Isla Mujeres only has one hostel, and it is a party place a lot of the time, but there are plenty of cheap apartments
you can rent. Akumal has no hostels and is not really a budget type place plus the ADO bus does not stop
there, you need the second class Mayab bus or a taxi. You might be able to find a condo on Half Moon Bay,
I have stayed at one of the casita rooms at Playa Caribe condos with pool and AC and kitchen but they are running
about $100 or so per night these days.
See what Locogringo or Caribbean Fantasy have on their listings, but for several reasons you are probably
better off these days staying in Puerto Morelos.

I do suffer from motion sickness

Well then you ought to take one dimenhidrinato tablet before boarding the bus (not after!) Cheap, widely available, and effective. That way you can enjoy the ride.

chilling but also a little partying.

Head to Poc Na hostel on Isla Mujeres. Or any popular hostel in Tulum. (Or head to Puerto Escondido, Mazunte or Zipolite on the Pacific coast.)

The Torre Monumental AKA Torre de los Ingleses (the clock tower in the photo on the first page of your site) wasn't " a gift from British commemorating 100 years since the May 1910 revolution in Argentina" It's actually a structure raised by the donations of the British expat community in Buenos Aires to commemorate the centenary of the May 1810 revolt. The interesting aspect to it is that it sits within a couple of hundred metres from the Malvinas War memorial, also in your photo but unidentified. Historical irony writ large.

I had a look through your sections on Brazil and whilst I can appreciate that you only had the most fleeting visit via cruise liner, most of your 'advice' seems culled from the hackneyed tropes of the tourism biz and oft-repeated, paranoid, saws from fellow cruise enthusiasts, some of which are both misleading and risible. As an example, I'd suggest that should you ever visit Rio again and spend more than a few hours there, see how many people are actually carrying and using mobile phones. It's easier to spot the ones who aren't. Actually there's a handy, if by no means foolproof app, that provides updated safety advice on some of those unnamed and unspecified neighbourhoods you seem so nervous about. The bad news is there has been a real and tangible drop in security in some of the places you think became safer after the Olympics.

I did love the bit about "speaking Portuguese if you can". I suppose that's a useful tip, albeit a blindingly obvious one, at least in terms of amenity, communication and generally enjoying your stay. Certainly polite but as safety advice, it's a bit daft. You should probably know that the average gringo can be spotted by a native a mile off, even if they aren't draped with cameras and clad in knee length socks and sandals. Your gait and demeanour will give you away well before you open your trap and even then most Brazilians can accurately spot their fellow countrymen's origin by accent, so spot the gringo is child's play.

I shall warn my wife, carioca da gema that she is, to hide her jewelry, apparently it has been making her a magnet for crime for years.

Cabs are safer than the Metro? Do tell, did you actually use the Metro in Rio?

"Remember if you take the bus, the language is Portuguese, few if any drivers will speak English. Be sure to know the bus route, as many busses[sic]will enter into the unsafe favelas."

Pretty obvious you didn't take a bus whilst in town either. I'm dying to know which bus routes ply the morros. Millions of moradores are too. They'll be thrilled to know there's a public transport link they were blithely unaware of.

I did have a wry chuckle with your description of Paraty "Still relatively unspoiled by too much tourism". You must have visited an entirely different Paraty to the one I know. In the summer months it's usually swarming with tourists including thousands that swarm off the cruzeiros. One of the most twee tourist traps in the country.

I'd love to know what wag told you that Santos was called the Venice of Brazil, that was very droll. I've heard of Recife being described as the Veneza brasileira but pretty much only as tourist marketing hype. Maybe the cruise lines' marketers recycle the term depending on where they are? The typical term in Brazil is esgoto , sewer or drain rather than canal btw. I suppose City of Drains is somewhat less romantic.

Sorry to harp and equally sorry to read of the dengue but, if your blog is as popular as you say it is and approved by Mr Bezos to boot, then you probably owe it to your readership to either do a bit more research or perhaps refrain from giving 'advice' on somewhere you have spent bare hours in. Spouting second hand nonsense is less than helpful. Someone out there might just take it seriously.

Oh and should you ever come for reveillon again, try experiencing it on the beach. You have no idea what you have missed, it's fun and I' here to say I've never been robbed or pick-pocketed.

Enjoy your travels!

Great thank you Indian Saga! Helpful.. I think i have come up with a good revised itinery below, but do you think i should take out Narlai (Day 8 &9) and instead have an extra day in Udaiper or Varanasi at the end??

Day 1 – Arrive in morning in Delhi and transfer to hotel. Day & overnight in Delhi
Day 2 – Delhi sightseeing morning. Train to Agra in afternoon.
Day 3– Taj and Agar Fort. Train to Jaipur. Overnight in Jaipur.
Day 4 – Jaipur sightseeing Overnight in Jaipur
Day 5– Jaipur Sightseeing Overnight in Jaipur
Day6 - Drive to Jodhpur. Overnight in Jodhpur
Day 7 – Jodhpur sightseeing Overnight in Jodhpur
Day 8 – Drive to Narlai. Visit the temple at Ranakpur. Overnight in Narlai
Day 9 – Morning Kumbhalgrah Fort. Day for local activities in Narlai. Overnight in Narlai
Day 10 – Drive to Udaipur and sightseeing. Overnight in Udaipur
Day 11 – Udaipur sightseeing Overnight in Udaipur
DAY 12: Udaipur to Varanasi flight. Afternoon, visit the local market and in the evening enjoy the Ganga Aarti Ceremony.
DAY 13: Early morning boat ride. Explore local temples and eateries. Overnight in Varanasi.
DAY 14: Flight to Delhi morning. Connecting flight back to London afternoon.

There is an interesting and easy-to-access cave in VV -- well worth a visit while you are there and the party scene doesn't appeal to you.

Paul

No bus that i am aware of from Jose Marti to Varadero so it becomes more complicated for you.

The taxi option, convenient, although more pricy, is the way to go, in your case, imo.