Trip Report: Merida, Chichen Itza, Playa del Carmen
 

I?m recently back from a wonderful trip, which many posters helped me with, and thought I?d share a bit of trip info.

MERIDA: We flew into Cancun and were picked up at the airport and driven across to Merida (only about 3 hrs.) We had pre-arranged our private ground transportation (as well as our hotel bookings) with MayaTours, which we were happy with. We based ourselves in Merida for the first several days, and took side trips from there (to Uxmal and Celestun). I can?t say enough about how much I enjoyed Merida. It really is a ?city that never sleeps? with constant festivals, live music, dance, craft fairs, etc. Several posters recommended that we make sure to be in Merida on a Sunday, which was a great tip! One aspect of Merida that I enjoyed was the apparent lack of Americans... not that I?m a self-loating American, it was just nice to truly feel immersed in a different culture. We really had to use whatever limited Spanish we had in Merida, but got around just fine. The city is lively, but beautiful and very clean. This was truly a taste of the ?real? Mexico, and the streets were filled with locals enjoying the culture and activities. Great shopping (buy a hammock, but be patient and shop around for a high-quality one), great food, and interesting side trips. It?s easy to get around by taxi (and very inexpensive). Visit the small Museum of Anthropology... very interesting! Be sure to find the exhibits on the 2ND FLOOR (it?s not well marked and we almost left before going up).... that?s where the best stuff is, including an amazing collection of figurines from Jaina.

I suggest staying somewhere central, near the main plaza. All the interesting sights (the buildings and cathedral) are within walking distance, and this is where most of the festival vendors and music happens. We stayed at the Gran Hotel, which I hesitate to recommend, only because some of the rooms are INCREDIBLY loud. I was miserable the first night, since our room with a balcony faced the street and really loud music was pounding until about 1am (and I?m not a light sleeper!) We switched to a back room, however, (with no window or balcony) and were very happy with it. Our favorite restaurant, by far, was Cafe Amaro. It?s a beautiful place with tables in a courtyard under a large orchid tree. Fantastic food and inexpensive. I?m a vegetarian, and there were so many great options there for me. They also specialize in many traditional Yucatecan dishes: chaya soup, papadzoules, eggplant meshe... all great.

UXMAL & PUUC REGION: We took a guided tour (private, pre-arranged just for this one day). Saw the "minor" sites of Labna and Sayil, and the somewhat larger Kabah, which was great. We also went to the Loltun caves, which were fantastic... stalagtites and stalagmites, bats flying around up top, ancient handprints on the walls; very cool. Then we went to Uxmal which was wonderful... probably the most beautiful of all the Mayan ruins, with the very intricate stonework. They charge a nominal fee (about $3) for using a videocamera at the sites, but hang onto your receipt because it's good for all the different sites you visit that day.

CELESTUN: Took a group tour to see the flamingos and birds at Celestun (we booked it in Merida). I was disappointed by the very limited time (maybe 45 mins.) we got to spend out on the boat seeing birds... but seeing those thousands of flamingos was so worth it! If you're a real bird enthusiast, I recommend getting to Celestun on your own and hiring a boat for a longer trip. Our group tour cost only about $40 per person, and included transportation.

CHICHEN ITZA: In the morning we were driven from Merida to Chichen Itza (only about 2 hrs). We stayed at the Mayaland Hotel, which is a very beautiful place. We had a bungalow with a porch and hammock, and the room was just gorgeous (stained glass windows, carved wood furniture, modern bathroom, etc.) If you stay at this hotel, I recommend taking a small flashlight; at night, the paths between the buildings and bungalows are very poorly lit. The ruins themselves were fantastic, and I enjoyed them more than I thought I would (since I had prepared myself for the huge crowds of high season)... it wasn?t so bad. The hotel had a private guide meet us, and we really enjoyed our highly informative 2 1/2 hr. tour (for $40 total). At night I was disappointed and bored by the sound and light show. And be aware that in order to rent the English translation headsets, they insist on holding your photo I.D. (I didn't love this idea).

PLAYA DEL CARMEN: On the way from Chichen Itza to PDC, we stopped at the Cenote Dzitnup and drove through the town of Valladolid. In Playa, we stayed at El Tukan Condotel, which is on 5th Ave. around 16th Street. This is the quieter end of the main street, and I recommend this area. Nearby was our favorite restaurant, Media Luna. (Look for a half moon, or crescent moon sign out front... it can be hard to find!) Our hotel was fine, but we were on the 4th floor (no elevator and no phone in the room). It was a bit inconvenient and tiring. Also, their beach club is quite far from the hotel. But since we?re from South Florida, we didn't really come here for the beach or the sun, but instead to do the Coba Pac-Chen tour, offered by the company Alltournative. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. It's a very active, all-day tour (be sure to eat breakfast!). We first visited the ruins at Coba (climb the pyramid for a great view), then they take you to a tiny Mayan village where you go for a short hike, zip-line across an open-air cenote, then (my favorite) rappel down 45 feet into a cenote where you float around on an inner tube or swim. It was beautiful, and so much fun! Then we went canoeing on a beautiful lake. Before leaving, you're served lunch prepared by the women of the village. Check out www.alltournative.com for more info. You can book in advance online and save 10% (normal rate is $92...includes everything).

