Mexico is a stunning country which offers beautiful sea, rare cenotes, and amazing food, but not to miss their ancient culture which dates back to the age of the Mayans, pretty cool right?!!.
Mexico is actually the perfect destination if you’ve never been to South America before. It’s ideal for couples, families, and for solo travelers.. doesn’t matter if you are looking for adventures, nightlife, meditation, or simply relaxing on the beach, Mexico has it all!
Speaking of the flight itself, depending on your departure country you’ll be able to get a direct flight with a duration of 10 hours, or you could find a connection flight in the USA or Canada, in this case, make sure you check all the entry policies such as COVID tests and Visas.
As I mentioned before, Mexico offers options for any kind of traveler, in our case, we combined relaxation, culture, and adventure.
At our disposal we had 2 weeks, that’s what we recommend as a minimum.. but to be honest, the longer the better!
3 days in Isla Mujeres
3 days in Valladolid
4 days in Tulum
3 days in Cozumel
1 day in Playa Del Carmen
Isla Mujeres
We decided to start our Mexican experience by visiting Isla Mujeres. Arrived in Cancun, we took a taxi from the airport to Puerto Juarez, it’s a 15 mins ride. Here you can buy the tickets for the ferry. Departures are every 20 minutes and there is no need for you to pre-book the ferry tickets. Right in front of the box office, there is an Oxxo (local supermarket) where you can buy Mexican SIMcards.
The ferries are new and fast, 30 mins and you’ll arrive in Isla Mujeres.
Isla Mujeres is a small island, very easy to explore. We stayed 3 days and that was enough
to get to know the best of it.
MUSA
The island offers few experiences, such as boat trips.
We definitely suggest you the
“Museo Subacuatico de Arte”.
It’s an underwater museum, I mean. That says it all! it’s clearly worth a visit! You are free to choose between snorkeling or scuba diving but only with diving, you’ll be able to get closer to the sculptures.
For those who prefer snorkeling, due to the fact that the museum is in open water, it’s not permitted to free dive and you’ll have to wear a life vest (that’s what we did) but you’ll still get to see everything very clearly.
What really makes the MUSA special is the reason behind its creation, in fact, all those sculptures have been placed underwater to help marine flora and fauna to grow back. In 4 years, the majority of the sculptures will be covered in corals, how amazing is that?!
Playa Norte
The most known beach is definitely Playa Norte, it’s very tourist but even though, it’s lovely and the water is crystal clear! It’s ideal if you are planning to have lunch in one of the local restaurants in the city center as it’s really close to it. Don’t worry, for those who don’t feel like exploring, you can rent sunbeds and enjoy Mexican food at one of the numerous beach clubs by the seaside.
To explore the island you can rent a golf cart or you can use the taxis; we found golf cart to be more convenient just because we were free to go wherever we wanted to, also price wise, they are very affordable.
Isla Mujeres is relatively small and more touristic then we expected, and it has many beaches on the coast, where we suggest you visit the one on the west side because there is less rock, just simply rent a golf cart and do the whole tour of the island, it won't take you longer then 30 minute :)
Valladolid
Our next adventure was Valladolid. We took the ferry from Isla Mujeres to Puerto Juarez.
Once arrived we reached Valladolid by Bus, it’s a 3 hours ride. We traveled during the night which turned out to be a good idea considering that the bus was almost empty and it was defenitely cooler.
Valladolid is a small village and it’s well known for the numerous Cenotes that you can find all around it! For us, it was the first time visiting Cenotes and I must say that It was a unique experience! Obviously, there are cenotes which are more crowded because of their international reputation (still worth the visit) in that case we thought of visiting them early in the morning to avoid big queues
Chichen Itza
Valladolid is also located at 30 mins distance from Chichen Itza, one of the greatest Mayan centers and one of the 7 world wonders. There are many ways for you to reach this archeological site; there are guided tours, buses, private taxis, and car rentals/scooter rentals. We rented a scooter and it was very handy, there are multiple parking in that area and they are free. Also in this case I would recommend you to visit Chichen Itza in the morning as it gets very hot and busy around lunchtime/afternoon.
While the cenotes there are some of the most famous in all the region, but as well the most crowded, so bare this in mind
Cenote Ik Kil
Is one of the most famous because really close to Chichen Itza, the Ik Kil is very popular,
and I mean it, sometimes you have to queue to get into the water, even though is a stunning cenote, the overall experience is not the best, mainly because is really crowded, we obviously went there after visiting chichen itza, so that could've been the problem.
