Riviera Maya, Mexico

I just spent a fantastic week in the Riviera Maya. About three weeks ago, I decided I need to do something to fill some free time I have at the moment. Nevermind that I'm an unemployed student, or that I just had a vacation at end of March.

I decided on Cancun initially for two reasons: 1) I have never been to Mexico & 2) I wanted to see the Mayan ruins. I wasn't quite sure before booking my flight what else I was going to do, but it turned out there are tons to do in the states of Yucatan and Quintana Roo. Everyday was a full-day, and I did a lot more than I had planned. It didn't quite turn out to be the budget vacation I had hoped tho. The area is a major tourist destination, particularly for Americans. Most things cost as much as, if not more than, the U.S. It didn't matter though, as it was all worth it. Including flight, car rental, lodging, food, and everything else, the week probably cost me $1300. Perhaps I got lucky tho, as I managed to find a travel-holic crazy enough to join me on 2 weeks notice to split the some costs with. The trip would have been a bit more difficult and boring on my own (although I had booked the flight before I had even asked anyone to join.)

My partner in crime for the week was Dave, a chiropractor-to-be from Cali who I met in S. Africa back in 2003. He was a trooper as I rushed us around from place after place to make the most of the week we had there. Here's how the week went:

Day 1: Arrival & Cancun

I got in around noon so I got the car at the airport and headed towards Cancun. There were hardly any road signs so I had no idea if I was going in the right direction but I finally made it into the hotel zone of Cancun. I drove all the way down and into downtown where I checked into our lodging for the night. There was a more direct way to get there but I had missed the turn off because of the lack of signs on the road. Anyway, I was quite amazed at how pretty the water was here. I'd been to places with nice beaches, but this ranks up there, too. The water was a beautiful turquoise color. I couldn't wait to get in it. Unfortunately, access to the beach is limited because the hotels put up fences, but I cut right through a 4-star hotel's lobby and hopped in the water. The water felt great!!! But I got tired of the wave hopping so I decided to go use the hotel's pool for some swimming. Despite being off-peak season, the pool area was packed. I had a hard time finding a full-sized chair to lay on. The people in the pool seemed to be having a good time but they looked like buncha 20 something wannabe's. Not really the atmosphere I wanted. Later in the day, I went looking for food (I skipped lunch so I can get some beach time). Unfortunately, there were chain restaurants everywhere. Outback, Hooters, Johnny Rockets, Planet Hollywood, you name it - they got it. It was too much work for me to find a good local place in my state of starvation so I settled on one of these. I'm too embarassed to even name the place. Anyways, I found the Cancun resort area to be too wide spread and touristic to the extreme. I had no desire to hang around here too long. Dave was due to get in late tonight and my plan was drive our butts out of here first thing the next morning - whether he liked it or not.

Day 2: Chitzen Itza and Ek' Balam

Probably the most frequented and impressive Mayan ruin of all is Chitzen Itza. It was a two hour drive from Cancun to get there, so we were out the hotel by 0730 to get there before all the tour buses started arriving. We spent couple hours in the area looking at all the ruins and sweating our pants off. For lunch, we drove back to the town of Valladolid, about 30 km East, to check into our hotel. It was the nicest place in town, but still only cost us $50 for the night. It was a charming little place with a nice garden and pool. After lunch, we headed up to Ek' Balam, another set of ruins about 20km North of Valladolid. These were much smaller but still nice. We were able to climb one of them for a cool view of the area. Dinner was held again back in town, and for the evening, we headed once again back to Chitzen Itza for the light show, which was a bit on the lame side.

Day 3: Coba and Tulum

I heard the Tulum ruins were a must see as they sat right by the beach and made for a picturesque scene. On the way to Tulum tho was Coba, another set of ruins. This one had an even higher pyramid which we were allowed to climb. It was fun going up it but not much of a view from top since the area was covered by the forest. There was also a lot of walking around in Coba. The distances between sites of interest were large, and we were too macho in thinking we didn't need to rent bikes or bike taxis. If other people are walking, why shouldn't we? Well, for starters, I didn't want to spend all day here, and it was hot as heck outside. I wouldn't have minded the walking otherwise. We only saw a portion of Coba - we were ready to get back to the beaches. Tulum was very nice as promised, but very small. It took less than an hour to see the ruins here, and an hour at the beach by the ruins sufficed (it's a tad on the crowded side). Our lodging for the night was in an el cheapo place (the area is a bit too pricey to stay somewhere nice) but it was on the beach and had palapas. That, beds and shower were all we needed today.

