Travel blog Mexico: 5 highlights you can’t skip in Yucatan

The colonial city of Valladolid is only a three-hour drive from Cancun, but these cities cannot be compared. In the pleasant streets of Valladolid you will find beautiful, old buildings in all colors of the rainbow. This city is mainly visited to see the world wonder ‘Chichen Itza’. This ancient Mayan complex is approximately 45 minutes’ drive from Valladolid and is easy to visit with a collectivo (Minibus that only leaves when there are enough passengers). You will also find many cenotes in the Valladolid area. A cenote literally means a ‘waterhole’ and in this one you can enjoy swimming in it. We have been to Cenote Guzman and the great thing is that you can visit this special natural phenomenon by bicycle. For a delicious (vegan) breakfast you can go to The Coffee Bike Station and we have a very good meal at El Atrio del Mayab.

Hotel tip: Casa Rosario

Before I went to Bacalar, I wondered why some tourists visited Lake Bacalar instead of spending their time on the wonderful Mexican coast. But now I wonder why not everyone goes to this clear blue lake for at least two days! What a fantastic place. The village of the same name is located directly on the lake and has a relaxed atmosphere. The water of the lake is so clear that my Facebook / Instagram followers thought my photo was taken in the Maldives (really!). You can take fantastic boat trips and explore the area by bike, but you will visit Bacalar in advance to relax on one of the many jetties.

Tip: Hotel / restaurant Aluxes is located just outside of Bacalar. If you order food and drinks in the restaurant, you can use the sun loungers on the jetty for free. Your drinks are brought by a friendly waiter and there are swings with breathtaking views of the lake. Do I need to say more?

On the internet we could not find much about this palce. That was just an extra reason for us to take a look! We didn’t quite know what to expect but what a wonderful resort this is. Keep in mind the planning of the cruise ships. These moor on Tuesday through Friday and then the village overflows with the Americans. Suddenly souvenir shops appear everywhere and the menu cards are replaced by American variants. Nice to experience once, but we especially enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere on the other days. Mahahual has a long boulevard where you can have a nice meal and on the beach we were mainly between Mexican families. The children from the village had fun in the sea while their parents sat on the beach with cool boxes. Oh yes, and you can snorkel among giant turtles. We had arranged a private boat and that cost us 600 pesos for one hour.

Tip: we slept in a nice AirBnB on the beach: Tony’s Posada. The super nice owners run a pizzeria downstairs. The rooms are not fancy but the location is worth more than 5 *.

A two-hour bus ride from Cancún + a fun boat trip of less than half an hour = paradise found! On Isla Holbox you mainly come to relax and enjoy the fantastic sunset. You will find nice places with hammocks in the sea, cozy beach bars and a lovely village with cool street art. There are almost no cars on this island and you won’t miss a thing because if you stay in the village, you can do (almost) everything on foot. There are also taxis(golf carts) or you can explore the island by bicycle. Recommended!

Tip: Tuumbuenholboxeno apartments are clean, spacious and centrally located. The friendly owner Hector can tell you everything about the island.