Maya Classic Car Rally
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Playa del Carmen to Mazatlan
London to Cancun
Direct flights to Cancun are hard to come by so we opted for the BA flight to Dallas with a connection to Cancun on American Airlines – no-ones favourite airline. As the connection time was just 1 hour and 30 minutes we asked for our bags to be tagged straight through. The BA check–in clerk assured us they would be but when we got to Dallas this was not the case. Apart from landing 10 minutes late and 5 minutes after a plane load of Japanese who held up the surly immigration officers, we had to collect our bags and recheck them in! We caught the connection with seconds to spare as we were the last on board! The main fault was with the US immigration who function more like a third world customs operation than a supposedly first world one. At Dallas there is no transit option as with most civilised international airports despite completing the Visa waiver formalities on line before departure.
At our arrival in Cancun, where the immigration system was efficient and friendly, we went to the Avis car depot which was clearly working at a different pace to the rest of the world. It took us an hour to get the car sorted, then cleaned. Furthermore they struggled with the idea that we were going to deliver it back in Mazatlan, some 3000 miles away! Carumba, no-one had ever done this before! Apparently people don’t use cars for travelling in Mexico, just going to and from the same airport. However, they were friendly and accommodating so good marks for customer service. Their lack of attention to detail came back to haunt us later.
Playa del Carmen to Mazatlan – 3955km
First stop was the Aqua Hotel in the Hoteleria area of Cancun. It’s a great hotel for chilling out but Cancun is essentially a hotel jungle with dozens and dozens of new faceless and indistinguishable hotels. The area was hammered by Hurricane Wilma in 2005 with winds up to 100mph. Many of the hotels have recently reopened but the beaches are still not back to their former glories.
On the recce we went to Playa del Carmen to look at hotels there and stayed at the Le Reve which we decided was not suitable for the rally. Subject to confirmation we will probably use a hotel between Cancun and Playa del Carmen on the rally to make it easier to drive to Chichen-Itza.
Playa del Carmen to Chichen-Itza – 170km
The drive to Chichen-Itza is unremarkable as the terrain is very flat and the roads straight and good. As with everywhere in Mexico they have the mother of all speed bumps, although most are well marked in advance but you still have to keep your wits about you. For this reason we insist that low slung cars have a sump guard fitted. In fact anything but a vintage car should have a guard fitted. It would also be a good idea to bring along a spare front shock absorber as they will have a lot of work to do. In this region the road surfaces are excellent so otherwise there should be minimal suspension problems.
In Chichen-Itza we have chosen the Mayaland Hotel which is the nearest to the Maya ruins and is very comfortable, although a little past its prime. The staff are helpful and the manager is going to pull all the stops out for us. Naturally you have to look round these ruins (from 8am to 5pm) as well as go and see the Son et Lumiere in the evening at 7.30pm.
Expect a 3-4 hour drive.
Hotel: Mayaland
Chichen-Itza to Campeche – 380km
Once again it is very flat here but we are taking you away from the main roads to cut across country and past some of the finest Mayan ruins that most visitors don’t see. Although the driving time could be as little as four hours if you bombed it, we suggest you take the full day to look at the ruins. Ruins en-route include Lubna, Xlapak and Sayil. All well worth a visit but you may have to limit the numbers you see as time will come into the equation. We took a detour to Uxmal which is also fabulous but a little of-route. Choices choices!
Once in Campeche the Plaza Hotel is near the old town and quite close to the sea. It is a modern hotel in a traditional Mexican Hacienda so offers the best of both worlds. They have a sister hotel 50 yards away and between the two of them there is more than enough parking.
Expect a 4.5-5 hour drive plus sightseeing.
