seeingstars
16th November 2010, 03:12 PM
We just got back from 6 glorious days in Mexico. First time visitors, and the weather and the people and the sights were spectactular! I only had one bad aspect of the whole trip and I want to warn you and then get on with it.
Continental Rental Car - do not recommend.
We were expecting Continental Rent-A-Car reps to be to be waiting w/a sign. No show. Someone else knew the rep and called him on his cellphone and he finally showed up at the gate about 20 minutes late.
The sign he had said "America Rental Car" and not Continental, so I'm not sure I would have found him. It would have been helpful to know to look for something other than Continental.
We arrived at Continental to pick up the car, and it was not the Crossfox that I had reserved. Instead they gave me the ubiquitous mid-size Dodge Attitude and it was the filthiest car I've ever rented - scratches and dirt and banged up hubcaps. If the odometer w/35,000 miles on it was accurate, it was the roughest 35,000 I've ever seen. Only plus side of it was that it was in such poor shape that I didn't have to worry about dings or scratches for the trip. I did take photos of it at pickup in case there was an issue.
It was also supposed to have a free tank of gas. Instead, it had a 1/4 tank and they said they'd credit me $20. They still have not.
During the road trip, the check engine light came on, 2nd day, and the keyfob to set the alarm stopped working. I checked all the fluids in the car and they seemed ok, although the steering wheel clicked and whined when turning it. The check engine light stayed on until the last day, despite having checked all the fluids. It was a bit worrisome to think that the car could have broken down, but at that point, there wasn't anything I could do about it and I didn't want to spend my vacation worrying about it or hassling with the car agency, so I just went with it.
I think I would definitely rent from Hertz or another company I'm more familiar with next time.
********now that that's out of the way...on to the trip********
Day 1: The landing
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1168/5179242242_763ec8ec72.jpg
Landed in beautiful Cancun after leaving the torrential downpour of Boston. We picked up the car and drove to Hacienda Chichen in Piste. The road was unremarkable except for the thick greenery and the butterflies, dragonflies, spiders and animals we saw dotted along the side of the road. We took the 180 Toll Road across and it took us a little under 2 hours.
Hacienda Chichen was lovely. We were greeted with a fresh-made glass of spinach and fruit juice and shown to our room. A hammock was slung outside and we were situated near a giant shady tree. We walked around the paths to the property before settling into dinner outside on the patio. My beau had roasted salmon with Mayan herbs, and I had chicken mole topped with a slice of hard boiled egg-filled sausage. And margaritas! They were delicious. We decided to ignore the warnings about no ice and dive into a few glasses of tart, limey margaritas.
(Note: One of the things I like to do when I travel is eat or drink things I can't get at home...which is always an adventure...)
Day 2: Chichen Itza
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1332/5178517933_db3cc32212_z.jpg
We woke at 7am and had breakfast on the patio again. For him, fresh yogurt and honey with local fruits and coffee, and for me, chilaquiles roja (I'm going to have to add this to my repertoire).
We checked out, watered up and stowed our belongings into the car. Walked over to Chichen Itza and our first view was of the Observatory alongside the Mayaland hotel. It was wonderfully quiet for the first 45 minutes, and the sky still covered with the morning clouds. El Castillo sat in the distance. No matter how many pictures you've seen, it doesn't prepare you for the magnitude of these monuments.
We explored the ruins for a few hours before heading back to the car and driving on the 180 Free road towards Tulum.
I was amazed at the number of emaciated dogs running loose along the way. It was heartbreaking. Driving through the 180 and seeing the towns along the way really made me think about being a tourist in Mexico. It wasn't a vacation where I was whisked from an airport to an all-inclusive without seeing anything in between. I think it's impossible not to think of your own situation, and responsibility as a tourist seeing the sparsity of how people live and contrasting that with the resorts, and my fortune in being able to visit this beautiful country as a tourist. It really added to my overall perspective.
