Valladolid

It only took three years, but we finally made it to Mexico! I started planning this trip in mid 2019 for travel in 2020…which for obvious reasons didn’t happen. But we are finally here and having an amazing time already!

Our flights were uneventful and our arrival in Cancun was smooth. Picking up our car rental was a bit more of an ordeal. Only one person per family was allowed in the office for COVID reasons, so Zach disappeared into Enterprise purgatory while the girls and I waited outside. It took so long that Melina was completely convinced Daddy had been kidnapped and was never coming back. I peeked in the office and told her not to worry, there wasn’t much blood on the floor so at least he was probably still alive.

Eventually he emerged and we learned the issue was that the required insurance was more than DOUBLE the cost of the two week car rental!! Frustrating, but Zach handled it beautifully and negotiated an upgrade in coverage and car type to alleviate some of the financial pain. So now we are free to drive like entitled teenagers because we are fully insured- look out, guardrails and jersey barriers!!

This turned out to be a bit helpful because apparently the wide, straight road between Cancun and our destination of Valladolid was under construction for approximately 98.2% of the 2 hour drive. The massive scope of this project was perplexing, especially given that there was absolutely nothing- not a town or a village or even so much as a gas station- between the two cities. I guess the constant stream of tour buses from Cancun to Chichen Itza create more than enough demand for infrastructure perfection?

Valladolid is charming, and our hotel, Casa Aluxes, is simply lovely. It is my favorite type of hotel: small, clean, well located, and quirky and artsy with lots of beautiful outdoor space and friendly staff. Our room is huge and we step out our door to the lush green courtyard and sparkling pool. We have loved watching the lizards, birds, cats, and dogs that live here.

Cool artsy touches in our hotel courtyard

In our short time here we have wandered the grid of the historic town center, which is lined with colorful storefronts and tantalizing food carts. As we were instructed by Vanya, who works in our hotel, Mexicans “don’t eat tacos in restaurants, we eat them on the street,” so we did as the locals do (except for vegetarian Diane, who had a beyond burger from a local health food joint). The girls also got frappes from a street vendor, which turned out to have coffee in them…but thankfully they were so exhausted they slept anyway! Zach also waited in line to try the local favorite food cart dessert, marquesitas, a crispy crepe rolled into a log and stuffed with warm Nutella and…cheese. The first vendor ran out before Zach could get his sweet cheesy log but another vendor came through. We were all skeptical until we took a taste- they are surprisingly delicious!

We also watched an informative light show highlighting the significance of this historic colonial town (which I missed almost completely because I was waiting in line to get the girls their frappes). We also toured the monastery and roamed the bustling town square.

But so far the highlight of our day and a half in Valladolid wasn’t the food or culture, it was the cenotes. These are the underground sinkholes-turned-swimmimg holes that are a huge tourist draw in the Yucatan. Today we explored three very different cenotes, and we loved each one for very different reasons! The first was Cenote Suytun, famous for the photo op that leaves instagrammers drooling. Entering the cenote we were instantly stunned: it was HUGE! A tiny tunnel underground opened to a giant cave dripping with stalactites and stalagmites and lit through a single hole in the ceiling where a sunbeam streamed into the clear emerald colored water fish swam among the handful of tourists, and the piece de resistance was the brilliantly colored mot mots that nest in the ceiling of the cenote!

We got our family pictures snapped after waiting an insane amount of time for a few influencers to pose in the center of the cenote in every possible way that they could while staring deeply into the distance, sometimes complete with costume changes (!!). Thankfully we were there early before the crowds, because if I had to wait for a few more of these insufferable types it definitely could have marred the rest of the experience. As it was we had plenty of time left to swim in the cool water, chase fish, and float on our backs while staring up at the stalactites and mot mots.

The second cenote was a short walk away, and while the water wasn’t as pristine and inviting, it was absolutely swarming with cave swallows and more mot mots. We enjoyed watching them for quite a while Diane encouraged tiny fishes to nibble on her fingers. Then we ascended to the surface again to enjoy some fresh coconut water and watch the resident lizards, peacock, and sweet mama dog (the girls were devastated we couldn’t bring her home with us).

Our final cenote of the day was the Cenote Chukum. It was here that we truly were able to reap the benefit of traveling in the off season. The tourism hub built around this cenote is practically swanky, with pristine toilet, an all you can eat buffet, and hammocks hanging in shady tropical groves. We had all of these perks practically to ourselves, and we enjoyed them to their fullest! And of course the cenote did not disappoint. This one was enormous and sapphire blue with a zip line for plunging into the refreshingly cold water! All of us zipped except for Diane, and I got a great video of Zach and Melina taking the dramatic plunge.

Lazing on the hammocks after swimming and lunching was a blissful dream. While it was 97 degrees in the sun, it was barely 80 in the shade of the trees. After some hammock shenanigans, we spent about an hour there relaxing, napping, and enjoying the sweet smelling tropical breezes.

The heat here has been surprisingly bearable, but perhaps that is because in addition to our many cenote visits we have also made good use of our hotel pool. As I write this Zach is in the pool wowing the girls by flexing his pecs (“like the Rock!” as Melina says) while they giggle like maniacs. He is living up to the name of the entree he had at dinner tonight: “Zac Kool”

Tomorrow morning we are headed out of Valladolid to see one of the Seven Wonders of the World!