The Real Mexico Starts Outside Your Cancún Hotel
Sitting at home in Colorado, watching the snow fall, we started asking ourselves: Where can we go that’s warm and doesn’t have a lot of travel restrictions right now due to COVID? Our Disney vacation had been canceled, and our plans for Costa Rica and the U.K. were put on hold. Then it hit us—Mexico!
We had read that Mexico, and especially Cancun, was really in need of tourists at the time, so we jumped on the bandwagon and booked our flights.
I had visited Cancun as a kid, staying in the Hotel Zone, and I vividly remember the turquoise waters and white sand beaches. Fast forward ten years, and the thought of Cancun’s infamous spring break crowds—and a sea of American tourists—kept creeping into our minds. We decided to try something a little different and found a hotel just south of the main hotel zone, The Royalton Riviera Cancun.
I do not recommend this hotel. We booked this hotel mainly because it was part of the Marriott chain and we could use our points. We also thought that staying at an all-inclusive might be a good option, especially since we were traveling during COVID.
Next time, we’ll likely look into an Airbnb or a small hotel farther from the main tourist areas of Cancun. We want a place where we can eat authentic Mexican food, come and go as we please, and truly immerse ourselves in Mexican culture.
This was our first experience at an all-inclusive resort, and we quickly learned that it just isn’t suited to our style of travel. Check out my post, All Inclusive or non all inclusive, that is the question if you are trying to decide what type of hotel is right for you!
The best thing we did in Cancun was hire Absolute Adventure Tour Company for two private day tours. I cannot say enough wonderful things about them, every aspect was phenomenal! The guides were amazing—their knowledge, helpfulness, and fun attitudes made our experience unforgettable.
Our first tour was a Chichén Itzá and Valladolid tour. Our guide, Chris, and a driver picked us up at our hotel at 5:00 AM—yikes! It’s a three-hour drive to Chichén Itzá, and the goal is to arrive shortly after it opens to beat both the heat and the crowds. The van was comfortable and well-equipped with snacks, water bottles, and booster seats for our girls.
We arrived at Chichén Itzá around 8:30 AM, just 30 minutes after it opened. Chris had our entrance tickets ready, and we stepped into the site. The first thing that greeted us was the main attraction—the massive pyramid, Temple of Kukulcán—and we were all in awe!
As we explored the site, Chris shared the fascinating history and pointed out details we would have completely missed on our own. He was patient and engaging with our girls, and he made sure to pause for photos and breaks in the shade along the way. It truly made the experience both educational and enjoyable for the whole family.
Before the trip, we had bought our 8-year-old a book about Chichén Itzá, and she came prepared! She knew so many facts and bits of history, even our tour guide, Chris, was impressed by her knowledge!
Some of the carvings and historical stories at Chichén Itzá can be a bit gory. Chris very cleverly swapped out mentions of beheadings for “taking off their helmets.” While I’m pretty sure at least our 8-year-old knew the truth, it was such a thoughtful gesture—and it definitely made me smile.
After exploring all of Chichén Itzá, we drove about an hour to Valladolid. There, we had lunch at an authentic Mexican restaurant—and wow, was it delicious! We thoroughly enjoyed a real Mexican meal, complete with a sweet elderly woman making handmade fresh corn tortillas. Everything was absolutely fantastic!
After lunch, we wandered around town, enjoyed some fresh air, and did a bit of shopping. We bought each of the girls a brightly colored, embroidered dress. We attempted to barter, but since neither my husband nor I are very good at it, we’re pretty sure we paid far more than they were worth—but the girls loved them!
On the drive back to the hotel, we joked that we wanted Chris to take us home with him so we wouldn’t have to return to the resort. We all laughed… but we weren’t completely joking!
One thing I wish we had done was visit Oxman Cenote. The photos of this cenote look incredible, and it’s very close to Chichén Itzá. I hadn’t planned on going originally because I’d read that it’s usually packed with tourists—and since we would have been arriving mid-day after our Chichén Itzá visit, I thought it might not be worth it. But maybe on our next trip, we’ll go first thing in the morning and see it for ourselves.
Our second tour was a full day adventure, Tulum ruins, snorkeling in a cenote, and swimming with turtles. Our guide, Juan, and our driver picked us up at 8 AM… in the rain. We were supposed to head straight to Tulum to avoid the crowds, but no one was eager to walk around in pouring rain. So Juan made a quick decision, and we went to Bat Cave Cenote first.
After struggling into those lovely (and admittedly embarrassing) wetsuits, we stepped out into the rain to go swimming. I did not expect that we’d be swimming in an actual bat cave, but sure enough—we were! The girls were nervous at first, but Juan was patient and encouraging, and eventually they jumped in and had a blast. In one section, we swam in and out of stalactites and stalagmites, and Juan held the girls’ hands as he led us into a nearly enclosed section of the cave—home to, you guessed it, lots of bats hanging from the ceiling! We didn’t stay long, worried about them flying around, but it was an unforgettable experience.
After swimming, we enjoyed lunch at the cenote’s restaurant—another delicious Mexican meal, complete with french fries and hot chocolate for my picky eating girls.
Next stop, Tulum ruins—and, to our delight, it had stopped raining! We explored while Juan taught us about the local culture and explained the differences between the inland civilization at Chichén Itzá and the coastal lifestyle at Tulum.
Finally, we headed to Akumal Beach to swim with sea turtles. We donned our wetsuits again and braved the ocean. The girls and I were a bit apprehensive as we could see we would have to swim though thick seaweed. But within minutes, we spotted our first turtle, and all thoughts of seaweed disappeared. We swam for about 30 minutes, spotting several turtles—it was awesome!
We had booked a 12-day vacation, thinking we were excited to spend most of our time relaxing by the beach or pool. We were wrong! After our two, amazing day-long tours, we still had ten days left—and we quickly realized we only need 2–3 days of relaxing before we start to get restless.
So, after two days by the hotel pool, we were itching to see more of Mexico. We took a taxi to the town of Puerto Morelos. The ride cost $80 round trip for a town only 25 minutes away, but totally worth it. The cab driver waited for us while we enjoyed a delicious lunch, visited the leaning lighthouse (still standing despite its tilt and now a local symbol of resilience), and browsed the lively local market.
We truly loved our experience in Mexico, and I’d highly recommend that you visit someday! Immerse yourself in the culture, try speaking the language, enjoy the delicious food, go on a tour, and be sure to take time to relax, too.
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