MEXICO - Riviera Maya
29/10 to 06/11/2017
2 adults + 10 month baby
Itinerary
29/10 - Lisbon - Cancun - Hotel (Blue itinerary on map)
30 e 31/10 - Full days at the Hotel
01/11 - Valladolid - Chichen Itzá - Playa del Carmen (Red itinerary on map)
02/11 - Tulum - Cenote Dos Ojos - Cancun (Green itinerary on map)
03 e 04/11 - Full days at the Hotel
05/11 - Cancun - Lisbon
06/11 - Arrival to Lisbon (Blue itinerary on map)
Accommodation
Our Stories
We arrived at Lisbon airport at 12:00 for the Evelop flight! which had scheduled departure time at 3:25 pm. The queue was already very long and our "luck" was to go with a baby because luckily in Portugal there is still the good sense to give priority to infants, pregnant and disabled.
The flight left on time and at 9:30 am we were arriving at Cancun airport at 9:00 pm local time. Upon arrival, the first surprise ... unlike most countries we know (not to say all) in Mexico there is no priority for anyone unless they are in a wheelchair!! In other words, as most people do not have common sense, we spent a half hour well measured in a queue to pass the emigration to enter Mexico. Only 2 couples had the civility to let us go ahead while the rest pretended they didn't see a 10 month old baby, drowsy and screaming in the middle of an airport full of people!
After the usual stamps to enter the country, our suitcase was already waiting for us around the conveyor belt, which allowed us to leave the airport more quickly. When we arrived at the bus, which was easily identifiable, we spent another hour waiting for the last passengers to our hotel to arrive. After another 1h30, we finally arrived at the hotel.
It was close to midnight in Mexico (5 am in Portugal) and at that moment we just wanted to sleep.
Upon arrival at the hotel, everyone was distributed to the rooms and it seemed to us like a gigantic hotel because we took a huge turn to get to our room which, we discovered the next day, was 2 steps from the reception! We would have taken a lot less time if we had walked to the room. It is true that the hotel is huge but at that moment, it seemed to us 5 times bigger than it really is!
We went to the restaurant open 24 hours to eat anything before bed and there was almost nothing to choose from. We had to settle for chicken nuggets and spicy wings, which was the little that was still available. For a restaurant open 24h we were waiting for more! But in the following days, the image would change because it was not as bad as it seemed at first impression.
In the next two days, we took the opportunity to visit the resort and its 3 hotels and find out which would be the best beach for us to use and the various services they had available. It is actually a hotel with a lot of variety and many options for restaurants, bars, beaches, swimming pools, sports areas ... It was a good option and a peaceful and well spent days.
In the meantime we decided to rent a car so that on the 1st and 2nd of November we could go for a drive around the area and see some of the most important tourist attractions in the Riviera Maya. We rented the car at Europcar which was located inside the hotel and it was at the hotel that the car was delivered to us. The only surprise in this rental was that in Mexico, children are not required to travel with a car seat. As a matter of safety, we insisted that we wanted a car seat for Maria and we were able to find one to rent with the car. Although we were only charged for the 2 days we asked for, they left us the car on October 31 at the end of the afternoon, which allowed us to go that night to Tulum to buy food for Maria and see the Tulum city at night.
On That day, the 31, we decided to go to a supermarket but for that we had to go to a cashier to get Mexican Pesos. We parked the car in the supermarket park and asked the shotgun armed policeman who was at the supermarket door where there would be a cashier to get some money. The policeman was there because it is "normal"! There was no assault or anything like that. Maybe that area is so dangerous that it is necessary to have a police officer at the supermarket door, but at no time did we feel any danger except when we had to cross the road. It was the first big adventure in Mexico. How to cross an intersection where there is no passage for people on foot, where the traffic lights open alternately to the various directions and where there are 500 cars, motorbikes and trucks passing by ?? Nothing simpler: it took us about 10 minutes to understand the logic and then we played the game of the chicken crossing the road when there were spaces between the cars. But we did it !!! : D
After buying what we needed, we went for a drive around the city center to see what Tulum was like at night and the city was pleasantly surprised. A main avenue arranged with several restaurants, shops, hotels and a lot of movement and atmosphere that we were not expecting.
The next day we left early in the morning to visit Valladolid, Chichen Itzá and Playa del Carmen. It was a long day but it was worth it!
On the way to Valladolid we stopped at a small village to buy two coconuts that were Maria's first experience drinking coconut water! She Loved it!
1h30 away from the hotel, was Valladolid and it was our first longest stop. It is a typical Latin American city.