Hopefully some of this information will be helpful to someone planning a trip. I surely appreciate all the great info I got from this forum before I went.

I'm happy to answer questions if anyone has any :-)
Thanks for reading!
Carol

CarolM, thanks for the report. I'm planning a similar trip for (hopefully) the fall, and I have 2 questions for you.

How is the road from cancun airport to Merida? Is this an easy drive (don't want to sweat it too much after flying etc.) I wanted to fly in to Merida and out of Cancun, but ticket's too much.

I had not planned on staying overnight in Chichin Itza. Do you think its necessary?? Can I arrive in the morning, have enough time to see everything and drive straight on to Playa del carmen in the early evening?

topping for Conlet

Hi,
We are getting ready to go to Uxmal in May, and I was wondering if you could answer a couple of questions? Can you compare the Uxmal Hacienda and the Lodge at Uxmal hotels? Also, I know that the Pyramid of the Magician was being renovated, but can you climb it now? any other tips would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Tracey

Hi Tracey,

I did not stay overnight at Uxmal, but rather I did it as a day trip from Merida. However, I saw both the Hacienda and the Lodge... both look nice. The Frommer's guide (which I found VERY reliable for info on this trip) gives glowing reviews for the Hacienda, and says that the Lodge has good rooms but not a good restaurant. From what I'm reading here, pick the Hacienda, for sure. I just found the Hacienda review online:

http://www.frommers.com/destinations...cfm?h_id=35859

When I visited, the Pyramid of the Magician was still being rennovated and you couldn't climb it. However, we climbed the Great Pyramid, and that was a little workout, but not too bad.

My biggest advice to you (which you might be doing already) is to be sure and not miss a few of the other archaeological sites in the Puuc region. I LOVED Kabah in particular, and Labna was smaller but very nice too. Sayil was okay, but not great. I think another "must see" in this area are the Loltun caves... very unique. Try to see them while you're in the area.

If you can, try to visit these other sites before you reach Uxmal... otherwise, it might be anticlimactic after the grandeur of Uxmal.

My favorite building in Uxmal was the Nunnery Quadrangle... with very intricate stonework. I'd recommend that you bring binoculars, even if you're not a "birder"; I found that they were helpful to really examine the detailed carvings up on some of the friezes. I also had my videocamera, and the buildings made for some great footage.

Let me know if I can help with anything else!
Carol

Carol,
Thank you SO much for your help!!! I really appreciate it!
Tracey

topping for vita

ttt

I cant' seem to figure out how long your trip was.

The trip was 8 days long:

Day 1: flew to Cancun, transfer to Merida
Day 2: in Merida (on a Sunday, the best day)
Day 3: Toured Uxmal and Puuc sites
Day 4: side trip to Celestun for flamingos
Day 5: Chichen Itza
Day 6: Playa del Carmen
Day 7: Coba Pac-Chen tour (with Alltournatives) fro Playa del Carmen
Day 8: half day in Playa del Carmen, flew home

It worked out very well for us. Are you planning a similar trip? Let me know if I can help out :)
Carol

Trying to decide to return to PV or go somewhere else. PdC has been recommended as more PV than Cancun. However, the posts keep mentioning staying at the quieter end of town. I like fun, but should I worry about PdC being a mega party town?

Playa del Carmen is considered less of a party place than Cancun. It is more international... many Europeans visit there as opposed to the swarms of Americans who go to Cancun. I'm sure the crowd-factor also depends on the time of year. I stayed on the quieter end of town because I was traveling with my mother :) We were there in peak season (New Years). So there was quite a crowd, but it still wasn't zoo-y. For more information on PDC, look at this site:
www.playadelcarmeninfo.com
Then click on "forums" on the left side... there's a wealth of information there, and so many posters on the forum have tons of great advice. Hope this helps.

I definitely liked one side of Playa Del Carmen better than the other. The more rollicking part of town is closer to the Cozumel ferry. There are more of the party type restaurants in this area, and the vendors seemed much more aggressive. As you get towards the North end, there are nicer shops and restaurants, and to me, the town is more attractive.
As in any town, there are the nicer areas and the not so nice! It is a busy town with an international flavor and pretty nice (not the best in the area, though) beaches.

We are going with some friends to PDC and Chichen Itza in October. Is there a hotel in PDC that you would recommend with a conveniently located beach club and a pool (not AI). Thanks for your trip report.

Rachele,
Go to www.playadelcarmeninfo.com for a recommendation of a good hotel (as well as lots of other great info on the area). I used this site extensively planning my trip. There's also a really good forum on that site.