The Rough Guide to the Yucatan UPDATE

One of the most frequent questions I’ve gotten recently is how the Yucatan is looking after Hurricane Dean, which hit in August 2007. Mahahual and the cruise-ship port Puerta Costa Maya were severely hit. But now it looks like everything is moving along again–and in fact, a bit better than in the past. I admit, I haven’t seen the improvements with my own eyes, as my co-author covered this area on this update round, but he said things were looking better, and now there’s a website you can check for news and current photos of the place: Mahahual After Hurricane Dean.

In general, I am totally impressed by the efficient response to disasters in Mexico–not just from the government, which seems to be impressively prepared with emergency aid, but also from people on the ground, who really band together to get things cleaned up fast. I’ve seen it in Cancun after Wilma and in Tabasco after the flooding, and now it looks like the same quick repairs have been made in Mahahual.

I’m always on the lookout to good maps of the Yucatan peninsula. Rough Guides actually publishes a good one, but I know that it hasn’t gotten a really solid updating in a few years, and because there’s so much growth all over the peninsula, even a few years makes a difference.

But today the good people at MapsGoneTomorrow.com sent me a copy of a Yucatan map from German carto company Borch. The scale is 1:1,000,000, so not crazy-detailed, but it has everything you need on it. It cuts off just west of Villahermosa, so it covers pretty much everything that’s in The Rough Guide to the Yucatan.

More important, though, it’s current: recently improved roads are actually shown properly (I’m thinking of the one north from Xpuhil), all the biosphere reserves are on there, and the bypass around Muna is actually drawn in. I haven’t seen this on any Yucatan map. It also very clearly distinguishes between super-highways and toll highways. Oh, and there are even small maps of Merida, Cancun, Campeche and Cozumel, plus several of the big archeological sites.

I’m not a big fan of the big icons to mark ruins and the like, because the placement is so imprecise. (In fact, the map does repeat one error I see on a lot of maps: Comalcalco ruins are on the east side of the road, not the west.) But it’s still very legible.

And it’s laminated and water-repellent.

Best of all, it’s reasonably priced: US$10.95, or 7.90 euros. In fact, it’s even more reasonably priced for Rough Guides readers, who are entitled to a 10 percent discount at MapsGoneTomorrow.com–email me (see link in sidebar) for the details.

You now reach the Bonampak site (pp. 314-316) and the village of Lacanha Chansayab via the same turn off the Frontier Highway—there’s a large concrete shade structure/exhibit space by the side of the road. You can take a cab from here directly to the site, or to the village. If you have your own car, it’s better to drive up the road toward the site until you reach a second parking area—this is also where a road leads off to the village. There are bicycles for rent just past the parking area (less than 500m), but the guys who drive the combi vans to the site may tell you that they don’t exist.

In Frontera Corozal, the cheapest boat trips to Yaxchilan are at the co-op dock (M$600 for one to three people), where the main road dead-ends at the river. Escudo Jaguar charges slightly more (M$650 for one to three people), but you may have to go here to find someone to share a boat with, as that’s what’s still listed in all the guidebooks. The current edition makes it sound a little like all the boat operations are in a single cooperative, but this is not the case, and they’re all competing for business.

Nueva Alianza posada has expanded quite a lot, and is now a good alternative to Escudo Jaguar on the upper end as well—its wood cabins all blend in a bit better with the scenery, unlike EJ’s bright pink concrete rooms.

Combis to the ruins now cost M$10. Entrance to the ruins costs M$48. Entrance to the park costs M$20.

Re: the description on p. 309, you can now buy a site entry ticket at the museum and enter at the small gate across the road. But you will still have to then hike uphill to get to the main site—but it is a nicer walk than along the road. The museum hours are different from what’s in the book—they are 9am to 4.30pm—and note that the museum is closed on Monday.

The laundry mentioned on p. 310 overcharged me a bit for a small load of laundry. Prices should be M$10/kilo or less (though usually there’s a minimum of three or four kilos).

