DRIVE IN YUCATAN
 

Hello,

whilst staying in Yucatan next week, we plan to rent a car for three days and drive a little. Do you know if the distances are doable?

Day 1 - Playaarea (puerto morelos) to Merida
Day 2 - Merida to Uxmal and back
Day 3 - Merdia to Chichen Itza to Playa

any advice and any tips on cheap car rental much welcome!!

Day One, I think you're looking at about five hours here.

Day two is doable -- it's about an hour or hour and a half to Uxmal. However, there's a lot to see in the area -- the Puuc route cities -- so it might be worth spending the night there.

Day Three is also possible, but a very long day. Chichen Itza demands two or three hours minimum and is hot as blazes.

I think you might want to consider dropping one place or adding one day. I made a similar trip stopping for two nights in Merida, one at Uxmal, one at CI, then on to Playa. If you decide to stop at CI, either on the way in or out, think about staying in Valladolid.

Thank you Pausanias,

we have hotels already booked and non-changeable in PuertoMorelos and Playa so only two nights "free" in between...

Still thinking about all this!

I have a more optimistic reaction to each of these.

For one, improvements have been made to the roads of the southern route from Playa which takes you by Coba and trims a good chunk of time off the Playa–(Chichen-)Merida stretches. You can probably do that in 4 hours on the day you don't stop at Chichen.

Secondly I think with any of these, a lot depends on how much you want to see. It's very easy for example to do Uxmal as a day trip from Merida, still leaving plenth of time to see Uxmal. I think you'd have to stop at really a great number of places or spend a great deal of time at a few more places to make that day trip anything near questionable. Also I don't see Chichen as demanding 2-3 hours. I think if you're focused about it, you can certainly get a good feel for Chichen in 90 mins and be back on the road (again if that's what you want to do). But anyway going the southern route via Coba (a place well worth a visit on the day you don't stop at Chichen) will make it all doable.

That's my opinion, at least. :-)

Steve

Thanks Steve!

brusselschap --

Please post a short report when you get back. I'd like to know if things have changed so much in the last year.

Check car rentals online to get an idea of cost or make your reservation. Renting for a full 7 days may not be much more expensive that just 3 days. Depending on where you stay in Puerto Morelos, a car may come in very handy.

If you go to Valladolid stop at El Mason Marques for a great lunch.

You have a busy schedule, but with a rental car and getting early starts, it's doable.

Carole
http://CasaTropical.com

Hi all and thanks for the tips and advice.

In the end we decided to skip the Merida/Uxmal part. I've been before (11 years ago in another life!) and the plan with the lady wife is to score vey high on the R&R... so in the end we decided to book stays in PuertoMorelos, Tulum and Playa, to rent a car for the full 10 days (only marginally more expensive than renting for 3 days!) and to do daytrips to Chichen, Valladolid, Coba, Tulum etc...

Eleven years ago i travelled by bus, stayed at no/AC dirtcheap hostels.... Eleven years later I go in a rented car and stay at top-end hotels...

ahhh age...

Probably sensible.

When you are in Valladolid try to visit Ek Balam, a small site with great high-relief sculpture. It's about 10 miles north, I think.

Yes - that's it, Brussels.

What you once did not caring about any anything now morphs into needing a/c and just like home.

I'm sure you love your lady to bits - but it's because of people like you that so many beautiful places on the planet are now wall-to-wall resorts.

And maybe that would be OK - progress - so called - and it would be fine if the proceeds went to local people. But you, and I, know that they don't. And quite possibly you don't care.

From your handle I assume you are not American - the nation that is most responsible for turning the planet into one great homogenous mindless sameness. And I doubt one in a hundred of them even thinks of the impact they have.

Ánd they probably don't even know where they are going either - a quick packaged tour - all that is necessary is to tell the neighours that you've been there - and to show the photos.

Travel ..?