The 10 Best Budget-friendly Things to do in Quintana Roo, Quintana Roo

October 16, 2021 Janette Largent

Discover the best top things to do in Quintana Roo, Yucatan Peninsula including Palancar Reef, Cenotes Sac Actun, Maya Chan Beach, Cenote Santa Cruz, Lake Bacalar, Mayan Bee Sanctuary, Playa Delfines, Zona Arqueologica de Coba, Tulum Archaeological Site, Akumal Beach.
Restaurants in Quintana Roo

1. Palancar Reef

Parque Marino de Cozumel One mile off the southeastern coast, Cozumel 77600 Mexico
Excellent
82%
Good
14%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 4,062 reviews

Palancar Reef

This beautiful reef sits in about 80 feet of water and is a popular diving spot.

Reviewed By Larry-Crystal - Florence, United States

Palancar Caves, Palancar Gardens, Palancar Big Caves, Palancar Bricks.....all great dive sites. A good Dive operation will take the time and expense to drive their boats down to the southern dive sites where visiting scuba divers will see the best variety of sea life, coral mounts, swim throughs, and pelagics. We had a great experience with ScubaLife.

2. Cenotes Sac Actun

Carretera Federal 307, Tulum 77760 Mexico +52 998 734 9728 [email protected] http://www.cenotessacactun.com
Excellent
84%
Good
13%
Satisfactory
1%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 1,633 reviews

Cenotes Sac Actun

Underground water paradise in the Riviera Maya, this visit will certainly be a unique experience like no other, mystical and extreme, you can snorkel or dive in the cavern full of formations.

Reviewed By StefR - Brooklyn, United States

After reading about so many cenotes, I was a bit overwhelmed as to which to choose. So we let our tour guide make this recommendation. It just so happened he had worked as a guide at this cenote for several years before becoming a tour guide so we just got lucky. This cenote is amazing! After parking and picking up lifejackets, we headed down the stairs and into the mouth of the cave. Our guide didn't really describe what we were about to do so it was a bit of a surprise to find such a huge cave system before us as we swam around. He knew his way around and we had such a great time seeing this natural wonder. We were there for 2 hours before seeing another soul. We had the whole place to ourselves for almost the entire time. There seemed to be endless tunnels and caves to explore so we were very happy to have a guide as we would have gotten lost very easily. Can't recommend this site enough! Definitely get a guide, bring a waterproof camera (or waterproof case for your phone) and enjoy!

3. Maya Chan Beach

K.M. 6.5 Carretera Majahual-Xcalak, Mahahual 77940 Mexico +52 983 101 3585 [email protected] http://www.costamayabeachresort.com/
Excellent
91%
Good
6%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 1,739 reviews

Maya Chan Beach

Private beach resort for cruise ship passengers.

Reviewed By plantemar

We visited Maya Chan Beach while on a cruise. It was perfect : super friendly staff, very good homemade food, excellent bar service, nice floating chairs and paddle board, nice sandy beach and refreshing pool. We had a beach cabana with chairs, day bed and hammock for ourselves. Could not ask for better because it was THE best. Can’t go wrong with this gem!

4. Cenote Santa Cruz

Akumal 77776 Mexico +52 984 182 6052 [email protected] http://www.cenotesantacruz.com
Excellent
85%
Good
13%
Satisfactory
1%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 693 reviews

Cenote Santa Cruz

Friends, if you are calling us and we don't answer your calls it is because we don't have good reception. We work only with previous reservations that can be made on our website or direct to our E-mail. We will answer you as soon as possible, we apologize for the inconvenience. Eco-friendly tours. Our excursions are groupal, private and personalized. “We invite you to live an awesome and fun adventure, enjoying the wonders that the Yucatan Peninsula has to offer, its heavenly beaches, Cenotes, Natural Reserves and archaeological sites. We are focused on sustainable, educational and recreational tourism in order to get the maximum and closest experience with the local communities, getting to know the flora, fauna and regional culture.”

