Hostel Mundo Joven Cancun (6th-14th March)

Hostel Mundo Joven Cancun is an amazing place to stay if you are planning a trip to Cancun. I have had a great week here and met loads of really cool people! The best things about the hostel are the social atmosphere and friendliness, location and cleanliness! The staff are also all very friendly and helpful, especially Ika who you will find on the 4th floor terrace handing out tips and advice most mornings and evenings!

Location: Located 1 block away from the main bus station (ADO bus station) it is a perfect location for getting to the airport, hotel zone, beaches and doing day trips. It is also located in the Downtown area of Cancun, rather than the commercial hotel area, which I personally much prefer. You will find amazing street food which costs around $1 for a taco or quesedilla, and the local bars are great and full of culture! You will find many salsa bars in the area and the drinks are always cheap. Head to parquet de las palapas and buy food from the street venders there to taste some great local food at very low cost! I would definitely recommend trying the ice cream (Only available on weekends!) Also there are some restaurants in the same area which seem to be full of locals which is always a good sign! There is a great atmosphere there on the weekends with locals out celebrating! There is also a large supermarket opposite the ADO bus station and they have an excellent bakery section if you are looking for something to take to the beach with you!

The Dorms: I stayed in the 10 bed female dorm and it was excellent. You get your own reading light and plug socket next to your bed and a large locker to store your belongings. There was Air Conditioning in the room I stayed in and large windows that you can open up to let the fresh air and sunshine in! The rooms are cleaned everyday and kept to a very high standard. You also have a shower, 2 toilets and 2 wash basins to share within the dorm. I always prefer to stay in dorm rooms rather than private rooms as its a great way to meet other travellers, especially when travelling alone!

The 4th Floor Terrace: My favourite thing about this hostel is the 4th floor terrace! Breakfast is served here in the morning and everyone sits around the tables discussing their plans for the day, where they have been travelling, where they will travel on to etc etc. Its a great way to hear about things to do and get tips and advice from the staff and other guests! There is also a bar that is open from 6pm-2am and serves very cheap drinks (20 pesos for a bottled beer - around $1.50) it is always busy in the evenings and guests gather here in the evenings before heading out to the bars and clubs in the hotel area. There are also a couple of hammocks for chilling out in, a hot tub and sun loungers so plenty of space to chill out in the afternoon sun! Events are also held on the terrace throughout the week. There is also a computer room located on the 4th floor which is free to use.

Events: Events including free spanish lessons, cheap dinners, BBQ's and Tequila night are all held on the 4th floor terrace throughout the week and are a great way to get involved and meet other guests! There is also a night out in the hotel zone once a week - we went to Mandala.

Breakfast: All you can eat breakfast is served every day from 8-9.30 and is excellent! You can have fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, cereal, toast, coffee, fruit juices and spring water. The breakfast is buffet style, but there is always a member of staff there to refill anything that is used up! Ika was the staff member that was usually at breakfast and she was amazing for advice! She sits with you at breakfast and will talk with you about your plans for the day, giving you advice and tips! I also saw her plan out about 3 trips around the whole of mexico for other people and everyone at the hostel had amazing things to say about her! She is there every morning to greet you with a big smile and yummy breakfast!

Hostel Amenities:

Free Wifi, Kitchen with fridge and cooking equipment, bar, hot tub, sun loungers & hammocks, computer room, free breakfast, events, close to bus station, 15 minutes bus to the beach and hotel zone, free drinking water, excursions.

For more information or to make a reservation at Hostel Mundo Joven Canucn click HERE

First Stop...CANCUN!

If you want white sands, blue sea, sun and party time Cancun is the place to be! I am just coming to the end of my week here in Cancun and I have totally fallen in love with this place and do not want to leave!

My week hasn't all been about chilling on the beach during the day and partying all night, I have also traveled to other cities and done a lot of sight seeing and its really easy to do day trips from Cancun if you don't have enough time to travel within Mexico! During my stay I have visited Tulum, Chichen Itza and Isla Mujeres all of which were amazing!

