Quintana Roo

Introduction

Quintana Roo is a Mexican state in the Yucatan Peninsula. The tourist towns of Cancun and Playa del Carmen are located in this state. Quintana Roo is the home of the city of Cancún, the islands of Cozumel and Isla Mujeres, and the towns of Bacalar, Playa del Carmen and Akumal, as well as the ancient Maya ruins of Chacchoben, Cobá, Kohunlich, Muyil, Tulum, Xel-Há, and Xcaret. The Sian Ka'an biosphere reserve is also located in the state.

Geography

Quintana is located in Southeastern Mexico, on the eastern part of the Yucatán Peninsula. It is bordered by the states of Campeche to the west and Yucatán to the northwest, and by the Orange Walk and Corozal districts of Belize, along with an offshore borderline with Belize District to the south. Quintana Roo has a coastline to the east with the Caribbean Sea and to the north with the Gulf of Mexico. It also claims territory which gives it a small border with Guatemala in the southwest of the state, although this disputed area is also claimed by Campeche.

Cities

• Cancun is an important gateway to the Yucatan beaches and is a playground for partying college students, young couples and even families. Beyond the beaches, resorts, clubs and tacky shopping opportunities, Cancún presents itself as a very likable city - there is a genuine workaday feel going on here.
• Chetumal is the capital of the state and is a major point of departure and arrival for land connections to Belize. You may spend a day or two here arranging onward transportation and this is a pleasant enough, prosperous city to be in for a bit.
• Playa del Carmen Cancún's smaller twin sister, enjoys a bit of a more refined reputation. There are still plenty of resorts and accommodations to cater to all manner of tourism and more and more people are beginning to choose this pleasant town as a destination. There is plenty of nightlife here in Playa del Carmen to compete with the international appeal of Cancún.
• Tulum is popular for its beach side Mayan ruins and a good range of oceanfront accommodations. The popular Sian Ka'an Biosphere Preserve south of Tulum offers plenty of chance for adventurous exploration of lagoons, cenotes and more Mayan ruins as well as wildlife spotting.

Islands

• Cozumel receives plenty of cruise ship traffic in the winter months, and for good reason. This island, about 80 kilometres south of Cancún, features great beaches, snorkeling, scuba diving, several Mayan ruins, plenty of other tourist services and some great seafood. This is the largest of Mexico's Caribbean islands.
• Isla Holbox. The beaches of Isla Holbox (pronounced hol-bosh) are not as clear as those in the rest of Quintana Roo but this remains a very relaxing destination. Isla Holbox is located on the Gulf of Mexico, northwest of Cancún.
• Isla Mujeres offers a nice middle ground between Cozumel and Holbox. Highlights here definitely include Playa Norte for it's powdery white sand and clear blue water, to a small Mayan temple. Plenty of snorkeling and scuba diving options await tourists.

Sights and Activities

The beautiful Caribbean Sea and it's coral white beaches are the most important attractions, but there is a lot more on offer in this state, with fantastic culture and natural places to visit.

