This publish might include affiliate hyperlinks, for which we earn a small fee at no further expense to you. Click on right here to learn our Disclosure.
We love off-the-beaten path locations, though typically it may be onerous to get to those gems on shorter journeys. For our Christmas 2021 we knew we wished to seek out an ideal less-busy, less-expensive seashore place in Mexico for our prolonged household to unwind after the turmultous months (and years) we’ve got been residing by means of the COVID pandemic. We researched a variety of choices however opted for a implausible seashore home at a extremely nice value within the small fishing village of Sisil within the Yucatan.
When planning for this journey, I discovered little or no details about Sisal. It’s principally a sleepy seashore city visited by residents of Merida, though there are some Canadians which were shopping for up actual property within the space. I wished to put in writing this publish to assist others plan a implausible journey to this space and supply all the information that I want I had earlier than we went.
Earlier to this journey, we had spent a month touring within the Yucatan, so we knew this was an space we’d get pleasure from. The Yucatan is a superb vacation spot for impartial journey in Mexico attributable to its protected popularity, good tourism infrastructure and broad number of issues to do.
The place is Sisal?
The city of Sisal is situated within the state of Yucatan in Mexico on the Gulf of Mexico facet. The closest metropolis is the capital, Merida, a stunning metropolis that it is best to undoubtedly go to. Sisal is situated 53 km from Merida, making it a preferred seashore getaway for the folks of Merida.
The town was initially referred to as the principle port through the henequen increase the place the agave plant was used to make sisal, fibers that have been utilized in pure rope manufacturing. The two,000 individual city is now a colourful “Pueblo Magico” becoming a member of 132 different sleepy Mexican villages as hubs of tourism growth. Nonetheless, the city retains its quiet really feel, apart from on the weekends, when the folks of Merida arrive for weekend seashore journeys.
Attending to Sisal
Sisal is definitely accessible from the Merida Worldwide Airport, which gives direct flights to the US, Canada and Mexico Metropolis. The driving time is 1.5 hours and as soon as you might be away from Merida, it’s on quiet, countryside roads.
You possibly can attain Sisal by native public transport, however I might suggest having a automotive. We rented a automotive on the Merida Airport and though we discover renting vehicles in Mexico to be worrying (non-transparent pricing, costly), Sisal is unquestionably a vacation spot you wish to have your individual automotive in. Simply make sure you ensure you embrace all of the necessary insurance coverage in your rental quote so you do not face an sudden shock while you arrive. Now we have had the perfect expertise with Mex Hire-a-Automotive.
You possibly can manage non-public transfers from Merida to Sisal. Since we had a big group, we rented one automotive after which used a switch service to get our entire group to Sisal. We have been referred to Gasa Peninsular from our Airbnb host and have been very pleased with their service – good vans and pleasant drivers (non-English talking). I organized our transfers by means of What’s App +52 999 912 1135. The associated fee was 1900 pesos ($92 USD) every approach for as much as 10 folks.
Why Sisal?
Sisal is off-the-beaten-path for foreigners – costs are decrease than extra developed areas of Mexico and you’ll expertise a extra genuine Mexico. The seashore is gorgeous and calm, making it good for households. It additionally does not have the sargassum seaweed downside that plagues the Cancun and Quintana Roo coast.
Wildlife lovers will respect the wealthy birdlife of the world and the chance to see flamingos, pelicans and plenty of different hen species. The fishing village gives amazingly contemporary seafood and fish. You possibly can kayak, paddle board, go fishing on the ocean. It’s a quiet place the place you possibly can get pleasure from nature, the ocean and an unspoiled seashore.
Renting a Seaside Home in Sisal
Seaside homes are rapidly rising up alongside the seashore outdoors of Sisil. You possibly can hire a seashore home right here for a fraction of the price of renting in locations like Cancun, the Riviera Maya, Puerta Vallarta or Cabo San Lucas.