Isla Mujeres:

I would especially recommend visiting Isla Mujeres during your stay in Cancun. It is really easy to get there and I would recommend setting an entire day aside for your visit. You can catch the R1 bus from the ADO bus station which will take you to the ferry dock and from here you can buy a ticket with the company Ultramar for $17(US) which will get you a round trip to and from the Island. The beaches are beautiful, there are some amazing beach bars and you can hire a golf buggy to drive round the island! We hired one and drove over to the south side of the island to go snorkeling at the reef! The streets are quaint and full of very cute little bars and restaurants and there are tons of shops if you want to pick up some souvenirs! There are tourist venders all over the streets hiring golf buggies and promoting snorkeling trips so make sure you bargain with them to get the lowest price!

Tulum Ruins:

Tulum is beautiful! The views are incredible and you'll want to take photos every 2 minutes. The setting of the ruins against the white sands and blue sea is breathtaking! You will see iguanas everywhere and it is as though they rule the ruins, guarding the entrances! It is a fairly long drive to Tulum and there are 2 options for getting there, either catching a bus from the ADO station, or taking the Playa Express to Playa Del Carmen and then the Playa - Tulum express. I took the second option as there was an hour wait for the next bus at the ADO station, however they both work out around 60-70 pesos ($5-$6) each way and take about the same amount of time. The beach there is stunning so after you have done your sight seeing you can chill out for the rest of the day at the beach.

Chichen Itza:

I took the day tour from the hostel to Chichen Itza and it was a great tour and excellent value ($55)! The tour picks you up at 7am and takes you to a Cinote where you can choose to either swim or just explore and take photographs. It is very impressive and beautiful and although I chose not to swim, a lot of people did and said it was amazing! We had 45 minutes at this stop which was a perfect amount of time! We then headed on and stopped at a Mayan village where we had time to look around a souvenir market before having a buffet lunch (All you can eat!) After the lunch you are then taken on to Chichen Itza where you are given a guided tour of the ruins and told lots of very interesting information. Once the tour had ended we were given an hour of free time to walk around the site and take photographs before boarding the bus and heading back to Cancun. It is a full day tour and very tiring but definitely worth the visit! I would recommend the tour, however if you prefer you can catch a bus from the ADO bus station at 9am and the return bus leaves Chichen Itza at 4.30pm.

Nightlife in Cancun:

It's party city in Cancun and the party goes on all day and all night! I ended up here during spring break so I guess its even more of a party season than usual, with booty shaking competitions on the beach during the day and all you can drink bars during the night! Most of the clubs in the hotel zone have a cover charge and then once you are inside its an open bar. You can pay anything from $20-$65(US) for entry into the clubs! The clubs are cheaper during the week and the price can go up by $10-$20 on the weekends. It is easy enough to get away from the night life if you want to, especially if you are staying in the downtown area rather than the hotel zone. There are lots of local bars and restaurants if you want something a bit quieter and these places are also very cheap! Also try out the local Salsa bars which are cheap and great entertainment. A lot of the local bars will stay open almost all night, some of the ones near the hostel were still open and partying when I was up eating my breakfast at 8am!

Coco Bongo:

I chose to go to Coco Bongo during my stay and a great tip is to go down to the club during the day to get your tickets in advance! I payed $45(US) where as on the night they were charging $55-$65. Coco Bongo was amazing, like nothing I had been to before. It is a show and a club all rolled into one and for $45 I think its a pretty good deal. I had a drink in my hand all night long, they even brought shots of tequila and vodka and cranberry to us in the line up outside! They have bar staff who serve you on the dance floor so you don't need to keep going to the bar, but they do sometimes expect a tip, and be wary that the shot girls who are on the dance floor are selling shots and it is not included in the free bar! The club/show opens at 10.30pm and ends at 2.30am.

Mandala:

I went to Mandala on the hostel night out and we had a discounted entry of $50(US) whereas it is normally $55. It was a free bar and there was a large dance floor and good music. However I didn't enjoy it as much as Coco Bongo and I thought it was quite expensive. I also had some trouble with one of the bar staff telling me I hadn't tipped enough when I had put 10 pesos in the tip pot, but after paying $50 to get in for an open bar, I didn't really feel like I should have to tip over and over! The club also got very crowded towards the end of the night. It was still a great night, however I would recommend looking at some of the other clubs with cheaper entry. I heard from some of the girls in my dorm that they went to a club called Sweet which was $20(US) with an open bar and they had a great night!