Plenty of people on the street, a beautiful square in the center and a church, more beautiful on the outside than on the inside. With the curiosity that many of the older women are dressed in the typical costume of this area (white dresses with colorful floral details).
We then proceeded to Chichen Itzá and as it was already time for lunch we stopped in the city of Piste (the closest to Chichen Itzá) for lunch. We ate very well at a restaurant called "Las Mestizas" where we tried the typical Yucatan food (Sopa de Lima, a sausage similar to chorizo and "Cochinita Pibil", a typical pork dish).
After lunch, we then went to the ruins of Chichen Itzá. One of the 7 wonders of the modern world and you can see why. The Kukulcan pyramid is something that only by being there you can get an accurate idea of what it is and what it represents. And all the other monuments around the pyramid are almost as spectacular as the pyramid itself. The only downside: street vendors. There are 1000 and they all sell the same thing and spend their time calling people to buy their products.
We spent about 2:30 am enjoying the place and then we left in the direction of Playa del Carmen where we had decided to go to dinner.
On the way, we pay to walk on a very normal and poorly signposted road. The lack of this sign meant that we didn't see a bump to slow down and a policeman told us to stop to call attention to speed and to be careful with Maria (at this time we were going at about 50 km / h in a place where we couldn't walk more than 40 but that due to the lack of visibility of the signs, we had not even noticed this limitation.
When we reach Playa del Carmen we find another Mexico. An area without car traffic, full of tourists (mainly Americans) and with shops, restaurants, shopping centers ...
It is a very pleasant area and that's why we ended up coming back the next day but it is completely touristic and America style!
In this night we were lucky to celebrate the the celebration of Day of the Dead was the next day, which in Mexico is an important holiday, and that was why there were dozens of children disguised as "La Catrina", skulls or death among other disguises less related to this Mexican holiday and who walked the streets exchanging sweets among themselves. Apparently when they like another child's disguise they give him sweets. It is a kind of "healthier" Halloween as children are taught to share and give their sweets to other children. Even Maria, who was not going disguised was entitled to sweets by some girls who thought she deserved some sweets too!
The next day (November 2nd) we start the day visiting the Mayan ruins in Tulum. Not having the same grandeur as Chichen Itzá, they have the advantage of being close to the sea and for that reason they offer unique views over the Turquoise waters.
The area of the Tulum ruins should not be less than that of Chichen Itzá, but the type of construction is less spectacular. There is a problem that we did not find the day before: it is quite difficult to reach some areas with a baby stroller or wheelchair as there are several areas that are inaccessible except by stairs.
From here we went to Cenote Dos Ojos. Cenotes are a kind of natural pools inside caves, with transparent waters and ideal for snorkeling and diving. To get to Cenote Dos Ojos we had to drive for about 3 km on a dirt road with many holes which makes it 3 painful kms!! But it is worth it because it has water with an incredible blue color and a depth of 6 to 7 meters with almost total visibility when we have the snorkeling goggles on. It is a unique experience despite its very cold water!! At the entrance to the cenote, we were given life jackets for anyone who wants to, but it is advisable to bring snorkeling equipment (although they also have to rent).
Finally we went to Cancun, which was Camila's dream since she was little! The blue of Cancun's waters was something I had always dreamed of since I saw them hundreds of times in a tourism magazine in English.
In addition to the beach with the blue waters, Cancun has a tourist area where all there are are huge hotels next to the beach, restaurants and a center that wants to show a Las Vegas image that disappoints when we get there. It gives an idea that whoever goes there on vacation has the objective of "sex, drugs & rock n 'Roll". We stayed for the Rock n 'Roll part as we took the opportunity to have lunch (at 16:00) at the Hard Rock of Cancun overlooking the beach.
As it didn't promise much at night, we decided to return to Playa del Carmen, which was on the way to the hotel, and enjoy a little more of this city that pleased us much more than Cancun.
Upon arrival in Playa del Carmen, we passed a cemetery where they were celebrating the Day of the Dead and where there were many people and many ornaments related to this day. People set up altars with food to celebrate their deceased relatives. It is a day that Mexicans live with joy and is very important in the country.
The following days were again spent at the hotel resting and enjoying the fantastic time we had. We didn't have a single rainy day and temperatures were always high.
On the 5th at night we return to Portugal, not without having had dinner at "Bubba Gump Shrimp Co." at Cancun airport. This is a restaurant dedicated to the film Forrest Gump and has references to the film throughout the restaurant.
We arrived in Lisbon on the 6th of the morning after 8:30 am flight with a very positive impression of these days spent in Mexico.
We certainly advise everyone to make this trip!
