CELINE’S TRIP

TO YUCATAN, MEXICO.

7 NIGHTS/4 STOPS

Relax on Warm Beaches Surrounded by Mayan History

Celine created a personalized and colorful eight days family trip to Yucatan. They didn’t have much time, but they fulfilled the objective of visiting the famous Mayan sites in the area close to Cancun and to enjoy the white sandy beaches after a long winter in New York. They enjoyed Mayan culture, Tulum’s white sandy beaches, good food, and the warmth of the locals. They stopped in four places and didn’t drive too much during this eight day trip. This itinerary is from April. Our budget for the whole trip was around $ 1410 per person for 7 nights (excluded food and activities).

7 nights and 4 stops
$$
710 km
from November to May
Beach trip & cultural discovery

Photo @lailabog ©

ABOUT CELINE: Celine and her family live just outside Paris, France and used to live in New York, US. They have 4 kids aged from 6 years to 15 years. Good food is a must and they prefer to stay in small, charming and well-decorated hotels, which have of course to be kid-friendly. Active holidays mixing cultural discovery with some relaxing time. Vacation time is also an opportunity to try new sports.

WHAT CELINE LOVED ABOUT THIS TRIP

Combine culture and beach time
Lunch in Merida: La Chaya
Local market in Merida: Lucas Galvez Market
Beach breakfast: Posada Margherita

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TRIP

Tulum

Tulum Maya site
Beach time

NEW YORK – CANCUN INTL

4 hours direct flight

RENTAL CARS

710 km in 8 days
9,5 hours on the road – 4 stops

AVERAGE BUDGET PER PERSON

$1410 / pp for 8 nights all included
$760 /pp for 8 nights (without breakfast)
$150 /pp for rental car & taxi
$500 /pp

AIRPORT CANCUN TO
TULUM

122 km/2h

Tulum

Beach

4 NIGHTS

Where we stayed?

We found a great little hotel on the beach called Coco Tulum. They offer small cabanas scattered in between palm trees.

It’s very important to know (and not obvious on their internet site) that the bathrooms are common with one exclusively for women and another for men. When we stayed there, it was very clean, nicely decorated with small candles, flowers, and towels and had a nice incense smell.

The rooms are very simple, painted in white with a wonderful private terrace with a hammock.

They have a cool restaurant on the beach where they serve food and drinks or you can eat in their restaurant, which is half outside and half inside. The pizzas and the cocktails are delicious.

We ate breakfast at posadamargherita. It is nicely decorated and has good food and excellent fruit juices. Another hotel that looked very nice: casa violeta Tulum
What we did?

We stayed 4 days in Tulum, which was perfect.

You can spend one morning visiting the Tulum ruins. Go there early in the morning. A taxi can take you there in 5 minutes from the hotel. There is a splendid walk in the ruins and a marvelous view.

Another day, you can go for on a snorkeling trip for the day with your kids in Yal-Ku and explore the seabed and the colorful sea life.

You can easily spend 2-3 days just relaxing on the beach with a good book. While we were reading, the kids jumped in the big waves for hours. We went for lunch in the many bohemian chic restaurants along the street and discovered many small Mexican designer shops. The center of Tulum is not as interesting.

TULUM TO
MERIDA

280 km/3h30

Merida

Mexican culture

1 NIGHT

On our way to Merida...

We stopped in COBA on the way to Merida. The Maya site is beautiful, the temples are scattered in a dense tropical forest. We did a nice bicycle hike there and we climbed the Maya Pyramide. Really a great adventure for the Kids. Don’t forget to take with you water, sunglasses and sun cream. It can be really hot there even in the forest. It’s also a good idea to bring some food as the only thing you find in the park is expensive snacks.

There are also plenty of CENOTE on the road to Merida. We recommend to take the tollroad as it is very fast and empty. It costs you a couple of dialers but it will save you a lot of time.
Where we stayed?
What we did?

Visit the local market, buy a hammock in typical artisans shops, and eat in local restaurant, or just walk around and enjoy the historical part of the city. One day is enough. We had lunch in La Chaya Maya, great local cuisine.

Of course, you can stay one more day relaxing at the Hacienda and come to town to eat an authentic meal. We really liked Merida because it has more of a local flavor than Tulum.

MERIDA TO
CHICHEN ITZA

123 km/1h30

Chichen Iza

Maya culture

1 NIGHT

Where we stayed ?

