Car Journey in Mexico: 7 Days in Merida, Tulum, Valladolid, Cancun

When the Day of the Dead is celebrated in Oaxaca, we set off on our new route by plane. We went to Merida in an hour and a half by direct flight from Oaxaca. Our only alternative for this trip was Volaris, which was very good but not cheap.

Yucatan Peninsula Although it has a lot with its beaches, magnificent beaches, small colorful towns and Mayan ruins, the best way to reach many of these is renting a car. Otherwise, you should use buses, taxis or private tours, which will not come cheaper either. We drive our car I rentalcars.co through Alamo We rented from. Car rents are very convenient, but we paid an extra $ 140 since we bought our car from Merida and left it to Cancun 🙁 The rents included in the standard insurance start at 100 TL per day. alternative.

Is it Safe to Rent a Car in Yucatan?

I have to say that this region is very touristy, even though the most important question with Mexico is always security. In other words, this is a safe area, but it says on the internet that the police want bribes. When I asked this to the officer while renting a car in Alamo, he said that a situation like bribery in Yucatan was not possible, but he did not know Cancun. A Turkish friend, who also lived in Playa Del Carmen, told that they constantly bribe the police on the road between Tulum and Cancun. However, we were never stopped by the police, following all traffic rules. The worst thing we ever had was to face a panther on the Playa Del Carmen beach, which I think is a much worse experience 🙁

The other things I read about Mexico, where Pemex employees where you bought gasoline in your car were trying to defraud the tourists and car rental companies tried to make extra money from you, but none of this happened to us. We never used toll roads and traveled on very wide roads. The most important thing to watch out for is deadly bumps, but since the speed limit is usually 80 km, you won’t have any problems. I think the most important thing to pay attention is the night journey. Since this region is protected by forests, there is not much lighting when it gets dark and everyone travels with high beams.

Day 1 Merida

Merida is the capital of Yucatan province. We stayed here in a central hotel called Hotel Doralba Inn and we were able to spend about half a day in the city. In such a short time, we had the chance to watch the traditional Yucatan folk dance, Jarana.

You can purchase many souvenirs of Maya culture in Merida. You have many alternatives from hammocks specific to this region to magnificent embroidery. Here we throw ourselves because we are bored with traditional food El trapiche We ate great pizza at the restaurant. I also wanted pasta, which was very good. This place is also very famous for its traditional dishes, and we got it when we entered by chance 🙂

Merida is one of the cities where people live according to the traditions. You can see this from apparel to food culture. Unfortunately, although architecturally very beautiful buildings, it has not been well preserved. Even if I cannot say go, you may stop by the fact that there are magnificent venetians very close to the city;)

Day 2 None dzonot Cenote and Valladolid

There are countless cenotes you can visit in this shade. All of them have different features and entrance fees. Some are very touristy crowds, some are empty. The first cenote we saw was Yokdzonot. The entrance fee is 85 pesos per person, and there are cabins, toilets and restaurants.

What we call Cenote is actually the sinkholes. They all look like a piece of heaven. There were a few more when we left, but a tour group arrived on our way out. The only disadvantage here is that wearing a life jacket is compulsory. It is magnificent in nature. By the way, cenote waters are not cold, you can spend a long time. After a few hours we felt in heaven, we went to Valladolid to stay in the evening and see the city center during this time.

night Hostal Tunich NajWe spent in a bungalow. In the evening, eat in Valladolid We have walked the streets. There are many restaurants in the town, which is one of the accommodation points of the tourists who visit this region. Evenings Convent of San Bernardino of SienaA video show about the city’s history is held in.

Day 3 Chichen Itza and Cenote Zaci

7 New Wonders of the World ancient Mayan city between Chichen itzais one of the most important stops of this region. Maya’s astronomy and mathematical knowledge Kulkulkan Pyramid Famous for its city, it is a fascinating place with many mysteries and victims.

This place may have the entrance of the most expensive ruins of all of Mexico. As of 2019 per person 480 pesos so 25 dollars we paid the entrance fee. If you want, you can keep a private guide for you or your group at the door. It can tell you the history of the city, not in Turkish but in English.

We chose to travel ourselves. Chichen Itza is a city with lots of trees and therefore easy to visit. I suggest you plan without forgetting that it will take at least half a day.

The harder it is to visit the ancient city in the heat, the more pleasant it is to choose a cenote and cool off. Since we will stay in Tulum in the evening Valladolid in the center Cenote ZaciWe went to.

