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BajaBlanca
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Posts: 13166
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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we'll be here Spearo !!! I willl be teaching for a couple hours every day feb - march april may june LOL so we shall be right here !!
ummmmm can you pick up our mail from my mom's house in san diego on your way down ???? that would be awesome.
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Skipjack Joe
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Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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If ruins are your highest priority then head for Palenque. Chichenitza pales in comparison. Otherwise I would center on the Tulum area and enjoy its
beaches and cenotes. The coastal road from Tulum to Punta Allen is worth taking.
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Kalypso
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Posts: 147
Registered: 5-17-2011
Location: San Diego
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BB, I was in the Yucatan last Feb/March. Here are links to some of the things we saw and places we ate
Merdia
Hotel Maria del Carmen
Casa Balam
The Maria del Carmen is $35-$45 at night. It's clean, well maintained, nice pool, good restaurant. Casa Balam is more centrally located, big rooms, on
the parade route during Carnival, $75 a night +/-.
Local 3 We were not particularly impressed with the food in Merida, but Local 3 was very good. Contemporary Mexican, best sangria, one of the few
places in Merida serving and using Mezcal.
Sotuta de Peon Tour a working henequen plantation. There is also a cenote in which you can swim and an option to purchase a meal at the end of the
tour. Definitely go for the meal, the food is good.
Valladolid
Taberna de los Frailes very, very good food. Beautiful setting, like eating in someone's back yard under a palapa. Don't be put off by the
"gourmet mayan" designation they've given themselves. It's very creative food, well done, but not frou-frou food in the least. Also visit the church
next door. One of the first build in the Yucatan. If you see it as the sun is setting the bricks and stones have a wonderfully warm color and glow to
them. Lots of regional history there.
Ek Balam Valladolid is very close to Chichen Itza, but it's also close to several other fuins. See Ek Balam in the morning before it gets hot.
Interesting structures with some features not found at other ruins. Also not overrun with tourists.
Coba is also close to Valladolid. Huge site, flat, easy to negotiate, zip line over crocodile infested waters if you're interested
Casa de Venados restoration project, now home to a massive folk art collection. Open to the public, worth seeing even if you're not into folk art.
Proceeds go to support local medical operations.
Hoctun Cemetery Only in Mexico do you send someone to see a cemetery. But this one is worth stopping and walking around in. The locals got very
creative after the cemetery filled up in the early '60s.
Campeche
Hotel Castelmar good location, close to the malecon. Nice rooms, good service, excellent staff
Marganzo Not necessarily the best restaurant in Campeche, but it was good, especially for breakfast. Excellent margaritas de tamarindo.
La Pigua Another good restaurant
Things to do in Campeche
Barco Pirata Lorencillo No link, I couldn't find it. But, there is a replica of the pirate boat Lorencillo that does 1 hour tours out
into the Gulf of Campeche. It's cheesy, it's fun and if it's hot, it gets you out on the water and some breezes going.
Edzna Very large Mayan ruin just outside of Campeche. Go early, take water and a hat, BLAZINGLY hot. Impressive and very climbable pyramides.
Rent a car, roads follow a lot of the old Maya routes and are dead stright with scrub jungle growing up to the road. Driving is not difficult, just a
little boring 
Have a great trip.
[Edited on 1-22-2012 by Kalypso]
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13166
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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Kalypso ... thanks so much ! are you a tour guide ??? those are amazing notes !
just printed up everyones ideas and we shall be deciding what to do as of next Sunday when we arrive .... and jump into our rental car at Cancun
airport.
good news is tht we already went to Palenque on our last trip so it will be chichen itza this trip ... although I saw pictures of the hordes of folk
there. jeez louise. UGLY sight .... I want us to be the first ones in ....
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3747
Registered: 10-17-2006
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Kalypso
BB, I was in the Yucatan last Feb/March. Here are links to some of the things we saw and places we ate
Merdia
Hotel Maria del Carmen
Casa Balam
The Maria del Carmen is $35-$45 at night. It's clean, well maintained, nice pool, good restaurant. Casa Balam is more centrally located, big rooms, on
the parade route during Carnival, $75 a night +/-.
Local 3 We were not particularly impressed with the food in Merida, but Local 3 was very good. Contemporary Mexican, best sangria, one of the few
places in Merida serving and using Mezcal.
Sotuta de Peon Tour a working henequen plantation. There is also a cenote in which you can swim and an option to purchase a meal at the end of the
tour. Definitely go for the meal, the food is good.
Valladolid
Taberna de los Frailes very, very good food. Beautiful setting, like eating in someone's back yard under a palapa. Don't be put off by the
"gourmet mayan" designation they've given themselves. It's very creative food, well done, but not frou-frou food in the least. Also visit the church
next door. One of the first build in the Yucatan. If you see it as the sun is setting the bricks and stones have a wonderfully warm color and glow to
them. Lots of regional history there.
Ek Balam Valladolid is very close to Chichen Itza, but it's also close to several other fuins. See Ek Balam in the morning before it gets hot.
Interesting structures with some features not found at other ruins. Also not overrun with tourists.
Coba is also close to Valladolid. Huge site, flat, easy to negotiate, zip line over crocodile infested waters if you're interested
Casa de Venados restoration project, now home to a massive folk art collection. Open to the public, worth seeing even if you're not into folk art.
Proceeds go to support local medical operations.
Hoctun Cemetery Only in Mexico do you send someone to see a cemetery. But this one is worth stopping and walking around in. The locals got very
creative after the cemetery filled up in the early '60s.
Campeche
Hotel Castelmar good location, close to the malecon. Nice rooms, good service, excellent staff
Marganzo Not necessarily the best restaurant in Campeche, but it was good, especially for breakfast. Excellent margaritas de tamarindo.
