Wellness Guide To Valladolid, Mexico

4 min readFeb 3, 2022

Valladolid was pure magic! We stopped here for a weekend on our way from Playa Del Carmen to Merida… + as soon as we arrived in Valladolid, I wished we were staying longer. It’s such a beautiful, colorful city with amazing eats + very quaint. It’s also perfectly located to many adventures, so it would a great home base in the Yucatan. I will definitely be back next time I visit the Yucatan!

Stay:

Look no further than Posada San Juan — super affordable family owned business… not to mention it was stunning + so tranquil. Their dogs are so cute, too! Aaaand… they have the best free breakfast! We absolutely loved our time here.

Eats:

#1] Yakunaji Cocina Mexicana: Probably my favorite shrimp tacos in all of Mexico — so, so good!

#2] Casa Maca: Loved this vegan cafe… great smoothies, bowls, + guac : )

#3] IX CAT IK Mayan Cuisine: The vibe of this restaurant was really cool + fun. It’s Mayan food, so the flavors were super unique. I was obsessed with their soup.

#4] Yerbabuena del Sisal: Vegetarian forward restaurant with a beautiful garden space. It’s also right by Covento de San Bernadino de Siena, so you can walk the grounds after!

Explore In Town

#1] There’s many amazing cenotes outside town, but there’s also one in the center of town that is a must to see, Cenote Zaci.

#2] Every Sunday evening there’s a dance in the square. Sadly, we had to leave Sunday morning — but I read all about this dance in many blogs. Hopefully you’ll be able to catch it when you’re in Valladolid!

#3] Walk down Calzada de los Frailes for boutiques, cafes, + the most photogenic walls : )

#4] Go on a free guided tour through Casa de los Venados — it’s the largest collection of Mexican folk art, + it’s inside a cute couple’s private home.

Outdoor Adventures + Day Trip

#1] Swim in all the cenotes! Cenote Xcanahaltun + Cenote Secreto Maya were the BEST. There are thousands of cenotes around the Yucatan Penisula, but the best are around Valladolid.

#2] See the ruins at Chichén Itzá [one of the 7 wonders of the world!], Uxmal, or Elk Balam.

#3] Take a day trip to Izamal, “The Yellow City” — literally all the buildings are yellow! It’s so beautiful to wander around.

#4] Take a day trip to Merida, the capital of Yucatan. You can definitely stay a lot longer than a day in Merida… but if you were home basing in Valladolid, a day trip to explore the culture + big city totally works.

Pro Tips:

Recommended Stay: 3–4 days… but if you were limited on time, you could also do Valladolid as a day trip from Tulum or Playa Del Carmen.
Spa: Coqui Coqui is supposed to be amazing.
Coworking: Canto Encanto is a cafe + coworking space — although we just worked out of Posada San Juan, since there were so many places to spread out.