What to do with an extra day near Tulum
 

Due to an airline schedule change we will have an extra day at the beginning of our one month trip to Mexico. We land at Cancun airport a day earlier than expected at 1:12PM. Our plan had been to spend 3 nights in Tulum seeing the ruins, Coba, the beach and then leave for Vallodillid. Now we have an extra day and night.

Might it be worth taking the ADO bus from the Cancun airport to spend the night in Playa del Carmen to see it and the beach before continuing on to Tulum for the next 3 nights. Or would it be better to take a USA Transfer taxi to Tulum and spend the extra night there (We would have to change rooms after the first night) and take a bus the next day to Playa del Carmen, or elsewhere, to spend the day there.

Alternatively, does anyone have any other suggestions for a good use of our one extra day in the area. We have never been to this area of Mexico so don't know how to make an educated decision about what to do with the extra day. BTW, we are not beach people, so we would be happy to spend an hour or two walking the beach and then move on to see something different.

The bus service between Cancun and Playa and Tulum is frequent and inexpensive. Don't mess with a taxi or transfer.

If you have the time in Tulum and will be visiting Coba, I suggest you get to Coba at opening time (still cool in morning). After you finish seeing the ruins, hire a taxi to take you on a tour of three nearby cenotes: Tamcach-Ha, Choo-Ha and Multum-Ha. These are all sub-surface cenotes so you descend into them on a ladder. Take masks and snorkels and enjoy the cool water.

The cenote just west of Tulum, Gran Cenote, is mostly above ground so it is a different experience though still a fun one.

What are your plans once you leave Tulum? Personally, I'd like to have an idea about that before offering a suggestion.

Snorkeling and diving in cenotes, snorkeling with the turtles in Akumal, and visiting this spider monkey sanctuary were highlights for us:
http://www.thejungleplace.com/

BTW, while I'd still like to see the rest of your plan, you might want to consider a visit to Sian Ka'an
http://www.visitsiankaan.com

Playa is a lot of fun. Lots of restaurants and nightlife. It’s definitely worthwhile.

kja-After Tulum we will be visiting Vallodillid for 3 nights, Merida for a week, Oaxaca for a week and Mexico City for a week. Our main focus in each city is cultural-museums, ancient ruins, ambling the streets, ect. as well as sampling good food in restaurants. We also will be experiencing a few nearby cenotes.

I had thought about the SianKaan biosphere, but the escorted trips take most of the day and are about $100 per person, and I did not know if it was worth the time and money spent. (We are not renting a car).

Does Playa del Carmen have anything to do/see other than the beach. We are not shoppers.

Waht kinds of things do you want "to do"? PDC is a city, so it has various stores, a pedestrian street with all kinds of shops on it, chain to sidewalk vendors, and the beach, which isn't that great right in town. And of course the ferry to Cozumel. There really isn't anything else to do, no grand ruins or churches or mueseums anything, not sure what you would want. I imagine there isn't much to do in Tulum, either.

I don't agree about taking the bus rather than a private transfer. Those are very reasonably priced and can be easier/more comfortable that dealing with ADO, and they will go to your hotel, also, that's the big thing.

Maybe a day in Puerto Morelos, small town only 20 minutes drive south of the airport.
I'd take a private transfer, buses from the airport to Tulum are not that frequent without changing buses in Playa del Carmen.

Should be a nice trip!

I'm glad I visited the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, but then, I like things like that.

Another option would be Cozumel, as Christina mentioned. I didn't make it there, but there are parts I'm sure I would have liked. Or you can visit some of the cenotes in the area, and even arrange to snorkel in a few.

If you don't already have it, I thought the Moon Guide provided excellent coverage of one's options in the area.

I like taking local transportation, because I like seeing the local people. I have some wonderful memories of children piling into buses after school, and mothers comparing the results of their shopping, etc.