BalthaH

My husband & I will be spending 5 days in Tulum, in early dec. with no car. Before heading back to the Cancun airport, we wanted to explore Coba and Ex Balam, spending the night in Valladolid, heading back to the airport from there. We will have at least 2 suitcases. We want to keep this within budget limits, and have some flexibility. Any info re the following questions will be much appreciated.

-Can we do a 2-day car rental from Tulum and drop it off at the airport- cannot seem to find info or get responses to this question. If so, approx how much does an economical automatic car cost, including insurance? Is the drive easy, particularly the one to the airport? How safe is the luggage in the car?

-Or should we just take a bus to Valladolid from Tulum, skipping Cobra, drop off our luggage & explore Ek Balam ? We are skipping Chichen Itza as it seems too crowded & touristic.

-How easy/convenient is it to get 1st class buses/ Colectivos, having luggage? Can reservations be made in advance? Once in Mexico we’re trying to make the trip as hassle-free as possible. Many thanks!

colokid

You can try www.mexexperience.com for the car rental. They seem to be doing a really good job lately.
There is a bus in Tulum to Coba but no place to store your luggage at Coba or Ek Balaam.
You cannot bring luggage onto the colectivos. There just isn't any room for it.
The drive is easy to Coba from Tulum and to the airport. Just be aware of the speed limits and topes.
If you rent a car, do not leave your luggage visible.

hopefulist

We'll be doing a similar loop this summer and I'll post a travelogue: a week in Tulum (diving, flyfishing, cenotes, Sian Ka'an), 2 nights in Valldolid (for Chichen Itza and Ek Balam), 2 or 3 nights in San Felipe (for tarpon fishing and flamingos), and then to Isla Mujeres (diving, fishing, snorkeling with whalesharks), then my husband flies home and I head to San Cristóbal de las Casas for a few weeks of Spanish immersion.

JeanH

I've taken carry on size bags on the colectivos. They fit behind the back seat. Obviously, if everyone had a bag it wouldn't work, but we've not had problems.

sylvia3

Rent a car, and don't miss Ek Balaam, it's a wonderful site!

BalthaH

Many thanks Colokid & JeanH for the specific info. Unfortunately I cannot get info from the site of www.mexexperience.com (car rental page doesn't seem to work) and when I called today, they couldn't tell me the price. Perhaps I'll have better luck on Monday.

Does anyone have specific info on 1st class bus from Tulum to Valadolid and Valadolid to the Cancun airport?

colokid

The bus schedule can be had at
www.ticketbus.com.mx

Don't know why the other didn't work.

BalthaH

Thanks again, Colokid. Found out from Juanita Stein at http://yucatantoday.com that ticketbus site doesn't show dates beyond current month. One can approximate by plugging in day of travel.

Re www.mexexperience.com, I was able to get car rental quotes today on the phone. The agent I spoke to was very helpful. The problem with their website has been fixed.