I realize that most tourists to Chichen Itza are on a tour from Cancun or other resorts, but if you want to really see Chichen at its best you should make an effort to spend a night or two here. There are three hotels located within walking distance of the rear entrance to the ruins. We stayed at the Villas Arqueologicas which is the most reasonably priced of the 3 (around $100 per night). There are also budget accomodations in the nearby town of Piste.

We stayed 2 nights at Chichen. We took an ADO bus from Merida in the afternoon. The bus drops you off at the main entrance to the ruins. There at the parking lot we got a taxi to take us to our hotel. (The hotels are located on another road at the opposite side of the archaeological zone.) We just relaxed that afternoon, and in the evening took a taxi to Piste, had an OK dinner there and looked around.

The next day we got up early, had breakfast at the hotel, and were at the rear entrance to the ruins shortly after it opened. I would say that the key to a rewarding experience is to get there early before the armada of tour busses and the army of vendors arrive. We were able to experience a good portion of the site before the crowds got there.

There are authorized guides available, but I much prefer to read up beforehand and simply explore on my own at my own pace. I was disappointed that you are not allowed to climb any of the ruins, but given the huge number of visitors that arrive day after day, it is understandable. The countless footsteps would probably wear away the stones after a few decades.

It took us four or five hours to thoroughly explore the site. Of course as the day progressed, the crowds increased, the paths were lined with vendors, and the magical atmosphere that we were able to experience for the first few hours evaporated. It seemed as if the place had become an archaeological theme park. We did find, even at that peak hour, one ruined temple, the Akab Dzib, which we had completely to ourselves.

At about 2:00 we returned to our hotel and relaxed by the pool before getting ready for dinner. We went to the hotel across the road, Hacienda Chichen, and indulged in an expensive (by Mexican standards) but delicious meal on the terrace of an old hacienda overlooking the lush tropical gardens.

After dinner we went back to the ruins for the light and sound show (which is included in the price of admission... so be sure to hang on to your ticket!) The show is perhaps a bit hokey, but worth seeing. What made it memorable was the fact that it happened to be the night of the full moon. About half-way into the show a glow appeared on the horizon, and we witnessed the moon rising about the tree line and progressing above the Temple of the Warriors. I think everyone was ignoring the show and paying attention to the natural spectacle.

The next day we took a taxi back to the main entrance to the ruins and caught our bus back to Merida.

In spite of my negative comments about the crowds, Chichen Itza is indeed a spectacular sight. If a tour is the only way that you are able to see it, so be it. It is not to be missed. But if you are able to spend some time there on your own, your experience will be much more memorable.

My wife and I visited Chichen Itza in February 2006, touring from the Carnival Elation. It's a fascinating place, and our favorite areas were the ball court (well built, in great shape, and listen for the acoustics) and a spot near the Temple of the Warriors which was a climbable pyramid but virtually hidden in the forest (it hadn't been restored, but had an untouched Chaca Mool figure at its peak).

Unfortunately, El Castillo (the largest pyramid) is now closed to traffic - or it was at least when we visited. This was disappointing, as it was one of the things I was most looking forward to. We must have just missed the ability to climb it, as it seems like it was very recently closed by reading the other reviews here and talking to others.

Chitenzen Itza was a two hour tour bus ride from Cancun but is truly worth the money spent on the adventure. Chitenzen Itza is huge! and most areas are open which means make sure you pack the sunscreen! It was hot, sunny, and beautiful. We were disappointed that we were unable to climb the biggest pyramid, however, the observatory was available to climb and also gave a breathtaking view. The tour guides are truly excellent, most have almost perfect english and are happy to answer any additional questions you have about either a ruin or a myth or anything in general. Plan a whole day for this outing and you certainly won't be disappointed. Beware of the constant haggling of the natives! They are everywhere and they will tell you anything to have you look at or purchase items from them.

My wife and I were in Cozumel shooting a wedding and decided to check out Chichen Itza while we were out there. Did some research on the internet and found Aerosaab. The $270 per person didnt seem bad for what we were getting so we booked it. We got caught up in our business of the wedding that I failed to realize on Tuesday night that our trip was on Tuesday morning and not on Wednesday morning, horrified I called Aerosaab and through a bunch of help on their end I was able to reschedule. Now, here's the amazing part, their plane doesn't originate in Cozumel, it had to come from Cancun, so on Tuesday our two pilots came from Cancun to Cozumel, waited for us and then flew back to Cancun. So we recscheduled AND they didn't charge us anything extra, not one cent for gas money. So they picked us up at the Cozumel airport, and flew us 45 minutes to Chichen Itza, we then took a 10 minute drive to the ruins. What an amazing place, the good thing was that our guide spoke perfect english and knew so much, it made it such an amazing experience. Although we only got about 3 hours there it seemed like a good amount, but you might want to pay for a little bit more time if you think you might want to explore. After the ruins they took us to a swimming "oasis" which was very beautiful, very touristy, but there were only about 15 people there, which was fine. After that we got back on the Cessna and went back to Cozumel. This was a good time, service was great and like I said, they let picked us up the second time without extra charge, try getting that in the states. It also was fun to be catered to for a day, drivers, pilots, luggage handlers, private guides, good times.