Rating
As I describe each day, I also qualify and rate everything to indicate whether I would recommend doing what we did from 1 to 4.
For hotels/bed and breakfast I rate four things: The actual quality of the Bed, the food and especially the breakfast, whether the location is convenient and whether Value for Money seems sufficient.
For restaurant I rate: Food quality, Food creativity and Service.
For activities I rate: Uniqueness of experience, Activity level and Level of Fun.
I will always link either the google location or the website, such that planning is fast and easy.
Below you can see the graphs I will post for all activities and locations we visited.
Day 1: A Late Arrival at Cancun Airport
The trip from Galapagos was strenuous, we landed at around 11pm in Cancun. Hence, we wanted to stay one night close to the airport to get some rest before getting our car at Hertz (!there are two Hertz locations on google- i linked the pickup location) and driving to Mérida.
Arriving at Cancun can be somewhat uncomfortable. Actually, among all the touristy places we have been in South America, this was one of the worst. Taxi drivers eagerly approached, aggressively vying for passengers. As it was late at night and we were almost the only passenger at the time, it wasn't the best experience to start with.
We had picked Hilton Garden Inn Cancun Airport for one reason only. It has a pickup from and to the airport as we didn't feel comfortable to walk to a hotel at night, no lighting in a area we didn't know whether it was safe enough. A mix-up with our pickup service left us stranded at the airport for over 3 hours. Turned out, that the pick up concierge and the reception of Hilton, do not talk to each other and request the guest to contact the concierge the night by WhatsApp to organize be picked up (eye-roll).
After calling the hotel, they sent the concierge and off we went.
To their credit, the concierge was really great, calming the situation down, and being super helpful up to checking in and bringing our luggage to the room. Also the reception was friendly and supportive.
The day after we went to breakfast - again a little messy and food wasn't the best. So overall, not super happy with our choice of location, but it did the deed of giving us some time to recover.
Day 2: Transfer to Mérida and City Night
We had booked a car rental at Hertz Airport, thinking to go for an international rental in such a touristy place would be probably more safe. We didn't want to risk any fees or charges when returning our car... Well, not so sure whether our selection was the best. I think next time I would just advise to go over rentalcars.
Getting the car took ages (about 2.5h). The cost was massive (about 100$/day with all insurance etc.) and when we finally got it the car looked like it had been redone after a massive accident. (Whole driver side seemed to have been redone.) Overall, I guess you could have gone for a less costly alternative and would have gotten the same.
Once we got our car off we went to Mérida. The first hours in Cancun and our hotel/car rental troubles still lingering it took us a bit to get into travel mode again. A rest stop later (with a great souvenir shop) we were back to happy travelling mode and once we arrived at the loveliest Hotel Künük, we came across in our whole travels, mood was back on.
During the day the weather was intense - it got up to 36°C, so we decided to relax a little at our hotel pool before going in for a free city tour late afternoon. The city tour was lovely - I recommend doing those tours whenever you start a city discovery. One of the best to get good food tips and a general overview over the cities landmarks. This one was a good one - not the best we ever had been on, but it did the deed.
At night we went for a lovely dinner in beautiful Hacienda Yerba Santa Mérida at the main Avenida Paseo Montejo. A costly but wonderful recommendation from the kind staff at our hotel. As the city tour had focused on the old center around Plaza Grande, the restaurants location was also perfect for an after dinner stroll to get the very famous Avenida, full with souvenir stalls. The other district, that is most famous to visit when in Mérida. The dinner itself was great, a creative menu of a female chef, with impeccable service.
Day 3: A Day of Cultural Immersion
Our journey through the Yucatan Peninsula continued as we immersed ourselves in a day of cultural exploration.
With the first rays of sunlight, we enjoyed a hearty breakfast at our hotel, preparing ourselves for the day's adventures.
Our first stop was the remarkable archaeological site of Uxmal. I strongly advise to go as early as it opens (click hear for more details on the site and what to see)- when we left around 1.5 hours after arriving it filled up heavily.
After exploring the ruins we decided to visit the nearby "Choco Story Museum". From the outside it looked quite trappy and I wasn't a fan of the animals (they however are rescue animals). Still, we loved the high content and interactivity of the museum tour and so ended up thoroughly enjoying it.