Hostal Ambar (p. 305) has changed hands, and is now a very nice small hotel called El Chechen. Rooms are M$300 per night—very good value for the pretty location. (Ambar itself has moved into the main part of town—it’s cheap, but not great.)

Posada San Vicente (p. 305) cannot be recommended—it is no longer notably cheaper than the other posadas on the list, and it is substantially nastier.

Camping Chaac (p. 305) is shut.

Cabanas Safari (p. 305) is shut.

The November 07 flooding was intense here, but the city is functioning quite well. Unfortunately, a lot of the museums are closed for renovations—La Casa Siempreviva (p. 294) and the Casa Museo Carlos Pellicer (p. 295) were damaged, as was the Museo de Historia (p. 295). Also, the Museo Regional de Antropologia (p. 296) in the CICOM complex will be shut for several years for a major overhaul. You can’t really walk along the river to CICOM because the waterfront is still stacked with sandbags.

Parque La Venta (p. 296), however, is just fine. The zoo area was undergoing some renovation when I visited in Feb 08 (and it was open on a Monday), but there was no lasting flood damage. There’s now a sound-and-light show in the evenings (Tues–Sun at 8, 9 & 10pm; M$100) that involves walking through the park. Buy tickets at the secondary park entrance, farther southwest on Ruiz Cortines.

On the map (p. 296), the 2nd Class Bus Terminal on the east side, near the market, is no longer there. The main 2nd Class Terminal is at the other spot marked on the map, just north of Ruiz Cortines. (For that matter, the main market is actually just south of what is marked ‘Mercado’ on the map. The area shown on the map is a much smaller, adjunct market.)

Both Soyaquarius restaurants (p. 299) are closed.

Edzna now has a sound-and-light show that runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm; admission is M$112.

Grutas de Xtacumbilxunaan (p. 283) also has had a sound-and-light show added, and the price has been raised to M$50, plus M$30 for translation headsets. It is a rather dull show, and not worth the money.

The Castelmar hotel (mentioned in the Reforma review, p. 274) has been totally (and attractively) redone, and now runs about M$800 a night, which is a good price for a place with a pool.

Hotel Lopez (p. 274) has a pool now as well, making it excellent value.

None of the city museums are open in the evenings anymore. The standard hours are Tues–Sun 9.30am–5.30pm.

The Museo de las Estelas is now the Museo de Arquitectura Maya, and is open the same hours as the rest of the city museums.

There’s a small pirate museum in the Puerta de Tierra now (entrance M$30) – entrance is optional, as is the new M$40 audio guide to go with the walk along the top of the ramparts. (Entrance to the ramparts is still M$10.)

The Jardin Botanico Xmuch’haltun (p. 276) has reopened (a previous update said it was closed). Admission is M$10. It’s open Mon–Sat 9am–9pm, Sun 9am–4pm.

The pirate ship “Lorencillo” (p. 279) did not seem to be operating when I visited in February 08.

Uxmal admission (p. 247) is now M$98, with no discount on Sundays.

The Ruta Puuc bus (p. 245) is now M$132.

Hacienda Yaxcopoil (p. 251) admission is M$50.

I don’t usually mention new items, but The Pickled Onion is a great addition to Santa Elena—it’s on the highway midway between the Flycatcher and Sacbe Bungalows. Great fresh food and a varied menu—local stuff, plus more international items.

Hacienda Tabi is still shut—no sign of it reopening. I’m leaving it out of the new edition entirely.

Hotel Embajadores (p. 238) is closed.

The market in Progreso (p. 239) is closed for renovations (as of Feb 08—looked like it wouldn’t be done for a while).

Posada Liz (p. 239) in Telchac Puerto has new owners and is now called Libros y Suenos. It has books for sale, as well as bicycles for rent, and can arrange fishing trips.

Ki’bok (p. 233) is closed.

Pancho’s (p. 235) is not open for lunch anymore (although this guide doesn’t say it ever was—just FYI). The quality of the food is such that we can really only recommend it for drinks anyway.

The Museo de la Ciudad (p. 229) has moved to the old post office building by the market (on Calle 69).

The post office is now at Calle 53 between calles 52 and 54.

