First trip to Mexico...any help appreciated

Old Sep 28th, 2015, 03:02 AM
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First trip to Mexico...any help appreciated

Hi all, I am just beginning to research our family holiday to Mexico and Cuba for next year and definitely need some help with the itinerary. We are a family of 4, 2 adults and 2 kids being 11 and 14 both boys. We have travelled extensively throughout SEAsia and my husband and I have been to many different countries but have never been To Mexico or Cuba. We are from Australia so this is a big trip for us, especially the kids and we speak no Spanish at all.

We are interested in seeing lots of temples and ancient ruins, some colonial towns, Mexican history, Museums etc and of course the beach. I would also like some ideas on things which the kids would love too.

Anyway I am still deciding on when to go most probably the second half of June and the first week of July as that is our Winter and school holidays too. I have heard January is a great time to go but very busy. Although it is our Summer we have our main school holidays then so would have more time.
We are planning on about 18 days in Mexico and about a week in Cuba.

So my itinerary is looking something like this...we arrive in Mexico City so maybe 5 nts there especially as it's about a 22 hr flight. Next Oaxaco for about 4 nts then fly to Merida for about 4 nights. I would have loved to have gone to Palenque but it just seemed like to much bus travel for a short time? After Merida we then want to explore the Maya Riviera for about 5 days. Not sure where to stay there as everything looks so beautiful. Would like to see Chicken Itza maybe Tulum and have a bit of beach time before flying from Cancun to Cuba. From Cuba we will then fly back to Mexico City onto Australia.

There is so much to see and do in Mexico so any advice would be greatly appreciated. I know l'll probably change my mind a 100 times before we go. LOL
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Old Sep 28th, 2015, 08:24 AM
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"After Merida we then want to explore the Maya Riviera for about 5 days. Not sure where to stay there as everything looks so beautiful. Would like to see Chicken Itza maybe Tulum and have a bit of beach time before flying from Cancun to Cuba"

IMO Tulum is the prettiest beach.

Combine an early start at ruins with some cenote time in the hot afternoon.
You might go from Merida to Valladolid, a charming Colonial town, hitting Chitzen Itza on the way, and also visiting EkBalam ruins (in the jungle, pyramid to climb) using Valladolid as a base. Lots of cenotes around. Interesting craft shopping. Sunday night dancing on the zocalo.
Then hit Coba ruins (another pyramid to climb, bicycle through the site), the alligators across the street, on the way to Tulum.
Tulum ruins has a nice beach right below the cliff, part of th park.
From Tulium, you can day trip to Akumal to snorkel with giant turtles and rays. You can also do a sunset return, half day trip into the Sian Ka'an biosphere and float down Maya canals, see manatees, ride a speedboat, etc.
You can stay in Tulum pueblo more cheaply (and comfortably, in a posada perhaps with pool) and bike or taxi to the beach.
You might like laid back Puerto Morelos or touristy Playa del Carmen for a last night close to the airport.
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Old Sep 28th, 2015, 11:04 AM
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Tulum is nice but pricey, maybe look into renting a condo on Half Moon Bay in North Akumal. The boys might like The Jungle Place (have to book 2-3 months in advance) or a tour of Sian Ka'an Biosphere. iTours out of Tulum does a nice tour via boat (or jeep) which includes transport,snack, swimming with wild dolphins and sometimes manatees, lunch, etc. They might also like Xplor for ziplines, ATVs, etc. Pricey though.
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Old Sep 28th, 2015, 06:48 PM
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You've already gotten some great advice!

BTW I think SambaChula's reference to Sunday night dancing on the zocalo is to Merida, not Valladolid.

While in the Merida area, consider visiting Uxmal and the Ruta Puuc, perhaps staying overnight at the Flycatcher Inn en route,
http://flycatcherinn.com
and also consider a brief stop in Izamal.

I understand that your timing options are limited. Just wanted to be sure that you know that it'll be rainy season then, and major storms (including hurricanes) can occur.
http://www.travelyucatan.com/info-5.htm

Enjoy!
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Old Sep 28th, 2015, 07:33 PM
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Welcome to Fodors SuziiQ. You might want to also post on the Caribbean forum. (see the Change Forum pull down menu up top). That is where threads about Cuba reside - and you can search there for lots of specific Cuba advice/info.
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Old Sep 28th, 2015, 11:24 PM
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Thanks for all the replies I will definitely look into Coba and Tulum. There is so much to see in Mexico, it is rather overwhelming. We are so use to travelling in SE Asia where the countries are a lot smaller. I have to remember that Mexico is like Australia and you definitely cannot see all of Austrlia in 18 days!! I need to focus on a few spots and go with that. The problem is it all looks so amazing it's hard to choose!

