Mexico/Belize Honeymoon: Stay Put or Multiple Stops?
Apr 28th, 2013, 12:07 PM
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Mexico/Belize Honeymoon: Stay Put or Multiple Stops?
Hello! I'm planning my honeymoon and would love your advice!
Who we are:
I am 29 and have traveled to 13 foreign countries starting with living in France for a month at age 10. I am very lucky to have had parents who schlepped me all over the globe to learn there is more to life and art and culture than what was in my hometown. I speak Italian and am happy to study hard at another language to get off the beaten path. My fiance is 37 and has only had the opportunity to leave the US one time when he lived in England for a summer with his aunt and uncle at age 17. He doesn't speak any other languages but is an excellent driver.
What our challenges are:
My fiance would be fine to book a week at an all-inclusive resort in Cancun and call it a week. I believe that we can have a more authentic and memorable trip by avoiding all inclusive, renting a car, and traveling further from Cancun, but I've never planned a honeymoon before. I don't want to blow a great opportunity to show him a new (better!) way to travel, but I also don't want to over-plan a trip and turn it into a nightmare by pushing a tired person past their comfort zone. One of the most heartbreaking fights I ever witnessed was an exhausted couple breaking down into screaming and then tears when they missed a connecting flight in Paris (I had missed a connection too allowing me time to witness this) and were faced with the realization that they didn't speak French or Italian, didn't have a clue how to contact their Italian hotel, didn't know how to move forward, and were convinced it was a bad omen and their "perfect" trip was already ruined before it already started. I know expecting perfection in an over-planned itinerary is the fastest way to set yourself up for failure and frustration and wonder if my fiance might be right that all-inclusive, for this situation, could be the way to go.
What's already nailed down:
Already purchased great itinerary, super bargain 1-way tickets (only $150!) arriving in Cancun on Monday, August 12 at 1:40 PM
A window of a week, flying back on Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday August 18/19/20
Enough frequent flyer miles on United to cover the return home via Cancun or Belize City
A budget of $2000 (ideally) to $3000 (maximum) for hotels, meals, adventures, and other expenses while we're in Mexico (and/or Belize)
What I'd like advice on:
1. Should we just stay in one place and if so, where should that one place be? Cancun or Riviera Maya or Playa del Carmen?
2. If we aim to see a Mayan temple, which is our best bet, Tulum, Coba, or Chichen Itza? I'd like to climb a temple and believe that Coba is the only place you can do this. Any advice on renting a car to accomplish this day trip?
3. Is there any reason to drive anywhere else or attempt to drive to Belize? We can afford the plane tickets back, but is the time/energy/money it will take to cross the border worth it if we're not SCUBA certified and don't intend to get SCUBA certified?
4. How can we best take advantage of the mornings and evenings when the heat won't be as energy soaking? I've done a summer trip to Sicily and Sardinia and learned my lesson about trying to push yourself between 11 and 3!
Sorry for such a long post. Thank you in advance for any advice! I've never been to Mexico before and am excited we are starting our new "family" together in a place that is new to both of us.
Who we are:
I am 29 and have traveled to 13 foreign countries starting with living in France for a month at age 10. I am very lucky to have had parents who schlepped me all over the globe to learn there is more to life and art and culture than what was in my hometown. I speak Italian and am happy to study hard at another language to get off the beaten path. My fiance is 37 and has only had the opportunity to leave the US one time when he lived in England for a summer with his aunt and uncle at age 17. He doesn't speak any other languages but is an excellent driver.
What our challenges are:
My fiance would be fine to book a week at an all-inclusive resort in Cancun and call it a week. I believe that we can have a more authentic and memorable trip by avoiding all inclusive, renting a car, and traveling further from Cancun, but I've never planned a honeymoon before. I don't want to blow a great opportunity to show him a new (better!) way to travel, but I also don't want to over-plan a trip and turn it into a nightmare by pushing a tired person past their comfort zone. One of the most heartbreaking fights I ever witnessed was an exhausted couple breaking down into screaming and then tears when they missed a connecting flight in Paris (I had missed a connection too allowing me time to witness this) and were faced with the realization that they didn't speak French or Italian, didn't have a clue how to contact their Italian hotel, didn't know how to move forward, and were convinced it was a bad omen and their "perfect" trip was already ruined before it already started. I know expecting perfection in an over-planned itinerary is the fastest way to set yourself up for failure and frustration and wonder if my fiance might be right that all-inclusive, for this situation, could be the way to go.
