On Sat, 5 May 2007 06:57:00 -0700, "Technobarbarian"
wrote:
>
>"Alan S" wrote in message
>news:vpbg331ge1kah14itp24ns4qmouksbb1k3@4ax.com...
>> On Tue, 1 May 2007 22:42:04 -0700, "Technobarbarian"
>
>> wrote:
>>> This is similar to what we did a couple years ago. I've been able to
>>>hang out down there for longer periods, but we were only able to spare a
>>>week for that trip. If you turn south from the airport you come to the
>>>Cancun bypass very quickly. The toll road to Merida and the highway from
>>>Cancun to Tulum are couple of the only places in Mexico that I'll
>>>willingly
>>>drive after dark. By the time we got to Valladolid it had been dark for
>>>quite awhile. The hotel El Meson del Marques is right on the main square.
>>>Valladolid has quite a bit of charm in its own right. Just across the
>>>street
>>>from the hotel is one of best places to pick up local craft items from the
>>>people who made them. The Mayan ladies are mostly selling traditional
>>>dresses and other needlework, but you can also pick up hammocks there.
>>>Valladolid has a nice small traditional mercado. There's also an
>>>interesting
>>>cenote there that you can walk in.
>
>> Thank you for that excellent report. I'm going to be trying
>> something similar, but I'm limited to four nights and public
>> transport or taxis.
>>
>> I was thinking of staying (as a single senior, I'm not a
>> back-packer) arrival night in Cancun and the other three in
>> a small town like Valladolid and doing day trips or tours
>> from there. Any suggestions on other towns with character
>> but reasonable ( = aircon and pool) hotels?
>
> I'm not the best person to ask about hotels. Most of my travels in
>the region have been in a motorhome. There are a lot of towns with character
>in the region, but most of them don't have the sort of hotel that would have
>a swimming pool. The cenote in Valladolid is a popular swimming hole. The
>Hotel Caribe in Merida has a pool in an unlikely spot on the second or third
>floor. Some of the more upscale hotels near Chichen Itza may have pools.
>
> With your time frame and choice of transportation I'd suggest traveling
>light and moving around a bit instead of using any one place as a base. The
>town at Chichen Itza, Piste, is nice enough for a place whose main industry
>is tourism, but I wouldn't call it a town with character. I like Valladolid,
>but personally I'd get bored there if I stayed three nights in a row. You
>have enough time that you could get into Merida or spend a night on the
>coast. Izamal is another town with character to consider.
>
> In addition to visiting the ruins of Ek Balam I'd also suggest
>visiting the village of Ek Balam just past the ruins. Most of the homes are
>built on a traditional Mayan pattern, with minor modern improvements.
>Another site to consider is Dzibilchaltun, a bit north of Merida. The
>archaeological site suffers from having been plundered for its stones and
>overly aggressive restoration, but there's an excellent museum there. The
>cenote there is another popular swimming hole for the locals.
>
>TB
>
Thank you. Very helpful.
Cheers, Alan, Australia
--
http://loraltravel.blogspot.com/
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