If you have come from my 1 week city to coast Mexico itinerary, chances are that you’re itching to see more of this beautiful country - and why wouldn’t you be? The Yucatán Peninsula is one of Mexico’s most popular tourist destinations, and whilst 1 week will barely scratch the surface of its glory, it’ll be enough to make you want to return some day for more.
This itinerary assumes that you fly in / out from Cancún, which is home to the main airport in the region:
Day 1: Cancún (arrival day)
Day 2: Chichén Itzá / Valladolid
Day 3: Valladolid
Day 4: Tulum
Day 5: Muyil / Sian Ka’an / Tulum
Day 6: Tulum
Day 7: Cancún (departure day)
Day 1: Cancún (arrival day)
Let’s just get hard truths / my own stubborn opinions out of the way - I would not recommend spending more than one night in Cancún, and that’s only if one night is absolutely necessary for you to find your feet after flying in. I found Cancún to be a pretty soulless, somewhat ugly tourist strip of hotels with nothing much to speak of other than tacky bars and a slightly unpleasant crowd - in fact, it has the unfortunate distinction of being the only place in Mexico that we were heckled in.
Where we stayed in Cancún
Mayan Monkey Hotel: we stayed in a private room rather than one of the shared rooms (because we’re not teenagers anymore), which was extremely spacious and comfortable. The communal spaces were also very well maintained and I can imagine that the classic gap-yah experience here would be a lot more pleasant than your average hostel.
I’d therefore recommend moving immediately onto your next destination or doing what we did, which was to sleep one night in a hotel before setting off early the next morning to get stuck into what you’re really here for.
Day 2: Chichén Itzá / Valladolid
Chichén Itzá is very much a non-negotiable stop when in this part of Mexico, being the world-famous remains of a great Mayan city. This architectural marvel is one that necessitates having a tour guide - ours was fantastic in not only explaining the rich history and culture of the Maya, but also pointing out the secrets and intricacies of the site, leaving us in awe of how ahead of their time they were. Top tip - bring an umbrella or at least a wide-brimmed hat, because there is little cover when walking around the site and the sun gets particularly scorching at midday!
We were then taken to enjoy a dip in the incredible Cenote Samaal, which was very much welcomed given the heat. Cenotes are naturally formed water-filled sinkholes that are ubiquitous to the Yucatán Peninsula, providing an incomparably glorious and other-worldly setting to swim in. This cenote in particular was well equipped with lockers and changing rooms, and also offered a very respectable lunch buffet which we took advantage of.
After eating our fill and drying off, the tour bus then took us to Valladolid, a beautiful colonial city and our final stop. Whilst the rest of the tour group was scheduled to go back to Cancún after stopping here, we just took our luggage off the bus and headed for our hotel in Valladolid (we really didn’t need to stay another night in Cancún). Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed this tour and would highly recommend - you can find it here.
Where we stayed in Valladolid
Casa San Roque Valladolid: this lovely little boutique hotel is perfectly located right in the centre of the city but benefits from being on a quiet side street. We loved the characterful spacious rooms and their serene courtyard / pool area.
We spent the dregs of the day exploring this wonderful city by foot - the town centre, or Centro neighbourhood is not very big, so is easily walkable and well worth wandering through. You won’t miss the Parque Principal slap bang in the middle with its picturesque fountain and street performers / hawkers. I also recommend exploring the Candelaria neighbourhood just a little further up from Centro, with its colourful buildings and quaint church (Iglesia de la Candelaria) that faces a small plaza perfect for people-watching.
We enjoyed an aperitivo at Mirador Don Alfonso, a rooftop bar whose outdoor tables afford a second-to-none panoramic view over the city, before heading to dinner at Conato, an atmospheric al fresco restaurant serving up modern Mexican food. A word of warning - you will definitely, definitely want to slather yourself in bug spray before enjoying the outdoor dining here…otherwise insects will be dining on you.
Day 3: Valladolid
For your first and last full day in Valladolid, seize the opportunity to really explore this lovely city and the amazing cenotes dotted around the area. There is no better way to do this than with locals who know where the non-congested hidden gems are, and we were fortunate enough to get a space on this wonderful cenote bike tour led by couple Jesús and María, via Airbnb experiences. It also happened to be my birthday that day, and I still can’t think of a better way to have spent it.
