alamedaguy

Sorry this is long and rambling. I decided to include more detail on the off chance it might help someone.

My wife, three year old daughter, six month old son and I flew into Merida to stay at the Hacienda Santa Rosa about an hour south of the city. I had chosen this hotel based on very positive reports in the SPG forum. We happened to be going around the time of the equinox, which is a major event at Chichen Itza, so no rooms were available for points at the two closer haciendas. It was a surprise for my wife; I had hinted we were going to Cabo San Lucas. We flew AeroMexico because the schedule was better than UA/CO's and I am mad at United. We were nearly the last people to check in at SFO for the MEX flight. My daughter and I had paper tickets which led to a long checkin process. Somehow they were unable to get us seats together on the MEX-MID flight and we ended up several rows apart. The entire AeroMexico experience was very similar to a domestic US flight, complete with indifferent service and non-functioning IFE.

We had a three hour layover each direction. We started with breakfast then just wandered around for a while. There is a sweet shop in T2 with some sort of candied fruit. The orange peels and pineapples were our favorites, but they also had sweet potatoes, pears, and other things I don't remember. They have various candies and chocolates, too.

We arrived in Merida around noon and found the Hertz desk. One of the men working there popped up and helped us get our luggage outside, where a shuttle met us. It was about a one minute ride to the Hertz facility, which is the best thing I can say about them. It took quite a long time for them to process our reservation. They quoted us about $200 even though the reservation was for $125. I chose to try to straighten that out once we got home.. Once everything was done and we were headed out to load the car, someone realized the tags were going to expire in 2 days and we would have to come back and swap them out. Alternatively, they said we could take the car into the city and get a different car there, or wait an hour and a half for someone else to go pick up the car. Finally, they offered a manual car with 49,000 kilometers on it. I couldn't really tell what else they had on the lot. We took that car and they added my wife as a driver for free. Even though they have a #1 Gold sign, it didn't seem to have made a difference. We headed to the center of Merida for lunch and to see the sights. It was hot and we were cranky from the redeye, so we basically just ate lunch and popped into one disappointing shop. The lunch place we chose was called Main Street and was recommended by Lonely Planet. As we approached it, I said "it's over there somewhere" and someone turned and asked what we were looking for. I told him, and he walked us across the street to it, producing a little ad for them from his breast pocket. The food was pretty good and the portions were generous, but the setting was the real draw. The restaurant is in a small square with great shade.

My wife does most of the driving in our family. We've rented cars in Malta, Cyprus, Chile, New Zealand, and Tahiti, so we didn't give driving in Mexico a second thought. It turned out not to be an issue at all. The main thing that took getting used to was that the signs and lane markings, particularly around Merida, seemed to be suggestions more than rules. There were a few times on the highway we went through police checkpoints but they just waved us through each time. The hotel is in the middle of a small village near a small town. My wife wondered why we were heading to a hotel in the middle of nowhere. There were plenty of signs guiding the way, including one on the highway 53 kilometers away. After driving through the village on the only bumpy road, the hotel appeared at the end of the road.

The front entrance was through a gate and into a grassy lawn with no other cars. We found out they move the cars "around back" but never really got any idea of what that meant. The hotel itself was really nice and the staff could not have been nicer. We went swimming right away but it had started to cool down and we didn't last long. I had emailed them ahead of time to let them know my wife is vegetarian (they only have 11 rooms so I didn't anticipate a huge selection) and they prepared a custom meal for her each night. As an example, one night it was very thinly sliced potato, banana, a green (chaya?), grilled cheese, and a couple of other things stacked up with a light green cream sauce. She said that dish was amazing. The meals were served on a veranda that opened out into a jungle/forest area.

Our terrace


Bed made up (enhanced by my daughter)


On our first full day we hit the hotel pool again. Part of the pool is covered -- as in it's under a building -- and there were a few leaves collected in the corner. I told my daughter it was a shark which meant the pool lost some of its appeal for the rest of the trip. In the afternoon we decided to head to Chichen Itza. The main temple at Chichen Itza is designed to take advantage of the shadows at the equinox. Apparently the effect is visible for about 5 days before and after and thousands of people visit on the actual day. So, we decided to head over two days before the equinox. We got there about an hour before closing. A tour guide in what appeared to be an official shirt approached and offered a tour. He initially quoted 600 pesos but came down to 400 with an abbreviated tour because of the time and the kids.

