Yucatan Beyond Pretty Beaches
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Oh, the Yucatan peninsula! A massive piece of land sticking out like a sore thumb in between the Caribbean and the Golf of Mexico, encompassing several Mexican states (Yucatan, Campeche, and Quintana Roo) as well as pieces of other countries (Guatemala and Belize). The place we call home but hardly know. Discovering the Yucatan hasn’t been high on our travel list, but with COVID limiting air travel we finally decided to do a bit of a roadtrip in our backyard at the end of 2020, and wow, we were so glad we did!
There is plenty to see in the peninsula, but we choose a route with a bit of everything – beach, ruins, good food, remoteness, city life, etc. Truthfully, there are several places in this list that shouldn’t be considered “off the beaten path”, specially Isla Mujeres and Merida. That is why I have also included Holbox and Bacalar, top notch destinations in the Yucatan worth a visit.
Assuming you are landing in Cancun I would follow this route: Holbox -> El Cuyo -> Rio Lagartos -> Valladolid -> Merida -> Celestun -> Ruta Pucc -> Campeche -> Bacalar. This also assumes you have your own car and have a ton of time! If you do this full route and find yourself in Bacalar wondering where to go next, a good way to return to Cancun would be to head to Tulum (and maybe Playa del Carmen) for a few days.
It’s worth nothing that we did this roadtrip during COVID times, so plenty of stuff was closed, and more specifically all museums, as well as some of the smaller ruins.
OK, let’s go!
Holbox
Low-key island with (almost) no cars and 100% sandy streets. Perfect to get away from it all and just chill.
How long? At least 2 nights
Where to stay? Anywhere ocean facing, though I would choose a bit farther away from downtown to avoid crowds. There are countless hotel options for all budget types as well as airbnbs. We stayed at Posada Mwinbi once and at an airbnb another.
What do do?
Beach time, of course. Specifically, in the morning/early afternoon (when the tide is low) be sure to walk on the sand bar all the way to the right (if looking at the ocean) to get to Punta Mosquito, where if you are lucky you can see flamingos. All the way to the other end of the island is Punta Coco, great for sunsets
Swim with whale sharks, the largest fish on the planet! Mind blowing experience, and only possible from June to September. We did the tour with VIP Holbox (here is a quick video!)
Take a kayaking tour through the mangroves. We did an 8km tour with El Holboxeno and highly recommend it (you gotta be in shape though!)
Watch an unbelievable sunset from a paddle board (or the downtown dock :)). You can rent paddles or kayaks everywhere on the island
Dance salsa on the sandy streets. People watching, and dancing, at The Hot Corner on a weekend night is a must
Venture into the sea late at night to see the magic of bioluminescence.
Admire all the street art in town
Where to eat/drink?
Luuma. Nice cocktails and tapas on a pretty garden
Pura Vida. Good reggae music
Casasandra. Fancy dinner place for when you are celebrating something
Roots Pizza. Excellent wood-fire pizza, get the lobster one !
The Hot Corner. *The* place in town at night. Salsa music and mezcal shots
Mantarraya Beach Club. Fresh seafood, great for lunch on the beach
Painapol. Yummy and healthy breakfast spot
Tamashi Sky Bar.Good sushi on a pretty rooftop
El Cuyo
Sleepy beach town, long untouched beach, great kitesurfing stop
How long? Not much to do except spending time at the beach and kitesurfing, so depends on how long you want to do that for. We stayed for 2 nights and it was perfect. Be aware that depending on the season it can be *very* windy (hence why it’s such a good place for kitesurfing).
Where to stay? We really enjoyed the incredible view from Lunarena hotel room Luna 3. You see infinite green and also the ocean. Watching the sunrise and sunset from the hammock was magical
What do do? Beach beach beach :). Lunarena hotel has beach chairs and umbrellas for you to take to the beach. However, keep in mind this is not like Tulum, there aren’t beach clubs per se so take a little cooler for your cold beer. If you want to learn how to kite surf there are countless places.
Where to eat?
Naia Cafe. Cute cafe to grab breakfast or lunch, food was great
El Chile Gordo. A total GEM of a place, incredible Mexican food in a super cute private place. It feels very out of place for a town like El Cuyo, which makes it all the more magical.
