Riviera Maya

chitownpirate · Post by **chitownpirate** » January 9, 2006 11:29 pm

Hey all,
I'm leaving for vacation in 11 days to Riviera Maya, staying at the RIU Yucatan. I figured some of you may have some advice for someplace cool to visit outside the resort....any suggestions?
Thanks guys!

SharkOnLand · Post by **SharkOnLand** » January 10, 2006 11:41 am

We went down to Cozumel a few years ago, and we took the boat across and went to a place called Xcaret (IIRC, it's south of Playa del Carmen). It's like a cross between a zoo, theme park, beach and an archaelogical site. And there's always Tulum and a bunch of other Mayan ruins in the area.

Found a link: http://www.xcaret.com/indexxc.php

buffettbride · Post by **buffettbride** » January 10, 2006 11:47 am

Hubby and I were at a different resort last June. We didn't do hardly anything "cultural" while we were down there 'cause we drank with some new-found Irish friends at the pool bar most of the time!

We did go into Playa twice and checked out some of the Tequilerias (and got free samples..yum).

One thing we talked about but didn't do was take the ferry to Cozumel and rent a jeep and explore around the island.

And, of course, the ruins and such would be nifty if you're into that sort of thing.

OPHarbor · Post by **OPHarbor** » January 10, 2006 12:42 pm

I'd highly recommend Chichen Itza. You can take a tour bus, or drive yourself. We went on our own and the trip itself was an adventure, being nearly highjacked (literally) by a band of Nationals. The really good part of going on your own is you can (and should) hire a local guide. The tours also have guides, but on your own you get a personel tour taking you to places where the tours don't. At one point, and I swear I'm not making this up, our guide took us into some caves hundreds of yards away from any other humans. I thought to myself this is it, no one is ever going to see us again. I know that this sounds bad, but after the near highjacking on the trip, I was a little skiddish.

It was one of the most unbelieveable experiences I've ever had! WAY COOL!

The Lost Manatee · Post by **The Lost Manatee** » January 10, 2006 6:29 pm

I would recommend Tulum and Xel Ha. Tulum is a wonderful Mayan ruin on an amazing beach. If it wasn't a National Park I'm sure some resort company would have built there. (It is mentioned in ASPOL) Xel Ha is biological reserve, which means it is a wonderful lagoon where you can snorkel with the fishes and explore the reefs and caves. You can rent snorkel gear there or bring your own.

I would suggest hiring a taxi for the day to do so. Make sure that the rate includes the tour guide, admission, lunch and all the beer and soda you can drink.

If you are up for a bit more traveling there is the Isla Mujeres. Its a small island that you take the ferry from Cancun. The island has a long history of pirates and buccaneers (see a Pirate looks at 50). It's got a small town that serves as the hub to explore the islands history and sights.

NYCPORT · Post by **NYCPORT** » January 10, 2006 6:46 pm

OPHarbor wrote:I'd highly recommend Chichen Itza. You can take a tour bus, or drive yourself. We went on our own and the trip itself was an adventure, being nearly highjacked (literally) by a band of Nationals. The really good part of going on your own is you can (and should) hire a local guide. The tours also have guides, but on your own you get a personel tour taking you to places where the tours don't. At one point, and I swear I'm not making this up, our guide took us into some caves hundreds of yards away from any other humans. I thought to myself this is it, no one is ever going to see us again. I know that this sounds bad, but after the near highjacking on the trip, I was a little skiddish. It was one of the most unbelieveable experiences I've ever had! WAY COOL!

C.I. is about a 2 hour drive from that area. If you do a little research you can find a car and driver for the day to take you there. It will be an all day thing. You really need two days to see all of it. It's quite big. Another great ruin site is Coba. Not as far away and not as commercial as C.I. You can see what the place looks like when they stumble on to the site. I think they say it will take another 25+ years to finish exploring the site for things to dig up. It's about an hour to Coba from most of Southern Riviera Maya spots. It's also much less busy than C.I. By noon C.I. is packed with the buses from Cancun.

moeron · Post by **moeron** » January 10, 2006 7:33 pm

Call your travel agent, My family was to go to Cancun in Feb. Apple vacations cxl'd the trip. Too much damage from the hurricane. There is very little night life. Just be on the safe side. call.

Elrod · Post by **Elrod** » January 10, 2006 7:34 pm

SharkOnLand wrote:We went down to Cozumel a few years ago, and we took the boat across and went to a place called Xcaret (IIRC, it's south of Playa del Carmen). It's like a cross between a zoo, theme park, beach and an archaelogical site. And there's always Tulum and a bunch of other Mayan ruins in the area.

