Feedback on Mexico itinerary with kids (page 2 of 2)

A matter of perspective... Personally, I don’t go to Mexico to visit amusement parks.

So you’re not traveling with family, if I understand correctly?

I’m removing one night from Valladolid. Where should I add it back? Bacalar? And what should we do there?

I really liked Bacalar. For a quiet swim with kids (and it’s really pretty), there’s Cenote Cocalitos Beach Resort.

Any lodging ideas for 4 people near Calakmul?

We stayed in Nuevo Conhuas, near the entrance to the road leading to Calakmul, at Cabañas Calakmul. It’s pretty basic, but it does the job and the welcome is super friendly. I remember getting a better rate by contacting them directly instead of using a well-known booking platform.

With a 3-year-old, kayaking might not be the best idea...

There are boat rides with a guide who rows and shows you different animals living in the mangrove. Much more suitable for a young child indeed.

you're not a family, so if I understand correctly?

Ummm, how to put this... I’ve taken my kids to lots of countries, but we usually prefer visiting places that are more authentic and representative than amusement parks. Luckily, there are plenty of other ways to keep kids engaged while traveling. And don’t worry, we’ve done a few in the U.S. too! 😊

Do you have any accommodation ideas for 4 people going to Calakmul?

We stayed at Nuevo Conhuas, near the entrance to the road leading to Calakmul, at the Cabañas Calakmul. It's pretty basic, but it does the job and the welcome is really friendly. I remember getting a better rate by contacting them directly rather than going through a well-known booking platform.

Okay, thanks. Just to confirm, when it says $1400 pesos, that’s in Mexican pesos, so about 64 € per night, right?

Agreed that when it says $1400 pesos, it’s in Mexican pesos—about 64 € per night, right?

Yeah, Mexicans sometimes have the odd habit of using $ to mean pesos. Reach out to them directly—you might get a better price (and nothing to pay upfront).

We just booked our flight tickets. It’ll be a direct flight with Air Caraïbes to Cancun. So here’s the latest version of the itinerary (I still need to slot in one more night). New itinerary version:

Valladolid (1h45 away) = 2 nights

Day 1 - Chichen Itza (45 min away) Day 2 - cenote (Xcanahaltun?) + visit Valladolid town See if we keep Ek Balam (30 min away).

Mérida (1h45 away) = 2 nights

Day 1 - On the morning route, Izamal site? (1h20 away) + visit Mérida town Day 2 - Celestun excursion (1h20 away)

Campeche = 2 nights

Day 1 - On the morning route, visit Hacienda Mucuyché site? + Uxmal site (1h00 away) then Xtacumbilxunaan cave (1h40 from Campeche) Day 2 - Edzna Maya site? (45 min away)

Palenque = 3 nights

Day 1 - Transition day (5h00 drive) Day 2 - Excursion to Yaxchilán + Bonampak Day 3 - Visit Palenque Maya site (15 min away) + surroundings (Misol Há Waterfall, Roberto Barrios Waterfall)

Xpujil (or somewhere closer to Calakmul) = 1 night

Day 1 - Transition day (5h00 drive). See if we can stop at places along the way.

Bacalar = 3 nights

Day 1 - Visit Calakmul site (departure 5:30 AM). Then head to Bacalar in the afternoon (3h30 drive) Day 2 - Lagoon of Seven Colors + beach or San Felipe Fort Day 3 - ?

Tulum (2h30 away) = 4 nights

Day 1 - Morning on the road, Muyil site (?) + Coba site in the afternoon (45 min from Tulum) Day 2 - Excursion to Sian Ka’an (50 min away) Day 3 - Beach (Playa de Los Pescadores?) + cenote (Sac Actún or Taak Bi Ha) Day 4 - Turtle watching in Akumal + Cozumel (45 min away) Day 5 - Return to airport for 8:15 PM flight (2h00 drive). Tulum Maya site.

For the last night to add, either:

In Valladolid as initially planned (to make it 3 nights) In Mérida In Palenque, which would allow going to San Cristobal (to make it 4 nights) In the Calakmul area to avoid heading to Bacalar after the visit (to make it 2 nights) In Tulum to finish with 5 nights in style

It's true that San Cristobal de Las Casas is really nice, but from Palenque it's about a 5-hour drive (one way). I don’t think it’s reasonable to do a round trip in a day, especially since San Cristobal deserves a bit more time.

If you leave Palenque early enough, you could probably visit Calakmul in the afternoon and stay overnight in Conhuas. But you should still check the site’s opening hours.

Otherwise, for a final stop, you might consider Puerto Morelos. It’s pretty charming and surprisingly not too overrun with tourists.

It seems like Calakmul is only accessible until 2:30 PM—might be tight. Or else, we could stay overnight at the reserve hotel...

San Cristobal de Las Casas at 5 hours away? Yeah, that’s too far, let’s skip it. But maybe we could do a day trip to Agua Azul waterfalls instead—only 1.5 hours away.

Puerto Morelos? Meh. Not that I’m not interested, but packing and unpacking for just one night isn’t great...

I still don’t know where to add that night... I’m torn between Mérida and Palenque.

Hi, I’ve got a quick question: is it feasible to hit the road to Valladolid after arriving in Cancun at 6:00 PM?

Hi there, I’d say that between passport control, baggage claim, picking up the rental car, and the drive to Valladolid, you’re looking at about 4 hours. That would put you there around 10:00 PM. Personally, I think it’s doable, though don’t forget to factor in the time difference.

Hi, I’d say that between passport control, baggage claim, picking up the rental car, and the drive to Valladolid, you’re looking at about 4 hours. That would put you there around 10:00 PM. For me, it’s doable, even if you shouldn’t forget the time difference.

So +4 hours, with the kids, the time difference, and night driving—I think it might get complicated...

Hi,

Does anyone know about Wise for paying in foreign currencies, especially in Mexico, to book a rental directly instead of going through Airbnb, for example?

Hi there,

I’m currently looking into where to stay for my two nights in Mérida. Where’s the best area to book? Is the city center easy to access by car? Is parking straightforward? Is it better to stay outside the city?

So far, I’ve made three reservations:

2 nights in central Campeche 4 nights in southern Palenque 3 nights in Bacalar near the Cenote Negro.

You’re not accounting for jet lag and planning excursions right the next day—or even the day you arrive—with kids... Good luck with that! You should take it easy the first two days... so here’s a tip: don’t overplan days 1 and 2

Hi there,

On the day we arrive, we’ll be spending the night in Puerto Morelos. The next day, we’ll stay in Pisté. That day, we’ll visit Valladolid and the Ek Balam site. On day 3 in the morning, it’ll be Chichén Itzá, then we’ll head off to settle in for 3 nights after that.