10 Days in Mexico - Budget & Itinerary

Secret Flying offered round trip flights from Chicago to Cozumel for only $159 per person and we knew we had to jump on it! With a limited budget and a long list of bucket list items we were off! Below is our breakdown of how we did it, and hope that you can get some ideas and inspiration for your next trip!

Upon arrival we withdrew funds in Mexican Pesos (MXP) and paid everything in the local currency saving us an additional few hundred dollars. (Most shops do accept US funds, however you will pay an additional fee to deal with their personal conversion rate.) Always deal with the local currency!

You will also notice that I hve not included a grocery line in the budget. Because we do most of our cooking at home, our grocery budget was simply ported from our home budget. Depending on the country this may mean our grocery budget is reduced or we get more bang for our buck. (Eating at restaurants etc was is an additional expense and included in the budget/itinerary)

Day 1

We arrived in Cozumel after a series of connecting flights to a vibrant and bustling little city. Cozumel is a frequent stop for most cruise ships and the streets were packed with people and vendors. Once arriving in the city square we walked down to the nearest grocery store to pick up a few grocery items. We sat in the park feasting on deli items and whatever we could find that would make an easy lunch/supper. The park sprinklers came on and local children flooded the area playing in the water. It was a welcome surprise given the intense heat at the moment.

Our hotel was quaint and clean and we all packed into a double private room. The hotel had a beautiful courtyard where they served breakfast and had about 20 turtles roaming around. The kids had a great time feeding them cabbage and watching them roam around. If you were to ask them what their favourite part of our entire trip was, they would probably say feeding the turtles!

Flights to Cozumel - 738

Cozumel Hotel Mary Carmen- 63

Life saving Starbucks - 7

Shuttle from airport - 17

Mysterious car arrangement - 37

Dinner - 70

Total: $932

Day 2

We woke up bright and early to catch the ferry to Playa Del Carmen. After picking up our rental car through Budget we drove up to Rio Lagartos and to the pink lakes of Las Coloradas. The ferry was only 45 minutes and we met some lovely children aboard. Once arriving in Playa we walked to the Budget Rental Car and picked up our cute little 5 seater.

After a long 3 hour drive in the car we had made it to the top of the Yucatan where you can find the famous pink lakes! We took our time exploring and even feeling the water. Because of the concentration of brinal bacteria, the water feels slimy. After the pink lakes we made our way down to Valadolid, a quick 20 minute drive from Chichen Itza. There seemed to be some sort of event going on in the city square. We roamed the streets and made our way back to watch the dancing despite the warm gentle rain coming down.

Ferry to Playa Del Carmen: $20 usd

Car rental through Budget: $90 usd

Hotel Mary de la Luz: $57 usd

Dinner: $27 usd

Crepes: $10 usd

Total: $204 usd

Day 3

We woke up extra early in anticipation of our visit to Chichen Itza. The gates open at 8am and the tour buses start filling the grounds at 10am. For 2 whole hours you have the place to yourself while the locals set up their booths. I can't stress enough how important it is to get here right when the gates open! The size of the temple alone was quite staggering. We stopped for several moments just to stand in awe of such a beautiful landmark.

We opted not to get a tour guide, but upon approaching the base of El Castillo we did clap our hands so that we could hear the call of the Quetzel bird.

We hopped back in the car towards Tulum and stopped at our first Cenote; Ik Kil. Once again, get here early!! We had the entire place to ourselves, and the grounds were stunning. As you decend into the cave you can hear the water trickling down the rocks and the haunting music that they play. In the water are thousands of small black catfish that quickly scurry away as you enter the water. We had a blast jumping off the cliffs into the water before making our way towards Tulum.