We stopped in Vailladolid around noon and ate at a place in the town square. I loved the markets in the roads around the center, and the imposition of the cathedral in the square. Children were just getting out of school when we left, and girls wearing their school plaids and boys with backpacks full of books filled the sidewalks and sat in the benches along the fountain. Tiny women sold armfuls of hammocks and hand-embroidered handkerchiefs along the sidewalks.
At around 4pm, we made it to Tulum. We decided to skip the market for the evening and head to our digs. We stayed at Horizonte Perdido at Nueva Vida. It was absolutely wonderful. Our deck opened to the water before us, and our bed sat behind sliding glass doors, affording a view of the horizon and the sunrise each morning. We were met with 2 margaritas and enjoyed them on the deck as the sun went down.
I'm not sure if it's like this all the time, but we gained a better understanding for why the Mayans worshiped Kulkulkan, God of the Wind. At sunrise, the winds picked up mightily and blew all night until 3am. The calm would wake us up each night to turn on the fans to replace some of that lost air movement. It was truly breathtaking.
We dined at Casa Banana - I decided to try the chicken mole again, and my partner, the poached fish. They were both good.
Day 3: Beach!
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1043/5178589101_82024946cf_z.jpg
After flying and driving all over the Yucutan for the previous 2 days, we decided to take it easy and have a beach day. We were awoken at sunrise and headed over to breakfast. By the time we got back, the beach beds and chairs were set out and we took to the sun for the day.
I was a bit more reckless than I should have been and got a bit of a burn. We sat, swam, drank margaritas and got our bar kit going. A trip to Charlie's in the Pueblo. The food was great (fish tacos!) and margaritas were good. We went to the San Francisco for ice, beer, tequila and limes and we were set for the rest of the afternoon on the beach. Dinner was going to be Mateo's but was feeling the ill effects of too much sun, too little sleep, and an angry stomach (not sure what that was), so we just had drinks and spent an early evening in.
It was wonderful sitting on the beach, dipping into the ocean and walking along the shores to see the kiteboarders, children playing, the sand El Castillo, and the dogs running freely along the beach. One chocolate lab, named Giacomo, we'd see a few times throughout the week. We walked with him for several hundred yards until he peeled off for better company.
It's a nice quiet stretch of beach. There are things to do, but you have to go looking for them.
Day 4: Tulum Ruins
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4129/5178574419_98b8b235ed_z.jpg
We got up early, but maybe not early enough. We got to the ruins at about 10, just in time for the tourbusses to arrive! We decided to take a cab from NV up to the entrance, so we could walk the beach back. It was also a bit overcast but gorgeous backdrop for the ruins. Iguanas and lizards peeked out from the windows of the ruins.
This was the most visually striking set of ruins, with the white sandy beaches, cliffs and ocean in the background, but also my least favorite. Paths were defined that led you where to go, making the whole thing feel a bit theme-parkish. It was also full of tourists, and I missed the experience we had in the early morning hours of Chichen Itza when it seemed we had the ruins to ourselves.
It took no more than 2 hours, and we were back on the road. We walked down to Mezzanine and enjoyed..you guessed it...margaritas! The view from the cliffs was spectacular, and it seemed as though we were the only ones there. We took a cab down to the security checkpoint (Cabanas Tulum?) climbed the big rocks in the ocean and watched the waves crash and the pelicans dive. We then walked the beach back to NV, stopping at Ziggy's for a few more margaritas along the way.
By this point, we were out of ice, so I headed into town to hit up San Francisco again. I remembered reading about Urge Tacos here (and seeing them in such close proximity), I picked up my ice and headed to the stand. I thought I ordered 2 shrimp, 2 chicken and 2 fish tacos, but instead of 2 fish tacos, I ordered 2 whole fried red snappers! It was delicious, but far too much food for us, so we donated one of the snappers to the crew installing the tile in the new reception at NV, and packed up the remains for dinner later.
