Toby & Sanna
Things To Do
Chichén-Itzá
Chichén Itzá is the largest of the archaeological cities of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. It is one of Mexico's most visited tourist destinations. It was granted World Heritage Site status in 1988 by UNESCO World Heritage Site and was recently selected as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
Tulum Beach
Trendy beach where celebrities go to stay, it has a nice vibe but can now be over priced to stay on the beach. Nice place to kite surf if the wind is in the right direction and a bit wavey.
Holbox
A beautiful and relaxing island just 2 hour drive + boat trip or a direct boat trip from Cancun. The island has no cars and still has the feeling of a sleepy fishing village although it now has more cafes and bars to also make it easy to just chill. For those who like kite surfing, in the right conditions this is known to be a beautiful place to kite, together with El Cuyo and Tulum
Holbox Whale Shark Tours
Whale shark season starts mid June, something you definitely don't want to miss. Boat trips also depart from Cancun, but it is nice to stay in Holbox if you have the time and want to add a chilled island night to your trip
El Cuyo Kitesurf Mexico
Little fisherman village with great kite surf if the wind is on....!
Cozumel
Great island to visit with diving and snorkeling on the second biggest barrier reef in the world.
Akumal Beach
Akumal beach used to be one of Toby's favourite beaches when growing up, you can walk out and snorkel with turtles who like the area and feed on the sea grass which grows in this beautiful bay. Access was free but you may need to pay an entrance fee and these days it is a bit busier but still nice if you want to swim with turtles. You can rent snorkel gear at the beach and please follow instructions to protect the sea grass and turtles in the area. You can also go for a walk on the beach and get away from the main area which can get busy at times. The Acosta's used to go to this beach as kids, snorkel on the reef which is about 100 metres out, bike on the sand trail, look for crabs and other sea creature in the dry reef near the beach, have hermit crab races and pretty much spend all day in the beach. Akumal can take a while to reach by car, so you may want to include this in a trip to playa del carmen or as a stop if you are visiting Tulum or Coba
Cobá
Coba is an ancient Mayan city and a nice site to visit if you are in the area of Tulum. In our opinion it has more character than the more famous Chichen Itza as you walk under the jungle canopy (still in a clear path but at least it feels a bit more jungly). As Coba is slightly less touristy than Chichen, you can still climb the main pyramid (although check before going as this may have changed), it is 120 steps and the tallest pyramid in the peninsula where you will get amazing views of the jungle. I would suggest staying on the trail as we once took a 'shortcut' which led us to spend the better part of a day looking for the main pyramid thanks to expert guidance of one of my older brother's who will remain unnamed, it was well worth the walk though but bring your water bottles and snacks just in case :)
Río Lagartos
Rio Lagartos is a fishing village on the northern part of the peninsula, it requires a bit of traveling but could be included in a trip to Merida (which was classed as one of the to places to visit in 2019 by Lonely Planet). The village is located within a natural reserve which is well known for having wild flamingos, pink salt lakes which you can float in and as the name suggests in Spanish a river with crocodiles (don't worry they aren't big angry Aussie salties). You can either book a tour online or simply arrive at the fishing village and get in touch with a local fisherman who will gladly take you on the tour of the area (note booking a tour online will probably be more expensive than simply turning up, yet you may need to plan it a bit)
Chac Mool Beach
A few years ago, Chac-mool beach was witness to a major event in Toby's life as this is the beach where Toby taught him self how to surf. It is by no means a world class surf break but is still one of his favourite beaches and worth having surf in as the water is nice and warm all year round. by the way big thank you to Kevin for buying a used surfboard before moving to the UK and choosing to 'pass on' the surfboard to your younger siblings. We made the most of Chichos Pizza
Playa Norte
Playa Norte in Isla Mujeres is a beautiful white sand beach with clear turquoise water, easily accessible from downtown Isla Mujeres and a perfect spot to have a beach day. At some stage we may organise a volley ball game or 'foot-tennis' tournament where you may experience the highly skilled salmon-sims foot-tennis head slam
Isla Blanca
Good spot for kitesurfing flat water in a lagoon... Isla Blanca is situated only just twenty five min. north of Cancun city on a very large flat shallow saltwater lagoon surrounded by the caribbean sea. You can access easily by car. It is possible to kitesurf with any wind direction. Kitesurfing is really safe and without risks due to the smooth, shallow and calm waters on this island. Isla Blanca is an undisturbed peninsula of virgin jungle, considered a marine bird sanctuary with miles of white sandy beaches
Rolandis Pizzeria
Good woodfire oven pizza and one of the oldest restaurants in Cancun!
Café Mogagua
Nice café with good breakfast
Aroma lsla
Good healthy and vegetarian food