The changing Rivera Maya and Mexico Travel Tips

I just returned from my second visit to the Rivera Maya, Quintana Roo and Yucatan. After 2 1/2 years, lots of change is evident. As we already observed during our first visit, construction on Mega Resorts was well under way, but I had no idea how fast the landscape would change. Charming little fishing villages, such as Punta Bete seem to be completely gone. Giant Hotel Complexes now stand where once empty Caribbean beaches with little restaurants were.

While the area was hit hard by Hurricanes during the last season, Mega Resorts have recovered quickly, fueled by foreign investments. Areas such as Puerto Morelos however did not recover as quickly. Little Hotels are still struggling to clean up and rebuild. Financial bankruptcy will only result in the inevitable, more Mega Resorts.

As an enthusiastic traveler, I do not feel well in all inclusive style resorts. People are not interested in the country they visit, just how to get the most out of the buffet and the most Drinks in their alcohol ridden bodies while trying to obtain the best tan to show off at home. I never understood this kind of travel culture, but if you like to spend your vacation in comfort and style without having to worry about anything and if you like group tours instead of exploring a country on your own, the Mexican Caribbean is just the place for you. If you are looking for empty beaches and romantic little villages, go somewhere else.

This article outlines the changes that I observed between my two visits to the Mexican States of Quintana Roo and Yucatan and about some general Travel Advice for Mexico. For travel articles on any of those destinations, please follow the links in this article.

Cancun

Cancun is as good as always. The hotel zone is everything most tourists are interested in. Construction of even more and bigger hotels is well under way. The upside is, that you may be able to get some good deals on flight and hotel packages as the room capacity of Cancun is still growing.

Puerto Morelos

The first Mega Resort has already taken hold in Puerto Morelos. It is an All Inclusive Resort like so many here. Fortunately it is the only one so far and I have not seen construction of more.

Unfortunately, even 8 month after the hurricane hit, its impact was still most visible. A little hotel we stayed in during our last visit was almost completely gone. There was no reconstruction effort visible. The little wharf was obliterated and restaurants and many other facilities were gone.

However many hotels in Puerto Morelos are open for business again. I would stay here again, as it seems to be one of the few choices that fit my style. Undoubtedly you will not have the same level of comfort, but I never cared about this on my adventures.

Between Puerto Morelos and Playa del Carmen, all you can see is huge entrance gates to All Inclusive Mega Resorts. Somewhere here was the entrance to Punta Bete. I don’t know if it was still there, but I couldn’t find it anymore. Punta Bete used to be a small fishing village with charming little restaurants, one of the best beaches in the area and little cabanas preferred by travelers looking for relaxation and time away from loud tourists.

Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen is a wonderful city between Cancun and Tulum. Even though Playa has some Mega Resorts as well (see pictures) it still has preserved much more of its original style than Cancun.

From here you can take the ferry to Cozumel, watch Cruise Ships pass by and enjoy some of the finest beaches and water of the Caribbean. The shopping street (5^th avenue) is full of little tourist shops and wonderful restaurants. Unfortunately this time I did not sample all the culinary specialties, as I was staying in an All Inclusive Resort as well (not entirely by choice). I would recommend Playa over Cancun any time, unless your sole purpose of coming here is to party until you are unconscious, in which case you are better of in Cancun.

Playa del Carmen has many little hotels, clubs and restaurants that provide for everything you desire. Just make sure you don’t book all-inclusive if you enjoy strolling through the streets and sitting down in any restaurant you please.

Akumal

Remarkably the city of Akumal has retained a lot of that flair that I was missing so much in other places. Here the beaches are still accessible, even if you don’t stay in one of the hotels here. Fishers embark on their trips. Snorkel Tours to one of the best reefs in the area can be booked from here and little cabanas can still be booked for your accommodation making this one of the best deals between Cancun and Tulum.

People are friendly and not after your wallet as much as in other places.

Akumal is a good example of environmentally conscious development. I don’t know how long this is going to be this way though.

Between Akumal and Tulum there are a few water parks like Xcaret, Xel-Ha and Xpu-Ha. I have not tried them out so far, as I always found other things to do on my own.

