Mexico: Playa del Carmen, Chichen Itza & Xcaret
A first real resort stay in Playa del Carmen, a full-day trip to Chichen Itza and a cenote, and an adventure-packed day at Xcaret Explorer — all in December.
Five days on the Riviera Maya: first real resort stay, Chichen Itza in the rain, an underground cenote swim, and a full day of zip lines at Xcaret Explorer.
Hotel: Pesis La Perla · Playa del Carmen
Day 1
Meals:
- Dinner: Resort buffet — salmon was the standout; limited chicken options
- Stay: Pesis La Perla, Playa del Carmen
Activity:
- Flew into Tulum airport; cab transfer to Playa del Carmen — for next time, fly into Cancún, it's a much shorter transfer
- Checked into Pesis La Perla, a first resort at this level — it has a separate adult-only section and a family section
- The adult section was quiet and genuinely peaceful: pool views, Jacuzzi, low noise
- Evening show at the resort
- Walked the hotel grounds: small boutiques, coffee shop, ice cream spot, art center, activities running throughout (yoga, dance, drawing classes)
- Short walk to the beach
Day 2
Meals:
- Lunch: Included with the tour
- Stay: Pesis La Perla, Playa del Carmen
Activity:
- Full-day tour booked through Viator: Chichen Itza, Cenote & Valladolid
- 8 AM pickup from the hotel in a small van; transferred to a larger group bus around 10 AM
- ~11 AM: lunch stop, included in the package
- Cenote — lockers on site for your things; water is cold but you adjust fast; small fish swim right up and create a light tingling sensation; swimming area and a small dive spot; tequila tasting also available here. Bring a waterproof phone pouch (most people on the tour had one) and water shoes — Walmart near the resort carries them cheap
- Valladolid (~2–3 PM) — small colonial town; central park ringed by a church, ice cream spots, and local market stalls; easy to walk, worth the stop
- Chichen Itza — rained hard the whole visit; we had nothing to shelter with and ended up under trees with everyone else. Pack an umbrella or poncho
- Before entering: use the restrooms, grab water, a hat, or an umbrella at the front area. Cameras larger than a phone require a ~60 MXN fee at the gate
- At El Castillo: clap once at the right angle and the echo sounds like a quetzal bird call — a deliberate Mayan engineering feature
- The ball court on the grounds is where the Mayans played a sport involving getting a ball through a ring mounted high on the wall
- Vendors sell magnets, hats, and Maya crafts along the entry path on both sides
- Long ride back: group bus to a transfer point, then a smaller van dropped off each hotel one by one — we were last
Day 3
Meals:
- Breakfast: Resort buffet — a lot of dessert options
- Dinner: Resort restaurant
- Stay: Pesis La Perla, Playa del Carmen
Activity:
- Relaxed morning; leisurely breakfast
- Beach time
- Evening spa — first massage. Cleared out a lot more than expected. Would book again.
Day 4
Meals:
- Lunch: Asian food at the resort restaurant
- Stay: Pesis La Perla, Playa del Carmen
Activity:
- Worked remotely from the resort
- Walmart run: water shoes, extra swim shirts, and snacks for the activity day ahead — if you have multiple water activity days, buy two or three swim shirts, they won't dry overnight
Day 5
Meals:
- Lunch: Included with the Xcaret package
- Stay: Pesis La Perla, Playa del Carmen
Activity:
- Explorer package at Xcaret — booked through the hotel (always ask your hotel first and compare prices before booking elsewhere)
- 7 AM pickup
- Activities in order: zip lines (9 courses) → waterslide → ATV route → hammock splash river → lunch → underground river rafting
- Underground river was the standout: rafting through illuminated cave systems underground
- Flew home the following the next morning