What's already nailed down:
Already purchased great itinerary, super bargain 1-way tickets (only $150!) arriving in Cancun on Monday, August 12 at 1:40 PM
A window of a week, flying back on Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday August 18/19/20
Enough frequent flyer miles on United to cover the return home via Cancun or Belize City
A budget of $2000 (ideally) to $3000 (maximum) for hotels, meals, adventures, and other expenses while we're in Mexico (and/or Belize)
What I'd like advice on:
1. Should we just stay in one place and if so, where should that one place be? Cancun or Riviera Maya or Playa del Carmen?
2. If we aim to see a Mayan temple, which is our best bet, Tulum, Coba, or Chichen Itza? I'd like to climb a temple and believe that Coba is the only place you can do this. Any advice on renting a car to accomplish this day trip?
3. Is there any reason to drive anywhere else or attempt to drive to Belize? We can afford the plane tickets back, but is the time/energy/money it will take to cross the border worth it if we're not SCUBA certified and don't intend to get SCUBA certified?
4. How can we best take advantage of the mornings and evenings when the heat won't be as energy soaking? I've done a summer trip to Sicily and Sardinia and learned my lesson about trying to push yourself between 11 and 3!
Sorry for such a long post. Thank you in advance for any advice! I've never been to Mexico before and am excited we are starting our new "family" together in a place that is new to both of us.
Apr 28th, 2013, 05:26 PM
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unless you want a Miami beach vibe, dont consider Cancun. We have been vacationing in the riviera maya for many years, here's what I would recommend. do half your time in playa del carmen. If you want an ai look at the royal, which is couples only, and right inthe heart of town on a great beach. The second half of your stay could be at Akumal or Tulum, which are both great, but very different. Akumal is quiet,with great snorkeling. Tulum is miles of uncrowned ocean beach. You can easily find enough to do to fill out a week.as for ruins, you could do all three in a week. tulums is smallish but very scenic, Coba is huge and jungly, Chechen Itza is picture perfectly manicured and very impressive, but a considerably longer ride. no need to go to Belize with only a week, Mexico has the best beaches, cenotes, ruins, great food, and all kinds of accomodations. go to locogringo.com for lots of good info.
Apr 28th, 2013, 08:31 PM
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Thanks for the fast replies! I'm going to go ahead and book the return tickets from Cancun and will try to focus and narrow my research from here. I got two new guidebooks today and there's so much I want to do, I'm seeing Mexico will be plenty.
Do you have advice about Cozumel? Is it ever worth it to stay there, or better to just stay on the mainland, take the ferry over, spend the day, and come back?
Do you have advice about Cozumel? Is it ever worth it to stay there, or better to just stay on the mainland, take the ferry over, spend the day, and come back?
Apr 29th, 2013, 08:23 AM
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I would base yourselves somewhere south of Cancun (plenty of nice options from Puerto Morelos south through Tulum) at a honeymoonish-type place. Maybe two places--still very doable with a minimum of frustration. From there, you can alternate lazy days and day trips--there are enough day trips in the area to fill an entire week easily. In terms of ruins, Coba is the one you can climb and it has the rainforest/jungly feel, Tulum has the least impressive ruins but best setting, and Chichen Itza has (in my opinion) easily the most impressive ruins of the three in terms of the artistic detail and level of preservation--the ruins at Coba are very high but also severely eroded so that they're pretty much blank slabs of stone. But, Chichen Itza has lots of tourists and peddlers of cheap souvenirs.
Things to do:
Snorkeling Cozumel, or Puerto Morelos from a boat, or Yal-Ku lagoon and Akumal Bay from the land (Akumal is where you snorkel with sea turtles--just don't get too close).
