Professional Documents
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2009 DK TOP 10 Cancun & The Yucatan
2009 DK TOP 10 Cancun & The Yucatan
TOP 10
CANCUN
& THE YUCATAN
10
10 Best beaches for diving & surfing
10 Spectacular Mayan ruins
10 Liveliest resorts, bars, & clubs
10 Most fun places for children
10 Historic colonial towns
10 Unspoiled wildlife preserves
10 Best hotels for every budget
10 Great spots for fishing
10 Places to get away from it all
10 Insider tips for every visitor
YUCATAN
NICK RIDER
EYEWITNESS TRAVEL
Contents
Left Codz Poop (Palace of Masks), Kabah Center Ek-Balam Right Tin-roofed house, San Felipe
Contents
Yucatán’s Top 10
Cancún 8
Produced by Blue Island, London
Cozumel 10
Reproduced by Colourscan, Singapore
Printed and bound by South China
Printing Co. Ltd., China
Playa del Carmen and
First American Edition, 2003 Xcaret 12
09 10 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Published in the United States by Isla Mujeres 16
DK Publishing, 375 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014
Tulum 18
Copyright 2003, 2009 © Dorling Kindersley
Limited, London
Reprinted with revisions 2005, 2007, 2009 Sian Ka’an Biosphere
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under
copyright reserved above, no part of this publication
Reserve 20
may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by Chichén Itzá 22
any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise), without the prior written
permission of both the copyright owner and the above
Mérida 26
publisher of this book.
Published in Great Britain by
Uxmal 28
Dorling Kindersley Limited
A Catalog record for this book is available from
Campeche 34
the Library of Congress
ISSN 1479-344X Moments in Yucatán’s
ISBN 978-0-75664-097-2
Within each Top 10 list in this book, no hierarchy of
History 36
quality or popularity is implied.
All 10 are, in the editor’s opinion, of Popular Mayan Ruins 38
roughly equal merit.
Colonial Towns 40
Churches 42
Beaches 44
Diving Reefs 46
Wildlife Reserves 48
The information in this DK Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide is checked regularly.
Every effort has been made to ensure that this book is as up-to-date as possible at the time of
going to press. Some details, however, such as telephone numbers, opening hours, prices,
gallery hanging arrangements and travel information are liable to change. The publishers
cannot accept responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of this book, nor for
any material on third party websites, and cannot guarantee that any website address in this
book will be a suitable source of travel information. We value the views and suggestions of
our readers very highly. Please write to: Publisher, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, Dorling
Kindersley, 80 Strand, London, Great Britain WC2R 0RL.
Cover: Front – 4Corners Images: SIME/Schmid Reinhard c; Hemispheres Images: Bertrand Gardel main.
Spine – DK Images: Linda Whitwam b. Back – DK Images: Demetrio Carrasco cla; Linda Whitwam ca, cra.
2
Contents
Left Mayan ruins tour Centre Hotel Zone, Cancún Right Waterside restaurants, Cancún
Key to abbreviations 3
Adm admission charge payable Air con air conditioning C/ calle (road)
THE
YUCATÁN’S
TOP 10
Highlights of the
ex i co
of M
Gulf
Cancún
! Mexico’s biggest resort has 23 km
(14 miles) of dazzling white sand
beaches, lavish hotels, every kind of 9
restaurant, and attractions from water
parks to giant nightclubs for 24-hour
entertainment (see pp8–9).
50 miles 0 km 50
Cozumel
@ The divers’ favorite, with over 20
coral reefs that are enjoyed by first-time
snorkelers and experienced divers alike.
Onshore there are fine beaches and
gleaming jewelr y stores (see pp10–11).
£ Playa
Carmen
del
The trendiest spot on
the Riviera, with a
more small-town $ Isla Mujeres
A laid-back
scale than Cancún, Caribbean island with a
superb swimming beachcomber style. It
and snorkeling, and is surrounded by rich
an ever-buzzing night- diving reefs and fishing
life (see pp12–15). grounds (see pp16–17).
7 3
2
5
C ari bbea n
Se a
* Mérida
Charming squares, shady
patios, whitewashed façades,
and wonderful markets make
this one of the most roman-
tic of all Mexico’s historic
Colonial cities (see pp26–7).
( Uxmal
The pyramids,
palaces, and quad-
rangles of this
dramatic ruined
city have a special
elegance and Campeche
beauty, and are ) The city is a remarkable survivor
regarded by many from the Spanish Colonial era. It in-
as the pinnacle of cludes an old section ringed by ramparts
ancient Mayan and bastions, and an astonishing
architecture museum of Mayan relics housed in
(see pp28–31). an ancient fortress (see pp34–5).
7
Cancún ! Night-time
Cancún
Just a dot on the map before 1970, Cancún is now Cancún’s pulsating night-
the biggest resort on the Caribbean. Its Hotel Zone life is most concentrated
occupies a huge, narrow sand spit shaped like a in the “Corazone” but
The Yucatán’s Top 10
Top 10 Sights
1 Night-time Cancún
2 The Beach
3 Laguna Nichupté
4 Punta Cancún and the
“Corazone”
5 Museo de Antropología e
Kilometer markers, Historia
numbered from the 6 Shopping Areas
north end, are used 7 Avenida Tulum and
as locators along Downtown
Boulevard Kukulcán.
8 El Meco Ruins
9 El Rey Ruins
Bus routes R-1, R-2
and R-15 run up and 0 Parque Nizuc
down between
The Beach
Avenida Tulum and
along the Hotel
@ Cancún’s greatest glory
Zone, 24 hours a day.
is made up of fine white
silicate sand that’s soft
and somehow always cool
For good Mexican
despite the warmth of the
cooking and some sun. There are several
local atmosphere, try public access points from Northside beach at Cancún
the restaurants Boulevard Kukulcán. The
inside Mercado 28 in north side of the “7” is
Downtown Cancún. best for swimming; the
eastern beaches have
more crashing waves.
£ Laguna Nichupté
The placid lagoon
enclosed by Cancún Island
offers more tranquillity
than the ocean, and is a
favorite place for water $ Punta Cancún and
the “Corazone”
sports. To the west are man- The heart of the action on
groves and jungle . the Hotel Zone strip
is around the bend in
the “7.” Here are vast
shopping and enter-
tainment malls, such
as Plaza Caracol and
Forum by the Sea, and
the biggest nightclubs,
Dady’O and the Coco
Bongo .
8
^ Shopping
Areas
Cancún is a
shopaholic’s
heaven. You
Museo de have everything from
%
* ElNearMeco Ruins
the Isla Mujeres
ferry ports, the ruined city
( ElThese
Rey Ruins
ruins (right)
of El Meco dates back to
AD 300 (above). An
were part of a city that impressive pyramid and
was prominent in the last the remains of an opulent
centuries of Mayan civili- Mayan palace can be seen.
zation, just before the
Spanish Conquest. By
the ruins is a mock Mayan
A Growing Resort
village, presenting a The Camino Real hotel
reconstruction of ancient by the tip of Punta
Mayan life, including Cancún is where
traditional cooking. Cancún all started back
) Parque Nizuc
The giant theme park
in 1971, when it opened
as the first hotel on the
combines slides and rides island. The rest of the
of all sizes at the Wet’n’ “7” was then empty
Wild water park (left); a except for trees, dunes,
snorkeling pool with and a very few beach
stingrays and (harmless) houses and fishing
sharks; an interactive dol- lodges. Since then,
phin pool; and bungee- Cancún has acquired
jumping from the Sky over 25,000 hotel beds.
Coaster (see also p58).
Top 10 Sights
1 San Miguel
2 Museo de Cozumel
3 North Beach Hotel Zone
San Miguel Harbor
4 Paraíso Reef
5 Laguna Chankanaab
The waters off Cozu- 6 Playa Mia and
mel are so clear and Playa San Francisco
some reefs so close 7 Palancar Reef
to the surface that 8 Parque Punta Sur
you can often see as 9 Punta Santa Cecilia and
much by snorkeling Chen Río
or free-diving as you
0 San Gervasio Ruins
can by using scuba
equipment.
San Miguel
Some of the most
! Cozumel’s only town
has a laid-back streetlife
atmospheric places
centered on the waterfront
to eat are the res-
(Malecón) and Plaza Cozu-
taurants scattered mel. For shoppers, there’s
along the wild east the new and very lavish
coast of Cozumel. Punta Langosta mall and
cruise terminal .
10
$ Paraíso Reef
Shallow and close
to the shore, this is a
favorite reef for
snorkeling, beginners’
scuba courses, and
( Punta Santa
Cecilia and Mayan Cozumel
Chen Río As a shrine to Ixchel,
The east side of the goddess of fertility,
island is more rugged Cozumel was one of
and windblown than the the most important
west, with rocky, empty places of pilgrimage in
beaches and crashing the Yucatán in the
surf that can be danger- centuries just before
ous to swim in. At Punta
Santa Cecilia there’s a ) San Gervasio Ruins
Cozumel’s Mayan capi-
the Spanish Conquest
(see p37). A visit here
lonely beach bar, tal was one of the richest was seen as especially
Mezcalito’s, which has religious and trading cities important for childless
great views, while in pre-Conquest Yucatán. women, though every-
Chen Río has a lovely The layout of its pyramids one in Mayan Yucatán
sheltered beach and an and small palaces gives a tried to make the trip at
idyllic beach restaurant strong impression of life in least once in their lives.
(see p70). a Mayan community.
12
% Xaman-Ha
Mayan Ruins
Playa shares its ground
with the site of a Mayan
settlement known as
Xaman-Ha (below).
^ Playacar
For diving and snorkeling in the reefs off Playa see pp46 & 124 13
The Yucatán’s Top 10
Left Mayan Village Center Ball Court Right Mariposario butterfly garden
$ LaandCaleta Cove
Blue Lagoon
Fine places for easy
swimming. La Caleta
(“the Inlet”) was the
main harbor of Mayan
Polé and is now a
favorite snorkeling spot,
Snorkeling river with coral and tropical
fish just below the
! Underground
Snorkeling River
surface. The Blue Lagoon is a
big, ultra-relaxing clearwater
This winding stream of clear pool behind the beach, with
turquoise water allows you to islands of thick vegetation
swim and snorkel all the way inviting exploration.
through the park and the Mayan
village to the beach, via rocky
canyons, pools, and caverns lit % Mayan Village
and Ball Court
by shafts of daylight. Reached via atmospheric passage-
ways, the village endeavors to
@ Dolphin Pools
Xcaret has two pools by the
represent some of the life of the
ancient Mayan world. This
beach where visitors can swim includes a reconstruction of a
with friendly dolphins. It’s an Mayan ball court, where a modern
extremely popular activity, and interpretation of the mysterious,
only a few people are allowed long-lost ball game (see p25) is
into the pools each day, so pre- played each afternoon. There’s
book or try to reserve a slot as also a well-presented museum
soon as you arrive at the park. by the park entrance.
2
5 0
6
Turtle pool
^ Butterfly Garden
One of the most spectacular
parts of Xcaret, the mariposario
is the largest butterfly garden in ( Forest Trail and
Orchid Greenhouse
the world, part-hidden in a steep A well-signposted trail helps you
ravine beneath a giant net explore many other parts of the
of a roof. Bursting with all park, through lush natural
manner of exuberant forest and passing further
tropical flowers and attractions, such as
vegetation, the garden is beehives, animal en-
alive with an astonishing closures, a mushroom
variety of colorful butterflies. farm, and a wonderful
Mornings are best. greenhouse with more
than 100 magnificent
* Turtle Pools
Near La Caleta, you
dances from all over Mexico.
15
Isla Mujeres
Site of the first Spanish landing in Mexico in 1517,
“Island of Women” takes its name from the idols of
the goddess Ixchel found here. Though close to
The Yucatán’s Top 10
Top 10 Sights
1 Isla Town
2 Playa Norte
3 Playa Secreto
4 Dolphin Discovery
5 Hacienda Mundaca
Isla town 6 El Garrafón
7 Parque Escultórico
The slow ferry from Punta Sur
Puerto Juárez to Isla 8 Manchones Reef
is the cheapest and
9 Sleeping Sharks Cave
nicest ride.
0 Isla Contoy
Rent a golf cart,
scooter, or bicycle to
see the whole island.
! Isla Town
Isla’s only town still
has the look of a Carib-
Gather food for a pic- bean fishing village, with
nic at Isla Town before narrow, sandy streets
touring the island. and wooden houses
painted in bright pinks,
yellows, greens, and
blues. There are plenty
of cafés and souvenir Fishing boat on the white sands
shops, and few cars.
£ Playa Secreto
To the northeast of
Isla town, this “secret”
beach (below) is in a
sheltered inlet that’s
even more shallow and
placid than Playa Norte,
and is wonderful for
small children. A foot-
bridge across it leads to
the Avalon Grand resort.
Playa Norte
@ This beach (above) at the
northern tip of the town is
the place where many Isla
visitors spend their days,
with laid-back beach bars
like Buho’s (see p82) for
refreshment breaks. With
pure white sand and calm
turquoise waters, it’s excel-
lent for tranquil swimming.
16
$ Dolphin Discovery
One of the largest
interactive dolphin
centers on the Riviera,
offering visitors a range
of options for swimming
% Hacienda Mundaca
^ ElThisGarrafón
nature park and
snorkeling center is
created around a natural,
shallow pool (below).
There are restaurants,
equipment rental, and
swimming and snorkeling
opportunities in the rock
pool, offshore reefs, or
in the swimming pool.
& Parque
Escultórico * Manchones
Reef
The Lafittes
Punta Sur Isla Mujeres’ Isla Mujeres’ most
The southern tip of most popular reef famous residents were
the island has been for scuba courses the 19th-century
transformed into a and easy diving. Lousiana-born brothers
sculpture park, Only about 10– Jean and Pierre Lafitte,
with striking 12 m (30–40 ft) considered the last
modern art works deep, the waters great Caribbean pirates.
(right) spread are safe and have Sailing southward after
around the wind- plenty of colorful falling out with the U.S.
blown headland coral and fish to Government, they built
and lighthouse. discover. a stronghold on the Isla
lagoon, but were
( Sleeping
Sharks Cave ) Isla Contoy
An uninhabited island
attacked by the Spanish
Navy in 1821. Both
An underground river about 30 km (18 miles) badly wounded, they
meets the sea at this cave, north of Isla Mujeres, escaped in a boat, and
attracting sharks that come Contoy is an important Pierre is believed to
to bask, trancelike, in the seabird reserve for peli- have died in Dzilam
mixture of fresh and salt cans, cormorants, frigate Bravo on the Yucatán
water. A must-see for birds, spoonbills, and mainland. His brother’s
experienced divers – but others. Day trips are run fate remains a mystery.
don’t wake those sharks! by companies on Isla.
The Diamante-K
cabañas, north of the
T-junction, have a
vegetarian café and
juice bar, open to
non-residents.
Tulum Ruins
! Mayan Tulum was a
walled town and prosper- Tulum beach
ous trading community at
the time when the
Spaniards arrived in the @ ElTheCastillo
most impressive of
1520s. The ruins the Mayan buildings at Tulum
include a recognizable is the great temple-pyramid
main street, the Palace of . A flaming beacon
the Halach Uinic, and the at the top of the temple
House of the Columns. was once visible for miles.
18
Hippy Heaven 890
£ The oldest and
67
12
simplest cabaña clusters
– Don Armando’s, the 3
Mar Caribe – are along
the stretch of the beach
$ Secluded Heaven
Along the stretch of
beach (left) south of the
T-junction in the road is a
wide choice of beach
cabins, from plain stick-
and-sand-floor huts to
% Tulum Pueblo
The village of Tulum
luxurious cabañas, most
of them secluded. Few
is a rambling place spread have electricity and are lit
out along the main high- only by candles at night.
way. Almost 100 per cent
Mayan just a few years
ago, it now has a bank, ^ Gran
Cenote
bus terminus, cafés, Along the road toward
small hotels, and Cobá from Tulum are
backpacker services. several accessible
cenotes. The Gran
Aktun-Ha Cenote Cenote is one of the
& Another enjoyable most attractive for
cenote for swimming, swimmers and snorkel-
with a broad, peaceful ers, surrounded by rock
pool that runs into a dark columns and exotic
and mysterious cave flowers, and leading into
system. As you swim a wide, arching cavern.
around the pool you see
many shoals of tiny fish.
Cenotes
Tankah The Yucatán Peninsula is
* A bumpy, wind- a vast slab of limestone
ing road leads to riddled with labyrinths
this little-developed of caves and subterran-
beach which has an ean rivers. Water is
enjoyable beach-bar accessible only through
and restaurant, and natural sinkholes in the
a large, easily swim- rock, called cenotes in
mable cenote just Spanish. These vary from
inland of the track. tiny wells to cathedral-
like caverns. Their water,
19
Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve
The empty jungle and vast wetlands of Sian Ka’an (Mayan
for “where the sky is born”) contrast strikingly with the
resorts of the Mayan Riviera. Extending south from Tulum
The Yucatán’s Top 10
Top 10 Sights
1 Ben-Ha Cenote
2 Boca Paila
3 Lake Chunyaxché
4 Muyil Ruins
5 Lake Islands
Lake Chunyaxché 6 Punta Allen
7 Ascension Bay Bonefishing
The operators listed Flats
below sometimes 8 Mangroves and Forest
offer specialist tours,
9 Native and Migratory Birds
such as snorkeling,
0 Animals
bird-watching, or
looking for crocodiles
at night.
Boca Paila
@ Set on a glorious lagoon
, the Boca Paila Fish-
ing Lodge is a favorite among Muyil ruins
serious fishermen. This is
also where Sian Ka’an tours
switch from vans to boats. £ Lake Chunyaxché
Sian Ka’an has many
lakes that., like all those
in the Yucatán, are fed not
by rivers but by under-
ground streams. In the
channels into Lake Chun-
yaxché from the lagoon
are extraordinary points
where the sea and lake
waters meet, bringing
together a teeming mix
of plant life and fish.