• Holbox is an island in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, located on the north coast of the Yucatán Peninsula. It is approximately 41.84 km long and 1.5 km wide, and it is separated from the mainland by 10 km of shallow lagoon that is home to flamingos, pelicans and other rich birdlife. Holbox Island is part of the Municipality of Lázaro Cárdenas and also part of the Yum Balam Biosphere Reserve. Not yet heavily touristed, the island's main industry is fishing. However, the island is developing a growing tourist industry in the form of whale shark viewing. Lobster is the main product of this fishing and many of the dishes made on the island center around lobster or other seafood. The island is accessed by ferry from the mainland town of Chiquila, and has virtually no cars, with transport by most residents and tourists by golf cart or moped. A small airline, Flights Holbox, flies tours to Holbox from Cancún and Playa del Carmen; there is even a small airstrip to accommodate five-seater, 13 seater Cessna aircraft. The entrance of vehicles is not allowed at Holbox in order to protect the environment and to prevent the streets from getting sand. Holbox has several alternatives to enjoy nature, but the one that attracts most visitors is the experience of swimming with the impressive whale shark from June to September, an opportunity you can experience in very few parts of the world. During hurricane season, the island is often evacuated as it can get directly damaged by hurricane winds.
• Xel-Ha Park (Parque Xel-Há) is a commercial aquatic theme park and ecotourism development located on the Caribbean coast of the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, in the municipality of Solidaridad. It is part of Xcaret Experiencias Group which also owns the Xplor Park, Xcaret Park, and Xenses Park; as well as the Xichen, Xenotes, and Xoximilco tours and activities. It is situated within the "Riviera Maya", a region promoted as a tourism corridor along Highway 307. It is approximately 240 km to the north of Chetumal, and 122 km south of Cancun.The park is named after the site of Xelha, an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, part of which is located within the lands leased to the park. The Maya site of Tulum is nearby, some 13 km to the south. The theme park was founded in 1984, and is under the management and marketing of the Mexican-owned Experiencias Xcaret Group. The park is centered around the natural inlet and lagoon, which is promoted as one of the main attractions of the park that forms with the flow of the river through rocks mixing salty waters with fresh underground water currents. The inlet of Xel-Há is a natural aquarium where hundreds of species inhabit; such as tropical fish and an abundant flora. In the park there is also a turtle reserve, where research is constantly carried out to learn more about marine life and contribute with the ecological maintenance of the area. A shark fence extends across the lagoon's entrance, and the public is permitted to swim and snorkel in the lagoon. Underwater the limestone has been eroded into myriad small caves and grottos. A variety of aquatic-based activities are offered by the theme park, including snorkelling, scuba diving, and swimming with dolphins.
• Xcaret is a Maya civilization archaeological site located on the Caribbean coastline of the Yucatán Peninsula, in the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico. The site was occupied by the pre-Colombian Maya and functioned as a port for navigation and an important Maya trading center. Some of the site's original structures are contained within a modern-day tourism development, the privately owned Xcaret Park. Xcaret has many reserves that are open to the public. According to the research by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), the first buildings of the site can be dated to 200 to 600 A.D., but the majority of them are from the period from 1200 to 1550 A.D. The constructions of the Late Post-Classical period are situated along the coast; some of them in strategic positions for surveillance. The site had a wall, but unlike the one in Tulum that was open towards the ocean, the wall at Xcaret defended the site from assaults coming from the sea. The wall may also have served to divide the solid ground of the interior from the swampy ground closer to the coast. Xcaret was inhabited at the time of the first stage of the Spanish incursion of Alonso Dávila and Francisco de Montejo into the eastern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula (1527 to 1529). In 1548, Juan Núñez was put in charge of Xcaret. At this time, a Spanish chapel was built. This implies that Xcaret remained an important settlement. The thatched roof of the chapel has disintegrated, but the walls remain standing. The INAH divides the architectural formations into several different groups.
