The best meal I had in Cancun was at the airport

I need to get something out of the way first: the best meal I had during my entire Cancun trip was at Bubba Gump inside the airport. On the way home.

And I’m not even mad about it. Those shrimps were that good.

But let me back up.

How we ended up in Cancun

My partner won a President’s Club trip through his company, and he was allowed to bring a plus one. So naturally, I tagged along. I wasn’t about to say no to a few days in the Caribbean, even if I’d be working remotely for most of it.

We flew into Cancun on a Tuesday afternoon. A driver named Carlos picked us up, and despite the wall of heat that hit us the second we stepped outside the airport, he was cheerful the entire ride. I liked him immediately.

The check-in relay

Secrets The Vine is a tall glass tower right in the heart of Cancun’s Hotel Zone. It’s sleek, modern, and very much trying to impress you from the second you walk in. The check-in process was its own experience. One staff member welcomed us at the door. Then another took our luggage. Then someone else guided us to a table to sign paperwork. Then another person appeared to walk us to the elevator. Then another to escort us to the room and give us the full introduction.

It was like being passed through a very polite assembly line. I lost count of how many hands we shook. It was a bit much but also kind of endearing in a “they really want you to feel important” way.

The weather reminded me of home

I grew up in Vietnam. Hot, humid, flip-flop weather. Vancouver, where I’ve lived for over a decade now, is beautiful but it’s also grey and rainy for most of the year. You get used to it, but your body never fully forgets what warmth feels like.

Cancun brought it all back. The heat, the humidity, the sun waking me up early every morning. I was wearing summer clothes and flip-flops every day and it felt so freeing. I had more energy there in a few days than I do in a typical Vancouver January.

The views that earned every star

The views were worth the trip on their own. Our room was on a higher floor, and we could see both the Caribbean Sea on one side and the Nichupté Lagoon on the other. One evening, a hotel staff member casually suggested we catch the sunset from the lagoon side. It was one of those offhand recommendations that turned out to be gold. The sun dropped behind the clouds over the lagoon and the whole sky went orange, with rays breaking through like something out of a movie.

The beach and the birds

Since it’s an adults-only resort, the beach was quiet and clean. The Caribbean water is that shade of turquoise you see in photos. I walked in and just stood there for a while, letting the waves come in.

The pool area was just as calm. Blue umbrellas, white loungers, a swim-up bar close by. It was the kind of setup where doing absolutely nothing felt productive.

About the food

It’s a 5-star hotel on Google. It has 5+ restaurants, multiple bars, and an “Unlimited Luxury” all-inclusive package. My expectations were set accordingly.

The first night was a company dinner, and I was genuinely looking forward to the food (the socializing part, less so). But the spread was underwhelming. Bakery items that tasted generic, salads that were forgettable, and steaks that had no business being that bland at a resort of this calibre. We tried different restaurants over the next couple of days, and the pattern held. Nothing was terrible in a send-it-back kind of way, but nothing made me want to go back for seconds either. For a place with this many dining options, it all felt surprisingly flat.

The most decent meal we had on the resort was at Nebbiolo, their Italian restaurant. Osso buco on saffron risotto, a prosciutto and arugula pizza, and spinach ravioli in cream sauce. It was good.

The desserts were also very presentable. A raspberry mousse on a crumble base, a little meringue tart (my favourite), and a chocolate dome, served on an outdoor terrace at night. The setting carried a lot of the weight there.

The meal that saved the trip

Friday morning. We checked out, got to Cancun International Airport, and had some time before our flight. I Googled restaurants near our gate and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. came up. About a 5-minute walk from our boarding gate.

We figured, why not.

The shrimp arrived and I took one bite and just looked at my partner like, “are you serious right now???” They were so good! Perfectly seasoned and juicy. He got a burger with guacamole and bacon, and that was solid too, but the shrimp were the star. Easily the best thing I ate in all of Cancun.

It’s based on the Forrest Gump movie, so the whole restaurant has that playful Americana vibe with memorabilia everywhere. They did Forrest proud.

The takeaway

I was working remotely for most of this trip, so I didn’t get the full “vacation mode” experience. Most of Wednesday and Thursday were spent on my laptop in the hotel room, which is fine. That’s the reality of tagging along on a work trip, but the moments I did step outside made it worth it. When I walked down to the beach and just let myself be there. The sunsets over the lagoon. The warmth that reminded me of home. They were beautiful memories.

I’d probably not go back for the food in that hotel, but Cancun itself? I’d go back. Next time, I’d book a tour to visit Chichen Itza.

And I’d absolutely stop at Bubba Gump again.

Have you ever had a trip where the food highlight was somewhere totally unexpected? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.