Magical Mexico

The turquoise waters of Cancun. 

I'd been wanting to take my little family on an international trip for a while. I'd tried to talk them into Greece last year, but hubs put the kibosh on that. He wanted to stay a bit closer to home. So, then I tried to persuade him to visit the butterfly preserve in central Mexico where the Monarch butterflies overwinter. He pointed out that part of the preserve is in an area with a U.S. travel advisory against going there. (Damn his logic.)

So, we continued to negotiate a bit, finally settling on a trip to the Mexican Yucatan, which is pretty touristy and safe, but still international enough for me to get a stamp in my passport. Last fall, I did a lot of research, planning, and booking, and we finally had a week-long itinerary that made us happy.

Day 1

We flew in and out of Cancun, both because it's an area where tourism is well-supported and also because the flights to that destination were cheap and pretty quick.

Back when we planned this trip, Coronavirus wasn't a worldwide concern. By the time our date of travel had rolled around, the virus had begun to make international headlines. While we didn't consider cancelling our trip, we did take extra precautions. We purchased travel packs of sanitizing wipes, wiping down our airplane seats, tray tables, arm rests, and buckles before settling in. We also wiped down airport surfaces like table tops before we dined there. Hubs works in a hospital, so we've always been pretty good about hand washing and using hand sanitizer.

We made it to Cancun!

Our flights were luckily on time and uneventful, and pretty soon, we were looking for the National shuttle at the airport exit. We found it, took it to our rental car pick up, and we were off!

This was my first time driving in a foreign country. EVER. (I'd rented the car ahead of time online from Expedia. I also purchased collision insurance at that time. When I came to pick up the rental car, they sold me MORE insurance. I probably got a little taken advantage of here, but I wanted all the insurance I could get. Say what you will, but it gave me peace of mind.)

I'd learned ahead of time that licensed American drivers don't need any additional certification or documentation to drive in Mexico, so that made things a bit easier. We used the navigation systems  on our phones, which we plugged into the car so the routed maps appeared on the dash screen. I drove, and hubs was responsible for navigating and helping me keep up with the ever-changing speed limit. (I swear, it changes every mile or so in some places! You really have to watch it!)

Artifacts at the Choco Story Museum - a
museum about chocolate!

It was around lunchtime, so our first priority was food. We headed straight for El Galeon del Caribe, which is an unassuming little joint right off the main drag between the airport and the hotel zone. From the road, you can only see a (very tiny) parking lot. There was an attendant out there, helping you squeeze your car into impossibly tight spaces. With his assistance, we parked, then took the wooden steps down to the water's edge and the open-air dining area.

What a great start to our vacation! We had the garlic shrimp, the fried fish tacos (so crispy and hot and good), and the fried shrimp tacos (seriously my fave). They were delicious! We washed them down with soft drinks and watched the water lap the shore. The kitchen is open-air, too, and so everything is cooked outside. This place had super-casual vibe that made me feel as though our vacation to Mexico had truly begun.

After lunch, we headed to our first hotel - Fiesta Americana Cancun Villas. We'd chosen it because it seemed well-located and had a great pool area. At check-in, they offered us free breakfast the next morning if we would listen to a sales presentation (which we declined), and then got us up to our room. We'd booked a villa master suite, which included a bedroom, sitting area with fold-out couch, and kitchen/dining area. After a quick rest, Clay and I got right into our swimsuits and spent the afternoon at the beach and pool.

The resort has a beach area, but it features stone steps down to the water rather than waves crashing ashore. It's better for taking in fabulous views of the turquoise water and brilliant sky (which we did) than it is for frolic. But we loved walking at its edge and feeling the breeze lift our troubles away. We also spent some time in the pool and the two hot tubs (neither of which were really hot, with both being a bit tepid).

That night, we ordered room service in - enchiladas, pizza, etc. Nothing was really super-good or super-bad, just something serviceable to fill our bellies after a long day.

Day 2

In the morning, we awoke, had a turn or two on the beach, and took breakfast at the hotel buffet, which was lovely. There were all kinds of choices, and we had fun trying familiar and not-so-familiar breakfast foods. (I had eggs, fruit - the cantaloupe and papaya were particularly delicious, a little helping of chilaquiles, and a mini waffle with syrup.)

The pretty town square in Valladolid! I loved this town and would have stayed here longer!

After breakfast, we got back in the car and drove to our first real stop - Valladolid. It's about a two-hour drive from Cancun along a toll road, and it's an easy trip. The toll road is straight and has a pretty consistent speed limit, as you aren't driving through towns and development. (We paid 385 pesos for the toll. At the current exchange rate, that was about $20. Worth every penny not to white-knuckle it for two hours straight.)

We arrived in pretty little Valladolid and checked into a hotel that had been recommended to me by a friend who travels to the area frequently - Hotel Meson del Marques. Oh, how I loved this place! It's in a very old building that's been added onto over the years. The hotel sits right on the picturesque town square, has its own (excellent) restaurant, and features a lovely courtyard and small swimming pool. It's the perfect home-base for Valladolid.

