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Ok, you kinda have to decide what it is you want. On one hand, you seem hesitant to venture out because you don't speak the language and don't trust the people but on the other hand you want to explore and see the culture.
If you just want an easy packaged vacation to chill out, book an AI along the Riviera Maya. Then you'll have a shuttle to your resort, unlimited food and drink, a nice beach and pool, and plenty of other resort activities. You can add on a few excursions to see Xcaret or Tulum or a cenote or a day of shopping in town. No planning, no researching, just show up and veg out for a week. Not my usual thing but I've done it a few times and it has it's merits.
If you do want to explore and see the culture, get a cheap room near the heart of PDC or Tulum. You can walk around and see the town and have plenty of shopping and dining. You can walk the tourist streets where they all speak English, where you can pay in dollars or with credit card, where the restaurant menus and service is American-oriented, and the shops are clean and bright. Or walk a few blocks away where all the shops and restaurants are holes in the wall, owned by local Mexican families.
The taxi drivers in the Yucatan are not going to rape, rob, or kill you. At worst, they might charge you a few dollars more than the fare should be. Everyone is used to tourists and most everyone knows a few key phrases in English if not fluent.
Personally, I find all the research and planning to be half the fun of a vacation. It's how I get in the mood, it feeds my excitement for weeks and months before the trip, it familiarizes me with the local scene and helps me maximize my time there.
Re the "don't trust the people" comment. I trust peole there just as much as I trust people anywhere. It is more the language issue. In my opinion most places that have large volumes of tourists have people that specifically tragic tourist to be victims of crime ... why because most poeple that can afford to go on vacation are walking with more money then usualy on them.
Not knowing the language makes it harder for me to navigate between the people that are honest and the ones that are trouble. Though the best conartists usually know how to speak English/ are multilingual anywhere I have been.
I'm just sayin'. Not venturing out because you don't know the language and feel unsafe around the people also makes it hard to experience the culture. You can't have your cake and eat it, too. I don't know where you "heard" about taxi drivers robbing and assaulting tourists in Yucatan but I'd like to see a recent reference.
I'm just sayin'. Not venturing out because you don't know the language and feel unsafe around the people also makes it hard to experience the culture. You can't have your cake and eat it, too. I don't know where you "heard" about taxi drivers robbing and assaulting tourists in Yucatan but I'd like to see a recent reference.
I agree with you. Over the last few years in Canada there has been a lot in the media talking about safety of travel in Mexico specifically areas like Cancun that are common tourist spots. At one point many people were pushing for a travel advisory again going to Mexico for vacation from Canada.
Cancún: Drunk Americans that only leave the resort to club or eat at an American chain restaurant
Mayan Riviera: People that never leave the resort except for going to XCaret or some other park or archeological site.
Playa del Carmen: People that leave the resort from time to time (may not be staying in a resort at all), has tons of local restaurants (though chains have been opening right, left and center), bars, a nice pedestrian street and a more townsy vibe.
The bus ride is insane though- but it is pretty easy to take flights there from Oaxaca City. My friend has gone twice with her small children and they fly to PE from Oaxaca City.
https://www.aerotucan.com/php/oaxaca.php
As I remember there was only one very small airline with a tiny airplane that flew at inconvenient hours from Oaxaca City to PE. While it may be convenient to go to the beach early in the morning, people seldom want to come home at an early hour.
Mexico City used to have three flights a day to PE.
Thanks for all the feedback and ideas. It has made me realize that I have NO idea where Oaxaca is and where I am suppose to be going in Oaxaca to check out the best Dias de los muertos events. I failed to realize that Oaxaca was more like a province/state then just a city. If I was going to Oaxaca anyone have any ideas as to which part of the area I should be going to be see the best stuff for Dias de los muertos?
Thanks for all the feedback and ideas. It has made me realize that I have NO idea where Oaxaca is and where I am suppose to be going in Oaxaca to check out the best Dias de los muertos events. I failed to realize that Oaxaca was more like a province/state then just a city. If I was going to Oaxaca anyone have any ideas as to which part of the area I should be going to be see the best stuff for Dias de los muertos?
Oaxaca city is pretty awesome, fantastic food, architecture and art, and there are many tours to go to the interesting surrounding areas (Mount Alban, Tlacolula market, Hierve el Agua -amazing petrified waterfalls-, etc).
Oaxaca protests lately (teacher unions), so make sure you check before booking anything. I think it has clamed down a bit in the last couple of weeks, but better to be sure.
My ideal Oaxaca trip would be to fly to the Oaxaca capital, spend two or three days touring it and going to the surroundings, and then go to Puerto Escondido or Mazunte for a nice beach vacation.
I am trying to get the dates for dias de los muertos sorted out. If my flight leaves Oaxaca city on the day of Nov 2nd am I going to miss dias de los muertos? Of is it celebrated on the night of Nov 1s until the morning of Nov 2nd? If there were prades or events when would they be held? This sounds a bit crazy .. but I have a cencert I want to go to on Nov 2nd at 8 pm in my city. So I was hoping I could leave to head back home in the morning/afternoon and still make the concert !
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