Arrived back yesterday. Our Group consisted of 16 people, 10 women and 6 men and Cristina Hurduiala our Tour Manager. She was a great Manager and fun to be with and went out of her way to ensure that we all had a wonderful time. Overall, we all had a fantastic time and we were lucky in that we did not have any problems similar to those experienced by the previous Group. Six of us did the add-on (5 women and one man). Our Guide in Mexico was Antonio, in Guatemala Anastasia, and in Flores for Tikal Josh. We did not have a guide in Belize – the driver was the guide as well (can’t remember his name). I personally enjoyed this holiday and would highly recommend it.
Day One
Most of us met up in the Lounge before the flight. We arrived late evening at the hotel in Cancun and only few of the Group met for dinner at the hotel as some of us were not hungry.
Day Two
We left the hotel in the morning to visit Chichen Itza. It was drizzling a bit, but eventually it stopped. We spent quite a bit of time touring the site with our local guide Antonio. I personally was not so familiar with Chichen Itza so I found the site interesting. Some of us were lucky to see a small iguana! After the visit we headed to Campeche for an overnight stay. We had a walking tour of Campeche before heading to the hotel so we could leave early the next day to try and avoid any blockades. Cristina had gone ahead to the hotel to check us all in and our luggage was waiting for us outside our rooms when we arrived after picking up our hand luggage from the coach, which was parked not too far from the hotel. We had welcome drinks in the evening and then most of us walked to the centre for dinner.
Day Three
We left early morning ca 07:40 for Palenque. It was a long drive, but we had several comfort stops. We also stopped to get some snacks before arrival in Palenque as there was no time to stop for lunch It rained on an off, at times heavily throughout the journey to Palenque. It was raining when we started the tour of the Mayan site in the jungle, but stopped very soon. We all agreed that Palenque was a superb site, much better than Chichen Itza. There were quite a lot of steps to climb (optional), but it was worth the effort. Four of us plus Cristina also climbed up to the Sun Temple and the views were fabulous. We left soon after 16:00 and arrived at the excellent hotel set in beautiful surroundings. We all had dinner in the hotel. There were colourful parrots and black squirrels in the hotel grounds.
Day Four
We left the hotel at 08:00 for San Cristobal. We stopped to visit the Agua Azul waterfalls where we were able to spend about 2.5 hours. This was a bonus. We then stopped for lunch at a restaurant in Ocosingo Chiapas, high up in the mountains. The views were fantastic. It was a lot cooler in the mountains with no humidity. The hotel was 3 hours drive from the lunch stop and we reached there about 17:30. Most of the day was dry and sunny.
Day Five
We left the hotel at 08:30 to visit the Sumidero Canyon and had to walk about 2 km to get to the coach due to a marathon. It was nice to be able to cheer the runners, who appreciated the clapping as there were not many locals lining the route. We all enjoyed the boat ride through the impressive Simidero Canyon and saw white and black herons, cormorants, black vultures who had gathered on the shore to have a bath and socialise and were very lucky to see three crocodiles of various sizes. The last one on the return journey was huge! We then headed back to San Cristobal for lunch before heading off to see the communities of San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan. It was nice to see the village and the fascinating Churches. It was amazing to see the Churches lit up with so many candles and it did look very beautiful. The last stop was a visit to the home of a local family where we tasted 3 different types of local drink and saw how tortillas were made and were able to taste them as well. We then had some time to browse around their textiles shop where a few of us made some purchases before returning to the hotel. The day had started sunny, but we did get some light rain when we visited the village and the Churches. It did not last for too long. It was a good day.
Day Six
We left the hotel at 08:00 for Guatemala. Before joining the coach, we had a short walking tour of the Square and the Cathedral. We made a couple of comfort stops before arriving at the Mexican border. We were the only Group to queue and it did not take long to get our passports stamped. After a quick sandwich lunch at the restaurant across the border office we were back on the road for a long drive to the Guatemala/Mexico border. We had to get off the coach and walk a short distance to the Guatemala Customs office with our hand luggage whilst the suitcases were brought up in trolleys. We then had to take Tuk Tuks to where the coach was waiting. We drove for a long time through beautiful Gautemalan landscape and made a couple of comfort stops. On arriving in Panajachel, we had to transfer to a minibus as the coach could not drive right up to the hotel due to narrow road. The luggage went ahead in a pick-up truck. We arrived at the hotel around 20:00. It was a very bumpy ride on the coach all the way from the Guatemala border!
