A week in the Yucatán
Chichén Itzá on an early October morning.
Too many folks (including myself!) forget that an important part of good work is good rest. There’s a part of my brain that tends to constantly think about my job and my to-do list, even on nights and weekends. The ability to take a break from Minnesota once the weather started getting colder was simply an added bonus.
Preparation
Between my boyfriend Jesse and I, there are two different approaches to travel. While he tends to be more spontaneous with activities and plans, I tend to research heavily and plan out itineraries, even to the hour.
For our first international trip together, we found a shared Notion page key to successful collaboration. Using a database became our all-in-once place to work together in real time.
Databases in Notion are cool for three reasons:
Every item you enter into your database is a Notion page. You can open a database item to add more information like text, images, etc.
I created a new item in the database for each outing we wanted to do: be it beach day or a trip to Chichén Itzá. Under each entry, we tracked options and items we liked best. We ranked hotels we liked the most and made notes to each other. It was very helpful.You can customize properties. We added properties like '“passive” and “active” to note which excursions would be more taxing than the other. We tracked the cost of activities and events. By far, the best feature is:
You can toggle between multiple views: Your data isn't limited to a table. Visualize the information in a database as a list, calendar, chart, and more. This allowed us to easily switch around the days we intended to visit a location.
I’ve done that sort of planning before in Google Sheets, and while I’m still a Google girlie, Notion was just better for the ease in use.
Arrival
We flew into Cancún on a Monday morning. Having done a lot of research on transportation options, I learned that you cannot Google a map of the bus routes in the area. I challenge you to try! Since we wanted to avoid overly expensive taxis over the next week, we elected to stay our first night at the Nomad Party Hotel, within a ten minute walk of the bus terminal.
(This video was extremely helpful for researching how to navigate the local busses)
My overall impression of ‘downtown’ Cancún is tepid, though it’s sort of what I anticipated in might be. I don’t feel like saying much about it, not because it was ‘bad’, but rather the other places we visited were so much more interesting and compelling. We also visited in the ‘off season’, which I’m sure contributed to my generally lackluster impression
If you’re looking to party or stay somewhere decent for a good price. Nomad Party Hotel is a great option. They have shared bunks and private rooms alike. Ours was right outside their co-working lounge, which always seemed to have folks around. We had dinner at El Pescado Ciego — their seafood bisque was divine.
Overall impressions: ‘Downtown’ Cancún
Cost: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Vibes: ⭐⭐
Ease of Access: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Architecture: ⭐
Drinks & Dining: ⭐⭐⭐
Shopping: ⭐
Island Time
The spontaneity set in on day 2. We had pre-booked a stay at the Nomad Hostel for the following night, but opted to explore and take the opportunity to check out Isla Mujeres.
The ferry ride to the island was wonderful — though come prepared for the sun! The ocean was a beautiful shade of blue throughout, thanks to the reefs and sandbars.
I have nothing but great things to say about Isla! Keep in mind that card-readers can be hit-or-miss: bring your pesos. While it rained on and off throughout the day, it never lasted long, and the weather was beautiful. Some friends of Jesse and I are from the island, so we were lucky enough to have a ride and local guides as we explored the 5-mile long island.
Some highlights included:
El Varadero: a Cuban restaurant that makes the best mojitos known to man. Sit on the patio over the water!
Swimming at Playa El Cocal: I didn’t have my phone with me, so I don’t have photos, but best believe it’s the best beach I’ve ever been to — gentle waves and water that’s cool but not freezing. I wish we’d spent more time there.
Jesse being attacked at by a gato at Oscar’s Pizza. (All he wanted was some ham!)
Punta Sur
By far, the coolest part of Isla was checking out the southern tip of the island the next day. It’s home to a Mayan temple ruin, and you can see why they chose to build there. The entrance fee is only a few dollars — definitely worth checking out if you go.
