In addition, if you can spend one night at the Mayaland Hotel that makes it a true world class experience.
We did that. Lovely, restored hotel with interesting history. Great food. We went in that night for the evening show and found it interesting, but the great advantage is that we could reenter thru the back gate early the next morning well before the tour buses arrive. The place is overrun with vendors selling things in the afternoon plus the hordes of bus people, but the vendors were taking their time setting up thru the morning - pretty much leaving us alone.
Then that afternoon, we had plenty of time to tour Ek Balam, which many argue is the best. It's certainly a nice one to visit. We did both that day, then got back to PDC in time to turn in our car and ferry to Cozumel in time for dinner.
Someone interested in the ruins should see them all.
Yep, Coba in the morning before the heat peaks, Tulum in the afternoon with the sea breezes. It might even be worth it to stay the night before at Coba and get in earlier. I hadn't riden a bicycle in decades, bur it came back to me before I wrecked.
Then head for the hotel at Chichen Itza that night to do those ruins and Ek Balam the next day. You'd be back tracking some on the road between Tulum & Coba to do it in my suggested order, but worth it as Coba gets so hot. Do rent bikes and see all of Coba tho. So many walk to the big pyramid and back and skip the other trail.
We stopped at the grocery in Tulum at the turn to Coba to stock up on bottled water, a cooler & ice, and such. I carried 2 quart vacuum bottles of cold water in my backpack while my bud just carried one - and ran short. Also spray early & well with Deet.
From PDC to Coba, back to Tulum, backtracking thru Coba to Chichen Itza, then on to Ek Balam, then back to PDC via the new hiway cut thru the jungle - 7 hours of driving over 2 days, but so much to see. WARNING: Driving from Chichen Itza to Piste to Ek Balam,
do not miss the exit or you may have to go halfway to Cancun to turn around.
