Advantages: The Mayan remains Disadvantages: The "Mayan Riviera"
From our side of the plane, we can't at first see Cancun as we approach the Mexican coast, only a green swathe of jungle fringing the dark blue sea. Then the plane circles, to bring into view the semi-circle of reef on which the main part of the resort is built. Even so, compared with arriving at a Mediterranean coast, it all looks remarkably unspoilt. Not that it matters at the time to us. We will be heading straight inland without stopping in Cancun.
... ...Five hours late, thanks to a security alert at Charlotte, N Carolina, where we changed planes. This does matter, since it means we will be driving off into the interior in darkness to arrive at Chichen Itza late at night. We have hotel bookings, but never having previously travelled in Mexico, we are nervous about the journey. Guidebooks counsel against driving in the interior after dark.
There is a further delay at the Alamo car-rental desk, since ...
torr 25.01.2004 (06.04.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: exceptional Review of Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico)
Advantages: Gorgeous deserted beach, clear, clear water Disadvantages: mosquitoes
The 3 of us go to Xpu-Ha after finding it in a guidebook. It is pronounced sh-poo-ha but despite the dodgy name it is supposed to be an idyllic paradise. We set off about 9.30am to walk to the bus station on 5th Avenue in Playa del Carmen, from where it is a 30 minute / 13 Peso trip. The bus is on time and the driver kindly tells us when we to get off since we would have no idea, but what the books said about you being dropped at the side of the ... ...leave and then gingerly cross the busy dual carriageway to a swish hotel on the other side, the Xpu-Ha palace. We ask the men on the gates how to get to the beach but they don't let us onto their fancy-ass grounds, and tell us the public beach is a 15 min walk away. At that very moment a taxi shows up, dropping off some guests, and after some non-existent haggling we talk him into taking us to the Beach Club we had in mind. He doesn't quite know ...
zoe_page 17.08.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico)
Advantages: Unbelievable Archeological Sites, Great Food, Friendly People Disadvantages: Very Long Distances
...country is very mountainous, The Yucatan being the only flat part, and The Yucutan interior is mostly jungle (i.e. the green) crossed by very long very straight roads. As we descended some signs of civilisation became apparent, farms , plantations, villages and eventually Cancun Airport.
~~Cancun Airport
This is an adequate airport, it has fine basic facilities, and while we were there did not seem too busy. One slight problem is that you have ... ...and the capital of the Yucatan state. The archaeological Museum is a converted Hacienda and contains many impressive artefacts. We also visited a Mexican market which I found very scary and disturbing. It seems OK at first, but the standard of hygiene seemed a bit dodgy, with very overcrowded pet stalls next to food stalls. The pets seemed very crowded (far too many a cage) and did not look very well looked after. One jewellery stall sold live beetles ...
mikeydred 07.10.2001 (18.10.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico)
Advantages: A Fantastic holiday, especially for a honeymoon Disadvantages: you get pestered a bit at markets
My husband and I travelled to Mexico for our honeymoon. We booked the holiday through Kuoni. The holiday we booked was a one week tour of the Mayan sites, and then a 2 week stay at the Moon Palace in Cancun.
When we landed at Cancun we transferred straight onto the tour and was met by our very entertaining and informative tourguide. All the hotels we stayed in on the tour were lovely, with spacious fantastically decorated, comfortable rooms.
Our ... ...a tour we were given free time to wander around and take in the sites - this made a change from usual "get off the bus, quick look round, get back on the bus" tours. Every day our guide took us to the days site early (8.30am) to ensure we had seen everything before the main heat of the day. It was also virtually empty and the resulting photographs and video are fantastic - the sites without a miilion and one unknown tourists.
If you can it is worth ...
Fiona2403 04.10.2001 (25.02.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico)
Advantages: plenty to see and do for everyone Disadvantages: mosquitos
Mexico - a place that I always wanted to visit and a place that I would definitely go back to.
We had a fortnight's holiday in Playacar (approx 70km from Cancun).
As our hotel was all inclusive we could eat and drink as much as we could pack in (which proved to be a lot)- the choice of food and drink available was beyond my expectations. Even the pickiest eater couldn't fail to find something delicious to nibble on washed down with some exotic ... ...around the hotel such as dance lessons, volleyball, Spanish lessons, water polo to name but a few although nobody forced you to do anything you didn't want to.
We did a few trips through the travel company we booked with but it is relatively cheap to rent a car and the roads look OK for driving so if I was going back I would consider that as an alternative and cheaper option as most of the places to visit are very cheap to get into.
Chichen Itza
...
teqno 07.10.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico)
Advantages: Great beach, hotel, sea. Disadvantages: None, fantastic place
...on this side is the Yucatan Peninsula which contains the most well know destination of Cancun. We stayed about 70k south of here in Playa Del Carmen. We were extremely lucky with the weather, there was a powerfull hurricane a week before we got there and another that skipped up the gulf of Mexico to Florida! We had about 12 days of glorious sunshine out of 14!
We stayed at the Riu Yucatan, I’m not sure if many of you know that a lot of travel ... ...Thompson and the Riu Hotel chain. The Riu group have hotels round the world in Spain, Mexico, Dominican Republic and many more. The hotel itself was fantastic, the room was spacious and clean. It was an all-inclusive and the food was great also. We had two a la carte restaurants that we could use with booking and a buffet any other time, the buffet had great carverys every night and the most wonderful soups, fruit and traditional Mexican food. The ...
Redhead 12.11.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico)
Advantages: Lots of ancient history Disadvantages: Tour prices are high
...of the attractions that the Yucatan had to offer. We stayed in Cancun, which is on the North eastern coast of the peninsula. We went on a day trip to Chichen Itza, the ancient Mayan ruins, deep in the jungle about 200 km from Cancun, which was quite a long distance by coach. When you get there and look at the impressive main pyramid it is an awesome sight. You are able to climb it, which I did, but it is not for the faint-hearted, as you can see ...
northers 26.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico)
The Yucatan peninsula is the most developed of Mexico's tourist areas. The main resort is Cancun, which is where the main airport is. We stayed in Playa del Carmen, a small town south of Cancun which is much less touristy and more authentic. The beaches are glorious - very clean and not too busy. The main attractio nof the Yucatan is the Mayan ruins and the main monument at Chichen Itza is a must. The central pyramid is absolutely spectacular, and ... ...very steep. It's well worth joining a guided tour to Chichen as there is so much to take in. The site is big enough to spend a couple of hours looking round, but try to avoid midday as it can get very hot. The ruins at Uxmal are equally interesting and less visited. Shopping is good, with a wide variety of crafts and gifts on sale. Be prepared for enthusiatic sales patter! The snorkelling is good, and there is also scuba widely available. ...
moraghewat 27.06.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico)
Advantages: Standard of Accomodation, location, staff - everything Disadvantages: none
Fantastic - anyone holidaying in Mexico will have a fab time if staying at the El Dorado Royale Hotel. I went with my other half in September last year (2004) and we had a great time. Albeit we were caught up in the Hurrican Ivan scenario.
Having arrived in Mexico, i was quite alarmed at how compact the airport was compared to the ones experienced within Europe and having heard comments about how long it takes to pass through Passport control I ... ...as this chore passed without a hitch and we were through within 20 minutes. We passed through and went to collect our luggage. There we were greated by mexican airport workers who, for £1, would collect our luggage and wheel it to the taxi. What can I tell you about the hotel, firstly I need to state that its an adult only complex so not suitable for those wanting to take the little ones. The hotel is about a 40 minute drive from the airport and ...
KOOKIE27 01.09.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: not helpful Review of Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico)
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