Our overnight plan: Cozumel to Chichen Itza - August

[DandyDon]

Mexico is a big place for one main forum, but this is not really a Cozumel subject, even tho many post mainland threads there. It's still over four months away, but I think it generally pays to plan ahead. For example, the air & private room hotel package we booked was $530 total each with Orbitz 200entertain discount, but now it's up to $608 just two weeks later.

BTW, the Orbitz 200entertain discount is good for $200 off a minimum 7 nights there (8 nights total if you take an overnight flight from the west coast) for anywhere in Mexico or the Caribbean, subject to the packages offered. Try it! :cool3:

For the hotel we selected, it was cheaper at the time to book private rooms rather than try to share one as the discount was per room. Two rooms = twice as much discount. Bottom lines will vary so try it both ways in two tabs maybe. If you really want only one room, it might be okay to book the spouse for plane only, or plane and car package with the same discount code - but no promises for me. ​

Back to our plan: We will arrive on a Saturday after leaving for the airport at 2am so ready for a siesta, then dive 5 days thru Thursday. Last year we did Coba & Tulum ruins as a day trip in August and gawd was it hot at Coba by the time we arrived! :coolingoff: I know that some do CI as a day trip with tour buses but see how the rest of this sounds....?

Off the dive boat around noon, rinse the gear, spread it out in the rooms to dry, tell the front desk no more maid service until we leave in two days (because of gear, not telling them that we're actually leaving), grab bags and head for the ferry.

Grab some lunch at the dock waiting for the 2pm ferry (is there a hamburger joint on the dock yet?), arrive PDC and grab rental car and gone by 3pm if we're lucky.

In the past we have used Easyway a couple of times with disappointments. It seems like they wait to see if you'll show up, then they find a car to rent. We're both tall, full bodied fellows, and after all the topes on the road to Holbox one year we like auto-trans along with AC, a trunk that actually hides what we risk leaving in the car at times, and FULL INSURANCE! They're quoting a Nissan-Aprio whatever that is for $64 total.

I have emailed Isis in PDC for a quote on a similar deal. Looks like they're just around the corner from Easyway and I've always heard good about them on Coz.

We drove to Valladolid (VDD) by mistake once when we took 307 north to the Cancun airport, then the shortcut to the #180 toll road west - great road but no exit for Holbox! I'm thinking it'd be faster, cheaper, easier, with more roadside options to head to Tulum, then Coba, Chemax, and #180 Free to VDD with the loop around as suggested on Mayan Adventure map.

​

If we get out of PDC optimistically by 3, I'm thinking we can be close to CI by 6pm, maybe stop in one of the walk-in Cenotes along that road for dinner? Or would it be better to visit the Cenote separate from having dinner at the hotel?

Sidestep.com can get us Villas Arquelogicas for $64 total close the back gate to CI but I am leaning more toward Hotel Mayaland right at the gate for $96 total - think the rooms are a little larger, a few more amenities.

Breakfast early and be at the gate at 8am to tour before the heat of the day and the tour buses arrive. I see that Mayaland rents bikes; as big as CI is, sounds like a good idea, probly see more of it.

Lunch at a Cenote on the way back to VDD, maybe another Cenote visit or perhaps Ek Balam?

Then back to PDC to turn in the car and catch the 7pm ferry for 8pm dinner, pack our gear to fly home the next day.

Suggestions...?

 

[Dirty-Dog]

Sue and I went to Chichen Itza a couple years ago. Big disapointment. The ruins were fenced off about 4 years ago. You cannot get closer than 10-15 feet. Sad, since two of the reasons for going there were the pillars in the Temple of Warriors and the jade Leopard inside the pyramid.

 

[driftwood]

Given that a 3pm departure from PDC is best case, you need to run like hell to either CI or Valladolid. That means taking the toll road from Cancun. I would spend the evening relaxing in Valladolid rather than Pisa. This is where I would spend the night, El Meson del Marques Hotel, in Valladolid, Yucatan; Mexico: has become the visitor?s hotel of choice in this destination. You will still be able to see CI before the heat and crowds while checking out a very nice colonial town the previous evening.

CI is pretty compact and I don't see the need for bikes if you just want to see the high points. Those you can cover in two hours without breaking a sweat. On your return trip, Ek Balam is very compact but you will spend more time there taking photos than at CI.

 

[robint]

ditto what he said -- the ruins are pretty compact and you won't use a bicycle much if you rent one. Yes, it is huge and yes you cannot climb any of the pyramids anymore (safety and conservation issues) but you will really enjoy the entire experience.

also - driving to CI, yes it would be cheaper to go the back way, but the tollroad is fast and divided most of the way, like US highways. It was very nice and worth every penny for us.