Rio Lagartos
Fishing village on a lagoon that is part of a natural reserve. It’s great for birdwatching and it’s a beautiful mangrove-lines estuary. Rio Lagartos is neither a river (rio) or filled with alligators (lagartos). It is a Ria, a long narrow inlet of the seacoast, and it has lots of crocodiles. They should have called it Ria Cocodrilos, but, the Spanish…
How long? One night is enough. It’s a beautiful spot in terms of nature, but the town leaves a lot to be desired and the food options are very limited
Where to stay? Right next to the water (there are several hotels). We stayed at Hotel El Faro in room Cielito Lindo which truthfully has very little going for it except for the very sweet couple who run the place and the fantastic view, we saw so many birds from the balcony.
What do do?
Go on a boat tour! they have a typical route that takes you through mangroves, if you are lucky you will see crocodiles (we saw 5!), then flamingos (also if you are lucky and it’s the right season), and you will put mud on your face :). There are plenty of operators offering their services but it’s hard to know who to trust for a good tour. We went with the owner of La Mojarrita (a restaurant) based on good reviews and we weren’t disappointed. We also heard of Rio Lagartos Adventures tour operator.
Wake up early and go see Flamingos. Yes, the regular boat tour takes you to see them, but the best times to see flamingos is not the best time to see crocodiles and other animals, so you kinda have to choose. We did the regular tour mid morning (best for crocodiles) and then took a boat the next morning bright and early to see flamingos (we actually spotted them from the room and ran down to grab a boat). Also keep in mind the best time for flamingos is April and May, you can still see them year round but they won’t be together in such large numbers.
Go on a mangrove walk. A wooden path built through mangrove forests. The one in Rio Lagartos is called Peten Mac and it is also right next to a so-so cenote. The walk is beautiful!
Visit Las Coloradas. The year we went here (2020) was very wet (with two major hurricanes in the area) which made the water levels raise significantly and rain water mix in, which change the colors of this lagoon, so we didn’t actually go see it. When it is “normal” it’s supposed to be an impressive pink color.
Where to eat?
La Mojarrita. The owner is extremely attentive and the for the most part the food was good (specially the octopus). We also did the boat tour with him and would recommend it
El Perico Marinero. We had a decent breakfast here
Vaselina. For fresh seafood head to San Felipe for an afternoon. You can also walk the mangrove path here, which is not as pretty as the one in Rio Lagartos but still cute
Valladolid
What a cute little town! We fell in love with it. It makes a great base for nearby gorgeous cenotes and impressive ruins and the food is excellent. If there is one place on this list you should absolutely go, it is this one.
How long? At least two nights, we stayed three and it was the perfect amount of time to take things slow and enjoy
Where to stay? We stayed near street Calz de los Frailes and highly recommended. It’s filled with cute shops and restaurants, very walkable and close to the city center
What do do?
Cenotes, cenotes, cenotes! You can see all of them on the same day if you want (that is what we did), but I recommend doing the order below and starting early so you beat the tour buses
Hacienda San Lorenzo Oxman: worth going right when they open (9am) to have it all for yourself . It has a super fun jump rope and it’s just stunning , by far our favorite in the area
X’Keken y Samula: two cenotes located on the same complex. Both underground with small openings on the roof. You are required to wear a lifejacket which is a bit annoying. Still totally worth it
Zaci: right smack in downtown Valladolid I was expecting it to be just ok, but was pleasantly surprised by this big open cenote surrounded by lush nature. The afternoon light is just lovely
Suytun: Impressive but also very popular. Instagram has made the place famous due to having a stone platform into the cenote (very picturesque) and because when the sun hits the opening of the ceiling the beam of light inside it’s impressive (however, note that this only happens during a specific window of time – I think might have been around 2pm but unsure and shifts depending on seasons). You are also required to wear a lifejacket
Visit Ek’Balam. One of my favorite ruins (and I have been to a lot!). They are just stunning, and surrounded by lush vegetation and big tall trees. You can climb the main pyramid (which you cannot do in many other ruins) and the view from up there is beautiful. There are also several pyramids which are not maintained so still literally covered with plants (like they were when they were discovered) and I found them very fascinating
Cenote X’Canche. Oh, and there is a cenote next door! that you can bike to! What more can you ask for?
Izamal. When driving to Merida don’t miss passing by Izamal, the yellow city, to walk around its yellow streets, visit the monastery, walk up the ruins in the middle of town (Kinich-Kakmo), go to the Centro Cultural y Artesanal, and eat at Kinich.
