give the worst rate. Banks will give you the best rate, however most now require you have an account there, or wait in long lines and your must present your passport. The easiest way to exchange your currency into Mexican Pesos is to use one of the many Money Exchange houses in Cancun hotel zone.
This one is located at kilometer 3.5, across the street from Temptation Resort. There are similar Money Exchange kiosks in most of the plazas and shopping centers in Cancun Hotel Zone.
You can use US Dollars in many retail stores and restaurants in Cancun. It is best to use pesos since you will not get a very good rate at most stores.
To make the most of your vacation money while in Cancun, you should exchange enough to pay for taxi and bus transportation, meals and shopping.
Below, this kiosk is located inside the Plaza La Isla Shopping Center at kilometer 12.5 across the street from the hotel Westin Lagunamar.
