My wife & I are frequent travellers to Mexico, now upwards of 25 visits, but we had never visited rhe Yucatán. We did follow our usual modus in that we tend to flee beaches & tourist areas and look for the real Mexico. We also like to use Mexican highway coaches to travel. The ADO bus service in the Yucatán is superb and highly recommended. We visited Valladolid [interesting for its cenotes, underground water sources], Mérida [a wonderful spot on a Sunday PM when most areas near the centro are cut off to traffic, Sisal [a fishing village N-W of Mérida about to "explode" touristically, Campeche [rich in pirate history with a very well cared for "within-the-walls" centro], Izamal [charming small town with 6+ pyramids & a wonderful hotel "Rinconada del Convento"] and finally Cancún [city centre not the beach strip/ another Mexican tourist spot growing out of control]. For archeological buffs there are lots of ruins to visit [maybe next time] but the Yucatán also serves up some great food, music, cultural activities [much of it free] and is highlighted by some very welcoming people. The weather can be hot [mid 30s C] except when "el norte" [strong northwinds] blow in. Temperatures can drop from 35ºC to 20ºC in a matter of 30 minutes.

PEMEX GAS STATION SCAM. Follow these instructions and you won't have problems.
1. Make sure the pump reads ZERO before the attendant starts pumping.
2. Never say "fill it up." Always state the number of pesos you require.
3.BEFORE handing over the cash, hold the note and show it to the attendant and anyone else in the car and make the attendant say the amount of the note BEFORE you hand it over. A common ploy is the "slight of hand." You hand over a 500 pesos note and the attendant says you only gave him a 50 pesos note. These attendants make huge amounts of money from this scam.
RENTAL CAR THEFT. Never leave anything in your car and this includes the trunk. The have some sort of device where they can gain entry without evidence of a forced entry. Rental cars are hit all the time.
CENOTES. Never pay what they ask, always negotiate. Take Lonely Planet or Fodors with you and show them the price quoted in these publications. Be prepared to walk away if they will not agree to the price. Avoid Carachol Cenote, the people who run this are extremely dishonest.
TRAVELLING ON BUSES. Never put anything in the overhead compartment. There are teams working these buses. Someone will engage you in conversation while someone steals your belongings from the overhead compartment. Also, at each stop look out the window to ensure your checked luggage is not being removed.
VALUABLES IN HOTELS. If you have a safe use it. As a general rule don't take anything you would hate to lose. Theft is a serious problem whether it is in a hotel or on the beach.

We took a 7 day western Caribbean cruise, last week of January. Most of the cruise was very good, some minor logistic problem. People, food, service way above average. Two Yucatan day stops. First at Cosumel, Atlantis Submarine to coral reefs, well worth it. Second to Progreso and Chichen-Itsa ruins, an experience everyone should do at least once.

Planning our next cruise in Alaska.

We were long-anticipating our December getaway to Mexico - the Mayan Riviera - via a charter, Conquest (Sky Service) from Vancouver, B.C. Having not flown on a charter before, we didn't know it would be such a tight squeeze on a completely full airplane, for such a long flight. However, this was not too hard to bear, since we got to watch 2 movies and have a meal. But when we got to the Cancun Airport a little early due to a tail wind, the ground crew weren't ready for us and we had to wait on the plane for 1/2 hr. while the crew looked for some stairs. When we finally got to deplane, we had to wait quite a while to go through Customs & Immigration. Having survived that, we proceeded through the small airport building, only to be asked what hotel we were staying at, then pointed to a booth where some tour operators were. These people mis-represented themselves as part of our tour and/or hotel, encouraging us to sign for supposedly discounted tours. Not knowing any better, we signed up, finding out later at our hotel orientation meeting that we certainly should not have signed up with them - and they were not part of our charter. They were selling condos & we had to endure a half-day presentation in order to obtain the tour they had promised. I find it very disconcerting that these people were actually allowed to set up in a booth in the airport. Many new tourists who did not know better were rooked. Also, having our hotel on the Mayan Riviera (Club Hacienda) - it was a very long and bumpy bus ride in the dark to get there from Cancun Airport. But when we got there, it was all worth it, as at the Bahia Principe, Club Hacienda, 99% of the staff was very helpful, friendly, and cheerful. The food was fabulous - the water and beaches wonderful - the drinks delicious - the rooms were clean and the gardens were enchanting. The colorful, musical birds and delicious fruit and waving palm trees were exotic and just what the doctor ordered! We took many digital pictures and can hardly wait to go back again. The Ballet Folklorico was amazing!Although, we do recommend that you bring your own sunscreen and don't forget any incidentals, as the lobby gift shops were very pricy. One week was definitely not enough and we hated to come back to winter. We recommend that you visit a local tanning spa in your home town for a few times before you go there, though. Vive La Mexico!