Mexico is upcoming! And I’m not talking about Cancun, this place was discovered years ago. No, then we talk about it. A combination of typical Mexican cities, beautiful beaches (where you won’t nestle) and impressive maya temples. Last month we traveled here for three weeks and this was pretty awesome!
It is very nice to explore this region on your own. We had booked our first night in Cancun. We then booked a number of days in advance each time over the internet so we could see how long we wanted to stay for each location. We were planning to travel with a rental car but the ADO bus was so good that we let everything do everything. You can buy ADO bus tickets at the bus station or online. We preferred using Clickbus, because ithe app worked ] better than their own website (which sometimes ran enormously etc).
| Our itinerary was: | |
| Day 1 – 2 | Cancun |
| Day 2 – 6 | Isla Holbox |
| Day 6 – 8 | Valladolid |
| Day 8 – 11 | Merida |
| Day 11 – 13 | Bacalar |
| Day 13 – 16 | Tulum |
| Day 16 – 19 | Mahahual |
| Day 19 – 20 | Playa del Carmen |
| How we should do it again | |
| Day 1 – 2 | Cancun |
| Day 2 – 7 | Isla Holbox |
| Day 7 – 9 | Valladolid |
| Day 9 – 12 | Merida |
| Day 12 – 15 | Bacalar |
| Day 15 – 18 | Mahahual |
| Day 18 – 20 | Playa del Carmen |
Skip Tulum
As you can see I would have preferred to skip Tulum afterwards. In many travel blogs this place is described as a laid-back hippie town. I can imagine it was that way a few years ago but now I would describe it differently. The tourist trains with disco lamps that drive through the village in the evening do not fit in at all, and the huge row of (luxury) resorts on the coast do not make it cozier. The beach of Tulum is a few km away from the village and the prices there are a lot higher. Nevertheless, Tulum also has nice sides such as the hip (coffee) tents, nice shops and cozy lounge / bars. The beach is beautiful (despite the many resorts) and if I didn’t have enough time to cover large distances, I could have a good time there for a few days. But … in my ideal travel route I would skip Tulum and spend those days extra on Isla Holbox or Bacalar.
As you can see I would have preferred to skip Tulum afterwards. In many travel blogs this place is described as a laid-back hippie town. I can imagine it was that way a few years ago but now I would describe it differently. The tourist trains with disco lamps that drive through the village in the evening do not fit in at all, and the huge row of (luxury) resorts on the coast do not make it cozier. The beach of Tulum is a few km away from the village and the prices there are a lot higher. Nevertheless, Tulum also has nice sides such as the hip (coffee) tents, nice shops and cozy lounge / bars. The beach is beautiful (despite the many resorts) and if I didn’t have enough time to cover large distances, I could have a good time there for a few days. But … in my ideal travel route I would skip Tulum and spend those days extra on Isla Holbox or Bacalar.
Surprisingly Mahahual
Because we didn’t want to stay our last (planned chill) days in Tulum, we took the bus to Mahahual. On the internet we couldn’t find much about this place except that many cruise ships moor. When we arrived on Friday, it was immediately clear. Both the boulevard and the beach were full with Americans. When we walked back to the boulevard at the end of the afternoon we saw the cruise ship just sailing away and the peace had returned. The American menu cards were put away again and we were on the beach mainly among the Mexicans. The entire weekend we enjoyed this quiet seaside place with a long boulevard. Before you visit this town, check the internet when the cruise ships dock at this resort (in March 2018 that was daily from Tuesday to Friday). It is a nice experience to see what those cruise ships do in Mahahual, but I would plan my visit especially on the other days so that you can enjoy the laidback atmosphere.
Slow travel
You have those people who are wanting to see half of Mexico in three weeks. Personally it doesn’t make me happy. I think it is important to take the time for the places I am going and to be ’there’. My goal is not to have seen the whole world but to enjoy the cool places where I come and experience the ‘real’ life there.
Alternatives
If you have less time, you can choose to skip Merida or Valladolid. There is a really nice but quite similar atmosphere in these places. Valladolid is also called ‘The small Merida’. In addition to the pleasant center, it is nice to explore the area. I wouldn’t have missed the visit to Uxmal (from Merida), so I would probably skip Valladolid if there was a lack of time.
If you have more time than we do, I would definitely visit Palenque and San Cristobal. If we had had a week longer, we would certainly have taken this corner.
Are you also a slow traveler? Or do you find it especially important to see as much as possible during your trip?
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Hi ik ben Anne (30) en ik ben reis- en lifestyleblogger voor Travelgoodies. Samen met Remco reis ik de wereld over. Onderweg schiet ik plaatjes van wereldse interieurs en ik heb een zwak voor boutiquehotels. Op Travelgoodies deel ik mijn persoonlijke (reis)ervaringen en natuurlijk handige tips voor onderweg. Never stop exploring! Heb je vragen, tips of opmerkingen? Stuur me dan gerust een mailtje: anne@travelgoodies.nl of neem contact op via het contactformulier.
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