JimboM1391

I rented a car for a month in CUN. $450 rental + $500 insurance = $1300 hold that fell off after two days. This was with budget.

JDiver

Many variables. If you do not purchase insurance and have a credit card that pays for damage / loss, it could theoretically be the full value of the car. In Mexico, DO buy insurance.

mmdough

I am trying to plan a 5 day trip to the Yucatan Peninsula for family of 4 mainly to see the ruins in the 2nd half of December. Our plane ticket is all set and we will be flying into Cancun. But I am wondering whether it is a good idea to rent a car or is it better to take public transportation. We like the flexibility of having our own transport but am nervous about driving in a foreign country. Also if we do rent a car, is it better to take the rental car company insurance or will it be suffice to use a credit card like the Ink or the Sapphire Preferred. Thanks.

Efrem

My suggestions, based on multiple visits to Mexico:

1. Go ahead and rent the car. You won't be on another planet. Stuff basically works the way you expect it to.

2. Rent the smallest and least ostentatious car you can tolerate, regardless of your budget or preference.

3. Get the rental company insurance. The hassle of dealing with claims against your own credit card coverage, even if it theoretically includes Mexico, outweigh the cost.

4. Watch out for speed bumps. Many of them have warning signs ("Topes") but far from all. They can be killers. Think US speed bumps on steroids. Slow to a crawl, then slow down some more, and you'll only be going a bit too fast for them.

5. Enjoy your trip. The overwhelming majority of Mexicans are honest, hard-working, nice people who put up with a lot more crap than any of us would for much less benefit at the end of the day. Treat them like the human beings they are, and you'll have a great time!

QPProletarian

Watch out for the cops. After staying there, I probably wouldn't be game to rent one after one stay but Efrem may have more experience there. The taxi drivers speed like crazy up that long road, but slow right down for the radar traps.

Doc Savage

I'll weigh in on the other side of the argument.

There are many nice, comfortable, air conditioned buses and tours that ply these routes. For me, it was a lot less stressful than trying to deal with the rental hassles in Mexico, and you can enjoy some nice cerveza along the way.

obscure2k

Please follow this thread in the FT Mexico Forum.
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Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

JVPhoto

I've flown into Cancun twice the first time going down to Iberostar resort in Riviera Maya and the 2nd all the way down to Cancun. We had organized for a private transfer for both of those. While the road all the way down the coast is pretty nice, modern and big I don't think I would want to have to drive there unless I absolutely had to. You may be able to find a nice small tour group or private transfer that would work out for you for that trip...unless you were looking to drive around multiple days.

redtailshark

I've rented and driven CUN before. Including 12-hour layovers on FD itins.

Efrem's advice is spot-on in all respects. ^

I experienced no big problem in the mechanics of rental, or the driving - this was easier and less stressful than MEX or GDL for example.

However, I was stopped and shaken down for la multa - a fine - for a "crime" I didn't commit - right on the edge of the urban zone. Moped-mounted cop, not nacional but local.

The best thing is using the car to get away from gringoland/Zona Hotelera banditry - where Starbs costs almost five dollars for a tall coffee - and to the old downtown where local hotels can be found at $20/night and you can actually meet local people.... and of course, driving towards MID and other locations to see the famed archaeological sites.

mmdough

Thank you all for your suggestions. Just to clarify, we do not plan to stay in Cancun much but will travel to Valladolid, Merida and maybe Tolum where hopefully will be much less 'touristy'. I do like the idea of less stress and not having to deal with car rentals but also concern that it will not be very convenient if we need to rely on public transportation to go places.

Doc Savage

Make sure you visit Chichen Itza with its amazing pyramids.

JDiver

It's quite doable.

Do a thorough walk-around and use your camera / smartphone camera to take photos from every angle, and be sure everything is documented on the rental firm's paper (in Mexico, or in the US, or wherever!) Be sure to check spare tire and tools - if anything is missing it will be charged to you, not to mention the inconvenience of a flat with no tools. Be sure to note any missing hubcaps or rear view mirrors, etc. as they will also be charged to you if missing and not documented previously.

Get the full coverage insurance - the insurance company is your bailor / guarantor, and be aware in many policies glass breakage, partial theft (items like rear view mirrors) etc. are not covered.