The Museo de Arte Popular (p. 231) has reopened near its old location—it’s on Calle 55, across the small park from Calle 50. Another Banamex-funded project, it looks great.

The Museo del Ferrocarril (p. 231) is now open Mon–Sat 8am–1pm, and admission is free.

Villa Mercedes (p. 225) is now the Merida Inter-Continental. Rooms are a bit more generic than they used to be, but this is still a good top-end choice.

Luz En Yucatan (p. 226) has changed owners, and they’ve done some renovations—it all looks like positive changes.

Apologies: the phone number for Hacienda Xcanatun and its restaurant, Casa de Piedra, just outside of Merida, is wrong. It should be 999/941-0273.

The Museo de la Ciudad has moved to the old post office, near the market: Calle 56 at Calle 65. It’s open much later–till 8pm–during the week, and it’s still free.

These three hotels–one at Uxmal, one at Coba and one at Chichen Itza–are no longer run by Club Med, as the book says. They’re now run by the Islander Collection, and the contact information is 987/872-9300 ext. 8101, www.islandercollection.com. Rates and all facilities are basically still the same.

As I mentioned in an update last year, this area has changed significantly. Ikal del Mar has changed its name to The Tides Riviera Maya. At the moment, you can barely get to it because there’s an enormous new condo/resort development (The Fives) being built just inland and to the south of it.

Once you drive through the construction site and get to The Tides, you can head right–but that doesn’t really get you to anything, as Juanito’s is closed. If you want isolation, you can park past Juanito’s and get onto the beach and walk south–there’s still very little built here (for now).

But you’re better off turning left at The Tides instead. This still takes you to Coco’s Cabanas and Los Pinos hotel, as well as Petit Lafitte (La Posada de Capitan Lafitte, made smaller and relocated).

Overall, the beach here is starting to feel very crowded, and I can only imagine what it will be like when the new construction is done.

The main beach (Playa Caribe, p. 126) is looking much better–deeper sand, fewer rocks. But I would still advise against staying directly on the beach, except for a couple of specific hotels. With the real estate situation in Playa so feverish, it appears that many older beach hotels are letting maintenance slide while waiting for some great buyout deal to come along. No matter how slick a website a hotel has, the reality can be pretty stark.

Also, condo construction is continuing apace–not even the north side of town (north of C 20 or so) is particularly quiet anymore, and in fact this is where a lot of new buildings are going up. And no sign of it dying down, so be prepared for noise from all this as well.

The addresses for El Fogon (p. 127) are both slightly wrong: One’s at Av 30 at C 6 bis (ie, half a block north), and the other’s at Av 30 and C 32.

Media Luna (p. 127) was shut for renovation in November. Not sure when/if it will reopen.

La Cueva del Chango (p. 127) is open till 11pm most days now.

El Tigre (p. 128) is open in the evenings.

Some shops (p. 129) have shut or moved.

Ide is now on Av 5 between C 10 and C 12.

Juan’s Hammocks is gone.

La Calaca is closed.

Que Pequeno es el Mundo is now just called El Mundo.

If you missed the chat I did for Budget Travel online, here’s the transcript. The questions I got about traveling in the Yucatan cover a lot of common issues: when to rent a car vs. when to take a bus, whether it’s possible to see all the Maya ruins in X amount of time, and whether safety and hygiene are big issues.

This bar in Cozumel (p. 143) is still open, but seems to have tossed any style it had in favor of 2-for-1 Corona deals and the like. Ah well.

New phone numbers for this great hotel in Sudzal, outside of Izamal (p. 215): 999/132-7411 or 999/187-9137. In the US, you can call 813/636-8200.

I’ll be doing an online chat for Budget Travel magazine next week, December 11, from noon to 1pm Eastern time. Any questions about trip logistics, where/when to go to the Yucatan, hotel and restaurant recommendations, etc.? Submit them in advance here, or just join me next Tuesday! A transcript of the chat will be posted online in case you miss it.

This hostel in Valladolid (p. 200) was closed for renovation when I was there in Nov 07. No sign of when it will reopen.

