Originally Posted by
LAX_Esq
Thanks for that, VidaNaPraia! Looks like a great route, but 4 hotels in 5 nights makes me a little dizzy (just personal preference). I'd ideally like to consolidate everything into 2 hotels (e.g., 3 nights in Merida and 2 nights in Tulum). *Maybe* a 3rd hotel is we really have to. Do you think that makes sense? By the way, it looks like we could get an early evening flight on Day 6.
What doesn't make sense to me is pushing all the way up to Merida from Cancun on such a short trip, and also trying to include all the ruins mentioned.
It's a long drive from Cancun to Merida on a hypnotically boring cuota road. And another long drive from Merida to Tulum. That makes me a little dizzy.
The first time we went, we went directly to Valladolid and stayed two nights to see Ek Balam and Chichen Itza in the mornings, with a cenote in the afternoon. We really like Valladolid. Then we drove to Tulum, with a stop enroute to see Coba ruins. Based in Tulum pueblo (saw the ruins and beach, swam with turtles up the road in Akumal, did Sian Ka'an biosphere by boat) and spent the last night closer to the airport (could be in lively Playa del Carmen or closer Puerto Morelos) for a mid-morning flight that got us home in the evening. This is a smaller circle. You could stay in Tulum for the last night, but I prefer not having to drive very far on that last morning; moving one more time is worth it to me.
The second, longer trip, we went directly to Merida to see Uxmal and the Ruta Puuc ruins, but we had already seen the other ruins mentioned above, so we drove past CI and EB on the way there. And we came back to Tulum, a favorite, via a hacienda on Ruta Puuc rather than go back to Merida, and exploring the road and area further south of Tulum.
Those are two circles that work.
Or as people are suggesting, fly into Merida to base for Uxmal, CI and EB, explore the city, and fly out of there as well.