Riviera Maya?
 

I'm planning a long weekend getaway with my family to Riviera Maya next month, and I need your expert advice.

We arrive Thursday morning and depart Monday night, so we have 4 nights to squeeze in as much Mexico as we can. We want a mix of Mayan ruins and some relaxing afternoon beach/snorkel time.

What are the MUST see sights?

Here is my list so far.
-Coba
-Tulum Ruins
-Ferry to Cozumel. What do we do when we get there?
-Chichen Itza
-Xel Ha

Can any of these be combined, to do more than one in a day?

Is it better to go with a tour company, or to get a taxi, and go by ourselves? We're staying at Palace Playacar. So, I think we're staying right by the ferry in Playa Del Carmen.

Thanks for your help!

You are right by the ferry. That's a lot to get in for such a short period of time. Chichen Itza itself is over 3 hours away. Coba is closer and Tulum closer still. I have combined Tulum and XelHa before. Tulum is a small site. Cozumel would be a choice to go snorkeling but you can do that at XelHa also. A taxi would be very expensive. You can take the colectivo (van) to Tulum or even to snorkel in Akumal which is quite nice. The colectivo's can be found on calle 2 between 15th and 20th avenues. They are very inexpensive. They do let you off on the highway so you would then take a taxi the rest of the way off the highway. Tours can be had both large bus and smaller van. I've done both and prefer the smaller van. It's going to be very hot next month so go early. It's very hot here right now. You can also rent a car and drive yourself which is fairly easy. There's not a lot of roads to travel on so finding your way is not a problem. Also gives you flexibility in timing. I would rather snorkel YalKu than XelHa. Let me know what other questions you have.

I agree with Colokid, that's a LOT and leaves you with virtually no beach chilling time. Coba, CI and Xel Ha are easily one day each.
The only one, IMO to reasonably combine would be Tulum but replace the Xel Ha with Akumal (Yalkul) for snorkeling. Better snorkeling and much cheaper! Do Tulum early and you can easily see it in a couple hours then head up to Akumal. Grab lunch there and have several hours to snorkel.

You could do Coz but not much there in ruins. Renting a jeep or taxi and circling the island to the east is very nice and there are some nice beaches to spend a few hours but there's plenty more to see on the mainland.

CI is amazing but certainly a very full day, the drive alone is @ 3 hours one way. Coba's a lot closer and many people would choose it over CI for the ruins themselves. That would be a much easier day and you'd be back in Playa or your hotel late in the afternoon but still with some beach time.

Those are just my suggestions but I find when in Playa I can barely drag myself off the beach.....ah a shady palapa, warm Carribean and a cold drink.............

With only four nights, limit yourself to one ruin. Personally I would go with Coba (you can climb there). Rent a car to get there is the best way, the bus schedule is not the best, think there are only two departures in the afternoon back to Tulum.

Another suggestion which I have not tried is book a tour with Edventures (I met Eddie last month when staying in Akumal), they get good reviews over on TA. They will customize tours for you.

Snorkeling is good at either Akumal or Coz.

There is a tour company in Playa--used to have an office behind Karen's bar that gives a nice one-day tour of Tulum and Coba. We did it a couple years ago and it was great--the guide was very knowledgeable.

As others have mentioned, you're trying to do too much in 4 days. I would suggest renting a car for 2 days (it's quite easy driving in this area), and just chilling on the beach and exploring Playa del Carmen for 2 days. You could do Tulum and Akumal in one day, and do Coba and a few cenotes on the other day. You could do an afternoon ferry to Cozumel, but there is plenty to do and see on the mainland. As for Playa - I'm not sure how well the beach has come back in the Playacar area - generally the beaches are best in the north end of town.
If you go to the Tulum ruins, bring your swimming gear as there is a wonderful beach there. Also downtown Tulum is lots of fun - funky, with some good places to eat. There is also a very nice beach at Akumal Bay where you can snorkel. In Akumal on the road to YalKu lagoon, is our favorite lunch spot in the whole area, the Buena Vida, and it's right on the beach.

I know, I want it all! Am I being too optimistic here?

Thursday afternoon:
Coba

Friday:
Ek' Balam
Chichen Itza

Saturday:
Tulum
Yulka Lagoon to snorkel OR Xel Ha


Does it make sense to rent a car for these 3 days, or just the first 2? How far is Xel Ha from Tulum/Yalku?

If we take the ferry to Cozumel one afternoon, are things within walking distance there?

Thanks again for all your help!

One more question!

Do you know roughly how much it costs to enter these sites?
I've only been able to find the price for guided tours (including transportation).

Coba
Ek' Balam
Chichen Itza
Tulum
Yulka Lagoon

Chichen Itza was around 10US last time I was there. YalKu was I believe 7US last year but may have been a bit more.

Ek Balam and Chichen Itza are too much for one day. It's very hot here and you will be exhausted. Be very careful of overheating.

Xel Ha is about 10 min from Tulum.

I believe Xel Ha @ 65 USD. The bay at Akumal is free less any equipment you need to rent. I personally can't imagine why you'd pick Xel Ha if JUST for snorkeling. It's not my favorite place to snorkel and can get jammed with tourists especially if there's cruisers there for a day trip. IMO, the only way Xel Ha is worth the kind of money they charge is if you stay the whole day and take in the night show.

Here's a couple more of my favorite places. The beaches just south of Tulum. The most georgeous beaches I have ever seen and there are several beach clubs along that stretch of road for food/drinks/beach chairs. Also take a few minutes wherever you're driving to make at least a short side trip to one of the cenotes. Amazing gin clear water and a great way to cool off from a hot walk thru ruins. You'll see signs for them all over.

Whatever you decide, I know you'll have a blast. I've been there 8 times and still feel like I've just scratched the surface.

Yal-Ku is now $9 I believe, just got back from Akumal last month but did not go there this trip. You could combine Yal-Ku and Akumal snorkeling for part of one day, and eliminate Xel-Ha this trip, the admission is only all-inclusive (stuff like dolphin swim is extra) and costs between $50-60 now (check their web site). Do that Thursday, get to Yal-Ku early if possible or after 3pm when the tours leave. Tours start getting there at 9:30-10am.

Friday do Coba, get there early when they open, it is in the jungle and very hot, they open about 8am. If your children are smaller and get tired easily you can rent both bicycles and bicycle taxis (do not think they have children's bikes so the bike taxis might be a better option). This should take a couple of hours. Then stop at one of the cenotes off the Coba road on your way back to Tulum (road to Coba starts on the outskirts of Tulum), maybe Gran Cenote. Then have lunch in Tulum. If you still have the energy, you could visit Tulum ruins.

Friday chill at your resort, swim, snorkel, maybe go to Playa to shop and have lunch.

Save CI and Ek Balam for another trip. Too far in too little time. Plus you do not say how old your children are, but they might get bored with too many ruins unless they are studying them in school (met a couple with their son when staying overnight at CI two years ago and their 12 year old son was studying the Mayans in his class).