Rick's Guide to the Yucatan Peninsula: Pyramids, Caves and More

Our perfect Mexican vacations take two forms. One if based in Guadalajara, where we adopted our son and still have very good friends. And from Guadalajara we frequently venture west to Manzanillo to stay at the marvelous Las Hadas.

Our other perfect Mexican vacation is based in the Yucatan. We fly into Cancun (lots of flights, very competitive prices). Rent a car, usually a VW Bug, and start driving west towards Merida.

We've stayed at Merida at a couple unmemorable hotels, nothing to write home about and frankly not worth writing up in this space. The best, oddly enough, was a Holiday Inn.

One point about me and hotels - I travel a lot for business and accumulate lots of points. I try to stay at Hiltons when I can, and that's why you'll see a lot of Hilton hotels in my various and sundry reviews.

In Merida we stay at the Holiday Inn, because I earn points that I cash in there.

From Merida we venture South to Uxmal, Kabah, Labna, Sayil and the Loltun Caves (see separate review). We stay at the Club Med Archaeological Villas at Uxmal (see separate review). A complete loop (the Puuc Route) starts and ends at Merida, and then we drive east to Chichen Itza.

Chichen Itza is a two-day adventure - so much to see (see separate review). We stay at the Chichen Itza Club Med Archaeological Villas. After two or three days, we head back towards Cancun.

Quick Tips:

Now I tend not to be a big fan of Cancun, but my family enjoys the hubbub. And, frankly, the beaches are exquisite.

We DO enjoy the ubiquitous Carlos 'n Charlies and Senor Frogs at the Mexican beach resorts. And surprisingly, we had a good meal (and lots of fun) at the Cancun Planet Hollywood.

We stayed at the Cancun Hyatt, which is no longer operating. No loss - it wasn't very good.

But Cancun provides a place to rest and relax after 5 days of pyramid climbing. And we found it's better to rest AFTER the pyramids than before.

Using Cancun as a base for day trips means we get back to a nice air-conditioned hotel every night, real food and a good night's sleep. Then off on another day drip the next day.

The drive down the coast from Cancun isn't bad - the road has improved dramatically over the years. But beware of driving with your window open - one time we did that when out of the jungle flew a moth the size of a bird. It flew right into the car and scared the S**T out of everybody!!!!

Best Way To Get Around:

There are, for us, day trips, by the way. I wouldn't try to do two of these in the same day, even with all the driving out of Cancun. If you try to do Xel-Ha and Xcaret in the same day, you'll cut your enjoyment short.

Our favorite is Xcaret on the aptly-named Riviera Maya - swimming with the dolphins, gliding through the underground river, and generally GOOFING OFF!

Xel-ha is another more natural aquatic park. Not as flashy as Xcaret, not as expensive either. More of a natural park to swim with the sea creatures in their natural setting. But I think we all prefer Xcaret.

Down the coast a bit more is Tulum - a relatively minor ruin (compared to the terrific sites in the Yucatan). But it is BEAUTIFUL, mostly because of it's beach-side location. Picture-perfect!

Inland from Tulum is Coba - a wonderful site buried (literally) in the jungle. Our Yucatan vacation would be incomplete without it.

So here's what our perfect itinerary looks like:

Day 1 - Arrive Cancun, drive to Merida

Day 2 - Uxmal

Day 3 - Labna, Sayil, Kahah, Loltun Caves

Day 4 - Merida

Day 5 - Chichen Itza

Day 6 - Chichen Itza and drive to Cancun

Day 7 - Cancun - beach and shop

Day 8 - Xel-ha day trip

Day 9 - Xcaret day trip

Day 10 - Tulum day trip

Day 11 - Coba day trip

Day 12 - Cancun - goof off

Day 13 - fly home

When traveling in the Yucatan, our favorite hotels are the Club Med Archaeological Villas at the sites of Chichen Itza and Uxmal. We have also enjoyed the Club Med Archaeological Villas at Teotihuacan, north of Mexico City (see separate journal for details).

The Club Med Villas are little gems in the world of overpriced and over-hyped lodging. The rooms are small—more bedrooms than hotel rooms. Whitewashed walls and convenient cubbies make them homey without being cramped. The beds themselves are only single beds, but they are firm without being hard.

Our fondest memory was one night at the Club Med Chichen Itza when my son, having planned this in advance, placed a rather large rubber snake under the pillow of his Aunt Bobbie's bed. This was done before dinner, and Ricky could barely conceal his anticipation throughout the meal. When Bobbie finally went to bed, her scream certainly awoke the dead at the sacred cenote of Chichen Itza. She hasn't forgiven him since.

The little restaurants at the Club Med Villas serve outstanding meals, simple but very tasty. Always fresh, and inexpensive.

There are commons areas with books (no television) and at the Uxmal Villa, a well-loved pool table. I am sorry to say that was where my kid first skunked me at billiards.

The pools are large, deep, and spotless. Chairs abound, and the pool area is never over-crowded.

Little shops, complete with the obligatory Club Med merchandise, are at every location. Good for trinkets, and in my case the handy pair of swim trunks.

No beads, no screaming teens, no over-liquored adults; just folks who came for the ruins and a reliable place to stay.

There are three locations in the Yucatan: Chichen Itza, Uxmal and Coba. Also in Cholula and Teotihuacan.

Highly recommended. Here's the website, in case you can't find it through the regular Club med location: http://www.come2clubmed.com/mexican_villas.htm.

