I have booked to go to the Akumal Beach Resort (Riviera Maya) this Christmas (can't wait, England that time of year isn't great!) and wondered if anyone knows if it has reopened following Hurricane Emily? Also what trips would anyone recommend? We (husband, self and three children 11, 9 and 6) are passionate about snorkelling, which we hope to be able to do from the beach, but what is the best way to get to Cozumel? Which trips/restaurants/activites are worth doing? Thanks so much for any advice - I look forward to hearing from you!

I'd like to point you to the message Akumal message board on locogringo.com. There's been a lot of info on the ABR recently. It's a great site, very active.

hi katie - i have no emily info to share. but i do have a good friend who stayed at ABR a year ago. she liked the resort alot, and enjoyed excursions to tulum (mayan ruins directly on the sea) and reported that the snorkeling was really great. she did not venture to cozumel at all. i think you will find it to be a major party and fairly americanized spot. (meaning highrises and mcdonalds and big crowds). if you go the best way is to go to playa del carmen and take the ferry over.
other activities you might consider are cohiba or chichen itza which are larger ruins but further into the jungle. chichen itza would be a very full day excursion.
there are guided all-terrain vehicle tours into the jungle. or horseback riding thru jungle and onto beach.
then there are the water parks. xel ha is outstanding for snorkel. xcaret is a unique park! mayan history meets disney meets national geo. go early stay all day. its pricey. the yalku lagoon is very close to you and offers great snorkeling for $6. and certainly a snorkel boat out to the chankanaab reef would be fun.
merry christmas!
oh yes - for a ton of info go to www.locogringo.com

Last I heard it was due to reopen Sept. 21, although some of the older rooms (buildings 1-4) are apparently still out of commission. Also work to do on beach palapas and other outbuildings.

We were there in Feb. - great place, excellent value.

I am also an avid snorkeler and I preferred the snorkeling in Akumal Bay (in front of the resort, and just north of it) to Yal-Ku Lagoon and Half Moon Bay. Half Moon (very rocky) is within walking distance of ABR; Yal-Ku (interesting) is a long walk, or short bike ride, or very short taxi ride.

Regarding Cozumel, perhaps you can learn from my mistake. I had arranged a snorkel trip through the dive shop at ABR which was to include stops at Chankanaab and Palancar. It was cancelled and I only had one more day of vacation. I took a colectivo into Playa del Carmen, ferry to Cozumel, and went on one of the cheap ($25-$35)snorkel trips that are offered by various operators at the ferry dock.

They said they were going to Chankanaab but did not. We snorkeled in three different spots, mostly very close to huge cruise ships. Rather disappointing.
So I would recommend some care in arranging a Cozumel snorkel trip to the right locations.

If you have never seen any of the Mayan ruins, you really should do it. We visited Chichen Itza and Tulum. If you only have time for one, and you're a first-timer, I would recommend Chichen Itza. Look for a tour that allows plenty of time at the site. You can book a tour through ABR, or at the octagonal building in Akumal (Akumal Travel Services?), or elsewhere. I would recommend a tour that includes a brief stop in Valladolid.

The still largely-unexcavated ruins at COBA are about a half hour's drive from Akumal and well worth a half day explore. Tulum is a tourist trap, tho south of the small ruins area, the beaches stretch on endlessly and small simple accomodations abound.

opps i meant coba not cohiba. must have been thinking about cigars for some reason...

Virginia==didn't even notice the typo on your post. Just wanted to stress how amazing Coba is, like being in a National Geographic special. There are 3 mile trails thru the lowland forest
to Mayan temples with charcoal from copal incense burning -- and the original bright colored paint still on the walls. The views from the top of some temples across the wilderness shows intricate roads -- and a myriad of ruins still to be excavted...