Cenotes, cenotes, cenotes--all kinds of these water-filled caves. Dos Ojos is the best known, and rightfully so--you can do great snorkeling on the interior--even scuba.
Eco-parks like Xel-Ha and Xcaret.
Sian Kaan Biosphere if you want nature.
Valladolid for a colonial-style Mexican city. Also close to Chichen Itza.
And, of course, lazy days at a beach club in Tulum, with powder white sand and bathub warm, gentle turqouise water.
There's tons of beachfront resorts that will fit the bill--you can bargain hunt for the best deal amongst those.
Another option if you want something more quiet and intimate is one of the small beachfront inns near Tulum or a place we really loved that was further inland, La Selva Mariposa.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...Peninsula.html
Private plunge pools, outdoor showers, hammocks, ah. (Our suite, #4, had a hammock over the plunge pool right off the master bedroom, with privacy provided by the 15 foot tall waterfall.)
http://laselvamariposa.com/home.htm
Things to do:
Snorkeling Cozumel, or Puerto Morelos from a boat, or Yal-Ku lagoon and Akumal Bay from the land (Akumal is where you snorkel with sea turtles--just don't get too close).
Cenotes, cenotes, cenotes--all kinds of these water-filled caves. Dos Ojos is the best known, and rightfully so--you can do great snorkeling on the interior--even scuba.
Eco-parks like Xel-Ha and Xcaret.
Sian Kaan Biosphere if you want nature.
Valladolid for a colonial-style Mexican city. Also close to Chichen Itza.
And, of course, lazy days at a beach club in Tulum, with powder white sand and bathub warm, gentle turqouise water.
There's tons of beachfront resorts that will fit the bill--you can bargain hunt for the best deal amongst those.
Another option if you want something more quiet and intimate is one of the small beachfront inns near Tulum or a place we really loved that was further inland, La Selva Mariposa.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...Peninsula.html
Private plunge pools, outdoor showers, hammocks, ah. (Our suite, #4, had a hammock over the plunge pool right off the master bedroom, with privacy provided by the 15 foot tall waterfall.)
http://laselvamariposa.com/home.htm
Apr 29th, 2013, 08:23 AM
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I would base yourselves somewhere south of Cancun (plenty of nice options from Puerto Morelos south through Tulum) at a honeymoonish-type place. Maybe two places--still very doable with a minimum of frustration. From there, you can alternate lazy days and day trips--there are enough day trips in the area to fill an entire week easily. In terms of ruins, Coba is the one you can climb and it has the rainforest/jungly feel, Tulum has the least impressive ruins but best setting, and Chichen Itza has (in my opinion) easily the most impressive ruins of the three in terms of the artistic detail and level of preservation--the ruins at Coba are very high but also severely eroded so that they're pretty much blank slabs of stone. But, Chichen Itza has lots of tourists and peddlers of cheap souvenirs.
Things to do:
Snorkeling Cozumel, or Puerto Morelos from a boat, or Yal-Ku lagoon and Akumal Bay from the land (Akumal is where you snorkel with sea turtles--just don't get too close).
Cenotes, cenotes, cenotes--all kinds of these water-filled caves. Dos Ojos is the best known, and rightfully so--you can do great snorkeling on the interior--even scuba.
Eco-parks like Xel-Ha and Xcaret.
Sian Kaan Biosphere if you want nature.
Valladolid for a colonial-style Mexican city. Also close to Chichen Itza.
And, of course, lazy days at a beach club in Tulum, with powder white sand and bathub warm, gentle turqouise water.
There's tons of beachfront resorts that will fit the bill--you can bargain hunt for the best deal amongst those.
Another option if you want something more quiet and intimate is one of the small beachfront inns near Tulum or a place we really loved that was further inland, La Selva Mariposa.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...Peninsula.html
Private plunge pools, outdoor showers, hammocks, ah. (Our suite, #4, had a hammock over the plunge pool right off the master bedroom, with privacy provided by the 15 foot tall waterfall.)
http://laselvamariposa.com/home.htm
Things to do:
Snorkeling Cozumel, or Puerto Morelos from a boat, or Yal-Ku lagoon and Akumal Bay from the land (Akumal is where you snorkel with sea turtles--just don't get too close).
