Dear Soul,
“Daily Affirmations and Visualization make every New Year’s Resolution a Reality.” - Happy New YOU!
The Riviera Maya is a stunning stretch of Caribbean coastline on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, south of Cancún, famous for its white-sand beaches, turquoise waters, luxurious all-inclusive resorts (especially around Playa del Carmen and Tulum), rich Mayan history with ruins like Tulum and Cobá, and vibrant eco-parks like Xcaret and Xel-Há, offering snorkeling in cenotes, diving, and cultural experiences. It's a top destination for relaxation, adventure, and exploring ancient civilizations, easily accessible from Cancun's airport through ADO buses.
DAY 1: Thursday, December 25: Merry Christmas at Playa Del Carmen
This is the second leg of our
Mexico trip with another early flight; this time from Mexico City to Cancun,
carrying many memories and the breakfast Hilton generously packed for us. It
only took us 15mins to get to airport and we made the flight which took off
early. Our rental car agency picked us up from airport and took to their office,
all looked great except for the very old beaten-up car!
Driving to our Airbnb Condo in Playacar, an upscale, gated resort community in the city of Playa del Carmen, was a breeze (careful of TOPE – speedbump) and we ate our breakfast sandwiches voraciously in the car. Thanks to Google Maps for taking us all around in the very safe gated community instead of a short direct route, we got to enjoy the villas and coconut trees with full on tropical vibes (a perfect place to retire, no kidding!).
We went to Soriana super market in the close by Centro Maya mall and stocked up pantry and fridge covering all meals, snacks and desserts. Only then I realized I missed bringing Indian spices for cooking☹, so for the next few days I cooked all the dishes using just the cumin powder I bought there.
We took rest (while my 6-year-old
daughter conversed with the next-door Canadian neighbors from the balcony) before
exploring the pools here and then drove to a public beach by Soundset Beach
Club. Parking was little challenging, but loved the warm water and the white
soft sand sliding from under the feet with no sign of Sargassum.
We reunited with our very dear friends who joined us from Guanajuato for our time together here, had local tacos and Haagen-Dazs ice cream at the dazzling 5th avenue (Quinta Avenida) and made plans for the next day. We had a home cooked meal after a long time, did showers, laundry and went to bed.
DAY 2: Friday, December 26: Tulum and Cenote Zacil-Ha
It’s my turn to feeling unwell but we had an early start to the day driving to Tulum at 8:30 AM to beat the sun and the crowds (made me wonder how the kids have been going around so much despite being sick). No plastic was allowed inside (no wonder as we saw a lot of plastic waste on the beach), so we had to leave the water bottles in car. Apparently, Tulum is the only Mayan settlement on water and the ruins (inhabited by Iguanas now) looked beautiful against the Turquoise Caribbean Sea.
We spent time on the beach, and drove
to cenote Zacil-Ha (instead of Playa Akumal) per the shuttle driver
recommendation. The Cenote (sinkhole) looked small and beautiful with clear
turquoise water, lots of small fish, cave access and even a pool onsite. I also
liked the restaurant set up, small huts surrounded by trees and my friend and I
enjoyed catching up and resting while the kids played in Cenote and pool forever.
Back home, we met our dear cousin
after a long time at Parque Los Fundadores, this time used street parking for MX$10
instead of MX$100 the day before. It’s packed with people and cultural performances,
but we rushed back home tired after a long day.
DAY 3: Saturday, December 27: Chichen Itza and Hacienda Cenote Oxmán
The day my DD2 had been waiting
for – to see her first wonder of the world: Chichen Itza, the Mayan City built
in late Classic period! (she has been
reading about the New seven wonders since she was young!) Chichen Itza is a
2-hour drive from Playa Del Carmen, but is one hour behind Cancun time, so we
started at 6:30 and reached by 8 AM. We parked close by and paid the federal
and State entrance fee for adults while its free for kids.
As we entered, we went straight to
the famous El Castillo (Pyramid of Kukulkán – the Serpent Deity),
representing Mayan Calendar in stone, with 91 steps on each of its four sides,
totaling 365 steps (including the top platform) for the days of the year. We
clapped at the base producing an echo that mimics the call of the sacred
Quetzal bird.
The things we learnt at the National
museum of Anthropology, about the Preclassic, Classic and Postclassic period
came to life here. We saw Chac Mool, a Reclining human figure with its
head turned 90 degrees, resting on elbows with a bowl or disk on its stomach to
hold offerings (such as incense, tamales, tortillas, or, in sacrificial
contexts, human hearts!) in Temple of warriors adjacent to the Temple
of the thousand columns.
At Ball court, it was
really fun to know about a fast-moving ball game in which teams of warriors had
to get a rubber ball through a stone ring high up on the wall of the court with
their elbows, wrists and hips without kicking it or using their hands. Apparently,
they show this in one of the Xcaret shows.
