kperaka

Hi All,
We are planning to go on vacation to Mexico (Riviera Maya) and wondering if there are any recommendations on places to visit in that area. Our trip is 4 days so trying to plan everything ahead of time. Thanks in advance

Rohelio

Where exactly in the area...

SambaChula

There are ruins, cenotes, wildlife viewing.......

Where are you planning to stay? 4 days is not very long, especially if you want some relaxing beach time.

kja

A good guidebook or two should prove invaluable. For the area, I found the <i>Moon Guide</i> and <i>Rough Guide</i> particularly useful. The cost will be nominal in comparison to the cost of your trip, or you could consult them at a local library.

kperaka

Thank you all.

@Rohelio We will be staying in Playa Del Carmen resort. We plan to visit chichen itza and ruins one day. Rest of the days, we don't have any clear plans.

SambaChula

You can drive down the coast to see the ruins at Tulum (the beach there is much nicer than PdC), and/or go on to Coba ruins where you can take a bicycle-taxi and climb a pyramid.
If you rent a car, Easyway is a good company. If you want to do excursions and not drive yourselves, try Yucatreks or look on LocoGringo, unless you like big expensive bus tours. (and that is the problem with Chitchen Itza; all the buses arrive at about 10 and the place is over run.)
Nearby CI is Ek Balam where you can also climb a pyramid.
There are cenotes all over the Yucatan. On the way to Tulum is Dos Ojos, right off the 307 highway. There is one right at EkBalam too.
You can swim with giant turtles and rays in Akumal.
You can go into the Sian Ka"an biosphere, just south of Tulum, and float the Maya canals.
Then there are the "X" theme parks that mimic all of these.

Rohelio

Excellent,you could not be in a better location. Playa is central to just about any destination and has all the Tools at hand for you to plan your day trips, 2 ADO bus stations in center town, taxis galore and tour guides abound...
As for CI, you will probably leave around 7.30 am and be back around the same time that same nite, that is if you deal with an organized day trip company that you will shop and negociate with as the prices vary even though it trip is basically the same. The only down side here is the short stay that you have. There are dozens of activities to choose from. Besides beach time and restaurants let us know if there is something in particular that you would enjoy. There are several good posters on this site that will most certainly help out...

jamie99

With only a 4 days stay not sure if I would bother with Chichen Itza especially if you plan on taking a tour vs driving yourself.
It would take almost all day on a tour, since they stop for shopping (so the tour company can get their commissions), a cenote and lunch and you get there during the heat of the day along with hundreds of others. Either leave at 6am and drive yourself (ruins open at 8am), or skip CI this trip and go visit Coba instead, as recommended by SambaChula. Tulum ruins are all roped off, you cannot even touch them, and it is also crowded.

RAC

Cenotes, snorkeling, Xcaret, Sian Kaan, all kinds of things to do. I would pick up a guidebook and see what appeals to you.

kperaka

Thank you all for the suggestions, I will look these up and come back with more questions if any. Btw we plan to rent a car to get around.

hopefulist

I wouldn't consider Chichén Itzá unless you can get there pretty much when it opens. We've seen dozens of Maya sites and that is not one of our favorites. Tulúm is worth a visit because of the gorgeous setting and we love Cobá.

There's a spider monkey rescue place and some interesting cultural options. My photos with blog, travelogue, and review links on the main page of each collection are below in case you're interested - all my recommendations are embedded there. Happy trails!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections

gabriele

Four days is a very short visit. I enjoyed all three ruins mentioned here - Coba, Tulum and Chichen Itza - but there is no question that the most impressive is Chichen Itza. The down side is the distance and amount of time required to visit. You would lose one entire day of your short four-day trip to Chichen Itza, and it's a long day. Another option, although much more expensive, is to book a tour that flies to Chichen Itza (which I did). Tulum's ruins are quite small and limited, however, the location is unparalleled, overlooking the water. Its convenience and location (along with great beaches) are the main reasons it gets so many visitors - not the ruins. Coba is also unique, in that you are still able to climb the pyramids, and its jungle setting makes it quite interesting.

Other than the ruins, my favorite place to visit is Xcaret. The evening show is fabulous.

kja

Just to be clear -- Coba is unique AMONG THE THREE MENTIONED RUINS in allowing one to climb the pyramids in a jungle setting. There are, of course, other Mayan ruins in jungle settings that allow climbing. None would, I think, fit easily into a 4 day stay, although Ek' Balam (with climbable pyramids) might be possible....

Rohelio

We always rent from America and have never had a problem with any of the rental cars. They are located in Cancun, Playa and Merida . Make sure the car you want on the lot at the location , otherwise , you will have to wait for them to transfer it over.
There are several dôs and dont´s with driving in Mexico,,, check them out !

kperaka

Our travel date is getting closer and we are very excited. I really appreciate all your suggestions.. Thank you all very much.
Looks like we might have to skip Chichen Itza after all.. also Xcaret. We want to see around as much as possible instead of spending all day at one spot.

I do have one more question.. We have few hours before our flight on the last day and we plan to spend in Cancun.. Is there anything that we MUST see in Cancun? Other than the beaches, is Avenida Kukulkan worth a visit? If so where do we park? El Rey ruins look interesting.. Or would you rather suggest we spend the day elsewhere and skip cancun completely?

SambaChula

If you are staying in Playa del Carmen, just enjoy it there. You could stop for awhile at Puerto Morelos on the way to the airport.

jamie99

Puerto Morelos is a much more interesting town and is only about a 20 minute drive south of Cancun airport. I did not find anything interesting in Cancun.