If you are interested in the cost-breakdown of our 2 week family trip through the Yucatan, read about it here!  

*This post may contain affiliate links in which I would earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read my full disclosure here.  

Location

Real Mayab Hotel & Bungalows is located close to the small town of Kaua, Mexico and is approximately 20 kms from Chichen Itza and 21.5 kms from Valladolid.

The middle point (A) is where the Real Mayab Hotel & Bungalows is located, the left point B by the town of Piste is Chichen Itza and the point B on the right is Valladolid.  

Valladolid is a great, colonial gem to visit close-by as well!  If you would rather stay in the town of Valladolid, read my review of the hotel we stayed at and what you cannot miss in Valladolid!

Real Mayab Hotel & Bungalows was a great place to stay overnight and we enjoyed just walking the large gardens (with some animals to see!) and enjoying the tropical weather!  Read about the beachfront port town of Progreso and why you must visit here!

Our Room

The room was quite simple. Ours was mostly concrete with basic furnishings. It did have a fridge, small tv and a/c. The bathroom was a good size and had a big shower! I actually liked the simplicity of the coloured concrete in the shower although it was quite slippery when wet. So be careful after a shower! Our toddler slipped and got a good smack on the head. My Mom had a room in the main building up above reception. Her room was tiled and definitely had a more finished look so I am guessing the hotel is maybe gradually updating the rooms. Maybe the bungalows are getting tile work as well! We didn’t really care much though since we were in there just to sleep!

Watch my video below to see the room, grounds, and pool area!

The Hotel Grounds & Pool

The Real Mayab Hotel & Bungalows’ grounds were beautiful!!! There was lots of room to stroll around and the place was quiet besides the chirping birds (and maybe my kids running, yelling everywhere!).

My littlest loved watching the 3 or 4 turtles swimming around a little pond and basking on logs!

There is also a large cage with several peacocks! Another cage down the trail appeared to be empty.

The pool deck was large and had plenty of lounge chairs. Watch your step, there are a few spots where the wood is rotting and getting soft. A little upkeep is needed. But overall it was fine. Those spots were mostly on the end (the stairs weren’t in the best shape) and off on the side where the kiddos weren’t really going. It’s convenient to have the restaurant up there and be overlooking it all. The pool was cold! But the kids didn’t care!

Restaurant

The food was good but the restaurant hours seemed a little sporadic! You may want to double check with the workers what hours it is open so you don’t end up with no food!!!

We went into town (Kaua) for supper just to check the place out. There only seemed to be a handful of restaurants on the main drag, so we settled on one with a moat and bridge. The moat/pond was in front so you had to cross over a bridge to get into the restaurant which was open air on the outside. It had a great ambience and was romantic looking, that is why we stopped. The chips and salsa were delicious as always! I had a shrimp pasta that I really enjoyed, and hubby liked the fajitas but I wouldn’t suggest the burgers! That’s what the kids ordered of course and hubby had to have a bite and said they weren’t very good. So, stick with Mexican food or pasta!

The kids enjoyed running along the bridge and watching the goldfish and ducks in the pond! So that entertaining factor was a good perk!

Overall Impression

When we arrived, there were very few guests around. Being such a big complex, it almost felt abandoned in a way. However, it became much busier closer to dark and by morning the parking lot was quite full.  So, I feel this hotel is mostly a place to stay on the way to somewhere else, like it was for us! To me this seemed sad and almost a waste! The Real Mayab Hotel & Bungalows looked like it was built to host large events and groups and have stuff happening. But there wasn’t. That being said, if you’re traveling with a large group of people and want to have the place mostly to yourselves (and be close to the famous Chichen Itza Mayan ruins) this would be it! It also was a great price and the grounds were awesome for the kids!

We paid around $80 CAD (about $60 USD) when we went.  The prices were similiar on several sites, however I booked on since they had the added perk of getting a free night every 10 nts (so about 10% savings).

Check prices on | |

Lost Earrings!

