Playa Del Carmen Sightseeing

[Lorenzoid]

Chichen Itza is very sanitized and touristy. Ek Balam ruins are a lot better and not touristy and they're are close to Chichen Itza. Ek' Balam: Haunting Ruins of an Abandoned Maya Kingdom

Wow, so you don't recommend a tourist who has never seen any of these sites visit what is perhaps the most impressive and famous Mayan ruin site in the Yucatan--because lots of other tourists visit it?

The fact is that southern Mexico is riddled with archaeological sites, some of which have been well excavated and are thronged with tourists and others still mostly buried and covered with jungle. Which is the better experience? They're all interesting, but in different ways. The more excavated sites may be more impressive and have more information available about the structures and Mayan civilization. The less excavated sites give you that Indiana Jones vibe, but much of it may look more like piles of rocks than pyramids and temples. And of course there is everything in between these extremes. I confess I haven't been to Ek Balam, and maybe it's a great balance between touristy and Indiana Jones.

 

[ibj40]

Chichen Itza is very sanitized and touristy. Ek Balam ruins are a lot better and not touristy and they're are close to Chichen Itza. Ek' Balam: Haunting Ruins of an Abandoned Maya Kingdom

I would strongly recommend Ek’ Balam.

We went there a decade or so ago, actually right after it was opened to the public.

Back then it was restoration done right, and apparently, according to this article, just keeps getting better.

New discovery announced at Ek' Balam site in Yucatán

The discovery may hold the key to unlocking more of the history of this ancient Maya acropolis, a "best-kept secret" of the Yucatán.

mexiconewsdaily.com

 

[Paula Trounce]

Noted!

 

[Still Kicking]

Not easy to get to and it would require an overnight stay (or more) but Holbox is a total change of pace. I enjoyed staying there. There are whale sharks in season though the vis is poor.

Isla Mujeres has better vis for whale sharks but I haven't been there.

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

Wow, so you don't recommend a tourist who has never seen any of these sites visit what is perhaps the most impressive and famous Mayan ruin site in the Yucatan--because lots of other tourists visit it?

Where exactly did I say I don't recommend anyone visit Chichen Itza because I went back and re read my post and no where did I say don't go there.
The OP asked where to go that wasn't "too touristy & overly sanitized" which Chichen Itza is with it's manicured lawns, roped off structures and vendors all over the place.
I simply recommenced an alternative ruins site that might better fit the OP's wants.

 

[Billg68bg]

Chichen Itza is nice, but I agree with a previous poster. I enjoyed Coba much more. And bicycling to the sites in Coba was a lot of fun. Depending on location, Tulum is nice too.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Where exactly did I say I don't recommend anyone visit Chichen Itza because I went back and re read my post and no where did I say don't go there.
The OP asked where to go that wasn't "too touristy & overly sanitized" which Chichen Itza is with it's manicured lawns, roped off structures and vendors all over the place.
I simply recommenced an alternative ruins site that might better fit the OP's wants.

I didn't interpret your recommendation of Ek Balam as suggesting it as an "alternative" but rather as suggesting to choose Ek Balam instead of Chichen Itza. There is a distinction in my mind between suggesting two alternative sites and steering someone to a different site. It's like going to Egypt and beeing steered from Giza to Saqqara instead. Yes, a fascinating and unique site there that has been getting more attention from visitors, but you skipped the Great Pyramid because it's "too touristy."

Moreover, I'm not sure we all (myself included) fully appreciate what our dear OP had in mind when she said she wished to avoid "too touristy and overly sanitized" sites. Compared with what? Yes, the central area at Chichen Itza is grass (though hardly "manicured"). Yes, there are vendors, but as I mentioned in a comparison with Egypt, where I believe the OP has been, the vendors do not harass visitors AT ALL. In general, I have found Mexican vendors, even at touristy places, to be super polite. And yes, visitors are now prohibited from climbing all over the ancient stone structures that they used to be free to trample. Is that not an improvement? They should all prohibit climbing, in my opinion, and more and more are. And making the sites more accessible, by providing paths and such to walk on, is a good thing. I have been to sites in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras that you had to climb over and had no idea what was beneath you, as much of it looked like a jumbled pile of stones with a few partially excavated structures interspersed. But I digress. Ek Balam may be wilder, and it may provide an interesting contrast to Chichen Itza, but to write off Chichen Itza, the big kahuna of the Yucatan, as "too touristy and overly sanitized" seems extreme.

Coba, which others here have mentioned, is great too! They're all fascinating!

 

[rick00001967]

where are you staying in playa? that may help.

a boat trip over to coz could be fun if the seas agree with you that day. i am not sure if your dive center runs a boat across or not. tank ha did in the past. not sure of they still do. i would not bother doing a ferry run over there to dive for the day. but thats just me. if you were able to stay over a day or two then that would be a different story imho.

5th ave is sure something to see. yes it is the mecca of touristy places lol but can still be pretty awesome if you have never been to playa. tons of bars and restaurants to choose from.

there are also bicycles avail all over the city you can rent. i am so disappointed i did not take advantage of them when i was there. a lot more can be seen if you leave the 5th ave area and head north to explore.

i know you said you were not interested in the zip lining type stuff but the wife and i went to Xplor at night when we were there last year. we never do stuff like that. we had a blast. it was so much fun. it even started pouring rain on us when we took off on our second atv run. the rain made it even more fun lol

are you a dog lover? there is a dog rescue place my wife found on facebook and we were able to go there one day to help with some of the animals and get them some exercise. that would not usually be something i would do but we wanted to try something different and at least we got to do something small to help.

if you like sports there is a really great sports park on 10th ave. there might be a soccer game or something going on you could take in.

 

[Chavodel8en]

If you want a real change of pace, Merida is a vibrant colonial city about 2.5 - 3 hrs inland from the coast. Too far for a day trip, best to stay there several days. Excellent Yucatecan food, culture, shopping, and city life. Note that its a big city (~1M residents), not a quaint town, but the colonial center is gorgeous. And a good base for the various ruins folks are discussing.

And just to add to the discussion, I liked the impressive, well kept structures of Chichen Itza over the out-of-the jungle feel of Coba (never been to Ek-Balam or Uxmal, two other options from Merida).

 

[Lorenzoid]

I agree with @Chavodel8en that in addition to all the Mayan ruins there are the colonial towns. I'd pick Valladolid over Merida for convenience from Cancun, and I think someone already mentioned Valladolid in a post above. So much to see in the Yucatan!