La Pigua Another good restaurant
Things to do in Campeche
Barco Pirata Lorencillo No link, I couldn't find it. But, there is a replica of the pirate boat Lorencillo that does 1 hour tours out
into the Gulf of Campeche. It's cheesy, it's fun and if it's hot, it gets you out on the water and some breezes going.
Edzna Very large Mayan ruin just outside of Campeche. Go early, take water and a hat, BLAZINGLY hot. Impressive and very climbable pyramides.
Rent a car, roads follow a lot of the old Maya routes and are dead stright with scrub jungle growing up to the road. Driving is not difficult, just a
little boring
Have a great trip.
[Edited on 1-22-2012 by Kalypso] |
Great post!!!
I really liked the scale of Ek Balam, my favorite along with Tulum, the only pyramid built on the water. Get there at sun rise and you will miss the
tourists and see an amazing sunrise. Few people visit Ek Balam.
Given your short time I would recommend that you head out of Cancun to Tulum and then to Valladolid which puts you in the area of Ek Balam and Coba,
pyramid with moat and crocks. His comments about the restaurant in Valladolid is right on, a great stop!
As you drive out of Cancun the first Pemex you run into is a scam joint. Make sure you use pesos, they can play more games with a $20 bill than you
can imagine. I went back for a third time just to see the slight of hand again, incredible!! People stop there in their rental cars because of its
convenience and because the tourists are adjusting their thinking to pesos/dollars, it is a great place to get ripped off.
We drove the Sean Kian sp? bioreserve and it was interesting though we blew a tire. The birding trip out of the log building in Tulum, accross from
the Francisco Market is well worth it, reasonable price and biologist guide.
If in Merida look for the large oval shaped, thatched restaurant/bars that offer tapas of regional quisine and entertainment, often very good, for the
price of the beer you nurse for the afternoon. One of the delights of Merida.
In hindsight I would pass on Celestun given your time frame. You go there for the flamingos, thousands of flamingos. If you do go there I would
recommend that you take a small boat to see the cenotes, magical places.
Have a great trip!
Iflyfish
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Bajahowodd
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9274
Registered: 12-15-2008
Location: Disneyland Adjacent and anywhere in Baja
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The one good/ bad thing about Chichen Itza: Visiting there a few times in the 80's and 90's. we hiked up to the top of the Kukulcan pyramid. The view
was spectacular.
However, and actually for the good, the Mexican government made that journey off-limits in the last decade because they were attempting to limit the
erosion.
A recent video that has been on PBS, shows President Calderon and his host walking up and entering the pyramid. But then, he is el presidente.
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Bajafun777
Super Nomad
Posts: 1103
Registered: 9-13-2006
Location: Rosarito & California
Member Is Offline
Mood: Enjoying Life with Wife In Mexico, Easy on The Easy
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When in Cancun a few years back, we went on the quad jungle run where everyone drives their own quad through the jungle areas. Pretty cool with
different types of animals you will see and several neat underground swimming caves with small zip line inside, once you ride the cave zip line, just
make sure you drop into the water before the cave wall drops you off off of it,LOL. They also have zip lines over the trees and one really deep water
hole with a steps leading down to the bottom to swim in or as a few did on dares just jump from the top down to the bottom. It is a very fast trip to
the bottom into some cold water and yes hold your breath when you hit the water, as you will have to get busy swimming upward due to deep entry as you
hit the water.
Had very good time in Cancun and lots of land adventure type outings you just need to pick one and boating adventures too, so FUN no matter what you
pick. Many great places to eat and have all the cold ones you want,LOL> Hope you have great FUN and weather is good for you guys. No Hurry, No
Worry, Just FUN" bajafun777
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Bajafun777
Super Nomad
Posts: 1103
Registered: 9-13-2006
Location: Rosarito & California
Member Is Offline
Mood: Enjoying Life with Wife In Mexico, Easy on The Easy
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When in Cancun a few years back, we went on the quad jungle run where everyone drives their own quad through the jungle areas. Pretty cool with
different types of animals you will see and several neat underground swimming caves with small zip line inside, once you ride the cave zip line, just
make sure you drop into the water before the cave wall drops you off off of it,LOL. They also have zip lines over the trees and one really deep water
hole with a steps leading down to the bottom to swim in or as a few did on dares just jump from the top down to the bottom. It is a very fast trip to
the bottom into some cold water and yes hold your breath when you hit the water, as you will have to get busy swimming upward due to deep entry as you
hit the water.
Had very good time in Cancun and lots of land adventure type outings you just need to pick one and boating adventures too, so FUN no matter what you
pick. Many great places to eat and have all the cold ones you want,LOL> Hope you have great FUN and weather is good for you guys. No Hurry, No
Worry, Just FUN" bajafun777
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13166
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
Member Is Offline
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well amigos, as the week is now over and I look back on all your ideas, I realize how wonderfully helpful they were. I was thinking about all of you
at one time or another:
soupatch - we did Coba and it was great
lemcho - we ate all the yucatecan dishes cause you mentioned the "corn"
kaypso - the roads are pretty but you do indeed get bored (I fell asleep between towns)
paranewbi - bacalar was probably my personal #1
don jorge - we stopped at the prison and we saw the hammocks. $$$$$
iflyfish - I ws not impressed with Merida and can you please explain why yu like it so much ??? we must have missed something. the food was not so
great. the centro historico was nothing during the day but EXQUISITE at night. I dunno, but we didn't "get it".
bajafun777 - I am not into the danger fun but those cenotes are awesome
in the end it was one incredible week and we are already discussing when we will return and are encouraging friends to come with us this time.
so thanks all thanks all thanks all.
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