20
$ Muyil Ruins
The ruined Mayan city % Lake Islands
There are at least
of Muyil lies just outside the 27 Mayan ruins within
reserve. A very old city pos- the reserve, many of
sibly allied to Cobá (see them small temples
p89), it has an unusual great sited on islands in the
^ ItPunta Allen
is said that this & Ascension Bay
Bonefishing Flats
sleepy lobster-fishing These shallows are one of
village, with its sand the finest flyfishing areas
streets, big beach in the world, above all for
(above), and just a few bonefish. Fishing lodges
restaurants and places along the road and Punta
to stay, was founded Allen’s guest houses
by Blackbeard the offer trips out to them.
Pirate, whose ship
was called The Allen.
* Mangroves
and Forest
A mix of salt and fresh
water at Sian Ka’an
provides the ideal con-
ditions for mangroves
(right), which are home
to two kinds of croco-
dile. Further inland are
large expanses of rain
forest and grasslands.
( Native and
Migratory Birds
Animals
) Sian Ka’an is home
Chechen & Chakah
Nearly 350 bird species have to every kind of wild cat The toxicity of the small
been logged as native to found in Mexico and chechen tree can make
Sian Ka’an, and around a Central America, people numb and dizzy
million migratory birds visit including ocelots by its aroma alone. But
each year from North and pumas, as if local Maya ever rub
America. Among well as anteat- against the tree’s leaves,
those easiest ers, manatees, they know they have
to see are and tapirs. However, only to look around for a
ibises, egrets, you’re most likely to see nearby chakah bush to
orioles, storks raccoons, bush pigs, find the natural antidote
(right), and the spider monkeys, gray to the chechen’s poison.
American heron. foxes, and iguanas.
a large population, it became the most powerful city in the whole of the
Yucatán in the last centuries of the Classic Mayan era (AD 750–950), defeating
Cobá, Izamal, and others in war. A visit to these great ruins is not to be missed.
Top 10 Sights
1 Sound and Light Show
2 Castillo de Kukulcán
3 Great Ball Court
4 Sacred Cenote
5 Temple of the Warriors
Serpent head at foot of the 6 Court of the Thousand
Castillo de Kukulcán
Columns
To see Chichén at its 7 High Priest’s Grave
best, stay nearby the 8 Observatory
night before and get 9 Nunnery
to the site early,
0 Old Chichén
before the main heat
of the day and before
the arrival of the big
crowds from Cancún ! Sound and
Light Show
at about 11am. Presented nightly, the
show features an ima-
The little town of gined history of Chichén
Pisté just west of the Itzá, while the main
temples are dramatically
ruins has several
lit in changing colors.
pleasant restaurants
along its main street,
such as Las Mestizas @ Castillo
Kukulcán
de
(see p103), which It is no longer possible to
have more charm climb this awesome
than the visitor center pyramid which
at the site itself. encloses an older one,
access to which is from
the top of the Castillo.
Carvings, panels, levels,
and the 365 steps are
all symbols of the
intricate Mayan calendar.
Castillo de Kukulcán
22 For Chichén Itzá’s best carvings and more about the ancient
Mayan ball game see pages 24–5
4
Sacred Cenote 3
$ Visited by Mayan pilgrims
over centuries, the giant 12 5
natural cenote or sink-
7 6
hole (left; see also
p19), has yielded
& High
Grave
Priest’s
Almost like a smaller
prototype of the later
Castillo, this pyramid has
an inscription with the
date of its completion:
Observatory June 20, 842. It gets its
* The observatory name from a tomb exca-
(right) is also called El vated at its foot, which
Caracol (“snail”) because cannot be
of its odd round shape. visited.
Three slots in its top
level point due south and
toward the setting sun
and moon on the spring
and autumn equinoxes.
( Nunnery
The Spaniards thought
this group of buildings
was a nunnery, but experts
now believe it formed
Equinox “Descent”
the main residential and
administrative area for On the spring equinox,
Chichén’s lords in the city’s the afternoon sun picks
first years. The buildings out the tails of the ser-
are covered in spectacular pents lining the Castillo’s
carvings (below) north stairway and runs
down to their heads just
) Old Chichén
Chichén Itzá covered
before sunset. On the
autumn equinox, the
a much wider area than reverse effect occurs.
is seen at the monumen- This “Descent of Kukul-
tal core. A path leads cán” symbolized the city’s
south to Chichén Viejo – contact with the gods.
a part-excavated site in Today, huge crowds flock
the woods, which is as to see the phenomenon.
old as the central plazas.
Left Warrior figure Right Depictions of Chac, the rain god, on the Nunnery façade
% Tzompantli
Covered in carved
(“church”) at the
Nunnery, these ani-
skulls on all four sides, mals represented the
a low platform near the four spirits that held
Ball Court was prob- up the sky at the
ably used to display cardinal points (north,
the heads of south, east, west) in
sacrificial victims. Kukulcán head Mayan mythology.
24 For more about the Mayan gods and spirits see p37
Top 10 Ancient
Mayan Ball Courts
The Ball Game
The ancient Mexican ball game
1 Monte Albán, Oaxaca
can be traced back to before
2 Palenque, Chiapas
1500 BC. It features in Mayan
25
Mérida
The most languidly tropical of Mexico’s colonial cities,
Mérida is a town of whitewashed façades, Moorish-
style Spanish houses with deliciously shady, palm-filled
The Yucatán’s Top 10
Top 10 Sights
1 Plaza Mayor
2 Cathedral
3 Palacio del Gobernador
4 Casa de Montejo
5 Calle 60
6 Iglesia de Jesús
Arch
7 Parque
Ask for the Yucatán Santa Lucía
Today free magazine 8 Market
at tourist offices. It’s 9 Paseo de Montejo
an excellent source
0 Museo de Antropología
of useful information,
with handy maps.
26
$ Casa de
Montejo
The astonishing por-
tico of the first Spanish
stone house completed
in Mérida, built for the % Calle 60
Mérida’s main drag
^ Iglesia de Jesús
The Jesuits built this
church in 1618, favoring
ornamentation and a little
flair over the plain style
of the Franciscans, who
built most of the town’s
other religious buildings.
& Parque
Santa Lucía
The arcaded square of
Santa Lucía (above),
dating in part from 1575,
is the most romantic of
* Market
Shopping hub of the ) Museo de
Antropología
all Mérida’s old squares.
Free concerts of tradition-
Yucatán, Mérida’s market The grandest of all the al music take place every
is a huge bazaar. Stalls are Paseo Montejo mansions, Thursday (see p63).
piled high with chilis, fabu- built for General Fran-
lous fruit and other food, cisco Cantón between
hammocks, sandals, pana- 1909 and 1911, houses The Tríos
ma hats, and em- one of Mexico’s Walk around the Plaza
broidery (see p109). most important Mayor on most evenings
archeological and you’ll see groups of
( Paseo de
Montejo
museums. It has
many treasures
men in threes, dressed
in white shirts and black
Laid out in the Yuca- excavated from trousers, and carrying
tán’s early 1900s sites all across the guitars. These are the
boom in imitation of Yucatán, and is Yucatán tríos, traditional
Parisian boulevards, especially rich in troubadours available for
Paseo de Montejo ceramics and jade. hire to play romantic
is lined with lavish Its displays provide serenades. They can be
mansions, some an overview of the hired to entertain at a
using fabulous icon- Mayan world that party or wedding, or you
ography, such as illuminates visits can have them sing right
this eagle-and- to the ruins there on the square.
snake motif. themselves.
Top 10 Sights
1 Pyramid of the Magician
2 Nunnery Quadrangle
3 Ball Court
4 House of the Turtles
5 Governor’s Palace
6 Great Pyramid
7 House of the Old Woman
House of the Turtles 8 House of the Pigeons
Arrive at the site 9 Temple of the Centipede
early in the day to and the Arch
miss the heat and 0 Sound and Light Show
the crowds. Allow at
least a full morning
to see the whole site. @ Nunnery
Quadrangle
This elegant, four-building
Hal-Tun, beside the
complex was Uxmal’s
road about 2 km
heart of power and ritual.
(1 mile) north of the It was so named by a
ruins, is a charming Spanish friar merely
traditional Yucatecan because it reminded him
restaurant with an of a convent. Intricate
airy, relaxing terrace. carvings
symbolize the magi-
cal authority of the city
and its rulers and their
contact with the gods. Pyramid of the Magician
$ House of
the Turtles
This delicately
proportioned small
temple-residence
is considered the
archetype of the
pure Puuc archi-
tectural style
. The name
Ball Court comes from its decorative
£ Uxmal’s main Ball Court cornice, featuring a line of
is smaller than the Great turtles carved in stone.
Court at Chichén Itzá This is a motif that you
. The original scoring will see many times at
rings are inscribed with Uxmal; it was associated
dates from the year 901; with the rebirth of new life
those you actually see at and the fertility of the
the court are replicas. coming of the rains.
^ Great Pyramid
Most of this tower-
ing pyramid (below) is
older than the Governor’s
Palace next door. Like
many Mayan buildings, it
was altered and added to
many times.
Uxmal’s Dwarf
( Temple of
the Centipede * House of the
Pigeons In Mayan legend, Uxmal
and the Arch This huge complex in- was founded by an alux
Unexcavated parts of corporates temples and (leprechaun) who had
Uxmal include the Temple palatial residences. Early defied the authority of a
of the Centipede. The travelers thought the lofty local king. When the king
sacbé (Mayan road) lead- roof comb above its central dared the dwarf to build
ing to it continued to the quadrangle looked like a house, the Pyramid of
allied city of Kabah. An dovecotes (below), hence the Magician appeared
arch marks the boundary the name. It was once overnight. On another
of Uxmal’s central core. covered in sculptures. day the dwarf built the
path to Kabah. The king’s
) Sound and
Light Show
last test was that they
should both be hit on
Every night, Uxmal’s the head with hammers.
major buildings are dram- The king died, but the
atically lit up in varying dwarf was protected by
colors, and there is a a magic tortilla and
commentary on Uxmal in went on to rule Uxmal.
history and legend.
29
The Yucatán’s Top 10
Left Monstermouth, Pyramid of the Magician Center Chac gods Right Jaguar throne
@ Birds Quadrangle
Around this small quad- & Muyal Symbols
The simple spiral pattern
rangle are beautiful images of repeated frequently on the
parrots and other birds, which Nunnery and Governor’s Palace
symbolized the unpredictable represents the Mayan word for
elements in nature. cloud, muyal, another symbol of
contact with the heavens.
£ Nunnery Quadrangle:
Mayan Huts
* Lord Chak
A feature of Puuc carving is the The figure in a spectacular
combination of complex symbols headdress set within the façade
with everyday images. The huts of the Governor’s Palace is be-
carved on the Nunnery’s South lieved to be Lord Chak himself.
Building are little different from
those in Yucatán villages today.
( LaThePicota
phallic column called the
$ Nunnery:
Vision Serpents
“whipping-post” in Spanish has
inscriptions on it that
The semi-triangular pat- have never been
terns on the East Building deciphered. It formed
are Vision Serpents – part of a fertility cult
conduits between men that was a distinctive
and the “Otherworld.” feature of Uxmal.
% Nunnery:
Serpent Heads ) Parrots of the
Great Pyramid
The huge feathered Stylized macaws (guaca-
snakes winding around mayas) feature in the
the West Building are carvings on the temple
probably also Vision at the top of the Great
Serpents. Human faces Pyramid as symbols of
emerge from their jaws. Governor’s Palace uncontrolled nature.
30
Top 10 Puuc Cities
The Puuc Cities
1 Oxkintok
2 Uxmal Uxmal was the largest of a
3 Kabah string of Mayan communities
that flourished in the Puuc
built to fend off pirate attacks when this was one of the great
trading strongholds of the Spanish Empire. Campeche’s real
museum, housed in an old fortress, displays spectacular Mayan
Jade mask, Fuerte
relics from the recently excavated forest city of Calakmul. de San Miguel
Top 10 Sights
1 Parque Principal
2 Cathedral
3 Casa Seis
4 Puerta de Mar
5 Puerta de Tierra
6 Baluarte de Santiago
7 The Malecón
8 Fuerte San Miguel
Museum
Campeche town center 9 Fuerte San José
Special “El Guapo” Museum
buses run to the fort- 0 Edzná
ress museums from
the Parque Principal. Parque Principal
Otherwise, take a taxi. ! Hub of the old town,
the broad and airy main
La Parroquia, just off square once opened
the Parque Principal directly onto the water-
at Calle 55 no 8, is a front, with landing stages
traditional café with for ships; its 18th-century
excellent breakfasts arcades would have been
and great fish dishes. thronged with sailors and Fuerte de San Miguel
traders. Today, you’ll find
a pleasant café Cathedral
amid the trees. @ Begun in the 1560s, Cam-
peche Cathedral was built
in many stages and not com-
pleted until the 19th century.
Its lofty façade, facing the
main square, is one of the
oldest parts, designed in a
Spanish Renaissance style
typical of many churches built
in the reign of King Philip II.
£ Casa Seis
A gracious old house on
the west side of the square,
restored and furnished to re-
create the home of a prosper-
ous 19th-century Campeche
merchant. As well as contain-
ing a tourist information desk,
the house’s patio features
concerts and exhibitions.
34
$ Puerta de Mar
When the city walls
Puerta de Tierra
% Built in 1732, the
were complete, Puerta Puerta de Tierra (“Land
de Mar (right) provided Gate”) was the only way
the only gateway in or out of
to the harbor. The Campeche on
^ Baluarte
Santiago
de
The Malecón
& The long waterfront
has been attractively
restored and is a popular
place for locals to take an
evening stroll. There are
often superb sunsets
over the Gulf of Mexico.
* Fuerte San
Miguel Museum ( Fuerte
Museum
San José
Left Mayan writing Center Fort at Campeche Right Mexican revolutionary poster
@ Mayan Civilization
An expedition led by
Francisco Hernández de Córdoba
For over 500 years in the Classic sails from Cuba and makes the
era, Mayan civilization flourishes first Spanish landfall in Mexico
throughout the Yucatán, Chiapas, on Isla Mujeres. It continues to
northern Guatemala, and Belize. Campeche and Champotón, then
And, from about 650, the culture is attacked by the Maya and
expands vigorously in the north- forced to turn back.
ern Yucatán, reaching its peak at
Chichén Itzá and Uxmal.
^ 1526–42:
Conquest
Spanish
£ 800–950: Collapse of
Mayan Civilization
The Yucatán is conquered on the
third attempt by conquistadores
In the relatively short span of
about 150 years, Mayan civiliza-
tion almost disappears, most
likely due to a series of catastro-
phes – overpopulation, over-use
of exhausted land, intensification
of inter-Mayan wars, and drought.
The southern city states are left
deserted, and the Mayan writing
system virtually disappears. In the
north, the decline is later, and the
cities are never entirely abandoned. Painting of the Spanish Conquest
36
led by three members of the Gods and Spirits of
Montejo family. Having been
besieged for months in the ruins
the Ancient Maya
of ancient Ti’ho, they make this
the site of their new city of Mérida.
! Itzamná
Paramount god in the
Postclassic Yucatán, the
37
The Yucatán’s Top 10
Ek-Balam
$ This compact city
was little known until
recently. Excavations of
Ball Court, Cobá its largest temple-mound
in 1998 revealed spectac-
! Chichén Itzá
The most dramatic of the
ular carvings, especially at El
Trono (“The Throne”), the largest
Mayan cities has gigantic build- and most extravagant of Mayan
ings, including the great pyramid monstermouth temples. Other
that has become a symbol of the unique buildings include an almost
Yucatán (see pp22–5). d Map E3 spiral-shaped tower, La Redonda,
the design of which is a mystery
@ Tulum
A small city from the last
(see also p98). d Map F2
£ Cobá
The largest and most power-
through the open doorways of
the Temple of the Seven Dolls
ful city in northern Yucatán before and along a road. There’s also a
the rise of Chichén Itzá. Buildings great swimming cenote here
are spread over a huge area of (see pp53 & 105). d Map C2
38
^ AUxmal
hugely
Top 10 Quieter Ruins
atmospheric ! ElTheRey, Cancún
relics of the historic
city with some occupiers of Cancún Island
of the finest (see p9) .
Kabah
£ San Gervasio,
Cozumel
& Second in importance Capital of the island when it
was one of the great pilgrim-
among the Puuc cities (see p31) age centers of Mayan Yucatán
after Uxmal, to which it was (see pp10–11).
linked by a sacbé or Mayan road.
A grand arch over the end of this
path forms a pair with the arch at
$ Xel-Ha
One of the oldest Mayan
sites near the modern Riviera,
Uxmal (see p29). The great high- with ancient murals of birds
light is the Codz-Poop or “Palace (see also p19).
of Masks,” with a façade that has
over 250 long-nosed Chac faces
(see also p106). d Map C4
% Muyil
A very old Mayan site next
to the Sian Ka’an reserve, with
several pyramids amid the
* Sayil
Among the wealthiest of the
forest (see p21).
) Edzná
Another of the largest and
of elaborately carved Chac-
masks. d Map C4
wealthiest cities of Classic-era
Yucatán (see p36). Its huge ) Mayapán
The last major Mayan city,
palace, the “Building of the Five which dominated the Yucatán
Stories”, is the largest and most from 1200–1450, has striking
complex of all Mayan multistory painted frescoes. d Map C3
buildings (see also p35). d Map B5
39
The Yucatán’s Top 10
Left Church at Ticul Center Portico, Mérida Right Tiled icon at Santa Lucia, Mérida
Colonial Towns
! Valladolid
Valladolid combines distin-
by two huge monasteries,
which give Tizimín a distinctly
guished colonial architecture Mediterranean appearance
with the easygoing atmos- (see also p100–101).
phere of a Yucatán market
Izamal
town. Whitewashed arcades
and 17th-century houses sur- £
Known as La Ciudad
round the main plaza, and Dorada, the Golden City,
among the town’s many because of the ocher wash
churches is a fine Franciscan of its buildings, this is the
monastery (see p42). Right most complete and un-
in the middle of the town is changing of Yucatán
a huge cenote, which once Statue, colonial towns. At its heart
provided all Valladolid’s Valladolid is the largest of the
water, and nearby at Dzitnup Yucatán’s Franciscan monasteries
(see p52) are some of the (see p43), and a short distance
Yucatán’s most spectacular cen- from this are the glowering
otes for swimming (see also p97). pyramids of a much older Mayan
city. Horse-drawn carriages,
Tizimín
@ The name comes from the
victorias, are a favorite way of
getting around (see also p99).
