Quote:
Originally Posted by Amethyst
For things to do and see, Tulum is an interesting ruin site right on the beach but it is BUSY. If you go, go early in the day. Coba is the really cool place. It's in the jungle and not nearly as busy. When I was there, you could still climb the pyramids (don't think that's changed, but not 100%) which is something you can't do at most other sites.
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I was there in December, when we climbed the big pyramid there (Nohoch Mul), our guide told us as of January 1st, the public would never be able to climb it again due to erosion. Didn't realize how close I came to missing it as I had been putting that off for years, woulda been so bitter if I missed it by mere weeks. But anyway, agreed Coba was my favourite. We also did Chichen Itza and Tulum which was cool, but Coba had an Indiana Jones vibe since it's only partially excavated, and thus buried in the jungle with vines growing on the ruins & whatnot.
We stayed at the Catalonia Royal Tulum on the Maya, which is another adults only resort I'd recommend (if you're looking to spend under $2000 anyway). It was between that or the Valentin which I had heard good things about as well, but it was about $400 more.
The Valentin sounds like the beach is amazing (from what I read), it just sounded a little swanky for us (rigorous upper scale dress codes in the restaurants I read, didn't feel like packing both beach vakay clothes and dress clothes/shoes). Plus I struggle with insomnia and I had read a few reviews that said it can be quite a loud, party resort and some had trouble sleeping due to it, depending where your room was. The Catalonia was a lot smaller and quieter which I liked, Valentin does sound like the better one overall though.
There's a ton of resorts on that strip that I'm sure would suffice. Ours seemed to be one of the smaller ones, which I liked. But it's all subjective. If you did stay at that one, I'd suggest doing the upgrade just for access to the beach restaurant/bar alone, and restricted part of the beach.
PS- I'd recommend taking Collectivos (basically a shuttle bus/taxi) to get somewhere close like Tulum, it'll cost you a fraction of what a cab would, and they're everywhere. Just goes up and down the highway, so don't worry about getting lost in some neighborhood or something like that. Most resorts have a Collectivo stop right in front of the resort.