• Isla Contoy Isla Contoy is a small island in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, approximately 30 kilometers north of Isla Mujeres. The island is only 8.5 km in length and has an area of 3.17 km². Since 1961, Isla Contoy is protected by the Mexican government and was declared a national park in February 1998. The island is jointly run by the Isla Mujeres-based non-governmental organization, Amigos de Isla Contoy A.C. and the Secretary of Environment, Natural Resources and Fishing (SEMARNAT). Supervised eco-tourism and regulated commercial fishing is allowed on and near the island. Only a few tour companies have permission to bring the only at maximum 200 daily visitors to Isla Contoy. Visitors need to apply for permission to visit the island at the park offices in Isla Mujeres or Cancún. Four species of turtle find a safe haven for nesting on the beaches of the island, namely the loggerhead turtle, Green turtle, Hawksbill turtle, and the leatherback turtle. The reserve is also a sanctuary to approximately 152 tropical marine birds, like the frigate bird, brown pelican, and the double-crested cormorant.
• Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park is off the coast of the island of Cozumel in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. The Cozumel reef system is part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, the second largest coral reef system in the world. Even though almost the entire island of Cozumel is surrounded by coral reefs, the park only encompasses the reefs on the south side of the island. It begins just south of the International Pier and continues down and around Punta Sur and up just a small portion of the east side of the island. The park is located in the municipality of Cozumel in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. It is about 20 km off the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Caribbean Sea.
• Sian Ka'an s a biosphere reserve in the municipality of Tulum in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. With the participation of scientists, technicians, students, fishermen, farmers, rural promotors and administrators, together with regional and international partners, have successfully carried out more than 200 conservation projects basing all conservation actions on scientific and technical information for planning and implementing environmental policies and the proposal of viable solutions for sustainable use of natural resources and focusing their efforts established within eight protected natural areas that include the reefs of Banco Chinchorro, and Xcalak at South of Quintana Roo, Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, Cancun, the island of Cozumel that is located in front of Xcaret and Contoy Island up North, covering 3,200 km2. These areas lie in parts of all seven Caribbean Sea coastal municipalities of the state, with the largest part being in eastern Felipe Carrillo Puerto Municipality, where the vast majority of Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve lies. Part of the reserve is on land and part is in the Caribbean Sea, including a section of coral reef. The reserve has an area of 5,280 km2. The reserve also includes some 23 known archaeological sites of the Maya civilization including Muyil. Remains of the Decauville railway Vigía Chico-Santa Cruz, which was operated from 1905 to 1932, can be found at several places.
• Yum Balam Flora and Fauna Protection Area is a Mexican Flora and Fauna Protection Area located in the state of Quintana Roo in southeastern Mexico. Established in 1994, the nature reserve was the first protected area in Mexico to be created at the request of local communities. The reserve includes wetlands along the north shore of the Yucatán Peninsula and adjacent Isla Holbox and has been designated as a protected Ramsar site since 2004. Yum Balam Flora and Fauna Protection Area is located near the northeastern tip of the Yucatán Peninsula in Quintana Roo's Lázaro Cárdenas and Isla Mujeres Municipalities, northwest of Cancún and the Riviera Maya. Several communities are located within the reserve, including Chiquilá, Solferino, and Holbox. The area protects a section of coastal wetlands, a string of barrier islands (of which the largest is Isla Holbox), Yalahau Lagoon between the islands and the mainland, and some coastal waters beyond the islands.