Mayan tsimin, a kind of demon,
Mérida
which was also used to describe
the Spaniards when they first $
The Yucatán’s capital, found-
appeared on horseback. Today it’s ed by the Spaniards in 1542 on
the capital of Yucatán’s “cattle the site of the Mayan city of
country,” between Valladolid and Ti’ho, has a seductive appeal.
Río Lagartos. The pleasant twin Whitewashed Spanish houses
plazas in the center are divided with shaded patios provide
delightful places to
stay. Despite the
bustle of its market
(and traffic), amid
the city’s old
squares life still
proceeds at a
leisurely, friendly
pace (see pp26–7).
% AnAcanceh
extraordin-
ary little town in
Izamal which over 2,000
40
years of time are ex- contains the oldest
pressed, from its an- Franciscan mission-
cient Mayan edifices ary monastery in the
to a fine 18th-century Yucatán, the scene
Spanish church. of dramatic events in
Churches
epitomizes the plain, austere style
favored by the Franciscan friars
who brought Catholicism to the
Yucatán. Founded in 1549, its huge
atrio, or courtyard, was designed
to hold great crowds of Mayans
in open-air Masses. d Map D2
£ Mérida Cathedral
The first cathedral completed
in mainland America was built by
local conquistadores in a style that
the church leaders considered far
too extravagant. The design is, in
fact, quite simple, with few
decorative flourishes, and the
church’s soaring white stone
San Bernardino Sisal, Valladolid interior has great solemnity. The
figures that you pass on the way
@ San Antonio de
Padua, Izamal
This large church with
a very Spanish-looking
The vast monastery of plain façade was built
Izamal, painted ocher as part of a major
and white like the rest Franciscan friary in
of the town (see p40), Doorway, La Mejorada 1640. It was the last
42 Note: Most churches are open around 7am–1pm and 4–9pm daily,
but times can vary with little warning. Nearly all are free.
occupied monastery in lighter style than those of
Mérida, and closed only the early Colonial period.
in 1857. Behind the The churches at Teabo
church, some of the and Oxcutzcab are simi-
former monastery build- lar (see p41). d Map C4
* Tekax
Completed in
1692, this huge yet
finely proportioned
church was built in a Campeche Cathedral
43
The Yucatán’s Top 10
Beaches
town, with its placid,
safe waters. The
island is a good-value
diving center (see
also pp16–17).
£ Puerto Morelos
Despite its loca-
tion between Cancún
Cancún and Playa del Carmen,
Puerto Morelos has
! Cancún
This resort has the longest
avoided big-scale development.
There’s plenty of space along the
stretch of beach, backed by the long, white beach, where pelicans
biggest hotels and malls, and hang in the wind. A great snorkel-
with the most attractions, from ing reef (see p46) lies close to
parasailing to water parks. The the shore (see also p76).
beaches on the north side of the
island are the best for swimming
and beach-life, but can get rather $ Playa del Carmen
The hippest and fastest-
crowded. On the surf beaches growing spot on the Mayan
along the east it is always Riviera, with good shopping,
possible to find a spot to yourself strolling, bar-hanging, and
(but check safety conditions, see people-watching opportunities in
p119). (See also pp8–9.) town, and miles of wonderful
palm-lined bays stretching away
@ Isla Mujeres
Isla’s small size means it has
to the north. To the south, the
Playacar development has its
a more laid-back beach scene, own, narrower beaches (see
especially on Playa Norte by Isla also pp12–13).
Left Playa Norte, Isla Mujeres Right Playa Tukan, Playa del Carmen
44
% Cozumel
The island’s fan base is split
into three: divers, cruise passen-
gers, and families. The finest
diving locations are in the distant
& Akumal
A lovely area that extends
friendly, and very Mexican. The
opal-colored sea is ideal for
through beautiful, sweeping bays swimming (see also p105).
of white sands and gentle seas.
Some big hotels have opened,
but along most of the bays are ) Celestún
Most tourists go to Celestún
secluded condo apartments and only to see its flamingos (see
villas. It’s an excellent diving p49), but it is also a tranquil
center (see also pp47 & 88). village with an endless white-sand
beach lined by fishing boats. There
* Tulum
The favored place in the
are some very enjoyable beach
restaurants (see p111) and often
Yucatán for anyone wanting to wonderful sunsets over the Gulf
settle into a palm-roofed cabin by of Mexico (see also p105).
Diving Reefs
! Reefs around Cancún
Despite busy beaches and £ Paraíso, Cozumel
Cozumel offers the greatest
the relatively small size of the extent and variety of reefs for
closest reefs, there’s still lots to snorkelers and divers of every
see here. “Jungle” snorkeling level of experience, and visibility
tours take you through man- is ideal. Paraíso and nearby
groves in Laguna Nichupté and Chankanaab are “must-sees”,
to the reef off Punta Nizuc (see with parrot fish, silver shoals of
also pp8–9). d Map K4 & K6 snappers and strangely shaped
coral just below the surface (see
% Puerto Morelos
One of the most vibrant of
the mainland beaches and now
officially protected as a parque
maritimo. The reef is unusually
close to the shore, and so is
great for snorkel tours and
introductory diving. The few dive
and snorkel operators in Puerto
Morelos give personal, friendly
service (see also p76). d Map R3
@ Sea Cucumbers
Tube-like creatures with a
tough, spiny skin that can be
seen lying motionless on the
seabed or in clefts in the coral.
£ Snappers
Among the commonest
Turtle fish here, yellowtail, blackfin,
and other snappers move in
& Xpu-Ha
The superb reefs offshore
huge, gleaming shoals.
* Akumal
The beaches here are an
and yellow vertical stripes.
( Tankah
A less well-known beach
* Rays
Spotted eagle rays,
elegantly waving their “wings”
with just a few hotels (see p130) as if to fly through the water,
that’s great for relaxed snorkeling are common around some of
and diving away from the crowds. the Cozumel reefs.
As at Akumal, the reef comes
quite close to the shore (see ( Barracudas and Sharks
Many varieties are found
also p90). d Map P6 around the Yucatán reefs –
but attacks on humans are
) Tulum
This is the Riviera’s biggest
almost unknown.
47
The Yucatán’s Top 10
Left Coral reef Center left Sea life from Rio Lagartos Center right Turtles Right Stork
Wildlife Reserves
! Isla Contoy
This uninhabited island £ Puerto Morelos
The reef off Puerto Morelos
reserve north of Isla Mujeres is is one of the least disturbed
home to a huge range of sea sections of coral near the main-
birds, including pelicans, land in the northern part of the
boobies, and frigate birds, Maya reef and is now protected
and contains mangroves, as a marine park. Snorkelers can
turtle-breeding beaches, see spectacular marine life
and superb coral lagoons. – lobsters, giant sponges,
One-day tours are run by luminous parrot fish, and
many dive shops and agencies angelfish. Dive operators
from Isla and Cancún; check in the town offer low-impact
what your tour includes (see Isla Contoy snorkel and diving tours
also p17). d Map H1 Pelican (see also p46). d Map R3
^ ARíohuge,
Lagartos
long, narrow lagoon
birds from North America. d Map
49
The Yucatán’s Top 10
Left Puma, Xcaret eco-park Center Dolphin Discovery Right Parque Garrafón
£ Dolphin Discovery
There are three of these sea
enclosures – on Isla Mujeres, at
Chankanaab on Cozumel, and at
Puerto Aventuras. At Cozumel Parque Nizuc
50
tours, scuba diving,
a kids’ club, paintball,
and a blindfolded walk
that allows you to
experience the forest
Xcaret eco-park
^ Xcaret
The Riviera’s original eco-
swim a bit away from the landing
stages, you’ll still find plenty of
park provides a spectacular fish and coral. There are also
introduction to the richness and forest trails to explore
variety of a tropical environment, .d .
all in one space
& Laguna
Cozumel
Chankanaab,
) Dos Ojos Cenote and
Hidden Worlds
A great place to see Cozumel’s The upper chambers of the
undersea treasures with an easy world’s longest underwater cave
swim, this small nature and system, the Dos Ojos Cenote,
snorkeling park lies close to the are used by the Hidden Worlds
Chankanaab and Paraíso reefs center for one of the Yucatán’s
(see p46) and includes a beach, most exciting tours. After a hike
a botanical garden, and a Dolphin during which a guide points out
Discovery center features of the forest, visitors
dM can snorkel or scuba dive through
crystal-clear cave waters in giant
* Aktun-Chen
From the highway near
arched-roof caverns
.d
Akumal, a dirt track leads west
through thick bromeliad-filled
jungle to a nature park set around
a vast cave and cenote system.
You can’t swim in the cenote,
but the guided tours through the
stalactite-filled cavern are highly
impressive. Colorful birds,
monkeys, and wild boars can be
seen outside. d
( Xel-Ha
One of the Riviera’s most
popular attractions, this snorkel
park was created around a mag-
nificent natural coastal lagoon
that’s especially good for children.
It can seem crowded, but if you
* Cenote Xlacah,
Dzibilchaltún
The wide, round
cenote that provided
water for the ancient
city of Dzibilchaltún is
still a popular swim-
ming hole today. It
gets busy on Sundays Cenote Xlacah, Dzibilchaltún
53
The Yucatán’s Top 10
! Puerto Morelos
An undisturbed gem of the
Mexican Caribbean, which has kept $ Tulum
The epitome of a tropical
its mellow, fishing-village feel des- paradise: palm-shaded cabins
pite close proximity to Cancún. No only a few steps from a vividly
real nightlife, but lovely beaches, colored sea, and with just
and many small hotels and candlelight and the sound of
apartments offer long-term rates waves at night. The bargain
(see also pp48 & 76). d Map R3 cabañas at the north end of the
beach are slightly noisier, so
@ Punta Bete
A well-rutted track off the
head south for pure tranquility
(see also pp18–19). d Map P6
main Highway just north of Playa
del Carmen leads in three bumpy
kilometers (2 miles) to superb, % Punta Allen
The atrocious state of the
curving beaches of dazzling white road keeps visitor numbers down,
sand and a perfect turquoise sea. but the trek deep into Sian Ka’an
Some resort hotels have opened (4-wheel-drive only) takes you to a
up here, but there are still clus- tiny fishing village of sand streets
ters of laid-back beach cabañas and giant palms, with landing
(see p126) among the palms stages by the beach and a few
(see also p76). d Map R4 easy-going restaurants and
54
welcoming places to stay. Local
guides offer snorkeling, bird-
watching, and fishing trips (see
also p21). d Map G5
& ElWithCuyo
just one hotel, two sets
& 105). North of Celestún is a
really remote beach retreat at
of beach cabañas, and a couple Xixim (see p126). d Map A2
of places to eat – with great fresh
fish – this Gulf-coast fishing village
is for anyone who really does ) Hacienda Hotels
A seductive escape is offered
want a beach all to themselves (at upscale prices) by the hotels
(see also p100). d Map F1 scattered around the Yucatán in
beautifully converted old Colonial
( Celestún
Flamingos, again,
are the big attraction
here, but if you stay
over in one of the
small hotels after the
day-trippers have
returned to Mérida
Left Tennis in Cancún Center Dive shop, where sea-fishing trips can be arranged Right Cycling
! Golf
Golfers on the Riviera have a
d Aquaworld (998) 848 8300
Fishing
@ Conditions for deep-sea and % Cycling
The most attractive places
to get around by bike are Cancún,
inshore fishing are outstanding, Isla Mujeres, Tulum, and Valladolid,
and the lagoons south of the where there’s a lovely cycle path
Riviera by Ascension Bay are a to Cenote Dzitnup (see p52).
must for fly-fishing fans. The Many Cancún hotels have bikes,
peak deep-sea fishing season is and there are rental shops in
March–June (see box, right). the other three destinations.
Parasailing
& Soar above Cancún with the
$ Puerto Morelos
Much lower key than the
islands, but deep water close
“Skyrider” from Aqua World
to shore means superb fishing.
(see p50). More basic parasailing
operations are found along Cancún
beach and at Playa del Carmen. % Playa del Carmen
Many Playa dive shops
also arrange fishing trips,
Skydiving especially in the sailfishing
* Sky Dive Playa will give you season (Mar–Jun).
Jungle Tours
) Playa-based ATV Explorer
( ElTheCuyo
one bar, La Conchita, is
the place to go to find a boat
lets you race through the woods
and a guide. Shark fishing is a
on four-wheel ATVs (All-Terrain specialty of the north coast.
Vehicles). Alltournative offers
group trips by truck, jeep, and
kayak. d ATV Explorer (984) 873
) Río Lagartos
No well-organized facilities,
1626 Alltournative (984) 803 9999; free but boatmen here will show
you their fishing grounds as
from USA and Canada (800) 507 1092 well as the flamingo lagoons.
www.altournative.com
57
The Yucatán’s Top 10
Left Xcaret Center Left Xel-Ha Center Right Punta Laguna Right Iguana, Uxmal
taining tours, and it’s well- One of the most enjoyable and
accessible places for even small
children to be dazzled by a real
new experience – a first introduc-
tion to snorkeling and the under-
water treasures of the Cozumel
reefs. The sea is very placid and
there’s coral and abundant sea
life just off the beach. In the same
park there’s also a coral lagoon, a
botanical garden, and a Dolphin
Discovery center (see p50).
d Map R5 6am–6pm daily Adm
58
and exploring its lush
forest setting (see
also p88). d Map P6
(998) 884 9422
www.xelha.com.mx
Punta Laguna
( Getting to see
local wildlife in the
natural habitat, rather
than in zoos or nature
Xel-Ha parks, can take a lot
of time and effort, but
the shade. Playa Mia has the at this small reserve north of
best choice of things to do for Cobá you can see spider monkeys
older children – snorkeling, beach jumping through the trees after
games, kayaks, banana boats – just a little exciting exploration.
and has a Kids’ Club for little ones. Village guides lead the way –
d Map R6 dawn–dusk daily Adm deer, wild boar, and lots of birds
can likely be seen too (see also
Xcaret
^ The first and most famous of
pp48 & 90). d Map N4 daily
Xel-Ha
* This snorkel park is another
of the Riviera’s big family
attractions. Few kids are not
enchanted by swimming and
snorkeling in the coral lagoon,
Nightspots
! Coco Bongo, Cancún
The most state-of-the-art of
take over, usually playing to a
mixed crowd of tourists and
them all among Cancún’s mega- locals (see p81). d Map L4
clubs, a vast, multilevel, multi-
space venue with music that
covers all the bases – techno, $ Dinner
Cancún
Cruises,
rock, Latin – from DJs and live For a slightly more sedate time
bands, and a space to eat. Ultra- try another Cancún specialty,
extravagant theme nights, live with live shows, games, dinner,
shows, and other eye-popping and dancing to live bands all on
surprises are house specialties board as you sail around Laguna
(see p81). d Map L4 Nichupté or to Isla Mujeres. Each
one is themed: Cancún Queen
@ Dady’O, Cancún
Always the most popular
(from Aqua World,(see p50) is like
an old stern-wheeled riverboat,
among American student the Columbus Lobster Dinner
“Springbreakers,” this equally Cruise is on a replica Columbus-
huge venue across the street era galleon, and Captain Hook’s
from the Coco Bongo guarantees Pirate Night is, of course, on a
a noisy, down-home party pirate ship (see also p81).
atmosphere – theme parties are d Columbus Cruise, Royal Mayan Marina,
a permanent feature. Next door, Blvd Kukulcán km 16.5 Map K3
the only slightly smaller Dady (998) 848 8300
Rock is a live venue with a bar-
restaurant, plus more fun and
games (see p81). d Map L4 % Blue Parrot, Playa del
Carmen
Playa del Carmen has changed
Bulldog, Cancún
£ If a Mexican band like Café enormously since its original
beach bar opened in the early
Tacuba or Molotov is
playing in Cancún,
they are probably
playing at the Bulldog.