More sun, reading and swims in the ocean. I was fast getting used to this.
Day 5: Beach!
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1366/5178662625_3cc669af2a_z.jpg
Yet another day to do nothing. We sat out in the sun, reading and watching the waves come in.
Lunch at Om - Om Pizza w/calimari an shrimp. Strangely they had no avocado and no hamburgers, and the service was kind of slow. But it was during shift change time, and we were on a beach, so who cared? :) More margaritas were wonderful.
Ordered in from Casa Banana - fish tacos, chicken fajitas and more guacamole to replace the lost guac we'd tried to get at Om. Chilled beer and rum and coke from our cooler, and the best view of Tulum.
Day 6: Coba!
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1436/5178600919_c9ab93e26b_z.jpg
Coba was just magical. Much less refined than Tulum and Chichen. You pay your admission and then you're left to wander the jungle on your own. Apart from the folks offering bike rides and rentals, there were long stretches of the ruins where we encountered no one else. We got there fairly early, at 9:30, but the throngs that flock to Tulum and Chichen must not visit Coba as we only encountered one large group.
The interesting thing about Coba is that there are three main groupings, of which my guidebook didn't have much info. We visited El Castillo first, when my fear of heights kicked in and I was certain I wouldn't make it up after getting about halfway up the pyramid. I decided it wasn't going to be any easier climbing down from half way than all the way up. Hands and feet, one after the other, we made the climb. And I must say, it's worth it. No pictures of the pyramid or from the top of it can convey the experience. You have to be up there to see the dozens of dragonflies circling, or peek your head into the temple at the top and see the hanging bats. Having the lushness of the jungle spread out before you was a sight to be treasured.
We made our way back down the pyramid and found another grouping, off the map, and just as spectacular, so we climbed it. We could still see traces of red and green paint from the ancient pyramids, and how the trees in the jungle grew up around the unexcavated faces of the temples.
Back into town via the Coba Road and detour to San Francisco and Urge for more tacos.
We wanted one last dip in the ocean, and jumped in after sunning ourselves for a bit. Showers and packing and more drinks on the deck. We walked to the tiny convenience store on Boca Paila near NV. Apart from San Francisco, that became our go-to stop for wine, rum and coke.
We spent our last evening's meal at Le Zebra. Lime soup was amazing. I had the Mexican kitchen appetizer as my meal and it was delicious. Vegetarian enchiladas for my beau.
It was an absolutely wonderful vacation, and I'm so happy my honey got to realize his lifelong dream of climbing a pyramid by getting to the top of a few of them. We're already trying to figure how we can get back.
Tips:
1. Things on the beach are a *lot* more expensive than in town, or other spots on the beach. It's easy to blow all your money on just eating, but if you scout around, affordable and delicious food and drinks can be found.
2. Mapchicks maps are indispensable with tips. Highly recommend purchasing them and studying them before you go.
3. Def. recommend stocking a cooler. If you're at NV, it's one of the most wonderful places on the beach and the cooler helps to maximize your time there.
4. Pros and cons of beach vs. street side dining. Beachside dining is wonderful for dinner guests, but loud for the nearby cabanas. Street-side dining misses the ocean. I'd advise staying in a place where the restaurant is across the street (like Nueva Vida), but trying to dine out on the ocean.
5. Ziggy's Happy Hour - 2-1 drinks all day long. Not the best margarita we had (that was probably the Hacienda Chichen or Mezzanine and Le Zebra), but cheap!
6. Coffee for you diehards can be found at Oxxo in the Pueblo - also at 7-11, but 7-11 only has coffee creamer and not milk or half-and-half. I didnt' find anywhere on the beach that had coffee before our 7:30am breakfasts. Given that our room was directly in front of the sunrise, we were up at 6am most days and that was a long hour-and-a-half without the bean. :)
7. Highly recommend having a car. If you don't want to drive from the airport, there's a rental place in Tulum Pueblo, but it was nice to have a car to go where we wanted.