It blew us away. I didn't really know much about it and was amazed. The special draw of the equinox is that the shadows make an image of a snake descending the temple. We got a good look at it and a couple of pictures before a large cloud parked itself in the way. While walking around, we heard the nearly constant sound of vendors blowing into small jaguar head shaped toys to make them roar. We got my daughter one and she had a great time with it. Even though there is a light show at 7, they seemed to kick everyone out at 5, so we went to dinner. We went to a buffet that was clearly designed for tour buses but there was only one other small group eating by the time we got there. It was definitely not one of the highlights. We made it back in time for the light show, but I had left my ID locked in the trunk so I couldn't rent headphones to hear the English narration. Before the narration started, they cycled through most of the colors and effects so that was probably the best time to take pictures. There were probably 150 - 200 chairs set up and a few people seated on the ground watching the show. Unfortunately, many people held up their cameras throughout the show, so anyone not in the front row was unable to get a clean shot. The show was nice and from what little we could understand I really wished we had been able to get the headphones.

With serpent


Lit up - it was dark but the moon was very bright


The next day we just played around on our terrace after breakfast. We went into the village for lunch, not sure what to expect. It was Sunday and it turned out there were two places clearly offering food. One had a sign for hamburgers, and the other for tortas, tacos, panuchos, salbutes, and empanadas. The second was the larger of two. It was similar to like a taco truck but smaller and without wheels. There were a table and a bench out front. It turned out the tacos and tortas had been available Saturday but we could get the other items. Even though I had had salbutes two nights prior at the hotel, the name didn't ring a bell. We managed to discover that the empanadas had beans and the other two had chicken, so we ordered one of each. Salbutes and panuchos are very similar: in this case a fried tortilla with shredded chicken, tomato, and marinated onions. The panucho had beans stuffed inside the tortilla. It was similar to a pupusa. My daughter promptly dumped the toppings off hers and ate the beans and tortilla while my wife enjoyed the empanada and I had a double stuffed salbute. We ordered three more.. They cost 5 or 6 pesos each, which was *slightly* cheaper than the hotel, where they were 3 for 110 pesos (the hotel's were a little more substantial, of course). While we were waiting and eating, a crowd of 9 adults and children gathered, mainly to pass around my son. We managed to get my daughter to open up a little and throw out a couple of Spanish pleasantries.

Later in the afternoon we decided to visit a nearby temple and a cave. We got to the temple (Oxkintok) 10 minutes before closing so had to run around the complex. It was also very nice though obviously not as grand as Chichen Itza. It dates from the mid 400s to the mid 800s.

Oxkintok


My primary objective in visiting the cave at Calcehtok was to see bats emerge at dusk, and I was not disappointed. The entrance to the cave is down a ladder into what seems to be a large hole in the ground. When we arrived, there were several people in the area at the bottom but they were heading out. There was also a guide who told us the bats would come around 6, which meant we had about 15 minutes. I took my daughter down to look around but we didn't try to take my son down. We had been warned to come back to the top prior to the arrival of the bats unless we wanted a guano shower.. The guide went down the ladder a couple of times with a flashlight. The first couple of bats showed up around 5 after and the big group came out about 6:15. There were hundreds of them flying in small circles right in front of us. We could feel the wind they generated as a group. After a few minutes they began to head off one by one to look for dinner.

Bats


On our third full day we headed to the coastal city of Celestun. Passing through a mid-sized town on the way, we got lost and we ended up arriving around noon, somewhat later than we had planned. We ate at Chivirico, which was mentioned both in Lonely Planet and the guide in the hotel room. We asked for rice and beans for my daughter and the waiter offered them with plantains. My wife ordered the rice and plaintains, and ended up with the exact same food plated differently. . I had pork al a plancha which was fine. The service was friendly and a very nice man at the table behind us asked for a new spoon when my son dropped his on the floor. I wouldn't have bothered to try pantomiming the request at the risk of getting a plate of squid in its own ink. A couple of different people came through the restaurant offering treats. We tried a couple but they weren't really to our taste. It turns out there is now an HSBC ATM in the supermarket and another ATM next door to the supermarket, contrary to what the Lonely Planet says.

The draw in Celestun is a biosphere reserve that's home to a variety of birds including flamingos. You see the reserve via a boat trip, which also includes a short trip through the mangroves and a stop at a natural spring where you can swim. You can take the boat either from the bridge on the way into town or the beach. We chose the beach, though in retrospect I think the bridge would have been preferable. The boats hold up to 8 people and the fare is 200 pesos each or 1000 for the whole boat. We only had to wait a few minutes before a couple of other groups showed up and we had a boatload. From the beach, you basically go south to the mouth of the river, then up the river under the bridge to the sites. The boat ride on the open water was fun and we saw quite a few birds, including pelicans. There is also a "petrified forest" which is just a giant disappointment. The flamingos were absolutely incredible. As we approached, another passenger pointed out a thin pink line between the water and trees. Closer in, of course, it was thousands of flamingos. There were a few other boats as we got near, but they weren't in the way or anything. We stood still for a few moments and watched them come and go. Finally a large group flew away to our amazement. Apparently there are crocodiles in the mangroves but we didn't see one and it doesn't seem like they are commonly spotted on these tours. My wife and daughter had their swimsuits on so they were able to get into the spring. It was a nice place for a quick walk and there were a few small fish visible from the boardwalk.