Tulum

The ruins of Tulum are as beautiful as ever. Now certain areas around the main castle are closed to the public and you are only allowed along some guided pathways. Considering how some people behaved this may actually be a good thing as it serves to protect the ruins. As more and more visitors fill the Resorts, there will also be more people at Tulum. Tours can be booked comfortably from most Resorts at a moderate price. The entrance fee is 45 Pesos (about $4). Transportation shuttles run between Playa del Carmen and Tulum and probably Cancun and Tulum. A private tour guide can be booked starting from 350 pesos. You can see most of it in less than two hours. Tulum closes around 5pm and tickets are being sold until 4:30pm. A shuttle (actually a tractor pulling carts) runs from the parking lot to the entrance station and costs 20 Pesos (round trip). It saves you a 10-minute walk in the hot sun.

We had already forgotten that these sites closed that early. Since the sun sets much later in summer, we arrived here at around 4pm and decided to come back the next day.

The road from Playa del Carmen to Tulum is being widened from a one-lane (per direction) to a two-lane road. Work seems to be progressing rather quickly. Most of the road from Cancun to Playa del Carmen used to be two-lane already.

Coba

Construction on a wide and fast highway from Tulum to Coba has begun. Work seems to progress rather quickly. Most of the road during this visit was still a narrow one-lane road. Two villages along the road, with bamboo houses close to the street will be most impacted by the new road. Some of the huts are clearly in the way of the road and will probably be leveled.

Coba itself is the same as it used to be. Since Coba lies in the Jungle, maybe 50km away from the coastline, it will be much hotter here than it was in Tulum or any other place along the coast. Add to that the humidity and you may have problems breathing in this hot wet heat. It was actually so hot, that we decided to hire one of the Rickshaws to take us around the ruins. The rickshaw was equipped with an umbrella and a friendly driver. Alternatively you can also rent a bike. Rickshaws are 95 Pesos and Bikes are 30 Pesos. The entrance fee is 45 Pesos.

I made the mistake of rushing up the Nohoch Mul Pyramid in the scorching sun. I should have taken it a little slower, as my blood pressure was through the roof when I arrived at the top of the giant pyramid. I had to sit down for a short time in order to be able to breath normally again.

The view from up here is breathtaking. You can see the two lagoons and the observatory rising above the treetop roof.

Chichen-Itza

Chichen-Itza has changed a lot too. This time all structures were closed off. During our last visit one could climb the pyramid, but after a recent accident that is not possible anymore. All other structures around the main plaza are also closed (Jaguar Temple, Temple of the Warriors). Even access into the Pyramid was not allowed while we where there. I am not sure if that means it will be permanently closed. Unfortunately we were not able to descend into the underground again. During our first visit they closed the pyramid rather early much to our surprise.

I must say I am not really surprised about the changes. Even though the pyramid is much easier to climb than the pyramid in Coba, due to its wider steps, it was a scary place to be. What made this pyramid so dangerous were the people climbing it. On top a crowd used to stand and you always had to walk past someone else. There is no fence or railing and some people got so excited by the view, that they were really dangerous, pushing themselves wherever they wanted to be, having no eyes for fellow visitors.

Chichen Itza in summer is scorching hot, just as Coba was. There are some drinks available for purchase near the Cenote and near the entrance. However I recommend bringing plenty of water.

The entrance fee to Chichen-Itza is 90 pesos. It includes a lightshow that starts around 7pm in winter and around 8pm in summer. You need to leave the site before the lightshow and re-enter with the ticket you purchased earlier.

During our first visit, we were allowed to stay until sunset (in winter). I assumed that the ruins would be open longer in summer, especially since the lightshow starts later as well.

Unfortunately I was wrong. At 5:30 pm, just when the light started to get better and better everyone was forced out. Since we arrived fairly late in Chichen-Itza (thinking we had more time), I was glad that we barely managed to see everything.

Driving in Mexico

Driving in Mexico is a lot of Fun. Unfortunately, now there is a lot more Police present on the way from Cancun to Tulum. While you can still blast through the Jungle (Tulum-Coba-Valladolid), you should pay more attention on 307 (Cancun-Tulum Corridor) and soon on the Tulum-Coba route. Police has significantly increased their presence and they seem to prefer laser technology. That means you radar detectors won’t be able to pick them up in time. So keep your eyes peeled and make sure someone is always faster than you.

Otherwise the same rules as before apply. On the one-lane road from Playa del Carmen to Tulum you should be aware that cars will still pass, even in the presence of oncoming traffic. If someone comes up behind you relatively fast, you should drive as much to the right as possible (on the side of the road, don’t worry about the white line) and let them pass. Watch oncoming traffic, as you may be expected to get out of their way when they pass too.