This great little hotel (p. 151) and cafe (the Cafe del Mar) in Xpu-Ha have closed.

They’ve rearranged the entrance to the place again, so the map (p. 157) is no longer accurate. You now enter through a break in the wall halfway along the north side of the site. The plan is to have the exit on the south side, but this was closed when I was there (Nov 07), and everyone was still exiting through the wall in the middle of the west (inland) side.

The really nice change is that it’s possible to walk to the site from the top end of the beach road–there’s even a little parking area there now (mostly for taxis). It’s a shorter walk from the end of the beach road to the ticket booth than it is from the parking area on the highway.

Los Cantaros (p. 158) is shut.

Tuti Fruti (p. 158) is shut.

Hola Primo (p. 159) has been rebuilt in cinderblock. Maybe I’m just nostalgic, but it doesn’t seem as tasty…

Cetli (p. 159) had been closed, but now it has reopened, on Calle Polar near Calle Beta. Great food, sweet owner.

These cheap cabanas in Tulum (p. 156) are closed. (As a consolation, the Mar Caribe beach club–now signed “Don Cafeto”–to the south has some very basic cabanas.)

Checandole (p. 95) is open again in Plaza Flamingo, and also in Plaza El Parian, near Hanaichi.

Rincon Yucateco (p. 95) in the hotel zone is closed.

La Casa de las Margaritas (p. 95) has totally changed its menu, and it looks very, very boring. No Sun brunch either.

This cafe in Cancun’s hotel zone (p. 95) is no longer in either of the malls–it’s around Paseo Kukulcan Km 10, just about opposite from Senor Frog’s, and next to a convenience store.

This summer, the new Terminal 3 opened at Cancun International Airport.

As far as I can tell, all US airlines and some European charter flights arrive here, so there’s a good chance this is where you’ll end up. Terminal 2 (the original terminal that all flights used to come through, which is divided into two separate wings) still handles all domestic flights, and a random selection of international flights: Air Canada comes in here, as do some American Airlines flights from Miami.

In Terminal 3, there’s an ATM just after customs, but it wasn’t working when I was there (Oct 31, 2007). There’s also a money exchange desk right there.

Transport desks are just down the hall, on your left as you’re walking toward the doors. The desk for buying ADO/Riviera bus tickets to either downtown Cancun or Playa del Carmen is the last one on your left. Just a note: it looks like the downtown Cancun bus doesn’t come to Terminal 3–so you just hop on a Playa bus for the short ride over to the other terminal (this is what happened to me).

But there is a dedicated shuttle van between the two terminals–it runs every 20 minutes. You can also walk between the two terminals, though it’s not advisable with a lot of luggage. The walk looks a little dodgy–you feel very “behind the scenes” for a little stretch–but it doesn’t take long. In Terminal 3, head left along the front of the building and basically keep heading straight; from Terminal 2, turn right and keep walking, past the bus depots.

(If you’re wondering whatever happened to Terminal 1…well, it’s still shut, and basically never used for commercial flights. Just pretend it doesn’t exist.)

The entrance fees to all sites went up earlier this year (2007). In most cases, it’s only M$3 or so (30 cents), but Tulum and Coba have both been bumped up into a higher price category, so their price jumps are more substantial.

You can see the new prices and how each site is categorized on this page at the INAH website.

This nice B&B in Santa Elena, on the Ruta Puuc (p. 254), just sent me a little update about its facilities:

We are adding 2 new rooms, available in late November, which will each have one queen bed, at 500 pesos each. AC is optional at 100 pesos more. These rooms are in a separate structure, set lower in the garden/orchard area.

We also have put new mattresses in all the rooms, the pillow-top, orthopedic style, very nice ones.

Flycatcher does have a very nice garden area–lots of fruit trees!–so I imagine the new rooms will be in a good setting.

I’ve mentioned this site before, but it has gotten even better: now Yucatan Living posts a weekly list of events going on in Merida. Definitely check it out for the latest right before your trip–there’s so much going on in the city, and the good folks who run this site do a great job of highlighting some of the events that make the city special.