This nightspot is a
little smaller than the
other clubs in the
neighborhood, but
tables are set up in
stadium-like tiers
which ensures that
there is no bad seat in
the house. On non-
show nights, DJs Blue Parrot
( Carlos ‘n’
Charlie’s, Cozumel
Enjoyable, crowd-
pleasing food and a
La Santanera non-stop, bright-and-
breezy party
1990s, but through it all the atmosphere are the keys to the
Parrot has remained the number- success of the Anderson group’s
one place to meet up and bar-restaurants, found all around
mingle. There’s always a buzzing Mexico under several jokey names
scene, and you get a fabulous – Carlos‘n’Charlie’s, Sr. Frog’s
view of the moon over the sea (p82), and El Shrimp Bucket. The
(see p81). d Map Q4 Cozumel C‘n’C in Punta Langosta
mall is one of the biggest (see
& LaPlayaSantanera,
del Carmen
Centrally located close to the
main avenues in Playa del
Carmen, this club features two
separate levels playing different
sounds (electronica downstairs,
house music upstairs). It’s a fun
place for people of all ages, who
come here to dance, drink, and
enjoy the good ambience (see
also p81). d Map Q4
61
The Yucatán’s Top 10
Live Attractions
! Mariachis, Cancún
High-quality mariachi $ Xcaret
The live show at the
bands perform traditional end of each day in Xcaret
Mexican songs in many of (included in the park ticket)
the region’s restaurants. presents many sides of
This style of music dates Mexican traditions in color-
back to the nineteenth ful fashion, beginning with
century when Maximilian an impressive display of
was emperor of Mexico. cowboy skills, going on to
d La Parrilla, Av Yaxchilán 51 imagined versions of pre-
Conquest Mayan
rituals and dances,
and ending with folk
dances and music from
Dancer, Teatro de Cancún around the country, from
Teatro de Cancún
@ This comfortable theater
mariachis to the soft,
dulcet tones of Yucatán boleros
hosts two colorful, all-singing, .d
all-dancing shows each weekday
Bullfights
night: Voces y Danzas de México
showcases Mexican traditional % Full-scale Spanish-style bull-
music and dance, while Tradición fights take place starting the last
del Caribe is a more wide-ranging Wednesday in December for 20
show with the rhythms of Cuba, weeks in Cancún’s bullring,
Venezuela, Santo Domingo, and preceded by a (cowboy)
other spots around the Caribbean. display – and sometimes cock-
d fighting too. There’s also a
bullring in Mérida that’s used
less frequently, and bullfights
feature in many Yucatán town
fiestas . d Plaza
£ Azúcar, Cancún
Cancún’s premiere Latin
dance venue, where salsa fans
can try out their slickest moves
to top bands from Puerto Rico,
Venezuela, Cuba, and around the
Caribbean. It’s a comfortable
venue, and explosive, pulsating
performances are guaranteed.
d
Azúcar, Cancún
62
temples are drama-
tically lit in changing
colors (included in
the site ticket). Some
parts of the commen-
^ ACharrerías
charro is a Mexican cow-
tory, are pretty far-fetched, but
the visual effects are certainly
boy, in the famous outfit of big spectacular
sombrero and embroidered jacket .d
(charras are cowgirls, in similar
hats but flounced skirts), and a
charrería is a Mexican rodeo, a ( Serenatas
Campeche
Campechanas,
* Sound and
Light Shows
at Mayan Ruins
The great Mayan
cities of Chichén
Itzá and Uxmal are
used as venues for
daily shows in
which their giant Demonstration of Mayan ritual, Xcaret
Festivals
! Carnival
The biggest and
brightest celebration
of the year in the
cities of the Yucatán.
In Cancún and
Cozumel the streets
fill with music, danc-
ing, food stands,
and a little Río-style
parading. The biggest
Carnival in southern Carnival celebrations in Mérida
Mexico, though, is in
Mérida. d About one week before Lent and the striking of the rising sun
through the Seven Dolls temple
Feast of Three Kings,
@ Tizimín
at Dzibilchaltún – were timed to
happen on the spring and fall
The capital of Yucatán’s cattle equinoxes. Today, over 80,000
country hosts one of the region’s people visit Chichén for the day;
biggest fiestas. It features a crowds are smaller at Dzibilchaltún
stock fair as well as bullfights, (see pp23 & 105). d Mar 21, Sep 21
traditional music, dancing,
Mérida en Domingo
colorful parades, and plenty of
eating and drinking. d Map F2 % Mérida hosts a free fiesta
About two weeks from Jan 6 every week, “Mérida on Sunday,”
when the Plaza Mayor and Calle
La Candelaria
£ Valladolid’s main fiesta, the
60 are closed to traffic to make
way for strolling crowds and a
Expo-Feria, centers around the range of events. There are displays
Feast of the Virgin of La Candel- of jarana dancing in front of the
aria. Local girls show off dazzling City Hall and concerts up and
embroidered dresses in the open- down the street, and anyone can
ing parade, followed by free con- dance, too. d Map C2 Every Sun
certs and shows, and dancing.
Village Fiestas
Campeche has a smaller celebra-
tion. d Map E3 12 days around Feb 2 ^ Every village and town in the
Yucatán also has its own fiesta,
Equinoxes, Chichén Itzá
$ and Dzibilchaltún
when the streets are covered in
bright garlands, work ceases,
The visual effects integral to and music is heard non-stop. To
these Mayan cities – such as the find out when any are due, ask
“descent” of the sun down the in tourist offices, look out for
serpents on El Castillo at Chichén posters, or check local papers.
64
& Cancún Jazz Festival
An innovative mix of young
Traditional Crafts
and Products
performers from Latin America,
the U.S., and Europe – often
playing Latin Jazz and contem-
! Hammocks
The traditional place to
sleep is so much a part of the
( Cristo
Mérida
de las Ampollas,
% Sandals
Huge racks of traditional
leather huarache sandals can
More solemnly religious than most
be found in all Yucatán markets.
fiestas, with processions culmi-
nating on October 13, when the
figure of “Christ of the Blisters” ^ Wood carving
Many Mayan villagers carve
(Cristo de las Ampollas), kept in wooden figures based on
Mérida Cathedral, is carried ancient images.
through the city before a cere-
monial Mass. d Week before Oct 13 & Jícaras – Gourds
Dried natural gourd bowls,
brightly painted, are a
Day of the Dead specialty of Chiapas, but are
) and All Saints’ Day often seen in the Yucatán.
Sugar skulls, dead bread (pan de
muerto), zempazuchitl fowers, * Silverwork
Jewelry
and
Relleno Negro
Conquest Mayan cooking – pork
marinated in lime, bitter orange, %
Yucatecan cooking likes rich
and achiote (a hot, spicy mix of concoctions. In relleno negro
dried herbs), wrapped in banana (“black stuffing”), finely ground
leaves and baked in an earthen- pork, peppers, grated hard-boiled
ware dish. Punchy but flavorful, egg, herbs, spices, and a power-
it’s very versatile and can be ful combination of chilis are all
served as a main course or just mixed together to make up a
used to make tacos. Pollo pibil is thick, majestic sauce. Usually
a chicken version of this dish. served with turkey (pavo), the
region’s most traditional meat.
£ Poc-Chuc
Marinating is one of the most
^ Camarón al Mojo de Ajo
characteristic skills of Yucatecan All around the coasts, fish and
cooking, and this delicious dish seafood are restaurant staples.
features pork marinated in the One of the simplest and most
juice of naranja agria (small, bitter delicious ways of cooking the likes
oranges, special to the region), of camarón (prawns/shrimp) and
cooked with onions, herbs, and caracol (conch) is al mojo de ajo,
garlic and served with black beans. fried quickly in hot oil and loads
With a wonderful mix of sweet of garlic. When ingredients are
and savory flavors, it’s very fresh, nothing more is needed.
popular, but debate rages as to
whether it is really traditional or
a creation of Los Almendros & Crepas de Chaya
Tasting rather like spinach,
restaurant in Ticul (see p71). Chaya is a vegetable native to
68 Yucatecan dishes are not always fiery, but you can pep them up
with the red and green chili sauces that accompany most meals
the Yucatán. And, like spinach, it
Snacks
is exceptionally rich in iron and
vitamins. It features in traditional
cooking and new dishes like this
! Ceviche
Raw fish or seafood
marinated in lemon or lime
one, in which it is cooked with juice, and served with salad,
Pan de Cazón
* Campeche has a distinctive
£ Papadzules
A Mayan dish of chopped
hard-boiled eggs in a sweet
and very varied cuisine of its own
pumpkin-seed sauce, rolled in
that, as befits a port, makes great tortillas – often served with a
use of local fish and seafood. This spicy tomato sauce.
is one of the most popular cam-
pechano favorites, and features
chopped hammerhead shark
$ Panuchos
Small, crisp-fried tortillas
covered in refried beans and
(cazón), mixed with spices and topped with strips of chicken
a tomato sauce; it is served or turkey and chopped tomato,
between two soft corn tortillas. onion, avocado, and chilis.
69
The Yucatán’s Top 10
Restaurants
! LaCancún
Habichuela,
% Kinich, Izamal
Tucked into a
Excellent Yucatecan secluded garden near
and Mexican cooking, the largest of Izamal’s
with Campeche dishes Mayan pyramids, this
such as camarón al is the place to sample
coco (prawns/shrimp the full range of
with coconut). Fine Yucatecan cooking –
presentation and cochinita, pavo en
original touches, all relleno negro, and a
superbly served in the La Parrilla fragrant sopa de lima
tranquil surroundings (see p103).
of a lush garden (see p83).
$ Los Pelícanos,
Puerto Morelos
Set beneath a giant palapa palm
roof, in a spot above the beach,
this easygoing local institution
serves some of the best ceviches
you’ll ever find, as well as grander
seafood dishes (see p83). Casa de Piedra
@ Huevos Motuleños
As above, but with the
Los Almendros addition of peas, ham, and
grated cheese – often served
international styles by a French- with slices of fried banana on
trained chef: a delicate sopa de the side.
lima is a menu fixture, alongside
the chef’s own interesting # Huevos Revueltos
Scrambled eggs, nearly
creations, such as cream of always mixed with a little
poblano chili soup with onion and red pepper, or with
roquefort (see p111). ham (con jamón).
Left Xcaret Center Waterside restaurant, Cancún Right Aviary, Playa del Carmen
C ANCÚN IS THE GREAT MAGNET at the top of the Mayan Riviera, with
lavish hotels, shopping and dining of every kind, wild nightclubs, theme
parks, water parks, and other fun things to do spread out along
one of the world’s finest beaches. To the south is Playa del
Carmen, a trendier, more compact style of vacation town,
and family-friendly eco-parks that provide an unfor-
gettable introduction to the nature of tropical Yucatán.
For a change from resort life, in the same area there are
also places where the frenetic pace of modern life still
seems delightfully far away – in the ever-mellow Puerto
Morelos, at the spectacular bird reserve on Contoy, and
on laid-back Isla Mujeres. Señor Frog, Cancún
Sights
1 Cancún Beach
2 Cancún Town
3 Isla Mujeres
4 Isla Contoy
5 Holbox
6 Puerto Morelos
7 Punta Bete
8 Tres Ríos
9 Playa del Carmen
0 Xcaret
Lifeguard’s hut
! Cancún Beach
Every one of the Riviera’s
8-km (5-mile) long island, the
first place where Spaniards
beaches has the same wonderful landed in Mexico in 1517, has a
fine white sand, which stays very different atmosphere, with
deliciously cool to the touch, but few big hotels, one small town,
Cancún’s is unquestionably the a good choice of cheap places
finest, stretching the whole 23 to stay, and a very easy-going,
km (14 miles) of Cancún Island. unhurried beach-village feel. Isla
Along it, in the Hotel Zone, are is also a great diving, snorkeling,
resort hotels, shopping and enter- and fishing center, with an
tainment centers, snorkeling and exciting range of reefs offshore
fun parks, plus the Mayan ruins (see pp16–17). d Map L1–2
of El Rey (see pp8–9). d Map L4–K6
# Isla Mujeres
Although it’s only
a short ferry ride away
from Cancún, this Isla Mujeres
75
% Holbox
This tiny island
sits off the north coast
of Yucatán, by a wide
lagoon full of birds and
Around the Mayan Riviera – Cancún and the North
wild dolphins. On it
there’s one village
with sand streets, a
few hotels, pelicans,
a huge beach, and an Puerto Morelos
ultra-relaxed, friendly
atmosphere. It’s wonderful for The Chicle Boom
fishing, clearing the head, and Long before tourism, this region’s
exploring uninhabited islands biggest business was chewing
nearby (see also p55). d Map G1 gum. When gum was first invented
www.holboxisland.com Accessible via in the 19th century it was all made
Chiquilá, 110 miles (180 km) N of Highway with natural chicle, found in the
180; passenger-only ferries cross from wild sapodilla trees of the Yucatán.
Chiquilá to Holbox about every 2 hours Villages like Puerto Juárez and
Puerto Morelos were all founded
(journey time around 20 minutes),
as harbors for exporting chicle,
6am–7pm daily brought in by sapodilla-tappers
who roamed the forests inland.
^ Puerto Morelos
This little fishing town was
the biggest place on this coast
before the rise of Cancún. It has & Punta Bete
Often unnoticed between
avoided overdevelopment and Puerto Morelos and Playa del
retains a low-key atmosphere, Carmen, and kept off the beaten
much loved by the many foreign- track by a bumpy 3-km (2-mile)
ers who own houses here or stay access road through the jungle,
whole winters in its small hotels. this point is flanked by long lines
There’s a beautiful white beach, of palm-fringed bays – perfect arcs
and a superb reef close offshore of dazzling white sand by a smooth
(now protected as a marine park) turquoise sea. They are shared by
that’s wonderful for diving and a few resort hotels, and far more
snorkeling. Local dive operators small-scale (and much cheaper)
and fishing guides give individual, clusters of mellow beach cabañas
friendly service. d Map R3 (see also pp54 & 79). d Map R4
* Tres Ríos
A huge area
around a natural inlet
and cenote rock pools
on the coast has been
made into an eco-park,
with dense jungle,
mangrove lagoons,
reefs, and a delicious
white beach all within
it. Visitors can explore
on foot, bicycle, horse-
Punta Bete back, or by kayak along
76
well-marked paths and jungle Cancún to Playa
streams. Other activities include
snorkeling, diving, a Kids’ Club for Morning
small children, and “sensorama”, Begin by seeing the more
a guided walk using blindfolds, traditional side of Cancún
) Xcaret
The largest of the Riviera’s
you leave, walk across the
Boulevard to Playa
eco-parks, just south of Playa del Delfines, for crashing surf
and a spectacular view
Carmen, provides a wonderful
north back along Cancún
introduction to the tropical Island and its beach.
environment of the Yucatán and
a full day’s worth of things to do Afternoon
– from snorkeling and swimming From the end of Boulevard
with dolphins to eye-popping Kukulcán, turn south on
animal and butterfly collections Highway 307 and head for
Puerto Morelos, for a lunch
d Map Q4
of deliciously refreshing
seafood ceviche and a cool
beer at Los Pelícanos (see
pp70 & 83), watching the
pelicans hang in the
breeze. Rest up on the
beach, and take a snorkel
so that you can swim over
to the Puerto’s reef.
Left El Rey ruins Center Crococún Crocodile Park Right Playacar aviary
# Museo de Antropología e
Historia, Cancún
Ceramics, fine jade and coral * Crococún Crocodile Park
While crocodiles are the key
jewelry, carvings, and household attraction, monkeys and parrots,
objects from sites around Quin- along with stranger elements of
tana Roo state, in engaging, the local wildlife, are also a draw
labelled displays. d Map L4 .dH
) Playacar
The plusher side of Playa del
78
Around the Mayan Riviera – Cancún and the North
Left Playa Tortugas Right Playa del Carmen
Beaches
! Playa Tortugas, Cancún
One of the best beaches on
however, so there’s no coral
(see also p76). d Map G1
the north side of Cancún Island
for mixing with the partying
crowds. Highlights include the ^ Puerto Morelos
Excellent for carefree
Fat Tuesday bar (famed for its swimming. As well as the fine,
cocktails), diving, snorkeling, mini- uncrowded white sands, there’s
cruises, banana boats, and more. also a reef full of vivid life just
d offshore (see also p76). d Map R3
$ Playa Secreto,
Isla Mujeres
the place to go to survey other
sun worshippers, and to show-
Especially good for small kids: a case your skills at beach volley-
broad, sheltered, shallow inlet ball and other seaside pursuits
tucked away from the main North (see pp12–13). d Map Q4
Beach. Its waters are always
tranquil, and the beach is rarely
crowded. d Map L1 ) Chunzubul,
del Carmen
Playa
79
Around the Mayan Riviera – Cancún and the North
Places to Shop
! LaTheIsla, Cancún
latest and most stylish ^ Mercado 23, Cancún
This little open-air market is
of the Hotel Zone’s malls, built a colorful destination where locals
as an artificial island surrounded go to shop for meat, vegetables,
by Venetian-style “canals”. It’s the herbal cures, and even party
place for major fashion names, supplies and piñatas. d Off Avenida
like DKNY and Dolce e Gabbana. Tulum on Calle Cedro Map J3
d Blvd Kukulcán, km 12.5 Map K4
80
Around the Mayan Riviera – Cancún and the North
Left Coco Bongo Center Azúcar Right La Santanera
Nightclubs
! Coco Bongo, Cancún
Cancún’s most high-tech,
d El Embarcadero, Blvd Kukulcán, km 4.5
Map K3 From 7pm daily From 7pm
high-powered, multilevel mega- daily Adm
club, with a wide-ranging music
menu (see p60). d Blvd Kukulcán,
km 9.5 Map L4 (998) 883 0592 ^ Azúcar, Cancún
The best place in Cancún
From 10:30pm daily Adm to dance to live salsa, Afro-Latin
merengue and other rhythms
@ Bulldog, Cancún
On weekends, sharply
(see pp62–3). d Punta Cancún, next
to Hotel Dreams Cancún Map L4 (998)
dressed local kids gather in front 848 7000 (ext 7980) From 9pm Mon–Sat
of the Bulldog’s entry staircase,
waiting to get in and dance to
hip-hop and rock en español (see & Pat O’Brien’s, Cancún
Famous for its cocktails, this
p60). d Blvd Kukulcán, km 8 Map L4 nightclub boasts an outdoor
(998) 848 9800 11pm–4am daily patio, sports bar, and live music.
Adm d Flamingo Plaza, Blvd Kukulcán, km 11.5
Map L4 Open 7am–2am daily Adm
Dady’O, Cancún
# The college crowd’s favorite * La Santanera,
holds bikini nights and other Playa del Carmen
rowdy fun. Dady Rock, next door, A two-story club offering two
often hosts live bands (see p60). venues in one. Each night DJs
d Blvd Kukulcán, km 9.5 Map L4 play electronica and house music
(998) 883 3333 Dady’O from 10pm (see p61). d Calle 4, between Av 5
daily, Dady Rock from 6pm daily Adm and Av 12 Map Q4 (984) 803 2856
From 11pm daily Adm
$ The City
This huge, modern nightclub
also contains a beach club, bar, ( Blue Parrot Beach Club,
Playa del Carmen
restaurant, and lounge. d Blvd Dance under the stars at this
Kukulcán, km 9.5 Map L4 (998) 848 beachfront club split into two
8380 Nightclub open from 10pm daily separate venues. DJs perform
Casual dress but no sandals or bathing nightly. d Calle 12 Norte Map Q4
suits Adm (984) 873 0083 From 11pm daily Adm
82
Price Categories
For a three-course $ under $5
meal for one with a $$ $5–$10
beer or soda (or $$$ $10–$20
equivalent meal), taxes $$$$ $20–$35
and extra charges. $$$$$ over $35
Places to Eat
! JC Capitán, Cancún
This seafood restaurant over- ^ Manolo’s, Isla Mujeres
In a pretty garden patio, this
looking the lagoon is beautiful at charming, family-run restaurant is
sunset, and a great place to try delightfully relaxing. On the menu
spicy camaronillas (fried shrimp are classic Yucatecan seafood
in tortillas). d Blvd Kukulcán, km 19.6 dishes. d
@ LaA charming
Habichuela, Cancún
specialist in
& Los Pelícanos,
Yucatecan and Mexican tropical Puerto Morelos
seafood in a softly lit garden by One of the all-time best beach-
the tranquil Parque de las Palapas terrace restaurants, a wonderful
.d place to linger over its renowned
seafood cocktails, or one of the
subtle fish dishes .
