Two weeks in Quintana Roo, Mexico
Is it long enough? Yes!
You may have already seen my post about planning my travel holiday to Mexico and why I chose this route. Here’s how we got on…
Day 1-5: Arrive Cancún transfer to Playa del Carmen
Day 6-7: Bacalar Lagoon
Day 8-9: Valladolid
Day 10-12: Isla Mujeres
Day 13: Cancún
Day 1-5: PLAYA DEL CARMEN
We stayed in the coastal town just a few minutes from a shopping centre and ‘the strip’. Not exactly authentic Mexico but the beach was gorgeous and quiet, we were able to walk to the ferry terminal to go to Cozumel island (where the snorkel trips depart) and to the bus station for onward travel.
The Palancar, Columbia and El Cielo reefs are part of the second largest barrier reef in the world so snorkelling here was high on my list of things to do. The water was clear and warm and we saw so many colourful fish – and turtles* – which was an amazing experience.
Details: A three-hour trip with Maybe Tours booked through Viator (£53 each). Ferry to Cozumel, 25 mins (£24 return), 15-minute taxi transfer to the boat jetty (£6 one way).
*We’d planned to swim with turtles at Akumal but after further reading I wasn’t convinced the set-up was as ethical as I’d first thought.
Cenotes are natural sinkholes formed from limestone and there are thousands in Quintana Roo with hundreds open to the public, and some you can swim in. We booked a tour that was a short drive from our hotel but the experience was sadly overrated and overpriced. We learnt later that you can simply buy an entry ticket to swim in most cenotes…
Sleeping: Playacar Palace is an all-inclusive with great food in all the restaurants. The family room applies to kids under 18 and was a big size with two double beds.
Tips: Taxis are expensive so pick a hotel with a free airport transfer (45 mins drive). Tours aren’t cheap and often in US dollars so read the reviews to understand exactly what you’re paying for. There are TWO bus terminals in Playa del Carmen. (Don’t make the mistake we made and turn up at the wrong one…).
Day 6-7: BACALAR LAGOON
The clear, turquoise waters of Bacalar Lagoon are often likened to the Caribbean while the relaxed town is a holiday destination without the package tourist vibes. Think colourful murals, Mexican street food – and a notable leap in temperature coming from late twenties on the coast to 38°C inland.
We were up before dawn for our sunrise paddleboard in a group of six. This was new territory for me but I was soon standing and cruising across the flat water to the other side of the lagoon. We had breakfast standing in the shallows as warm as bath water and watched the sun come up.
Details: Wild Wave Bacalar (£35 each), five-minute taxi to the jetty (£6).
We’d planned to sail around the lagoon in the afternoon but with temperatures climbing to 40°C and no shade, we switched our trip to a pontoon boat that we ended up having to ourselves. Our guide was from Bacalar and gave us an informative tour with time to stop off and jump in for a swim.
Details: Wild Wave Bacalar (£21 each). Both trips with this company were really good value for money with knowledgeable guides.
Tip: Communicating with tour companies via WhatsApp was helpful and speedy particularly with our last minute change for the boat trip.
Transport to Bacalar: ADO bus from Playa del Carmen Alterna, 4h10m, £24 each. Ten-minute (hot) walk to our hotel.
Sleeping: Hotel Circulo Bacalar. A peaceful oasis with a pool and a safe ten-minute walk to the central square and restaurants. Bedrooms were stylish and a good size, staff were friendly and helpful.
Eating: Street food in the open air Los Atlixco. Burritos at Taquería Abolengo.
Day 8-9: VALLADOLID
Valladolid was a good place to experience a city and access the Mayan ruins, Chichén Itzá. We spent the afternoon wandering around the colonial town and simply enjoyed looking at the buildings, nosing in the shops, soaking up the atmosphere and people-watching in Parque Principal.
We set off at 7am the following morning to visit the UNESCO world heritage site Chichén Itzá and avoid the tour buses and heat of the day. We arrived around 830am with a short queue to buy tickets. El Castillo’s distinctive pyramid shape has become the icon of the ruins. It’s quite breathtaking to witness the structure emerge as you come out of the entrance trail. We spent a few hours looking around. You can hire a tour guide but we used this self-guided tour.
Details: Transporte Colectivo A shared air-con taxi mini bus (£4 each return) located in a parking lot close to the ADO bus station. It runs on the half hour or leaves when it’s full and takes about 45-minutes. Chichén Itzá entry is £29 each.
Tip: The drop-off point is also where you wait for your return journey. There’s the option to get off the mini bus to swim at Cenote Ik kil on the way back but we weren’t aware of this until afterwards.
Cenote Zaci is a large cenote in the centre of Vallodolid – but became another failed attempt for us to swim in one! It was just a ten-minute walk from our hotel and we arrived just after 4pm to be told – frustratingly – that we’d missed the last entry (despite being open until 5pm). That said, we stood on the raised viewing platform where we could look down into the swimming hole and appreciate its scale and size – and saw lots of iguanas!
Transport to Valladolid: ADO bus from Bacalar, 4h30m, £24 each. Ten-minute walk from the terminal to our hotel.
Sleeping: Hotel Fundadores. A tranquil retreat arranged around a luscious courtyard garden with a small pool. We mostly booked hotels with free cancellation through booking.com in case we changed our plans in the run up to the holiday.
Eating: Burritos Amor (@burritoamor). Restaurant Ahal.
Tips: There’s a one-hour time difference as you cross over the state line to Valladolid.
Day 10-12: ISLA MUJERES
We ended our holiday the way we began – relaxing. The island is only 5 miles long and a mile wide and is loosely split with busy holiday vibes along the sandy east coast and a quieter, more authentic feel on the rocky west coast (a mere fifteen minute walk apart).
We took our second snorkel trip, out along the Manchones reef where fish were bountiful and the biggest I’ve seen, in a rainbow of colours. But the current was choppy, even more so in our next drop at Musa, the underwater sculptural museum, so we didn’t see much as we couldn’t hang around for long.
Details: DC Explorer (£35 each) The tour had good reviews on Viator but was sub-contracted out to another company as many offer the same trip and they need to fill the boat before they leave. Capacity is around 12 people.
Tip: Keep an eye on the weather. We were booking our trips a day in advance but forecast high winds meant we had to grab the opportunity and go that morning.
Transport to Isla Mujeres: ADO bus from Valladolid to Cancun, 2h15m, £11 each. Taxi to Puerto Juarez ferry terminal, 10 minutes, £7. Ten-minute walk to the hotel.
Sleeping: Nautibeach Condos overlooking Playa Norte, a stretch of white sandy beach. Our two-bed apartment was overpriced and tired but walkable to the nightlife, with a pool, plenty of sunbeds, and a sea view.
Eating: El Carrito street food (on Adolfo López Mateos), La Cazuela, Abuelos – some of the best food we had all holiday.
Tip: You’ll lose an hour as you cross back over the state line to Quintana Roo.
Day 13: Cancún – an early flight meant we had to be back on the mainland the night before so we picked the Moon Palace hotel because it was on the beach, close to the airport and with a free transfer.