8. The staff at Nueva Vida is awesome. I can't say enough about their friendliness, efficiency and helpfulness.
Continental Rental Car - do not recommend.
We were expecting Continental Rent-A-Car reps to be to be waiting w/a sign. No show. Someone else knew the rep and called him on his cellphone and he finally showed up at the gate about 20 minutes late.
The sign he had said "America Rental Car" and not Continental, so I'm not sure I would have found him. It would have been helpful to know to look for something other than Continental.
We arrived at Continental to pick up the car, and it was not the Crossfox that I had reserved. Instead they gave me the ubiquitous mid-size Dodge Attitude and it was the filthiest car I've ever rented - scratches and dirt and banged up hubcaps. If the odometer w/35,000 miles on it was accurate, it was the roughest 35,000 I've ever seen. Only plus side of it was that it was in such poor shape that I didn't have to worry about dings or scratches for the trip. I did take photos of it at pickup in case there was an issue.
It was also supposed to have a free tank of gas. Instead, it had a 1/4 tank and they said they'd credit me $20. They still have not.
During the road trip, the check engine light came on, 2nd day, and the keyfob to set the alarm stopped working. I checked all the fluids in the car and they seemed ok, although the steering wheel clicked and whined when turning it. The check engine light stayed on until the last day, despite having checked all the fluids. It was a bit worrisome to think that the car could have broken down, but at that point, there wasn't anything I could do about it and I didn't want to spend my vacation worrying about it or hassling with the car agency, so I just went with it.
I think I would definitely rent from Hertz or another company I'm more familiar with next time.
********now that that's out of the way...on to the trip********
Day 1: The landing
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1168/5179242242_763ec8ec72.jpg
Landed in beautiful Cancun after leaving the torrential downpour of Boston. We picked up the car and drove to Hacienda Chichen in Piste. The road was unremarkable except for the thick greenery and the butterflies, dragonflies, spiders and animals we saw dotted along the side of the road. We took the 180 Toll Road across and it took us a little under 2 hours.
Hacienda Chichen was lovely. We were greeted with a fresh-made glass of spinach and fruit juice and shown to our room. A hammock was slung outside and we were situated near a giant shady tree. We walked around the paths to the property before settling into dinner outside on the patio. My beau had roasted salmon with Mayan herbs, and I had chicken mole topped with a slice of hard boiled egg-filled sausage. And margaritas! They were delicious. We decided to ignore the warnings about no ice and dive into a few glasses of tart, limey margaritas.
(Note: One of the things I like to do when I travel is eat or drink things I can't get at home...which is always an adventure...)
Day 2: Chichen Itza
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1332/5178517933_db3cc32212_z.jpg
We woke at 7am and had breakfast on the patio again. For him, fresh yogurt and honey with local fruits and coffee, and for me, chilaquiles roja (I'm going to have to add this to my repertoire).
We checked out, watered up and stowed our belongings into the car. Walked over to Chichen Itza and our first view was of the Observatory alongside the Mayaland hotel. It was wonderfully quiet for the first 45 minutes, and the sky still covered with the morning clouds. El Castillo sat in the distance. No matter how many pictures you've seen, it doesn't prepare you for the magnitude of these monuments.
We explored the ruins for a few hours before heading back to the car and driving on the 180 Free road towards Tulum.
I was amazed at the number of emaciated dogs running loose along the way. It was heartbreaking. Driving through the 180 and seeing the towns along the way really made me think about being a tourist in Mexico. It wasn't a vacation where I was whisked from an airport to an all-inclusive without seeing anything in between. I think it's impossible not to think of your own situation, and responsibility as a tourist seeing the sparsity of how people live and contrasting that with the resorts, and my fortune in being able to visit this beautiful country as a tourist. It really added to my overall perspective.