# LaLa Parrilla
Parrilla, Cancún
offers a good
d
% Mercado
Cancún
28 Restaurants,
! Cozumel
Gleaming jewelry stores
cities, but there are many of
them – and discovering them,
along the waterfront in San through woods full of wonderful
Miguel combine with an easy- scents, flowers, and birds,
going, small-town charm that has involves a lovely walk (see p11).
long made this island a favorite d
with families. It’s a great place to
settle into at a leisurely pace,
maybe going diving one day,
then exploring a little the next: $ Puerto Aventuras
The biggest, most opulent
around the island are Mayan resort on the southern Riviera, a
ruins, windblown cliffs, a specially created vacation village
fascinating natural wildlife park at around an inlet that’s now a
Punta Sur, and lovely beaches pretty pleasure port lined with
and snorkeling spots on the west shops and restaurants. The nine-
coast (see pp10–11). d Map R5 hole golf course is attractive, and
the marina is the best-equipped
* ATulum
ruined temple
of a Mayan city, the
Castillo, rises up on
a crag above a long,
long palm-fringed
beach, interrupted
Xel-Ha by rocks and curving
88 For the best beaches on Cozumel and around the south see p91
headlands as it stretches 11 km Cozumel in a day
(7 miles) down to Sian Ka’an. All
along it are clusters of palm- Morning
roofed cabins. There’s good Start with breakfast, coffee,
diving and fishing offshore, and or a drink at Las Palmeras
( Cobá
This huge Mayan city – once
and in the streets around
the square, but don’t buy
anything yet. Rent a car
home to around 50,000 people – and head out of town down
was the great rival of Chichén Avenida Juárez to the
Itzá. It’s a very different place to Mayan ruins of San
visit from Chichén Itzá or Uxmal Gervasio. If you hire the
– it’s unusually spread out around services of a guide at the
entrance don’t let them
several large lakes, and to find hurry you, but take time to
its massive buildings you follow notice the birds and
fascinating walks through thick vegetation – as much of
forest full of birds and plants. an attraction as the ruins.
Yucatán’s tallest pyramid is here
Back at the main road,
(see also p38). d Map M5 head left to meet the east
coast at windswept Punta
Santa Cecilia. Turn south
) Sian Ka’an
Mexico’s largest wetland
down the road beside the
rocks and waves for a lunch
of mixed fish and seafood
nature reserve, Sian Ka’an brings on the beach at Chen Río
the Riviera to an end just south (see p95).
of Tulum. IIts vast area of nearly
untouched mangroves, jungle, Afternoon
and beaches contains an extra- Carry on down the coast
ordinary range of birds and wild- to Parque Punta Sur.
From the parking lot, walk
life, and the one-day tours run by
down to Punta Celarain
local organizations give a glimpse lighthouse and the
of the intricate, constantly strange little Mayan
surprising interplay of nature in temple called the Caracol,
this rare environment. The few and follow the nature trail
to try and see some
inhabited spots along the coast
crocodiles and flamingos.
are wonderful for fishing, and
have a feel of tranquil isolation You can snorkel at Punta
(see also pp20–21). d Map F6 Sur, but you’re likely to
see more underwater life
if you carry on to Laguna
Chankanaab (p87). If all
you want is a placid beach,
call in at Playa San Fran-
cisco (p91). Roll back into
town, and don’t miss the
sunset from the waterfront
Malecón. Take another look
at the shops, and buy any-
thing you may have spotted
on your morning walk.
Sian Ka’an reserve
@ Aktun-Chen Cave
This giant cave and cenote
for swimmers and snorkelers
(see p52). d Map N6
system, an awesome series of
chambers and stalagmite towers,
is in thick jungle in a nature park; & Aktun-Ha Cenote
Another fine swimming-hole
it was only recently discovered. cenote amid rocks and woods
(see p51). d Map P5 toward Cobá. Snorkelers can
explore the huge main cavern;
# Xel-Ha Ruins
Across the Highway from the
divers (with guides) can go
further. d Map N6
popular snorkel park, this ruined
Mayan city is one of the oldest
in the region. On some buildings * Punta Laguna
In a tiny village by a forest
there are murals dating back to lake north of Cobá, this nature
about AD 200. d Map P6 am–6pm reserve is one of the best places
to see spider monkeys in the
Yucatán. Villagers act as guides
$ Tankah
Off the beaten track, Tankah
. d Map N4
90
Around the Mayan Riviera – Cozumel and the South
Left Playa Sol Center North Beach,Tulum Right South Beach,Tulum
Beaches
! Playa San Francisco and
Playa Sol, Cozumel
at the north end is the lovely Yal-
Ku lagoon (see p59). d Map P5
Two among the many great
beaches on Cozumel’s southwest
coast: San Francisco and others ^ Akumal Village
The beach in the center of
near it are great for all-round Akumal is a little busier, and behind
relaxation; Playa Sol is best if it there’s a bigger choice of low-
you want a beach with loads key bars and shops. d Map P5
going on. d Map R6
Paamul
£ A curving white sand bay with * North Beach, Tulum
The beaches at the north
end of Tulum are the favorites for
a likable beach bar and cabañas anyone who wants to hang out
(see p126). With over 2 km (1 mile) and get to know people in the
of beach, the camp site doesn’t bargain-basement cabañas. They
obstruct the view, and the sands also have the best view of the
are never crowded. d Map Q5 ruins (see p18). d Map P6
$ Xpu-Ha
Seven bays with some of the ( South Beach, Tulum
The place for people who
coolest, whitest sand, most grace- want to find some seclusion in
ful palms, and most colorful coral Tulum, with longer, broader,
on the Riviera. Several are occu- whiter beaches, acres of space,
pied by resorts, but X-4 and X-7, and quite luxurious comforts in
signposted on the Highway, are some cabañas. d Map P6
open to anyone. d Map P5
91
Around the Mayan Riviera – Cozumel and the South
Left Punta Langosta Center Los Cinco Soles Right Puerto Aventuras
Places to Shop
! Punta Langosta, Cozumel
The most gleaming addition
birds and animals, and more. d Av
@ Inspiración
Cozumel
Gallery,
92
Around the Mayan Riviera – Cozumel and the South
Left Carlos‘n’Charlie’s Right Jane’s Sports and Sorts
Nightspots
! Carlos ‘n’ Charlie’s, Cozumel
Cozumel’s biggest bar- ^ ElIn the
Manatí, Cozumel
back garden of a
restaurant-music venue is the wooden Caribbean-style house,
place where you’re assured of this restaurant turns into a dance
finding a (usually pretty raucous) club on weekends, when local
crowd every night, partying in the rock, salsa and reggae bands get
open air to classic rock circa 1970 the enthusiastic crowd dancing.
to 2000 (see p61). d Punta Langosta d
@ Neptuno, Cozumel
Top of the line in Cozumel & Jane’s Sports and Sorts,
Puerto Aventuras
dance clubs – the only one that’s Big and comfortable bar with a
really hi-tech. The music menu is convivial, boisterous feel where
a mix of Latin and international you can keep up with U.S. sports
dance and there’s a dazzling laser and party on into the night. d On
and light show. d
( Acabar, Tulum
A casual split-level space,
$ LaLa Zebra’s
Zebra, Tulum
Sunday night
Acabar is the main late-night
hangout in the town of Tulum. It
salsa party draws people from features live reggae bands, cheap
up and down the beach as well drinks and billiards and foosball
as from town. Come early for tables. d
free dance classes. d
£ Kelley’s, Cozumel
Popular with divemasters
and tour guides, this outdoor * Piña Colada, Puerto
Aventuras
bar can get rowdy when an Puerto Aventuras’ favorite beach
American football game is on. bar, with a big palapa roof.
It’s the ideal spot for a cold beer Elaborate tropical cocktails are
and a hamburger. d Av 10, between the specialty. d
94
Price Categories
For a three-course $ under $5
meal for one with a $$ $5–$10
beer or soda (or $$$ $10–$20
equivalent meal), taxes, $$$$ $20–$35
and extra charges. $$$$$ over $35
Places to Eat
! Guido’s, Cozumel
Guido’s is best known for its ^ Richard’s Steaks and
Pizza, Puerto Aventuras
rich lasagne, but its other Italian This restaurant is located in a
food, including wood-oven cabaña with a sea view. The
pizzas, is great too. Enjoy it all menu offers a variety of typical
outside in the garden. d Av Melgar American and Mexican dishes.
No.23, between Calle 6 and Calle 8 d Ce
Central Heartland
96
! Valladolid
The Spanish
capital of eastern
Yucatán, founded in
1545, has at its heart
$ Ek-Balam
In 1998 excavations revealed
pyramid of El Castillo, the giant
Ball Court, the Sacred Cenote,
some of the finest examples of and the Temple of the Warriors
Mayan sculpture at these ruins, are all must-sees .
on the giant temple-mound known
as the Acropolis. Most spectacu-
lar is El Trono (The Throne), a & Río Lagartos
This quiet village on the
temple entrance believed to be remote north coast is at the head
the tomb of Ukit-Kan-Lek-Tok, a of over 20 km (12 miles) of man-
ruler around AD 800. Nearby is grove lagoon and mud flats, with
an intricate mass of finely carved the Yucatán’s largest colonies of
figures. The rest of the Acropolis flamingos and a dazzling variety
is a multi-level palace (see also of other birds. Local boatmen
p38). d Map F2 provide good-value tours (see
. d Map F1
Chichén Itzá
98
A Two-Day Tour
Day One
Stay the night in Valladolid
or, better, the little town of
* San Felipe
West of Río Lagartos, this
view of the ancient city in
all its majesty. Spend at
least three hours around
village is smaller and has a Chichén, then regain your
superb, usually near-empty beach strength with lunch at the
on the sandbar across the charming Las Mestizas in
lagoon, facing the opal waters of Pisté (see p103).
the Gulf of Mexico. Village
In the afternoon, make a
boatmen will ferry you to and choice: if you’re interested
from the beach, and also offer in the ancient Maya, go up
flamingo tours. From the village to Ek-Balam, or head into
there are fabulous sunsets (see Valladolid for a wander
also pp49 & 55). d Map E1 around its plaza, San
Bernardino monastery, and
the dramatic town cenote.
( Izamal
The most unaltered Spanish
Before it’s too late in the
day, head north to Río
colonial city in the Yucatán, known Lagartos (104 km/65 miles)
as the ciudad dorada or “Golden to book a flamingo tour for
the next morning. Stay at
City” because of the color of its the Hotel San Felipe in
buildings, is centered on the huge San Felipe (see p131).
monastery of San Antonio, begun
in 1549 as the headquarters of Day Two
the Franciscan friars in Yucatán The flamingos are best
and the shrine of Our Lady of seen early, so you’ll need
to be off around 7am. A 2-
Izamal, the region’s patron. A
or 4-hour tour takes you
short walk away are the remains into an exuberant, rare
of three pyramids, traces of a natural world, through
much older Mayan city (see also broad lagoons and narrow
pp40 & 42). d Map D2 creeks. Afterward, for
lunch, have a ceviche at
Isla Contoy on the water-
) Telchac and Uaymitún
Far west of San Felipe, a
front, or head down to
Tizimín for steaks at the
road joins the coast to run along Tres Reyes (see p103) on
it through quiet fishing villages. its broad Colonial square.
Seaward, there are endless,
From Tizimín, turn west-
often empty, Gulf Coast beaches, ward through miles and
while on the landward side is a miles of cattle ranches to
lagoon full of birds. Telchac is a reach Izamal. Here you
fishing harbor with fine beaches can look out on the town
from the monastery’s
and a few low-key restaurants
arcaded courtyard. The
and cheap hotels. At Uaymitún town’s golden colors are
there is a free observation tower especially lovely in the
for bird-watching in the lagoon warm, early evening light.
(see also p49). d Map C/D2
99
Around the Yucatán – Central Heartland
@ Tihosuco
This remote village 50 km
mangroves west of San Felipe is
remote and wild. There are no
(30 miles) south of Valladolid was regular tours, but boatmen in
where the great Mayan revolt of San Felipe or Dzilam may offer a
the Caste War began ; it trip. d
still bears the battle scars. A small
museum tells the whole story.
d * ElAlongside
Bajo and Santa Clara
the north coast
road is a long, narrow sand-spit
island, El Bajo, with deserted,
£ Yaxcabá
An ultra-sleepy little town in
coconut-palm shaded beaches. In
the tiny village of Santa Clara you
the woods that surprises with a can find boatmen offering occa-
very imposing 18th-century church, sional trips to the island. d
with a unique three-tower façade
and a beautifully carved wooden
altarpiece. d ( Aké
This ruined city west of Izamal
is a mystery, as its drum-shaped
$ Calotmul
Between Valladolid and
columns and ramp-like stairways
are unlike other Mayan buildings.
Tizimín, this is another hot coun- The local church was built on an
try town that has a fine church ancient pyramid .d
(1749) with a magnificently ornate
Baroque altarpiece. d
% Tizimín
The hub of Yucatán’s “cattle ) Xcambó
The atmospheric ruins of a
country” is a market town where coastal Mayan town, probably an
tourism usually goes unnoticed. outlying Dzibilchaltún settlement.
At its center are two spacious There are great sea views from
squares, divided by the massive the top of its main pyramid. d
walls of two Spanish monasteries
.d
100
Around the Yucatán – Central Heartland
Left Valladolid’s Main Plaza Right Aguilar Bike Hire
Yalat, Valladolid
£ On Valladolid’s central plaza, * San Felipe Tours
The boatmen’s cooperative
here is a bit less organized but
Yalat offers embroidered clothes, also has a waterfront hut, in San
jewelry, Mexican chocolate, and Felipe village. Rates are similar
bath scrubs made from sisal fibre. to those in Río Lagartos, but boat-
d men here will be more ready to
take you to the Bocas de Dzilam
% Handicrafts
Chichén Itzá
Market,
@ LaValladolid
de Michoacán,
& Bar La Conchita, El Cuyo
A rumbustious village bar
Near the Chispa, this simple com- with a salsa soundtrack. The men
bination café, bakery, and ice-cream of El Cuyo go out to fish before
stand is a backpackers’ favorite, dawn, and when they come back
and offers fresh juices and many spend much of the day by
bargain snacks. d Calle 41, between the beach at La Conchita, which
serves up wonderful grilled fish.
d
Sunday Concerts,Valladolid
£ Like many Yucatán towns,
Valladolid puts on entertainment * LaFriendly
Torreja, Río Lagartos
bar-restaurant with
for free – the town band gives a cool beers, great (raw
concert every Sunday night in fish salad, marinated in lime) and
the square, with a musical menu other Yucatecan snacks, and a
that runs from rumbas and fine view of the placid lagoon
boleros to classic jazz. d Parque waters. d
102 For the Top Ten Yucatecan dishes and snacks see pp68–9
Price Categories
For a three-course $ under $5
meal for one with a $$ $5–$10
beer of soda (or $$$ $10–$20
equivalent meal), taxes $$$$ $20–$35
and extra charges. $$$$$ over $35
Places to Eat
! ElValladolid
Mesón del Marqués, most charming service. It dishes
up a delicious sopa de lima (see
Valladolid’s foremost hotel also p68). d
has its most distinguished res-
taurant, with tables around a
plant-filled patio. Its versions of ^ Tres Reyes, Tizimín
Tizimín is the Yucatán’s cattle
local specialties like pollo oriental capital, and so its best restau-
de Valladolid (see p68) are rant’s specialty is steak, often
definitive. d Calle 39, on Parque cooked in thin strips (arracheras).
d
@ Cocinas Económicas,
Valladolid
Around the bazaar on the square & Restaurante
Río Lagartos
Isla Contoy,
( Kinich, Izamal
In a lush garden, this
$ Chaya’s
Ek-Balam
Natural Café, restaurant (open for lunch only)
has a very high reputation for
The restaurant at Genesis Retreat classic Yucatecan food, such as
is open to non-guests in .d
the afternoon, but the crepes and
chocolate-chili cookies make it
worth a visit. d Off the northeast
The West
N OWHERE IS THE FLAVOR OF THE YUCATÁN more intense than in the west,
around its historic capital, Mérida. In these parts, there is an extraordinary
density of Mayan relics, and although they may not match the
awesome power of Chichén Itzá, sites such as Uxmal show
the architecture of the Maya at its most elegant. Beyond the
main sights are stretches of wilderness, hidden lagoons, and
small towns dripping with bougainvillea and hibiscus.
Church,Ticul
^ Kabah
This site was the second
three levels and over 90 chambers,
with an architectural refinement
most important of the Puuc Cities that recalls the buildings of
(see p31) after Uxmal, and an Ancient Greece. It housed over
imposing arch on its west 350 people, from lords
side marks the start of to servants, and had
the sacbé road (see its own exclusive
p88) that linked it to water supply.
its larger ally. Its d Map C4 8am–5pm daily
Codz Poop or “Palace Adm
of Masks” is the
Labná
most extravagant
example of Mayan * The Arch of Labná
carving: the extraor- Snake head, Labná (wonderfully drawn by
dinary façade is covered Frederick Catherwood,
with 250 faces of the long-nosed see box) exemplifies the sophis-
rain-god Chac. The Palacio and tication of Puuc architecture.