Reviewed By jlwilm - Madison, United States

We were told that the Cenote Santa Cruz is a “must see” and we were not disappointed. We were 4 people picked up at our condo by Juan Pablo (JP) and it was immediately obvious that he has a passion for Mexico and the natural beauty. He made us very comfortable and alleviated any apprehensions. He explained everything and told us so much history of the surrounding area. JP kept insisting that this was “our” tour and we could take as much or as little of his time as we needed. The Cenote is breathtakingly beautiful with cool, clear water and we felt like we were in another world. This was not my first visit to a Cenote in Mexico but this was by far, the best, most informative and most beautiful one. I highly recommend Cenote Santa Cruz.

5. Lake Bacalar

Bacalar Mexico
Excellent
91%
Good
7%
Satisfactory
1%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 2,594 reviews

Lake Bacalar

Reviewed By 389florka - London, United Kingdom

Pueblo magico - truly is !!! There are different shades of blue from the lightest to dark dark blue . We took a boat with tour guy which cost about 260 peso it took about 2.5 h all around lake with few stops when we could jump in the water and enjoy this beautiful place . Water is sweet which made the experience even better:) , would highly recommend it . We stayed near Playa del Carmen and it took us 3.5 h drive , the best is to early morning so can make most of it . Plenty shops and restaurants around to get some snacks or food.

6. Mayan Bee Sanctuary

Carretera Transversal Km 10, San Miguel de Cozumel, Cozumel 77660 Mexico +52 987 141 5321 [email protected] https://www.facebook.com/Mayan-Bee-Sanctuary-216814582603528/
Excellent
89%
Good
7%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
2%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 45 reviews

Mayan Bee Sanctuary

The Mayan Bee Sanctuary it´s a place to discover the stingless bee and the Melipona honey. The Mayan Bee Sanctuary, is an interactive place in which you become in an explorer of the history of one of the most nutritional food in the world. Behind The Mayan Bee Santuary there is one of the largest operators of tourism of Mexico, Aviomar Adventours, a company with over 50 years of experience and hig

Reviewed By invitationOvoyage - Milwaukee, United States

Happened to pass this place on the way to the East side of the island. Glad we stopped! Joined a family and listened/saw to some Mayan history and legend as well as learn about the awesome bees that be on the island. Nice little gift shop with bee-themed authentic Mexican pottery and lots of different honey products. Staff and guide very friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable. Tour in Spanish and English. Thumbs up!

7. Playa Delfines

Boulevard Kukulkan, Punta Nizuc - Cancun 335 Zona Hotelera, Cancun 77500 Mexico
Excellent
62%
Good
30%
Satisfactory
7%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 5,518 reviews

Playa Delfines

Reviewed By Nest_Of_Snakes - Mexico City, Mexico

If you are tired of the standard beaches along the Hotel Zone, visit Playa Delfines, a beautiful and very large beach with fine sand and slightly intense waves located near El Rey archaeological zone. Here, you can rent chairs and beach umbrellas as well as bring your own drinks and snacks. You will also find bathrooms, showers, "palapas" and parking lot, all these services totally free. Here you will also find a beautiful wooden lookout with the colorful "Cancún" sign that appears on many of the city´s postcards and brochures.

8. Zona Arqueologica de Coba

Carretera Federal Tulum 307, Coba 77793 Mexico http://inah.gob.mx/es/zonas/515-zona-arqueologica-de-coba
Excellent
72%
Good
24%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 8,221 reviews

Zona Arqueologica de Coba

Coba (pronounced cō-bǝ) is an ancient Maya city on the Yucatán Peninsula, located in what is now northeastern Quintana Roo, Mexico. The site is the nexus of the largest network of stone causeways of the ancient Mayan world, and it contains many engraved and sculpted stelae that document ceremonial life and important events of the Late Classic Period (AD 600-900) of Mesoamerican civilization.[1] The adjacent modern village bearing the same name, reported a population of 1,278 inhabitants in the 2010 Mexican federal census.[2]

Reviewed By Antonio251990

The coolest thing about this site it's the bicycle ride through the jungle it's a most to get on the bikes plus is only 30 pesos to rent it.. the view at the top of the main pyramid its amazing all you can see its miles of pure green in every direction it's kind of hard to climb all the way up but totally worth the effort... if you're staying in the tulum area definitely should go to coba ruins, just try to be there early because gets packed..