Events and Festivals

Most of the fiestas in Quintana Roo are related to the anniversaries of the foundation of municipalities, the celebration of local Roman Catholic patron saints or exhibitions of the most popular produce of the particular region. The majority are observed at the local level and, given that the greater part of the municipalities have few inhabitants, the festivals can be a bit austere.

Day of the Dead

Although the Day of the Dead is also celebrated in many Latin American countries (and also in parts of Europe, Asia and Africa), the Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de los Muertos) is most intensily celebrated in Mexico where it is equal to a National Holiday. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration takes place on November 1st and 2nd, in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day (November 1) and All Souls' Day (November 2). Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts. Although it is about the Dead, it is also a celebration where eating and partying both are common as well.

Other Events and Festivals

• Grito de la Independencia - September 15th is Mexican Independence Day! A massive celebration involving plenty of singing, dancing and fireworks takes place in the Zócalo. Everyone here awaits an appearance from Mexico's president who rings a bell from a central balcony of the Palacio Nacional overlooking the Zócalo. The president then shouts out the Grito de Dolores, or the Cry of Dolores which was Father Hidalgo's famous call to arms against Spanish rule in 1810.
• Dia de la Candelaria. Candlemas is held February 2nd and commemorates Jesus being introduced into the temple 40 days after his birth. This nationwide celebration sees many different ways of celebrating and many towns in Quintana Roo State hold processions, bullfights and dances. Of course, plenty of delicious, traditional foods are served during Dia de la Candelaria as well.
• Carnaval is held in late February or early March throughout Quintana Roo State and all of Mexico. This big party is meant to celebrate the 40 day penance of Lent. Carnaval always takes place during the week or so prior to Ash Wednesday, 46 days before Easter Sunday. Mexicans celebrate this holiday with fireworks, food, dancing, parades, dancing and drinking.
• Semana Santa, or Holy Week, is a huge celebration which starts on Palm Sunday. This is a very popular time for Mexicans to take a short break; as a result, it seems most of the country is on the move, with buses and hotels often booked out. As for the celebration of Semana Santa, expect colorful processions and many masses at churches everywhere.
• Día de Nuestra Seňora de Guadalupe, or Day of our Lady of Guadalupe, is held December 12th. There is a week-long build up to this religious celebration in honour of the Virgin who appeared to the indigenous Juan Diego in the year 1531. Since then, the Lady of Guadalupe has been Mexico's religious patron and her veneration is very significant. It is traditional for young boys to be dressed as a Juan Diego and for young girls to be dressed in indigenous garb and brought to a special mass, held at many churches throughout the country.
• New Year's Eve. Mexicans celebrate New Year's Eve or locally known as Año Nuevo, by downing a grape with each of the twelve chimes of the bell during the midnight countdown, while making a wish with each one. Mexican families decorate homes and parties, during New Year's, with colors such as red, to encourage an overall improvement of lifestyle and love, yellow to encourage blessings of improved employment conditions, green to improve financial circumstances and white to improved health. Mexican sweet bread is baked with a coin or charm hidden in the dough. When the bread is served, the recipient whose slice contains the coin or charm is believed to be blessed with good luck in the new year. One can expect a lot of firecrackers, fireworks and sparklers being fired. At midnight there is a lot of noise and everyone shouts: "Feliz año nuevo!" People embrace, make noise, set off firecrackers, and sing Auld Lang Syne.
• Cinco de Mayo is an annual celebration held on May 5. The date is observed to commemorate the Mexican Army's victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza. The victory of the smaller Mexican force against a larger French force was a boost to morale for the Mexicans. A year after the battle, a larger French force defeated Zaragoza at the Second Battle of Puebla, and Mexico City soon fell to the invaders.

Weather

Quintana Roo has hot and humid conditions typical for the tropical location of this part of Mexico. The temperatures are high throughout the year, with mostly between 30 °C and 34 °C and nights between 17 °C and 23 °C. December and January are coolest, May is the hottest month. June to October is the rainy season, when hot and humid conditions are even worse and there is a chance of hurricanes as well. Generally, temperatures are a little higher in the central parts, though nights tend to be warmer during the coast. It also rains a bit more along the coast.

Getting There

By Plane

Cancun International Airport (CUN) is Mexico's second busiest airport and has numerous flights from other cities in Mexico, and cities in mostly North America and Europe. Destinations include Cozumel, Havana, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Belize City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Monterrey, Tijuana, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Quebec City, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Amsterdam, Bogota, Milan, Rome, Frankfurt, Panama City, Paris, Frankfurt, Lisbon, Helsinki, Brussels, Barcelona, Madrid, Boston, Orlando, Washington, D.C., Tampa, Santiago de Chile, London, Lima, Oslo, Bologna, Regina, Victoria, Flores, Guatemala City, Belfast, Glasgow, Manchester, Düsseldorf, Munich, Atlanta, Baltimore, Seattle, Cleveland, Salt Lake City, Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Memphis, Milwaukee, Birmingham, Bristol, Fort Lauderdale, San Francisco, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. There are even more destinations, some of them seasonal.

There is a small airport on Cozumel which is used by thousands of tourists a year. It handles both national and international flights. Aeromexico and Mexicana (some seasonal) have flights to and from Mexico City.
There are many international connections with destinations mainly throughout North America, like Toronto, Miami, Montreal, Dallas, Houston, New York, Atlanta, Denver, Charlotte, Calgary and Chicago. There are even direct flights to and from London-Gatwick with Thomson Airways.
Some more destinations have seasonal flights, like Memphis, Detroit and Minneapolis.