After we were given our bikes, we were quickly led out of the historic city centre and into the suburbs of Valladolid, with our first stop being Cenote X-Lakaj. This gorgeous cenote was completely deserted when our little group arrived in the morning, leaving us and us alone to enjoy the impossibly clear cerulean waters here.
We were then taken to the traditional small Yucatecan town of Chichimilá for brunch at the roadside market, with Jesús and María explaining the local dishes offered by each stall. This was one of the many times that day that I felt immensely grateful to have knowledgeable locals show me around - had I been on my own, I would’ve never known what to try, much less be in Chichimilá in the first place. On their recommendation, we scarfed down tacos al pastor, salbut con cerdo (puffed deep- fried tortilla topped with pork, tomato, avocado and pickled red onions) and agua con naranja y chaya (orange and tree spinach smoothie). It was the best birthday breakfast ever.
We then cycled a decent distance to get to our second and final cenote of the day, Cenote Tekom, housed in an underground cave with a natural skylight opening. Again, we basically had the whole place to ourselves when we went in the mid-afternoon.
Overall, this bike tour was a fantastic way to venture further afield and see a more off the beaten track version of Valladolid - the cycling itself was very easy and safe, being mostly on designated cycling paths. Most importantly, there is absolutely no way I would’ve known about these cenotes had I not been shown them on this tour!
As soon as we got back to Valladolid, we had to patronise its most famous taco cart before closing time - El Tigrillo. This legendary stall is best known for its cochinita pibil, i.e. Yucatán-style barbecued pork, which we enjoyed on tacos with heapings of pink pickled onion. Absolute bliss.
For our last evening in Valladolid, we headed down Calzada de los Frailes, a popular scenic street lined with boutique shops and restaurants. It was indeed so picturesque that I struggled to stop myself from taking a photo every metre we walked.
This street happens to lead on to the lovely Sisal neighbourhood, whose major landmark is the Convento de San Bernardino de Siena, a historic convent which used to be the site where Mayans had to undergo religious conversion. Even though we didn’t go inside, we still very much enjoyed the beautiful view of the convent illuminated at night (they apparently stage a light / sound show most nights as well!)
Day 4: Tulum
Whilst Valladolid is the perfect place to enjoy an authentic experience steeped in history and culture, Tulum is quite the opposite. White sand beaches and azure waters in an unashamedly touristy setting beckoned, and we were frothing at the mouth for it.
As stated in my previous Mexico itinerary post, the ADO bus system is easy to understand, affordable and comfortable, and I honestly can’t recommend it enough for getting around the Yucatán Peninsula - it only takes about 1.5 hours to get from Valladolid to Tulum town centre.
One thing to understand about Tulum before coming is its geography. Tulum can be roughly split into two parts - the town and the beach strip. Now of course, one comes to Tulum for its beaches, so obviously the beach strip is the more desirable area to stay in for convenience. It is also the more developed, touristy area of the two, with certain parts of the strip reminding me of Bali with its açaí bowl stands, highbrow beach clubs and aesthetic thatched roofs amongst tropical greenery.
The flip side of staying on the strip is grossly inflated accommodation prices, which can be slightly eye-watering given that most of the establishments on the strip are luxurious and high-end. This is where staying in town can be more attractive, given the much more reasonable prices. However, having weighed our options up, we decided to stay on the strip given that it takes about 15 minutes by taxi to get to the strip from town, and the taxis in Tulum are by far the most expensive out of everywhere I visited in Mexico.
Where we stayed in Tulum
Zamas Hotel: this boutique hotel strikes the perfect balance between affordability and rustic luxury on the strip, and it exceeded expectations with its lovely private beach, spacious comfortable rooms and fantastic location.
Once we had taken the time to soak in the stellar view of the ocean from our own balcony, we hired a bicycle from one of the many shops on the strip and cycled up towards Playa Paraiso. This beach was pretty congested when we arrived in the mid-afternoon, but we managed to find a quieter spot at the end and spent the rest of the day reading on the beach, snacking on (and spilling) mango and pineapple chunks sold by beach hawkers, and dipping in and out of the beautiful waters.