After about 2h in the museum (yes, we really took it all in) we went back on the road back to Mérida, making a stop at Hacienda Mucuyché, another recommendation of our hotel receptionist: This beautifully preserved estate allowed us to step back in time and experience the region's colonial past and a very beautiful (yet no longer completely natural) cenotes. The hacienda asks you to join a guided tour that introduces you to Yucatans' former glory of being the worlds epicenter of ropes manufacturing. After the guided tour you get to swim in the cenotes (be prepared that the hacienda is a family attraction and many kids will be there). As this cenote is very popular, the guides will not allow much alone time. The hacienda and its cenote was lovely, yet we ended up preferring the more natural cenotes in our later travels much better. Still, the esthetics of the haciendas rich architecture and learning about Yucatans' history on the tour left us with no regrets for making the 1.5 h stop.
We returned to the hotel around 3 pm for a pool break before going to the fanciest of all dinners during our travels: The fine dining restaurant Kuuk - a true gem of creative mexican cuisine and top notch service.
Day 4: Diving the cenotes near Mérida
Day 4 started with an early rise and breakfast at Künük before the Explorer Divers picked us up with their Van.
We were three divers (so us and one other person) and the diving instructor. We drove for about 1.5 hours, arriving at Cenote Noh-Mozon. After gearing up and getting a thorough briefing, we dived into the blue wonders.
After that we took surface interval with some water melon and fresh mango before driving to our second Cenote Nah Yah. After another safety briefing, we jumped into the deep blue calmness again.
Both dives were about 60 minutes and because it was our first ever "cave diving" we only went into a short "cave-like" covered part. I must admit - it was enough cave for me. Nevertheless we would have never discovered or had gone to the two cenotes on our own as the drive was horrendously difficult. I think we wouldn't have risked a flat tire going there on our own :). So, what a great find to have the chance to visit two super remote cenotes with a diving center!
We concluded the day trip by lovely meal provided by explorer divers own employee that had helped with gear during the dive. He was running a family owned restaurant with his wife(that we unfortunately didn't remember the name of). A restaurant we would have never discovered indeed on our own, with GREAT and fresh mexican tacos. This foody gem closed of a great diving trip with one of the best companies we have ever dived with.
Because we had a late lunch (around 3pm) we didn't really feel hungry. After a short stop at the hotel for a refreshing shower we decided to go for a fun night of music and mezcal at Mezcaleria La Fundacion. The location looks rusty on the outside - but once you step inside and the place fills up the atmosphere is great, the drinks are good the snacks are A LOT. A great tip we had received during the city tour.
Day 5: Mérida Shopping Day and Transfer to Valladolid
After a breakfast at our hotel we went into town again to do some shopping as I have loved the textiles and artsy wood work the days before.
I followed some tips from a blog, I had found (here) and went to Casa Maya, Artesanaria, Ki'Xocolatl, L'epicerie boutique, Miel Nativa Kaban, Tags Alpargatas, Taller Maya Santa Ana, Casa T'HO (where we also took a break and a nice cool drink) and lastly Happening and Aldrin Ayuso before it got too hot. Our shopping however wasn't that successful - many of the offers felt a bit too expensive. We ended up not buying anything and we returned for some final pool time to the hotel.
After a little recovery we packed our bags and off we drove to the charming town of Valladolid. After checking into the lovely Hotel Boutique Olbil Valladolid (the hotel really is 1:1 like on the pics on booking), we went for an early dinner at Conato.
We liked the food but unfortunately we got forgotten twice and it was quite chaotic. The day after we ate at a much better place, which is why the rating for Conato is quite low.
As night falls, we take a leisurely stroll through the vibrant streets of Valladolid, marveling at the colonial architecture and immersing ourselves in the town's welcoming ambiance. What a great day.
Day 6: Chichén Itzá and discovering the cenotes of Homún
Our day begins with yet another early breakfast at the hotel before we head to the iconic archaeological site of Chichén Itzá.
Make sure you get there as early as it opens - as soon as the big busses are coming with the day trippers from the beaches, it gets really busy.
(Click hear for more details on Chichén Itzá.) While many blogs mention the aggressive haggling of the stall owners, I didn't feel that was too much of a hassle. I actually liked the livelihood of it. If you really want to buy something though, I would advise you buy it on your trip back to Mérida. There are many stalls at the side of the road, which are much better in price.
After our exploration of Chichén Itzá, we journey to Homún, a picturesque town known for its surrounding and hundreds of captivating cenotes.
What makes Homún special, is that at its city center several moto taxis are waiting for you to book them for half a day (or the full day) to visit up to 5 different cenotes. After arriving at city center (by the way a beautiful square) of Homún, we immediately got approached by one of the drivers, holding about 50 (!) cards describing the possible cenotes you could choose to see. After having selected three (we were ok with a shorter trip) off we went with our little taxi.
