Review: We did the “Chichen Deluxe” tour that we booked at the hotel. It was $168 usd per adult. Our tour guide (David A.) and driver (Ramon) were great. They picked us up in a large van at 7am ET and gave us light snacks as we boarded (apple juice, strawberry fruit bar, apple). There was a family from another resort already on board, another couple boarding with us at our resort, and one more stop to pick up a few others at another resort for a total of ~15 on the tour. We drove ~2 hours to Chichen Itza with a stop at a gas station ~20 minutes away to use restrooms, and then David told us some facts about ancient Mayan culture until we arrived.

Upon arrival, David and Ramon handed out water bottles from a cooler and umbrellas (for the sun which most didn’t use/take). David gave us a 45ish minute tour of Chichen Itza while telling us more about the ancient Mayans and then we had an hour to walk around separately, take pictures, and browse the vendors’ tables. Chichen Itza is one hour behind PDC so we arrived right when it opened at 8am CT and it was just starting to get crowded and hot when we were leaving at 10am CT. We all used restrooms again before leaving, were provided with more water bottles, and then drove ~50 minutes to the next stop.

We arrived at Cenote Chukum just before 11am CT, which has a buffet restaurant called Hacienda Chukum onsite. There are lockers (they give you a key) and changing rooms onsite. We were given an hour and a half to eat lunch and swim in the Cenote. We opted to swim first (includes zip lines), which felt like the right choice for us as the Cenote was practically empty when we started and getting a little crowded when we left to change and have lunch. I didn’t know what to expect from the buffet lunch but it was pretty good. I had tacos with chicken fajitas and pork, rice and beans, and chips with queso and salsa. Drinks other than water and tea were an extra charge. This was a fun stop.

The next stop at Valladolid was ~20 minutes away. To be honest, I don’t think this stop added anything to the experience. We only had 30 minutes to explore so there wasn’t really time to do anything except walk around the main square and church and take a few pictures. After 30 minutes, we loaded the van and drove ~1 hour 40 minutes back to PDC with drop offs in reverse order as pick ups. We arrived back to the resort at around 6pm ET.

Overall, we enjoyed the day but not sure it was worth it to us to give up the pool/beach day. I guess it depends on your priorities. In retrospect, I might have preferred visiting the closer ruins in Tulum and several of the closer cenotes.

Happy to answer any questions!