dukkar

My earlier post was about staying in Cancun, but now I'm thinking I should get some opinion from you experts. I am visiting the Yucatan peninsula in mid-february 2011. My plan is to spend some time at the beach, see the Maya ruins in Uxmal, Tulum, Chichen Itza and Ek Balam, and spend a weekend in Merida.

1. Since we are a family of three (my son will be 5 yrs old), where should I be staying? I would like to minmize the places where I'll be staying so we don't keep shuttling around with our luggage.
2. Please do let me know if there are popular sites (other than travelocity, orbitz, etc.) for making hotel and airfare recommendations to Cancun and surroundings.
3. Also, I'm guessing not renting a car is not really an option for me since I will be traveling with a 5-yr old. Correct?
4. Since we want the trip to be relaxed, will 10 days be enough?

Thanks,
D

zootsi

Cancun is the closest far as driving to Chichen Itza and and Meridia, however I personally would have no desire to stay there. With a 5 year old, Playa del Carmen & Akumal have the best beaches - calm and sandy. We generally stay a few nights in Playa, then the rest of our time in either Akumal or Tulum. With 10 days, I would definitely want to rent a car for at least part of the stay - there is so much to see and do in this area. As far as a good web site for exploring this area, locogringo.com is perhaps the most helpful.

hopefulist

My photos are below with a link to our photo blog and a detailed travelogue. We stayed 6 nights in Tulum, a few in Valladolid (to visit Chichén Itzá and Ek Balam), a few in San Felipe (for tarpon and flamingos), and ended with 3 nights on Isla Mujeres (just a taste for future reference and to snorkel with whale sharks). We had 2 weeks but 3 would have meant more time on Isla Mujeres. Happy trails!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections

Fanjoy

You may want to consider staying at Isla Mujeres instead of Cancun. I find the resort/tourist strip of Cancun to be a little too much. And expensive. Isla is just north of Cancan and it is very REAL. And there are places to stay that suit every budget. The north beach is very safe--perfect for a five your old. Good choices in restaurants, many quite casual. Safe friendly place. You just get a taxi there from the Cancun airport. It's also a wonderful destination for taking day trips around the Yucatan. I have a blog on this at ridingthebuses.wordpress.com (it is in the section "Women Alone" for the English translation is Island of Women!Although the place suits everyone, it is also a great destination for solo women.)

succeed

Seeing as you will be traveling with a young child, you might want to look at the many options available in Riviera Maya; especially Akumal, Tulum, and Playa del Carmen. There are miles and miles of great beaches, fantastic snorkeling, kid-friendly attractions (like Xcaret) and all sorts of tours and other activities that can keep you all happy. Plus Playa del Carmen has stores where you can find all those things you forgot to bring with you (that your five year old can't live without).
Also, I see that you mentioned going to Chichen Itza and some of the other ruins. Please remember, that these are pretty boring places to most five year olds. Chichen Itza, for instance, is very hot, has almost no shade, is very spread out and requires lots and lots of walking. It's perhaps not the most ideal place to take a five year old. There are so many other great activities to keep you busy in Riviera Maya - you may want to think about putting off most of the ruins until your child is a little older and less likely to tire.