Temple of the Columns are other Nearby, the town’s Palacio is only
classics of refined Puuc architec- slightly smaller than Sayil’s, and
ture. d Map C4 8am–5pm daily was divided into seven patios –
the part to the left was the home
Sayil
& Of all the Puuc Cities, Sayil
of the lords of Labná, the patios
to the right (east) were for
is the one that gives the strong- servants. The setting is
especially lovely, in tranquil
woods full of birds. d Map C4
8am–5pm daily Adm
( Loltún Caves
This vast cave complex is
both a stunning natural phenom-
enon and ancient Mayan site. It
has been occupied by humans
longer than anywhere else in the
Yucatán, from remote prehistory
right up until the 19th century.
The ancient Maya lived here,
mined the caves, and used them
Kabah for rituals. Guided tours take you
) Campeche
A Spanish colonial walled
Hal-Tun (see p111), for
sopa de lima on the
roadside terrace.
city that retains a charming, old-
world feel. The 17th-century ram- Afternoon
parts and bastions were built to Head straight for Kabah to
defend it against pirates. The marvel at the monsters of
streets within are lined with the Codz Poop.
delicately colored old houses
Further south, the “Puuc
featuring patios and iron-grilled Route” turns off the main
windows. A museum, housed in Highway 261 onto a lovely
an old Spanish fort, contains jade woodland road, with only a
funeral masks and other fine relics few other tourists, combis,
from the recently excavated site at tricycle carts, and the birds
for company. Along the way
Calakmul (see pp34–5). are stop-offs at the Puuc
sites of Sayil,Xlapak (see
Stephens and Catherwood p39), and Labná. At the
end of the road, descend
The existence of ancient Mayan into the netherworld of
civilization was brought to the Loltún, refreshing your-
world’s attention by American self afterward in its café.
traveler John Lloyd Stephens
(1805–52) and English artist Go down to Oxcutzcab,
Frederick Catherwood (1799– and turn left for Ticul (p108) .
1854). Traveling together in Dine on poc-chuc at Los
1839–42, they provided the first Almendros (p111) and
full descriptions and drawings of take a stroll around the
Chichén Itzá and Uxmal, and are plaza to soak up some
credited with the discovery of Yucatán country life before
Kabah and Sayil, among others. you drive back to Mérida.
For more about Dzibilchaltún, Kabah, Sayil, and Labná, visit 107
www.inah.gob.mx
Around the Yucatán – The West
@ Oxkintok
This ancient Mayan city has
Puuc region, Ticul is also a historic
center for ceramics. d
a Satunsat, or “Labyrinth”
pyramid, containing a strange,
dark maze, possibly built as an & Acanceh
On one side of the square of
entrance to the Under world that this remarkable little town is an
only the Lord of Oxkintok could 18th-century church, while on
use. d another is a very ancient Mayan
pyramid, perhaps begun around
300 BC . d Map C3
£ Yaxcopoíl Hacienda
Of all the restored haciendas
* Mayapán
in the Yucatán, this one, with its The last big Mayan city, and
crumbling, ornate main house and one that dominated the Yucatán
factory buildings, gives the best for 200 years after 1200. Its
feel of life here when henequen buildings often “mimic” Chichén
or “green gold”(see p37) domi- Itzá and have well-preserved
nated the state. d frescoes. d
$ Cenotes
The cenotes and underwater ( The Campeche Petenes
This mangrove and forest
rivers in western Yucatán are far wilderness is home to a wide
less well explored than those range of wildlife such as pumas
around Tulum and turtles. Trips can be arranged
Snorkeling and diving trips are from Campeche or the village of
beginning to be organized from Isla Arena .d
Mérida; Yucatán Trails agency (see
can book tours.
) Edzná
A Mayan city as spectacular
% Xlapak
The smallest Puuc site is as
as Chichén Itzá. The “Building of
the Five Stories” is one of the
attractive for the undisturbed largest Mayan palaces
woodland walk as for its ruins. .d
The little Palacio has intricate
108
Around the Yucatán – The West
Left Mexicanísimo, Mérida Center Guayaberas Jack, Mérida Right Arte Maya,Ticul
Places to Shop
! Mérida Market
One of the world’s greatest ^ Maya Chuy, Mérida
This charming shop away
markets, a labyrinth of alleys and from Mérida’s crowded shopping
stalls selling everything imagin- streets is the outlet of a women’s
able – fish, fruit, a dazzling variety embroidery cooperative. Blouses,
of chilies, rows of huípil dresses, mats, and other items are beauti-
sandals, and hats. d Calle 65, fully, individually made. d Calle 60,
$ Hamacas
Mérida
Aguacate,
% ElMérida
Sombrero Popular,
) Casa de Artesanías
Tukulná, Campeche
A little hat shop opposite the Campeche’s state handicrafts
market, with a very friendly store has ceramics, embroidery,
owner who will show you piles basketwork, and many other top
of handmade panamas in all sorts quality items that are beautifully
of styles and sizes. d Calle 65, displayed. d Calle 10, No.333,
@ Dulcería y Sorbetería
El Colón, Mérida
apples, papaya, and more are all
waiting to be juiced. d Calle 63A,
Choose from a huge array of corner of Calle 58 Map C2 $
fruit-flavored sorbets and ice
creams at this plaza-front parlor.
A popular order is a champola, & ElA snug,
Edén, Mérida
out-of-the-way bar in
scoops of fruit ice served in a tall the patios of an old house, with
glass with milk. d Calle 59, on the distinctly quirky decor of tangled
plaza Map C2 $ wood and old furniture and lots of
intimate corners. d Calle 55, between
£ ElTheCumbanchero, Mérida
son of Buena Vista Social
Calle 56 and Calle 58 Map C2 $$
% LaAt the
Parranda, Mérida
weekend, when ) LaAround
Principal, Campeche
the bandstand in the
they put tables outside, this middle of Campeche’s main square
restaurant is an ideal spot for are the terrace tables of this café,
observing all the activity in with sandwiches and Mexican
Parque Hidalgo. Settle in with a snacks as well as the necessary
drink, and try one of the great drinks. d Parque Principal Map A5 $
110
Price Categories
For a three-course $ under $5
meal for one with a $$ $5–$10
beer or soda (or $$$ $10–$20
equivalent meal), taxes $$$$ $20–$35
and extra charges. $$$$$ over $35
Places to Eat
! Hacienda San José Cholul
Set in a colonial hacienda, ^ LaAutomatic
Palapa, Celestún
first choice in
this restaurant’s biggest draw is Celestún, an ideally comfortable
the secluded garden. The service beach terrace beneath a palapa
is also excellent. d Highway roof, with succulent, coriander-
Tixkokob–Tekanto, km 30 Map C2 rich platters of fish, shrimp, and
(999) 960 9033 $$$$ octopus. d Calle 12, by corner of
Calle 11 Map A3 (988) 916 2063 $$$
Casa de Piedra, Xcanatún
@ Another comfortable hacienda & Hacienda Ochil
restaurant in a garden, Casa de A restaurant in a restored
Piedra combines local and hacienda, offering finely prepared
Caribbean cooking with a few traditional Yucatecan dishes on a
French touches (see pp70–71). delightful terrace. d Off Highway 261,
d Xcanatún, 12 km (7 miles) N of Mérida signposted about 40 km (25 miles) from
Map C2 (999) 941 0213 $$$$$ Mérida Map C3 (999) 910 6035 $$$
£ Amaro, Mérida
One of old Mérida’s loveliest * LaLocated
Palapa del Lodge, Uxmal
opposite the ruins
patios houses this relaxing restau- of Uxmal, this restaurant has a
rant, which has a half-vegetarian tropical garden, ethnic artworks,
menu, including several dishes and fine local and international
made with the special Yucatecan cuisine. d Antigua Carretera Mérida-
vegetable chaya. d Calle 59, No.507, Campeche km 78 Map C4 $$$
between Calle 60 and Calle 62 Map C2
(999) 928 2451 No credit cards $$$
( Los Almendros, Ticul
This country restaurant is
$ ElCeviche
Marlin Azul, Mérida
is the dish to order at
credited with almost reinventing
traditional Yucatecan food for the
this seafood restaurant but also outside world. Try the pavo en
try the shrimp fajitas. Go for lunch, relleno negro, a great example of
as it closes at 4pm (see p70). d the rich flavors of local cooking
Calle 62 No.488, between Calle 57 and (see p71). d Calle 23, No.207, by Calle
Calle 59 Map C2 (999) 928 1606 $$$ 26A Map C4 (997) 972 0021 $$$
STREETSMART
Getting Around Tips
116
Sources of Information
117
Banking and
Communications
118
Security and Health Tips
119
Things to Avoid
120
Tips for the Disabled
121
Shopping Tips
122
Budget Tips
123
Tours and
Special Interests
124
Eating and Drinking Tips
125
Places to Stay
126–133
Streetsmart
$ Ferries
Mujeres
to Isla
& Car Rental
A car is a huge ) On Foot
Old Yucatán towns
Passenger ferries run advantage for getting to like Mérida, Campeche,
from Puerto Juárez, just Mayan ruins and isolated and Valladolid are com-
north of Cancún, about beaches. There are plenty pact, and strolling around
every half hour daily. Fast of rental offices on the is the best way to get to
boats take 20 minutes Riviera, but if you are know them. Mechanized
and the fare is around touring around the transport is only really
$4. There are five car Yucatán it’s best to rent essential in Cancún.
116
Streetsmart
Left Xcaret eco-park Center Local agency Right Maps and brochures
Sources of Information
! Mexican Tourist
Offices Abroad ^ English-Language
Press Directory
Official Mexican govern- Miami Herald produces Mexican Tourism
ment tourist offices can a special edition for Board
provide information on Cancún. The News is an U.S. and Canada;
major destinations. How- English-language paper 1 800 44 MEXICO;
ever, for more detailed produced by the Mexico www.visitmexico.com
and up-to-date information City daily Novedades.
on specialist activities, UK, (020) 7488 9392;
small-scale hotels, eco- Local Travel http://mexicotravel.co.uk
tourism, and adventure & Agencies Tourist Offices
tours, look at specialist These can be good for in the Yucatán
independent agencies unusual local tours, diving, Cancún: Cancún Town
and websites. forest trips, and so on. Hall, Av Tulum
Among the best are Playa del Carmen: Av
@ Tourist Offices in
the Riviera
Mundaca Travel on Isla
Mujeres and Yucatán
Juárez, corner of Av 15
Isla Mujeres:Av
The Cancún city tourist Trails in Mérida. Internet Rueda Medina 130
desks in the town hall cafés (see p118) are Mérida:Teatro Peón
and some shopping malls another good resource Contreras, corner of
are staffed by students for finding out local info. Calle 60 and 57
who can provide informa- Campeche: Casa
tion on the main local Maps
attractions and services. * The free magazines
Seis, Parque Principal
Valladolid: southeastern
have quite decent maps corner of town square
£ Offices in Yucatán
State & Campeche
of their areas, but you
will need to visit Mérida’s Websites
Mérida, Campeche, and Librería-Papelería Burrel www.cancun.com
Valladolid have tourist for the best maps.
information offices. com
Ecotourism www.mexicanwave.
( Most com
$ Websites
A huge amount of
ecotours are
run by small-scale opera-
information is available tors, which can be hard www2.planeta.com/
on the Internet (see to locate. An essential madder/ecotravel/
Directory). For diving, a resource is the Eco Travels mexico (Eco Travels
search under “dive Mexi- in Mexico website. The in Mexico)
co” will produce results. Pronatura organization Local agencies
(www.pronatura.org.mx) Mundaca Travel, Isla
Free Magazines is another useful resource.
% English-language (See also p124.)
Mujeres (998) 877
0025, www.mundaca
freebies available in tour- travel.com
ist offices, hotels, and
restaurants include Cancún ) Spanish-Language
Press
Yucatán Trails, Calle
62, No.482, Mérida
Tips, Cozumel’s Blue The Diario de Yucatán (a (999) 928 2582
Guide, Yucatán Today in daily paper) is the main
Mérida, Playa del Carmen, place to find out about Maps
and . They any local fiestas and other
contain maps, practical events around the region.
information, and some- Town fiestas are usually 60, Mérida
times discount coupons. given full-page ads.
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Left ATM Center left Payphone Center right Mailbox Right Internet café
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Left Police station Center Ambulance Right Pharmacy sign
Things to Avoid
Taxi Scams and look straight at the crowded around the
! Taxis are subject to pump. The attendant middle of the day when
set fees (see p116). In should then demonstrate most tour groups arrive,
Cancún, Playa del Carmen, that it is set at zero. and especially on Sun-
and Tulum, though, cab days when admission is
drivers have a bad
reputation for trying out % Driving at Night
Night falls very
free. Therefore, try to get
to them earlier in the day,
exaggerated rates on all quickly in the tropics, and after 8am, and forget the
foreigners. In Cancún, there is no lighting at all free Sundays. Lesser-
also, the complicated in country areas. Topes, known ruins in Yucatán
official system, with potholes, and people on State and Campeche are
different prices for the bicycles can rapidly rarely subject to crowds.
Hotel Zone and Ciudad become hazardous.
Cancún, makes scams
( Hurricanes
easier. Always agree a
price before getting into ^ Bogus Informa-
tion Booths
September to Novem-
ber are the months when
the cab, and be firm in Along Avenida Tulum in hurricanes are most likely
refusing any outrageous Cancún, Quinta Avenida to hit. Mexico has exten-
demands. in Playa del Carmen, and sive anti-hurricane pre-
some other locations cautions, and many
@ Topes
Bumps
– Speed there are any number of
kiosks with eager staff
buildings in Cancún and
the Riviera have orange
The main peculiarity of buttonholing tourists and signs identifying them as
driving in Mexico is the asking if they’re looking an official Refugio
tope, or speed bump, for “information.” They Anticiclón, to be used as
designed to make the are actually selling speci- a public hurricane shelter
streets safer for pedes- fic tours or, at worst, when necessary.
trians and children. Very timeshares. For less
steep, they are usually
signposted but can catch
biased advice, stick to
the official tourist offices ) Mangrove
Mosquitoes
drivers unaware and (see p117). Mangroves are a breed-
cause damage to ing ground for mosquitoes.
vehicles going at any
speed above a crawl. & Running
on Cash
Low They are most active in
the early evening, when
At present there are no they spread into neigh-
# Running
on Gas
Low banks or ATMs on the
southern Riviera between
boring areas – especially
around Sian Ka’an, on
Fuel stations are few and Playa del Carmen and Isla Holbox, and around
far between in many rural Tulum, and only a few watery areas and
areas, so fill up cambio offices, so plan cenotes behind the coast
whenever you can. accordingly. On Isla near Puerto Morelos,
Mujeres and Cozumel, Tankah, and some other
$ Fuel
Scams
Station there are no money-
exchange facilities outside
points on the Riviera.
Bug repellent can keep
Occasionally, attendants Isla Town and San Miguel down their attacks, but
start the pump with 30 except in big hotels. the best way to avoid
or 50 pesos already on bites is just to stay away
the gauge, or try to short-
change tourists. To avoid * Crowds
The best-known
from those areas at dusk.
The good news is that
these and any other Mayan ruins at Chichén mosquitoes are not
scams, get out of the car Itzá and Tulum are very malarial in the Yucatán.
120
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Left Signs for disabled restrooms Center Airport transportation Right Wheelchair ramp
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Left Hammocks for sale Center Brightly painted ceramic ornament Right Panama hats
Shopping Tips
! Shop and
Market Hours
so take time to browse.
Favorite items include
several fine rums and
Xtabentún, a sweet,
Most shops open around enamelled metal plaques herby, traditional Mayan
8:30am and close at 9pm, and ornaments, Mayan- drink made from honey.
Monday to Saturday, with style wooden figures,
the more traditional ones
closing for lunch from
brightly painted wooden
parrots and toucans, and * Traditional Textiles
Fine embroidery of
1–3pm. Some local colorful coasters. bright flower patterns on
stores will always stay a plain white background
open for longer hours,
and on Sundays, too. % Jewelry
Gleaming jewelry
is one of the foremost
traditional products of
Sunday is a full shopping stores aimed at cruise the Yucatán, most often
day in Valladolid and passengers and including seen in the simple huípil
some other towns. some major names (Van dresses worn by Mayan
Markets generally begin Cleef & Arpels), are a women but also now
very early, before 8am, specialty of Cozumel used on other items like
and close up by 2–3pm. and, to a lesser extent, blouses, handkerchiefs,
Isla Mujeres and Cancún. and tablecloths. Valladolid
@ Bargaining
Discounts
and As well as a lot of fine
silver, they have items
and Mérida are the best
places to find good
Trying to haggle is fine in made with local precious embroidery. Textiles from
markets, especially for materials such as jade, other parts of Mexico
larger items, but should amber, coral, and black (Chiapas weaving, sarape
rarely be intensive or obsidian. Prices are rising blankets) are also
drawn-out. Many shops but are still tax-free and available, but note that
will offer discounts if you low. Playa del Carmen and sarapes, especially, are
want to buy more than Cancún have many often factory-made.
one of any article. stores showcasing ornate
fine silver work from
( Hammocks
# Official Handi-
crafts Stores
Taxco in central Mexico. Hammocks vary a lot
in quality. The cheap
Mérida and Campeche
have official handicrafts ^ Cigars
Genuine Cuban
nylon ones sold by most
street-sellers wear out
stores (Casas de Artesa- Havana cigars are easy to quickly. The toughest
nías), which showcase all obtain in Mexico, and are ones are 100% cotton,
the traditional crafts of relatively cheap. All the and the specialist
each state. They are a Cancún malls contain hammock shops in the
little more expensive specialist cigar stores market area in Mérida
than the norm, but with a full range of labels. are by far the best places
provide an attractive to look for one.
overview of the work.
& Tequila and
Other Drinks
Gifts and Souvenirs Sadly, tequila is now ) Panama Hats
Traditional Panamas
$ The Riviera is a huge peculiarly expensive in its make excellent, practical
souvenir repository: homeland. Take advantage sunhats, and the good
you’ll find whole malls of duty-free sales at ones will regain their
dedicated to souvenir Cancún airport, where shape even after being
items in Cancún and there is an excellent rolled up for packing.
