FEBRUARY 2024
This is the number one blog I put off to write, as I have so many recommendations for Valladolid that actually writing this blog seemed daunting. We absolutely loved our time in Valladolid, it was our favorite destination of our Mexican road trip! And I am in love with the Caribbean Sea, and that is not near Valladolid, so this really means something. Valladolid is the perfect holiday destination, an old town with colorful houses and a lively square, incredible food scene, many interesting historic sights nearby and plenty of opportunity for swimming. These are my recommendations…
Where we stayed
Valladolid offers many, charming, colonial style hotels that offer good value-for-money. We stayed in Hotel Fundadores, which had a little pool in the middle of the patio. We paid € 70 per night for a comfortable room with two large beds. Hugo loved the little pool, and we hung out at the pool area when he was doing his afternoon nap. The hotel is a few minutes walking off the main square and we were able to park our car safely in the private parking. Overall, I would recommend staying here.
Valladolid
Valladolid has a lively town center, it is quite touristy, so in the main square you will be able to see all kinds of performances. Overall, great vibes, without feeling unsafe. We loved our evening walks passing the square and enjoying all the colorful, colonial style buildings. Templo de San Servacio is towering over the square and you can even capture it with sunset.
Calzada de los Frailes is one of the prettiest streets in Valladolid, there are hardly any cars and all the houses are painted in beautiful colors. This is also where you will find the more interesting stores and the upscale-restaurants and rooftop bars. It looks gorgeous during the golden hour, definitely walk by at that time!
Food
We found that Valladolid had a very lively food scene, offering all sorts of cuisines. There are some restaurants in the main square, but it is best to venture out off the square to find more original choices. These are my recommendations:
El Meson del Marques: This restaurant belongs to the oldest hotel of Valladolid and you can have your meal in a lovely patio garden, super atmospheric. The cuisine is quite traditional Mexican, they had some tasting plates so you could try different kind of dishes, which is a very good option. Because of its A+ location at the square, the drinks are quite pricy.
Tostaqueria del Mar: Very cool vibes over here, offering hip Mexican food, ceviche and delicious cocktails. If you like this type of restaurant, there are similar options in Calzada de los Frailes.
Carolin Cacao & Chocolate: The best ice creams in Valladolid! We also loved the homemade oat cookies and the cute garden.
Napoleta: You really have to search for this restaurant, but it has delicious Italian food and very kind staff! Everything was absolutely divine.
Cenotes
Luckily, we were traveling by car, so we visited as many cenotes as we could fit into our day! They all have their own little surprises and if you love swimming it is a must visit! All the cenotes that we visited had a proper changing room, so no need to stress about this.
Oxman: This cenote opened really early in the morning and as we were still jet lagged we went as early as possible. They have a nice deal at the entrance which gives you food credit in the restaurant, which we used towards breakfast. We loved this Cenote, it has a Tarzan swing which adds a lot of excitement. The Cenote is very deep and has lots of plants, it truly was magical being the first ones here. If you are scared to swim here, there is a pool too where you can lounge.
Xchanche: This is the cenote next to Ek Balam ruins. It was incredibly well maintained and clean. They had a Tarzan swing as well, many options for jumping and very cool rope ladders. Because everybody visits the ruins first, it doesn’t get busy early. We had the place to ourselves for 1,5 hours in the morning.
Chichikan: What is special about Chicken is that it has a little island in the middle and shallow water, making it a very good option with kids. There is a waterfall as a backdrop. This cenote is very deep, you need to take a steep stairs to ascent. Because of this there isn’t a lot of sunlight and the water is really cold. You have to soak your hair completely before getting in, so I found it difficult to take aesthetic pics 😉 There is a very nice lounge/bar area, which would be fun for a full afternoon. The entrance fee is quite steep (it is ever changing), but it does include a tequila tasting, for which we had no time.
Xkeken: This might have been my favorite one. If you visit this one, you also have to buy an entrance ticket for Samuula cenote, which is across the street. I loved Xkeken, it is more of a cave style cenote, with only one little opening in the roof. There are lots of stalacmites and it was very quiet. This one does not seem to be on the tourist radar yet, but I expect it becoming really popular!
Samuula: This is the more popular one if you also visit Xkeken. There is a large “eye” above the cave, which had beautiful light early in the morning. Lots of little fish, but also quite a lot of tourists. I think tour buses visit this one.
Zaci: This one is located in the center of Valladolid. So therefore it is really popular. We visited at the end of the day, but because of a shortage of life vests we couldn’t get in. It seemed like fun, but it is also the most crowded one. If you don’t have a car, it is a good option to explore a cenote.
Ek Balam
Ek Balam is one of the main Maya sights that you can visit near Valladolid. It is about a twenty minute drive. When we arrived I was shocked at the entrance fee, you have to buy an entrance ticket + pay taxes, I think we paid over € 35 per person to be able to enter. We decided to get in anyway, as we were already there. When you don’t visit with a guide, it is very hard to understand what went down here, so try to go with a guide. The main pyramid is super beautiful, it still features old hieroglyphs, which was really impressive. You can also climb the pyramids, definitely climb both, as you get stunning views. We visited in the middle of the day, it was quite hot, but not very busy.
Izamal
Izamal is a magical yellow town in the Valladolid area. For me it was a must to stay here overnight, but you can easily visit on a day trip (also with public transport). I wrote a separate blogpost on Izamal.
Uayma
A hidden gem not everybody knows about is the church in Uayma. It has beautiful tiles on the outside, and you should not miss out on seeing this one! It is a short drive from Valladolid, it is super quiet and very charming. Don’t forget to go inside too!