Also ---- BIG POINT ---- Don, you need to get a tour guide there. The two of you split the price and you will get 2-3 hours worth of fabulous Mayan history, walking around the ruins stopping at each building, things you can never get from just walking around yourself. I know you are frugal, but it is the best $$ you can spend going there. IMHO, anyone who goes there and does not get a guide will miss 90% of what is there!!! Seriously, it is important to get a guide to tell you about each structures function, photos of each structure before they started digging, what they found inside, what the symbols carved on the outside mean, drawings of recreations of what it probably looked like originally, all while discussing the mayan culture. You will do this all around the site for 2-3 hours! I have read several books about the Mayans including "The Maya" by David Coe (fabulous book) and I thought I had a pretty good grasp of what I would see. Well, yes and a big NO. The guide really knew his stuff, we discussed movies like Apocalypto and how it differs from the reality of the mayan culture, what we thought really happened, etc. It was wonderful for me, an art/art history and archaeology geek (yes, I have a degree), but my husband really enjoyed it and learned alot, too. Okay, rant off!!!

As far as the hotel thing... the Mayaland does look very nice from the outside. I would have stayed there if it was cheaper. Villas Archaeoligicas was really nice inside the gates, food was fabulous, and when we were there it was less than half full - we saw a couple of families, a group of European college-aged kids, 4-5 individuals with camera gear, and us (we saw all of them walking around the ruins in the am). Mayaland looked like it had a few more people staying there and it is bigger than VA. The other hotel sits farther off the road so we didn't see it at all. Any of those three are great if you are touring the site.

If you can visit Ek Balam on your way back, I would definitely do it. We plan to go there when we are back down for a week of ruins & cenotes. The Mayan Adventures map has lots of good info on restaurants and things in the area. Be sure to take notes and let us know details when you get back. We used the recommendation for Cenote Zaci in Valladolid for our lunch and it was spot on! Great food and great atmosphere, eating overlooking that huge cenote! We never would have found it without the map so we never would have stopped there. That's another good reason to get the map - they have scouted out all the cool places for you. They have quite a few restaurants in the area listed, we just picked that one at random. Now I would not hestitate to use any recommended on the map!

side note - I mentioned the movie "Apocalypto". If you plan to visit any Mayan ruins, you should see this movie first. It makes some huge sweeping speculations about the Mayan culture, it also merges the Aztec culture (two very different cultures living in Mexico at the same time) and it really makes the Mayan people seem very violent. Aside from those mistakes, it is visually stunning and you get to see what the cities and temples looked like originally. The costumes and makeup are fabulous and based on artwork that has been found. I really love the movie, despite its inaccuracies just because it does give you a glimpse into what this amazing culture must have looked like. I actually bought the movie, the "making of " section on DVD is just as fascinating as the movie itself!

http://video.movies.go.com/apocalypto/


robin

 

[driftwood]

ditto what he said -- the ruins are pretty compact and you won't use a bicycle much if you rent one. Yes, it is huge and yes you cannot climb any of the pyramids anymore (safety and conservation issues) but you will really enjoy the entire experience.

also - driving to CI, yes it would be cheaper to go the back way, but the tollroad is fast and divided most of the way, like US highways. It was very nice and worth every penny for us.



If you can visit Ek Balam on your way back, I would definitely do it. We plan to go there when we are back down for a week of ruins & cenotes. The Mayan Adventures map has lots of good info on restaurants and things in the area. Be sure to take notes and let us know details when you get back. We used the recommendation for Cenote Zaci in Valladolid for our lunch and it was spot on! Great food and great atmosphere, eating overlooking that huge cenote! We never would have found it without the map so we never would have stopped there. That's another good reason to get the map - they have scouted out all the cool places for you. They have quite a few restaurants in the area listed, we just picked that one at random. Now I would not hestitate to use any recommended on the map!

side note - I mentioned the movie "Apocalypto". If you plan to visit any Mayan ruins, you should see this movie first. It makes some huge sweeping speculations about the Mayan culture, it also merges the Aztec culture (two very different cultures living in Mexico at the same time) and it really makes the Mayan people seem very violent. Aside from those mistakes, it is visually stunning and you get to see what the cities and temples looked like originally. The costumes and makeup are fabulous and based on artwork that has been found. I really love the movie, despite its inaccuracies just because it does give you a glimpse into what this amazing culture must have looked like. I actually bought the movie, the "making of " section on DVD is just as fascinating as the movie itself!

Apocalypto - Official Apocalypto DVD Website


robin

Ek Balam is a terminal period site that has only recently begun to be excavated. First, they left a lot of the trees so you do have some shade.