For dinner, we decided to take a break from Mexican food and enjoyed a surprisingly delicious Thai meal at Mezzanine, which overlooks Playa Paraiso. This would be a perfect place for a romantic date, with its dimly lit lanterns strung along the al fresco terrace and attentive service - or, in our case, the perfect place to natter away and reflect upon what had been a suspiciously faultless trip thus far.
Day 5: Muyil / Sian Ka’an / Tulum
If it seems like I keep gushing about the excursions we went on, it’s because they were genuinely that good and we would not have been able to do such things ourselves (I promise, I’m not getting paid by any of these tour companies to say this). The most gleaming example of this was our whole-day tour of the Muyil ruins and the Sian Ka’an biosphere reserve, which we found via Airbnb experiences yet again.
The day started with a guided tour of the Muyil archaeological site, located in lush verdant jungle within the bounds of the Sian Ka’an reserve. Whilst both Muyil and Chichén Itzá used to be important Mayan settlements, Muyil is a tranquil hidden gem with few visitors (given it is slightly out of the way from Tulum) unlike its bigger, more famous counterpart. The abundant wildlife in the area only adds to the Tomb Raider / Indiana Jones atmosphere of the site, with our guide pointing out the monkeys, birds and various other critters that were hiding shyly in the trees as we went deeper into the reserve.
After enjoying lunch and climbing the rickety and terrifyingly tall watch tower to get an admittedly breathtaking panoramic view of the jungle canopy, we sped across the swimming-pool blue lagoons of the biosphere reserve by boat to reach the standout attraction of the day - the Sian Ka’an natural lazy river. This serene canal has a gentle current that carries you downstream without you having to lift a finger, and the experience of floating effortlessly through crystal clear waters whilst taking in the surrounding mangroves and birdsong is truly unparalleled. Words can’t express just how idyllic and wondrous this place was.
After the lazy river, we walked across a boardwalk that took us through picture-perfect meadows of sawgrass to get back to our boat and then back on the taxi returning to Tulum, where we showered off properly to wolf down a hearty and delicious dinner at Boccanera Pizzería y Cervecería. It had been yet another perfect day for the books.
Day 6: Tulum
Our good luck with the weather officially ran out on day 6, and we woke up to intermittent rainstorms and grey cloudy skies. However, we had serendipitously booked to go on a snorkelling tour on this day with Los Chichos Tours, which actually makes for a great rainy day activity given that rain has little negative impact when you’re already underwater.
As the rain started to properly pelt down, we headed out from Playa Loca into the sea via speedboat until we could see the Tulum ruins stretching along the coastline, and then dived into the lukewarm ocean in search of wildlife. We got incredibly lucky - as well as abundant fish, we saw multiple turtles up close, and our guide even went above and beyond to get some amazing iPhone footage of them by following them deeper into the depths.
We were then taken to two hidden beaches which were wonderfully abandoned and given over to the elements, allowing us to play mermaids to our hearts’ content and perform a dodgy rendition of Amanda Seyfried’s “Lay All Your Love On Me” from Mamma Mia: The Movie. One of the beaches even had a secret underwater cave which we were able to explore with our snorkels to hand.
Once we had dried off, we decided to camp out at Posada Margherita, a boutique hotel with a highly-rated Italian restaurant. We whiled the last of the day away by enjoying their oceanfront view whilst sipping cocktails and scarfing down their delicious pasta and pizza.
Unfortunately, it was at this point where the drizzle that had persisted all day turned into a full-on tropical monsoon, with rain bucketing down in an unrelenting onslaught that I had never previously experienced. It showed no signs of letting up (and it really didn’t, for it rained the entire night) so we had to brave it and pedal back up the strip to our hotel, screaming and laughing uncontrollably at the insanity of it all as we did. My eyes couldn’t blink fast enough to dispel the water that was blinding me from how heavily it was pouring down - that’s how crazy it was.
As we wrung out our soaked clothes and buried ourselves deep into the bedsheets upon our return to the hotel, we knew that even this adverse weather event would become an unforgettable memory, only adding to what had been a trip full of joy and wonder.
Day 7: Cancún (departure day)
All too soon, our week in the Yucatán Peninsula was over and after soaking up the rays from our hotel’s private beach one last time, we headed for the ADO terminal in Tulum town centre to take the 2 hour bus back to Cancún for our flight back home.
On my next visit to this region, I’d love to visit Merida and Bacalar - if you have any other suggestions, please let me know by leaving a comment below!