Driving on this road reminded me a lot of driving in Portugal many years ago. It is a lot of fun, and you don’t have to be stuck behind someone. Just flash your lights and they may get out of your way. It’s a really nice way of sharing the road.

One thing I have never quite understood is why Mexican drivers use their left side blinkers to signal you, that it is safe to pass them. In most other countries, left side means danger ahead (or someone wants to pass themselves) and right side means clear to pass.

This is especially confusing if you don’t know if the person in front of you is telling you that it is ok to pass or that they want to pass.

Watch out for speed bumps. Some of them are really nasty and some of the signs are hard to see or may even have fallen down. Whenever you approach a village, expect nasty bumps.

Getting Gasoline

From my last trip to Mexico I knew that I had to get out of the car and look at the meter as soon as I pulled into a gas station. Tourists are often scammed by pre-setting the meter on the pump.

After I checked that the guy at the gas station had set the meter correctly, I asked for an ATM. I was quite surprised, that two other attendants volunteered to take me to the ATM. They pretended to be surprised that the ATM was not working and took their time to explain to me where other ATM were.

After thanking them for their kindness and getting back to the pump, I saw that the guy filling my car had reset the pump to zero. Hurray, I knew right then that I was in for a scam and a discussion. I asked why he reset it. He was finished was the answer. So I asked him how much it was and he looked me straight into my face and said 600 Pesos. I thought to myself that this guy is not going after small fish. He was really pushing his luck with his bluntness. No way did I get gas for 600 Pesos.

I told him that I did not believe a single word he said, accused him of lying and demanded a receipt. After a while he came back with a receipt, showing 500 Pesos. It struck me immediately, that this was 100 Pesos less. The other thing that struck me was the 80L I supposedly got for those 500 Pesos. Nice I thought, must have gotten a car with a very large gas tank then. I looked at the person who brought the receipt. It was a completely different guy again. I said that my car does not have an 80L gas tank and that he should better produce the real receipt or I will get very mad. In the meantime I was looking for some specs for my car. Unfortunately I found only a Spanish spec card, but I believe the gas tank was around 40L. I couldn’t say for sure though.

The third guy finally came back with a receipt showing 50L and something around 330 Pesos. Well, I thought to myself that this is not right, since the car was not even completely empty. Again I started discussing, refusing to pay.

To make a long story short, the manager came after a while. We got into an argument. He showed me the time on the receipt (which was current) and said that this was proof that it was correct. I asked him why and what the time on the other receipt was. I ended up paying 330 Pesos, cursed at him and told him that I was too busy to drive down one block to get the police who were standing there.

It shows how important it is to watch the meter all the way through, not only while you are getting out of your car.

Renting a Car

Our car (intermediate) was probably the oldest Rental Car I ever drove. Make sure you are examining the car very closely and make them write down every single scratch. They will do the same to you when you come back, and everything that is not written down will be your fault.

We got our car with almost no fuel (which was the level we should return it at). So right after arriving in a foreign country you have to find a gas station. Make sure you bring some local money if you want to rent a car, because I would not hand my credit card to any gas station attendant.

Our car also had the nasty habit of collecting lots of condensation water in the rear foot compartment, to the extend that we had a constant high water level in the rear.

Timeshares

Someone will constantly try to talk you into attending a “presentation” for a hotel. You will be promised a free night at some resort or a credit for your car or something else. Don’t even listen to the offers. At the end of their speeches, you will be asked for a $20 deposit, which you will get back once you visit the presentation.

The presentation is nothing less than a sales show for Timeshares. Given the impact of recent hurricanes and the theories on global warming predicting even stronger hurricanes in the future, you may as well transfer your money into my bank account (contact me for details) as your timeshare will probably not stand for long or needs some reconstruction costing you even more money.

Conclusion

Don’t get me wrong. The Mexican Caribbean is still a wonderful vacation paradise. However since it was my second visit I was able to observe the changes first hand.

I enjoy exploring a country by myself and I want to see it as untouched by tourism as possible. I enjoy local foods and interaction with locals no matter where I am.

If you however like to be spoiled and pampered during your vacation, with free Spa treatments (all-inclusive does include the Spa too), if you don’t want to worry about food and if you enjoy spending your days on the beach and at the pool, this will be heaven for you. You can comfortably book a tour to one of the water parks or nearby ruins.