Post: #1

Mexico experts, I am going on a trip to Riviera Maya in the summer with my chica, I need some good recommendations for a bomb time with her.

We want to stay in cheap hotels/Airbnb and visit around 4 places, each by bus, unless car rental is cheaper but I doubt it. Our trip will be around 1-2 weeks long.

I want it to include a mix of popular and low-key spots, some cenotes and places where you can rent a motorbike and jetski would be cool too, I know next to nothing about this region of Mexico - what places should be on my list?

Cheers

Post: #2

Go to Bacalar bro

Post: #3

Playa Del Carmen is probably your best bet to stay as a base, it isn’t high season so you can get decent deals on hotels near or on Avenida Quinta (5th), probably around $50 USD for something nice. From there you can visit most of the local spots during day trips so Cozumel, Tulum, Chichinitza, cenotes, etc. You can go to high end hotels with spas, lounges, infinity pools for your IG pics.

ADO buses or collectivos are all you’ll need to get around. Forget Cancun, if you want to visit a proper city then take the 4 hour bus to Merida and stay there for one night to check it out, this can be done in conjunction with a visit to Chinchinitza.

Basically there’s a few boxes to tick off for any trip to Yucatan:

-Mayan ruins (there’s some near Tulum if you don’t want to go to
-Cenotes (also near Tulum)
-Beaches: they’re everywhere but there’s been issues with seaweed washing up onshore

The rest is up to you guys there’s epic snorkling/diving in Cozumel, hippy yoga stuff in Tulum, high end clubs/restaurants in Playa Del Carmen.

You guys will have a fun trip, the Mayan Riviera is an easy trip

Post: #4

(04-17-2019 02:47 PM)scotian Wrote:  it isn’t high season

In your opinion, when is high season?

Edit: Just did a quick google search.

When looking up Cancun: Cancun's high season runs from the end of November to the first week in March, according to Fodor's. Prices peak from mid-December to mid-January. The cheapest time to visit is from May to November – particularly September and October, the two rainiest months

When looking up Playa:The high seasons in the Riviera Maya/Playa del Carmen occur in the "winter" months from December through April and again during summer vacation in July and August. The peak seasons in Playa del Carmen are Christmas and Spring Break (Semana Santa) which is the week before and after Easter

Post: #5

You'll find lots of people anytime, we locals always say that there's two seasons here... High season and crazy season. If you want less crowds and cheaper prices come in September and October.

Post: #6

A compact sedan rental is between $5 and $10/day. This might sound cheap, well because it comes with a catch. The catch is that they will want to hold $5K from your credit card until you return the vehicle. That's what they tried to do to me in 2015, so when I declined to have $5K held from my card, then the price jumped to almost double of what you would normally rent a car for in the US. I ended up paying $55 for the day that I used the car. This was through Europcar

Post: #7

(04-18-2019 08:41 AM)International Playa Wrote:  A compact sedan rental is between $5 and $10/day. This might sound cheap, well because it comes with a catch. The catch is that they will want to hold $5K from your credit card until you return the vehicle. That's what they tried to do to me in 2015, so when I declined to have $5K held from my card, then the price jumped to almost double of what you would normally rent a car for in the US. I ended up paying $55 for the day that I used the car. This was through Europcar

There are also a lot of toll roads that are kind of expensive traveling between the cities. Merida to Cancun is like 400 pesos ($20).

Post: #8

(04-16-2019 11:48 PM)Mikestar Wrote:  Mexico experts, I am going on a trip to Riviera Maya in the summer with my chica, I need some good recommendations for a bomb time with her.

We want to stay in cheap hotels/Airbnb and visit around 4 places, each by bus, unless car rental is cheaper but I doubt it. Our trip will be around 1-2 weeks long.

I want it to include a mix of popular and low-key spots, some cenotes and places where you can rent a motorbike and jetski would be cool too, I know next to nothing about this region of Mexico - what places should be on my list?

Cheers

Fly into Cancun. Day trip to Chichen Itza ruins and some cenotes from there. Then head south.

Stop in Puerto Morelos a for a day or two, it's a low key fishing village. The beach has a lot of seaweed right now but it's nice enough. Do a snorkeling trip there. They take you out on a little boat for a few hours. The reef off the shore of Puerto Morelos is really nice and calm.

Continue on to Playa Del Carmen or Tulum and post up at either of those spots for several days depending on what you're into.

Then optional trip for a day or two down to Bacalar to see the laguna and some more mayan ruins.

Alternative option is to go out to Isla Mujeres or Cozumel for a few days instead.

That's what I would do!

Edit: you could also fly into Merida and start there to before heading south. But If you're with a girl on a couple week vacation I don't really see much of a reason to go there really. It's going to be hot as fuck that time of year. The weather is like 10-15 degrees cooler on the coast and breezier

Post: #9

Great advice. Also look up holbox. Little island with no cars NW of Cancun.

Post: #10

I'm actually heading to that region next week with to chill out. I've seen the ruins at Chichenitza years ago, don't really care much about sightseeing but dig snorkeling and wildlife. Looking at Holbox and Isla Mujeres. What's the deal with Bacalar?

Post: #11

My final plan is Merida - PDC - Tulum - Bacalar - Belize (San Pedro) - Cancun

Who can tell me if Belize is worth it for a day? Is there anything special I should see there? My chick hasn't been there and it was my suggestion as we want to see a new country