By Bus

Buses of all classes enter into Quintana Roo from neighboring states and beyond. First and second class buses serve the routes from further afield, while simpler buses move about the state on lesser roads serving the smaller villages and ejidos. Major inbound buses come from Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara and Veracruz.

For an overview of schedules and connections, check thebusschedule.com. Also check out rome2rio.com.

By Boat

Belize
San Pedro Water Taxi offers direct water taxis between Ambergris Caye (San Pedro) in Belize and Chetumal, Mexico. Belize Water Taxi offers the same connection and both operate on a daily basis.

Getting Around

By Plane

There are numerous air taxi's hopping between Cancun and Cozumel, with companies like Aerotucan and Mayair.

By Bus

Every city and town in Quintana Roo has bus service from points within the state and beyond. First and second class buses traverse every major road and almost all secondary roads. Local bus service (often aboard old school buses) pick up the slack and serve even the smallest village. Buses are frequent and reservations are not needed; just show up at the bus station and purchase your onward ticket or, especially in smaller villages, simply flag the bus down en route. The holidays of Christmas and especially Easter see much of Mexico on the move - consider planning your bus travel ahead of time during these holidays.

For an overview of schedules and connections, check thebusschedule.com. Also check out rome2rio.com.

By Boat

There is a ferry from Playa del Carmen to Cozumel. It leaves from Avenida Juarez and is very easy to find on the seaside. the ferrydock has a waiting room and a small McDonalds. There are 2 ferry companies and the ferry takes off about every 40 minutes. The price of a roundtrip should be around 160 pesos. Both ferry companies have different prices but the difference is small. Both have the same comfort, speed and sell drinks and snack aboard. The trip to the island takes about 45 minutes. It can be a little rough so if you get seasick easily you might want to take precautions.

Eat

Food in Quintana Roo is quite similar to what you would find in the neighboring State of Yucatan. Expect plenty of delicious fish tacos and seafood here.

Yucatanean cuisine relies on flavors derived from citrus (limes and bitter orange), tamarind and even plums, as well as annatto seed, called achiote in Spanish. This is the main spice used for cooking in the region and gives food a very deep orange-red color as well as a slightly peppery taste. Of course, several types of chile peppers feature heavily in Yucatanean cuisine.

The most well-known cooking method in this region of Mexico is pibll. This simply involves wrapping meat in banana leaves and cooking in a pit oven. When done correctly, this is a very slow cooking process and, along with the the complexities of the ingredients, gives the food a very deep flavor

Some examples of Yucatanean specialties:

• Papadzules are a classic Mayan dish from the Yucatan Peninsula consisting of rolled corn tortillas, similar to enchiladas. Papadzules are filled with hard boiled eggs, covered in a spicy tomato sauce and dipped in a thick sauce made from ground pumpkin seeds.
• Panuchos consist of corn masa that has been cooked until slightly puffy. It is then slit open and stuffed with refried beans, sealed and fried again. It is then topped with pickled onions, avocado, shredded chicken or turkey and chopped cabbage.
• Salbutes are identical to a panucho except not stuffed with refried beans. Traditionally these are served with shredded turkey as the meat topping.
• Sopa de Lima - The Yucatan and Quintana Roo states are the places to go to experience this zesty chicken and lime soup. The clear broth and shredded chicken make for a very light but tasty meal.
• Cochinita Pibil is a traditional pork dish from the Yucatan Peninsula. the dish is prepared by soaking the pork in citrus juice. Annnatto seed is also used to season the meat and this is what gives cochinita pibil it's very deep red color. A very traditional way to cook the pork is to wrap it in banana leaf and cook it over coals placed in the ground.
• Poc Chuc is another specialty from Yucatan and Quintana Roo. This pork dish is marinated in acidic citrus juices mixed with various spices and grilled over a fire.

