Tulum, Mexico
Riviera Maya, Mexico
Note: To read about our day in Mexico City click here.
Why we love Riviera Maya: The FOOD! Also, amazing beaches & snorkeling.
Dates Traveled: July 2008
Must See: Snorkel in a cenote, Isla Mujeres, margaritas at the Mezzanine in Tulum
We wish we....never got pulled over by a corrupt cop.
Why we love Riviera Maya: The FOOD! Also, amazing beaches & snorkeling.
Dates Traveled: July 2008
Must See: Snorkel in a cenote, Isla Mujeres, margaritas at the Mezzanine in Tulum
We wish we....never got pulled over by a corrupt cop.
Explore
We spent about 10 days in Mexico after our wedding. Here was our itinerary.
3 Days/2 Nights: Tulum - Relaxed on the beach & visited the ruins
3 Days/2 Nights: Tulum - Relaxed on the beach & visited the ruins
- If you just want to sip a perfect margarita on an untouched white sand beach then Tulum is your place. After our wedding weekend we were exhausted (Eva had no voice). This was the perfect place to revive. The ruins are situated on a cliff overlooking a white sand beach along the Caribbean Sea. Tulum means wall or fence in Yucatan Mayan and the wall that surrounds the city is one reason why it's one of the best-preserved coastal Mayan ruins.
When visiting the Tulum ruins wear light clothing, lots of sunscreen and bring a swimsuit if you want to cool off in the water below the cliff.
5 days/5 Nights: Playa del Carmen - Dos Ojos Cenote tour, Xel-Ha Park
- After regaining our energy in Tulum, we were ready for more activities. Playa del Carmen is a great little town, with lots of restaurants, shops, galleries and beaches. We spent a few days exploring the town and took two day trips.
- One day we snorkeled in a cenote - or underground cave. This was a highlight! First, you ride on a flatbed pulled by a glorified lawnmower to a hole in the ground in the middle of the jungle. Excited yet? You will be. They give you snorkel gear and you climb down a ladder through a hole in the ground and end up in a huge beautiful cave. The water is cold but you forget about it the moment you open your eyes under water because you feel like you are flying. The water is so clear, still and quiet that you forget you are submerged. You float really high above giant stalagmites, like gliding over an abandoned city. It's a peaceful and surreal experience.
- One day we went to Xel-Ha Park which is a partly man made park that caters to tourists (especially families). Although it was pretty crowded with tourists it was still fun. We enjoyed tubing down the lazy river and snorkeling with fish of various sizes. Don't eat here if you can help it. The food in town is so much better.
Chris suggesting an appealing snorkeling route in the cenote (sinkhole). This was one of our favorite activities near Playa del Carmen.
3 days/3 Nights: Isla Mujeres - Garrafon Park, Dolphin Discovery, We spent one day indoors because of Hurricane Dolly
- We dropped of our rental car at the airport and took the ferry to Isla Mujeres - a tiny island off the coast of Cancun. Hurricane Dolly was heading our way so we spend the first day holed up in our room riding out the storm. Since major storms tend to follow us everywhere we go, this was par for the course. We even went for a walk outside before it got really bad:)
- The benefit of a hurricane on your first day is that the days that follow are so beautiful. We spent the next day driving around the island in a little golf cart. Since the island is so small, golf carts are the preferred mode of transportation. We snorkeled at Garrafon Park where we saw a variety of fish including a barracuda and giant manta ray. We got carried away snorkeling and swam way off course, ending up on someone's private beach. Swimming back against the current was impossible so we had to walk barefoot back to the park. Sounds bad, but It was worth it. Had we not swam of course we would not have seen the manta ray! We also swam with dolphins at Dolphin Discovery.
View of Garrafon Reef Park on Isla Mujeres. The water is crystal clear, making it a fabulous snorkel destination. They also offer zip lining over the water!
eat, drink, be merry...snooze
In Tulum we stayed at the Mezzanine hotel and LOVED it. It's a small hotel situated on an untouched white sand beach. We stayed in a sea view room that had a loft made of beautiful local wood. This is an eco-friendly hotel so all their electricity comes from solar and wind energy. Therefore there is no AC but since the rooms are right on the beach you get the most wonderful sea breeze at night. It's also nice to fall asleep to the sound of the waves. The restaurant here is very good, serving the best margaritas we had in Mexico. We ate at some of the other places along the same beach but the Mezzanine was the best.
