The wife and I are heading off to Cancun this weekend for an 8 day trip. Anyone have any suggestions on must see things? So far we’re planning a trip to Chichen Itza, although I’m not sure if we’ll take a tour bus, or try to drive ourselves. I really want to stop by the town of Merida for a day in a “typical” Mexican town. I understand that there’s great shopping there, and it’s only 2 hours or so away from Chichen Itza. I figure that if we’re feeling like it, we can rent a car, drive to the ruines, spend a half day there, and head over to Merida for the afternoon evening, and maybe spend the night there before heading back. Other than that, our week is mostly free. Wife wants to swim with the dolphins, and I’d like to have an afternoon of horseback riding, but all those are fairly easy to find right around Cancun itself. I’m also hoping to be able to visit Coba, another Mayan ruin, but a little less well restored. Something about being able to see it surrounded by jungle that I really want to see. I thought about trying to get a day flight down to Guatamala (sp?) to see Tikal, but I don’t think I’ll be able to swing that…and also, this trip is supposed to be relaxing, so I don’t want to try and do too much and not have a good time.
So fellow dopers, any advice on what to do, not to do, or places that I absolutly have to see? Thanks all in advance.
I must be in my travel agent mode today-old habits die-hard.
If this is your first trip to the Yucatan (and I suspect that it is) you’ll soon be discovering that Cancun is awfully Americanized. That can be either a good or bad, depending upon your perspective. Merida is a lovely city but you’re biting off a lot if you expect to adequately tour Chichen in a few hours and then rush off. The ruins are quite spread out and involve hiking. Uxmal is a short trip from Merida and the site is magnificent. If you do head up that way and have a little extra time-you might also want to visit the flamingo sanctuary. It’s on an estuary near Progresso (sp?) and you can arrange a boat tour quite economically. You might also consider driving to Akumal (the opposite direction from Merida)-the snorkeling at the lagoon there is some of the very best in the area. Stop on the way for breakfast in Playa del Carmen-great little tourist town. It’s a great day trip. Another unique excursion would be a jungle tour to visit and swim in a cenote. Finally. Tikal is well worth the trip, but you might be pushing yourself to include it in this trip.
Remember to drink lots of (bottled) water and make sure you take some to the ruins
The ferry ride from Playa to Cozumel is nice and you can see both Playa and Cozumel in a day. Captain Ricks Marina is in Puerto Adventuras and offers fishing excursions at very reasonable rates. We chartered a 31’ with captain and two crewmen for $150 USD for 4 hours and three sailfish. If you are more adventurous the drive to Xcalak is about 4 hours and a couple military check points from Playa. Still undeveloped, with the exception of a few enterprising eco lodges, it is the next generation of tourism in the Yucatan. If you are up for this kind of vacation do it before the power grid gets there.
My best advice to you is: get out of Cancun as much as possible. It’s a tourist trap filled with overprized resorts and uneducated dumb tourists (no, not just Americans - I landed in Cancun with a plane full of Stereotypical Ugly Dutchmen, for example).
The Yucatan Peninsula is absolutely spectacular. Chichen Itza is beautiful, if a bit, well, over-restored, if there is such a thing. I prefered the ruins at Uxmal and Palenque, for example. More rugged, less crowded. To see the sunrise over the Palenque ruins is, well, breathtaking. However, those two places are not within a day’s drive of Cancun.
Chichen Itza can be done as a day trip, but an overnight stay in Merida is certainly advisable. It’s not so much a “Mexican” town, I’d classify it as “Spanish Colonial”. But boy, do they have great seafood over there! And the architecture is absolutely amazing.
Don’t be afraid to rent a car, Mexican traffic is quite OK on the peninsula. Do get the extra coverage, and be prepared to bribe policemen when they stop you for petty stuff like an illegal u-turn. I know I had to.
To echo Coldfire’s sentiments: Run the other way from Cancun. NOW.
I went with my mother a few years ago, and it was hellish. Expect your wife to be harassed constantly–I had guys coming up to me and hitting on me when my mother went to the bathroom–and I was 13. The restaurants aren’t that great, the shopping is pretty bad, and you won’t really ever feel like you’re in Mexico.
The good news? You’re near some of the most amazing ruins I’ve ever seen. Merida is my favorite city–it’s so beautiful. My family and I rented a car when we were there and drove around the Yucatan (perfectly safe, btw, at least in our experience). There are hotels at Chichen Itza, and at Uxmal too. Definitely hit Uxmal if you go to Chichen, just not on the same day. To my mind, parts of Uxmal are just as amazing, and it’s a lot less crowded.
There’s also Kabah, Labnah, and some other ruins I can’t think of right now, but I’m sure are in any good guidebook you can get. Haven’t been to Palenque, but I’m sure it’s great. You’re going to have an AMAZING time–after you leave Cancun! I wish I was going!
Thanks for all the tips everyone. Unfortunatly, our hotel is all inclusive, and already paid for. So while I don’t mind spending one night away, and paying for basically 2 rooms, I don’t want to let the room in Cancun go to waste. I agree that Chichen Itza looks to be a bit more restored than I really like. I noticed this same thing happening in Pompeii last time I was there. I can understand the desire to restore and preserve these places, but after watching someone basically re-build it, it tends to loose some of the fascination…at least for me. Since I live in Va Beach, I’m semi-used to the fact that any beach place you go is a tourist trap. That’s why we’re trying to plan days away from the beach. I found a place that has nice day horseback ridding trips, and I figure that will be one day…another day or two out to Chichen Itza and Merida, a day of snorkaling/diving at either Isle Mujeres, or Cozamel…and then another day trip to some more ruins. While I’m sure we’ll go out a few times, I don’t think we’re the “party till 6am” type…I did all that in my younger days.
I’ve read about the Flamingo Sanctuary, and we may try and hit that…it’s all going to depend on what we feel like when we get there. I don’t want this turning into a “rush around to try and fit everything in” trip. Lord knows I need some relaxation. Keep any suggestions and advice coming, we don’t leave until Saturday Morning.