Drink

Beer

Mass produced Mexican beers tend to be a bit less sweet than their American counterparts. All in all, Mexican beers are quite good and go very well with Mexican food. Microbrews are starting to pop up in big cities and certain varieties are distributed further afield. Many bars catering to a hip clientele will feature imported beers from throughout the world

Montejo, Leon, Victoria, Superior, Carta Blanca and Estrella are national brands that can be difficult to find at times depending on where you are in Mexico. Lately, both Tecate and Indio brands have become the most widely distributed beers next to Corona. Many of the beers mentioned are brewed by Mexico's brewery powerhouses - Modelo and Cuauhtemoc.

One of the traditions in Mexico is to add lime to beer, adding a pleasant acidity. Another popular way to drink beer in Mexico is to mix it with lime, tomato juice, spices and assorted chili-based sauces. This drink is known as a Michelada and is very popular in hotter climates throughout Mexico and actually makes for a very refreshing concoction.

Tequila

Tequila is the signature firewater of Mexico and nearly all of it hails from the state of Jalisco. Here, small agave plantations and larger haciendas churn out a staggering number of brands. Of those brands, there 5 varieties of tequila:

• Oro, or gold is possibly the poorest quality of the lot. That gold color this variety is known for is artificial and this tequila really burns the throat. It is best used in cocktails and margaritas.
• Plata is also known as Blanco and represents the next lowest quality of the 5 varieties but tastes better than the Oro variety. This is unaged and the flavor is much less complex, making it suitable as a mixer rather than a shot for sipping.
• Resapado means rested and this variety is aged for up to 9 months. Flavor profiles become more complex and respado makes for a good introductory sipping variety. Expect a clean, sharp taste with a subtle peppery finish.
• Aňejo. This aged variety, conditioned in oak barrels for up to 1 year, is very smooth and sweet. Many people enjoy this variety as an aperitif, or even an after dinner drink. Certain brands of aňejo represent a very good value, especially considering the amount of nuanced flavors created by each distilleries' aging techniques.
• Extra Aňejo, or vintage, is a relatively new variety. This is aged for 3 years, often using other types of barrels aside from the traditional oak ones. This is best sipped neat. Extra Aňejo has boosted the craft tequila market in Mexico.

Mezcal

• Mezcal can sometimes be as high as 60% alcohol, so enjoy this drink with caution! Mezcal is made from 1 of around 20 different species of agave, some of which can take decades to mature. Only once will a mature agave sprout the flower whose sap is fermented to make this potent potion. Some varieties include:
• Minero is distilled in clay pots and is a very high quality variety. Subtly smoky in flavor and very smooth.
• Arroqueňo tends to be a subtly sweet-tasting Mezcal. Many find this to be the most pleasant variety. The flavor begins a bit bitter but quickly finishes sweet and warm.
• Joven means young, and this variety is simply unaged and therefore a little bit rough.
• Tobalá is named for an actual variety of agave plant, grown in mountainous regions.

Pulque

Pulque has been enjoyed since well before the Spanish conquest of Mexico but has enjoyed a resurgence in the last decade, especially among the hip crowd. Pulque is simply the fermented sap of the maguey plant. The end result is a very thick, cloudy drink with a slightly acidic taste. This viscous liquid is often given artificial fruit flavoring to improve it's overall uninspiring taste, however many pulque drinkers are purists when it comes to quaffing this strange alcoholic beverage. In Mexico, pulquerias - bars exclusively serving pulque - offer a real authentic drinking experience and many feature roving musicians ready to play a tune for the merry patrons. Pulque has an alcoholic content between 4% and 6%. Getting pulque in this part of Mexico can be very difficult as it must be consumed quickly or it will spoil and does not travel well from where it is made.