In Playa del Carmen we stayed at La Hotel Tortuga. Located in town, this hotel was convenient for exploring the city. It wasn't directly on the beach but it had a charming pool area and the beach was not far walking. The service here was fabulous and this is where Chris discovered his favorite breakfast - Huevos Motuleños. We stayed in a Junior Suite room with a jacuzzi tub on the rooftop. The room had a balcony looking over the pool and it was fun hanging out on the rooftop, especially when the moon was full. However it took forever for the jacuzzi to fill up so we only used it one night. We ate at many different places in town and all of them were good. We love Mexican food- especially tacos - and the food is so fresh here that it was hard to find a bad meal.
In Isla Mujeres, we stayed at Hotel Secreto - a stunning modern boutique hotel. Every room is beautifully decorated with a sea view. The balconies are large and come with an outdoor bed which is great for mid-day naps. They also have a lovely infinity pool.
In Playa del Carmen we stayed at La Hotel Tortuga. Located in town, this hotel was convenient for exploring the city. It wasn't directly on the beach but it had a charming pool area and the beach was not far walking. The service here was fabulous and this is where Chris discovered his favorite breakfast - Huevos Motuleños. We stayed in a Junior Suite room with a jacuzzi tub on the rooftop. The room had a balcony looking over the pool and it was fun hanging out on the rooftop, especially when the moon was full. However it took forever for the jacuzzi to fill up so we only used it one night. We ate at many different places in town and all of them were good. We love Mexican food- especially tacos - and the food is so fresh here that it was hard to find a bad meal.
In Isla Mujeres, we stayed at Hotel Secreto - a stunning modern boutique hotel. Every room is beautifully decorated with a sea view. The balconies are large and come with an outdoor bed which is great for mid-day naps. They also have a lovely infinity pool.
The Mezzanine hotel - small, charming & eco-friendly.
View from our room at the Hotel Secreto in Isla Mujeres.
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La Hotel Tortuga's lazy river, situated in the heart of Playa del Carmen.
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tunes
Mandame una Señal - ManáLabios Compartidos - Maná
Oye Como Va -Carlos Santana
Me Voy - Julieta Venegas
Tamacun -Rodrigo y Gabriela
Y Yo Sigo Aqui - Paulina Rubio
Como La Flor - Selena
Oye Como Va -Carlos Santana
Me Voy - Julieta Venegas
Tamacun -Rodrigo y Gabriela
Y Yo Sigo Aqui - Paulina Rubio
Como La Flor - Selena
tips
If you rent a car do not speed - or even come close to speeding. Even if you follow all the rules there is a chance the cops will pull you over to extort money from you. We followed all the road rules and made a point to stay well under the speed limit. When we were driving from Playa del Carmen back to Cancun we passed a very slow truck but never broke the speed limit. Sure enough, a cop pulled us over. He didn't expect us to speak Spanish so when we asked him what we did wrong he said we were speeding. We told him we didn't come close to the speed limit and asked if he recorded our speed. He said it didn't matter because we were not allowed to pass someone in the rain. Eva pointed out that it had stopped raining. The cop said it didn't matter, the ground was still wet and told us we had to go back to town and pay a fine. We didn't have time for that as we had to return the rental car. Defeated, we asked if we could settle this immediately for less money. The cop asked how much cash we had. Unfortunately, we just had a 50 peso bill (otherwise we would have told him we only had 20 pesos). He asked Chris to fold it under his driver's license and hand it over to him. He took the money, returned Chris' license and let us go. Needless to say, Chris was fuming. We later learned that this is pretty common in Mexico. All tourists should keep a small denomination of money in their wallet and tell the cops this is the only cash on hand. A friend once told me that, while living in Mexico, he used to keep empanadas in his car and offer them to the cops in lieu of cash every time he was stopped (which was often).
Always shop around and bargain with taxi drivers. Prices vary significantly from one to the other.
Always shop around and bargain with taxi drivers. Prices vary significantly from one to the other.
