Cenote Secreto Maya — Local services in Yucatán

Absolutely amazing! The friendliest and the most personal of any of the beautiful cenotes we had visited during our two-week-stay on Yucatan. Gustavo was simply astounding in his care and went to lenghts to make our visit as worthwhile as possible. Thank you so much! Secreto Maya is a fairly large cenote that has been opened for public quite recently. If you plan to visit only one of these nature's wonders this very well could be it because it has all the works. The place can be reached by a car if you have rented one but Secreto Maya runs also excellent tours in the area and they can pick you for example from Valladolid where they have a city office. We did with Gustavo for example a highly educational tour in the surrounding villages and the cenotes. The other day we visited the wonderous ruins of an ancient city Ek Balam. As for the cenotes in general, swimming in this one too was breathtaking and the more revealing the experience was for there was first a 5min cleansing ritual performed on you by one of the ancestors of the Maya. And yes you could have a lifevest on you if wanted. I certainly considered it a good idea as the cenotes are often awfully deep and I cant swim too well. Afterwards we did relax in the hammocs that are abundant in Yucatan it seems. Food and refreshments were available and if somebody wanted to stay overnight small cabins are there for rent. We did have a look inside one of them fully equipped small houses. Everything is nice and clean and fresh in this park and to stay overnight there was a titillating idea. You could imagine the freaky sounds of the animals in the surrounding jungle but also the peace and tranquility and the stars during the night. Will certainly try it the next time! In short: Secreto Maya is a fantastic cenote and more than that it is a superior concept and a beautifully executed family business that deserves...

They are working on so much at this cenote and I thought it was very nice and feel most of my issues with it were from a staffing perspective. We stayed in the cabins and a few things that would help them are this:

If you are staying multiple nights, a hand towel and fresh towel for cenote and one for showering as well would be nice. Also having a wash cloth would be great.

The generator shuts off in the morning and no one is there until 9-10 and sometimes later. Just when I wake to shower, there is no electricity.

Also, no curtains on the windows made me feel uncomfortable at night. I felt exposed and had no privacy. It said breakfast was included but staff didn't come until sometimes after 10AM and it wasn't consistent so we never knew when they would come.

Coming home in the dark with no generator left us without lights, Internet and phone service and the Internet is only strong by the outdoor kitchen. Boosters to use Internet in the room would be great and so would some battery operated lamps at night and then run generator in the day or from 6am-noon and then again from 3-10 at night...something like that. The generator ran out of gas every morning at 6am and then no one would be there until 9 or 10AM.

The cenote was beautiful. We enjoyed the ceremony at night with the exception of the gas smell. I think using something a little safer than gasoline in coke cans would make it smell better as it seemed like I was breathing toxic fumes and using gasoline seems dangerous.

The staff was very nice but the accommodations need some work before I would ever stay again. The cenote was great but it seems there should be some lifejackets available. I...

WOW THIS IS THE PLACE you have been looking for. My wife and I travel all around the Yucatan from Merida all the way down to Belize and this place is the best Cenote we have found. Valladolid which is the epicenter of Cenotes in the Yucatan. This cenote is only been open to the public since 2022 and is still off the main tourism routes, so you can get in and out without any large crowds...yet. The place is owned and operated by a local family and they have done a superior job of creating a beautiful and functional place to not only take a dip in the water, but we ended up spending most of our day here hanging out, walking the grounds, eating at the excellent restaurant that serves delicious local styled foods, but also serves great beverages as well. In the cenote, there is a beautiful wooden staircase going down as well as some benches to sit on, rope swing, platforms for jumping or diving and of course the cenote is off the chart beautiful.

Above ground, they also have a covered patio, restrooms, some grottos to explore and a nice trail through the jungle you can walk on. most of the property is shaded and very well kept and they even have a couple cabins you can rent to stay on the premises.

I would also consider this for events and parties or weddings - perfect place for these things too. Great job guys! we will definitely be back and you have earned the spot of our #1...