But if you are going that way, then is better to head early to chichen itza and avoid the crowd there (in our opinion)
Cenote Suytun
With a big platform in the middle of a cave, the Suytun it can get extremely busy, so the best option is to be there 10 minutes before the opening.
Considering that everyone wants to take a picture in the middle of the platform, luckily we've been there once it opened, so we just wait a few minutes, but right after us, there were another 20 people queuing for a picture.
We must say as well that apart from the platform and the cool picture, in the end, this Cenote was one of the ones we like the less
Cenote Chichikan
One of our favorites, the Chichikan was very well organized, with a beautiful waterfall and platform where you could walk, and it played in our favor that we were the only one visiting it, surprisingly we went at the time of lunch, expecting to find a very crowded place, but it wasn't which was very weird.
The Cenote itself as you can see is really beautiful, is like a massive cave with a quiet lake in the middle, we really felt in another world completely
And we must say that the restaurant next to it is pretty good too.
The center of Valladolid is also lovely, there are a lot of restaurants and nice little shops. The nicest thing for us was the park. Every south american city has a park, they all have a very similar layout and they are located in front of the church. Normally it’s where all the typical, cultural manifestations take place.
When we visited Valladolid at night, we found so many typical street food markets around it and it was lovely to see how many local families were sitting there and having a good time.
In Valladolid we stayed for 3 days, we had a great time, and discovering for the first time the beauty of Cenotes and the Maya culture was super exciting!
Tulum
Even though, we were looking forward to visiting Tulum. I’m sure we are not the only ones that have heard about it so many times… Tulum is very famous for its restaurants, festivals, boho shops, meditation retreats, and yoga but also for beaches and Cenotes !
Obviously, the fact that we all have heard of it makes it clear that it’s a tourist place, so if you are looking for a very typical holiday or “virgin” beaches then Tulum is not really for you.
We normally avoid very tourist places, in the case of Tulum we really wanted to visit and to be honest we really enjoyed it! We rented a scooter, as we wanted to be free to visit as many things as possible, again, prices are very affordable, but in general, Tulum is more expensive than the other places we visited in Mexico.
We did go to the beach, but sadly it was not what we expected. The beach was very crowded and the water was not as clean as we thought… it’s probably just due to our personal taste, if you like to go to the beach where you can also party and maybe get to know other people.. then it could be the right place for you!
Playa Akumal
Swimming with turtles at The Playa Akumal was an amazing experience, the beach is located north of Tulum, with the scooter is 30 minutes.
The reason why you find many turtles in the area is that they feed on the seaweed that is located only on that particular side of the beach.
And I must say the Mexicans are doing a really good job in protecting that, is forbidden to go out in deep water looking for turtles, and you can only go on an expert tour, which will give you a proper briefing on how to not disturb the turtle while looking at them, which we believe is the most important things.
Laguna Kaan Loom
So, as we didn’t love the beach, we decided to spend our time in Tulum in a different way. First, we went to visit the Laguna Kaan Loom, it’s like 20 mins from the center of the city.
We absolutely loved it! The laguna is huge and even though you can see people keep arriving, it never really feels too crowded.
There are two long ponds in the middle of the laguna, so you can sit there and relax.. or you can have fun and jump from it into the water!
In the water, there are swings where you can take lovely pictures, and also some hammocks, which was great
There is also a terrace where you can have a better view of the laguna, it’s beautiful, try not to miss it!
Cenote Escondido and Cristal
On the same day, we visited two cenotes which are located right in front of the Laguna the Cenote Escondido and the Cenote Cristal, and to be honest the cenotes we visited in Tulum were way better than what we saw in Valladolid.
Essentially because Tulum’s cenotes are wild and really made us enjoy our time there and the nature around us even more. Consider that those two last cenotes are open air, so it will feel more like an actual amazing river
Cenote Calavera
One of the most particular Cenote Calavera, which means Skull Cenote, is all built under the rocks, where you have holes (which form a skull from above) where you can literally dive in (in the complete dark) and find yourself in a cave with pristine water, pretty cool!!