Where to eat/drink? So many options! here are some of our favorites:
El Meson del Marques. Typical Yucatecan fair in a lovely courtyard. We loved the Sikil Pak here (a pumpkin seed dip) as well as the Pastel de Cazon (a tortilla “cake” filled with shark). Be sure to go to the rooftop of the hotel to admire the view of the church from up there
Yerbabuena del Sisal. Yummy Mexican breakfast in a pretty garden (they also serve lunch)
El Atrio del Mayab. Typical tourist trap, but with actually good food! I had the best Margarita Maya (with chaya which is a local spinach and bitter orange)
La Palapita de los Tamales. Yucatecan tamales are different than the more typical tamales you find outside of the peninsula so they are worth a try. Not out of this world but yummy and cute place
Yakunaj Cocina Mexicana. excellent Mexican breakfast, we had really good Molletes
Idilio Folklore Cervecero. It’s a gallery/museum/bar/restaurant. Loved the interesting gallery and the place is just cute and located in a big peaceful courtyard. They have good local beer and cocktails, and although we didn’t eat here it all looked really good
In general, be sure to at some point eat Longaniza de Valladolid (a local chorizo) as well as Marquesitas (rolled waffles filled with cheese + something sweat – we like it with cajeta), you will find them *all* over Yucatan, mostly out of little street cars in city centers and parks
Ruta Pucc
Maya ruins off the touristy route, surrounded by dense jungle. Unfortunately, when we went many of the ruins were all closed due to COVID.
How long? Two nights
Where to stay? We stayed at Cabanas Pajaro Azul and we loved the setting where the cabins are, surrounded by lush vegetation. The owners are lovely and very kind. The inside of the cabins could use some love. You can stay in a traditionally Maya hut, and there is a big nice pool.
What do do?
Ruins. The three ruins we really wanted to go (but were closed) are: Labna, Sayil, and Xlapak. Mayapan is also close by but I believe less impressive
Uxmal is farther away but impressive and ranked among the top Maya archeological sites. Must visit
Choco-Story. Right outside Uxmal this is a lovely museum. Learn about chocolate while walking through a beautiful garden
Grutas de Calcehtok. Impressive cave system. There are also the Grutas de Loltun, but those were closed as well when we were there
Where to eat? Truthfully we didn’t eat anywhere we would highly recommend while here, but here are a couple of ok options: El Principe Tutul-Xio in Mani and El Mirador de Ticul
Merida
The capital of the Yucatan state, the cultural center of the peninsula, Merida is a gastronomic wonder and works as a great base to many beautiful spots nearby.
How long? At least 3 nights
Where to stay? There are so many cute airbnbs in town! Most houses in Merida are big colonial places with beautiful courtyards, indoor pools, and high ceilings. The city is pretty walkable and we always felt safe even late at night, just try to stay somewhere within a couple miles of the city center so you can easily move around
What do do?
Stroll Paseo Montejo. In the early 1900s Merida was the richest city in Mexico due to the Henequen industry boom (called the green gold) and the city had the largest concentration of rich people in Latin America. They all lived in this wide long avenue, lined with beautiful trees and massive houses. It is a great place to take a stroll and go into the cute stores
See one of the original houses of that era by visiting Quinta Montes Molina
Dine at Parque Santa Lucia. Cute plaza with many restaurants and, prior to covid times, live music and events every Thursday night
Take a cooking class. Yucatecan food is a world on its own and worth learning about its traditional cooking techniques and ingredients. There are many options, but we decided to do an Airbnb class with Coco and loved it
Outside of Merida but very much worth the trip:
Admire the many cenotes around Cuzama. The most incredible are the Three Cenotes de Cuzama, but we also went to Santa Barbara and they are worth combining (see the entire trip towards the middle of these insta stories)
Go to the beach of Progreso.Long and wide beach about 30min from Merida. It’s not the Caribbean, but it’s a nice break from the city. Beautiful sunsets from the pier
Places we wanted to go but couldn’t because they were closed (basically all museums): Casa de Montejo, Museo Fernando Garcia Ponce-Macay, Museo de la Cuidad, Palacio de Gobierno, Centro Cultural Olimpo, Museo de Arte Popular de Yucatan, Gran Museo del Mundo Maya, Palacio Canton
Where to eat/drink?
