All---
Planning on 10-14 days in the Yucatan Pen. in early Aug '03 with girlfriend. We are looking for some adventure and R&R. We wanted to rent a car (safe?) and explore the area: ruins, islands, beaches, caverns, Belize(?), etc.

Last year, we spent 14 days in Costa Rica, north - south, high - low, lux. - econ. travelling in a car adventuring around. Looking for similar experience.

Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Hi Monty,
I'm not familiar with ALL of the Yucatan, but we just got back from 3 weeks there and we split it between
Playa del Carmen, Akumal, Isla Mujeres and Cozumel.
PDC and Akumal allow for plenty of ruin-hopping, and IM is perfect for R&R.
Cozumel combines great restaurants and shopping with world class diving and snorkeling.
Whereever you choose, have a great time!
(All of that area is VERY safe and has good roads.)

Monty,

My boyfriend and I are doing exactly the same thing in the beginning of Aug. 14 days, split between the Yucatan and Belize....renting a car to explore the ruins, cenotes, beach (Tulum) in Mexico...and then hopping over the Guatemala (to see Tikal) then off to Belize for jungle and diving (Ambergris Caye). We used an excellent tour operator (Trips Worldwide Ltd) in the UK to plan everything, and they were really great with all the tailoring.

But I am happy to email you the itinery they created for us...and you can try and book everything yourself if you like. Let me know.

We spent ages deciding where to go! There's so much to see, but hopefully we've covered the good places....

Monty,
I posted a trip report last year on 10 days we spent in the Yucatan. We rented a car and did the mayan ruins hacineda thing ..it was wonderful even without hitting the beach. Driving around was easy.. although we were glad we took the air conditioned car at the last moment! You can find the decription of our trip by searching for "Haciendas and Mayan Ruins Yucatan Trip Report"...hope it helps.

My husband and I went to Cozumel last year. The town is fun . . . lots of shopping, great bars and restaurants. But if you're into exploring, you should rent a jeep (or a scooter) and drive to the Eastern side of the island. There's nothing over there but two restaurants, a lighthouse, and miles of secluded beaches. The restaurant at the northern end is on some gorgeous cliffs. And the one at the southern end is on the beach, with hammocks you can lay in and have a Corona. We spent hours on the beaches over there without seeing another soul. On the way over there, you can stop for a tour of the Mayan ruins or the lighthouse (we did both).

Other than the scuba diving, it was the best part of our trip.

Hi

My wife and I spent a 14 day vacation in Playa del Carmen a couple of years back. I have posted some pictures and a travelogue on my homepage http://www.gardkarlsen.com/mexico.htm. Maybe you can find some useful information there.

Have a great trip to Mexico

Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway
www.gardkarlsen.com