The entrance of this place is only 30 pesos, but if you guarantee to spend 100 pesos per person in the restaurant, you can enter for free. We chose to log in from a restaurant as its restaurant is both very nice and very enjoyable. We love Zaci, who has a small waterfall, half of which is completely open and half like a cave. This delightful place where you can spend hours is very central and it has been my favorite even though it is occasionally invaded by tours.

When we moved to Tulum to stay overnight, we were shocked to see that the place we rented through Airbnb was very out of the city and dirty. When the owner of the house, which we completed the payment on Airbnb and reached in the evening, refused the refund, we took everything and took a place from the center and emptied the room.

Anyway, 2.5 days of our 3-night payment (since we entered the room late and left our belongings for 2 hours) Airbnb He returned it to us. Thus, we also experienced how good Airbnb customer support I use.

4th and 5th Day Tulum

Quickly in the city center in Tulum at night Hotel Kin Ha PuebloAfter settling in, we explored Tulum during the day. Because we want to see the beach quickly, by car Paraiso beachWe went to. There are places where you can sleep on sun loungers along the beach. Or you can find a palm and enjoy the beach underneath.

In the afternoon walking distance to this beach Tulum Ruinswhat we decided to go. This city, which is also from the Maya, consists of ruins on its name, but it is very enjoyable to spend time because it is on the edge of the beach. It’s also great to see the iguanas, who are the real owners of this place. It is very pleasant to visit here as its nature is very beautiful. If you want, you can visit the door again by holding a guide.

In the evening, we definitely visited two places I wanted to see. The first is famous for seafood Sabor de Mar. Despite its shabby appearance and affordable prices, this place produces amazing plates. All we tried was fantastic.

From the famous stops of Tulum Bateyis famous for its mojitos made of sugar cane. It is really a taste worth trying. There is also live music every night in the bar.

We said to take a tour of the 2nd day hotels region in Tulum as follows. Here is where I say absolutely go SFER IK

Azulik Tulum This architecture can be visited free of charge. It fascinates you with its surreal structure and special works of artists. All the donations coming to the museum, where a certain number of people were taken, were used for the protection of the Maya people. I think it is best to make a small donation if you go.

Further here Ahau TulumIs at the entrance door of Daniel PopperHe has a magnificent work. I’ve been wanting to see him since I discovered him on Instagram, and I joined the caravan of those who took photos in front of him.

Since the hotel area is like a construction site when we went, we could not enjoy it. There is also an incredible vehicle traffic that I did not want to imagine in the high season. As we went, November was not a crowded period since the region was one of the months of precipitation.

To catch the sunset, we went to Tulum beach again, but we couldn’t catch a legendary view like in Bali.

Evening from the legendary taco vendors of Tulum center Antojitos La ChiapanecaWe tried many different tacos, each with 10 pesos. We have completed our last night with our mouth open for its cheapness and taste.

Day 6 Playa del Carmen

On the sixth day we set off early AkumalWe reached. This is the beach with sea turtles. However, we gave up that there are many rules for entrance fee and protection and we continued to Playa del Carmen. We hung around a little on the beach in Playa del Carmen, but we didn’t like it because it is covered with plants called sea grass.

Then, close to the center Punta EsmeraldaWe chose to try. There was sea grass here, but it is a more pleasant beach than the center. Especially while spending time at the beach, which is preferred by the local people, we got caught in the rain. When the work went to the car to leave our belongings, we left little by little when it came to the eye with a panther. Since this is a protected area, we learned that all kinds of animals, from panties to raccoons, live in the forest. The panther experience was a little scary, but there are already signs of “panther can come out” on the roadside in this area 🙂 Anyway, when we went, I did not take a photo from the panther fear. I added a nice photo from the internet;)

Photo source: https://www.featherandthewind.com/blog/2018/2/25/punta-esmeralda-playa-del-car financing

In Playa del Carmen Fifth avenue There is a never-ending bazaar in its name. Along the way, the gift, restaurant, bar, grocery store never ends. So it reminded me of the center of Marmaris. If you like such places, you might like it, but not very much.

Evening with the suggestion of a Turkish friend living here Don sirloinWe ate taco again 🙂 I can say that it was fine if your path fell.

7. Day Cancun

We set off in the morning on the last day of our trip and went to Cancun. Take a drive tour of the hotels area and see one of the larger markets of this place Mercado 28We went to. Since Cancun is the most touristic place with luxury hotels, the market prices are quite high but you have a chance to bargain. Mexico city or Oaxaca If you are not going to less touristy cities such as Yucatan Peninsula, the products and prices in the markets are almost the same.

After delivering our vehicle to the airport without any problems on the last day, we flew to Havana in 1 hour and 15 minutes.