Playa del Carmen. The selection. Cheaper and Head for Mérida market
quality ranges from finely more local Yucatán and the small specialist
worked pieces to junk, specialties include hat shops nearby.
122
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Left Market produce Right Ecotourism sign
Budget Tips
! MexiPass
Discounts
Flight Discount Coupons
% Local free magazines
as Río Lagartos and
Celestún, fishing trips,
The MexiPass system (see p117) often contain and tours to nature
offers foreign visitors discount coupons for a reserves like Sian Ka’an
nearly 50% discount on whole range of local are often very expensive
Mexicana, AeroCaribe, hotels, bars, restaurants, if you travel alone or as a
and Aeroméxico domes- and other attractions, and couple; or there may be
tic flights. Visitors travel- you may also be given a minimum number to
ing from North America booklets of nothing but make a trip viable for the
need to book at least discount coupons for free guide or tour operator. You
three internal flights to drinks, meals, or park can cut costs drastically
qualify for the discount; admissions. They may be and avoid disappointment
visitors from Europe need annoying to carry around, by getting together a
only two. You must book but can save you signifi- group of four to six to
the MexiPass tickets at cant amounts of money, share a boat or bus.
the same time as booking especially in Cancún.
your entry flight (which
( Diving: Group
can be with any airline).
^ Free Sundays at
Mayan Ruins
and Multi-Dive
Discounts
@ Rent a Car in
Mérida, not Cancún
Admission to some
Mexican national monu-
Most diving operators
offer discounts for
Several small car-rental ments, including some people diving in a group,
agencies in Mérida offer Mayan ruins, is free on or booking several dives
the best rates in the Sundays. The hitch is that at the same time. Many
whole of the Yucatán – since everybody knows operators will also offer
about 25% cheaper than this, the popular ruins discount rates if you
in Cancún – especially for become very crowded – book in advance.
rentals of a week or more. you may prefer to pay
Also, local agencies often
look after their cars bet-
and go on a weekday.
) Two for One
Drinks in Bars
ter than the bigger chains.
& Market Food and
Snack Stands
Most bars on the Riviera
offer a two-for-one deal
# Go Low-Season
Hotel prices shoot up
There is always a row of
simple restaurants in the
on beers and other
drinks for at least a few
in the peak winter season, food markets, offering hours each night.
above all around Christ- traditional Yucatecan and
mas and New Year, from Mexican food. These are Directory
mid-December to mid- the cheapest and often
January. To get the best also the most atmos- MexiPass
combination of prices pheric places to eat a full U.S. and Canada
and weather, travel in May meal. You’ll also find 1 800 531 7921
to June or late November plenty of snack stands, UK 020 8492 0000
to early December. offering tacos, tortas, Mérida Car Hire
peeled fruit, and other Budget, Calle 60 No.
Use Pesos pleasures, which are very
$ not Dollars good value for money.
491 btwn 57 & 59,
(999) 928 6759
It may be convenient to Alamo Aeropuerto,
pay in U.S. dollars, but you
will save money in the * Share Costs
on Ecotours
Highway Mérida-Uman,
km 14.5, (999) 946 2255
long run if you change Boat trips to see
your money to pesos. flamingos in such places
124
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Left Snack bar Center Restaurant Right Typical Mexican spices
125
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Left Las Palapas Center Cabañas María del Mar Right Genesis Retreat
Cabaña Hotels
! Shangri-La Caribe,
Playa del Carmen $ Rancho Sak Ol,
Puerto Morelos
Bird-watching trips and
tours to meet the Mayan
The ultimate in cabaña Equipped with their neighbors are offered.
luxury: palm-roofed beach trademark “hanging d Off the northeast corner
lodges with traditional beds” – solid beds on (985)
Mexican fittings and five- ropes that swing. The 852 7980 www.genesis
star comforts. The pent- cabins have a typical retreat.com $$$
houses, in particular, are beachcomber look. The
totally fabulous. d C/ 38
Norte por 5th Av Map Q4
use of an open kitchen is
included, and yoga is * Papaya
Tulum
Playa,
(984) 873 0611, 1 800 942 offered. d Map R3 (998) This long-standing cabaña
0579 www.shangri- 871 0182 www.rancho hotel offers everything
lacaribe.net $$$$$ sakol.com $$$$ from a basic sand-floor
cabin with a shared bath
@ Las Palapas, Playa
del Carmen % Boca
Tulum
Paila Camps, to private villas big enough
for a family. Strung out on
A seductive beach village Built according to strict a wide stretch of un-
just north of Playa del environmental require- crowded beach, most
Carmen. It combines ments, this rustic lodge rooms have views directly
the palapa idea (a palm- is just inside the Sian onto the Caribbean.
roofed hut-type building) Ka’an Biosphere Reserve. d (984)
with luxurious fittings. Each “room” is actually a 130 1145 www.papaya
Each unit is different, and sturdy tent, set on a playa.com $$$
the suites are especially wooden platform. Bath-
attractive. There’s a pretty
beach bar and pool, and
rooms are shared, but
everything else is deluxe. ( Cuzan Guest
House, Punta Allen
many water sports are The sea views are A small place, where the
available. d Map Q4 beautiful. d cabins all have bathrooms.
C/34, by the beach km 10.8 (984) 877 8573 It’s often booked up by
84) 873 0584 www.cesiak.org $$$$ fishing groups, so check
ahead. Enjoy the catch
^ Cabañas Paamul, of the day in its sand-
£ Cabañas
María del Mar,
Playa del Carmen
Spacious beach rooms
floored restaurant. d
Map G5 (983) 834 0358
Isla Mujeres amid a camp site; some www.flyfishmx.com $$$$
A little island of mellow are in a modern building,
comfort just behind Isla’s
Playa Norte, with the
others in palm-roofed
huts. There’s an enjoy- ) Eco-Paraíso Xixim,
near Celestún
most popular bar on the able bar-restaurant (see This remarkable “eco-
beach, Buho’s, attached. p94), and the uncrowded retreat” stands between
There’s a main building beach is exquisite. d Map coconut groves and a
with rooms or cabaña- Q4 (984) 875 1051 www. remote beach north of
bungalows; some are paamul.com $$$$ Celestún and is best
on the small side, but accessed by 4-wheel
they’re all attractive.
Health treatments and & Genesis
Ek-Balam
Retreat, drive. The cabins have
lovely beach terraces.
massages are a specialty. A beautiful eco-lodge, Nature and archeological
d Genesis is a lush garden tours are a specialty.
Lazo 1 (998) 877 0179 set around a bio-filtered d (988) 916 2100,
pool, with rooms tucked
$$$$ away in the greenery.
Streetsmart
Left Hotel Básico Right Hacienda Uayamón
Left Presidente Intercontinental Center Casa de los Sueños Right Hacienda Chichén
Luxury Hotels
! Ritz Carlton,
Cancún
Isla Mujeres. Though just
a few minutes’ walk from
of the island’s longest-
established hotels. It
Top of the scale for sheer the center of town, the enjoys a superb location
luxury in Cancún, the Ritz hotel is utterly quiet. with its own beach and
Carlton looks like the big- Furnished with four- marina. Diving, snorkeling,
gest Italian Renaissance poster beds, the nine and fishing trips can be
palace ever built. All 365 suites overlook the arranged. d
rooms have ocean views, Caribbean. The hotel also
balconies, or terraces, and has a long pool and
there’s a private beach and outdoor “living room”
five restaurants. d Map bar. d
Blvd Kukulcán, km 14
* Hacienda Chichén,
Chichén Itzá
Set in an old colonial
% Villa Rolandi, hacienda next to the
@ JW Marriott,
Cancún
Isla Mujeres
Modest-sized hotel on the
ruins of Chichén Itzá.
Most of the airy rooms
The newest big hotel in western side of Isla’s are in bungalows used by
Cancún is next door to Laguna Macax, with its archeologists in the 1920s
the same company’s own beach and boat land- and have a faded charm.
slightly older Casa Magna. ing stage, and superb d
Expect state-of-the-art views across to Cancún.
facilities, from the lavish No children under 13 are
health spa to the multitude admitted – honeymoons
of electronic accessories
in the rooms. d Map K/L5
are a specialty. Each bal-
cony has a Jacuzzi. d Map ( Fiesta
Mérida
Americana,
128 Note: Nearly all the luxury hotels in Cancún offer heavily discounted
short-break packages through agents abroad, especially in the U.S.
Price Categories
For a standard, $
double room per $$
night (with breakfast $$$
if included), taxes $$$$
and extra charges. $$$$$
Streetsmart
Reef Resort
Resort Hotels
! Gran Oasis, Cancún
With 1,316 rooms,
modern architecture.
Guests can go snorkeling * Barceló Maya
Beach Resort,
everything about this at the Puerto Morelos Puerto Aventuras
hotel-resort is on a grand National Reef Park in Another giant, split into
scale. Three giant pyra- front of the hotel. d two: the Barceló Maya
mids make up the main Beach (612 rooms) and
buildings; there are eight the Barceló Maya Garden
restaurants, 13 bars, the next door (408 rooms).
Up & Down nightclub, They share over 2 km
and the pool is one of
the biggest in Latin Ameri- % Reef Resort,
Playacar
(1.5 miles) of beach and
offer a lot on-site for the
ca. A big range of water- A good deal cheaper than all-inclusive rates.
sports and theme parties most places offering an Highlights include a
complete the picture. all-meals-included plan. nightclub under a giant
dM Rooms and food are rela- palapa plant and a
tively basic, but it has a luxurious beachside buf-
great beach location and fet. d
a fine pool. Its low prices
and simple style have
@ Club Med Cancún won it many fans. d Map
Opened in the early
days of Cancún, this spa- ( Secrets Capri
Riviera Cancun,
cious site has the typical Playa del Carmen
Club-Med range of sports Only a few minutes north
facilities – enough even
when the 456 rooms fill ^ Royal Hideaway,
Playa del Carmen
of Playa del Carmen, this
adults-only, all-inclusive
up – and youth-oriented This all-inclusive resort resort still feels secluded.
entertainment including a prides itself on its food, The hotel has excellent à
techno disco. d with a choice of gourmet la carte restaurants and a
Spanish, Asian, and beautiful beach. d
Italian restaurants. The
rooms come with ceiling
fans, wicker furniture,
£ Moon Palace
Golf and Resort,
and wood porches.
d
near Cancún
The biggest all-inclusive ) Akumal Beach
Resort, Akumal
resort of all, with 2,131 Medium-sized resort
beach-house-style rooms. Iberostar Cozumel with an exquisite, large
It offers every possible & The 300-room Ibero- pool that snakes beside
activity and 14 restaurants star, opened in 1999, is some of the rooms. It’s
– all crowded. d Map R3 well located for snorkeling only a short walk from
and diving in the south- Akumal village along
west corner of the island, the beach, so those
near Punta Francesa, and who appreciate the
$ Marina and Spa
El Cid Riviera
faces an especially fine
beach. Like the Tucán, it
convenience of all-
inclusives can also wander
Maya, Puerto Morelos offers a big range of acti- out whenever they wish.
Located right on the vities. d d
ocean, this new hotel
combines colonial and
Note: All resort hotels listed here have all-inclusive rates, covering 129
some or all meals, drinks, and activities such as snorkeling and diving
Streetsmart
all are comfortable and with the Yucatek Divers Nine rooms, in two-story
fitted with Mexican textiles. school . d Map -style beach huts,
It’s in a delightful location, all with good showers and
facing the placid Playa entrancing views. The res-
Secreto lagoon, and there’s taurant serves a mix of
snorkel gear for guests’ Italian and Mexican food.
use. d
& Mom’s Hotel,
Playa del Carmen
d
Streetsmart
Ecotel Quinta Regia
Streetsmart
Left Posada Amor Right Cabañas Copal
Budget Accommodation
! The Weary
Traveler, Cancún
dM
Rooms are well cared for and two bars, and a The best budget accom-
and have such extras as relaxed feel. d modation really near to
air con and small fridges, Uxmal is provided at
and complimentary coffee this very welcoming
is provided. d Map R5 site just south of the
village of Santa Elena.
& Albergue La Can-
delaria, Valladolid
The Mexican-French
couple who live here
$ Posada Amor,
Puerto Morelos
Affiliated to AMAJ, this
newish hostel in a pretty,
offer camping space
(with good showers and
Featuring Puerto old house has excellent, solar power), dorm beds,
Morelos’ best low-priced bright dorm rooms, good and very pretty doubles,
rooms, Posada Amor has shared bathrooms, a with showers, in cabins.
a friendly feel and lounge and patio area, Meals, equally a bargain,
popular restaurant. The free coffee, and cheap are also available. d Map
rooms come in different Internet access. d Map
shapes and sizes.
