Estado de Yucatán Travel Forum

Hi in two weeks I go to Mexico. We are planning on travelling by bus from Merida to Chitzen Itza, then Chitzen to Tulum, and Tulum to Playa Del Carmen. I was advised to book bus tickets in advance on the Ticket Bus website but it doesn't work very well from outside Mexico - half the time it says there are no buses available, and then when you do find a bus, it throws you out of the website just after i try to enter payment information. So, my question is does anyone have any ideas on whether it's necessary to book buses in advance or can we just turn up and get on a bus? I don't want to be waiting around all day for an available bus as our time is short.
thanks
Jane

Does anyone know if the dotted "track" noted on maps of the Yucatan between Las Coloradas and El Cuyo denote some kind of road connecting the two? I have traveled about 12 miles on this sand track before heading back to Las Coloradas. Don't want to repeat the trip if the sand "road" degrades into a walking path

Is there a English speaking BUS TOUR of Merida and surrounding tourist places?
Also from Merida I want to go on BUS TOUR to Campeche, Uxmal, Progreso, Chichen Itza etc...
Is there a bus tour I can take from my hotel in Merida to all these places and then back to my hotel @ night? (PS: I don't know what hotel I am staying yet).
I have 1.5 (a day and half) to explore these places and then another 1.5 (day and half) to go explore Playa, Tulum and Chetumal. What is a inexpensive BUS Tour I can take?

Thanks in advance.
Bansi

Are there jet ski rentals and other activities to do in progresso? It's one of my ports on the cruise I'm going on in January...and Carnival doesn't have very many "fun" options for their shore excursions.

My wife and I will be driving from Cancun to Xaclak area from 14 Dec to 28 Dec and I have read it is very crowded with locals on vacation at that time.
I have not had problems when I look to book rooms but it is only mid-September now and I am wondering how difficult it will become as December approaches.
We like to see a place before we buy it and we are driving so structured itinerary is unheard of for us.
Do you think we will have difficulty in just popping into towns and getting decent rooms in the 75 to 100 US$ range?

Which Airline?
April 2010 go, June return.
Thanks

I need to know how to get a bus in Merida that Goes to Uxmal. I will be traveling from Cancun, in July 09. I feel safe taking the bus from Cancun, however my girlfriend thinks that this trip is going to be complicated. I'm bilingual and this might be some help. The more that we talk about this trip the less safe we both feel.. Please replay with detail info on how to get around once we get off from the bus terminal in Merida..

Thank you,

Hi everyone,
We are taking a trip to Chelem in August. We will be arriving at Cancun. If we hire a car just to get to Chelem, is there a drop off point? If we take the bus from Cancun, can we get a bus all the way to Chelem, or will we have to change to a taxi at some point?
Thank you !!

Hi,

I'm thinking of renting a car and seeing the Yucatan but I'd like to stay for maybe 3 days on Holbox and since there aren't any cars on Holbox, I was wondering how safe the parking lot in Chiquila is? Or if it's better to take the bus from Cancun and a rent a car once we've left Holbox? Thanks!

Where do you get let off by the ADO bus in Valladolid with respect to the main square ? Also a good place for lunch. Any other things to do in the actual city other than the Cathedral. Does any one know how long it takes to get there in a direct ADO ?

I'm planning on driving from Chichen Itza to Uxmal. What is the best and fastest way to get there? I have a basic map that shows roads that veer off from 180 but they are unmarked and seem to connect with different villages but it would seem to get to Uxmal without having to backtrack. Or would the fastest way be to drive to Merida and then from there to Uxmal and if that is the fastest way what would the directions be for that. Thanks in advance!

Hi, I will be traveling with a 3 year and I will be 6 months pregnant at the time of travel. I was wondering how safe it is to travel by bus from Cancun to
Merida. My husband will not be with us and we do have family friends in Merida. I also speak decent spanish and have traveled in mexico before.

Hello!

I'd like to know if there are buses that run from Valladolid to Cancun in the evening. If so, which bus station do they leave from in Valladolid?

Thank you very much

Hi there,

I have a full day in Chichen Itza (Piste based) and then my bus to Cancun is at 4pm the next day so I pretty much have two days in the area. Anything do to in the area besides the ruins? Are the ruins worth two days? Only bus I see on Sunday from Chichen Itza (or Piste) to Cancun is at 4pm :(

Tengo un dia entero en Chichen Itza (mi hotel esta en Piste) y despues mi autobus para Cancun a las 4 de la tarde el dia siguiente, asi que tengo casi 2 dias en el area. Hay otras cosas para ver por ahi ademas de las ruinas? O las ruinas valdrian la pena dos dias o es demasiado? El unico autobus los domingos de Piste o CHichen Itza a Cancun es a las 4 de la tarde :(

Gracias! THanks!

Hello,

Estoy tratando de ir desde Palenque a Chichen Itza por autobus nocturno. Estuve buscando en http://www.ticketbus.com.mx pero no veo ninguna manera directa de llegar. Hay un autobus desde Palenque a Merida, y despues tendria que tomarme otro de Merida a Chichen Itza, pero no es muy conveniente que digamos. ?Que me recomiendan? Mil gracias?

I'm trying to figure out if it's possible to get from Palenque to Chichen Itza by overnight bus. It doesn't look like http://www.ticketbus.com.mx has any way of getting there directly. It looks like I could take an overnight bus Palenque/Merida and then take a super-early bus Merida-Chichen Itza, but that's really inconvenient. There's an ADO leaving Palenque at 10pm getting to Merida at 6am, for example. Any better ideas?

Gracias / Thanks!