We stayed at the Hacienda Chichen. This one was very well located and had a private entrance to the Chichen-Itza ruins. They bought the entrance ticket for us in the early morning and took us to the site through their private entrance. We were able to enjoy the ruins almost by ourselves, as we were visiting in the opposite direction of all the crowded buses that were arriving. Chichen-Itza is very touristic and touristy facilities are lacking of charm and authenticity.
What we did?

Visit the ruins and then enjoy the swimming pool at the Hacienda. You can visit Chichen-Itza in one day. With kids, we recommend half a day. Make sure to bring plenty of water and hats, as it is very hot there, even in the early morning. Don’t forget to take your travel guide with you to read about the ruins while visiting. We didn’t use a local guide, as we were told that it was very touristic.

MERIDA TO
CANCUN

210 km/2h30

Cancun

Relaxing time

1 NIGHT

Where we stayed?
What we did ?

GOOD TO KNOW

– Be aware that he entire coast of the Caribbean side is invaded by the Sargassum alga (seaweed). Sometimes there is so much that you can’t swim. if we had to go there again we would select an hotel on the beach with a swimming pool.

– The roads are in good condition and are very safe. You will need to stop at several security checks on the way to Tulum. From Cancun airport to Tulum we had a very kind taxi driver and we paid $140 for a big car, which accommodated the whole family.

– Plan your airport transfer ahead and negotiate a fixed price.

– The Maya coast is very expensive. Restaurant selection has to be done very carefully to make sure you get the good Mexican food at a fair price.

– Wake up early to visit the ruins. It is written in every guide and it is crucial to do so. If not, the sites are fully packed with touristic buses and it looses its beauty and charm.

– We would have arrived very late in Chichen Itza the day before the visit and departed directly after the visits. There is nothing else to do there and the restaurants are not authentic.

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CELINE’S TRIP

TO YUCATAN, MEXICO.

7 NIGHTS/4 STOPS

Relax on Warm Beaches Surrounded by Mayan History

7 nights and 4 stops $$710 kmfrom November to MayBeach trip & cultural discovery

Photo @lailabog ©

WHAT CELINE LOVED ABOUT THIS TRIP

Combine culture and beach time Lunch in Merida: La Chaya Local market in Merida: Lucas Galvez Market Beach breakfast: Posada Margherita

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TRIP

Tulum Maya siteBeach time

NEW YORK – CANCUN INTL

4 hours direct flight

RENTAL CARS

710 km in 8 days9,5 hours on the road – 4 stops

AVERAGE BUDGET PER PERSON

$1410 / pp for 8 nights all included $760 /pp for 8 nights (without breakfast) $150 /pp for rental car & taxi $500 /pp

AIRPORT CANCUN TO TULUM

122 km/2h

Tulum

TULUM TO MERIDA

280 km/3h30

Merida

MERIDA TO CHICHEN ITZA

123 km/1h30

Chichen Iza

MERIDA TO CANCUN

210 km/2h30

Cancun

GOOD TO KNOW

– Be aware that he entire coast of the Caribbean side is invaded by the Sargassum alga (seaweed). Sometimes there is so much that you can’t swim. if we had to go there again we would select an hotel on the beach with a swimming pool.

– The roads are in good condition and are very safe. You will need to stop at several security checks on the way to Tulum. From Cancun airport to Tulum we had a very kind taxi driver and we paid $140 for a big car, which accommodated the whole family.

Discover our Travel Route Design services. Save time and take advantage of our community & personal experiences to design your unique itinerary. Learn more >

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7 nights and 4 stops
$$
710 km
from November to May
Beach trip & cultural discovery

Combine culture and beach time
Lunch in Merida: La Chaya
Local market in Merida: Lucas Galvez Market
Beach breakfast: Posada Margherita

Tulum Maya site
Beach time

710 km in 8 days
9,5 hours on the road – 4 stops

$1410 / pp for 8 nights all included
$760 /pp for 8 nights (without breakfast)
$150 /pp for rental car & taxi
$500 /pp

AIRPORT CANCUN TO
TULUM

TULUM TO
MERIDA

MERIDA TO
CHICHEN ITZA

MERIDA TO
CANCUN

Travel Inspiration
Travel Route Design
Trip Tam Membership
Facebook Travel Group

Terms and conditions
Privacy policy
Press
FAQ
Contact us