Hotel: Plaza
Campeche to Palenque - 383km 
Start early from Campeche and drive down the Gulf of Mexico; what a treat. The road’s good and the sight of the sea and surf invigorating. Stop to paddle in the sea and take a break from the driving – this might be a great day to order a packed lunch for a seaside picnic. Turn left for Sabancy, crossing a turquoise lagoon before entering this small village. Now you are going inland and heading for Palenque where we have booked the Villa Mercedes. Great hotel with thatched roofed cottages on the edge of the Maya ruins. You will get there in time to have a look round and get back to the hotel before the sun sets and where you can enjoy a drink in the bar of the hotel or a splash in the beautiful pool.
Expect a 5-6 hour drive
Hotel: Villa Mercedes
Palenque to San Cristobal – 215km
What a change a few metres can make. Suddenly you are off the flat and into the hills, winding, winding and winding. It’s a great drive though with views and waterfalls to visit. Don’t miss the Aqua Azul if you only visit one. Then there’s San Cristobal which you will love – it’s a real old Mexican town with heaps of history and interesting buildings. The Diego de Mazariegos hotel is right in the centre of town but easy to get to with the grid system. Lovely hotel spread over two sites. As good as the hotel is, there are plenty of good restaurants in the centre of the town. Try La Paloma or Balam – the staff will direct you there. Should the evening turn chilly call for a fire to be lit in your room.
Aqua Azul
The turnoff for the superb waterfalls of Agua Azul is about halfway between Palenque and San Cristobal. Scores of dazzling white waterfalls thunder into turquoise pools surrounded by the jungle. You arrive via winding mountain roads to a parking lot next to a river. There are a number of restaurants a few hotels and stores. The falls rise up the mountain in levels and you ascend level after level wondering how high this waterfall goes.
Expect a 4-5 hour drive plus the stop for Aqua Azul
Hotel: Diego de Mazariegos
San Cristobal to Huatulco – 536km
A long drive, so get out early again. It starts in the hills and you climb to over 2200metres. We take the Tuxtla ring road as there’s no point in going through the town on a long day like this. Once you drop out of the mountains there is the flat where you can catch up a bit of time. Once off that you are on a coastal road for the last 120 kms but it’s a great drive. The reward is in the destination, The Camino Real Zaashila which will wow you when you get there. To help recover from the long drive we are having a rest day here. Spa facilities are available.
Expect an 8-10 hour drive
Hotel: Camino Real Zaashila
Huatulco to Oaxaca - 285km
This is one of the ultimate drives in the region as the road twists and turns till you are quite dizzy. To start with it is a very nice undulating coastal road that takes you past the Huatulco airport and then on to San Pedro where the fun really starts. The climb is spectacular and one of the truly great drives through the Sierra Madre Del Sur mountain range. Mercifully there is little traffic but the downside is few petrol stations. However there are just enough to get you through and many of the village shops on the way advertise that petrol is available there. As you descend to Oaxaca you see your third type of landscape in a day – the high plains. Your reward for the driving is Oaxaca itself, a truly lovely town with historic buildings, cathedrals and a teeming town square. There’s plenty to do so we are staying at the Camino Real, the former convent of Santa Catalina, which is right in the centre. From here most of the sights are a short walk away. A rest day is scheduled here to take in the history and beautiful town.
Expect a 6-8 hour drive
Hotel: Camino Real Oaxaca
Oaxaca to Puebla – 364km
Once again it’s a great drive and once out of the city we drive through the hills as we head for Tehuacan. Today is the day you see the famous cacti in great number. Looking like great candelabras they cover the hillsides near Coxcatlan. As we head nearer Puebla the traffic increases hugely so we are bringing the cars in on the motorway which also makes it easier to reach the hotel, a fabulous Camino Real set in the 16th century Convent of La Concepción that belonged to the wealthy order of the Conceptionist Clarists from 1593 till 1861. It was then occupied as an army quarter by the Orient Army that would defend the city on May 5, 1862 – a historic day in Mexico. Here we were stopped by the police on entry to the city. They pointed out in Spanish – which we couldn’t understand very well that there was something missing from the car. It turned out to be the Tax sticker. Eventually it cost us $200US but it did include an escort to the hotel! Once again a well positioned hotel with the added benefit of having its own multi story car park.
