jyoung

I want to take my family to Mexico for a week in mid-April (yes, in under a month). I’m trying to find a location that would allow us to easily spend half of the day exploring/sightseeing, and the other half sitting on a beach or by a pool. Food is important. We want to see a Mayan ruin or two. We would prefer to stay at a smaller resort/hotel or rent an apartment/condo (budget: up to $400 per night). Since it is our first time in Mexico, I want to go somewhere that is fairly easy to get to from one of the main airports (We will be coming from either EWR or PHL). Thanks.

sylvia3

Riviera Maya, certainly, an easy drive from the Cancun airport.
The Akumal area has a large inventory of (even beachfront) condos near all the amenties, with wonderful snorkeling, ruins, nature-water parks, excursions all nearby. These guys have a good reputation http://www.locogringo.com/akumal/ (You could also get many of the same places via VRBO.)
Playa del Carmen would also be a good locale.

JeanH

I've never stayed at Akumal, did some research and found out it was not a real town, just hotels, condos and restaurants. I prefer to spend my time in Mexico in a real town.

Look at Puerto Morales. Nice little Mexican town with lots of lodging and restaurant options.

For a larger city, Playa del Carmen is a great option, just too developed and 'Americanized' for my tastes these days.

I love Isla Mujeres, but, it would be a hassle going back and forth to the mainland for tours.

I also like the beach front hotels in Tulum. Truly 'off the grid', power is by generator only, most don't have a/c. Many of them have gotten very expensive in recent years though.

All of the above suggestions will be accessed by flying into the Cancun airport.

sylvia3

Akumal is a "real" town.
In addition, it is closer than Cancun is to ruins such as Coba and Tulum. The less-developed ruins of Muyil are also fascinating. Xel-Ha and Xcaret are wonderful places to visit as a family for a very fun day.
A nice thing about the Akumal area is that there is a choice of beaches, towns, excursions, and dining options.

jamie99

Agree with sylvia3, love Akumal and stayed there many times (and also booked through Locogringo, which is nice because they are onsite if any problems should arise). The locals live in the pueblo across the highway and in nearby Chetumal.

Agree that Playa has gotten too built up for my taste although a ton of people love it. It does have some good restaurants though, and you could always go up for a day via taxi or collectivo if you do not choose to rent a car.

RAC

If your priority is Mayan ruins, best to skip the Yucatan and see Palenque in Chiapas instead. From there you can spend half the day exploring the ruins, and the other half at your pool (we stayed at the Boutique Hotel Chanabnal, which had a gorgeous three-tier pool by a lagoon). From there you can also do an all-day trip to Yaxchilan and Bonampak, which gets you not only two great sites, but also a fun river trip that involves crocodile sightings). There are also waterfalls and rivers and rain forest in the area to check out.

If you're looking for diversity of lodging and restaurants and beaches, then the Yucatan would also be a good choice. However, the best ruins (e.g. Chichen Itza) are a full day trip from the Eastern coast. Coba and Tulum have their own appeal (jungle setting and size for the former, dramatic seaside location for the latter) but the quality of the ruins are significantly less than those in Chiapas.

Of course, much more English spoken in Yucatan than in Chiapas, so plan accordingly . . .

zootsi

Since you want to see Mayan ruins, I assume you want to be on the Caribbean side of Mexico. I agree with the above posts. I've been to this part of Mexico many times - Playa del Carmen, Akumal, Tulum and Puerto Morelos - love 'em all, but they are all different. Playa for a great beach in a very lively little city, Akumal for it's great beach, snorkeling, quiet atmosphere, Tulum for it's wide and wild beach, funky lodgings and interesting town, Puerto Morelos for it's nice beach and less commercialized fishing village vibe. Locogringo is a good site to get an overview of the whole area.

jyoung

Thank you all for the suggestions! Do you usually rent a car to go to Akumal, Tulum or Puerto Morelos? Or take a taxi from the airport?

hopefulist

We've done both. You can see our photos and blogs and read detailed travelogues of our 2 visits to Yucatán in 2010 below. Happy trails!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections/

zootsi

We usually rent a car. It's fairly inexpensive, and the driving is easy. There's lots to see and do, and a car gives you the freedom to go when you feel like it. Just make sure you buy all the insurances, Mexico has some funny motor vehicle laws.

sylvia3

I agree, a car is the best option. Then you can do what you like, when you like (bring your cooler, take excursions, pop to the Walmart in Playa del Carmen)etc. I believe that your excursion and park/beach options are fewer in very sleepy Puerto Morelos; it's closer to Cancun, and many of the sites mentioned are better visited from farther south. Playa del Carmen might be a little busy, but lots of dining options.
All said, with a family, Akumal (with it's beach, snorkeling, restaurants, and Yakul Lagoon) might be a very good choice.

RAC

We rented a car while staying near Tulum. Much better flexibility that way.

TC

Two things that you mention make me suggest Cozumel
-food
-family

Cozumel is a wonderful little island with a really small town, family feel. The people are wonderful. On Sunday's they close the main street and local families bring their children to stroll, meet and greet, dance to a local band, enjoy the church bake sale and in general just enjoy their town.

Almost everyone speaks some English.

There is a wonderful, large grocery with all your favorite brands.

There are dozens of wonderful restaurants on the island. In fact, so many that we can't get around to all our favorites and all the new places in a month. The food is safe, good and inexpensive.

There are some very nice family friendly resorts with lovely beaches and great snorkeling right out front. You can spend as much time as you like in the water or on the beach.

There are some very small ruins on the island, but it is also quite easy to take the ferry across to Playa del Carmen and tour Tulum, etc. for a day. You can even fly to Chichen Itza for the day, if you like.

You can fly to Cozumel easily on Delta from EWR.

In your budget, I might suggest a private 3 bedroom/3bath, ocean front condo The NaHa. Its an amazing location. Several different units are for rent.

http://www.cozumelcondominium.com/accommodations.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EXUDUQ5obM

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...Peninsula.html