A Hacienda, a Jungle, and Mayan ruins. A great stay!
Written: Oct 10 '02 (Updated Jan 13 '09)
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Pros: An air of simple elegance,beautiful grounds, and the ruins are just footsteps away,
Cons: A bit off the beaten path. Tour buses
The Bottom Line: The hotel, the grounds, the people, and Mayan ruins, made the Mayaland Hotel & Bungalows Resort a wonderful place to be.
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| popsrocks's Full Review: Hotel Mayaland |
My wife and I took the kids to Mexico for a family vacation. We stayed for the most part in the town of Playa del Carmen. We had stayed at the Alegro resort there on the coast and did some side trips. We decided however that Chichen-Itza, the Mayan ruin was to be first on our agenda. We stayed at the Mayaland Hotel & Bungalows.
ON OUR WAY
After arriving at Cancun Airport we rented our van and straight up to Chichen-Itza we went. It was a very boring two hour drive through scrub pines and little else but a couple of inexpensive tolls. We did go through a few small towns and stopped for gas once. I like to keep a full tank in areas I do not know well. Traveling was easy and direct and soon we found a sign saying "You have arrived"
WE HAVE ARRIVED
I recall some kind of sign noting this was the Mayaland Hotel & Bungalows Resort. We went through a gate and gave our information. The guard then made a call and gave us some direction. As we started driving through the grounds we felt like we were in a lush rain forest. Realizing that the hotel books itself as a Unique Jungle Resort I now understood what they meant. I drove up to an open area that was obviously a parking lot totally surrounded by jungle. As we approached a jeep with an open cart attached pulled up to us and the man inside greeted us with a huge smile. He told me where to park, there were only two other cars there, and then pulled up next to us. He helped us take all our gear from the van, put it in the cart, and had us all get into the jeep and a couple of the kids safely on the cart.
The driver started through another area of lush plants, trees, and flowers. I am telling you I thought I was on a tour of "Jurasic Park" I had a smile ear to ear as did my wife and kids. We then came into an open area where charming bungalows were set among the trees with swimming pools under towering palms nearby. The grounds are beautifully manicured and have been formed and maintained for the last seventy five years. They have three pools. One at the main house and two on the grounds away from it all.
THE HOTEL
Then we pulled up to the hotel of the Mayaland Resort. It was built as a hacienda of nobility with charm and grace. The white stucco walls and polished tera-cotta tiles offset each other and gave the place a feeling of warmth and comfort. I am not at all trying to embellish our experience. This is a one of a kind place. We didn't even have to check in at the desk. We were immediately taken to our rooms and then I was asked to stop at the desk at my convenience to take care of paperwork.
Our rooms were on the second floor. You go upstairs through a large open air, sweeping staircase with Mexican antiques. Once upstairs we walked along an open walkway that overlooks an inside court. We had music playing there under us every night.
The room was large, with white stucco and brown tile floors. It was very simply decorated with rought iron touches and a weaved cloth blanket hanging over the bed. The rooms have a/c, a fan above the bed, and a nice porch from which you can see one of the Mayan ruins, the Observatory. The only major problem I had with the hotel is that from the porch you also had buses that came to the place. They would stay there with engines running. This deeply cut into the feeling of the place. Fortunately this was not all the time. The rooms were $150.00 per night. Nothing with that, no breakfast, no entrance to the park. The bungalows are $200.00 per night. If you prefer privacy they are the thing you want. We toured one of them. They are very roomy, airy, and quite comfortable looking. They all are built overlooking a pool on gorgeous grounds,
Our rooms had satellite TV, an overpriced mini bar, and coffee maker. There was plenty of room for clothes in the closet along with a chest of drawers.
The bathroom was a decent size done in ceramics, tile, and marble. There was a bath with a shower head. Plenty of thick fluffy towels were in the room. They had a hairdryer and a couple of shampoos, rinses, and soaps. It was cleaned well each day as was the room. They did not have room safes available. You could use the safe at the main desk.
MORE INFO
We were hungry when we got there so went to the restaurant. It was empty. Here's the deal about this place. It's good and bad. You see because it is far from all except the Chichen-Itza ruin it is not a busy hotel. There were very few people checked in while we were there. It was off season, July. This place makes its money from tour buses. The buses come from Cancun, arrive at lunch time, everybody disembarks, use the restrooms, and have lunch at the hotel. After lunch they take the tour of the grounds and then head back out. About two or three buses come everyday. There are a couple of other packages also. One bus stayed later. After the group had their tour they went back to the court yard where they had a Mexican show complete with Mariachi, and dancers. They had some food served also. It then got darker and the tour went back to the ruins to see the light and sound show. This show is one of the reasons you should stay at this hotel. Though others got to see it they then had to take a two hour bus ride back. We however, walked back to the hotel, it's right there, and had a drink listening to quitar music strumming.
