Day 1 Arrival
We arrived at Cancun International Airport around 5:30pm in the evening. Once we got out of the airport we found the company we had booked to take us to the resort. Even though we booked a private transfer, the company lumped us together with a family that was going to Akumal as well. We had to wait for about 30-40 minutes before we left. Overall, we were unhappy with this experience. It took close to 2 hours to get to the resort.
Once we arrived at Bahia Principe Grand Tulum resort we checked-in and headed for dinner as the restaurant was about to close. We enjoyed the buffet restaurant with several vegetarian choices. After dinner we went to our rooms, settled-in and called it a night.
Day 2 Tulum
Once we woke up, enjoyed the view and sea breeze from our balcony, we headed for the breakfast buffet. We had some delicious breakfast tacos, chilaquiles and pastries. After breakfast, we headed to the pool and then the beach. The beach was beautiful, well kept and swimmable in places. It appeared that the resort staff was constantly cleaning the seaweed from the beach. There were plenty of pool chairs to lounge on along the beach. The ones near the pool were mostly occupied. The long stretch of beach was great for walks and runs.
Lunch at the resort.
When it was time for lunch we headed for the outdoor burger bar. Here we enjoyed veggie burgers, quesadillas, salads and chocolate cake. After lunch we got cleaned up. Out taxi arrived around 2pm to take us to the Tulum Ruins about 20 minutes away. We walked to the ticket booth (10 minutes from the parking area), paid the entrance fee with dollars (cheaper if you have Pesos) and started toward the ruins. We went pretty fast through he walk as the sun was intensely hot, and there was limited shade. The access to the beach directly down the cliff was closed off. The iconic photo spot is on top of the cliff overlooking the ruins and the ocean behind. There are street vendors all around the path before the ticket window. Once there we enjoyed some coconut water to cool off. This is a good place for some souvenir shopping as well such handicrafts.
Tulum ruins and the beach side.
From here, the driver picked us up and took us to the downtown area of Tulum. Here we wandered around some shops, had some ice cream, and saw some artisan markets. When we made it back to the resort, we got ready for dinner. The evening weather is pleasant with a nice sea breeze blowing. We enjoyed a walk around the resort and the beach before heading back to the room for the night.
Day 3 Isla Mujeres
After breakfast we met up with the tour group for our Isla Mujeres tour. The tour began with a 2 hour drive to the harbor in a mini bus type vehicle. The harbor is located past Cancun. Alternatively you could to this trip by taking a taxi to the ferry terminal in Cancun, and taking a ferry to Isla Mujeres. This would give you more time on the island. Once on the boat, we lathered up with sunscreen and prepared to enjoy some beautiful views.
The boat began cruising the crystal clear waters. The first stop was a snorkeling spot. The spot was quite deep with some choppy waters due to the wind. In this case, those who got down to snorkel were required to swim about 200 yards back to the boat. due to the conditions and the swimming required, my husband and son did not feel comfortable joining the snorkeling group. In under an hour we were on our way towards Isla Mujeres. We were served a small lunch during the ride towards Playa Norte. The boat anchored just off the beach and allowed everyone to jump into the water and swim around or float on surf boards. We enjoyed a few jumps and floating on the surfboards.
Swimming near Playa Norte
Next, the catamaran docked in Isla Mujeres. Everyone got off the boat. We were to bo picked up in 3 hours. We headed for some lunch at Los Burritos. We enjoyed some fresh, affordable tacos, quesadillas and tortas with some deliciously spicy salsas. After lunch we attempted to find playa Norte. It is important to note that there is not much public access to playa Norte, which is the best beach on the island. The public beach is not quite as nice. You can access playa Norte through some beach clubs with facilities. As we did not have enough time to walk to the beach clubs, we just enjoyed the public beach. After walking around and asking around for a while, we found some paid public showers on the beach.
Isla Mujeres Dock
Once we were cleaned up, we spend the rest of the time getting coconuts, ice cream and shopping. We did not end up buying anything at the time, however the prices were better than at the market in our resort or in Tulum town.
