If you follow me on Instagram, you know I just enjoyed a fun, food-filled trip to Mexico. Brett and I decided to forgo buying each other birthday gifts this year and booked a trip to Mexico instead. We adventured around the Yucatán Peninsula in our rental car for nine days. I’ll be chronologically recapping our Yucatán Peninsula road trip to share our exact itinerary. I broke our trip into two parts, and you can read part two here.
Day 1:
We arrived in Cancún around 4:30 pm and headed to pick up our rental car. After reading some people’s negative reviews, I was apprehensive about renting a car in Mexico, but I knew it would be ideal to have one. In the end, I have a lot of mixed feelings about renting a car. It was convenient to have a vehicle, but it made us an easier target in some ways. I’ll share our experiences throughout my recap.
After we got our rental car, we drove towards Valladolid. Upon arriving, we immediately went to an ATM for pesos (we should’ve done it in Cancún). We learned the hard way when we encountered an unexpected toll on the way to Vallodolid. To make a long story short, we ended up paying way more in dollars after they insisted they only took pesos but would take dollars for a “fee.” Note: we paid in cash, so it wasn’t a credit card fee.
Finally, we made it to dinner around 8:45 pm. Our first meal was at El Atrio del Mayab, which did not disappoint. It’s the perfect place for a meal after a long day of traveling. We sat in the charming, cozy courtyard, which is exceptionally romantic at night. It was my first time trying traditional Yucatán dishes, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed everything.
Day 2:
The main reason we went to Valladolid was to visit Chichén Itzá. It’s roughly a 45-minute drive from Valladolid to Chichén Itzá, so we stayed overnight in Valladolid and drove to Chichén Itzá first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds. By the time we were heading out, all the tour buses were arriving, so I’m glad we went early.
Afterward, we headed straight to Cenote Ik Kil (which is just a five-minute drive from Chichén Itzá). Since we left Chichén Itzá right as it started getting busy, we also got to enjoy Ik Kil before it got crowded. I had never heard of cenotes before this trip, but they are natural sinkholes that resulted from the collapse of the ceiling. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was such a magical experience! Highly recommend checking out at least one cenote if you’re in the Yucatán Peninsula, and I now understand why Ik Kil is such a popular one.
In the afternoon, we checked out Ek’ Balam. I preferred it to Chichén Itzá because people can still climb the structures. There are incredible views of the surrounding jungle from some of the pyramids. Despite being less popular than Chichén Itzá, it’s undoubtedly worth seeing.
We had one of the best dining experiences at Ix Cat Ik back in Valladolid. Our server was attentive and friendly, giving us a complimentary tour after our meal to learn more about traditional Mayan food. Also, we watched how they make corn tortillas in a hut and even attempted ourselves (ours certainly did not look like theirs, ha!). I ordered the Camarón Ix Cat Ik, which was so delicious that I could’ve eaten another plate.
Day 3:
Following two jam-packed days, we decided to sleep in a little. Originally we planned to drive to Río Lagartos for a flamingo tour, but we skipped it for some extra rest. That cut out an additional two hours of driving, and we arrived in Mérida just in time for lunch at La Chaya Maya for another delicious traditional meal.
After lunch, we drove down Paseo de Montejo. It used to be a residential area with beautiful mansions, but it’s more of a business district these days. We just drove through, but I think we might’ve enjoyed it more if we had walked.
We intended to spend the afternoon browsing at a couple of markets, but right after we parked, Brett realized his mask was back at the Airbnb, so we ended up heading back and hanging out at the Airbnb until dinner.
Even though the day didn’t pan out as I hoped, it ended on a high note with dinner at Micaela Mar & Leña. It was one of my favorite meals from the trip! From the outside, the place looked unassuming, but when I stepped inside, I was swooning over the decor. The food was just as marvelous as the decor (I highly recommend the raw oysters). Also, the service was excellent; all the servers were attentive and worked together.
Have you ever been to Valladolid or Mérida? I’d love to hear about your experience, and if you have any additional recommendations or tips, please share them in the comments! xo
It sounds like you chose restaurants really well! I was lucky enough to visit Chichen Itza before it was closed to climbing…stunning, but terrifying!
Hope to get there one day!! #WednesdayAroundtheWorld
That sinkhole looks like a fascinating place to visit! I’ve never been to Mexico, so thanks for sharing your itinerary with us!
-Lauren
This sounds like an incredible trip! Thanks for this inside info!
Wow!! It looks and sounds like the food was amazing. I loved the pictures and your sense of style is incredible. Can’t wait to hear more about the trip.
Everything looks so incredible! I love to travel and reading about it gives me such an itch to get out and explore.
Wow this trip sounds so amazing. I completely agree your photos from Cenote Ik Kil look magical. I definitely want to visit there one day!
I’m in awe of the photos! Its so beautiful and a great adventure!
Your photos are beautiful!! This has me reminiscing about my trip to Cancun and wishing I had gone to see Cenote Ik Kil. Thanks for sharing!
I love it that you decided to do a trip instead of birthday presents! I would so much rather have an experience than extra stuff around the house! It sounds like you guys had a great time!
Beautiful pictures! and it looks like you had a great time!
These photos are amazing! I love Mexico. The ruins are one of my favorite places ever.
I’ve never travelled to Mexico but these photos are gorgeous!
Sounds like I definitely need to go here for the food!!
This brings back memories! I also loved Tulum and Playa del Carmen 🙂
would love to go back, so many beautiful places to visit there! thank you for sharing
I have never been to the Yucatán Peninsula, but your pictures are making me want to go =)! These photos are beautiful, and that shrimp looks insane 🤤. I don’t get to travel much now because I have four small children, but I’m hoping it’ll be a part of our future =).
It looks beautiful there! And the food sounds great. I think your Day 3 was probably wonderful too – I’ve found as much as I want to do and see so many things having a little down time is important too!
This truly looks like the most fascinating destination! Thank you for sharing with us!
Thank you for posting how you dressed. So helpful. That cave looks amazing!
This trip sounds incredible! I’ve been wanting to visit Mexico for a while now, so this is giving me some good ideas 🙂
Great post! I have beautiful memories from Mexico too!
I love the Yucatan! Great tips thanks for sharing
We went to many of these same places on our honeymoon!
I’d love to visit! Great recommendations.
Oh my, the pictures are GORGEOUS! Definitely on my bucket list
Beautiful and bringing back memories! One thing I remember about driving around Cozumel was that I kept seeing big-ish round, black sports on the road and at first, I asked myself what on earth were they. Then I saw a few giant crabs crossing from the nearby swamps and I got it!:))
What a wonderful trip and experience! Can’t wait to hear about the rest of it! That cenote is gorgeous — looks like something right out of a movie.
I’m so jealous, your holiday looked and sounded jam packed with fun activities and tasty food. I really want to go here aswell
Is this real life?! Your pictures are stunning! I love your blog travel updates!
What a gorgeous place to visit! I’ve never heard of a cenote before, but it does look like a truly magical experience. Plus the ruins are so cool, and how fun that you were able to climb some.