One negative was that I had left some diamond stud earrings (an anniversary gift … oops) on the nightstand by our bed. I called the hotel, they talked to the cleaner on duty that day, but were told nothing was found. I even stopped in at the hotel on our way back (a week later) just to take a look and ask again. They let me in our old room so I could look around in case they fell on the floor but no such luck! I don’t want to assume anything, (and I’m definitely not putting the blame on the hotel!) but I’m guessing someone has a new pair of earrings!! I know for a fact I had left them on that nightstand the night before we checked out!! So, I recommend not leaving those small earrings anywhere except safely in your luggage. They’re definitely an easy item to forget!

Overall, I definitely recommend the Real Mayab Hotel & Bungalows for the beautiful grounds, pool, and large suntanning deck! It is also in an awesome location close to Chichen Itza and a good price for the budget conscious family – or anyone!  And, you might want to consider checking out one of my favorite beach towns – Progreso!  It is about a two hour drive from Real Mayab Hotel & Bungalows!

If you visit this hotel, let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Take care,

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The post Review of: Real Mayab Hotel & Bungalows (close to Chichen Itza) appeared first on Rachel Matthews.

When choosing a hotel to stay at in Valladolid, I based my decision off of two factors…location and rooftop hot tubs! So, we reserved a room at La Aurora Hotel Colonial for our 1 night stay after visiting Progreso and Mérida on route to Puerto Aventuras.

*This post may contain affiliate links in which I would earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read my full disclosure here.

Location

Parking was tight! But once we were parked, we explored the sights on foot. After all, being only a few blocks from the main square made it easy to navigate around and see most of the must-see attractions Valladolid has to offer.  La Aurora Hotel Colonial was only 2 blocks away from the central park, about 5 blocks from cenote zaci, and 1 block from another cute little park with the prettiest painted houses and shops (Candelaria Park).  The location was perfect for exploring!

Colonial Ambience & Pool

I instantly loved the colonial style of the hotel with its colourful tile floors and courtyard arrangement with all rooms surrounding the pool in the middle. There was two stories of hotel rooms along with a rooftop deck.

The tile, colonial architecture of the hotel, and rooftop patio were all lovely. And of course, the kids couldn’t wait to get in the courtyard pool!

Rooms

Our room was fairly simple but clean and had everything we needed. The room we had (#3) had a tile shower but no bathtub. Not sure if all rooms have showers only but if you are wanting a bathtub you may want to ask first! Of course there was a tv and air conditioning which is a must for my hubby!

Rooftop Deck & Breakfast

The rooftop deck was awesome! There were lounge chairs, a couple different seating areas, and breakfast was also served up there in the mornings. Fresh fruit, juice, coffee and the pancakes were all great and service was surprisingly fast! Unfortunately the rooftop “hot tubs” were actually cold! They might be nice during the day when the hot sun is beating though!   Unfortunately, we didn’t have time for that. We had things to see and I wanted to get a feel of the town before moving on to the next location.

The rooftop deck also offered a view of the top of the cathedral san Gervasio!

*tip: one of the best Italian restaurants in town is only a block away through the little pedestrian only street (that you can see from the hotel entrance) and in Candelaria Park. It was open only for supper when we were there. However, there was a little cafe/coffee place that had some tasty sandwiches and coffee for lunch!

Click here to book your stay at La Aurora Hotel Colonial

  This link is via hotels.com which will give you a great price and once you collect 10 hotel stays, get a night free!  I booked all our hotels (at a great price!) through hotels.com during our 2 week Yucatan itinerary and scored a free stay in no time !  I really enjoyed La Aurora Hotel Colonial with it’s uniqueness, charm, and perfect location!

Don’t forget to read about what you must see in Valladolid! Don’t miss the cenote right in town, the central square, cathedral, and colourful little Candelaria park especially if you have kids!

If Valladolid is on your bucket list, you would also love Mérida! Don’t miss reading about our stay and adventures in that gorgeous, colonial city! (coming soon!)

Take care

The post La Aurora Hotel Colonial Review – Valladolid, Mexico appeared first on Rachel Matthews.