Hi Everybody - I am new to the Mexico forum, but have been around Fodors for awhile on the US, Europe, and Asia forums. My husband and I are considering a trip to the Yucatan next year, probably in October or November. I'm doing some preliminary research now - other places under consideration are Puerto Rico and Costa Rica. We've both been to Europe and Asia multiple times and are interested in exploring Latin America. I've never been to Latin America at all and my husband has only been to northern Mexico as a child to visit family. He speaks passable Spanish and mine is pretty decent.

I'm just looking for any advice or recommendations you guys can give to help me out with the preliminary planning process.

Our main motivation for going to the Yucatan is to visit some Mayan ruins, secondary motivation is the beach. I've also read about some interesting nature preserves such as Sian Ka'an that I'd like to see. Being that Mayan ruins are tops on the list, I am a little concerned about going in 2012. Are lots of extra tourists expected? Are there additional events and/or festivals planned that would make it worth braving any extra crowds? I really have no idea what to expect.

I am also trying to get an idea of daily expenses for the area for 2 people. I know this is highly variable, but I am looking for a general range for planning purposes. We'd probably spend about 10 days in the area, not including flights - half the time in a coastal area (thinking Tulum) and half inland (maybe a few nights in Merida, a few nights in the countryside closer to Chichen Itza or Uxmal). We like comfortable accomodations, but don't mind if things are a little rustic. Plumbing and hot water is a must though - and we really prefer to have a private bathroom unless we are specifically staying in a nature reserve in a tent cabin or something along those lines where shared facilities are the norm. We definitely aren't looking for AI resorts or anything like that - want a more local experience and we just prefer smaller places to large resorts, although we aren't opposed to smallish resorts with amenities like spa services and a pool.

Thanks for any advice or direction you can give.

Check out my photos, blogs, and travelogues from 2 visits to the area in the last 10 months. In June we did a Tulúm, Valladolid (great base for Chichén Itzá and Ek Balam), San Felipe (gulf coast - flamingos and tarpon), and Isla Mujeres. In December we based near Playa del Carmen with our daughter and her husband for more cenotes, ruins, monkeys, and snorkeling. Happy planning!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections

weather2travel.com Climate guide

lots of rain in Nov Dec better

spirit.com cheapest flights to CUN for me.

mayan-traveler.com best for ruins

Tikal jaguartikal.com and Palenque my favs for history

Uxmal Tulum nice for beach ruins

Cichen Itza nice fairly touristy though

Happy Planning,

Welcome to the Mexico forum! I don't know that side of Mexico (but if you ever want to visit Puerto Vallarta I can help -lol).

I think the places you've picked sound great. You might also look at Akumal, Isla Mujeres, Playa del Carmen. I think time in Merida is a great addition to the itinerary.

Playa Del Carmen, Akumal, Tulum and Puerto Morelos are all good options. They each have their own vibe, and I love them all. Check out my comments under the 'Prego Woman' topic for my take on them. As for expenses, if you are not going to an AI, you can get a very comfortable, clean, well located hotel for between $85-150 a night. Food is quite reasonable - a good dinner might run you $50 for 2 with wine or beer. Taco stands and local places will be considerably less. As for ruins, the closest and most interesting would be Coba, Chichen Itza, and Tulum. Coba was our favorte, but they are all great. You will probably want to rent a car to get around and explore. Rentals are inexpensive, but get a little pricey when you tack on the insurances.

> We'd probably spend about 10 days in the area, not including flights - half the time in a coastal area (thinking Tulum) and half inland (maybe a few nights in Merida, a few nights in the countryside closer to Chichen Itza or Uxmal).

IMO, Uxmal and the Ruta Puuc are well worth seeing, but are difficult to see in a single day trip from Merida. Your idea of staying near Uxmal makes a lot of sense. You might check out the Flycatcher Inn -

http://www.flycatcherinn.com/


Given an interest in Mayan ruins, if you visit Chichen Itza, you might consider staying in Valladolid, which is nearby and is also near Ek' Balam, which has a very impressive and unusual frieze.

Hope that helps!

Thanks for all the help so far. Great information.

I was thinking about the weather and the timing of the trip. December is out - end-of-year push at work plus the holidays makes it a bad time to go away. And next year we have plans to go to New Orleans in April for French Quarter Festival, so in the interests of spreading out our trips, we thought fall would be good. Anytime July through early November would actually work, but I want to avoid hurricane season if possible. If October/November is really a bad time rain-wise, then perhaps it would be better to go another year when we can go in the spring, maybe.

The $85-150/night range for lodging sounds great - that's what I was hoping to hear. And I was thinking that renting a car would be a good choice to give us flexibility.

If we decide to go to the Yucatan this year, then we'll do our research and firm up an itinerary - we have plenty of time, of course. Chichen Itza is on the list because it sort of seems like it is such an iconic place that you HAVE to go there. Sort of like a first trip to Paris - of course you are going to go to the Eifel Tower. I am hoping to add some less touristy ruins to the itinerary too for balance - and with a car, we will be able to pick and choose rather than having to rely on tours or where we can easily get to by bus. I've been reading about Merida and it sounds like an interesting city - great vibe, nice contrast to the beach and countryside areas.

