AlaskaCharlie wrote: are looking to do this on the cheap; hostels, backpacks, camping, etc.
-I'd like to check out the reported gongshow that is Cancun for a night or two, but we prefer a more laid back atmosphere - but we would still like to party.
-Cozumel sounds attractive for snorkeling/chilling
-I'd love to see some ruins
-Tulum sounds great for what I understand to be a hippy/laid back atmosphere
-How is Playa del Carmen?
Yucatan is perfect for a couple of weeks' getaway. Cancun's best asset is its international airport. That isn't to say you can't have fun there. Most of it is of a very low-brow variety though. There are two parts to the city: Zona Hotelera, which is on a spit of land south of the center. People on all-inclusives and spring breakers rarely make it out of here - think foam parties, wet t-shirt contests, and Senor Frog's. It's very expensive for Mexico, very plastic, and might as well be a suburb of Miami. Cancun city (Centro) isn't so bad, although not at all pretty. Nothing in town is older than 30 years, so the architecture is butt-ugly. You can eat very well here, and there are some decent bars and clubs. With two weeks though, give it a pass.
Playa del Carmen is an hour south of the Cancun airport. You can take a Riviera bus directly from the Cancun airport - it costs 70-80 pesos. PdC is much more tasteful than Cancun. It's still extremely touristy, but has a more manageable layout, and is pedestrianized. There's a great mix of people there - Europeans, North Americans, and Mexicans from Mexico City on holiday. It's also a great town for partying on the beach, and more easily accessible than Cancun's beaches.
Cozumel is boring boring boring topside. The scuba diving is some of the best in the world, but the island itself is bland and overrun with cruiseship tourism. PdC is opposite the island on the mainland, and a much better base for snorkeling, if you're looking for some nightlife. Many of the dives and snorkel trips running out of PdC are on the same sites as ones from Cozumel. Unless you're an avid scuba diver, forget Cozumel. If you want island chilling, go to Isla Mujeres instead, from the Punta Sam in Cancun.
There are ruins all over Yucatan. Chichen Itza is the most popular site, but overrun with daytrippers from Cancun. Coba is a nice site, not far from Tulum. You can rent motorbikes in Tulum to get to Coba, and there are few people that visit this site. Speaking of Tulum, it's way more laid back than Cancun or PdC, and the beaches are even better. It's an hour south from PdC. Tulum Pueblo is 3km (42pesos in a cab) from the beach. You can stay in a hut on the beach in Tulum too, but food and drink are quite expensive out there, and you won't have electricity at night unless you stay at a high-end place. More ruins though ... Uxmal is probably my favorite site in Yucatan. It's near Merida, on the other side of the peninsula. Merida is the only truly historical city in the area - almost 500 years old. Its main square is gorgeous, and almost everyone who visits the city loves it. Unfortunately, it's not on the beach, and about 5 hours from Cancun by bus. If you can find the time, it's definitely worth a couple of days. Don't miss the Anthropology Museum there, if you wind up going.
Does anyone have any hostel recommendations? Any advice on this journey would be very welcome.
In PdC, Hostal Palomar is right on the pedestrian main drag, known as la Quinta (Fifth Avenue, parallel to the beach, a block up from it). That's the cheapest place in town with walls - dorm beds are 80 pesos, I think. Casa Tucan is a nice little hotel a couple of blocks from the beach, usually 350 pesos or so for a double, with a swimming pool and bar. Colores Mexicanos is somewhere around 10th, between 4th and 6th (you'll need a map to figure out the layout of the town and make sense of that address), and will line you up with shared rooms if they aren't full.
In Tulum, the Weary Traveler in Tulum Pueblo has semi-legendary status with backpackers. It's a party hostel, so don't plan on sleeping until late. They have communal barbecues every night, lots of booze and smokables, and free shuttles to the beach every day. Dorms are 120 pesos. The places on the beach are more expensive. If you're looking for seclusion (and already have a hook-up), they are great. If you're a couple of grubs on your own, the places in town are better for meeting people.
In Merida, you can't beat Nomadas hostel, a few blocks from the Zocalo (main square). They arrange tours to Uxmal, area cenotes (sinkholes with pools)
That's enough of a mouthful for now. Obviously, I kind of like this part of the world. Feel free to ask any more questions you might have.