Second, the site has literally rewritten the books on Mayan art. Most of the major Mayan buildings were "remodeled" over their life by adding additional layers that covered up the older structure. Also, the Mayans were in love with plaster and they literally covered all the important buildings in the stuff (at Monte Alban, they found a full foot of plaster in some places). Over time, the over lying layers leaked water and the older plaster coating dissolved. At Ek Balam, a fair portion of the older plaster (and traces of paint) remains intact. That makes the site unique and what they have uncovered is amazing. Ek Balam is all about the art and the little details. Our guide pointed out a carving at the entrance to one room that is obviously a penis entering a vagina. The room was probably the "office" of the fertility priest used on ceremonial days.

Hiring a good guide is very helpful but you need to take what they tell you with a grain of salt. Our guide at Coba insisted that the Mayan were a peaceful people. That would make them the exception to the rule in the Americas. The truth is that warfare was a dominate factor in Mayan society as far back as we can trace it. They didn't have the same fervor for human sacrifice that the Aztecs did, but it was far from uncommon. They didn't cut the heart out. They tied you in a fetal position and rolled you down the steps of the pyramid. That act is depicted on the stella at the base of the main pyramid at Coba.

Having been to both CI and EB, the only one that ranks a second look is Ek Balam.

 

[DandyDon]

Yeah, our primary focus is CI because it's so famous and well recommended, and I know that Ek Balam is just right up there north of VDD. I'm thinking we will still do CI in the morning, and while cenotes would be cooler - EB has a lot of appeal. Eh, heat doesn't slow me down; it did my city slicker bud at Coba but maybe I can get him to carry more water in his backpack this time. Well, we can reload before EB too.

Hiring guides may be worth it, but "you need to take what they tell you with a grain of salt" sounds familiar too. Whether we learn anything or not, touring them and shooting pics will be worth it to me.

I am also tempted to hike over to Old CI, or rent some bikes to go there, but I think it'll lose out to EB.

So y'all think that 307 & 180-toll would be faster than going by Coba huh? Certainly a nice hiway once you pass Cancun airport.

I exchanged some emails with Isis. A little higher than Easyway, maybe he'd come down, but I have a hunch he'd be more dependable. They're like a block apart, so I'll have a backup plan anyway.

 

[robint]

I disagree about taking what they say with a grain of salt. Some guides are better than others, but I think they are worth the money.

Our guide was fantastic and pretty much agreed with what I had read and studied. Yes, the Aztecs were much more brutal and warrior types, the killings in the Apocalypto movie is much more characteristic of the Aztecs. The Mayans though only did these killings on certain occasions, special ceremonial times, not on a regular basis. The sacrafices we done in order to appease the gods when crops failed, or when they had some other catastrophy. There is no way they could sustain their population if they were constantly killing, plus, just like violence on TV today, too much of it gets you immune to its shock value. These brutal ceremonies were done for shock value to the masses, to keep them in line, and couldn't be done too often. They were done, yes, and then talked about over and over, carvings done to help everyone remember them and to scare the masses.

robin

 

[Ed Hatfield]

Ek Balam a must

I've been to Chichen Itza three times, Coba twice and Ek Balam twice. The only one of those three I plan to return to is Ek Balam.








My last trip to the area from Playa we went through Coba. The highway is new and I recommend this route. We stayed the night in Valladolid at San Clemente Hotel right across the street from the church on the Zocalo. ($50)








While in Valladolid take in the murals on the second floor of the City Hall.



If you haven't been to CI then it is certainly worth seeing at least once. Sounds like a great trip regards of what you decide.

 

[DandyDon]

Great pics!

I've been to Chichen Itza three times, Coba twice and Ek Balam twice. The only one of those three I plan to return to is Ek Balam.

My last trip to the area from Playa we went through Coba. The highway is new and I recommend this route.

I'm thinking split our time between CI and EB alright, maybe a cenote if we can but not spending time swimming. Maybe 8-11 CI, 12-3 EB, rush back to PDC. If we miss the 7pm ferry, the car is the same price and Isis is open until 10, so dinner in PDC then the 9pm ferry.

I know the road as far as Coba is nice, very few bumps now, light traffic, no cops to my experience (zoom!). Is the road on to VCC the same? About the same travel time as taking the toll-way?

 

[Ed Hatfield]

The road is good all the way. It's not as new as the Coba leg but it is just as fast as the toll route because it is shorter and there is less traffic. There are a few slow downs due to the rural nature but they are not a problem. When you hit the CI highway there is a major interchange to get onto it for the last part of the trip. I also think that trying to fit both sites into one day will not allow you to do justice to either site. Ek Balam closes at 1700. (Out of the park at 1700) You might just consider CI this trip and save Ek Balam for another time. This gives you something else to look forward to.