In regards to the weather hot weather we are OK with, humidity we are OK with and even rain. Does it rain a lot or is it like the wet season in Asia heavy but brief storms and then sunny skies again. We always travel during the wet season in Asia and experience conditions like that, although there is hardly any rain during June/July as it comes later in the monsoon season. Hurricanes we are not use to as we don't have them in Oz. But I will definitely keep my eyes on the weather. Thanks for the advice.
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Old Sep 29th, 2015, 07:57 AM
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I'm no expert and have never been to that side of Mexico (I regularly visit the Pacific Coast side)... especially with 2 kids along, I think you might want to cut back on the number of different places you are trying to see, and have a little longer in each place? Especially since you've added Cuba to the end of the trip.
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Old Sep 29th, 2015, 08:58 AM
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January, Feb and March are the best times for most of Mexico for the wether and just about everything else for that matter. There are many good examples mentioned here above for places to visit especially Merida (5 hours away by bus) on a week end where you will live the more authentic Mexico. Also mentioned here was Coba which I personally recommend and have visited a half dozen times with family and friends. The whole of the Yucatan is very safe and the roads are in great shape. The people, the food, the culture the weather are just the greatest.

This said, be prepared for a completely different trip when in Cuba as there is much less variety food wise and the hotels are also quite basic.
Cuba,s strength is in it,s people which are very welcoming and friendly. The country is strikingly beautiful and clean. You should not be concerned about it's safety as I truly believe it to be one of the safest countries in the world.
I hope you visit Havana, an unforgettable experience if I ever lived one.
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Old Sep 29th, 2015, 09:16 AM
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January should be better than June. If you go after the 3rd of January, you should not have too many people.
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Old Sep 30th, 2015, 11:56 PM
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We visited too much of Mexico and did it by car.
The greatest places are for me in Chiapas, but the roads are very very bad.
From Merida we went to Celestun, stayed at a great hotel (only one good hotel there) called Xixim and took an excursion to se the flamingos + some mangrove.
Don't know about visiting by buses, but expect long hours anyway. If you drive with your own car, don't drive at night.
In Yucatan the roads are great.
Tulum was for us a disappointment after so many great ruins in Chiapas.
Uxmal was fantastic.
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Old Oct 2nd, 2015, 05:18 AM
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I am sorry to butt in on this thread, but I just want to ask pariswat why he/ she thinks Chiapas is the best area in Mexico - we are going for the 2nd time to Mexico over Christmas for 3 weeks and have really fallen in love with Mexico!
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Old Oct 2nd, 2015, 05:27 PM
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Re: the flamingos in Celestun. As I understand it, there is a core flock that remains in Celestun year-round. But the majority of the flock summer in Rio Lagartos, leaving Celestun somewhere in / around April. I visited Celestun just after the majority of the flock departed, and so saw "only" hundreds or maybe a thousand birds, rather than the 50,000 one can see "in season" -- so still impressive, if not utterly awesome. Just FWIW.... As pariswat said, there are also some pleasant mangrove forests there.

And I agree with pariswat about driving after dark -- don't!
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Old Oct 3rd, 2015, 06:10 AM
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Not sure why a few are saying not to drive here at night. I drive all the time at night just like I did when I lived in the US. Perhaps you can explain why you're recommending this.
If the OP is interested in Flamingos she can see them at Holbox (gorgeous but quiet island that you need to ferry over to), as well. We just kayaked and had a nice picnic among many Flamingos.
In regards to rain in the Yucatan, most of our rain at that time of the year is in the late afternoon. It generally only rains for a very short amount of time.
Another place to take a look at is Isle of Mujeres (you ferry over from N Cancun). We just came back from a day trip there. The beaches and water are absolutely pristine.
Agree that Uxmal is also a great place to see ruins. There's some nice caves, chocolate plantation and cenotes nearby. Lunch or a stay at the Pickled Onion is what I like to do.
If you decide that you'd like to go to SE Mexico, you can take a bus to Palenque or San Cristobal (highly recommend this mountain top city with many nearby indigenous peopled villages). You can also very inexpensively take flights from Merida/Cancun to these places.
Anyhow, lots of food for thought.Let us know your thoughts and likes and we'll throw out some other ideas.
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Old Oct 3rd, 2015, 06:14 AM
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One more thing. You can fly from Merida to Mexico City if you want to put Merida on the back end of your trip. Go to your furthest points and work your way back. Just a thought.
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Old Oct 3rd, 2015, 06:25 AM
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Are you sick of me yet, lol
Just checked for inexpensive flights Mexico City to Tuxtla Gutierrez (TGZ) - from there you can bus to San Cristobal. The flights are numerous and very inexpensive.
From there you can bus, rent a car or take a tour to incredible cenotes, water falls ruins, indigenous villages and Palenque.
From Palenque you can take the ADO bus (very luxurious bus line) to Cancun. Fly to Cuba, back to Cancun or fly straight to Merida.
You could also drive or bus from Cancun to Merida. Valladolid, Chichen Itza (ruins) many cenotes, etc are enroute to Merida.
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Old Oct 3rd, 2015, 06:26 AM
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What makes driving a night dicey is livestock on the roads & Topes. Topes are speed bumps that are often & everywhere. They can cause accidents & severe car damage if hit at even moderate speeds.
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Old Oct 3rd, 2015, 09:02 AM
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"BTW I think SambaChula's reference to Sunday night dancing on the zocalo is to Merida, not Valladolid. "