Marquesitas, marquesitas, marquesitas. Merida is the birth place of this super yummy dessert so they are *everywhere*. Basically a very crispy rolled waffle filled traditionally only with edam cheese, but now filled with countless things. Don’t miss trying a cheese + cajeta one, our favorite by far. You find little carts selling them all over the city, but our fav place was here
Tarbush. There is a big Lebanese community in the city which means good Lebanese food. We loved this place and everything we had there, super homey
Wayan’e. Best tacos in town
Ku’uk. Fancy place for a nice dinner, excellent drinks and very original Yucatecan food (the duck pibil was excellent)
Oliva Enoteca. Decent Italian if you are craving it. We thought it was a bit too expensive for what you get
Pan & Koffee. Best bakery in town and very cute
Rosa Sur 32. Best spot in Parque Santa Lucia
Apoala. A good second option after Rosa Sur 32 in Parque Santa Lucia
El Apapacho. If you are tired of Yucatecan food but still want Mexican, this is the place. Their moles are excellent and the garden is cute
La Posheria. We loved running into this cute little store/bar specializing in Pox, a liquor made from corn, sugar cane, and wheat
Maiz, Canela, y Cilantro. For a homey breakfast/brunch, head here
La Chaya Maya. The most touristy place in town but it’s an experience if you are looking for Yucatecan food
Manifesto. Legit coffee, best in town by far
Picheta. Rooftop bar on the main plaza. Worth for the sunset and the cocktails, food was meh
Flamante Burgers. Excellent burger spot! They have yuca fries – YUM
El Barrio. Yummy breakfast
La Negrita. Excellent live music (salsa!) daily in a cute courtyard
Dzalbay. Live jazz music on a pretty rooftop, must go
Pola Gelato Shop. Seriously good ice cream and very original flavors, I became obsessed with their cardamom and hava flavors
Pueblo Pibil. About a 25min drive from Merida, the restaurant is definitely an experience. They have several set menus (as well as a la cart) and specialize in traditional Yucatecan cooking techniques
IXI’IM. About a 45min drive from Merida but totally worth it for a special occasion. Named the most beautiful restaurant in the world for good reason. The food and service is excellent, and the grounds the restaurant is in (a hotel/spa) is an old Hacienda and the trees and gardens are out of this world. Try getting there when there is still light to see it all
Places we wanted to go but didn’t get a chance: Marmalade, Chil-a-kil, Manjar Blanco, Taqueria de la Union, La Terraza Amarilla
Celestun
*Very* sleepy beach town. Known for its many many flamingos, but there are also impressive mangrove forests. Perfect place to just relax.
How long? Two nights
Where to stay? We loved Celestun Vida, they have three well-equipped rooms right next to the beach. They have hammocks, beach chairs, and most importantly, kayaks and paddle boards!
What do do?
Flamingos! Most people go from Merida specifically to do the boat tour to see flamingos, and this is very likely worth doing (we choose to do a kayak tour instead). Go to the bridge to take a boat
Go kayaking through mangroves. We love kayaking and do it everywhere we can. When I read there was a kayak tour through mangroves I knew I had to do it. It’s bright and early (7am) but totally worth it and super peaceful. Besides the beauty a of the mangrove there are also many birds to admire, and during the right season (usually January through March) you will also see flamingos flying above you. We went with Mangroves of Dzitinun company and Jose, the tour guide, was very knowledgable. We not only learned a ton about mangroves but also about the reforestation project locally.
BEACH. Just chill by the beach :), there are many beautiful shells to admire and it’s perfect for running in the early morning or late afternoon. Virtually endless and very empty (at least when we went in January). If you stay at Celeste Vida take out the paddle boards early morning
Where to eat?
We actually took food with us (the hotel had a good kitchenette and also a big shared kitchen) so didn’t have dinner anywhere because we knew the options would be limited in town (and they close super early).
Campeche
Its walled city center is a colorful beauty with lots of trees and nature around (in contrast to Merida) and the history of the city is super interesting. Once a Maya trading village the Spaniards tried to conquer it without success once but eventually did in 1540. Campeche became the most important port in Yucatan, and subsequently very vulnerable to pirate attacks. There were so many that eventually they decided to build a wall around the city center with several bulwarks. Only a portion of the wall still stands, but you can climb and walk a portion of it
How long? Two nights
Where to stay? We stayed in an airbnb a bit outside of the city center and would recommend staying in the center if possible.