Driving about 50 miles South from Merida, you'll find the start of the PUUC Trail that leads you to some of the most amazing architecture in the Yucatan.

First stop is Uxmal (where, if you wish, you can book a room at the marvelous Club Med Archaeological Villas and use it as a headquarters for your exploration of the region). Uxmal dates back to about the 10th century (or earlier), and is dominated by an amazing structure known of the Pyramid (or Temple) of the Magician. With it's oval shape, the pyramid was supposedly constructed by a magic dwarf, in a sort-of Mayan power play. Other amazing structures in the Uxmal area include The Nunnery and a Great Pyramid. Pay particular attention to the statue of Chaac The Rain God at the Governor's Palace in the South Zone. That's Chaac The Rain God, not to be confused with Chac Mool (the Toltec figure found at Chichen Itza and other sites, as well as at every gift and souvenir shop in Mexico!). Plan on spending a full day at Uxmal, by the way, and then camp out at the Club Med Villas (tidy rooms, nice restaurant, great pool).

After breakfast at the Club Med, drive along the same route to the ruins at Kabah, a terrific but small site with stone mosaics and hundreds of Mayan masks.

After Kabah, a short drive takes you to Sayil. It's another small site with a three-story building (with about 70 rooms, and that's somewhat unusual), and a ball court.

Labna, the next stop, is one of the prettiest sites in the Yucatan. It's known for the Labna Arch, samples of which you'll see throughout the region (even at Uxmal at the entrance to the Nunnery). You'll also see a similar arch at Kabah, but the arch at Labna is the largest and best-preserved (or best restored).

The last stop on our tour was the caves at Loltun. And based on personal experience, the name comes from the sound the stalactites (or is it stalagmites?) make when you walk into them and hit them with your head, "Lol-TUNE!"

After our day of climbing and walking, we grabbed dinner along the roadside at Ticul and returned to Merida. Two days of exquisite pyramiding!

Chichen Itza is probably the most famous pyramid in Mexico. Actually, Chichen Itza is the name of the entire archaeological zone. The pyramid itself is called "El Castillo," and was the site of the gruesome religious ceremonies. The Mayans were an amazing people, not the least because of their knowledge of astronomy. On the day of the Spring Solstice (March 21), the afternoon sun hits the main staircase of El Castillo in such a way that it looks like a serpent wriggling down to the bottom. And of course, at the end of the serpent is the head of the plumed serpent Kulkulkan.

Inside the pyramid, up a dimly lit and narrow staircase, you'll find the ceremonial reclining figure Chac Mool (on whose lap the beating hearts of human sacrifices were placed), as well as a beautiful Jaguar Throne.

In the central grouping of buildings you'll find the circular observatory, also called the Caracol, as well as the Nunnery and assorted other buildings. Note that the Spaniards named most of these structures—the Maya certainly did not call that large apartment-like structure "The Nunnery." In fact, I'd guess that if the Mayans and Toltecs had been around long enough to meet the Spanish (the Mayan/Toltec civilization disappeared hundreds of years earlier), they'd have given new meaning to the concept of "having a Nun over for dinner."

Chichen Itza is a large and imposing archaeological zone, and easily deserves 2 days of exploration. If that is your intention, there is another of the wonderful Club Med Archaeological Villas on-site. Tidy rooms, great food, wonderful pool, FANTASTIC location, and discount prices.

Our favorite area is the Ball Field. We have yet to figure out exactly what game was played there, but with circular "goals" mounted in the walls, they probably used some kind of ball in a game that resembles soccer. There is a game still played in the area in which the players hit the ball with their hips instead of their feed. And, of course, if your team lost the game, you got to visit our old friend Chac Mool.

One structure, the name of which escapes me, seems to be constructed entirely of human SKULLS! Now as violent as the Mayans were, I understand it was the Toltecs who were the real "head hunters."

If you are still looking for adventure after your 2 days at Chichen Itza, I recommend you drive to Vallodolid and go about 4 miles southeast to the Cenote Dzinup (also spelled Dzitnup). It's deep underground, with only a small hole in the ceiling for light. When we were there, a crowd of Germans were on-site, and my sister-in-law (devil that she is), swam out to the far side of the Cenote and screamed "Snakes!"

We had the place to ourselves after that . . .

About an hour south of Cancun, in the now-booming Playa del Carmen zone, is Xcaret. It's sort of a nature preserve/theme park on steroids!

Probably the highlight for most folks is the dolphin swim. We partook in the dolphin swim, and found the animals friendly, affectionate even, and lots of fun. They'll push you by the soles of your feet, and swim with such speed that kids can be lifted right out of the water.

The underground river tour (literally through limestone caves throughout the park) is beautiful, relaxing, and cool on a hot day! It goes on for more than a mile, through rock formations, outcroppings, and fossils.

Also on site are light and sound "spectaculars", and a very very nice aquarium. Jaguar Island is a smallish zoo, and the "archaeological sites" are somewhat of a throw-away if you've spent the last week (as we had) hiking up and down the magnificent Mayan pyramids in the Yucatan.

BUT, if you make Xcaret a stop on the way back from Tulum and Coba, it's a nice break.

Coba is a large pyramid site just inland from Tulum. It's more natural (read: unrestored), but stands by itself in the middle of the jungle.

Tulum is right on the coast, and while small (and less important in archaeological terms), the location makes it quite beautiful. And as my son will attest, sometimes the human scenery is even better (the beach below the ruins tend to be clothing optional...)