Chichen Itza - 25 usd

Ik Kil - 12 usd

Lunch - 32 usd

= $69

Day 4

We were eager to see the Tulum ruins today and once again had an early start. The ruins grounds were beautifully manicured and you get the opportunity to have a photo op with the famous Jaguar clan as well as several domesticated pets. Like everywhere in Mexico, these photo ops and souvenirs are how most of them make a living. We politely said no thank you and continued on our way. We packed a picnic and spent the afternoon at the Tulum Ruins beach, which are specacular! Be advised however, that there is no shade - so bring an umbrella especially if you are with kids.

From there we went to Gran Cenote and the kids tried out snorkelling for the first time. This is a perfect place to learn since there are tons of small fish and turtles to chase. There is a sandy entry on the right side and a place to jump in as well as swim into the caves.

Tulum Airbnb for 4 Nights - $264 usd

Tulum ruins parking - 6 usd

Ruins admission - 4 usd

Drinks/ice cream - 18 usd

Gran Cenote - 25 usd

Dinner - 34 usd

= $405 usd

Day 5

We were on the hunt for the famous Akumel Turtles today. We read online that an excellent place to go would be Yal Ku, close to Akumel so we thought we would try that first. Yal Ku, although beautiful, ended up being pretty dissapointing. We took turns with our eldest snorkelling in the sheltered cove, but the water was unfortunatly quite murky and we were unable to see much. It also came at a hefty price, which was also very dissapointing! If your kids are older and you aren't on a tight budget, by all means go for it - otherwise stay clear.

Thankfully we were determined so we found some shade at the Akumel public beach and set up shop. The word is that you are not able to snorkel with the turtles unless you hire a guide. They will not allow you to snorkel past the ropes and they even have someone stand there to keep you from doing so. BUT! If you rent a lifejacket at a neighbouring dive shop and snorkel to the right of the ropes (where the boats typically anchor) and go from there you will swim with the turtles for FREE! Within entering the water we were swimming among 3 beautiful creatures. The water was pretty murky with the wind, so if you wish you can go out further to see more, but we were satisfied.

Yal Ku - 48 usd

Life jacket rental - 10 usd

Umbrella - 18 usd

= $76 usd

Day 6

When you travel with kids, especially young ones, you learn really quick that you are going to have "down days". Today marked our last day in Tulum and we were desperate to find a beautiful beach we could spend the day at.

We picked up breakfast along the way and turned left at the roundabout instead of right where all the shops are. Here you will find access to the beautiful public beach that you have certainly seen photos of. We made it about an hour or two before the kids had enough and we had enough of the crying. We reluctantly conceded and decided that today was just going to have to be a "down day". Back to our home we went for naps and a relaxing day in the pool. Since it was our last night though, we treated ourselves to a quick dinner on the beach of tacos and quesadillas to make up for it.

Breakfast - 5 usd

Dinner - 25 usd

Petrol for car - 70 usd

= $100 usd

Day 7 - 10

Back on the road towards Playa del Carmen to drop off our car. We were slightly nervous dropping the car off since we have heard so many horror stories, but the guys were great! We hopped on the ferry and made our way back to Cozumel where we would finish our vacation at the Allegro Cozumel. This was our first time trying an all inclusive, and it will certainly be our last! We love travelling and meeting people, and despite the waterpark for the kids, we all grew bored and restless.

In order to receive free entry into Punta Sur, a car rental for the day and reimbursement for all previous public transit (shuttle from airport and ferry rides) we had to sit through a timeshare presentation. Thankfully it didnt take long and I have promised everyone in my family that it will be our last! ;)

Punta Sur was an incredible outing and definitely worth a stop however!

Ferry to Cozumel - 20 usd

5 Days at Allegro Cozumel All Inclusive - 699 usd

Reimbursement of Ferry and Shuttle - + 50 usd

Taxi to airport - 18 usd

= $700

Total expenses for 10 days in Mexico : $2,490

Airbnb Rental on our personal home for 3 days : +$672

10 day Mexican Vacation : $1,818 usd

*all prices have been rounded up the next dollar and quoted in US dollars.

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