Hi all,

Can anyone tell me what to expect in terms of crowded beaches/ruins/cenotes - we are travelling mid-March.

Our past experience is in Costa Rica, where the beaches and trails are usually empty (at least where we traveled), even in high season. We know this is not likely to be the case on the Mayan coast, but can anyone tell me how bad is it? And how is the traffic, say traveling the road south from Cancun to Tulum, or West to Chichen Itza?

Obviously we'll steer clear of Cancun and PDC, but what about Akamal, Tulum? What about the ruins, are they totally over-run? We are planning to spend a few days down in Sian Kaan, where it appears few people go... but there are no cheap accomodations down there that I have found so far, so we can't book an entire week there...

Any comments? We really need peace and quiet and absense of crowds.

Thanks for your help!
Amy

Just keep in mind those 2 words that can ruin a vacation... SPRING BREAK!! Schools have this break at different times and anywhere warm and cheap is where they are headed. Also, check out what damage was done by all the storms this season. I've seen pics of the cruise ship pier in Cozumel and it's not pretty.

You won't have to worry about Spring Break unless you go to Cancun. We have been to PDC, Isla and Akumal/Tulum in March and wouldn't hesitate to go back at that time. Tulum/Akumal would be your best bet for "peace and quiet". When we were in Tulum it was during Easter break and you could usually count the number of people you could see on the beach on one hand, we couldn't believe how few people were there. The beaches of Tulum are also the best in the area. We have been to the ruins during this time as well - Chichen Izta was by far the busiest - but still worth the trip. We used Alltourative Tours to go to Coba and also did their cave snorkelling tour. They offer a tour to Sian Kaan that we are taking in February. Their tours are great - small groups and very knowledgable guides. Check them out at www.alltournative.com. Check out www.locogringo.com for places to stay - we booked a condo in Akumal from them and used that as our home base. As far as traffic, once you get south of PDC it isn't bad at all. Have a great time - this is a wonderful area of Mexico!

PS - don't worry about the storm damage. The hardest hit areas were from Pt. Morelos north to Cancun, Isal and Cozumel also we hit pretty hard. Tulum had minimal damage. There are post-hurricane pics of all the beach areas from PDC south on the locogringo website.

Unfortunately, some spring breakers do find their way to the ruins, which will have lots of visitors in March. Best bet for Tulum or Chichen Itza is to arrive very early in the day (it's also less busy toward the end of the day). Other ruins (such as Coba) are much quieter.

Our favorite beaches are in the Tulum area (south of the ruins) and Xpu-Ha, north of Akumal. We liked the snorkeling best in Akumal Bay. There shouldn't be too many spring breakers impacting these areas.

You do run the risk of having an obnoxious group on your airplane.

hi there,

Thanks so much for this info everyone! I feel much better, knowing it is possible to avoid the Spring Breakers...