This was an experience to remember! My wife and I were in Cancun for our anniversary and booked the sunrise tour with Unit Travel to Chichen Itza. It was supposed to be a group tour, but we were in the off-peak season so there were only two of us. We had to pay the extra ($70 per person) to do a private tour, but we were grateful that they could accommodate us.
The driver, Fermin Chan, picked us up at our hotel (JW Marriott, Cancun) at 2:30 am - really early, but worth it! It was about a 2.5-hour drive to the park. We arrived at a nearby hotel where we were able to use the restrooms and get coffee. The drive was pretty quick, we were able to sleep in the car.
At the hotel, we met our other tour members (8 total in our group) and our new tour guide who took us to the park. We walked in darkness, under the stars, by flashlight, being guided by our tour guide. It was so amazing to be there in darkness! We suddenly stopped and the guide turned on his big light and the Chichen Itza pyramid was right in front of us, we had no idea! It was breathtaking!!!
Being there so early (before the park even opens) we were able to tour the entire city in peace and quiet. The guide told us all the amazing history and we were able to first-hand experience the sounds of Chichen Itza (echos off of the walls) which you can't do if there are hoards of people around. The guide was amazing, so knowledgable and answered all our questions. He had a tablet with more pictures and history on it which also helped.
We were then able to visit the pyramid during sunrise and watch as the sun rose behind it and the light started to fill the city! It was awe-inspiring. Nobody else was there, just a few other people!!! During the day, we heard there are hundreds of people. We were able to get pictures in front of the pyramid with nobody in the background. Well worth the time and the money - a once-in-a-lifetime experience to visit one of the 7 wonders of the world in this manner.
After Chichen Itza, we met our driver again and he drove us to the Cenote which was about 5 minutes away. The place is quite interesting. The Cenote itself is amazing, a big hole plummeting down to deep dark water, surrounded by hanging vines. It was beautiful. Surrounding the Cenote is a built-up park with parking lots, a hotel, restaurant, showers, etc., etc.. Not that pretty but again, we were admitted before the park opened so we were the only two people there! We walked down a dark staircase by ourselves and I was able to jump in the water and swim with nobody else around! That was nice! We ended up skipping out on breakfast (not included in the price of the tour anyway) and driving back to our hotel; we were back in Cancun at 10:00am and had the rest of the day to relax. Note: no towels are provided at the Cenote, so bring your own!
Overall, this tour was a highlight of our vacation. Well worth the effort and cost to go for the sunrise tour! No other way to see Chichen Itza. The Cenote was ok but glad I got to swim in it alone, great experience. I highly recommend this tour company, there were nice to work with and provided good service.