Roadtrip Ideas
September 28, 2009 11:39 AM Subscribe
Where to stop between Cancun and Belize City?
Hi! I'm taking my first real vacation in 3 years. (wooooo!!!) Doing a roadtrip starting and ending in Cancun. We have 7 days. We want to stop in Tulum maybe Punta Allen and down to Belize City back up stopping in chichen-itza.
Do you guys have any recommendations for:
stops
hotels
restaurants
shops
I'm female in my mid-twenties going with my best friend also female in mid-twenties. So we're on a bit of a budget.
We're starting and ending in Cancun because we have friends there and tickets were cheaper than flying to Belize.
Thanks!
Hi! I'm taking my first real vacation in 3 years. (wooooo!!!) Doing a roadtrip starting and ending in Cancun. We have 7 days. We want to stop in Tulum maybe Punta Allen and down to Belize City back up stopping in chichen-itza.
Do you guys have any recommendations for:
stops
hotels
restaurants
shops
I'm female in my mid-twenties going with my best friend also female in mid-twenties. So we're on a bit of a budget.
We're starting and ending in Cancun because we have friends there and tickets were cheaper than flying to Belize.
Thanks!
I'm a big fan of Isla Mujeres, a little island just off of Cancun. It's just a 20 minute ferry ride away, and if you were planning on staying in Cancun, I'd suggest spending the time there instead. North Beach is incredible, there's a turtle sanctuary, a cute little town, snorkeling tours, and it's way less touristy than Cancun.
sounds like an amazing trip - that whole area is amazing. Tulum also should not be missed
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:13 PM on September 28, 2009
sounds like an amazing trip - that whole area is amazing. Tulum also should not be missed
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:13 PM on September 28, 2009
The city of Valladolid is conveniently close to Chichen Itza for the night before or after seeing the site. We did a similar trip about ten years back and stayed at this hotel, which (back then) was pleasant and reasonably priced.
posted by anadem at 1:53 PM on September 28, 2009
posted by anadem at 1:53 PM on September 28, 2009
Seconding both Isla Mujeres and Tulum. I've never been to Cozumel, but I hear it's pretty skippable.
If nature is your thing AT ALL, then check out the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve.
Endeavour not to spend a single night in Cancun. In fact, endeavour not to spend any more time there than absolutely required getting to and from the airport. As the numerically named poster above me said, if you want to just decompress and enjoy the beach for a day or two when you arrive, do it on Isla Mujeres rather than in Cancun.
Another thing that you may not have considered is that there are a ton of cheap flights to Cuba from Cancun.
posted by 256 at 2:00 PM on September 28, 2009
If nature is your thing AT ALL, then check out the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve.
Endeavour not to spend a single night in Cancun. In fact, endeavour not to spend any more time there than absolutely required getting to and from the airport. As the numerically named poster above me said, if you want to just decompress and enjoy the beach for a day or two when you arrive, do it on Isla Mujeres rather than in Cancun.
Another thing that you may not have considered is that there are a ton of cheap flights to Cuba from Cancun.
posted by 256 at 2:00 PM on September 28, 2009
Oh, and regarding budget: if you bring tents you can camp on the beach in Tulum (for free in some places and for a minimal fee in exchange for a locker and a security guard in others), and many hostels (including Pocna on Isla Mujeres) have a private camping area as well that costs significantly less than even a single bed in one of their dorms.
posted by 256 at 2:03 PM on September 28, 2009
posted by 256 at 2:03 PM on September 28, 2009
On your way South from Cancun lies the small, sleepy town of Bacalar. Bacalar is 125km south of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, the border crossing for Belize.
A large, clear, turquoise freshwater lake with a bottom of gleaming white sand, Laguna Bacalar comes as a surprise in this region of tortured limestone and scrubby jungle. Just shy of the south end of the costera is Cenote Azul, a 90m-deep natural pool on the southwest shore of the lake. Many years ago I dove to the bottom of Cenote Azul... all I brought up was an orange highway cone. I loved that cone!
The Cenote is 200m east of Hwy 307, so many buses will drop you nearby.
Of the few places to eat right in town, Orizaba’s at the northwest corner of the plaza is a good choice. (via Lonely Planet)... I haven't been there since Hurricane Dean wiped the slate clean. According to LP the area has recovered..
posted by ScotsLament at 2:32 PM on September 28, 2009
A large, clear, turquoise freshwater lake with a bottom of gleaming white sand, Laguna Bacalar comes as a surprise in this region of tortured limestone and scrubby jungle. Just shy of the south end of the costera is Cenote Azul, a 90m-deep natural pool on the southwest shore of the lake. Many years ago I dove to the bottom of Cenote Azul... all I brought up was an orange highway cone. I loved that cone!
The Cenote is 200m east of Hwy 307, so many buses will drop you nearby.
Of the few places to eat right in town, Orizaba’s at the northwest corner of the plaza is a good choice. (via Lonely Planet)... I haven't been there since Hurricane Dean wiped the slate clean. According to LP the area has recovered..
posted by ScotsLament at 2:32 PM on September 28, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
In Playa del Carmen there is a nice hostel right on the main square [half a block from both the bus station and the beach] called Travel Garden. You can get a private room in most hostels for a fraction of the price of any normal-type hotels on the Riviera Maya, but it still won't be cheap.
Tulum is nice and has two seperate zones to stay in. If you're driving it might be nice to stay on the beach in a hut. There are many, many options there. Staying in town puts you closer to tasty food and is also cheaper, but the beach at Tulum is the nicest beach I've visited.
Don't bother stopping in chetumal unless you want to sleep before crossing the border.
Find out what the immigration fee is for Belize before you get to the border, as it seems impossible to get change.
Don't drive at night in Belize, and especially not if it's raining. If you have time to spend a day in a small town that you wouldn't ordinarily stop in, you will probably find some people who are very relaxed and friendly. Belize city is big. Get out to the cayes, if only for a little while, even though they seem expensive.
Also expensive, but so worth it: Cenotes.
If you dive, then go dive in at least one.
If you just snorkel, that's okay too.
There are so many of them along your route that you will easily be able to avoid the giant theme-park ones [xel-ha, etc.]
what else?
have fun!
posted by Acari at 12:53 PM on September 28, 2009