Do watch the "topes" (or "tumulos", lomos de burro, lomos de toro, etc. in different countries) as mentioned
,
which may not be marked, as well as unmarked and sometimes large potholes, and do be prepared for an occasional stop to check papers, sometimes baggage, etc. by very armed uniformed officials.

Be aware some animals may be using the road, and a breakdown around the cure may be indicated by some rocks or branches on the road - which will not be removed when the vehicle is fixed and moves off.

Do NOT drive after dusk, do not drive in the dark and do not drive at night. Do you sense a trend here? (I've driven in Mexico under all kinds of conditions since the late 1950s, and I will try to not drive at night - that's when the animals will come out, as well as drunks, and sometimes more nefarious people.)

More Diesel pumps in Mexico stations, often the same type filler as gasoline / petrol; be aware (if you need Diesel, be sure they filter it - the filter will be prominent and it will say "filtrado"). Also be aware one tips the guy in the petrol station who pumps for you and maybe cleans the windshield; a five peso bill is more than sufficient (about 40 cents US), and be sure the pump is "zeroed" when they begin pumping and they stop when you want them to. Also be aware they are quite willing to check your oil and - short dip it so you buy a liter, but you need to double check or you may find yourself with too much oil in the crankcase. There is one type of petrol - Pemex, the national oil company. I try not letting the tank ever get below half-full, because the next station may be distant and the replenishment for the week may not have happened.

Section 107

its 50/50 on whether they are marked - and marked does not mean signs - they might just have be painted which is of course long since faded...

One warning sign of an unmarked tope: suddenly seeing a small building with sign advertising Coca-cola & Corona on one side of the road and a "Llantas" sign on the building directly across from it on the other side of the road.

I have come to believe topes are really just the locals finding creative ways to diversify their income stream from the family farm.

Also, I think Metepec/Toluca is the birthplace of topes....or at least the main manufacturing and shipping center to the rest of the country.

VidaNaPraia

We just got back Sunday from a second trip to the Yucatan. We love it.

We rented from Easyway; highly recommend them. They pick you up at the airport and go to their office a few minutes away. You will get a total online (rental, insurance, state tax) but can get a discount on arrival for AAA or paying cash. They are very nice people. Do take the full insurance. For a week plus one day, a GOL (4 passenger, but really only space for 2 24" bags; the Tsuru we had last year is bigger) cost us U$300.
Ask for a Tarjeton, a card that can get you out of a police "mordida". (which I've not had to use)
Also be careful to watch the Pemex gas attendants; make sure the pump is on zero to start and watch to make sure they fill only to what you ask for and not more (we had someone try to pull a scam).
The roads are good; the drivers all speed, but you should stay at the posted speed to avoid problems. The 'topes', which I am used to from Brazil, are still a pain.

Go directly to Valladolid on the cuota (toll road). Use it as a base for CI and EkBalam ruins and some cenotes, and enjoy the charm and crafts. You can then go to Tulum via Coba ruins, or make a bigger circle to include Merida, Uxmal ruins, the Ruta Puuc ruins, haciendas, missions to Tical and on to Tulum passing the Sian Ka'an biosphere (and do Coba from Tulum).
Tulum beach is magnificent. You won't want to leave. On the entry road, pass the big Chedraui supermarket and turn left at the end of the beach access road, almost to the back entrance to the ruins to the modest Playa das Palmas (just parking on the sand and a cook shack, but reasonable food, nice people and comfortable lounges - or bring your own cooler and supplement with their food) or turn right and go to the chic-er Ana y Jose beach club.
Highly recommend http://www.siankaantours.org/ and their great local Mayan guide for a biosphere trip (office located near the HSBC bank). Take the sunset one, lots of variety of activities and ecosystems, including floating down the Maya-dug freshwater canals in the mangrove and seeing manatees.
Also go to Akumal to snorkle and see huge turtles and rays; pretty beach, good food at LolHa. You can also snorkle the reef in Tulum, but not as amazing; you can get a couple of hour trip from the folks next to the stand at Playa das Palmas.
The pueblo/town is good for a stroll in the evening to look at shops and get an ice cream or a drink.
If the kids are into some of the adventure parks (Xcaret, Xplor, Xel-Ha, Dolphinius, etc) they are within a fairly easy drive for a day trip from Tulum, as is Playa del Carmen.
Do enjoy.

JDiver

ROFL! I think you might be right - some topes are locally installed and not approved by anyone except the kiosk operators! As for Metepec, why not? They have all that clay...