This January we decided to go visit a friend who had been working as a SCUBA instructor in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. So, with 2 days notice, we booked flights, and took off for the week to hang out on the Mayan Riviera.
Playa del Carmen is about 45 minutes away from Cancun. We easily hopped on the airport shuttle, and met our friend Andrew at the bus station on Quinta Avenida. (FYI: Quinta Avenida is one of the busiest most obnoxious shopping streets ever–more on that later!)
As neither of us are really “beach” people, we needed a plan to enjoy the most of our stay in the resort filled paradise. We quickly learned how to take the colectivo busses (5 pesos each) so we could travel to and from Andrew’s apartment. With three of us, traveling by car was a cheap convenient option for longer distances, so we decided to rent a car to explore some of the sites in the state of Quintana Roo.
CHICHÉN ITZÁ
Chichen Itza is one of the New 7 Wonders of the World AND a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lucky for us, these Mayan ruins were close enough to Playa Del Carmen that we were able to make a day trip to the site. We hopped in the car and quickly learned to spot the GIANT Mexican Speedbumps AKA “topes” along the way!
El Castillo, the iconic Kukulcan pyramid of the Yucatan, is definitely the main attraction of Chichen Itza. The structure has all sorts of astronomical importance for when and how the sun hits during equinoxes and solstices. Google it up if you’re interested.
On the way from Chichen Itza back to our home base, we stopped in the sweet little colonial town of Valladolid. It would have been nice if we’d have had more time to explore all that the town had to offer as it was a super cute place.
COBA
For our second day with the rental car, we decided to head to Coba. Coba was the largest and most powerful Mayan city before the rise of Chichen Itza. These Mayan Ruins also have the largest pyramid of the Yucatan Peninsula. As a visitor, I enjoyed the atmosphere of Coba much more than Chichen Itza. Though there were dozens more touts which is a definite draw back to any site, the pathways through the jungle, and the trees/shade made up for it.
TULUM
We made it to the beach at Tulum, but due to time constraints missed visiting these ruins. After having seen the two previous archeological sites, we weren’t super disappointed at missing Tulum. The beach itself was beautiful. Such fine sand, almost like confectionary sugar, and some pelicans bobbing along on the waves made me a happy gal.
BEST OF THE REST
We were left with a few days to fill up, and I had heard great things about Cozumel from friends and coworkers. Cozumel is a short ferry ride from Playa del Carmen, and is supposed to be a fun way to spend the day.
SUCH A DISAPOINTMENT!
Cozumel is touts on steroids, and beyond that, it is horribly packed with cruise ship passengers. Visiting Cozumel was a huge waste of time and money. If you’re there for SCUBA, I’m sure you’d have a great time. We did not.
After the shit-show of Cozumel, I was certain Xcaret would be a horrible experience as well. We are not fans of zoos/aquariums in general. The reviews online were utterly horrendous! Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised. For us, it was actually an alright facility.
Note: We did not participate in any of the water activities. If you’re into snorkeling or swimming with dolphins/sting rays feel free. That’s not my cup o’ tea. Guaranteed my opinion would have changed to the negative had I taken part in any of those activities.
We were able to see baby Sea Turtles at various ages as part of the Sea Turtle Conservation program. The Butterfly Garden was kind of neat. We saw dozens and dozens of birds, parrots, macaws, flamingos etc. Xcaret is part of conservation efforts for Scarlet Macaws.
This vacation really was a different experience for us. Typically, we don’t stay in one city for more than 3 or 4 days, and we’ve never had a host or home to settle in. Being able to set a home base definitely made for a more enjoyable adventure in Mexico.
We were able to experience several things that we would have missed out on otherwise–like using colectivos, going to the movies, eating at the same little taco stand, drinking Horchata, and even just relaxing in the evenings playing card games.
All in all it was an enjoyable winter interlude in Mexico. Thanks Andrew for the hospitality!
~j
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