The area where our boat was docked had a beachside bar and restaurant as well as swings over the ocean for perfect instagram shots. The catamaran took us back to the dock after a beautiful sunset over the ocean. Next we had a bus take us back to the resort right in time for our dinner reservations.
Our resort had an Indian restaurant Hindu Thali, where we had our dinner on this evening. It offered a large selection of well prepared vegetarian options for all the courses. The food tasted great and was presented beautifully. However, we found the portions really small. After our meal we headed around the resort for a walk before calling it a night.
Day 4 Xcaret
The breakfast buffet was again our go to spot in the morning. Our favorites were the fresh Mexican breakfast offerings like quesadillas, salsas, chilaquiles etc. After breakfast we took our pre-booked taxi to the Xcaret park about 30 minutes away.
Even though we had booked our tickets online, we still had to wait in line to get our wristbands. Once we were inside, we started our day with a trail walk to the river boat raft ride. Through this peaceful ride we enjoyed the crystal clear underground river, ruins with Mayan motif, birds and lush surroundings. The trail goes through some orchid gardens as well.
Underground river in Xcaret
After the trail we refueled with some coffee and snacks and headed to the mayan village. Here we got some nice views of the underground river and some ruins. We bought some handicrafts as souvenirs. Next we checked put the gorgeous aviary which featured all kinds of tropical birds. The setting is meant to feel like a natural rainforest as you are surrounded by lush greenery and waterfalls. Then we went to the immense butterfly gardens. These are set up with multiple levels to create habitats for various butterflies. We spotted many butterflies flying around, resting and feeding on fruit slices laid out for them.
Aviary in Xcaret
Next we headed to lunch. There was a pretty decent selection of vegetarian food. After having our fill of salad, pasta, pizza, soup and desert, we headed towards the natural pool. We used the changing rooms in this part of the park and got changed. We went to the natural pools area. These are pools in their natural state filled by the ocean water. It is a nice place to soak for some time. We recommend water shoes as the bottom may be rocky.
From here we enjoyed the beach for a while. There is a rocky path along the beach to see the underground river coming out near the ocean. There are sitting areas all along here. This is a beautiful place to relax and enjoy the afternoon. Next we headed to the beginning part of the underground river to go for a swim. We were given life vests as the river is too deep to walk along the bottom, but does have a bit of a current. The life vest help you just float along with the current rather than having to swim. We followed the river surrounded by lush greenery and limestone walls. The water was cold and clear as glass. There were ropes in the darker sections to push ourselves along. We felt like we were transported to another world, ancient and far from the ordinary. We definitely recommend the underground river swim for everyone.
Once we were changed and cleaned up, we headed back out to the parking area where our car was waiting to take us back to the resort. Dinner was at the buffet restaurant. We headed to our rooms to rest up right after dinner.
Tequila Mexican restaurant at our resort.
Day 5 Resort
On this day, we had originally planned our Chichen itza and Ek Balaam excursion along with a cenote swim. Due to protests in the area, it was impossible to get into the archeological site. We found this out the day prior. Hence we had to move our plans around a bit. We decided to spend this day relaxing in the resort. We tried to find private transportation to go to Tulum town, Playa Del Carmen or Akumal. The cost turned out to be too expensive.
We started our day with another extravagant breakfast buffet. Next we enjoyed some pool and beach time. After lounging around for a while, we headed to lunch eat the beachside restaurant. We enjoyed some veggie burgers, quesadillas and chocolate cake. The afternoon was spent lounging around the room, resting, catching up on some TV and social media.
We got ready for dinner after browsing the market outside our resort. Dinner had a few vegetarian options in the buffet with several deserts to choose from. We walked around enjoying the warm, evening sea breeze.
Shopping for Handicrafts
Day 6 Coba and Ek Balaam
Chichen itza still had protests. Our originally booked tour was cancelled. Since we had not paid anything, we were free to rebook with a different company. We booked the same taxi company that took us to Tulum and Xcaret to take us to Coba and Ek Balaam. After breakfast, we began by heading to Coba (about an hour away).