Carlos

Is there a place in this hotel where I can purchase beach toys for a child? It would be so much easier than taking them along. Thx!

I am thinking about renting a small car for part of time I've be visiting the Yucatan area of Mexico. I'm planning on getting it at the Cancun airport but will use it to visit and stay in areas outside of Cancun. I will return the car a few days before ending the trip in Cancun.

Has anyone had experience renting a car in Mexico, especially in the Yucatan area? Any advice?

Dear Forum: I am planning to visit Mexico, Cancun area this year in Aug with my family 5 (children ages 2, 4, 7). Which area of the following would your recommend we stay if you had to choose. These are the areas available through my timeshare. Best beaches, family activities and safety will be top on our list of priorities. Any other advice on these areas will be welcome:
Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Kantenah, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Aventuras, Puerto Morelos or Riviera Maya

Thanks in advance

Hello to All and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! My husband Nick and I are planning a trip to the Yucatan (Merida) at the end of Feb. 09. It will be our first trip there and are really looking forward to it. Because of the great airfares from Miami to Cancun, we will be flying into Cancun but our final destination will be Merida. It looks like such a wonderful city. We want to look at the place and look at some real estate (we've been browsing the internet for quite some time now). We're still undecided whether we want to be in the city or in the beach area. It there is a beach town with lots of stuff going on, like maybe Progreso, we might decide for the beach. That's why this trip is so important. We love Mexico and the Mexican people (and their food, of course). We wanted to know if it would be best to rent a car in Cancun upon arrival and drive to Merida, or if it would be better to take the bus from Cancun to Merida and just rent the car there. How far is it? How are the roads? Is it safe? If we go with the bus, how long a trip is that? Is there an express bus directly from Cancun to Merida that doesn't stop in every little village? How much does it cost? Any misc. information that any member can provide to assist us in this trip will be greatly appreciated. We are very limited on time (max. 5 days) because of our business so needless to say we want to explore as much as possible. It is NOT a sightseeing/tourist trip - it's mainly to research the options of living in the city or the beach areas. What are the best beach areas to live permanently? Are there any other American couples/expats living in these areas? I cannot think of anything else right now...
ANY INFO WILL BE GREAT. Thank you to all who reply.
Eva

I have a US drivers license. Will this work to rent a car and drive in the Yucatan?


Jenn

Has anyone experienced the Wayak shuttle services? They have several routes in the Yucatan from Merida, Chichen Itza, Tulum, etc. They offer hotel pickup and you can avoid bus terminals and extra taxi fees. More expensive than buses, but very tempting. I would like to hear from anyone who has used them.
Thanks,

I will be staying at the Catalonia Yucatan Beach resort.

I would like to rent a car to vist the ruins in the area and not be dependant on taxi or buses and I don't want to pay the outlandish prices for the trips from the resort.

Can anyone suggest where the closes car rental place would be?

We are planning to travel to Progreso mid-Feb. We may rent a villa on the beach. Has anyone travelled during that time of year to that area? Is it warm enough to swim and mostly is the sea good for swimming?
As well, do you think we would need a car or taking cabs and public buses good enough for traveling around the area and sightseeing?

Family of four with backpacks going to Yucatun Peninsila for 2 weeks. Would prefer to take bus, etc. but a lot of posts recommend renting a car(?). Went to Cuba last year - basically got around by negotiating with private drivers to drive us to certain destinations. Had a blast!

Are there similarities in Mexico? Any advice vis-a-vis car rentals, buses, or otherwise?

I'll be arriving at Merida airport from Montreal January 2009 late in the evening, my destination Chicxulub. Can I hire a private driver to pick me and take me to my destination, or should I use an airport taxi to do so...What is the cost for this ....Any suggestions much appreciated...

Are there any open-air parties planned for New Year celebrations. If yes, where? Anything planned in Cancun or Playa de Carmen?

We will be in Merida Dec 9-13-08 for the first time to check out possible retirement options. Where would one go to meet expats for a quick download on local info. Breakfast cafe, bar, resaurant, local bartender?

More interested in local lifestyle than notable tourism stops.

John Shukers

We have Verizon cell phones, so asked them about coverage in Mexico. Since we plan to be there about 5 weeks, they advised us it would be much cheaper to buy a by-the-minute phone once we arrived in Mexico. My question is: has anyone done this? Do you have any recommendations on whether to buy in Cancun or Merida or does it matter, pricewise? Are there different services to choose from, and who is better?

We plan to fly to Cancun, just because it's a cheaper flight. We'll probably spend the night. That reminds me of another topic ... how far from the airport is Cancun? Should we stay in Cancun or is there someplace closer to the airport to stay?

We want to explore the north coast ... is that what it's called? The beach towns around Progresso, in both directions. We're particularly interested in Telchac Puerto and Chicxulub. We'll spend some time in Merida too. Is it cheaper to rent a car in Cancun or Merida? We're not keeping it the full time we're there. We want to find a nice place to stay, at which point we'd turn in the rental.

We've been to the Yucatan before, but never rented a car. We've always relied on busses, so we're looking forward to the freedom of exploring on our own time. Thanx for any advice.

I am cruising on Carnival & will be in Progreso 12/10/08. How far is this reserve from cruise pier ? What are your recomendations on transportation for this destination ?

Hi there. I'm looking to travel after Christmas into the new year. Just read an article about Progreso and am now looking at renting a house there for two weeks. I have two pre-teen children who love playing in the ocean. Are there any worries about riptides or other ocean dangers? And what is the weather usually like there at that time. Any advice is welcome. I've been north of Tulum, but it was May and stayed at an all-inclusive. Not excited about doing that again.