NO, my reference was correct. Valladolid has dancing on the zocalo on Sunday, first costumed exhibitions of local folk dance, followed by a band for all to dance to. I would not forget that we danced to, of all things, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company D, in Valladolid, MX and in York, Maine, both in the same year of travel.
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Old Oct 3rd, 2015, 10:59 AM
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@ cyber, re: driving at night -- what Stewbear said, plus a number of back roads had no lights when I was there, so if one didn't know the roads, it was hard to see.

@ SambaChula: I knew about the dancing in Merida, but not Valladolid. Good news - thanks!
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Old Oct 3rd, 2015, 03:12 PM
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Thanks everyone for all the great replies so much food for thought! I probably should have mentioned that we won't be hiring a car there as we would be too nervous to drive there being from Austraila where we drive on the other side of the road. So it will be buses etc for us all the way. Unfortunately I think Palenqus is out mainly because of it being difficult to get there and because we have limited time. I know you can fly to a town near it but you still have to get a bus there and a bus out and l think,that would eat into to much of our holiday time.
Our flight arrives in Mexico City so we will spend about 4 nts there seeing the pyramids and Museum of Anthropology and a few other places. I haven't really looked into what there is to see yet. I think we will definitely be overwhelmed by a city with as many people in it as our country! I am expecting jet lag so want to settle in a bit before we head to Oaxaca. Do you think 3 or 4 nts is enough there? I hear it is lovely. Then we will fly to Merida. Now there seems to be lots to see in Merida and there are lots of ruins there so I was thinking about 5 nts there and maybe even dividing it with Valladoild? We don't want to have to keep moving hotels a lot so l'm not sure yet.
Now since we won't be driving ourselves we will have to rely on either the public buses which l hear are great or hiring a driver. Tours are too expensive for us, being a family of four with our Aussie dollar dropping lower and lower every day it could cost us about 500 dollars a tour. Does anyone have any recommendations of a driver or should we just hire a taxi to the sights? I know we don't speak Spanish but we have managed to travel through lots of countries with no knowledge of the local language and most times get by.
After that we will head to one of the beaches probably Playa for a few nights. All the beaches look beautiful. We definitely want to see Tulum and Coba and Akumal Bay for snorkling. I was reading somewhere you can hire a driver to take you there. Could you do them all in a day or is it better to spread it over two? I know local buses go there as well or even a taxi. And of course we are looking at something fun for the boys...any good waterparks etc around?
Then it's of to Cuba.
So I think l have made a pretty good itinerary of course it only touches the surface but I think it includes a bit of everything. If anyone has any other suggestions fell free to add them.
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Old Oct 3rd, 2015, 05:04 PM
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"there seems to be lots to see in Merida and there are lots of ruins there so I was thinking about 5 nts there and maybe even dividing it with Valladolid?"

I don't think you have a bad choice here! The full Ruta Puuc is, IME, hard to see without a car, but you should be able to see Uxmal without a car (bus or tour or taxi / private car). I actually liked Valladolid a tad better than Merida (even without knowing that there is dancing on the streets there on Sundays ;-) ), but enjoyed both tremendously. Your boys might like the Cenotes Dzitnup, just outside Valladolid, and I believe that Ek' Balam's main pyramid is still one that people can climb. I don't know if your sons would like it, but the adults might enjoy the Archeology Museum in Merida -- it has a wonderful collection and is small enough to be seen in an hour or two. Splitting your time might be the best choice....
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