What do do?
Go to all the still standing bulwarks, specially the Baluarte de San Juan, which you can climb and walk on the wall. The Baluarte de Santiago is now a very small but cute botanic garden
Visit the Centro Cultural Casa 6 to see how the rich lived during the pre-revolutionary era
Go for a run in El Malecon, right next to the water
Take a day to visit Edzna, a set of impressive ruins about an hour from Campeche.
Go to the Museo El Palacioto learn about the history of Campeche, and be sure to go to the balcony for a beautiful view of the main Cathedral
If you have an extra day go to Isla Aguada. Not a place to detour for, but interesting nonetheless. It’s a large fishing village and you can take a tour to see dolphins and an island with lots of birds.
Eat the famous bread of Pomuch. If you are driving to/from Merida, have the time, and are craving bread, Pomuch is known for its Pan de Pichon, a soft bread filled with cheese, ham and jalapeno. They also have nice sweet breads. We liked El Pan de Pomuch
Places we wanted to go but couldn’t because they were closed: Museo de la Arquitectura Maya, Bazar Artesanal, Museo Arqueologico de Campeche
Where to eat? Culinarily Campeche is far from impressive in comparison to Yucatan state, but it has its gems
La Pigua. Best food we ate in Campeche
Parador Gastronomico de Cocteleros. For a good seafood lunch right next to the ocean head here
El Pastor Suizo. Good tacos de pastor and chicharron de queso
Chocol-Ha. Super cute place to have a chocolate tamal and a spicy hot chocolate
La Maria Cocina Peninsular. Yummy homemade food. Make reservations for the patio
Bacalar
A huge sweet-water lake of infinite shades of blue fed by underground rivers. Really magical
How long? Two nights
Where to stay? Plenty of options around the lake, we stayed at Rancho Encantado once and had a good time. However, please note that the north part of the lagoon (where that hotel is located) is still recuperating from heavy rains and the colors are not as impressive. So, I’d recommend staying on the south side of the lagoon. We usually stay in aibnbs with direct access to water. Just make sure that wherever you stay they have a dock you can chill at (preferably with hammocks) and have kayaks/paddles you can take out. But there are some beautiful hotels by the water (like Habitas) and if you can afford them, go!
What do do?
Just chill by the lake and swim, please
Take a sailboat tour with Bacalar Sailing or Veleando Ando. Mojitos and guac while chilling on crystalline waters is unbeatable
Go on an early morning kayak/paddle (or any time of day)
If you have time go to Cenote Azul. As far as cenotes go this one is not super impressive, but it is huge!
Where to eat?
Waah Cocina de Origen. Very good Mexican in a super cute hotel. Excellent mezcal-based cocktails as well. You can also go and use their good looking pool
Macario. Excellent food, cocktails, and vibe
La Playita. Cute spot with an impressive tree. Worth going just to see the magnitude of it. Food is decent
Nixtamal. Also very cute, usually has live music during the weekend
Habitas Bacalar. We ate breakfast and lunch here and both were very good. It is a beautiful hotel but you can spend the day there for a minimum $ (at time of writing it was $70 pp). They have paddles and kayaks you can use as well (transparent!). Gorgeous
THAT IS IT! If you actually went to all these places in a single roadtrip, congratulations! that is amazing. Now head to Tulum for a few days
For a bonus location very close to Cancun and decidedly not off the beaten path, I present to you Isla Mujeres:
Isla Mujeres
Impressive beach, easy to get around island without a car, good food. Touristyyyy
How long? Two nights
Where to stay? The best beach is Playa Norte so staying around there makes sense. We stayed on the opposite end, and it was still nice. It’s a very walkable island
What do do?
Go for a run in el Malecon and beyond
Rent a golf car and drive around the island to visit all the noteworthy places:
We tried going to the Hotel Garrafon de Castilla to snorkel but it was closed. We ended up at Capital Dulche, a beach club with kayaks and good food
Where to eat?
Chaya y Cacao. healthy breakfast spot
Cafe Mogagua. Mexican breakfast spot
Javi’s Cantina. Good dinner spot with excellent live music
Olivia. Very good mediterranean
Los Tacos de Humo. Yummy tacos
Have a blast in beautiful YUCATAN! Please reach out with any questions. And let me know if I missed some gems, I am certain there are many many more