We stopped in Vailladolid around noon and ate at a place in the town square. I loved the markets in the roads around the center, and the imposition of the cathedral in the square. Children were just getting out of school when we left, and girls wearing their school plaids and boys with backpacks full of books filled the sidewalks and sat in the benches along the fountain. Tiny women sold armfuls of hammocks and hand-embroidered handkerchiefs along the sidewalks.
At around 4pm, we made it to Tulum. We decided to skip the market for the evening and head to our digs. We stayed at Horizonte Perdido at Nueva Vida. It was absolutely wonderful. Our deck opened to the water before us, and our bed sat behind sliding glass doors, affording a view of the horizon and the sunrise each morning. We were met with 2 margaritas and enjoyed them on the deck as the sun went down.
I'm not sure if it's like this all the time, but we gained a better understanding for why the Mayans worshiped Kulkulkan, God of the Wind. At sunrise, the winds picked up mightily and blew all night until 3am. The calm would wake us up each night to turn on the fans to replace some of that lost air movement. It was truly breathtaking.
We dined at Casa Banana - I decided to try the chicken mole again, and my partner, the poached fish. They were both good.
Day 3: Beach!
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1043/5178589101_82024946cf_z.jpg
After flying and driving all over the Yucutan for the previous 2 days, we decided to take it easy and have a beach day. We were awoken at sunrise and headed over to breakfast. By the time we got back, the beach beds and chairs were set out and we took to the sun for the day.
I was a bit more reckless than I should have been and got a bit of a burn. We sat, swam, drank margaritas and got our bar kit going. A trip to Charlie's in the Pueblo. The food was great (fish tacos!) and margaritas were good. We went to the San Francisco for ice, beer, tequila and limes and we were set for the rest of the afternoon on the beach. Dinner was going to be Mateo's but was feeling the ill effects of too much sun, too little sleep, and an angry stomach (not sure what that was), so we just had drinks and spent an early evening in.
It was wonderful sitting on the beach, dipping into the ocean and walking along the shores to see the kiteboarders, children playing, the sand El Castillo, and the dogs running freely along the beach. One chocolate lab, named Giacomo, we'd see a few times throughout the week. We walked with him for several hundred yards until he peeled off for better company.
It's a nice quiet stretch of beach. There are things to do, but you have to go looking for them.
Day 4: Tulum Ruins
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4129/5178574419_98b8b235ed_z.jpg
We got up early, but maybe not early enough. We got to the ruins at about 10, just in time for the tourbusses to arrive! We decided to take a cab from NV up to the entrance, so we could walk the beach back. It was also a bit overcast but gorgeous backdrop for the ruins. Iguanas and lizards peeked out from the windows of the ruins.
This was the most visually striking set of ruins, with the white sandy beaches, cliffs and ocean in the background, but also my least favorite. Paths were defined that led you where to go, making the whole thing feel a bit theme-parkish. It was also full of tourists, and I missed the experience we had in the early morning hours of Chichen Itza when it seemed we had the ruins to ourselves.
It took no more than 2 hours, and we were back on the road. We walked down to Mezzanine and enjoyed..you guessed it...margaritas! The view from the cliffs was spectacular, and it seemed as though we were the only ones there. We took a cab down to the security checkpoint (Cabanas Tulum?) climbed the big rocks in the ocean and watched the waves crash and the pelicans dive. We then walked the beach back to NV, stopping at Ziggy's for a few more margaritas along the way.
By this point, we were out of ice, so I headed into town to hit up San Francisco again. I remembered reading about Urge Tacos here (and seeing them in such close proximity), I picked up my ice and headed to the stand. I thought I ordered 2 shrimp, 2 chicken and 2 fish tacos, but instead of 2 fish tacos, I ordered 2 whole fried red snappers! It was delicious, but far too much food for us, so we donated one of the snappers to the crew installing the tile in the new reception at NV, and packed up the remains for dinner later.
More sun, reading and swims in the ocean. I was fast getting used to this.
Day 5: Beach!
