Who: Sisters Kathy Brown of Westminster, Marianne Rodrigues of Wheat Ridge, Theresa Lubben of Westminster and Christine Pott of Gardena, Calif.
Where: Butterfly Pavilion in the XCaret Eco-Archaelogical Park 4 miles south of Playa del Carmen.
Best meal: There are several restaurants and snack bars in the park which served anything from hamburgers ($10) to a full lunch buffet ($25). We had lunch at Dos Playas, which is an open-air restaurant affording you views of the park, lagoon, and ocean. You can purchase package deals from hotels.
Best deal: Instead of obtaining a package deal from your hotel, take a taxi to the park and pay your own entrance fee. The taxis are lined up to take you back “home” at the end of the day. Our hotel, Club Maeva Tulum, listed the one-way cost of taxi to many of the towns and attractions on the coast. The drivers are usually very friendly and talkative, know quite a bit of English and give you a feel for the friendly locals of the area. The taxi drivers appreciate tips in dollars, so bring $1 bills along.
Best time to go: We went at the end of January, and it did rain in the afternoon. Bring a light jacket just in case, and it does cool off in the evening.
Best travel tip: XCaret has been called the Epcot Center of Mexico. It is along the coast, and the admission price includes most activities for the day (approximately $60). Plan to arrive in the morning when the park opens and stay until after the show in the evening. The park contains pools and an underground river for snorkeling, one of the world’s largest butterfly pavilions, a re-created Mayan village, Mexican cemetery and a beautiful church on a hill.
