After going to the Mayan Riviera in 2004, we wanted to return to Mexico. We had passed through Valladolid briefly on our way to Chichen-Itza on our prior trip, so this time around decided to spend a little more time there. Valladolid is about 160 kilometers (or about 100 miles) west of Cancun. Keep in mind, Valladolid is pronounced "bah-yah-doh-leed", with an emphasis on the last syllable.


Getting There

We rented a car at the Cancun airport, and headed west on Highway 180. There is a toll road and a non-toll road from Cancun to Valladolid. We took the toll road and it cost about $17 dollars. This was the first day of our trip so we actually tried to avoid the toll road (and still ended up on it), but in retrospect, after driving over 1,500 miles by the end of the trip, I suggest avoiding long stretches of driving that involve going through every little town. The little towns are full of topes (or giant speed bumps), tricicletas (bikes with a cart in front), pedestrians, dogs, etc, of course in addition to surprising amounts of traffic. Many towns route you all throughout the town before you can continue on your way. So looking back, it saved us a lot of time to take the toll road.


Accomodations

There are handful of places to stay in Valladolid. We had a hard time choosing exactly which place we wanted to stay, as I wouldn’t consider there to be the best selection. You aren’t going to find any chain hotels or really any particularly large hotels. Part of the difficulty in doing research was just trying to find information on the Internet or elsewhere. We finally settled on Hotel El Meson del Marques, which turned out to be pretty nice.

There are also some spots right outside Valladolid, like Mayaland, but we wanted to explore the city a little bit, and wanted to limit time spent driving.


Things to Do

I remembered clearly from our trip in 2004 seeing women walking around the city in typical Mayan dress (such as white embroidered clothing). I wanted to see more of the city and spend some time there. I was surprised once we arrived, as to just how small the city is.

Like many small cities in the Yucatan, Valladolid is centered around a Plaza. There is a one-way street going around the Plaza, which is a small park, and has convenient parking around it. You will see vendors selling things around the park, such as candies, art, clothing, and more. We bought a slushie and ended up not eating it - the guy reached into his rickety wooden cart bare-handed to get a scoop of crushed ice, which he smushed into a small cup (again, with bare hands).

There is a beautiful church on one side of the Plaza, the Church of San Gervasio. It is impressive in size, and we only had a chance for a quick peek inside, as there was a service in progress when we went.

There are two cenotes nearby. One, Cenote Zaci, is in walking distance. It is a large cenote with tall walls around it, although a path goes down to the water. You cannot swim in Zaci, but it was worth seeing, and it was only a few dollars to see it.

There is also Cenote Dzitnup right outside of town. I recommend going as close to noon time as possible, because after descending a staircase to the cenote underground, an opening in the ceiling of the cave, over the middle of the cenote is an opening where a beam of sunlight shows through. It is absolutely amazing, and we have many gorgeous photos. You can also swim in the cenote, which is very neat.

There are also some Mayan ruins nearby. Chichen-Itza is just 25 miles away, and Coba is also not far. Ek Balam is nearby too, on the way to Tizmin. You can do a search of ruins (on a map or on the internet) and decide where you’d like to go, because there is a good amount to choose from.

As for eating, there are a few choices of places to eat. There is even a Dominos in town, but we wanted to try local food. After looking around town, we decided on a small restaurant on the corner of the Plaza. The food was good, although we were interrupted twice by beggars asking for money. In small towns in Mexico, you get used to it.

You can visit lots of small towns around Valladolid. Our goal was to see Izamal, the “yellow city” on our way to Merida. It is pretty small, but is unique in that much of it is painted yellow. There is also a large monastery in Izamal which is neat to see.


Other Thoughts

There is a gas station in town (“gasolinera”). We asked where a Pemex Station was and were pointed toward it. As with any station in Mexico, be sure to make sure they zero out the pumps before pumping, and make sure you get correct change.

There was an HSBC bank in town, and I believe there were some other banks. There are a variety of stores, ranging from gift shops to convenience stores to places that carry drugstore items.

I recommend knowing at least a little bit of Spanish – it helps. It can’t hurt to be prepared with the basics, such as the words for parking, credit card, how much, where, how, etc.

I felt this city was safe, although after people coming into our restaurant to beg, we were apparently spotted a mile away. This is a pretty small city and I felt pretty safe.


Overall

Valladolid is a nice city to stop through or spend a day. I originally thought it was bigger than it turned out to be, but we were sufficiently entertained by the activities in and around the city. I probably wouldn’t recommend this city unless you pass through it on your travels. There are a few things to do in town and many more to do outside of town, so it might make a nice stopping point or base for day trips.



My Mexico reviews:
Aventura Spa Palace
Xpu-Ha Palace
Tulum (Mayan ruins)
Chichen-Itza (Mayan ruins)
Paamul
Casa Cenote
Playa del Carmen
Aktun Chen
Chankanaab Park
Reviews to come:
Hotel Meson del Marques (www.mesondelmarques.com)
Izamal
Celestun
Uxmal
Dznitup
Cenote Zaci
Cenote Dzitnup
Mayan Beach Garden
Coba
Blue Sky Hotel, Tankah Tres
Gran Melia, Cancun


Recommended: Yes