Day Seven
We left the hotel after breakfast for a boat ride on Lake Atitlan to Santiago. On arrival, after a short walk, we all piled into pick-up trucks and went to visit the pre-Hispanic sanctuary of the ancient deity Maximon. After a visit to a Church, we had an hour’s free time to browse the shops before the return boat ride to where the coach was waiting for us. On the way to Antigua, we stopped at a lovely restaurant, famous for its fruit pies, for lunch. Two of us bought the freshly made pies and had them for dinner – they were truly delicious. We arrived at the hotel around 16:30.
Day Eight
Left the hotel at 08:30 for a visit to the Pacaya Volcano. Apart from two people who decided not to come up, we all went on horseback. For most of us this was the first time on a horse. On arriving on the top we all were given a stick and marshmallows to toast in the crevices where there was heat. A Pacaya dog ate my toasted marshmallow! Two people had decided to go down on the horseback whilst the rest of us walked down gingerly as you had to take great care not to slip. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant famous for its home made ice creams and frozen yoghurt before returning to the hotel. Most of us went to dinner at a lovely restaurant in Antigua. Anastasia had arranged a lovely surprise. When we arrived, our table was decorated with fresh flowers, rose petals and candlesticks. The candles were lit when we arrived. The restaurant itself was lovely and the food was delicious.
Day Nine
Today we had a leisurely 09:00 start. Another surprise awaited us. Some of us had expressed a wish to travel on the local ‘chicken bus’ in the knowledge that this wish was not going to come true, but Cristina and Anastasia made it come true. Those who wanted to, travelled on the ‘chicken bus’ to the coffee farm. What a lovely surprise! We toured the farm and the museum. Cristina bought us all souvenirs from the shop – earrings for the ladies and Guatemalan doll magnets for the guys. This was yet another lovely gesture from Cristina. After lunch we had a walking tour of Antigua where we visited the Cathedral destroyed by the earthquake. We then had some free time for shopping and wandering around before arriving back at the hotel at 17:00.
Day Ten
A very early start today. We left the hotel at 04:00 to catch the 06:05 flight to Flores. We had breakfast at the hotel on arrival before leaving at 08:30 for Tikal. We made a photo stop at a lovely lake on the way to Tikal. The humidity was very high in 80s and this made it very uncomfortable to walk around the site, which was a pity as no one had the energy to climb any monuments. Some of the Group were tired as we had to get up at 03:00. I am used to getting up early so was okay, but the humidity sapped my energy. We did like the site though and am glad we had a chance to see most of it. We saw a mother and baby Pizote (oatimundi). They were quite cute. After the included lunch we returned to the hotel around 14:30.
Day 11
Left at 08:00 for San Ignacio in Belize. After a smooth border crossing we arrived at Windy Hill Hotel at 10:30. Had lunch at the hotel and then left at 14:00 for Barton Creek. We all enjoyed the canoe ride and saw a few pieces of Mayan pottery and one skull. The other artefacts found in the cave are in some museums. Despite there not being a lot of artefacts or human bones, we all found the cave fascinating and beautiful. On the way back we stopped on the outskirts of an Amish village to take photographs. We were back at the hotel around 17:00. We all had dinner at the hotel. Windy Hill is a very basic hotel and a bit shabby, but the food and the gardens made up for this.
Day 12
Left the hotel at 08:30 and caught the 12:00 boat from Belize City Docks to San Pedro. We just missed the previous boat by minutes. We arrived at the Sun Breeze Hotel just after 14:00. The rest of the day was free to relax. I walked along the beach and then had a lazy time on one of the hammocks. There was sea weed on the shores of the beach, but this did not stop the locals from swimming in the sea. We all had dinner in the hotel restaurant.