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1366/5178662625_3cc669af2a_z.jpg
Yet another day to do nothing. We sat out in the sun, reading and watching the waves come in.
Lunch at Om - Om Pizza w/calimari an shrimp. Strangely they had no avocado and no hamburgers, and the service was kind of slow. But it was during shift change time, and we were on a beach, so who cared? :) More margaritas were wonderful.
Ordered in from Casa Banana - fish tacos, chicken fajitas and more guacamole to replace the lost guac we'd tried to get at Om. Chilled beer and rum and coke from our cooler, and the best view of Tulum.
Day 6: Coba!
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1436/5178600919_c9ab93e26b_z.jpg
Coba was just magical. Much less refined than Tulum and Chichen. You pay your admission and then you're left to wander the jungle on your own. Apart from the folks offering bike rides and rentals, there were long stretches of the ruins where we encountered no one else. We got there fairly early, at 9:30, but the throngs that flock to Tulum and Chichen must not visit Coba as we only encountered one large group.
The interesting thing about Coba is that there are three main groupings, of which my guidebook didn't have much info. We visited El Castillo first, when my fear of heights kicked in and I was certain I wouldn't make it up after getting about halfway up the pyramid. I decided it wasn't going to be any easier climbing down from half way than all the way up. Hands and feet, one after the other, we made the climb. And I must say, it's worth it. No pictures of the pyramid or from the top of it can convey the experience. You have to be up there to see the dozens of dragonflies circling, or peek your head into the temple at the top and see the hanging bats. Having the lushness of the jungle spread out before you was a sight to be treasured.
We made our way back down the pyramid and found another grouping, off the map, and just as spectacular, so we climbed it. We could still see traces of red and green paint from the ancient pyramids, and how the trees in the jungle grew up around the unexcavated faces of the temples.
Back into town via the Coba Road and detour to San Francisco and Urge for more tacos.
We wanted one last dip in the ocean, and jumped in after sunning ourselves for a bit. Showers and packing and more drinks on the deck. We walked to the tiny convenience store on Boca Paila near NV. Apart from San Francisco, that became our go-to stop for wine, rum and coke.
We spent our last evening's meal at Le Zebra. Lime soup was amazing. I had the Mexican kitchen appetizer as my meal and it was delicious. Vegetarian enchiladas for my beau.
It was an absolutely wonderful vacation, and I'm so happy my honey got to realize his lifelong dream of climbing a pyramid by getting to the top of a few of them. We're already trying to figure how we can get back.
Tips:
1. Things on the beach are a *lot* more expensive than in town, or other spots on the beach. It's easy to blow all your money on just eating, but if you scout around, affordable and delicious food and drinks can be found.
2. Mapchicks maps are indispensable with tips. Highly recommend purchasing them and studying them before you go.
3. Def. recommend stocking a cooler. If you're at NV, it's one of the most wonderful places on the beach and the cooler helps to maximize your time there.
4. Pros and cons of beach vs. street side dining. Beachside dining is wonderful for dinner guests, but loud for the nearby cabanas. Street-side dining misses the ocean. I'd advise staying in a place where the restaurant is across the street (like Nueva Vida), but trying to dine out on the ocean.
5. Ziggy's Happy Hour - 2-1 drinks all day long. Not the best margarita we had (that was probably the Hacienda Chichen or Mezzanine and Le Zebra), but cheap!
6. Coffee for you diehards can be found at Oxxo in the Pueblo - also at 7-11, but 7-11 only has coffee creamer and not milk or half-and-half. I didnt' find anywhere on the beach that had coffee before our 7:30am breakfasts. Given that our room was directly in front of the sunrise, we were up at 6am most days and that was a long hour-and-a-half without the bean. :)
7. Highly recommend having a car. If you don't want to drive from the airport, there's a rental place in Tulum Pueblo, but it was nice to have a car to go where we wanted.
8. The staff at Nueva Vida is awesome. I can't say enough about their friendliness, efficiency and helpfulness.