Lunch was wonderful. We were by ourselves, the buses were not there yet. The have excellent Mexican and American food . We tried and enjoyed all the Mexican food. The room is open airy, all white stucco and stained glass window. Be sure to have someone take your picture from the balcony above. It's a great shot. You really get a feel of how lovely the place is. The food was good and the help very friendly. They did not speak much English but it was easy enough to get by.
The next night we ate at the poolside grill. It is beautifully lighted in soft pastel coloured lights. The weather is very comfortable later in the day. It is hot in the sun during the day. Food again was wonderful. Actually there are not a lot of choices for eating in the area but thankfully I can recommend their two restaurants on the grounds.
As we were eating a small snake crawled from one setting of plants and flowers around one tree over the pool tile to another setting of plants around a tree. The kids pointed it out. One of the Mexican help saw it. The next thing you know, there were seven guys in their white outfits poking in the brush with their buts high in the air. It was a funny scene watching and listening. Then suddenly a guy comes out of the back with a machete and starts swinging in the plants. One of the guys came over later and told us it may have been poisonous so they had to eliminate it. Poor snake.
MAYAN RUINS
The real plus about this hotel is it's location to the ruins. The fact is it is built on some of them. This is an archeological site. On it's 100 acre grounds are four excavation and rebuilding sites. You can take a stroll and you are there among them. The real deal though is on the gated grounds of Chichen-Itza. The hotel has it's own entrance. The key here is to get up and out at opening time. At nine the gates opened and we were the only ones in there for about an hour. I can't begin to tell you what walking around these ruins are like. We all except my wife climbed the big pyramid shaped temple. There is a rope in the middle that you can use to help balance yourself while climbing and descending. I, being a former laborer who used to climb high steel in the city was the big shot who walked down step by step with confidence. I know my wife had the camera waiting for me to stumble. "Not this time hon" The kids all came down by way of their buts. It was exciting and also a place of reverence. I will try a review of the ruins another day. The solitude we had ends abruptly at a little before noon as all the buses from other towns start arriving. I had mentioned two or three buses. That is what goes to our hotel and it's private entrance. On the other side of the ruins is the main entrance and there are many, many buses that arrive there. The crowds suddenly arrive. We learned that the best way to enjoy this place is to sight see early, go back to the hotel, enjoy the pool, and then return to the ruins after four thirty when most of the buses are leaving. This is what we did.
WHAT ELSE TO DO
We had stayed for two nights. That is a good amount of time for us. There are a few other things to do in the area. Horseback riding is one of them. there are some side trips to other ruins also. For us it was the ruins on site and the pool.
Now here is the great thing about the tour buses. We know when they come and when they leave. Just don't be around the main part of the hotel then. We went to the pools by the cottages. Again there was nobody around. We spent hours by ourselves under tall palm trees and lush plants and not a soul around. Not one person!! Use common sense in protecting yourself against sunburn. We did and never had a problem.
Another thing about Mexico is you always hear "Don't drink the water". Well, we didn't either. We had bottled water. Supposedly all the big hotels and resorts filter their own water so we should not have a problem. We never did!
Every night the Mayaland resort hotel we had some kind of entertainment. It was very simple but that added to the atmosphere. When it was finally time to leave we packed our bags and left them at the door. We were then greeted by our big smiling jeep driver. We traveled through the jungle to our van. Thankfully we were not attacked be any pre-historic creatures.
Chichen Itza and the Hotel Mayaland are listed in the book 1,000 Places To See Before You Die It's good reading and dreaming.
A bit more in Mexico
10 Reason's To Visit Mexico
Discovering the Yucatan Peninsula Ancient Ruins, Culture, and Relaxation
CHICHEN-ITZA, the Grand Ancient Site of the Yucatan
Coba, the ancient city A site that is just being excavated.
Tulum, Mayan Temples on the Sea
Xcaret, an Amazing Park dedicated to Nature and Culture
Hotel MayaLand A wonderful, highly recommended, place to stay near Chichen-Itza
Allegro Resort, Playacar A halfway decent all-inclusive in Playa del Carmen. Just six miles from Xcaret.
Viva Wyndham Maya A good choice
Other warm weather destination reviews by popsrocks
Barcelo Bavero, Dominican Republic Ya gotta love this place.
Sandals Negril A good romantic place for couples
Renaissance Jamaica Grand Perfect for the family.
Jamaica, one man's view Jamaica me laugh, Jamaica me cry
St. John, US Virgin Island Now this is paradise!!
Westin Resort, St. John, Virgin Islands The price was right.
Recommended:
Yes
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