In Tulum there are many places called animal “sanctuaries”, they might sell it as something good for the animals..in our opinion, it’s not. The animals are still in cages and normally they don’t enjoy being around so many people as they are since they are the “main attraction” of the park. If you truly believe in protecting those animals, please think before you take part in these activities.
Tulum is definitely a place that deserves to be seen! The vibe and the amazing restaurants will take your breath away. If you are up to a fancy dinner or some crazy boho shopping you have to go to the main street next to the sea, called the zona hotelera, it’s amazing.
The structures of the hotels, resorts, and restaurants are something unique! Every place you see there is a piece of art. The shops are amazing if you love that kind of boho clothes and jewelry you cannot miss it!
Cozumel
After Tulum, we planned to visit another island, Cozumel. To be honest, we chose the islands referring to travel blogs and internet references but when we got to Mexico lots of locals suggested we visit Holbox (which was one of our options at first), so we sadly haven’t had the chance to see this beautiful island but if you have the time please do, literally, every local person met in different locations of Mexico told us that Holbox is one island to be seen.
We took a bus from Tulum to Playa del Carmen, we had a couple of hours to wander around but we didn’t go too crazy with exploring as we knew we would have had a day to spend there before leaving for London. Playa del Carmen is very chaotic, very! We don’t love this kind of location, the main street is super tourist and mainly you can find souvenir shops and American restaurants.
Good thing is that you have the port right there and you can easily find ticket points that have different rates and offers (no need to buy tickets in advance).
From there we took a ferry and arrived in Cozumel in 20 mins, the ferry was extremely clean and safe. We took the last one of the day so we arrived to Cozumel which was already dark. Left our belongings at the hotel and had a quick dinner by the dock where you can easily find someplace for drinks or dinner of any kind.
Cozumel is a small island and the nightlife is very limited, everything closes quite early, you can find local markets in the center of the city but they all close around 9 pm. So, with that said, highly recommend this island but if you are looking for crazy and fun nightlife, not really the place for you.
Punta Sur Eco
On the other hand, the sea and the beaches are extremely beautiful! We rented a scooter since day 1 and as the first stop, we decided to go visit the National Park of Punta Sur The entrance is to be paid but the ticket is affordable.
Once you get inside the park you can continue to drive until you get to the beach, there is a small park area. If you leave your scooter or car there, you can choose to go relax at the beach or take a tour of the laguna by boat with a local guide.
We really enjoyed the beach there, the water was crystal clear and there are so many raccoons living there, they kept stealing food and they are extremely cute! Just keep an eye out though as they literally take everything they can!
We tried to join the laguna tour but the ferry was full so unfortunately we couldn’t join. There are only a few tours during the day and the last one is around 2:30 pm so quite early.
Palancar
All the main beaches are on the other side of the island, if you have a car or a scooter they are all easily accessible.
Riding by the coast you can see many local restaurants and lovely terrace bars that are a great spot for a sunset aperitivo… after a long day at the beach, that’s all you need!
We spent a whole day at the Playa Palancar and it was the best! The weather was amazing and clear sky all day. The water was absolutely perfect. We loved it, although the beach was open to everyone there also was a restaurant and they gave you the option to rent a sunbed etc.. even though we didn’t find it to be crowded or too touristic so we enjoyed it and we highly recommend it.
After 3 days we left Cozumel and went back to Playa del Carmen. Sadly the last day of our trip!
Playa del Carmen adn Jardin Del Eden Cenote
As said before, we left Playa del Carmen as our last destination and we decided to only spend 1 day and 1 night there because we knew what to expect and that we wouldn’t want to stay there any longer in order to use more days for places we definitely enjoyed more.
We decided to spend our day at the Jardin Del Eden it was’ too far from the city center and we reached it by taxi.
The cenote is very nice! beautiful place to explore and relax.. and have fun! It was a little more crowded than the other ones we visited during our stay as it’s near a very popular spot, in any case, if you have the time go check it out!
Did anyone say Food or Drinks?!
Here our favourite places
Obviously, Tacos is the king here, and you can eat it with pretty much anything inside, but make sure to not miss all the other specialties of fish and meat, especially if you visit the inland like Valladolid.