Some flamingos


On the way out of town we stopped in the square for some fresh churros and a hot dog.

On our last full day, we had intended to visit Uxmal, but it seemed like the kids were growing weary of the car rides and we weren't sure they'd enjoy another temple. Instead, we decided to go to Merida to do some clothes shopping and stop in a cenote on the way back. We are lunch at a restaurant called La Chaya Maya just north of the Plaza Grande. They started us off with a chaya juice, which was sweetened and definitely odd. We had more salbutes and panuchos. I also had a pork dish call poc chuc and my wife had papadzules. My daughter tried a shark empanada but didn't really care for it. We don't eat much seafood so she was on her own. Both the food and service were great and I would definitely eat there again.

The cenote we chose is in the town of Chochola, just off the highway from Merida to the hotel. A cenote is a sinkhole with groundwater in it. In this case, it is a pool in a cave. The proprietors built a nice restaurant above it with a playground, some goats, changing facilities, etc. We also saw a couple of iguanas. To access the cenote, we want down a flight of stairs underground. The cave itself wasn't spectacular, but there were small stalactites, stalagmites, and other formations. The pool was really nice - a great temperature for swimming and splashing around. Half of it was shallow enough to just sit and relax and half was deep. There were about 15 people in there at one point and it was starting to feel full. It cost 40 pesos per person. If we went again, I'd bring my snorkeling mask to take in the depths.

Cenote

http://www.cenotesanignacio.com/

Once we got back to the hotel, I took my son back through the village to buy some water. We walked all the way through looking for a store with a fridge, knowing the store closest to the hotel was unlikely to have water. A couple of the stores were closed and none of the others looked promising. On the walk back, we passed a group of women playing a game like kickball but hitting the ball with their hands. We crossed the street to pass, and several little girls were trying to get a look at my son. I bent down to show him off and say hi, and some older girls/women appeared. Someone immediately took my son off my hands so I got to ask the kids their names. Unfortunately I could only understand a couple of them and I am terrible with names. . When my son spit up, he was promptly returned to me. I let them know he was ready for a nap and we were on our way. We got back to the small restaurant where we had eaten a couple of days earlier and caught the attention of a couple of the people there. They came out to say hello and hold my son but he started crying fairly quickly so we left them, too. We made it back to the store by the hotel, and found a fridge full of coke. Small, medium, and large bottles all lined up nicely and all room temperature. . Luckily there were a couple of other customers and they knew to look under a cloth for the baked goods. I got a pan dulce to round out dinner. We had another delicious dinner on our terrace and splashed around in the plunge pool a little. Then it was time to pack up.

In the morning we had breakfast on the terrace, played some, and toured the hotel's botanical garden. We only saw about a quarter of it before we had to get on the road. We walked back into the village to say goodbye to our friends then went to Maxcanu for lunch. Just north of the town square there is a small strip of beverage vendors and at lunchtime there were some women out front making salbutes and panuchos. Here they were only 2.5 pesos each! The meat wasn't quite as, um, "meaty" as most other places, but they tasted fine. We also stopped on the way into town for a piraqua which we had been promising my daughter all along.

Hertz took at least 15 minutes to help us. They then tried to charge us for an extra hour since they reported that we returned the car about and hour and half after it was due back. The rep didn't even tell me; he just handed me the bill. I pointed to it and said no then pointed to the floor and repeated "mucho tiempo" until he asked a coworker and she told him to remove it. I didn't like being a jerk about it but there was no way I was paying it at that point.

The flights home were uneventful except that the flight attendant woke me up loudly asking if I wanted a drink. Considering the flight left MEX after 8pm, I think letting passengers sleep would have been the prudent approach.

Anyway, the trip was very enjoyable. I would definitely recommend the hotel and area. I'm not sure how long the drive is from Cancun. Campeche is a little south of the area as an alternative.

N830MH

Unfortunately, You didn't take a pictures inside the terminals & etc. I wasn't pleasant to write your trip reports details. Oh well! I'm glad you had a great time in CUN. I have been there in CUN last 9 years ago and it was quite enjoyable the entire trip. I wishes if I could go back to CUN again in a distant for the future.

janehoya

Thanks for posting this great report. The flamingos look incredible!

Thunderroad

Wonderful trip report. And good photos as well, including the one of the terrace giving a sense of what it's like.