Having lived for several years in the Yucatan, I would suggest that you also include a few days visiting Campeche! The city is a UNESCO World Heritage site and you will be enchanted by the cobblestone streets and candy-colored buildings. And the people are some of the friendliest in all of Mexico! I would suggest staying at the Hotel Castelmar. http://www.castelmarhotel.com/castelmar/indexeng.htm

And while you're in Merida, consider staying atLa Misión de Fray Diego, a charming converted mission from the 17th century. Two blocks from shopping, wonderful restaurants and museums. http://www.lamisiondefraydiego.com/index.php

OK, I would also recommend Valladolid for visiting both Chichen Itza and much lesser visited ruin of Ek Balam which has beautiful carvings. You can also climb there and there are several cenotes to swim in (limestone sinkholes) nearby. Have personally stayed at Hotel Meson de Marques on the main square there which should be within your budget that time of year. Have not been to Merida but have visited Uxmal and a couple of the Ruta Puuc sites via rental car and stayed at Hacienda Uxmal, the Flycatcher Inn looked cute also, cannot remember if they had a pool or not though. Think you would want at least two full nights in Merida if you stay there, lots to see at least so I have heard.

In Tulum, there are very few places with AC, as the places on the beach road Hotel Zone are not on the electric grid and so get their power via wind, solar, generator, etc. Personally I would want AC, especially in October which is HOT so consider also a condo rental in Akumal or maybe Hotel Akumal Caribe and the adjacent Villas Maya which would have more creature comforts. The beach is lovely there and snorkeling is great and you can always do what many do, which is spend a day on the beaches at Tulum. Enjoy.

Hi November -

I can't help with the beach but I can recommend several things, most of which have been mentioned already.

For ruins, of course Chichen Itza. I really enjoyed staying just outside the gates at the Hacienda Chichen. Really beautiful gardens and pool.

I would not stay in Valladolid, which is about a half an hour away from CI. Didn't like it at all. Weird vaguely unpleasant vibe. However, my judgment may be affected by the fact that my inlaws were really getting on my nerves that day.

The old road (rather than the new highway) between Merida and CI passes through several Mayan villages. very interesting but beware of topes!

Merida is good. We stayed at the Casa Balam and really enjoyed it. Make sure you go to the Anthropology Museum on the Paseo Montejo.

I second the Campeche recommendation. Very beautiful, with a great zocalo. Stayed at the Sir Francis Drake, which was just OK.

We visited Uxmal on our way back from Campeche to Merida. Try to see Uxmal also.

Have a great time, and hopefully you can visit when it's not the rainy season!

Yucatan offers a great combination of ruins, culture and beaches. You could probably get a good package deal at an all-inclusive like Grand Palladium, which is just north of Tulum, and on a beautiful stretch of beach. Of the ruins in the area, so far my favorite has been Coba,not too far from Tulum, because it has a more authentic-feeling setting, right in the jungle, with ruins scattered around, some of them only partially excavated or with cool unpolished features like a gnarled old tree growing out of the side of a temple. Not sure if you can still climb to the top of their tallest pyramid. We took a regional bus from city of Tulum, which was cheap, but check for your return times when you get there!! Merida is another cool option, as it is an old colonial town, not just touristy like Cancun. Costa Rica is awesome, for nature and friendly people, but not much with ruins. Haven't been to Sian Kaan, but i understand that you can kayak, swim down canals with occasional bits of ruins nearby.

Another ruin nobody has mentioned yet is Muyil. It's located just south of Tulum along Hwy 307. Plan to walk into the jungle along the boardwalk. It's a nice walk with an observation tower. Plan 2-3 hours.

If you choose to stay in Tulum along the beach, you may find the breeze coupled with a ceiling fan enough to keep you comfortable - we do in the summer months. Look at La Luna or the tower rooms at CoCo.

Chichen Itza is a place you need to see at least once. So many plan only a few hours to see it. I think you need about 5 hours to really see everything and take your time with all the details.

Ek Balam is great too; about 2 hours is enough.
Coba is great - we like to rent bicycles to cruise around efficiently since the site is huge. Plan about 4 hours if you want to see everything. Most just go to the big pyramid, but go back to the other sections with the stele.

If you are driving yourselves - look into the Mayan Adventure map from cancunmap.com. It's a map and guide together.

Wow you guys - this is great information. Such a help. I have so much research to do - but plenty of time to do it. I was talking to my husband last night and I think we are going to go for it - Yucatan, here we come! Ok, well not for a year and a half, but the ruins have been around for awhile, they will wait for us

I was looking at the weather averages and it actually looks like November isn't too bad - not as great as Dec-Mar, but definitely better than the summer. And the sea temperature is still like 80°F! We are Californians - seawater that warm is such a novelty.

The lack of A/C at places in Tulum doesn't really worry me. We don't have A/C at home, so we are used to sleeping in the heat. It isn't humid where we live, but it does get into the triple digits. We have also travelled to humid places and done fine - New Orleans in the summer, Washington DC in August, Singapore, Bali - we aren't strangers to heat and humidity. And we stayed on the beach in Bali without A/C a couple years ago. It was fine. I'll take the heat in exchange for being able to hear the ocean and feel the breezes - when there is A/C, everybody always closes things up to keep in all the "bought air".

November is not going to be terribly hot or humid (like the places you've mentioned). I'd absolutely not be worried about the lack of AC. For summer travel you might want it (July-Aug) but not needed for fall/winter months imo.

p.s. I just ordered the Fodor's guidebook for this area (as a freebie for being quoted in Seattle's most recent) because I'm also interested for future trip planning. I'll let you know if it looks helpful and worth getting.

It was in the 70s during our whole visit in December - very comfortable but hardly felt like the tropics!

Thanks suze - definitely let me know about that book.