I’m getting in touch with people I know down there, and I’ll post news as I hear it. First off, it seems no one was killed–in part, I think, because Hurricane Wilma was so terrible, so a lot of people on the coast heeded warnings to evacuate.

So far, I think we can safely say that anywhere north of the Sian Ka’an reserve (Tulum, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, Cancun) is relatively OK–I just got a note from Esencia hotel, for instance, which is midway between Playa and Tulum, saying the property just had some landscaping damage, but is otherwise fine. However, this CNN story says about a third of the beach huts in Tulum were damaged, but those should be relatively easy to repair.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Puerto Costa Maya, the cruise-ship dock just north of Mahahual, was heavily damaged, however. (On a side note, it was funny to read in The New York Times that Mahahual is a “modern resort.” Yes, the dock is modern, but the village itself, which didn’t have regular power till a couple of years ago, hardly counts as “modern,” or even a “resort.”) I can’t imagine a lot of the other new construction in this area fared as well.

Chetumal looked pretty flooded (see pic #3, outside the Hotel Ucum, here), and Bacalar had one of its modern buildings crunched (see the same pics).

I’ll be back down in the area in early November–it will be good to see the place firsthand.

This great little B&B on Isla Mujeres (p. 102) has changed its name to Villa La Bella, and its website has changed to www.villalabella.com. Nothing else has changed though–same great owners, same beautiful little setup on the windward side of the island.

Just pulling up some details that people added via comments a while back:

These two B&Bs in San Miguel (pp. 134 and 135) are no longer under the same ownership, and the contact details have changed.

So, Amaranto’s website is www.tamarindoamaranto.com, and its phone number is +52-987-564-4262. It’s now a proper B&B, and hosted nearly round the clock.

Tamarindo is at www.tamarindocozumel.com, and +52-987-872-6190. It also has two new apartments for rent, complete with private kitchens.

So, as readers have previously commented, Kailuumcito (p. 177, which is now really known as Kailuum, since the old Kailuum shut) is back open…sort of. At the very present time (summer), it’s shut, but it allegedly will be accepting guests starting in December.

It has changed its policies a bit, however, because it is still welcoming day visitors from cruise ships. The main change: no honor bar! On the plus side, the prices have gone down. And this might all change again, because the owners seem to be reevaluating the setup all the time. It’s still a beautiful spot, and the environment within the resort is a very special one–assuming they don’t tinker with it too much. Oh, and it’s no longer part of Turquoise Reef Group, but bookable on its own website, www.kailuum.com.

In the meantime (or, really, anytime), I would definitely recommend Mayan Beach Garden. It’s not in the current guide because I didn’t have time to visit on that research trip, but I’ve been by since then. It’s just a little way up the road, and very out on the very edge of it all. Marcia, the owner, runs a great operation, and I hear the food is very good. The setup is certainly more formal than Kailuum–actual walls, not tents!, and some rooms even have a/c–but it is also a very special place with lots of loyal repeat guests. And, at the moment, it seems quite a lot more reliable than Kailuum.

Word is that you still can’t climb El Castillo, and that you have to get “permission” to climb up the interior pyramid to the temple inside. I’m not sure yet what this entails–real, signed papers or just a special, separate ticket–so you may want to ask at the main desk before you go in.

I’ve also been warned that the situation with the crafts vendors is getting a little out of hand–lots of pestering.

And of course you’ve heard that Chichen Itza is a “New Wonder of the World.” All I can think is: Yikes. Crowds-a-million. On the other hand, more people will help divert all the crafts vendors!

I don’t editorialize much on this site (for that, see Roving Gastronome), but as a tourist, I get grumpy at the thought of mobs of vendors and crowds. As someone who works in the tourism industry, though, I can see that people need to make a living somehow. As long as you go to Chichen Itza (or Cancun, or the Pyramids in Cairo, or wherever) knowing you are not going to have a silent, solitary moment of communing with the ancients, then you will have a much better experience. You have to appreciate the modern phenomena as much as the ancient ones.

Still, makes Ek-Balam and, say, the Chenes sites over by Campeche so much more appealing.

