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Yucatan on a Budget

The Yucatan has Cheap Restaurants, Budget Hotels, and Great Tours

Oct 12, 2008 Betsy Husband

Visiting the Yucatan is more than Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum, although it wouldn't seem so by reading travel brochures.

Many tourists who go to the Riviera Maya are looking for fun in the sun and spend their days sipping grown up drinks through straws. Most of them end up staying in Cancún, Playa del Carmen, or somewhere in between. Getting away from the masses and crowds lends a new appreciation for the Maya culture, and the dollar stretches much farther.

Go to Valladolid

Mid-way between Cancún and Merida is the small colonial town of Valladolid. Buses arrive daily full of tourists on their way back to Cancún from Chichén Itzá. They park on the plaza (el Zócalo) and tourists file out, spending an hour or two eating and shopping until it’s time to re-board the bus for their trip back to the crowded Riviera Maya. As soon as they leave, Valladolid reverts back to a charming town where the locals re-claim their plaza, and the slow, relaxed Mexican evening dances to the song of children playing tag and couples sitting hand in hand.

Hotel rooms cost much less here than in the main mecca of tourism. At the Hotel el Mesón del Marqués, the nicest hotel in town, rooms start for as little as $55 for a double. The courtyard dining room serves regional cuisine that’s delicious and reasonably priced. The Hotel Zací is another favorite for tourists in the know, at about half the price.

Many restaurants throughout the town cater to locals and are off the tourist radar screen. The prices are a fraction of the cost, and the quality just as good. It’s easy to get a complete meal for less than five dollars.

Take a Tour

Few people speak English in Valladolid, but the town is small enough that it’s easy to get around and find what’s needed. On one corner of the Zócalo is the tourist office. They will make arrangements for tours with a federally licensed tour guide, Alberto Morales. Alberto will arrange anything from a private tour of Chichén Itzá to a group dive trip to Cozumel. His prices are comparable to tours out of Cancún but the service is much more personal.

Rather than see the sights that most tourists see in the Yucatán, Alberto will suggest lesser known sights that are equally, if not more, interesting. Ek Balám is a newly discovered ruin that some claim will be the next Chichén Itzá, but few tourists are seeing it yet. Alberto’s tours frequently include a swim in a fresh water cenote, a swimming hole from a river that flows under the limestone surface. In northeast Yucatán there are more than 3,000 cenotes.

Take a Bus

Traveling by bus in Mexico is safe, easy, and inexpensive. And the best part is they go everywhere. There are over ten buses a day that leave Valladolid for Merida and Cancún, several go to Chichén Itzá, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and just about every other known tourist attraction in the Yucatan. The first-class buses are clean and air-conditioned, and the bus drivers are helpful and friendly, making sure their passengers arrive at their proper destinations. It’s a very relaxed and comfortable way to get around.

If you go:

Hotel el Mesón del Marqués

www.mesondelmarques.com

Casa Quetzal Bed and Breakfast

www.casa-quetzal.com

Hotel Zací

Calle 44 #193 Valladolid

www.hotelzaci.com

Their website frequently doesn’t work, but it’s a favorite spot for seasoned travelers.

The copyright of the article Yucatan on a Budget in Latin Am/Caribbean Travel is owned by Betsy Husband. Permission to republish Yucatan on a Budget in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Courtyard of Hotel el Meson del Marques