The summer before Covid hit we took a family trip to Cancun, headed south east to Playa Del Carmen where we stayed in a beautiful condo across from the beach Riviera Maya. Su mirador. From this home base we easily travelled to Tulum and Coba to see pyramids and ruins, and the grand cenote along the way.
The gauntlet out of the airport is funny, everyone will try to stop you for tours, rides, adventures and even pretend they are car rental agents that can take you to your car. If you accept, they take you to their sale counter and try to get you to do a timeshare day promising a free day at a local event (fishing, sailing, excursion etc) or round of golf or free day at a resort. If your into that then take advantage of these airport solicitors and get as many free things as you can before going on your way.
The car rental we used for this trip was “DiscoverCars” and we were happy with their service and what we received. The rates were alright, but we needed a Crossover because we knew we would be on dirt roads for our adventures. We could have rented something for less than 30USD /day had we not needed a larger vehicle.
As is the case for all of Mexico, rental insurance (Limited Liability) is mandatory but not covered in rental costs. Unfortunately our insurance does not cover rentals here and you will need to get Collision Damage Waiver and limited uninsured liability insurance.
This should cost you about $30 USD per day to purchase, but first check with your credit card since many will give you the CDW included if you pay for the entire rental using it. You will still need the LLI but that is a bit cheaper. Unfortunately no one covers the LLI in pre-purchase and there’s no standard fee, so depending on who you rent from it could be $20-35 USD per day. Just remember if you do pay to get the CDW through your card and you need to make a claim you must call your credit card company to get approval for repairs. In those cases, the rental company will bill you the repairs and the credit card will repay you ONLY IF PRE-APPROVED THOUGH!
If you book fully through the rental company they will not bill you or recover from the card, they will pay for the repairs, and their insurance would cover you for liability. For piece of mind, go with the car rental companies full policy, its worth the hassle.
Also, when you get your car don’t forget to take pictures of your rental before you drive off the lot, make sure all scrapes, GLASS, dings and missing things are noted on your rental form. Common scams are;
glass claims
spare tire missing upon return.
Gas tank not full but claim it was
Rips in seats
Take pictures when you return the car as well to prove its condition. Dirty cars are fine, no need to wash or vacuum it before returning.
We took our car and headed south to Playa, about 50 minutes south of Cancun. Our condo was in “Playacar” and it was perfect. Checking into the secure gated area was a bit difficult however, there are several gates around the location and you must enter through the correct gate. The security there spoke English about as good as I spoke Spanish, making communication difficult. They will take your passport and photocopy it, ask to see your reservation and how many days your staying. There is no gate pass for renters (not for us anyhow) so leaving and returning is the same EVERY TIME! Walking into and out of is easy, no checks just an Hola, Buenos Dias, (tartes or noches) when you see the guards, very friendly people.
After seeing the beaches and enjoying the town for a night we decided we would take the kids to Xcaret, a fun theme park, amusement park, eco-archaeological park, spa, holistic and much more Mexican experience. It is in a privileged location in the middle of the jungle, with natural settings such as underground rivers that Mayans used thousand years ago to travel inland, cenotes, and the mesmerizing Caribbean Sea at the door step In addition, Xcaret is the only one among the theme parks in Cancun and Riviera Maya that celebrates Mexican (Mayan) history, traditions, and folklore. The evening show is amazing and entertaining and worth the price to see.
We swam with stingrays and all kinds of fish, sharks in the tidal pools of the Caribbean sea and lounged on hammocks. Lunch at the buffet was great, decent selection of foods and the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had was here, wish I had more!
The Grand Cenote and Coba pyramids were on the agenda as well, which are definitely worth the trip. Heading south toward Tulum (about an hours drive south of Playa) is the first archeological site of Mayans, The Tulum ruins represent one of the last cities built by the Mayans. As a coastal fortification, Tulum thrived during the 13th to 15th centuries and served as a significant trading port. Tulum is a beautiful area that we will be back to for sure one day.
If you want to see the beautiful beach and park to see the ruins you have to turn left into Tulum and head along one of the Hoyle roads to find parking, or you can shuttle, bike (rentals available) or walk, but it’s quite a distance and parking is hard to find. I suggest you go to the “zona Hotelera” and stop and eat at one of the many drivable resorts or restaurants,(like Ziggy’s Beach Club) then after lunch walk to the ruins, parking is free this way!
If your going to the “Grand Cenote” turning right at Tulum onto 109 and just a short distance from there is the grand cenote, full of tourists, fish, bats, turtles. No sunscreen is allowed, make sure you follow this rule or they won’t allow to enjoy the cenote.
If you carry on the 109 you eventually get to Coba (about 45 minute drive from Gran Cenote) is a dominant city in the region, inhabited from roughly 600 CE to the 14th/15th century by Mayans. It has extensive ruins, including the 130-foot Nohoch Mul pyramid, stone causeways (sacbe), and proximity to cenotes. You’ll want to visit this place, you can have guided tour, take a bike tour, or walk at your leisure. There are plaques with literature about each ruin in the area so tours aren’t necessary, costs about $20USD per person to enter the area.
You can climb the grand pyramid, the stairs are steep and very slippery so use caution when you do. The view is nice, above the jungle you can see for miles.