I’ve just heard very positive firsthand reports from someone who really knows her food about The Leaky Palapa (p. 177), which is now open for the season (till around Memorial Day). Costa de Cocos (p. 177), however, sounds as though it’s being neglected, in terms of both food and lodging (see also my update to an earlier Mahahual/Xcalak post below).

This nice tent-camping place (p. 177) is CLOSED for good–it’s now just acting as a beach club for cruise-shippers from Mahahual. Really a waste of good property, and the end of a great era!

Posada Flamboyanes (p. 209) was shut when I visited in October, and the neighbors say that it doesn’t seem to be closed for good, but it is not reliably open.

Pygrmees (p. 129) is closed.

Playa Bike (p. 131) is shut, but there are a couple of rental places on Av 10.

The “new pier” for the Cozumel ferry (p. 124, 131) was shut down before it even started running properly. So all ferries–Ultramar and Mexico Waterjets–still come in and leave from the original pier at Av 1. Also, the Ultramar boats are now nicer–they have an open-air deck on top. But the trip takes about the same time on both companies, and there’s no longer a discount for same-day returns.

The bus direct from Cancun airport (p. 124) now costs M$80 (about US$7.50).

Oh, and the beach in town looks substantially better after the hurricane–though Playa Norte is still preferable.

I thought Playa was booming before, but now it’s almost completely out of hand. Countless super-chic condo buildings are going in—this is definitely the next South Beach. The construction noise—even in “quieter” Playa Norte (p. 126)–is a real drawback to what has been one of my favorite vacation places along this stretch. And everything is changing so fast it makes me want to give up guidebook writing.

Another drawback: tons of great restaurants are now shut.

Hot (p. 127) is shut at its C 10 location, but you can still find its other location at C 12 bis off Av 5.

Pan y Pasta (p. 127) is shut, as is El Olivo (p. 128), Osteria la Rucola (p. 128) and Carmencita (p. 127).

A couple of bars are gone: El Atico (p. 128) is closed, though I’m not too surprised. Tutix (p. 128) closing, though, is much more surprising—this leaves the Blue Parrot (also referred to as the Dragon Bar, p. 128) as pretty much the last old-fashioned beach bar.

Puerto Morelos also looks good—same sleepy feel, just a few new paint jobs and generally tidier all around.

La Guadalupana II (p. 119) is now called Triny’s—not sure if the food is the same, but it looks great.

Le Marlin Bleu (p. 120) has expanded its menu to include some French items (the owner is from France).

Caffe del Puerto (p. 120) is closed.

The road to Punta Bete (p. 122) has changed a little. The road now forks farther ahead (you’ll pass the old road to the right, all grown over with greenery), just at the entrance to Ikal del Mar. Hug the wall to the left and you still get to Los Pinos and Coco’s; head to the right (looks like you’re going into Ikal’s parking lot) and you get to the old road to Juanito’s beach hangout, which is now shut (though you can still pay M$30 parking and walk onto the beach here), and Bahia Xcalacoco (which I also think is shut, but have not confirmed).

There is no longer a tourist info booth on the highway at the start of the road to Puerto Morelos. Your best bet is just to go into town and stop in at Marand Travel on the plaza if you have any questions.

If you’re planning to spend more than a few days in Puerto Morelos, subscribe to the e-newsletter published by Alma Libre bookstore—the owners really keep up on all the town news.

Like everywhere hit by Hurricane Wilma last October, Isla Mujeres has some construction going on, but otherwise looks great. In fact, aside from a couple of boarded-up buildings, you wouldn’t know anything had happened.

Poc Na Hostel (p. 101) has a new website: www.pocna.com.

Casa Maya Zazil-Ha (p. 101) is now using yet another name: Villas Kiin. All the signs leading up to the place say Casa Maya, however, and the owner is the same.

Vistalmar (p. 102) is now painted green, not pink—in casing you’re looking for that. Otherwise it’s the same, though, and it’s sea-view rooms are a great deal.

Cosmic Cosas used bookshop (p. 107) has moved in with the new Mañanas café at the corner of C Guerrero and C Matamoros; as far as I can tell, there’s no Internet access here, though.