Day 4: Xel-Ha

Most of this day was spent at Xel-Ha, one of the several ecoparks in the area. It boasts great snorkeling, which is what we did most of the day. While not the best snorkeling I've done, I must admit there are a lot of fishes and is great for beginners. I had hoped I would find an opportunity to get out to the reefs later in the week, but alas, this was my one and only snorkeling opportunity. We also had the opportunity to do a river ride on an inner tube, which turned out to be more of a work out than a relaxing ride. Part way down, the current turned against us so a lot of paddling was involved (but I always welcome a challenge.) You can also walk around the lagoon and enjoy the beautiful flora and wildlife. Later in the afternoon, we had the chance to chill in hammocks.

Day 5: Xcaret

This was the mother of all ecoparks, the Disneyland of Mexico. Xcaret was an all-day affair of 9 to 9. The day started with a walk around the park to check out all the attractions such as a Mayan village, wildlife, flora, Mexican cemetery & church, etc. After lunch, we moved onto a 40 minute swim in an underground river which was pretty exciting save for the fact that I had to keep adjusting the life vest strap that kept rubbing against my crotch. Good thing I'm not a guy. (Lesson: make sure you get life vests that fit tightly). The rest of the afternoon was spent chilling by the beach under palapas and hammocks, or swimming. In the evening, they put on a spectacular 2 hour show. The first half told a story of the area's history. They also reenacted a ancient ball game and fire hockey (like ice hockey but using a ball of fire - pretty neat). The rest of the show was lots of singing and dancing.

Day 6: Playa del Carmen and the start of the luxury life

Playa del Carmen is the next most happenning place next to Cancun. The atmosphere here reminded me of Key West and it was a more to my liking. The main area could be covered on foot and I hardly noticed any chain restaurants (although there was a Haagen Daz on every other block.) There are lots of shops in the area so we spent the morning souvenir hunting until we could go check into the swank hotel we booked for the last two night's stay. We had considered staying somewhere nice for a while, but it wasn't put into action until we met some people in Tulum who told us about an all-inclusive deal in Puerto Morelos, just 20 minutes south of the Cancun airport. For roughly $300 bucks a night, they got 4-star lodging, plus all-you-can-eat-and-drink for free (including alcohol!) Resort side activities were also free. So couple days ago we went on-line looking to see what kind of deals we could find, and we found a whopping 40% off deal for a Junior Suite at Hotel Marina El Cid. That's right - we got the room for $183 a night - roughly $90 bucks a person. If I drank like my friends do, it would more than pay for itself in food and drinks alone. The hotel is brand new and just opened in February. The cheap deal that we got is good for couple more weeks so go book your Riviera Maya trip now!!

Day 7: Life of luxury continued

Okay, I'm not usually one who can sit around and do nothing all day. I looked forward to a nice hotel, but I had doubts as to whether I could keep myself busy on this last day. Well, it turned out there was not enough time to do nothing. I was way too busy swimming, doing aqua aerobics, playing beach volleyball, working on my tan, napping under the palapas, swimming some more, hitting the wet bar, chilling in the jacuzzi, reading a book on the beach beds; and enjoying the view of the torquoise water and palm trees, the sounds of the crashing waves, and the feeling of the cool sea breeze. Now this was life. I suppose the fact that days like this are rare in my life makes me appreciate it so. What made it even better was the fact that because the hotel was new, there was hardly anyone there. I had the gigantic pool practically to myself. I was in heaven. I couldn't help but think how nice it would be to live somewhere where I could swim when I want to in a nice, big, clean pool or beach. I'm thinking perhaps Sydney is the place to be. Hmm... I'll have to work on that one.

Day 8: Departure

We milked the last bit of luxury we could in the morning and checked out of our hotel. Our drive to the airport would have been short had it not been for the lack of signs (again) which made us drive way past it and forcing us to do a u-turn. I was sad and bitter upon arrival in the airport as I was not quite ready to face reality yet. I am saved though in knowing that there are more good times to be had, and I will have another trip soon enough.

Pictures are on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dancingnomad3/sets/72057594126483910/