Day 13
Only 3 people went to Hol Chan for snorkelling. I had enquired at the reception desk about a glass bottom boat and 10 of us went on one at a cost of US$55. We left at 09:00 and were back at 12:00. We all enjoyed the trip very much. Snorkelling was also included and Lisa from our Group decided to snorkel. We were first taken to the Shark-Ray Alley where we saw plenty of nurse sharks and a few Rays. The sharks were quite close to the boat – a unique experience. We were then taken to Hol Chan. We did see a lot of other fish and coral and also lots of shells (it looked like a shell grave!) from the glass bottom boat. We were able to wave to Cristina and the 3 guys who had gone snorkelling from our little boat when we were at the Shark-Ray Alley! Dinner was at a restaurant called Pineapple along the beach.
Day 14
Today we left at 07:30 to catch the 08:30 boat from San Pedro to Chetumal in Mexico. We had ‘ boxed’ breakfast as there was not enough time to have breakfast in the restaurant. The journey time to Chetumal was around 1hour 45 minutes. We arrived a bit early and on disembarking we had to line up all our hand luggage including hand bags on the tarmac for the military dog to have a sniff. We then had to fill in a form and it took quite a long time to get through security. There was only one guy (they only get one boat a day) and we all had to pay US$25, which was refunded to us when we got to the hotel. We were on our way to Tulum at 12:00 after purchasing some snacks as there was no time for lunch stop. We arrived at Tulum around 15:00 – 15:30. We took the trolley bus to the entrance and spent about an hour on the site. Tulum is beautiful. Besides the Mayan monuments, we saw lots of iguanas of all sizes basking in the sun and lots of colourful birds. Due to traffic, we did not arrive at the hotel in Puerto Morelos till about 18:45. Farewell dinner was at 20:00, but luggage did not arrive in the room till 19:45 so there was no time to freshen up. I had just enough time to change.
Day 15
Only two of us went on the optional trip to Cozumel Island. The pick-up time was at 08:30 and since I forgot to change the time on my alarm clock, I had to rush. I thought I got up in time to have breakfast at 07:00, but when I looked at my watch it was nearly 08:00. I just had some fruit for breakfast! It was a nice relaxing day. On arrival we transferred to the Pirate boat, which made 3 stops for those who wanted to snorkel. We had lunch in a restaurant overlooking the sea and after lunch we could visit the museum and the art gallery for free. It was an interesting museum. We then had free time till we left the island at 17:00. Did not get back to the hotel till 19:15. I would have liked it if the trip was not on the day after our arrival as had a very late night.
Day 16 and 17
Only one lady from our group went to Xcaret Eco Park. It was a long day as she was picked up at 08:00 and did not get back to the hotel till after 23:00. She did say that the show was fantastic. I would have liked to go but decided against it as I know that I would be totally exhausted. I spent both days just lazing around. I had a lovely 80 minute massage in the Spa on day 17. I regretted not bringing my swim suit as I could have used the pool in the Spa. Did not fancy using the outdoor pools as they were quite busy.
Ocean Coral and Turquesa hotel is complex and enormous. It took me two days before I could find my room without asking for any assistance! Initially I did not like the hotel but began liking it once I could find my way around. It is set in beautiful surroundings and is close to the beach, but when we were there it was very noisy. The main guests are Canadians and Americans. Noise did not bother me but it did others. Those who wanted to spend the day by the pools or the beach had to make sure that they got up early to reserve a sun bed. Also, the hotel is not close to the town or shops so you do tend to spend all day there unless you go on an excursion. Food and drinks are plentiful. I do recommend mango margarita! There are iguanas, squirrels and lots of birds on the hotel grounds. The staff were friendly and you had a choice of 7 restaurants for dinner. You needed to make a booking for some. Some would have preferred to have stayed in a smaller hotel or the one we stayed when we arrived in Cancun.
Do feel free to ask any questions.
Best wishes
Jaya