134
Carlos ’n’ Charlie’s nightclub, Central Heartland (cont.) Coral Negro bazaar,
Cozumel 61, 93 itinerary 99 Cancún 80
carnival 64 map 96 Cozumel 10–11, 70, 87
carvings 24 places to eat 103 airport 115
Casa del Arte Mexicano, La, shops, markets, tours 101 beaches 11, 45
handicraft store, Cancún ceramics 65 carnival 64
Index
80 Cetli restaurant, Tulum 95 ferries 116
Casa de Artesanías Tukulná, chakah bush 21 fishing 57
Campeche 109 Chaya’s Natural Café, hotels 10
Casa de Artesanías, Ek-Balam 103 reefs 11, 87
Mérida 109 charrerías 63 San Miguel Arcángel
Casa del Agua restaurant, La, chechen tree 21 fiesta 65
Playa del Carmen 83 Chelem 108 Cozumel and the South
Casa de los Sueños hotel, Chen Río restaurant, 86–95
Isla Mujeres 128 Cozumel 70, 95 beaches 91
Casa Denis restaurant, Chen Río beach, best of the rest 90
Cozumel 95 Cozumel 11, 91 itinerary 89
Casa Hamaca guesthouse, Chichén Itzá 22–4, 98 map 86
carvings 24 nightspots 93
Valladolid 131
equinoxes 64 places to drink 94
Casa Mexilio guesthouse,
sound and light shows 63 places to eat 95
Mérida 132
childrens’ activities 58–9 places to shop 92
Casa de Piedra restaurant,
Chispa bar-restaurant, La, crafts see traditional crafts
Xcanatún 111
Valladolid 102 credit cards 118
Casa San Juan B&B,
Chunzubul Cristo de las Ampollas,
Mérida 132
beach 13, 79 Mérida 65
Casa Seis, Campeche 34
reef 46 Crococún crocodile park
Casa Tucán hotel,
churches 42–3 58, 78
Playa del Carmen 130
Iglesia de Jesús, Mérida 42 crocodiles 21
Casa Vieja bar-restaurant,
Mérida cathedral 42 Cueva del Pirata, La,
Campeche 110
cigars 122 restaurant, Isla Holbox 83
Castillo de Kukulcán 22 Cinco Soles handicraft store, Cumbanchero, El, bar,
Castillo, El, Tulum 18 Los, Cozumel 92 Mérida 110
Catherwood, Frederick Club Med resort, currency 114, 115, 118, 123
(artist) 107 Cancún 129 customs regulations 114,
cave diving Club Med-Villas 115
Akumal 130 Arqueológicas, Uxmal 131 Cuyo, El, 55, 100
Dos Ojos Cenote Cobá 89 Cuzan Guest House,
(Hidden Worlds) 51 Cocay restaurant, La Punta Allen 126
Tulum 47 Cozumel 95 cycling 56
caves cocinas económicas (food
Balankanché 53 counters), Valladolid 103 D
Calcehtok 53 Coco Bongo nightclub, Dady’O nightclub,
Loltún 53, 106 Cancún 60, 81 Cancún 60, 81
see also cave diving Coctelería Las Brisas Day of the Dead 65
Celestún 49, 55, 105 restaurant, Playa del Diablito Cha Cha Cha
beaches 45 Carmen 83 restaurant, Playa del
cenote Dzitnup 52, 97 Codz Poop, Kabah 31 Carmen 61
cenote Kantun-Chi 52 colectivos (buses) 116 dinner cruises, Cancún 60
cenote Samula 52 colonial towns 40–41 disabled
cenote Xlacah, combis (minibuses) 116 see tips for the disabled
Dzibilchaltún 53 communications 118 discount coupons 123
cenotes and caves 19, 52–3 Conoco beach 91 dishes of the Yucatán 68–9
Western Yucatán 108 consulates 119 see also snacks, eating
Central Heartland 96–103 coral 47 tips, restaurants
best of the rest 100 see also diving, fan coral, diving
drinking & entertainment eco-parks and the disabled 121
spots 102 and theme parks discounts 123
135
diving (cont.) F Hacienda Chichén,
reefs 130, 46–7 fan corals 47 Chichén Itzá 128
dolphins Feast of Three Kings, hacienda hotels 55, 127, 128
Dolphin Discovery, Tizimín 64 Hacienda Mundaca,
Isla Mujeres 17, 50 ferries 115, 116 Isla Mujeres 17
Xcaret dolphin pools 14 and the disabled 121 Hacienda Ochil,
Index
136
Hotel María de la Luz, Izamal (cont.) magazines 117
Valladolid 102 market 101 mail 118
Hotel Pepita, Cozumel 133 market bars 102 Malecón, Campeche 35, 89
Hotel Plaza, Ticul 133 J Mambo Café nightclub,
hotels 126–31 Jane’s Sports and Sorts bar, Playa del Carmen 81
and disability 121 Puerto Aventuras 93 Mamita’s beach 13
Index
cabaña hotels 126 JC Capitán restaurant, Mamita’s Beach Club, Playa
hacienda hotels 127 Cancún 83 del Carmen 82
hip hotels 127 jewelry 65 Manchones reef,
luxury hotels 128 jewelry stores 122 Isla Mujeres 17, 46
mid-range hotels, jícaras (gourds) 65 see also diving reefs
Riviera 130 John Gray’s Place restaurant, mangroves 21, 108
mid-range hotels Playa del Carmen 71 Bocas de Dzilam 49, 100
elsewhere 131 John Lloyd Stephens Campeche Petenes
resort hotels 129 (traveler) 107 49, 108
see also guesthouses Jugos California juice bar, Maní monastery 41, 43
and B&Bs, budget Mérida 110 Manolo’s, Isla Mujeres 83
accommodation juices 71 maps 117
Hotel San Felipe, juice shops 124 Mar Caribe cabañas 19
San Felipe 99, 131 jungle tours 56 Marganzo restaurant,
Hotel Secreto, JW Marriott hotel, Campeche 71, 111
Isla Mujeres 128 Cancún 128 Mariachis 62
House of the Old Woman,
Marina El Cid, resort/spa,
Uxmal 29 K Riviera Maya 129
House of the Pigeons, Kabah 31, 106, 107 Marionetas hotel,
Uxmal 29
kayaking 56 Mérida 131
House of the Turtles,
Kelley’s bar, Cozumel 94 Marlin Azul, El, restaurant
Uxmal 28
Kinich Kakmó, Izamal 70 70, 111
huarache sandals 65
Kinich restaurant, Izamal 103 market bars, Izamal 102
hurricanes 120
Kukulcán see Chichén Itzá markets
Izamal 101
I
L Mérida 109
Iberostar resort,
Labná 31, 106, 107 Tizimín 101
Cozumel 129
Lafitte, Jean and Pierre 17 Maroma hotel,
Iglesia de Jesús, Mérida 42
Laguna Chankanaab, Punta Maroma 127
iguanas 59
Cozumel 11, 51, 58 Maya Chuy embroidery
Ikkil cenote 100
Laguna Nichupté 8 store, Mérida 109
immigration office 115
Laguna Yal-Ku, Akumal 59 Mayan gods and spirits 37
insect repellent 114
insurance 114 Lake Chunyaxché 20 Mayan huts, Uxmal 30
Inspiración Gallery, Cozumel La Zebra nightclub, Tulum Mayan Riviera 72–95
92 93 Mayan ruins
internet 118 live attractions 62–3 Aké 39
Isla Contoy wildlife reserve Loltún caves 53, 106 and the disabled 121
17, 48, 75 loncherías ball courts 25
Isla Mujeres 16–17, 75 (basic eateries) 124 Castillo, El 18
beaches 16, 44 Lonchería Fabiola Calakmul 34
fishing 57 (restaurant), Pisté 102 Chichén Itza 22–4, 38
ferries 116 Lord Chak, Uxmal 30, 31 Cobá 38
Garrafón, El 17 luxury hotels 128 Cozumel 11
Manchones reef 17 Luz en Yucatán B&B, Dzibilchaltún 38
town 16 Mérida 132 Edzná 35, 39
Isla shopping complex, La, Ek-Balam 38
Cancún 77, 80 M free Sundays 123
Ixchel 16 Macanché B&B, Kabah 31, 39
Izamal 40, 42, 70, 99 Izamal 132 Labná 39
Hecho a Mano folk art Madonna bar-restaurant, La, Mayapán 39, 108
store 101 Cancún 82 Meco, El 9, 39
137
Mayan ruins (cont.) Michoacán café, La de, Oscar y Lalo bar,
Muyil 21, 39 Valladolid 102 Punta Solimán 94
Oxkintok 39 mid-range hotels 130, 131 Oxcutzcab 41
Puuc cities 31 Miró T-Shirts, Cozumel 92 Oxtintok ruins 108
Rey, El 9, 39 Misión del Fray Diego hotel,
San Gervasio 11, 39 La, Mérida 131 P
Index
138
personal safety 119 Puerta de Tierra, Restaurante Moctezuma
Pez Vela bar-restaurant, Campeche 35 (Dos Barriles), Chicxulub
Playa del Carmen 82 sound and light show 63 Puerto 102
pharmacies 119 Puerta del Mar, Restaurante Vaselina,
Picota, La, Uxmal 30 Campeche 35 San Felipe 103
Piedra Escondida hotel, Puerto Aventuras holiday restaurants (Top 10) 70–71
Index
Tulum 130 village 45, 87 restrooms
Piña Colada bar, shopping 92 and the disabled 121
Puerto Aventuras 94 fishing 57 Rey ruins, El, Cancún 9, 78
pirates 17, 35 Puerto Juárez, Cancún 78 Richard’s Steaks and Pizza,
Pisté 22 Puerto Morelos 44, 54, 70, Puerto Aventuras 95
places to get away from it all 76, 77, 79 Río Lagartos 49, 55, 98
54–5 Puerto Morelos (cont.) fishing 57
beach 44 flamingo tours 101
planning your trip 114
Parque Marítimo 46 Ritz Carlton hotel, Cancún 128
Playa del Carmen 12–13, 44,
reef 46, 48, 76 Rock’n Java café, Cozumel
77, 79
pufferfish 47 95
beaches 13
Punta Allen 21, 54 Roots bar, Cancún 82
fishing 57
fishing 57 Royal Hideaway resort, Playa
hotels 12
Punta Bete 54, 76, 79 del Carmen 129
nightlife 12
Punta Cancún and the ruins see Mayan ruins
reef 46
see also Xcaret “Corazone” 8
Punta Juárez 16 S
Playa del Secreto 79
Punta Lagosta shopping sacred cenote Chichén Itzá 53
Playa Delfines,
mall, Cozumel 92 sailing 56
Cancún 77, 79
Punta Laguna 48, 59, 90 salt flats 98
Playa Mia, Cozumel 58
San Antonio de Padua
Playa Norte, Punta Maroma 78
monastery 42
Isla Mujeres 16, 79 Punta Sam, Cancún 78
San Bernardino Sisal church,
Playa San Francisco, Punta Santa Cecilia,
Valladolid 42, 97
Cozumel 11, 91 Cozumel 11, 89
San Felipe 55, 99
Playa Secreto, Punta Solimán beach 91
San Gervasio ruins,
Isla Mujeres 16, 79 Punta Xamach beach 91
Cozumel 11, 87, 89
Playa Sol, Cozumel 11, 58, 91 Puuc cities 30
San Miguel Arcángel fiesta,
Playa Tortugas, Cancún 79 Pyramid of the Magician,
Cozumel 65
Playa Tukán 13 Uxmal 28
San Miguel 10
Playacar, San Roque church,
Playa del Carmen 13, 78 Q
Campeche 43
aviary 13 Qué Onda restaurant,
sandals 65
Plaza Caracol shopping mall, Akumal 95 Santa Clara 100
Cancún 80 Quinta Avenida 12 Santanera nightclub, La,
Plaza Caribe hotel, Playa del Carmen 61, 81
Cancún 130 R Sayil 31, 106, 107
Plaza del Sol, Cozumel 93 Rachat & Romero jewelers, scooters 116
police stations 119 Cozumel 92 sea cucumbers 47
Posada Amor, Puerto Rancho Libertad, seasons 114
Morelos 133 Puerto Morelos 126 Secrets Capri Riviera resort,
Posada Sirena guesthouse, rays 47 Playa del Carmen 129
Punta Allen 132 reef animals 47 security 119
Presidente Intercontinental Reef Resort, Playacar 129 Señor Frog’s bar, Cancún 82
Hotel, Cozumel 128 reefs see diving serenatas yucatecas,
Principal Café, La, resort hotels 129 Mérida 63
Campeche 110 Restaurante El Toro, serenatas campechanas,
Pro Drive diving store, Izamal 103 Campeche 63
Cozumel 92 Restaurante Hal-Tun, sergeant majors 47
Progreso 45, 105 Uxmal 107, 111 serpent heads, Uxmal 30
public transport 116 Restaurante Isla Contoy, Shalom clothing store,
and the disabled 121 Río Lagartos 103 Tulum 92
139
Shangri-La hotel, theme park Parque Nizuc 9 W
Playa del Carmen 126 things to avoid 120 walking 116
sharks 17, 47 Ticul 41, 71, 107, 108 water 119
shopping 122 Tihosuco 100 websites 117
Sian Ka’an Biosphere tipping 124 West, The 104–7
Reserve 20–21, 48, 89 tips for the disabled 121 best of the rest 108
Index
140
Acknowledgements
The Author Senior Art Editor
Nick Rider is a freelance travel writer and Marisa Renzullo
editor, based in London. Cartographic Editor
Casper Morris
Acknowledgements
Produced by DTP
BLUE ISLAND PUBLISHING, Jason Little
London Production
www.blueisland.co.uk Melanie Dowland
141
Phrase Book
In an Emergency Useful Words
Help! ¡Socorro! soh-koh-roh big grande grahn-deh
small pequeño/a peh-keh-nyoh/nyah
Stop! ¡Pare! pah-reh
hot caliente kah-lee-ehn-teh
Call a doctor! ¡Llame a un yah-meh ah oon
frío/a free-oh/ah
Phrase Book
cold
médico! meh-dee-koh good bueno/a bweh-noh/nah
Call an ¡Llame una yah-meh ah bad malo/a mah-loh/lah
ambulance! ambulancia! oonah ahm- open abierto/a ah-bee-ehr-
boo-lahn-see-ah toh/tah
closed cerrado/a sehr-rah-doh/dah
Call the fire ¡Llame a los yah-meh ah lohs
full lleno/a yeh-noh/nah
department! bomberos! bohm-beh-rohs
empty vacío/a vah-see-oh/ah
policeman el policía ehl poh-lee-see-ah left izquierda ees-key-ehr-dah
right derecha deh-reh-chah
Communication Essentials (keep) straight (siga) derecho (see-gah) deh-
Yes Sí see ahead reh-choh
No No noh near cerca sehr-kah
far lejos leh-hohs
Please Por favor pohr fah-vohr
more más mahs
Thank you Gracias grah-see-ahs
less menos meh-nohs
Excuse me Perdone pehr-doh-neh entrance entrada ehn-trah-dah
Hello Hola oh-lah exit salida sah-lee-dah
Bye (casual) Chau chau elevator el ascensor ehl ah-sehn-sohr
Goodbye Adiós ah-dee-ohs toilets baños/ bah-nyohs/
women’s de damas deh dah-mahs
What? ¿Qué? keh
men’s de caballeros deh kah-bah-yeh-
When? ¿Cuándo? kwahn-doh rohs
Why? ¿Por qué? pohr-keh
Where? ¿Dónde? dohn-deh Post Offices and Banks
Where can I ¿Dónde puedo dohn-deh pweh-
How are you? ¿Cómo está koh-moh ehs-tah
change money? cambiar doh kahm-bee-
usted? oos-tehd
dinero? ahr dee-neh-roh
Very well, Muy bien, mwee bee-ehn How much ¿Cuánto kwahn-toh
thank you gracias grah-see-ahs is the cuesta kweh-
Pleased to Mucho gusto moo-choh goo- postage to…? enviar una stah ehn-vee-
meet you stoh carta a…? yahr oo-nah
kahr-tah ah
See you soon Hasta pronto ahs-tah prohn-toh
I need stamps Necesito neh-seh-see-toh
I’m sorry Lo siento loh see-ehn-toh
estampillas ehs-tahm
-pee-yahs
Useful Phrases
That’s fine Está bien ehs-tah bee-ehn Shopping
Great/fantastic! ¡Qué bien! keh bee-ehn How much ¿Cuánto kwahn-toh
does this cost? cuesta esto? kwehs-tah ehs-toh
Where is/are…? ¿Dónde dohn-deh ehs-
I would like… Me gustaría… meh goos-tah-
está/están…? tah/ehs-tahn
ree-ah
How far is it to…? ¿Cuántos kwahn-tohs Do you have? ¿Tienen? tee-yeh-nehn
metros/ meh-trohs/kee- Do you take ¿Aceptan ahk-sehp-tahn
kilómetros hay loh-meh-trohs credit cards/ tarjetas de tahr-heh-tahs
de aquí a…? eye deh ah-kee ah traveler’s crédito/ deh kreh-dee-
checks? cheques toh/
Which way ¿Por dónde pohr dohn-deh
de viajero? cheh-kehs deh
is it to…? se va a…? seh vah ah vee-ah-heh-roh
Do you speak ¿Habla inglés? ah-blah I am looking Estoy ehs-tohy boos-
English? een-glehs for… buscando… kahn-doh
I don’t No noh kohm- expensive caro kahr-oh
cheap barato bah-rah-toh
understand comprendo/
white blanco blahn-koh
entiendo prehn-doh
black negro neh-groh
red rojo roh-hoh
I would like Quisiera/ kee-see-yehr-ah
yellow amarillo ah-mah-ree-yoh
Me gustaría meh goo-stah green verde vehr-deh
-ree ah blue azul ah-sool
142
antique store la tienda de lah tee-ehn-dah tourist la oficina de lah oh-fee-see-
antigüedades deh ahn-tee- information turismo nah deh too-
gweh-dah-dehs office rees-moh
bakery la panadería lah pah-nah-deh ticket la entrada lah ehn-trah-dah
ree-ah guide (person) el/la guía ehl/lah gee-ah
bank el banco ehl bahn-koh guide (book) la guía lah gee-ah
bookstore la librería lah lee-breh- map el mapa ehl mah -pah
Phrase Book
ree-ah taxi stand sitio see-tee-on deh
butcher’s la carnicería lah kahr-nee- de taxis tahk-sees
seh-ree-ah
cake store la pastelería lah pahs-teh-leh- Staying in a Hotel
ree-ah Do you have ¿Tienen una tee-eh-nehn
jeweler’s la joyería lah hoh-yeh-ree- a vacant room? habitación oo-nah ah-bee-
yah libre? tah-see-ohn
market el tianguis/ ehl tee-ahn-goo- lee-breh
mercado ees/mehr-kah- double room habitación ah-bee-tah-see-
doh doble ohn doh-bleh
newsstand el kiosko ehl kee-ohs-koh single room habitación ah-bee-tah-see-
de prensa deh prehn-sah sencilla ohn sehn-see-yah
post office la oficina de lah oh-fee-see- room with habitación ah-bee-tah-see-
correos nah deh kohr-reh- a bath con baño ohn kohn bah-
ohs nyoh
shoe store la zapatería lah sah-pah-teh- shower la ducha lah doo-chah
ree-ah I have a Tengo una tehn-goh oo-nah
supermarket el ehl soo-pehr- reservation habitación ah-bee-tah-see-
supermercado mehr-kah-doh reservada ohn reh-sehr-
travel agency la agencia de lah ah-hehn-see-ah vah-dah
viajes deh vee-ah-hehs key la llave lah yah-veh
5 cinco seen-koh
/kohn gas
6 seis says
el ajo ah-hoh garlic
7 siete see-eh-teh
el arroz ahr-rohs rice
8 ocho oh-choh
el azúcar ah-soo-kahr sugar
9 nueve nweh-veh
el plátano pla-tah-noh banana 10 diez dee-ehs
una bebida beh-bee-dah drink 11 once ohn-seh
el café kah-feh coffee 12 doce doh-seh
la carne kahr-neh meat 13 trece treh-seh
la cebolla seh-boh-yah onion 14 catorce kah-tohr-seh
la cerveza sehr-veh-sah beer 15 quince keen-seh
el cerdo sehr-doh pork 16 dieciséis dee-eh-see-seh-ees
el chocolate choh-koh chocolate 17 diecisiete dee-eh-see-see-
-lah-teh eh-teh
18 dieciocho dee-eh-see-oh-choh
la ensalada ehn-sah salad
19 diecinueve dee-eh-see-
-lah-dah
nweh-veh
la fruta froo-tah fruit
20 veinte veh-een-teh
el helado eh-lah-doh ice cream
21 veintiuno veh-een-tee-oo-noh
el huevo oo-eh-voh egg
22 veintidós veh-een-tee-dohs
el jugo ehl hoo-goh juice treinta
30 treh-een-tah
la langosta lahn-gohs-tah lobster 31 treinta y uno treh-een-tah ee
la leche leh-cheh milk oo-noh
la mantequilla mahn-teh butter 40 cuarenta kwah-rehn-tah
-kee-yah 50 cincuenta seen-kwehn-tah
la manzana mahn-sah-nah apple 60 sesenta seh-sehn-tah
los mariscos mah-rees-kohs seafood 70 setenta seh-tehn-tah
la naranja nah-rahn-hah orange 80 ochenta oh-chehn-tah
el pan pahn bread 90 noventa noh-vehn-tah
100 cien see-ehn
las papas pah-pahs potatoes
101 ciento uno see-ehn-toh oo-noh
el pescado pehs-kah-doh fish
102 ciento dos see-ehn-toh dohs
picante pee-kahn-teh spicy
200 doscientos dohs-see-ehn- tohs
la pimienta pee-mee pepper
500 quinientos khee-nee-ehn-tohs
-yehn-tah
700 setecientos seh-teh-see-ehn-tohs
el pollo poh-yoh chicken 900 novecientos noh-veh-see-
el postre pohs-treh dessert ehn-tohs
el queso keh-soh cheese 1,000 mil meel
el refresco reh-frehs-koh soft drink/soda 1,001 mil uno meel oo-noh
la sal sahl salt
la salsa sahl-sah sauce Time
la sopa soh-pah soup one minute un minuto oon mee-noo-toh
one hour una hora oo-nah oh-rah
el té teh herb tea (usually
half an hour media hora meh-dee-ah oh-rah
camomile)
half past one la una y lah oo-nah ee
el té negro teh neh-groh tea
media meh-dee-ah
la torta tohr-tah sandwich
Monday lunes loo-nehs
las tostadas tohs-tah-dahs toast
Tuesday martes mahr-tehs
el vinagre vee-nah-greh vinegar Wednesday miércoles mee-ehr-koh-lehs
el vino blanco vee-noh white wine Thursday jueves hoo-weh-vehs
blahn-koh Friday viernes vee-ehr-nehs
el vino tinto vee-noh red wine Saturday sábado sah-bah-doh
teen-toh Sunday domingo doh-meen-goh
144
EYEWITNESS TRAVEL
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CANCUN
& THE YUCATAN
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