The Rio Secreto Tour was a high priority on our to-do-list while staying in Playa del Carmen. That’s why we booked the Rio Secreto Plus tour way in advance. I am so glad, that we took this unique underground river tour, during which we were able to observe natural history dating back millions of years, hike and swim through a route of about 1 km full of beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. This tour was an amazing experience combining adventure and nature.
This Saturday, the first part of the day we spent in the crystal clear cenote Azul and the rest of the day walking the Playa del Carmen streets and lying on the beach near the pier to Cozumel, but in the evening we went to the unique and absolutely beautiful cave restaurant Alux.
Visiting Tulum Ruins was in our activity list while staying in Playa del Carmen. Dave and I had a chance to explore Chichen Itza and Coba ruins during our previous Mexico visit. A mere 30 minute drive from Playa del Carmen, put us right in the heart of the quaint little city of Tulum. This stunning, ancient-walled city used to be home to around 6,000 Mayans between the 13th and 15th century. Spectacularly located on a cliff overlooking the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea, the Mayan ruins of Tulum are quite different from other archaeological sites in Mexico, which are located in a jungle.
Tulum used to be the Mayan door to the world. A seaport from where they traded their goods (it’s said to be mostly obsidian, turquoise and jade). This city is believed to have been one of the last built and inhabited by the Mayans. After the Spanish began settling in Mexico, Tulum was abandoned by the Mayans – probably after Spanish diseases began spreading among the population. The site structures remain surprisingly well preserved.
Last time we visited Cancun was about 5 years ago, and we had such a nice time there. That’s why we decided to return to Mexico, but this time to vacation in the other popular tourist destination, Playa del Carmen. In the picture above is a quick way to the beach through Calle 2 Norte (2nd Street North) from 5th Avenue, that we used numerous times.
This is the last post on our Cancun vacation, which I want to complete with some pictures of the hotel we stayed in. Formerly known as the Grand Melia Cancun, the Paradisus Cancun has consistently won the AAA 4 diamond award and is part of Preferred Hotels of the World.
It has modern pyramidal design and consists of 5 pyramid-like buildings. Picture of the hotel building and the room can be viewed here. The 5 star Paradisus Cancun is located ocean front and is an elegant, spacious and distinguished hotel. Here is the beautiful hotel lobby where guests are greeted with a new flower arrangement every day.
We didn’t do much shopping during our stay in Cancun, but I want to mention a couple places that we liked. One of them is La Isla Shopping Village. It is a beautiful outdoor mall set in the middle of the Hotel Zone, complete with charming canals, luxury boutiques, inexpensive brands, high-end department stores, fast food, fun restaurants and upscale dining.
Xplor was the highlight of our Cancun vacation, so we left best for last. Xplor is a natural adventure park opened in July 2009. The park is situated approximately 35 miles (56km) south of the Cancun airport and occupies an area of 59 hectares, of which 8 are underground. Xplor offers 4 thrilling activities: zip lines, amphibious vehicles, underground raft adventure, and stalactite river swim.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to breathe underwater? Well, this is what scuba diving allows you to do: to breathe underwater, maintain buoyancy, propel yourself through the coral reefs and most importantly stay underwater for a prolonged period of time. On this day, Dave and I were going to visit the MUSA – underwater museum in Cancun at the same time as learning to scuba dive for the first time with AquaWorld. It seems like we chose the right time for a dive in the warm Caribbean waters with great visibility.
Butterfly Pavilion at Xcaret is the most impressive butterfly habitat I’ve ever seen. According to Xcaret’s web site, this is the first butterfly breeding facility in Mexico. The structure is 49 feet high and has nearly 38,000 sq. ft. of free flying space, the largest butterfly facility in the world. It features only regional species native of the Yucatan peninsula in their natural habitats and its caretakers work diligently with some 5,000 butterflies in an intensive breeding program for 20 endemic species. I guess this butterfly sign warns us, the visitors, that we are getting closer to the Butterfly Pavilion.
I had to upload this post, because tomorrow “the End of the World” is expected. 🙂 I just heard over the radio, that the marketing strategy really works and the tourists flooded the Yucatan Peninsula. We visited the Mayan ruins this summer and the mystery of the Mayan Apocalypse has been explained to us. Let’s follow our journey to the ancient Mayan world.
It was a beautiful sunny morning in Cancun, Mexico. Dave and I were enjoying our coffee outside of the hotel’s entrance, while waiting for our transportation to arrive. On this day we were going to visit the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza. Chichen Itza is considered the largest of the ruined Mayan cities on the Yucatan Peninsula and one of Mexico’s most-visited tourist destinations. Construction of the city began in the 7th century and the city reached its peak in the 10th century. Nichupte Lagoon is seen right behind the fountain from the entrance of our hotel.