9. Tulum Archaeological Site

Carretera Federal, Cancun - Chetumal Km 230, 307, Tulum 77780 Mexico
Excellent
61%
Good
29%
Satisfactory
8%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 29,609 reviews

Tulum Archaeological Site

Tulum (Spanish pronunciation: [tu'lum], Yucatec: Tulu'um) is the site of a Pre-Columbian Maya walled city serving as a major port for Coba.[1] The ruins are situated on 12-meter (39 ft) tall cliffs, along the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico.[1] Tulum was one of the last cities built and inhabited by the Maya; it was at its height between the 13th and 15th centuries and managed to survive about 70 years after the Spanish began occupying Mexico. Old World diseases brought by the Spanish settlers appear to have resulted in very high fatalities, disrupting the society and eventually causing the city to be abandoned.[citation needed] One of the best-preserved coastal Maya sites, Tulum is today a popular site for tourists.[1]

Reviewed By discoveringdest - Montreal, Canada

Oh yeah guys, we were in Tulum last week! We were blessed with a perfect sunny week in Riviera Maya. Our idea was to spend a week relaxing on the beach. Then we saw pictures of Tulum and found out it was 20 minutes away. So... “Why not” ?!? We never know the next time we'll be in Mexico. Tulum for a 1/2 day tour with guide was $69usd per person. Expensive we thought, but we got a nice van, with a good driver and a really knowledgeable guide Jazmin. She studied history in Mexico and was clearly passionate about that. In Tulum are ruins of an ancient Mayan port city just next to wonderful Caribbean coast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Some go to visit the remaining structures and others to enjoy the beach. The tour was 4 hours in total. That includes the drive to Tulum, the guided tour and 1h30 of free time to spend walking around. With this time, we could go around, take pictures, swim and shop around in one of the local shops. We decided to walk around to enjoy the astonishing views of the coastline. We were mesmerized by the turquoise green and blue water and multicolour iguanas that gaze at the sun as though they were kings of the Mayan city! According our guide and in Wikipedia, Tulum is one of the best preserved coastal Maya sites and is really famous touristic point. The important part of Tulum is its history, since the city has access land and sea trade routes, making it an important trade hub. It was really cool to hear our guide speak about the Mayan history. She described a mystical place on a beautiful sunny day just like the one we were experiencing. We took the tour from the hotel so everything was pre arranged for us. Alternatively, you can always rent a car and drive over. Our Ratings Serge: 5 Eli: 5 Recommend: Absolutely. Tulum is a very unique historical Mayan ruin, feel free to view the grounds or go for a swim. Important Tips: 1. Tulum in a sunny day is really “Hot”, so get your sunblock ready and if possible, an umbrella. 2. Please, “Do NOT forget” an insect repellent because Tulum is a mix of Beach & Jungle, we are the bite marks to prove it. 3. Bring water and if you decide to go swimming, make sure have some protection (sun block and repellent). 4. If you have a professional or semi professional camera (GoPro counts), you will need to pay a extra tax. The tax is calculated per camera.

10. Akumal Beach

Akumal Mexico
Excellent
63%
Good
24%
Satisfactory
7%
Poor
3%
Terrible
3%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 13,346 reviews

Akumal Beach

Reviewed By Hiram_Vienna - Vienna, Austria

The powder white sand is fantastic - you can swim with the sea turtles just 20m from the beach - it’s like a dream here

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