Overall impressions: Isla Mujures
Cost: ⭐⭐⭐
Vibes: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ease of Access: ⭐⭐⭐
Architecture: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Drinks & Dining: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Shopping: ⭐⭐
Valladolid
After our overnight stay on the island, it was time for us to head to the interior of the Yucatán peninsula. I’d done some research on Chichén Itzá during the Notion planning phase and discovered that the site is 3 hours away by bus from Cancún. The idea of spending six hours on a bus just did not make sound fun, so we decided to stay in a town about 45 minutes from Chichén Itzá called Valladolid.
It’s mostly easy to catch a bus from the Cancún bus station to Valladolid. There are 5 - 10 busses a day in each direction. It can be a bit loud and confusing in the bus station. Our bus was never listed on the TV directory. Several times I asked the attendant if our bus had arrived; each time she told me to wait a moment. 10 minutes after the marked arrival time, I asked again, and was told “run!”
If that’s the worst thing to happen, though, I’ll take it!
We made it to Valladolid in the evening. We stayed at Le Muuch Hotel and loved it so much we added on an additional night. Can’t recommend highly enough — it was a beautiful place to relax and refresh.
The minute I got to Valladolid, I knew the vibes were exactly what I was looking for. It wasn’t rural, but wasn’t too small either. There were certainly some tourists, but they looked domestic, not all the Canadians and Americans that we had seen all over Cancún. I hope to return.
Some highlights included:
Shopping along Calzada de los Frailes: There were more high-quality, interesting souvenirs and gifts that could be purchased, a step-up from the cheap plastic trinkets everywhere else. I purchased some nice earrings to wear and take home. Our hotel also had a lovely and reasonably-priced gift shop where I got a little ‘dia de los muertos’ themed stuffed dog.
Evening lights: The church in the main square and Convento de San Bernardino were lit up every night.
Walkability: While there were some cars and plenty of motorbikes, it was easy and comfortable to navigate on foot.
Dining: Jesse had the second-best meal of the trip at Terraza Don Diablo. The margaritas were also incredible.
Relaxing at Le Muuch: On our second day in the area, after a long day of sight-seeing, we relaxed by the pool and napped on lounge chairs in the courtyard garden. It felt like paradise.
Overall impressions: Valladolid
Cost: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Vibes: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ease of Access: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Architecture: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Drinks & Dining: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Shopping: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Chichén Itzá and the Cenote
After our overnight stay on the island, it was time for us to head to the interior of the Yucatán peninsula. I’d done some research on Chichén Itzá during the Notion planning phase and learned the best time to arrive is first thing in the morning, before the swarm of tour busses from Cancún arrive.
I found a private driver on Viator to take Jesse and I to Chichén Itzá, as well as two cenotes (although we ended up only visiting one because we were tired). This was totally the move, I highly recommend. It’s worth spending the extra few bucks to have a car all to yourself!
Chichén Itzá speaks for itself: what an incredible place to visit. We could have spent the whole day there honestly.
The cenote we visited is called Xcajum — and it was incredible. Because we got up so early in the morning, we had the entire cenote to ourselves when we visited.
I left my phone in my locker so I could relax and enjoy the moment. I don’t have any photos, but the memories are super special.
Also included as part of the admission ticket was a delicious buffet dinner. It was a great deal!
All-Inclusive
As our vacation was drawing to a close, we knew we wanted to spend our final night in Cancún, with the airport in close-ish proximity. We decided to splurge on an all-inclusive resort. We went with Hyatt Zilara Cancun and were not disappointed.
There’s not much to say that the photos don’t show!
Some highlights included:
The pool along the beach with a swim-up bar.
Complimentary cabanas along the ocean (first come, first serve, but we got lucky!)
All dining experiences, but especially the poblano soup at MARÍA MARIE, which was Jesse and I’s favorite.
My only regret is that we didn’t stay longer!
Overall impressions: Hyatt Zilara Cancun
Cost: ⭐⭐⭐
Vibes: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ease of Access: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Architecture: ⭐⭐⭐
Drinks & Dining: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Shopping: ⭐⭐⭐
Having spent a lovely time in Mexico, the only thing left to do was return!
I feel blessed and refreshed even writing this a few weeks later. Here’s to hoping we can go back soon.