We visited Bal-Mil, Hool Kosom and Wolpoch. While in the two first ones some other guests (nothing compared to Mucuyché) enjoyed the swimming and snorkeling, we had Wolpoch to ourselves. The owner came to greet us - and with the little spanish we knew, he explained a little about the place. Our driver joined us in the first few minutes entering the cenote and showed us all the Mayan sculptures of the former holy mayan place. We sensed that this place meant a lot to him and were appreciative that they opened it up for tourism to visit.
This cenotes adventure was one of the most special, mythical and fun things we have done during our Mexico trip. I highly recommend it.
In the evening we went to the lovely restaurant Sikil - a highly recommened restaurant with great Chicken and the delicious and famous Poc Chuc.
Day 7: Ek Balam and city tour in Valladolid
Day six began with a great breakfast at Hotel Olbil.
Today we wanted to have another early start to go to Ek Balam before the massive car loads from Cancun would be arriving.
Ek Balam is again quite a unique archeological place (click here to read about the site Ek Balam and what to see). On one hand because of the fact that you can climb the pyramids. On the other hand because some of the intricate structures have or are currently restored, making it very well-preserved. What we didn't know is that because there are less tourists coming here, you can explore the ruins at a more leisurely pace and enjoy a more intimate and immersive experience.
With the midday heat intensifying, we seek respite from the scorching sun and head to our hotel pool again. Sipping some tropical drinks (get a Horchata), we simply basked in the sun for a while.
As the sun began to set, we made our way to Valladolid's main square, to join a another free walking tour. Our knowledgeable guide shared intriguing tales and legends of the past while unveiling Valladolid's architectural marvels, such as the majestic San Servacio Cathedral and the colorful City Hall.
Once the tour ended at Convento de San Bernardino de Siena we went for some fresh beers and good tacos at Idilio Folklore Cervecero. The garden there is super relaxing and we just stayed there snacking our way through the menu.
The Beaches of Playa del Carmen and culinary exploration
On Day 1, we bid farewell to Valladolid and drove to Playa del Carmen. Upon arrival, we checked into our hotel Fairmont Mayakoba, which was both stunning and selected for its safety (see here for more details on safety considerations). However, despite its breathtaking beauty, the luxury resort fell short of our usual preferences and was not something we would consider booking again. Even though its for sure top notch and the staff was brilliant and kind, we didn't feel at home in the too posh atmosphere.
Since diving wasn't possible on the first day, we decided to enroll in the CO.COS cooking school (check her website here). Led by the skilled and joyful chef Coty, we learned to create the most exquisite Mexican dishes. From avocado-shrimp tartar to fish cooked in banana leaves with axiote sauce, along with homemade tortilla chips and a dessert of beautifully caramelized bananas, this cooking school proved to be one of the best cooking schools we've ever attended. Asides the excellent food quality we felt like cooking with a dear friend. Our conversations were both filled with lively stories and profound talks about the meaning of life.
On Day 2, we finally embarked on an unforgettable diving adventure with Mexico DeepDive in Playa del Carmen. The vibrant coral reefs left us awestruck, as they were some of the most stunning we had ever witnessed. With appetites worked up, we returned to the hotel to change and indulged in a delightful dinner at La Cueva. This hidden gem boasted a charming garden and served tasty food, although the culinary experiences we had in Mérida and Valladolid surpassed it in terms of quality and authenticity.
Day 3 treated us to another day of diving, this time on a boat trip to Cozumel, a renowned island known for its breathtaking underwater scenery. As we drifted through the clear turquoise waters, we marveled at the kaleidoscope of colors showcased by the vibrant coral formations and had the incredible opportunity to observe a magnificent blue turtle up close. In the evening, we savored a delightful dinner at Axiote, relishing the flavors of traditional Mayan cuisine. Afterward, we wandered along the famous Quinta Avenida, immersing ourselves in Playa del Carmen's lively nightlife, vibrant music, and energetic (or crazy) atmosphere.
While the diving, which was the primary purpose of our trip, proved to be one of the most remarkable diving experiences we've had, we didn't fall in love with Playa del Carmen as a whole. Its highly touristy (party) atmosphere, westernized food options, and cheap souvenir/party streets didn't resonate with us. The heavily guarded hotels and police patrols armed with machine guns along the beach contributed to an atmosphere that didn't appeal to us. Although we had no regrets (because of the diving and cooking school) about concluding our tour in Playa, we wouldn't consider returning.
After three days, the day after we returned our car and flew off. Back home.