travelgoddess123

Hello everyone,
You were so helpful with Ireland that I'm hoping for your insights on the Yucutan.

Is it feasible and especially safe to think about flying into Merida and getting a car to drive to see the pyramid Uxmal and then driving the several hours or so (or what it looks like) to see Chichen Itza and then flying back out of Merida over a 4 day period?

Thank you for your help!

kja

That's entirely feasible, though you'll need to be selective about what you try to see and do in between.

Merida itself has some worthy destinations, including its excellent archeological museum. Try to time your visit to include at least part of Friday evening through Sunday, when there are numerous markets, dance performances, outdoor events, etc. - great fun!

Uxmal is wonderful and extensive, and is part of the Ruta Puuc, which includes several other small Mayan ruins that merit a visit if you can afford the time.

Other places worth visiting between Merida and Chichen Itza include Izamal and Valladolid.

I wouldn't recommend driving after dark and would recommend that you familiarize yourself with the rules of the road. I thought the Moon Guide very helpful. And definitely watch for the topes = speed bumps in every shape and size imaginable, and all-too-often hard to see.

Enjoy!

travelgoddess123

Thank you for your response. What is the Moon Guide? Does it have suggestions on where to stay?
You said not to drive at night but is that area safe to drive during the day with a child (I know some areas of the country are having trouble and some aren't)? With the topes and all, do you know approximately how long it would take in hours to get from Uxmal to Chichen Itza? Thank you!

Michael

If your stay in that area is 4 days, you might want to simply take separate trips to Uxmal and Chichen Itza. We were there years ago, but I suspect that the mode of travel has not changed: we went by van to both places--no tour involved once we got there, we were on our own--but on the return trip we stopped at a sisal factory and a cemetery; it probably depends on the package the local tour company offers.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...26501426/show/

kja

The Moon Guide is a guidebook -

http://www.amazon.com/Moon-Yucatan-P...+guide+yucatan

Like most guidebooks, it does have recommendations for places to stay, but I personally find tripadvisor more useful because it has more recent reviews and includes at least some information about the reviewers. (I don't take every word of every review as gospel, but I do find it a valuable source of information.)

For the Ruta Puuc, I strongly recommend the Flycatcher Inn:

http://flycatcherinn.com/

emd3

I agree about staying in Merida for the most part (except perhpas for one night right by the Uxmal ruins, but even those can be done in a day trip from merida, many tour operators offer that). Chichen Itza is off of ne highway that leads to Merida, and then from Merida you head south to Uxmal. SO it makes a lot more sense to do separate day trips to each set of ruins from Merida, and going back to Merida after each set of ruins. Get a map and see.

kja

I wanted more time for the Ruta Puuc than would have been possible in a single day trip from Merida.

evening

Luz en Yucatan is my favorite place to stay in Merida. Well located, well priced and it attracts great guests. Las Cascadas is another nice place - close to Santiago Park - another great location (although it is known as Gringo Gulch by the expat crowd). Take the free tour of the square offered by the tourism board - and dont miss the Anthropology Museum and Casa Molina.

I made the mistake of staying at the Archeological Villas at Uxmal - definitely pick another hotel. It was OK, but the AC unit was like a diesel truck in the room with me.

Wanted to do the Pu'uc Route ruins forever - and not really a driver, so I hired a great one who brought me to 4-5 of the ruins, and left me off at Uxmal. I saw the light show (corny but cool!) and was at the ruins first thing the next morning before the buses rolled in. Uxmal is very uncrowded compared with Chichen Itza (and Tikal).

Definitely plan to stop at a cenote. Cusama is highly reco'd. I have to leave that for my next trip. Izamal is also worth visiting.

suitcaseready.com

emd3

I loved Hotel Santa Maria in Merida. I was there 5 nights in November, a month ago. Extremely clean (I challenge anyone to find a speck of dirt in the lobby or rooms), great AC, BIG rooms w/2 queen beds, helpful front desk staff, one block down st. from Luz en Yucatan (which I also looked at and it is more boutique-ish, nice and costs twice as much as Santa Maria), nice pool, rooms very quiet as they are off the st but have good lighting from windows and lights for cost of ---- $25 a night!

I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Merida in a hotel like this for that price. i looked at two other hotels in that price range and close by and they were skanky compared to Santa Maria. And the Parque Santa Lucia next to the Santa Lucia chruch, a block down from hotel Santa Maria, has great free music concerts every Thrs night, well attended, very colorful groupd, traditional yucateca music and singers.

See my review on tripadvisor of 3 wks ago, I am "eileend10" on that site and my review on Hotel Santa Maria is the most recent one as of now. I also reviewed a very good restaurant in merida on tripadvisor 3 wks ago, click on my name on triadvisor and that review will come up

castlevisitor

ttt