Other highlights:
The temple of jaguars (Balam), Sacred well/Cenote (A natural limestone sinkhole), El Caracol (The Observatory) – a round tower on a square platform, the Ossuary, Tzompantli platform, Chultunes -wells for rain water storage.
There were souvenir vendors all along the paths and also a store and restrooms with benches outside to relax close to entrance. We were able to get out before noon, as it was just getting busy and hot.
Our next stop to relax and have lunch was Cenote (Hacienda) Oxman near Valladolid. At the first glance, it looked scary – very deep, surrounded by dramatic roots hanging down into the sinkhole! Cenote access is equally scary via a spiral narrow wooden staircase (73 steps) built into a cave tunnel dripping water. Felt safe with the mandatory life jacket and the kids had a blast especially with the rope swing jumping into the water.
DAY 4: Sunday, December 28: Exploring Playa Del Carmen
Totally contrary to what I planned the night before to have a relaxing day by myself, my DH woke up with the man-cold, so decided to take it easy and stay back with me. My DD1 joined our friends as planned for Xel ha and we three went to a public beach post lunch: Punta Esmeralda with a unique, shallow, freshwater cenote that flows into the Caribbean Sea. It was hard with no parking available or restrooms, so we couldn’t stay longer. A good lesson for Cozumel - to invest on a beach club to spend longer time (if not staying in a resort).
We parked at a perfect parking spot this time and went to the Paseo del Carmen Shopping Mall and then checked out ferry and ADO information at the pier. When we picked up our DD1, they were still playing in the hot tub at our friends’ place at Bamoa Playacar Luxury residences after a whole day of water!
DAY 5: Monday, December 29: Snorkeling at Cozumel
We checked out our Airbnb and bid farewell to our friends who were on their way back to Guanajuato. Then returned the car close to the fifth avenue, bought the ticket at the pier and took the 45-minute Xcaret ferry to Cozumel enjoying Caribbean views.
We took taxi to Casa Xel-ha, our stay while at island (a second floor studio opening to a rooftop terrace) and settled down. It was always easy to get a taxi from the taxi stand at the Chedraui Cozumel Centro super market next door and we went to Skyreef Beach Club. We took the basic package of 20USD per person which included snorkeling equipment, restaurant/banos, massage, a drink and tequila tasting. We ordered lunch and the rest started snorkeling, very first time for our DD1. There was no sandy beach and the water was very clear so I could see fish and corals right from the steps.
For the first time in the trip, the book in my hand felt interesting and I actually finished a chapter. Just an hour into snorkeling, weather changed rapidly with winds and rain so we were asked to get out and take shelter inside the restaurant. We took a taxi back home through flooded streets and tropical rain and got essentials from the supermarket for the rest of the trip.
DAY 6: Tuesday, December 30: Snorkeling at Cozumel
A rainy day per weather forecast, and we planned to watch “Avatar 3” at the next door Cinepolis in the afternoon. We went to The Money Bar Beach Club with zero entry fee unlike yesterday. We took a table next to loungers so my DD2 played in the sand and on the reef shore with hermit crabs and snails with her newly made friend. My husband was very excited to attract and feed the fish with some tortillas and even got bit by them, but the highlight was the jelly fish and the shark seen while snorkeling.
I was happy to be able to see the reef and fish right from
shore and read my book and we all enjoyed the lunch. What should have been an hour turned
out to be an awesome whole day experience. We were just done with food when the
weather changed rapidly with winds and rain so took shelter inside the
restaurant, same experience as the day before. We took a taxi back home, a very
friendly driver (just as the one on our way to the club) explained the importance of being good to
tourists to attract more, “What goes around comes around”, he said. The supermarket
trip for souvenirs took longer, so skipped going to Centro and hit the bed.
DAY 7: Wednesday, December 31: Taxi-Ferry-Bus-Flight back to States
Final day of the trip and the last day of 2025 started with a well spent morning at Cozumel Centro. Saw a lot of tourists getting off of the Cruise terminal for the day, no wonder the taxis and stores accept USD here on the island. We indulged ourselves in HUGE ice cream, so we packed the lunch I made, checked out and took ferry back to Playa del Carmen. This time we sat indoor on first floor to avoid getting wet like before, but the very choppy waters left me and my DD1 nauseous.
We took the ADO bus to Cancun airport from the conveniently located terminal right on 5th Avenue near the Cozumel Ferry pier. One of the best experiences: very clean, comfortable (with a restroom too) and smooth ride and booking done easy using the App. We had a lot of time at airport, so had our packed dinner (even Panda Express at the terminal was crazy expensive) and shopped around before boarding the flight. We landed in LA and checked in to our hotel close to midnight to welcome the New Year!! Happy 2026 Everyone!!!
