Mexico Family Holiday
Mexico Family Holiday
Mexico Family Holiday
7 Days Starting and ending in Playa del Carmen
Visiting: Playa del Carmen, Izamal, Merida
Tour operator:
Tour code:
QMFA
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Group size:
1 - 16
Age range:
5-99 years
Tour operated in:
EnglishInterests:
Tour Overview
Take the kind of tropical holiday your kids will talk about for years on this 7-day Yucatan adventure that takes you from the sunny beaches to lush cenotes, lost ruins and bustling cities along the way. Discover the culture and history of the Maya at Chichen Itza and Tulum; take a dip in the turquoise waters of a cenote at Yokdzonot; try your hand at tortilla-making with a Maya family and watch the flamingos paint the sky pink at the Celestun Bird Sanctuary. There’s so much more to Mexico than beaches and palm trees, and this family-friendly trip gets you to all of it.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1: Playa Del Carmen
Location: Playa del Carmen
Accommodation: Hacienda Maria Bonita or similar
Meals Included: dinner
Welcome to Playa del Carmen, Mexico! A great destination for families, you may like to arrive early and explore the local area and some of the many activities on offer. Go snorkelling among the mangroves, relax on white sandy beaches or perhaps take a ferry across to Cozumel to experience some of the fantastic diving on offer. At 5pm you'll meet your group leader for an important welcome meeting at the hotel before heading to a nearby restaurant for an included dinner and the opportunity to get to know the other families travelling in your group.
Day 2: Tulum Day Trip
Location: Tulum Day trip
Accommodation: Hacienda Maria Bonita or similar
Meals Included: breaksfast
Today, you’ll head down the coast for a daytrip to the Tulum archaeological site, the sprawling walled grounds of a well-preserved ancient Maya city backed by the Caribbean Sea. Tulum was one of the last cities built and inhabited by the Maya and stood at the height of its progress during the 13th and 15th centuries and stood for about 70 years after the Spanish occupation began. Get the lay of the land on a guided tour with your leader in the morning, and then spend the afternoon either at the beach or stay in town to perhaps rent some bikes and explore. Return to Playa del Carmen later in the day for a free evening to spend how you’d like.
Included Activities:
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Day 3: Izamal
Location: Izamal
Accommodation: Hotel Tuul or similar
Meals Included: breaksfast, lunch
Head inland today to Izamal, stopping first at Laguna Chabela where you’ll meet a local Maya family with deep roots in this small town. On a tour of their farm, you and the kids will see what they grow and learn how they live off the land. You’ll even get the chance to learn how to make Coba-style tortillas and enjoy a traditional lunch.
Onwards to Izamal, you’ll pretty quickly understand why some call it the City of Yellow as you arrive among the many yellow ochre buildings. Take in the town on an orientation walk with your leader and enjoy some free time to explore the town further or have a swim at the hotel.
Included Activities:
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Day 4: Merida
Location: Merida
Accommodation: Hotel Dolores Alba or similar
Meals Included: breaksfast
Today it's onwards towards Merida, the vibrant capital of the state of Yutacan.
Merida bridges very different cultures, which can perhaps be best absorbed from the city’s focal point – the Plaza de la Independencia. Here you are surrounded by colonial-era buildings, many of which were built with stones from the Maya temples that were here before. Join your leader for an orientation walk around town and a visit to a local Pola ice-cream shop. If you're feeling adventurous you may like to try some traditional Mexican ice-cream flavours - Avocado, blue cheese or camote (sweet potato) ice-cream anyone? We'll also pass by local street vendors where you'll have the opportunity to buy sweet marquesitas to try. Native to Merida, this crepe-like pastry is filled with caramel, jam, chocolate or cheese and rolled up like a taco. Delicious! This rest of the day is free for you to enjoy as you like.
Included Activities:
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Day 5: Merida
Location: Merida
Accommodation: Hotel Dolores Alba or similar
Meals Included: breaksfast
After breakfast, we travel west to the Gulf of Mexico coast and take a boat ride to visit the Celestun Bird Sanctuary and Biosphere reserve, home to vast flocks of flamingos and herons. The area is well-known as the first stop of the migratory path of birds heading from North to Central America. If visiting at the right time, you're likely to witness thousands of flamingos painting a pink streak across the landscape. A truly magnificent sight especially with the coconut trees lining the shore of the beachhes nearby. Once you return to Merida, you’ll have some free time to relax. Perhaps take a swim in the hotel pool or embark on one last walk around the town.
