On the way to Chichen-Itza, Valladolid, another Beautiful Town in the Yucatan. #Travel

It was many, many years ago when I was a kid. I remember a beautiful cenote (and the beautiful blonde American tourist diving in with her wet Yucatecan blouse – that image got seared in my brain for decades). The cenote was in a Mexican town in the Yucatan Peninsula. We were touring around, my Mom, my brother, my sister and one of our cousins. The town was Valladolid and I don’t remember much about the town then (must have been that blonde). After all these years, I went back the other day with my wife. Valladolid is about 2.5 hours from Merida by bus. We took one of the very good air conditioned Autobuses ADO in the morning. The bus ride, by the way, is very inexpensive. Depending on what time of day you choose the return trip costs a maximum of $26 Canadian or about $19 USD.

The Cathedral of Valladolid. Simple but beautiful church. © Canadian and World Tourism/Cactus Rock New Media Ltd.

The beautiful main square in Valladolid, Yucatan. © Canadian and World Tourism/Cactus Rock New Media Ltd.

The Main Square
The main square offers respite from the heart if you don’t like too much sun. The wonderful trees around the square provide cool shade. We sat there to observe the people coming and going. When we got there at around 10:30 am we didn’t see many tourists, but around 1 pm or so, some tour buses arrived and groups of American and European tourists began their visit to Valladolid. Visit the Cathedral. It’s a beautiful church with a wonderful courtyard.

The beautiful Valladolid Cathedral walls. © Canadian and World Tourism/Cactus Rock New Media Ltd.

The Municipal Market
Not to be confused with the arts and crafts market in town, the Mercado Municipal is a few blocks away from the main square in a part of town that is not visited that much by foreign tourists. I recommend it for you to see a real Yucatecan market. The market is at the corner of Calle 37 and Calle 32.

Cenote Zací, Valladolid, Yucatan, Mexico. © Canadian and World Tourism/Cactus Rock New Media Ltd.

The Cenote Zací
For me the Cenote Zací is the star of the town. I have visited and swam in many cenotes in the Yucatan Península – including many in the Mayan Riviera and in the state of Yucatan. What I love about this one, besides it being beautiful, is that it’s right in town. You may pass it on your way to the Municipal Market. We went to the market first and on our way back toward the main square we spent some time swimming in the cenote.
The cenote is a very large natural pool. It has ropes set up in a triangle to help you navigate it if you don’t want to swim too much or if you just want to hold on. I suggest you take goggles so you can see the fish. There’s lots of them. And if you sit quietly near the one of the stairs that lead to the pool the tiny fish will give you a pedicure (I got one. it was ticklish).

Welcome to Valladolid, Yucatan, Mexico. © Canadian and World Tourism/Cactus Rock New Media Ltd.

If you would like to stay a night or 2 in Valladolid (perhaps because you’re going to Chichen Itza and want to see the Light and Sound show at night), there are several good and quaint hotels in Valladolid. Explore hotels in Valladolid on TripAdvisor here. I didn’t stay there overnight this time, but if I was going back, I’d consider the Tia Micha Inn (small and quaint) and the Posada San Juan (No 1 on TripAdvisor for Valladolid hotels, but what attracts me to it is the swimming pool. I like pools when I travel to hot weather places).
For Food, there are several good restaurants in Valladolid. We had lunch at the Atrio del Mayab which was quite good. Won’t say it was great, but it was quite good and the patio in the back is beautiful. Right next to the Cathedral.
MERIDA
Check out hotels in Merida on TripAdvisor. Before you go to Merida to rent or buy a home, I strongly recommend you first visit as a tourist and stay at a nice hotel with good service. Get the lay of the land. Explore and then decide if you’d like to spend several weeks or months in this Mexican city. I suggest the following hotels that are located close to or in the historic district:
Hotel Fiesta Americana Merida outside the historic downtown on Paseo Montejo (a beautiful boulevard inspired by Champs Elysee).
Hyatt Regency Merida outside the historic downtown on Paseo Montejo (a beautiful boulevard inspired by Champs Elysee).
Hotel Mansion Merida in the Park. In the historic district. I haven’t stayed here, but it’s a good property and I love the breakfasts outside in the plaza.
Diplomat Boutique Hotel. Don’t know this one, but it looks like I should check it out. In the historic district.
Travel Happy. Happy Travels.

Source: canadianandworldtourism.com

Cheap Hotels & Flights