Isla Mujeres
Isla Mujeres is surely very tourist, that does not mean you can't find good eat and drink spot
We were staying at Rico Isla Airbnb with Miguel, an amazing person who does the best Margarita on the Island (seriously, we tried them all)
One of the most famous is surely Los Tacos De Humo, and is famous for a good reason, so if you are trying your first tacos in Mexico we suggest you go here
While if you are looking for something a bit more traditional in the main area then you must try La Lomita here you can see easily many locals eating and drinking altogether
Anyway in the main street of the Island you can find plenty of restaurant, simply explore :)
While next to the sea you can try Picus don't expect anything fancy, but just some great seafood
While if you are after some mezcal then just head over to the Mezcaleria Bandidos and you will not be disappointed
While if instead you are a morning person and love breakfast, then just head at the Riconcito Kahlo for a traditional one or Rosa Sirenas which is very popular, so head there very early
There are many choiches on the street leading to the south of the island, so if you find something that capture your attenton, then you should try it :)
Valladolid In Valladolid be sure to find some more traditional and authentic food, so feel free to explore some restaurants and bars just simply walking around and getting lost a little bit. But obviously here is our best suggestion :)
La Palapita de Los Tamales is one of them, you can try the famous Tamales which is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of masa, a dough made from nixtamalized corn.
While if you are fine with spending some more money, you can try a traditional Mayan restaurant Ix Cat Ik
And to never forget about the breakfast then head directly to Yerbabuena del sisal definitely the best one among the one we tried
The actual choice of bar was pretty restricted even being a small city, we definitely recommend the Mezcaleria Don Trejo especially if you do love Mezcal :)
Tulum
While in Tulum the situation changes completely, the restaurant and bars get more tourist, and more scenic definitely, but you can still find some good options.
And if you are fine with spending some more money in the hotel area, then you can find some very stunning and unique place too.
We spent our stay in the stunning Moots Tulum in the main village area, we can't recommend it more for its position and quality of the rooms
If Tacos you are after, then the village of Tulum is the perfect choice, here you can find Nativo Tulum the lovely Pepe Tacos and last but not least El Canaston
While if you fancy a proper restaurant
with a vast choice of food then head to Humo which does an amazing tacos of octopus that you really must try! Great seafood and pretty popular among the tourist is La Coqueta and Cetli but we recommend you to try both if you can because there is a reason why they are that popular
While in the hotel area, there are seriously a lot of stunning and unique places in the middle of the forest or simply facing the sea, we went to Mamasan and it was really beautiful, but we must say that it was not our first choice, unfortunately that area is very popular, so heading very early (4 pm) is the only choice in order to get a table
While for drinks and cocktails, we spent a few late nights at the Mistico La Veleta, simply chilling and drinking, we really did like the vibe right before closing, but the best cocktail we had it at Mamazul Mezcaleria if you fancy being a bit more in the hearth of the Movida, then the Mezcaleria Amores and the whole area surrounding it will be the right choice
Cozumel In Cozumel the situation changed completely, we were not expecting that at all, even though cruise and big hotels are not a rare view, the all-island is very relaxed and not crowded as expected.
Casa Cuzamil really caught us for the simplicity and tradition of the plates while if you are looking for a grab-and-go situation then you should try the Burritos Gorditos and if instead is tacos you are after then you should really see Taqueria El Pique We did personally love the Kondesa restaurant, with the lovely outdoor, extremely relaxing with some very tasty food
The only cocktail bar that we definitely recommend is right in front of the pier and is the Agave Cocktail Bar with some nice interesting pairing of spirits.
Moving down to the south of the island you will find plenty of bars with more or less the same quality (from what we experienced) so just simply get in one of them during the sunset, and enjoy your holiday :)
Playa Del Carmen
As previously said Playa del Carmen is very chaotic, we did not spend a lot of time and from what we've seen and experienced we don't really feel to recommend anything, except the stunning Alux Restaurant, which is entirely built inside a cave, yes a cave!!
Probably the only restaurant that is like that in the whole world, it serves some really nice food (be very mindful of the price) in a stunning location
Well, Mexico is definitely on our top list when we are talking about food, but as well overall experiences like Cenotes, which is not something that you find quite often in all the other countries. We did not feel any danger at all as many other people said, we must say that this is one of the holidays where we decided to stay more on the touristic path compared to other trips, so it is more difficult to say that.
Obviously we spent our time in the Maya Riviera, which as already said is pretty touristic, but Mexico is much much more, and the whole country it has a lot to offer.
An amazing and culturally rich country, that we recommend to everyone if you want just to relax, or get more into the inland to explore the heritage of Mexico
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