We stayed at Casa Shangri-La, a contemporary 4-bedroom seashore home with not 1, however 2 swimming pools and our very personal seashore. Our favourite components of the home was the rooftop balcony, good for watching the solar set, the hammock palapa on the seashore and the beachside pool. We rented by means of Airbnb and Pamela was a superb host. I’ll let the photographs converse for itself. The associated fee for the 4 bed room home was lower than $500 USD/evening ($400 USD for stays of 1+ week), which is a superb value when shared between a bunch. There are quite a few different Sisal seashore homes obtainable for hire, however we have been extremely pleased with our selection.
Remember that the highway to get from Sisil to the seashore homes is just 5 km, however the highway is in very poor situation. It will take 20+ minutes to drive into city and navigate the large pot holes alongside the sandy highway. That is one space that must be improved for Sisal to flourish. The highway is so dangerous that our tour drivers complained about it!
I might suggest provisioning in Merida earlier than you arrive in Sisal. There are small shops (assume comfort shops) in Sisal, however no full grocery retailer. We shopped at Walmart and Costco in Merida after which restocked at Hunucma (mid-way between Sisal and Merida)
Issues to do in Sisal
It goes with out saying that our favourite factor to do in Sisal was get pleasure from our very personal stunning seashore. We frequently may look each methods on the seashore and never see one other soul. Moreover constructing sand castles and swimming within the beautiful ocean, our Airbnb got here with two kayaks and we introduced a SUP to discover the water.
Mangrove Tour to See Flamingos
The Yucatan coast is a hen watchers paradise and Sisal gives the chance to see many hen species. Nonetheless, the one you’re going to get most enthusiastic about is Yucantan’s most beloved hen, the flamingo. Between November and April, there are a whole bunch (hundreds?) of flamingos within the mangroves round Sisal. Beforehand we had seen flamingos in close by Celestun, however in Sisal we noticed much more. One of many highlights of our entire journey was watching the sundown one evening and seeing a big flock of birds flying in the direction of us, solely to find, it was flamingos and so they flew proper over our heads on the seashore.
To ensure your self a sighting, we suggest hiring Juan Carlos (JC) to take you out on a Sisal mangrove tour. This is without doubt one of the finest issues to do in Sisal and along with seeing these beautiful birds, you might be supporting the native safety of those essential mangroves. We contacted JC by means of What’s App (+52 983 110 9922) and he organized the tour for our group of 14. They even picked us up from our Airbnb (my boys notably loved the experience on the 4-wheeler) and took us to the mangroves close by. From there we set off on kayaks and chalanas (small boats poled by means of the mangroves) with a 3 different guides/boatmen. We discovered a lot concerning the flamingos and have been in a position to see many groupings of them, in a respectful, sustainable approach. The two-hour tour prices 600 pesos/individual ($30 USD), children underneath 12 are free.
Seafood in City
Sisal is understood for its fish and seafood and there are a variety of eating places on the town to eat. There are beachfront eating places, nonetheless the eating places that have been beneficial to us have been on the town. We ate one meal at Palapas de Soco and the fish and seafood was wonderful. We loved notably the ceviche, coconut prawns (it’s wealthy, so share!) and pina coladas.
We walked into city in the future from our Airbnb (45-60 min) which was an effective way to see the world and get some excerise on the identical time.
Wander the City
Sisal is a small, fishing village and you actually ought to tear your self away from the seashore to go to city. If we weren’t touring through the pandemic and if the highway into city was higher, we’d have definitely eaten on the town extra usually.
Make certain to get your photograph in entrance of the traditional, colourful “Sisal” signal, wander by means of the small retailers, see contemporary tortillas being made and stroll out on the pier and alongside the seashore.
