Thanks very much for the quick and helpful replies, folks. To expand a bit re our plans, the trip would be a total of about 16 or 17 days. It would likely be in February, with perhaps up to a week in Celestun; two or three days in Merida (because I've read some good comments on it and because if we fly there on Continental the planes arrive late and depart early); and about a week or so in a couple of haciendas, certainly including Campeche.
We'd likely fly in and out of Merida; though I'm also looking into flying into or out of Campeche, and then going through Merida the other way if that makes sense and picking up a car rental in one place and dropping it off elsewhere works out (and if I can do it on miles).
To answer your questions, and to ask a bit more myself:
Originally Posted by
sc flier
You can't very well make a day trip to Celestun from Uayamon, but you can from Santa Rosa. (Unless someone gives you good reason to do so, do NOT take the back road west out of Santa Rosa. It could be completely washed out, and if your car broke down, you might be stuck for a long while. Instead, go up to Merida and then west to Celestun.)
Did you determine a non-SPG hotel that you would like in or near Celestun? I'm not sure if Celestun's beach is what you are expecting. It does have the beach, but it's main attraction is the back side of the island's (or is it a peninsula?) flamingo colony and wildlife reserve.
Thanks for the driving guidance. When you say that I couldn't make a day trip, I assume that you mean I couldn't go back and forth to Celestun from Uamayon in a day. Reaching (and then staying in) Celestun in a day from either hacienda is possible, though, right? And any idea of how long each trip would take by car?
As for Celestun itself, I realize that it's a pretty undeveloped scene. We'd rent a house, possibly with a couple of friends. I'm under the impression that the town is friendly, has a few decent places to eat and that the beach is very long, more with crushed shells than fine sand. Does that sound correct? That's about all that we'd be looking for in terms of a very relaxed, slow period--several days or perhaps a week. If my impression of the place is incorrect and/or there's anything you'd like to caution me about, I'd welcome your thoughts.
Originally Posted by
stimpy
Yep, read the thread. It was very useful. Thanks.
Originally Posted by
schriste
I have stayed at both Uayamon and Santa Rosa. I preferred Santa Rosa, but that was my first hacienda stay so the whole experience was new and fresh… so that might cloud my perception.
It is difficult to come up with reasons, but I’ll try. First, I liked the layout of the Santa Rosa. It just had a good feel. The pool was right in the middle of things. The room I had was particularly nice with an outdoor “plunge pool” (really a large bathtub as it has hot water), patio furniture and a day bed… plus an interesting architectural feature. The small, small, small town of Santa Rosa is also right outside the hacienda.
Uayamon was in some ways grander… in fact the initial arrival as you drive up is most impressive. But for some reason I just did not like the layout of the place very much. The rooms were all located in a clump some distance from the main house. Our room was spacious with a great indoor bathtub, but it was also incredibly dark inside and the weak compact fluorescent bulbs in the room gave off a horrible color cast. There was a nice outdoor daybed in a little gazebo like thing… but there was no view of anything. The pool is also tucked away in a distant little corner.
Hanging out on our patio at the Santa Rosa was endlessly enjoyable and ultra relaxing. In fact we spent 5 days there doing almost nothing (did a day trip to Uxmal one day). Just did not feel that way at Uayamon.
You did not mention how many nights you plan to spend in Campeche and in U or SR, but if you do decide to stay at U I’d try and push as many of your nights as possible to Campeche with perhaps 1 night at U… or even a stop there for lunch after a visit to Edzna.
Thanks for the comparison. I'm a bit unclear about what you're saying about Campeche, though. Is it that you'd advise spending a lot more time there than at U, or that even if we stay at SR you'd suggest concentrating more time at Campeche?
Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but from reviews I've read either here or at Tripadvisor I'm under the impression that the village of Santa Rosa itself is nothing special and in fact is very poor. Does that sound right?