Found a link: http://www.xcaret.com/indexxc.php

Definitely a good choice!

CUparrot · Post by **CUparrot** » January 10, 2006 7:38 pm

SharkOnLand wrote:We went down to Cozumel a few years ago, and we took the boat across and went to a place called Xcaret (IIRC, it's south of Playa del Carmen). It's like a cross between a zoo, theme park, beach and an archaelogical site. And there's always Tulum and a bunch of other Mayan ruins in the area.

Found a link: http://www.xcaret.com/indexxc.php

I also vote for Xcaret, but only if you have a whole day (or two) to devote to it b/c there is so much to do and see there. We went on a cruise to Cozumel last year and went on the Xcaret excursion and just did not have enough time to do and see everything we wanted to. You can snorkel there and swin with dolphins and there's an underwater river you can swim....and they have animals and Mayan ruins....and cultural shows (Mayan dance, etc.). A wide variety of stuff there.

Also went to Tulum on a different trip to Cozumel a while back and that was really cool to see, as well.

phjrsaunt · Post by **phjrsaunt** » January 10, 2006 8:09 pm

Even though it sounds like your trip is already booked, you may want to contact BN's own NJPhinPhan. She is a parrothead, a travel agent, and and EXPERT on Riviera Maya.

Her website is
www.lonepalmtravel.com

(I am not a paid spokesmodel, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once!

)

buffettbride · Post by **buffettbride** » January 10, 2006 8:10 pm

phjrsaunt wrote:Even though it sounds like your trip is already booked, you may want to contact BN's own NJPhinPhan. She is a parrothead, a travel agent, and and EXPERT on Riviera Maya.

Her website is
www.lonepalmtravel.com

(I am not a paid spokesmodel, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once! )

I have to second Auntie's motion. NJ is the bestest ever.

chitownpirate · Post by **chitownpirate** » January 11, 2006 7:20 pm

Everybody Thank You for all of your help!!
I posted this in the JB Discussion area and didn't realize it was moved and was wondering why noone was responding to my post! It was the first time I've had one moved to another area. I guess I don't pay attention to details...

Thanks again guys!!

Lundah · Post by **Lundah** » April 9, 2006 9:36 pm

Resurrecting an old thread...

I've made 3 trips in the last 5 years or so to the Cancun and Playa Del Carmen area, thought I'd share my favorite spots..

Hotel Eclipse - funky little hotel a block from the famous Blue Parrot, run by a really cool German expatriate named Peter. I stayed here in Jan. 2003, it's pretty basic, but really nice, darned cheap, and Peter is one of the coolest people I've ever met!

Playa.info - Great site run by expatriates, tons of info on where to stay, eat, and what to do when in Playa and other parts of the Riviera Maya

As far as stuff to do, there's cheap transportation available from Playa del Carmen to Tulum, Cancun, and Cozumel. Must-do's are: the Mayan ruins at Tulum (bring your bathing suit and camera!), a day trip to Cancun to go shopping and stop at Margaritaville, take the ferry to Cozumel and see the island!

Food and drink? Places I enjoyed (but have no idea if they're still there) are Limones, the Tequila Barrel, Cabalova (sushi bar, kareoke on Tuesdays is fun), the Blue Parrot bar (if they rebuilt it yet after the fire), HOT Baking Company (get the banana bread!!!). There is/was a great coffee shop next door to the Tequila Barrel. If you wanna have breakfast with the locals, head for the "Zocalo" by the bus station in the morning, there's vendors selling "tortas" (roast pork or chicken sandwiches) and fresh-squeezed OJ, as of Jan. '03 they were 10 pesos each.

Snowparrot · Post by **Snowparrot** » April 9, 2006 10:02 pm

Playa.info - Great site run by expatriates, tons of info on where to stay, eat, and what to do when in Playa and other parts of the Riviera Maya

Yea, what Lundah said. Lots of PHs on that board, too, including NJPPhan and me. Best info around.

Lundah · Post by **Lundah** » April 9, 2006 10:13 pm

Snowparrot wrote:

Playa.info - Great site run by expatriates, tons of info on where to stay, eat, and what to do when in Playa and other parts of the Riviera Maya
Yea, what Lundah said. Lots of PHs on that board, too, including NJPPhan and me. Best info around.

I forgot to mention the Pollo Asado..good stuff! On one of my trips, I was in Tulum wating for the bus to Coba to see the ruins, and needed lunch. There was a little Pollo Asado (grilled chicken) stand a couple blocks from the bus station, I got a half chicken with homeade tortillas and fixin's with a bottle of Coke for $5.