Entrance to Hacienda Mundaca is up to M$20, and I’d really recommend steering clear of the “zoo” area. Also, the turtle farm—which isn’t mentioned in this guide because it was shut when I visited—has reopened, under the direction of the Isla Mujeres government (as is Hac. Mundaca). Entrance is M$20, and you get to see lots of baby sea turtles. The farm is located near Hacienda Mundaca, on the road up the spit enclosing Laguna Macax.

Many of the road signs (X-1, X-2, etc.) are gone at Xpu-Ha (p. 151), making it a lot harder to find the hotels described. The road for Villas del Caribe runs along the north wall of the Copacabana resort, and Bonanza Xpu-Ha is immediately south of the signed road for Xpu-Ha Beach Club.

In Tulum, the tourist info office on the road to the beach (p. 154) is now shut.

The Tulum bus station (p. 154) has been moved across the street and a little to the north, so recalibrate directions accordingly (for the Weary Traveler, for instance, turn right outside the station).

Colectivos (p. 160) are now scattered around the center of town–some for Playa leave from in front of the HSBC bank.

There’s also a town bus that runs out to the beaches, though I couldn’t find out a schedule. Look for it on Avenida Tulum. Taxis to the closest beach hotels run about M$40 now, and about M$90 to the hotels on southern end of the beach road.

Speaking of the beach road (p. 154), it’s now paved all the way down to the entrance to Sian Ka’an, which is a great improvement, especially for people worried about their rental cars.

Past the Sian Ka’an entrance, however, the road to Punta Allen (p. 165) is still absolutely terrible, despite a lot of work having been done on it. If it has rained at all before your visit, expect the road to be filled with vast, very deep puddles–Jeeps and other high-clearance vehicles routinely get stuck.

The alternate route to Punta Allen–the road to Playon, followed by a boat–is also in bad shape now, apparently, and the road is no longer even marked on the highway (p. 165).

So your best bet is a colectivo–either from Felipe Carrillo Puerto, as mentioned in the book–or the one that now runs from Tulum every day, at 2pm (p. 165). Look for it near the new taxi syndicate office in Tulum, which is on the west side of the street. If you ask the taxi drivers about it, though, they may try to convince you it doesn’t run, and that you’ll have to hire one of them.

In Punta Allen, the grocery truck (p. 166) now comes on Wednesday and Saturday, and it might not turn up till after dark if the road is bad. The small road down to the lighthouse is also quite wrecked, as it was never cleaned up after Hurricane Wilma.

The Weary Traveler (p. 155) no longer offers a beach shuttle, but there is a town bus that does cheap transport now.

Tribal Village (p. 155, 159) has turned very sketchy and not really conducive to fun backpacker-y parties–or it doesn’t seem that way in the low season. The ownership is a bit creepy, and the place is in very bad repair. I wouldn’t be surprised if this land were sold quite soon.

Cetli (p. 159) is shut…[Nov 07: It has reopened in a new location! Calle Polar at Calle Orion, one block west of the main drag.]

The restaurant at Posada Margherita (p. 159) is closed Sundays, at least during low season.

The museum (p. 136) only costs M$33 now, which is nice.

Chankanaab (p. 139), however, is up to M$170, or US$16.

The tourist info booth (p. 132) is no longer at the end of the ferry pier–it’s now a freestranding kiosk directly across the street from the end of the pier.

And I really should’ve made this clearer in the book: You don’t want to do any major shopping on cruise-ship days, as the prices often go up. You can check schedules at www.cruisecal.com.

Especias (p. 142) has moved to Calle 3 Sur at Avenida 5.

I’ve heard some reports of attempted overcharging at Sabores (p. 143). I would still recommend this place, as the food is great, and the gouging seems to come from one of the waitstaff, rather than the owner herself–but know that _everything_–chips, side of beans, agua de jamaica, etc.–is included in the price, which I think now is M$45 or M$50. The only thing you should actually get charged extra for is if you order a soda or something like that.

Serious Munchies (p. 142) is closed, and so is Garden of Eatin’ (p. 142).