Expert: Pam Smith - 10/25/2008

Question
Hi Pam,
Perhaps you can give me some advice? My wife and I (no children) are looking to book a vacation to the Yucatan pennisula for about 5 days next month and our primary interest is seeing the ancient ruins. [I've been to Monterrey, Mexico twice within the past year on business...but this time its for pleasure].

We are looking to stay somewhere that is NOT a tourist attraction as we're not beach or high-end resort people, (though we would be interested in visiting a small, private beach for an afternoon).
In brief, we are looking for clean, inexpensive accomodations "off the beat and path" that are quiet, peaceful and full of culture. We will be renting a car to stop at various sites and we prefer not to be part of any structured/organized tour. [We're looking to get away from structure and organization, that's why they call it vacation!!] I'm not sure how far the different ruin sites are from each other by driving several hours a day doesn't bother us, as long as we can find another hotel along the way to our next stop.
We are just looking to do what we want, when we want and how we want. Can you suggest something to help me us with our search?...a website or specific link would be great!!
Thanks,
Steve

Answer
I think I have the perfect resort for you!  It is called "Explorean Kohunlich".  It is off the beaten path...not sure if it would be in your budget, as everyone's idea of inexpensive is different.  It is near a lot of ruins and sites are not on the mainstream list of places to see by the mass public, so you won't have to deal with the huge cruise and beach resort crowds.  

This resort would be great for exploring the area and then coming back at night.  However, I am not familiar with enough of the small hotels in the area to recommend any for a driving trip.  My specialty lies more with the touristy destinations.  

I can tell you that I don't recommend that you go on a driving vacation in Mexico unless you have a good understanding of Spanish and are perfectly comfortable traveling in a foreign country.  It sounds like you are, but just wanted to reiterate this information as you would be surprised how many people don't understand that not everyone speaks English :-)

If you would like any further help with your vacation plans, please don't hesitate to contact me direct.  

Have a great vacation!

Pam