by vagabondette on January 24, 2009
The Mayan Hostel is located at Calle Margaritas 17, just a quick walk from the downtown bus terminal. When you arrive, exit the bus terminal and go to the left. Cross Ave. Uxmal and turn left. Your first right will be Calle Margaritas. The hostel is ahead 1 block on the right.
The hostel costs MXN 120 which is approximately $9. This includes: Breakfast (cereal, bread, eggs), Dinner (pasta, meat, bread, soup), free internet (their computer as well as WIFI), sheets and towels. The food is not the best you’ll ever have, but it’s all you can eat so if you’re on a budget it’s a good way to fill up for cheap.
The hostel has both dorms and private rooms. I have not seen the private rooms but the dorms are clean and not too crowded. I would not want to stay here when it rains though because they have thatched roofs so I imagine there could be some leaks. I’d also not want to stay here during a buggy time of year since everything is pretty much open.
The upstairs patio at Mayan Hostel
Because it’s so open it gets pretty chilly at night. I’m not sure what they do during the colder months, but in January all they gave visitors was a sheet to cover up with so if you get cold this might be a problem. I slept in long pants, a long shirt and in my silk sleep sack and I was pretty comfortable.
On some review sites I read that people didn’t have cold water, but I didn’t find this to be a problem. I also showered at off times, not first thing in the morning when everyone else was doing it so that may be why I had hot water.
There is a nice rooftop patio with a table and lounge chairs where you can relax and talk to the other visitors or plan your day. There are lots of restaurants nearby as well as a couple of parks that turn into markets in the evening. There’s a big grocery store that has anything you could need just on the other side of the bus station and it’s easy to catch busses to the beaches for only $.70.
So, while this is not the nicest hostel I’ve ever stayed at, I think it’s a pretty good value, particularly if you take advantage of the free meals, and I’d stay here again.
Getting the bus from Cancun Airport to the Downtown Bus Terminal
It costs $3 US and takes 20-30 minutes. You pay on the bus and can use US Dollars, but you’ll probably over-pay a little unless you have exact change. To find the bus exit the airport and walk straight ahead until you get to the parking area. The city busses are on the far right at the beginning of the parking row. It will have a sign that says Cancun. Pay attention to that because there are busses that park there that also go to Playa. The bus will stop after a few minutes and fill up with locals so if you’re traveling with someone, make sure you sit together. You’ll put your bags under the bus but you don’t have to worry, it’s safe. If you’re staying in the Downtown area this is your best bet otherwise you pay $15+ for one of the shuttle companies or a taxi. If you’re staying at the beach, you can easily catch another bus from the downtown bus terminal to the Hotel Zone.
by vagabondette on January 23, 2009
The trip has finally started. I’m safely checked into the first of many hostels that I will stay at over the next year – and there wasn’t really any drama involved with getting here (aside from a tussle with the SuperShuttle service – I don’t recommend them if you want to be on time!).
The flight was easy (though middle seats suck) and once I braved the obstacle course of tour salesmen in the Cancun airport, getting the bus to town was easy (see the details post for instructions). I eavesdropped with my high school Spanish and found out everything I needed to know about timing, cost, etc. (It’s surprising how much Spanish I remember – the challenge will be using it. I’m going to have to force myself because I have this huge fear of sounding like a dork. But I practiced a bit last night and the woman understood me so it should be fine with time.)
On the ride into town I talked to an Aussie who has been living in Mexico for the last 8 months. It was rather disconcerting because he looks like Sean and sounds like Cynan, but he gave me some great info and invited me for a drink when I wind up in Merida in a couple weeks.
This was my first hostel in Cancun - The Mayan Hostel
My hostel was easy to find and after telling all the sales guys at the bus terminal that I already had a place that was paid for it was a quick 3-5 minute walk. I’m staying at the Mayan Hostel and while it’s definitely not for everyone I like it ok (See the Review for details). I arrived around noon and, after showering, spent the next couple hours plotting my plan for the next couple weeks and sending out Couch Surfing requests. (Passing the giant Walmart and Sam’s Club on the way into town convinced me that Cancun is not really the place I want to be so on Sunday I’m heading for Tikal.)
In the afternoon I decided to go for a wander to see what was in my area. I headed down to Parque las Palapas because I’d read that in the evenings there was a market and live music. I arrived at the start of the evening while many vendors were still setting up but wandering around the food and merchandise stalls was interesting. It’s apparently the place to go if you have kids because they have train rides and little cars for the kids to drive around in.
After a while a young guy approached me and asked me if I would talk to him for a while so he could practice his English (guess it’s easy to spot the gringa). I was leery and took precautions since this is a pretty typical distraction technique, but he was a nice kid and nothing happened. We talked for about 45 minutes about his school and his job and what it’s like living in Cancun. He was offered a promotion at work but only if he can improve his English so he spends his free time wandering around looking for tourists to talk to.
After wrapping up what could have turned into an all night conversation I ran a few errands (all in Spanish!) and headed back to meet some people at the Hostel for dinner. Dinner was not fantastic (it’s provided free by the hostel so what can you expect) but it was filling and I was tired anyway. After only getting 2 hours of sleep the night before I was fading and decided to decline invite for a 9 pm-4 am all-you-can-drink party down at the beach and head to bed.