After checking in, we went out to explore the square a bit. It's such a beauty! It's anchored in the center by a lovely fountain, there are plenty of trees that the birds love to roost in, and vendors have carts selling ice cream and other treats around the perimeter. We saw a HUGE Mexican flag billowing in the breeze above it all, and a cathedral (opposite the hotel on the other side of the square) makes a striking addition to the sheltered space.

Walking to Yerba Buena del Sisal.

Just off the square, we stumbled upon the Choco Story Museum - a museum about chocolate! We spent the next hour or so going through the exhibits, which traced the history of chocolate on the Yucatan peninsula. There were indoor and outdoor installations, and I little out a little yelp of delight when I saw the delicate china cups with honest-to-goodness mustache guards on them, which were designed to allow men with well-groomed facial hair to still enjoy a frothy cup of hot chocolate. At the end of the tour, we sampled some of the chocolate the museum shop had to offer and bought a few treats for later.

Then, we walked to Yerba Buena del Sisal for lunch. Strolling there took us through a lovely part of town filled with shops and restaurants. We saw so many people out and about on their Sunday - running errands, selling fruits and vegetables, peeling fresh oranges for juice or eating out of hand. We also passed by the Convent de San Bernardino de Siena, which features lovely architecture, and the touristy Valladolid sign. (We couldn't resist taking cheesy pics!)

When we arrived at the cafe, hubs ordered a chicken sandwich, I had some delightful pork tacos, and Clay got the hummus platter. (As a person who is half-Lebanese, I can tell you the hummus was legit.) We all got fresh lemonade to drink. The food was good here, and I loved the atmosphere - an open-air, covered eating area shaded further by trees and flowering vines.

When we were finished with lunch, we walked back to the hotel to cool our heels a bit. That night, we had dinner in the charming hotel restaurant. I chose a signature soup of chicken, vegetables, rice, and a hint of spice. Hubs and I both got some of the most delicious mojitos of the trip. It was all just what I needed after a busy day of exploring.

After dinner, it was back out to the square as the sun went down. It felt like the whole town was there! Families with children and dogs, a smattering of tourists, the faithful coming and going from the cathedral. The wind ruffled the banners overhead, and it seemed like every bird in a 100-mile vicinity roosted in the trees above, calling to one another. The cathedral is lit dramatically at night, making for a beautiful view.

In front of the stepped pyramid at Chichen Itza! On our must list! 

Day 3

After a good night's sleep, we rose early and breakfasted in the hotel restaurant. (We booked rooms that included breakfast, and I loved waking up and walking to the lovely courtyard to eat eggs, hot toast with homemade papaya spread, fresh fruit, and other wonderful munchies the two mornings we were there. We had fresh-squeezed orange juice every morning! Just a delight.) We wanted to be fortified, because today was a big day.

We were going to Chichen Itza! This amazingly well-preserved ancient Mayan city was on our must-list for the trip, and it was one of the reasons we'd decided to overnight in Valladolid. Most visitors take day trips from Cancun to visit it (a three-hour drive there, then the visit, then a three-hour drive back). But because we were staying in Valladolid, we had about a one-hour drive in. We arrived there at 8:30 a.m., just 30 minutes after the ruins opened. We still stood in line for nearly half an hour, but we were able to access the site well before the hordes of tourists from the coast showed up a couple of hours later.

And it was so wonderful that we did. We got expansive, uncluttered views of the stepped pyramid, the ball court, and the Temple of the Warriors. There are plenty of park workers offering to provide a guided tour in English (for about $70), but we'd already downloaded an excellent Mayan ruins tour app on our phone. That app allowed you to access information about each structure and move through the site at your own pace.

The sacred cenote, where human sacrifices were made.

We started at the stepped pyramid, then headed to the ball court. (We couldn't BELIEVE the ball court. The hoop you had to get the ball through is impossibly small and high. And you couldn't use your hands and feet! AND we aren't sure if you got killed if you won or killed if you lost. All in all, we decided we were glad we didn't have to play this game.) Afterwards, we checked out the wall of skulls and the platform of the eagle and jaguar warriors. (The Mayans were pretty brutal, y'all.) We took the white road to the sacred cenote (where Clay learned the Mayans sacrificed children - he was shocked), and ended our visit with the temple of the warriors, the church and the nunnery.

By this time, it was getting hot, and tourists were starting to show up in full force. We decided to make an exit. In a jiffy, we were back in the car and back to Valladolid. We had a light, snacky lunch, then I hit the hotel pool for a bit. (I had to have a chance to read my novel and eat my chocolate, after all. It was really getting hard to fit it all in! Heh.)

That afternoon, I went back out to the square to explore the inside of the cathedral and do a bit of shopping. I found so many lovely things - souvenirs for our friends, some gorgeous silver and turquoise jewelry, just all kinds of pretties.

For dinner, we returned to the hotel restaurant, with fajitas for me, a fantastic fried shrimp wrap for hubs, and spaghetti for Clay (the little rascal). Hubs and I both sipped big frozen margaritas and agreed that we were really going to miss Valladolid!

More to come . . .

Valladolid cathedral as the sun goes down.