The parking lot is right outside the archeological site. Once inside we walked for a few minutes checking out the ruins close to the entrance. Here we bought tickets and paid to rent some bicycles. My parents opted for a bicycle taxi for 2 people. The couple mile bicycle path goes in around the entire archeological site with about 4 places to check out. We saw the ancient ball and loop game court (ancient basketball), a sort of financial center, a smaller pyramid structure and the last large pyramid. This site was not crowded. We often only saw 1-2 other people around us. Riding the bicycles around is enjoyable in nice weather as the path is mostly shaded. However, the bicycles are not always in great shape.
Coba Pyramid
Next we left the archeological sited paid to use some restrooms in an alley near some shops. We saw most people using dollars here. After grabbing a fresh fruit juice from a vendor nearby, we headed for lunch. The restaurant El Cocodrilo was located just outside the parking area with a nice view of the river. The food here was just amazingly fresh and delicious. We tried some incredible spicy salsa, vegetable fajitas and tacos. Everything we tried was really good.
Next we drove towards Ek Balaam, just over an hour away. Since it was the middle of the afternoon by the time we arrived, it was pretty hot and humid. We stood in a long line (about 20 min) to buy our entrance tickets only to find out that they do not accept dollars. The tickets were about 350 pesos (about 20 dollars) at the time. We expect the crowd and ticket prices were more than usual due to the Chichenitza protests and more tourists arriving here. We did not have any Pesos on us at all. Our driver helped us out by asking around to the small vendors if anyone was interested in exchanging dollars for Pesos. Luckily we found one gentleman who exchanged our dollars but or a hefty fee. It ended up saving us a one hour roundtrip to the nearest ATM, hence was worth it. Next we went back and stood in line again to purchase our tickets.
Ek Balaam
With tickets in hand we finally entered the archeological site. This site was incredibly lush and beautifully constructed. However, much shade may not be present around the entire site. We started by climbing the first pyramid we near the beginning of the trail. The view was amazing, while the climb a bit steep. Sitting atop this pyramid enjoying the view of the rainforest might be a spectacular experience in slightly cooler weather. Next we followed the jungle path through some more ruins towards the main pyramid. The Main pyramid is huge. Steep staircase leads all the way to the top. Climbing is allowed on this pyramid. We climbed about halfway to the top to where the rooms and jaguar carving temple is located. The view from here was spectacular again. It’s incredible to visualize the people living, praying, eating here, seeing the view they saw. We thoroughly amazing by this archeological site and wish we could have spent more time here exploring. Once outside, we enjoyed some cold coconuts before starting back to our hotel just under 2 hours away.
Ek Balaam Pyramid
Once back at the hotel we were pleased to have visited these two sites. We had dinner and rested up.
To Note:
The roads we took on this road trip were all paved and in good condition. Some were even major highways.
We never felt unsafe in any of these off the beaten path locations we visited. We met friendly locals and shopkeepers.
Ek Balaam was super crowded mostly due to Chichen itza being closed. If visiting when Chichenitza is open, Ek Balaam might be a more calmer and less crowded experience. We visited in the first week of January and found the weather in the afternoon incredibly hot and humid. Mornings and evenings are much more tolerable.
On the main highway from Cancun to Tulum, there are always Police and military cars and personnel doing checks and asking questions.
Day 7 Rest & Return
We woke up and headed for breakfast. We spent some time by the pool and the beach on pour final morning. Our check out time was 11am. Hence we were showered and packed by then. Once we checked out, we waited for lunch service to start around 11:30. We had lunch and waited for our taxi to arrive. Tulum is about 90 minutes from the airport, however due to traffic and construction along the main highway it can take double that time. Our taxi was about 30 minutes delayed in this traffic. we were quite on edge during this time as it is hard to find a last minute ride to the airport. Once our taxi arrived, it was about 3 hours before we reached the airport. we were stuck in bumper to bumper traffic for the last 2 hours of the drive.
This may change in the future if construction is complete. However, we strongly recommend allowing at least 3 hours to get to the airport from the Tulum area, just to be safe. Once at the airport we found some dinner at a pizza place and a burrito place. Our travel back home was pretty fast and comfortable.