We’ve started our Mexico tour in Cancun for four nights, followed by Mexico City for three, Los Cabos for four nights and we’re finishing in Palm Springs California, to fly home from Los Angeles.
As I’m currently hosting 15 people, I don’t have time to write up exactly how to spend the four days just yet, but I will put some of my favorite photos in for now, and come back to this with a handy itinerary post. So if Cancun is on your radar, bookmark this post and stay tuned!
Where to stay in Cancun
The Hotel Zone, or Kukulkan Boulevard, is about 26km of beachfront hotels, resorts, golf courses – and sometimes all in one location.
Most are all-inclusive with several restaurants on site, making it easy for groups of friends and families to vacation together with no bill-splitting at the end of the night.
We stayed at Oleo Cancun Playa. It’s one of the smaller resorts with a beach front pool and just three restaurants. There is also a cafe where you can get cappucino’s etc and food, all included.
The beds are super comfortable, and it’s located across the road from a fabulous restaurant, Navios, with tables on the jetty for epic sunsets.
But there are many many places to stay along here, so check out the Hotel Zone on Booking.com and have a look at prices and reviews.
Day 2 : Chichen Itzá and swimming in a Cenote
This is a UNESCO site and the most important on the Yucutan Peninsula. It is visited by over 2.6 million people each year.
It takes about 2.5 hours to drive here, and the first thing you’ll note are the 1700+ vendors selling their wares in and around the site. There is a wooden whistle-type thing that sounds like the scream of a jaguar, and another one that is the Aztec death cry. Vendors blow these all the time!
Visit Cenote Selva Maya
About ten-minutes drive from Chichen Itza, on the highway towards Vallodolid, is this massive cenote, or sinkhole.
They were sacred sites to the Mayan people, some used for ceremonial purposes and as water wells. Today Cenote Sela Maya is probably the most popular, and most crowded. But there are changing rooms for getting your swimsuit on, then walk down the steep steps and jump into the water.
There is also a buffet restaurant and a couple of small shops. You can taste tequila here too!
Admission is MXN150 (about US$7.50)
Day 3 : Xel Ha Water Park
This is a natural waterpark from an inlet off the ocean. It sprawls over 200 acres and your all-inclusive pass gets you use of the floatation chairs, snorkel mask and flippers, zip line rides, and lots of restaurants. Drinks are also included, soft drinks, beer and even tequila shots!
I’m in my floating chair dawdling through the mangroves and out into the big wide water park.
Until the wind got up and the tide was working against me, so I was assisted in to the next stairs by a life guard!!
Day 4 : Shop at La Isla
This lovely shopping centre is down at the end of the Hotel Zone and we got the public bus for about 12 pesos (60c).
There are restaurants and ice cream shops, as well as lots of international brand stores (hello Zara and Pandora), and several local Mexican stores that sell souvenirs and lovely linen clothes.
More of my Mexico posts
The time I was sucked in at the Hotel California over in Todos Santos. I wrote about it so you won’t be fooled!
How to spend 4 fab days in Los Cabos, and where I’d stay next time.