Other Drinks

• Chamoyada is a sweet and spicy type of shaved ice, or raspado or Mango sorbet, prepared with chamoy. It is a part of Mexican cuisine, and is also common in regions of the United States with significant Mexican-American populations. The drink is usually sweetened with mangoes or apricots. It is essentially a combination of chamoy sauce, shaved ice, chili powder, and fruit chunks. In certain variations, a whole fruit popsicle, or paleta, is added to the drink and mixed with the shaved ice. The drinking straws served with chamoyadas also often have tamarind candy on the outside. Chamoyadas do not contain any dairy products. The different flavors of chamoyadas can include fruits like mango, lemon, guava, tamarind, pineapple and strawberry.
• Champuraddo is a warm and thick chocolate-based drink, prepared with either masa de maíz (lime-treated-corn dough), masa harina (a dried version of this dough), or corn flour (simply very finely ground dried corn, especially local varieties grown for atole); piloncillo; water or milk; and occasionally containing cinnamon, anise seed, or vanilla. Ground nuts, orange zest, and egg can also be employed to thicken and enrich the drink. Atole drinks are whipped up using a wooden whisk called a molinillo (or a blender). The whisk is rolled between the palms of the hands, then moved back and forth in the mixture until it is aerated and frothy.
• Liquados are a Latin American handmade blended beverage similar to smoothies, made with milk, fruit, and usually ice.They are also sometimes called "preparados" (meaning "prepared"). Licuados and other fresh fruit juice drinks are ubiquitous throughout Mexico. They are sold by street vendors, and in special licuado shops, restaurants, and fruterias (restaurants specializing in fresh fruit).
• Aguas Frescas, (Spanish for "cool waters", or literally "fresh waters") are light non-alcoholic beverages made from one or more fruits, cereals, flowers, or seeds blended with sugar and water. Some of the more common flavors include tamarind, hibiscus, and horchata. Aguas frescas are sold by street vendors, but can also be found in bodegas (convenience stores), restaurants and juice bars.
• Atole, also known as atol and atol de elote, is a traditional hot corn and masa-based beverage of Mesoamerican origin. Chocolate atole is known as champurrado or atole. It typically accompanies tamales, and is very popular during the Christmas holiday season (las Posadas).
• Café de olla is a traditional Mexican coffee beverage. To prepare café de olla, it is essential to use a traditional earthen clay pot, as this gives a special flavor to the coffee. This type of coffee is principally consumed in cold climates and in rural areas. In Mexico, café de olla is made with ground coffee, cinnamon, and piloncillo (known as panela in other countries).
• Jarritos is a popular brand of soft drink in Mexico, founded in 1950. Jarritos is made in fruit flavors and is less carbonated than popular soft drinks made in the United States or Canada. Many Jarritos varieties are naturally flavored. The word jarrito means "little jug" in Spanish and refers to the Mexican tradition of drinking water and other drinks in clay pottery jugs. Produced in Mexico, they are sold throughout the Americas.

Sleep

As is typical with all of Mexico, accommodation options in Quintana Roo run from budget hotels and hostels to fancier lodges and resorts. Every city and town caters to the traveler as many people traverse the country by bus and often find themselves staying overnight along the way, especially on long-haul routes. Because of this, many hotels can be found around bus stations and in small towns those accommodation options will extend well beyond the transportation terminal. You will find an accommodation type to suit any budget in Quintana Roo.

Many hotels in Mexico (and Quintana Roo) list their prices at the front desk and haggling for a reduced rate for a stay of a few days or more is acceptable. Many hostels have become more expensive than hotels, especially for a couple traveling together. It is very common to find clean, safe, comfortable and centrally located hotels for 200 pesos. Wi Fi is almost always available at these hotels and sometimes cable television and air conditioning are included. Prices for these same types of hotels are at least double on the Baja Peninsula. It is also acceptable to ask to see a room before paying. Ask to see another room if the one shown to you doesn't suit you. Street noise is a problem in Mexico (and Quintana Roo is no exception); rooms facing the road can be very loud. Ask for an internal-facing room if possible. Hot water is often an issue in Mexico and may only be available during certain hours.

External Links

• Official Website