Expect a 6-7 hour drive
Hotel: Camino Real Puebla
Puebla to Morelia – 529km 
We chose to avoid Mexico city as it is probably the most polluted city in the world and to help keep the smog down only cars with certain number endings are allowed in the city each day, which could have caused problems for some participants.
Instead we take the highway to Atlixco and then to Cautla, dipping into Cuernavaca for a short way before heading out towards Toluca where we drive at just over 3000 metres before dropping into the valley below. Initially we had intended to stop in Toluca but...it’s become rather industrialised with little to recommend it. Unfortunately this makes a long day but well worth the extra day we have scheduled in Morelia. From Toluca there is a section of highway before joining Route 15 which takes us through Zitacuaro and round Hidalgo. We rarely drop below 2000 metres so the day is peppered with hill sections and great views. Morelia is fairly easy to navigate as we join the ring road and turn up a short climb to Villa Montana which overlooks the town, providing fine views of centre of the city which is just 10 minutes away by car.
Expect an 8-9 hour drive
Hotel: Villa Montana
Morelia to Guadalajara – 366km
The sleeping policemen or Topes as they are called in Mexico begin to tail away from Morelia which gives the drivers some relief. However, you can never relax entirely as they appear in the oddest places. The drive from Morelia is routed past the northern edge of Lago de Patzcuaro. There are great roadside views of the lake. For most of the day it’s a great drive through the high plains and hills. We bypass Zamora and head towards Sahuayo de Morelos where we branch left to run along the south side of Lago de Chapala, the largest natural lake in Mexico – and it is long at some 45km. It’s noticeably free from any form of aquatic sports, however we didn’t see it at the weekend when the great and good from Guadalajara invade for a bit of R&R.
The route has the added advantage of taking us in the west side of Guadalajara where our Camino Real Tradicional is situated. The hotel is the best in town but is not quite up to the usual Camino Real style we have been used to.
Expect an 6-7 hour drive
Hotel: Camino Real Tradicional
Guadalajara to Punta Mita – 306km
Here we drop from the high plains to the coast but before we do that there’s a little matter of a trip to the home of that most Mexican of all drinks, Tequila. The dink takes its name from the town of Tequila where you can not only see the process but try the product. The drive out is easy due to the fact that our Guadalajara hotel is on the road out of town. As we near Tequila you can see the fields and fields of a spiky cacti which is the source of the drink – actually it’s the bulb that grows underground that has the sugars which are needed for the fermentation process that creates the alcohol.
After the tour of Jose Cuervo plant we head out along the highway until the turn off for Ixtian del Rio where we pass through a lava field created by nearby volcanic activity. The road winds its way to Compostela and then down to the coast. It’s very difficult to pass along this road so patience is the name of the game. However, once down the hill it’s a great fast run to Punta Mita and the new Saint Regis hotel which has a Jack Nicklaus golf course on its doorstep. A fabulous destination.
Expect a 6 hour drive plus a 2 hour stop at Tequila
Hotel: Saint Regis
Punta Mita to Mazatlan - 421km
Leaving Punta Mita we run along the coast all the way to San Blas before turning inland towards the highway which is required to get to Mazatlan in time for the ferry to La Paz. We looked at Mazatlan but there was little to recommend it. The old town is pleasant but lacks adequate hotels for our rally and the purpose built hotels north of Mazatlan are just package holiday destination.
Arriving in Mazatlan we head straight for the port and the Baja Ferry which will take us overnight to La Paz on the Baja peninsula. The good news here is that we gain an hour as we head north so despite it being a longish drive we have plenty of time to reach the port before the ferry leaves at 5.00pm.
Once on the ferry we will have cabins and it should be a fun night as we cross the Tropic of Cancer on our way to La Paz
Expect a 6-7 hour drive
Hotel: Baja Ferry.