Visiting the Yucatan for a month or several months can be very exciting and scary all at the same time. Unlike Cancun and surrounding areas, it is not a resort area. Unless you are headed to an expat owned restaurant, there is not much english spoken here.
Here you can still immerse yourself with the locals and enjoy the simple life. It is wonderful if you can speak Spanish, but if you do not – don’t worry! The locals are super friendly and appreciate your attempt to communicate. I used to make myself lists in English and Spanish before I went to the market, so I could ask for the items by name. It’s a pretty cool way to learn some words. You can also prepare yourself by learning some key phrases before you arrive. Duolingo (https://www.duolingo.com/) is a free app where you can learn some Spanish – it’s fun and it’s free! Google translate (although it often butchers the meaning) is a great tool when you are out and about and trying to communicate.
To prepare yourself and make the most out of your time in the Yucatan, we recommend the following:
1. Sign up for WhatsApp (WhatsApp is a messaging app that lets users text, chat, and share media, including voice messages and video, with individuals or groups). This is the #1 form of communication in the Yucatan. WhatsApp is 100% free including phone calls back to your family & friends at home (provided they also have the WhatsApp Application).
2. Sign up for Facebook (if you do not already have an account, you should set one up). It doesn’t have to be fancy – you just want it to be able to follow key groups in the Yucatan that are expat/visitor friendly. Ask questions of year round expats, get notifications about what is going on in the restaurants in your neighborhood.
Important Facebook groups you will want to like/follow:
Yucatan Paradise Vacation Rentals: Get some insights on what you can expect when renting in Mexico). Reach out to Sonya VanGelderen (Sonya@yucatanparadise.com), trusted by returning snowbirds to find rental properties year after year. We found Sonya on our 2nd trip to the Yucatan, and she has been helping us find rentals ever since. Sonya speaks both english and spanish and is there for you during your entire stay. We can't recommend her enough - but don't take our word for it, search for recommendations on one of the Yucatan Beach Friends Facebook groups.
Yucatan Beach Friends: See what’s going on with expats living in the area/ask for advice on where to go for what). Search for topics or ask for a recommendation. It's a great resource and all posts are in english.
Yucatan Beach Amigos: See what’s going on with expats living in the area/ask for advice on where to go for what). This is the same as Yucatan Beach Friends, except you may see some of the posts in spanish.
Yucatan Online Garage Sale: For longer stays, you can often find good deals on this site for some creature comforts you’d like to have for your stay. For example, we bought a couch and a larger television for a place we had rented on one of our visits to the Yucatan … the home we rented only had wood chairs and a 19” TV which our old eyes couldn’t handle – lol
3. Set-up your ride from the airport
(Note: Uber does not go to the airport in Merida). We always use Carlos Perez for our transportation needs.
Carlos Perez WhatApp contact #: +52-1 999-152-4931 (Spanish/English).
Carlos is trustworthy to the point that he picked up our “then” teenage children without our presence. He is always punctual, you can rest assured that Carlos will be there on time to get you where you are going. Getting reliable transportation to and from the airport is so very important (let’s just say we learned the hard way – once arriving on Christmas eve, expecting to pick up our rental car at the airport only to find out "our" car was given away – big mistake – no cars available “lo siento” – left us stranded on our very first trip). Please call Carlos or text him via WhatsApp as soon as you know your travel dates. Introduce yourself and provide him with the following details: # of people, flight #, arrival time, and where you are headed to (address of your rental). He’d also be happy to stop by a grocery store on the way home so you can pick necessities for the home, just let him know. Cost is $600 pesos.
4. Rental Car
If you prefer to get a rental car, we recommend that you contact Francisco Lara.
Francisco Lara WhatsApp contact#: +52 1 999 242 5057 (Spanish/English).
Francisco is highly regarded by full and part time expats, and he will not let you down. He will give you the actual all inclusive price of the rental and will coordinate pick-up with you. As a side note, in Mexico, you must purchase insurance with your car rental (this can run you double of the rental itself – another thing we learned the hard way). You will not have to worry about this with Francisco. He has a fantastic reputation & so very helpful to all.
Hint: You can always set up a rental after you have arrived. When chosing your rental property, pick one that is convenient to the local bus route. It is so easy, simply go to the corner and flag down the bus or combi (white van). When you are ready to get off, simply ask the driver to stop “baja a la esquina” (stop at the corner). Cost is only 8 pesos per ride.
Maybe get a ride from the airport, get settled in, and use the local transport to get to and from Progreso & Chicxulub.
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