Hotel Villas Arqueologicas Chichen Itza — Attraction in Yucatán

5 stars from me hands down! Literally next door to Chichen Itza. Beautiful, clean grounds, polite staff and affordable rates! Nice, warm, clean pool. Me and my boyfriend are vegan and their restaurant had great options for us, and glad they did as there are no other walking-distance restaurants in the area (with the exception of other hotel restaurants and Chichen Itza eatery) the food was simple yet delicious and made with quality ingredients. It was a total of $20 USD, yes a little pricey for Mexico but affordable to me as my frame of reference is US prices and a meal like this would've easily been $40-$50 in US. Honestly we weren't expecting much from the restaurant but wow we were in for a delicious surprise! We ordered the green salad/ensalada verde, guacamole, calabaza rellena/ stuffed zucchini (no cheese), and rum plantains for dessert (no helado/ice cream). The purè de camote/ yam mash was great! So if you have a plantbased diet, no worries here! Since you're in the forest it's very tranquil but the wildlife is quite noisy at night lol, ducks, crickets, frogs are all making their resting noises/snores. I found it beautiful but I could see others (whiners or light sleepers or high maintenance types) finding it annoying. Also walking distance from Ik Kil Cenote. One more bonus, when we got to hotel we ended up paying less than the price advertised online!...

One thing to note is that even though this hotel appears to be within walking distance to Chichen Itzá it is not. Because the back entrance to Chichen Itzá which used to service all the hotels in the tourist zone at the back of the park is now closed. So a 3km taxi ride is required to get to the front entrance . The hotel’s location is, however, situated in a nice wooded natural area which makes up for this and is preferable to staying in the more urban Piste down the road. The hotel is an old style Mexican hacienda with autentico character. The centrepiece is a spacious pool adjacent to an eating area. We found the hotel restful and a good place to relax after exploring the local archeology. The food was generally good at average prices. Staff were friendly and helpful. We found it helpful though that we knew a little Spanish as not all spoke English . The rooms were not huge but size was adequate. Beds were in alcoves but long enough for a 6’2’’ person to sleep in . Be aware also that most of the hotels near Chichen Itzá have bad plumbing and like this one, they insist that you place your used toilet paper in a waste basket rather avail yourself of the flush. Was not a catastrophe for us but...

The Villas Arqueologicas are a calm and welcoming oasis, (or should that be cenote?) of rest and tranquility away from the heat of Chichén-Itzá. The central courtyard and pool are peaceful, with well kept gardens and Bougainvillea clad balconies. There are plenty of cool spaces out of the sun. We arrived mid afternoon and stayed overnight to hit Chichén-Itzá first thing the next morning. Dinner was good and plenty of local dishes served. The pool is a good size and child friendly. Bohemia, Modello, and Sol available at the bar as well as a food array of spirits. Rooms are air conditioned and were quiet. A suite was perfect for two adults and two children offering security and privacy. Free WiFi throughout. Library and pool room a large welcoming space. Breakfast from 7am and with a 12 noon check out meant that we were on site for visiting Chichén-Itzá at 8am (when the gates open) and had a good few hours there before returning to freshen up and check out ahead of the mid-day sun. Reasonable price for an overnight stop in comfort. $2,500 MEX for the suite Inc VAT. Did and drinks paid...