car travel from cancun to merida then progreso
 

So I am looking for some feedback positive or negative about the safety in 4 very blonde americans traveling from Cancun by car on the toll road to Merida with the final destination as the beach area of Progreso. Two of the travelers are fluent in Spanish which should help with safety but I'm not sure. All ideas or feedback are welcome.

I have recently (in the last 6 months) driven from south of Cancun to Merida, both on the toll road and not on the toll road (going to Valladolid, then on to Chichen Itza, and on to Merida). I only drive during daylight hours just in case something goes wrong w/the car. I have had no problems on those roads (or any other roads I have driven in the Yucatan or Quintana Roo). No one bothered me at all. The tolls are not cheap though. BTW I am a "gringa rubia" also.

You also might want to look into the 1st class ADO buses that go from Cancun to Merida, and then Merida to Progresso. I went on the ADO bus from Playa del Carmen to Merida two weeks ago, for about $25 USD. It was a very pleasurable ride, they are really nice and comfortable buses. The ride from Cancun to Merida is $23.

http://www.ado.com.mx/ado/index.jsp

Merida is a wonderful city, it is fast becoming my favorite city in all of Mexico. I have not gotten to Progresso yet.

Not because of 'personal safety' or being blonde gringas, but for convenience and relaxation, I'd also suggest taking a bus. I just think there are certain things about renting and driving a car in Mexico when you are not familiar with things that open you up for more potential hassles.

Can't say too much about "blondes," but my husband and I rented a car in Cancun and traveled all over the Yucatan a year and a half ago. We are definitely not young gringas, but we are anglos, and my Spanish is just rudimentary.

We stayed in Merida for a few days and loved it, considered Progreso, but didn't feel like we had enough time.

We loved having the car - you can go so many out of the way places that a bus won't take you. We went "cenote hunting," into some really off-the-road villages for swims. In my opinion, the roads are well maintained, and very straight and flat, especially the cuota roads, but even the back roads are good - we always felt safe - have traveled much of Mexico over the years, and the Yucatan was by far the easiest driving and the mellowest people. We never ever felt as if there was any risk.

As a side note, for many years, I traveled throughout Mexico and Central America as a young blonde female, many times by myself ... I have been in situations where I felt uneasy and sometimes had to use my wits to get out of potentially bad experiences, but never have had anything awful happen. I do think the area you are planning to travel in is probably one of the safest.

We rented a car a few weeks ago, travelling on that cuote road (during the day) from Cancun to Valladolid and Chichen Itza. The remarkable thing about it is the lack of anything besides scrub and trees. No roadside stands, gas stations, little dirt roads leading off to someones ranch, exits to anywhere....nothing except eventually (quite far on) a toll booth. Seemed pretty safe, but I'd not want to break down, esp. in the heat (but the car was in good shape). Apparently there is a parallel road that goes through the villages, but we didn't see any of it. Agree on generally good roads, main or back, and easy driving. And also very helpful locals.
I highly recommend EasyWay as a car rental company. Very nice staff who made everything very easy at pick up and drop off, and very reliable cars. Excellent rates too.
We liked Valladolid, and finding cenotes too. Liked ruins at Ek Balam (near Valladolid), in addition to Chichen Itza.