Rent a Cook dinner
JC gave us the identify of a stunning lady who got here and cooked us an unbelievable native fish and seafood Christmas dinner. This was such an effective way for us to get a break from cooking and luxuriate in conventional meals, all within the consolation of our seashore home. We had a feast of fish and seafood ready in several methods together with scrumptious ceviche and plenty of facet dishes to accompany. The associated fee was a really cheap 3500 pesos for 14 folks ($170 USD).
Daytrips to Cenotes and Ruins
It’s onerous to depart the attractive seashore of Sisal, however no go to to the Yucatan could be full with out visiting some cenotes and Mayan ruins. Cenotes are basically a limestone sink gap used for swimming, normally with beautiful blue waters. They’ve turn out to be a very talked-about attraction for guests to the Yucatan and there are a whole bunch of them all through the Yucatan countryside.
You possibly can rent a driver or self drive to discover cenotes and ruins. On our daytrip, we visited the spectacular website of Uxmal, the Kankirixche cenote and stopped for an ideal lunch at The Pickled Onion. There are such a lot of cenotes you possibly can go to – some have been commercially developed, some are wild, and plenty of are run by native Maya communities that cost a nominal entrance price. You can too go to stunning haciendas, Mexico’s equal of southern plantations, the place sisal (henequen) was the principle product on this area.
Discover Merida
You possibly can go to Merida on a daytrip from Sisil, however I like to recommend staying just a few days on this beautiful metropolis. Keep within the metropolis middle and you’ll discover the plazas (squares), markets, eating places, church buildings and historic buildings on foot. Merida Tourism does a implausible job of internet hosting free music, dance and cultural performances and actions all through the town centre. See this publish for a full checklist of actions to do in Merida.
Positives and Negatives of Sisal
+ less expensive than different components of Mexico
+ shut proximity to a global airport (1.5 hour drive from Merida Worldwide Airport)
+ wonderful seashore with calm waters
+ expertise an genuine Mexican fishing village
+ wonderful hen and wildlife alternatives
+ low-cost and quick access to contemporary seafood
– restricted eating places and nightlife
– restricted grocery merchandise in Sisal (have to provision in Merida or Hunucma)
– requires a automotive
Touring Throughout COVID
Having a secluded seashore home all to ourselves was the proper covid-friendly trip. Most days we did not see some other folks, we cooked our meals in and did not must assume a lot about COVID.
We felt very protected in Sisal and have been very impressed with the masking and social distancing norms. Locals put on masks outside on the streets and they’re necessary indoors. We aren’t used to sporting masks outside in Canada, however have been joyful to be respectful and don masks at any time when we left our Airbnb.
You undoubtedly want a masks to enter a restaurant, public house or store and a temperature test and hand sanitizer can be usually required. Eating places are typically open air or have outside eating areas, which made us really feel very protected.
Mexico doesn’t require any COVID exams to enter, nonetheless you’ll possible want a speedy take a look at or PCR to return to your own home nation. You may get your speedy take a look at on the Merida airport for $33 USD – simply arrive just a little early to your flight.
Sisal with Children
Sisal is a superb vacation spot for households due to its quiet, laid-back really feel and clear and calm waters. Our youngsters spent most of their time on the seashore constructing sandcastles, swimming within the ocean and naturally swimming in our seashore home pool. The flamingos and different hen life was an enormous hit with the youngsters and the close by cenotes and ruins have been enjoyable for the youngsters to discover. We love self catering with children and never having to cope with restaurant wait instances, fussy eaters and retaining children joyful and nicely behaved in a restaurant.
Yucatan Journey
In the previous couple of years, we’ve got visited this area of Mexico twice and spent 5 weeks touring across the Yucatan Peninsula. This space of Mexico is without doubt one of the most secure, best to journey round and with its wonderful flight connections into Cancun, is a superb vacation spot for impartial journey. As soon as you allow the resort strips of Cancun, Playa del Carmen and the Mayan Pensinsula, you might have the chance to find the wealthy tradition and wonder in a extra intimate approach. Try this publish for Yucatan itinerary concepts.