Cenotes, cenotes, cenotes--all kinds of these water-filled caves. Dos Ojos is the best known, and rightfully so--you can do great snorkeling on the interior--even scuba.
Eco-parks like Xel-Ha and Xcaret.
Sian Kaan Biosphere if you want nature.
Valladolid for a colonial-style Mexican city. Also close to Chichen Itza.
And, of course, lazy days at a beach club in Tulum, with powder white sand and bathub warm, gentle turqouise water.
There's tons of beachfront resorts that will fit the bill--you can bargain hunt for the best deal amongst those.
Another option if you want something more quiet and intimate is one of the small beachfront inns near Tulum or a place we really loved that was further inland, La Selva Mariposa.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...Peninsula.html
Private plunge pools, outdoor showers, hammocks, ah. (Our suite, #4, had a hammock over the plunge pool right off the master bedroom, with privacy provided by the 15 foot tall waterfall.)
http://laselvamariposa.com/home.htm
Apr 29th, 2013, 08:54 AM
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staying on Coz just adds to the cost of a mainland tour. Your main issue is resolving the AI vs non AI thing. Tulum is a great international vibe with some topless and many S American folks. Properties are palapa style and are off the grid. Cancun is more about marble palaces. AI is fine for just sitting but non AI gets you around more. The yucatan is very safe and easy to travel in.
Apr 29th, 2013, 11:35 AM
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Good suggestion from zootsi about splitting your stay. If you don't dive I'd skip Cozumel this trip, save it for another time if you mainly want to tour ruins, visit eco parks, zipline or go snorkeling.
Yes you can climb at Coba (also at Ek Balam which is beautiful but a bit further away), get there early. We rented cars always from Easyway, just 5 minutes from Cancun airport. Take all the insurance. My friend and a buddy had a truck hit them, turned the car in, Easyway just told them "no problem" and drove them to the airport.
A Tulum beach crawl is always fun, start at someplace like OM (be sure to have your picture taken on their famous bench) and work your way north stopping now and then for a drink and of course something to eat. Last trip I liked Ziggy Beach Club at Cabanas Tulum, very nice Happy Hour from 3-6pm, 2 for 1 drinks. Most places if you are eating or drinking you can use the loungers and beach beds for free.
Yes you can climb at Coba (also at Ek Balam which is beautiful but a bit further away), get there early. We rented cars always from Easyway, just 5 minutes from Cancun airport. Take all the insurance. My friend and a buddy had a truck hit them, turned the car in, Easyway just told them "no problem" and drove them to the airport.
A Tulum beach crawl is always fun, start at someplace like OM (be sure to have your picture taken on their famous bench) and work your way north stopping now and then for a drink and of course something to eat. Last trip I liked Ziggy Beach Club at Cabanas Tulum, very nice Happy Hour from 3-6pm, 2 for 1 drinks. Most places if you are eating or drinking you can use the loungers and beach beds for free.
May 5th, 2013, 12:35 PM
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Oh my gosh, thank you all for this plethora of advice! I'm going to review all of this and come back with more questions as I have them... THANK YOU very much for all of the information so far!
Jamie99... what do we need to bring to rent a car? Just a driver's license and a passport? Proof of our insurance, or does that not matter since we are required to purchase the Mexican insurance anyways? Any advice on what insurances to purchase and which to turn down if we have an American Express credit card?
Jamie99... what do we need to bring to rent a car? Just a driver's license and a passport? Proof of our insurance, or does that not matter since we are required to purchase the Mexican insurance anyways? Any advice on what insurances to purchase and which to turn down if we have an American Express credit card?
May 5th, 2013, 04:09 PM
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We've had 3 great trips to Belize and 2 to the Yucatán. My photos with blog and travelogue 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
http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections
