Riviera Maya, Mexico: Cancun, Holbox and Tulum
- Danielle Hudspith
- Dec 12, 2021
- 5 min read
With white sandy beaches, ancient Mayan ruins, cenotes and plenty of tequila, Mexico certainly has a lot to offer. Quintana Roo is home to Mexico’s Caribbean coastal tourist hotspots including Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel and Tulum. Quintana Roo has a tropical climate with fairly steady temperatures of 28 degrees all year round and a rainy season May-October.
We visited Cancun, Tulum and Holbox in November 2021, stopping off at Chichén Itzá, Coba and several cenotes enroute.
Our itinerary:
Getting around:
We hired a car from Cancun Airport which was pretty straight forward, but there were quite a few people running into issues with additional fees at the desk. We booked in advance with Europcar (through Auto Europe) and selected the added insurance and an additional driver. This was fine and we weren’t charged any extra in the end, but be warned that people who had booked with other companies seemed to be charged considerably more at collection. We also ended up paying a hefty £1000 security deposit that was hugely over what was quoted on our booking confirmation. We got this back at the end but just be prepared for the salespeople to put their own spin on what you booked.
Driving is quite easy as the roads are simple, especially the coastal road and those leading to the main tourist places. We did have a little trouble with dirt roads around Tulum after heavy rain though. These roads were just about passable but if you want to avoid them, don’t go down the roads that show on Google maps as having no name!
There are public buses that run between the main destinations (i.e. Cancun to Tulum) about every hour and we found taxis were also easy to order. If you are getting a taxi you should try and give the exact change and agree a price up front – we learnt that the hard way when the driver refused to give us any change.
TULUM
Tulum has a very different feel to the more built-up areas of Cancun and Playa del Carmen. A lot of work has been done to incorporate the jungle into the hotels rather than cut it back, which has resulted in a stunning eco retreat style tourist destination, right on the white sand beaches and crystal clear waters of the Caribbean.
The Hotel Zone is probably the best place to stay in Tulum as you are right on the beach and in the centre of the bars and restaurants. We found this too pricey though so we stayed at the Copal Tulum Hotel which was about a ten minute taxi ride to the main strip on the beach.
Places to visit in Tulum:
Chichén Itzá – there is a reason this Mayan site is one of the new seven wonders of the world and it did not disappoint. We drove here from Tulum (about 2 hours) but you can get there from Cancun in about the same time.
Top tips:
get here as early as possible – the tour buses rock up from 10am and then it gets BUSY. We got there about 8.30am and managed to get some good people-free photos
take lots of water as it can get hot and there weren’t many places selling drinks
there are guides available to hire and they did sound quite good but we saved the money and wandered around at our own pace with an online guide on a phone
you have to buy two separate tickets to get in and you can buy them together but one of them can only be paid for in cash. You also have to pay a fee (about $10-$25) for things like a Go Pro
on Sundays entry is free for locals so it might be best to avoid this day
Tulum Ruins – these ruins don’t rank in the top Mayan sites, but there is something special about their location on a cliff overlooking an incredible beach. We ended up buying a package deal from a kiosk near the entrance which included a boat trip as well as the entry ticket. We were then taken out from Tulum Beach to swim with rays and turtles!
Cenotes – these beautiful water filled sinkholes are peppered all around Tulum so you can make a day trip of cenote hopping. Each one has a very different vibe so here’s a quick summary of the ones we visited.
Gran Cenote – this cenote is beautiful and you can take a dip with the small turtles that live there, or swim through the bat filled caves. It is quite well known though so can get busy.
Calavera – this was our favourite by far as it has a chilled hippy vibe and you can grab a few beers from a little bar. This one is not a great choice for kids or weak swimmers though as it’s very deep and the best way to get in is to jump through the middle. One very slippery ladder is the only way to get out.
Ik Kil – this one is a deep cenote with spectacular vines and foliage hanging from the top. It’s also near Chichén Itzá so a good one to visit enroute, but that does mean it’s more commercialised and can get quite busy.
Coba – these ruins are not so well preserved as Chichén Itzá but they are deep in the jungle and impressive nonetheless. The ruins themselves are spread out over a large area so you can walk (but this takes a few hours) or you can hire a guide with a bici taxi or hire a bike.
You could climb the main pyramid until this year but sadly you can’t do this anymore.
HOLBOX
Holbox is a relatively new tourist destination but it won’t be long before people cotton on to this idyllic
island paradise.
You can get to Holbox on a 30 minute ferry from Chiquila. You can’t book this in advance but they go every half an hour everyday.
Holbox has a beach bum vibe and there are plenty of restaurants and bars right on the sand to while away the evenings in. There are very few cars on the island and you get around by golf carts with ATV wheels due to the roads all being dirt tracks that are often flooded.
We stayed in La Puerta Azul Holbox which was beautiful but perhaps a bit out of the way. If you want an off the grid stay then this part of the island is great, but we found it was quite far to get into the centre for dinner and drinks.
Coco Beach on the north of the island is a lovely sunset spot and if you stay until dark, you can see the fluorescent plankton light up the water. Word of warning – this beach is next to Mosquito beach and it’s no accident that it’s called that!
CANCUN
Cancun was our last stop on the trip and the complete opposite of our experience in Tulum and Holbox. If you’re looking for an all inclusive stay in a luxury hotel right on the beach then this is the place for you, but there’s not much by way of things to do in Cancun outside of the hotels.
Cancun's beach is pretty and the water is beautiful but there are nicer beaches in other areas and it’s hard to ignore the huge hotels that dominate the coastline.
If you’re looking for nightlife then Cancun can be a lot of fun – there are numerous bars and clubs in the north of the hotel zone and the party seems to go on all hours of the day, especially at the legendary Coco Bongo, situated right on the beach.
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