Included Activities:
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Day 6: Playa Del Carmen
Location: Playa del Carmen
Accommodation: Hacienda Maria Bonita or similar
Meals Included: breaksfast, lunch
This morning we say farewell to Merida to make the return to Playa, but not without a stop at Chichen Itza, UNESCO World Heritage Site and possibly the most famous Maya temple site in all of Mexico. Marvel at the temple of Kukulkan standing high over the ruins, then explore the nearby ‘ball court’. Disputes were typically settled here by way of a ball game that only used the elbows, hips and wrists – stone carvings depicting violence suggest that it wasn’t a casual or friendly sport.
After your visit, you will get to know a local family over a special lunch in the town of Piste. Here you will enjoy a pibil feast, a traditional Maya style of cooking that involves wrapping food in banana leaves and barbecuing it underground.
Today you will also get the chance to cool off and swim in one of the many hidden cenotes – natural sinkholes created when underground limestone collapses and exposes the groundwater beneath, which are dotted all over the Yucatan peninsula. It’s believed that the peninsula’s vast network of sinkholes responsible for these cenotes is a result of an asteroid that crashed here over 66 million years ago, the same one also believed to have wiped out the dinosaurs. What makes the cenote we visit so special, apart from the lush greenery that surrounds it, is that it was developed by a group of local Mayan women as a sustainable and communally owned source of employment for people in their local community.
Included Activities:
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Day 7: Playa Del Carmen
Location: Playa del Carmen
Meals Included: breaksfast
Today marks the final day of your Mexico adventure and you’re free to depart with your family at any time. If you need another day by the beach, consider booking additional accommodation. Alternatively, the airport in Cancun is approximately a 1-hour drive away and we can pre-book a departure transfer for you and your family.
What's Included
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Accommodation
Hotels (6 nights) -
Tulum - Archaeological Site (entrance fee, no guide)
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Laguna Chabela - Mayan homestead visit
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Laguna Chavela - Tortilla making demonstration
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Laguna Chavela - Home cooked lunch
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Izamal - Leader-led orientation walk
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Yaxunah - Cenote visit and swim
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Merida – leader led orientation walk
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Merida - Celestun Biosphere Reserve tour
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Chichen Itza - Archaeological site
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Chichen Itza - Home-cooked pibil lunch
Included Activities
Chichen Itza - Archaeological site (Entrance fee, Guide & Transport)Merida - Hacienda Sotuta de Peon half-day tourMerida - Celestun Biosphere Reserve tourValladolid - Walking tour & market visitTulum – Coba Archaeological site bike tour
Transport
Private Mini Bus
Accommodation
GENERAL ROOMING CONFIGURATIONS:Family of two: All family groupings of two will be accommodated in a twin room.Family of three: Wherever possible we will put you in a triple room. Please be aware that in some places triple rooms are in short supply. This means that a triple room will often be a twin room with a rollaway bed or mattress on the floor. Where triple rooms aren’t available it will be at your discretion which of your family takes the single room.Family of four or more: You will most likely be accommodated in two twin rooms. Where possible, we will accommodate your family in a quadruple room.While we do our very best to ensure that family groups are roomed close together (in some cases, we can arrange adjoining rooms), we can’t guarantee this. Most family holidays occur during peak season and we sometimes have little to no control over the exact placement of rooms within a hotel. Please be understanding if we are unable to room your family in immediate proximity of one another.
Important Information
1. Please note that these trips are for adults and children travelling together and there must be at least one child under 18 with you.2. Minimum age: 5 years old. Please note that anyone aged under 18 must be accompanied by (and share accommodation with) a parent or legal guardian.3. A discount of 10% applies on this trip to children 17 or younger at the time of travel.
Mode of Transport
Private Mini Bus
Check out our Q&As
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Is this trip right for you
Mexico's tropical climate can get really hot and humid. Wear loose clothing and always carry plenty of water with you and stay hydrated, especially on walking tours.
Try to learn as many Spanish words as you can. Locals are very friendly, but also shy, so you'll need to make plenty of effort to break the ice. Attempting to communicate in Spanish is a great way of showing you care. -
What policies are in place for Covid-19?
Please contact us for latest COVID-19 policies
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Intrepid Travel has been taking travellers around the world for over 30 years
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Will the accommodation included meet local health and safety regulations?
Yes
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What Ethical Travel credentials does the tour company have?
Since 2002, The Intrepid Foundation has supported over 130 organisations across the world. We’re creating positive impact through the joy of travel, community and connection.
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
Over 50% of traveller travel solo with Intrepid. You can choose to share a room with another solo travelle of the same sex for no additional charge, or choose to pay a single supplement if you’d like your own room. Please request this when booking, and we will secure you a single supplement wherever possible. Please note, if you are booking a last-minute trip, it may be harder for us to secure a single room
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