First time vacationing in Mexico Jan. 1999

Old Jun 30th, 1998, 06:14 PM
  #1  
Deno
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First time vacationing in Mexico Jan. 1999

We are looking for a "safe" and resonably priced place for a vacation in Mexico during Jan. of 1999.
We have never been to Mexico and looking for ideas.
We like to snorkle and lay on the beach with a book. Cancun is out. But would be flying in from the Gulf side. (2 adult's & 3 children). Have only 6 full day's
Looking for lot's of info. from those who have been there.
Thank You.
Deno
 
Old Jun 30th, 1998, 07:19 PM
  #2  
tricia
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Puerto Vallarta is a wonderful place in January!
Beautiful weather, beautiful town, warm friendly people and lot's to do. But, book now if you choose Vallarta - it fills up quick. Cabo San Lucas has beautiful beaches. Zihuatenejo is supposed to be nice too. But, I love Vallarta and it's old town charm but, with all the comforts. Have a great vacation whatever you choose.
 
Old Jul 1st, 1998, 04:46 AM
  #3  
Dan
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You may not want to rule out Cancun completely. Try flying into Cancun and then going down to Playa del Carmen or one of the other less crowded beach areas around there. It is a very nice area considering what you like to do: great beaches, close to Xel-Ha or Xcaret for snorkeling, rafting, etc.; very near the ruins at Tulum and Coba; less than an hour from Cancun airport; it is also where you catch the ferries to Cozumel for some of the best snorkeling in the world (only about 1/2 hour ride across). If you can fit it in at all go to the ruins at Chichen Itza if your kids are old enough to get around well on their own - spectacular. Farther down the coast are more isolated beaches, such as Akumal and Chemuyil. Have fun.
 
Old Jul 1st, 1998, 05:15 AM
  #4  
Bill Johnson
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Deno,
Might look at Akumal area. We have always loved it
since the first trip.

Akumal, Quintana Roo
Hola,

Trip number 1:
Oct. 1995

The first trip was 3 or so days after hurricane Roxanne in Oct. 95. We had planned this trip with friends for a long time and scheduling was a bear. So had to go. Needless to say the area was pretty much a disaster.

When we arrived we were informed that the condo was not ready yet and we would have to stay at the Club Akumal Caribe until the Villas Flamingo was ready. This seemed ok to us so we were lead to the Hotel. We asked for a coffeepot as we were all addicted to caffeine. They accommodated us without question. We were taken the next day to Villas Flamingo condos.

The Villas Flamingo condos on Half Moon bay are very comfortable units with a private swimming pool. There is air conditioning in the bedrooms and ceiling fans elsewhere. They treated us like royalty, as we were some of the only tourist to be there.
We all had varied ideas of what was an ultimate vacation. So we all tried to do what everyone wanted to do. This worked out better than expected. A walk down the beach was taken without the aid of sunscreen and that was a sun burning experience to say the least. A big lesson was learned here. Gringos need sunscreen unless they get out in the sun more than us Oki's do.

Next we took a resort dive course, I know that some or even most divers think that to be a bad idea, but we grew up in the '60's and did a lot of other dumber things. One of us was a Dive Master so we just went for it. It turned out to be a wonderful adventure for us all. We combined two open water dives with what the call a Robinson Coruso trip. The resident dive master Jose was extremely good in the water. He never let us out of his site for one minute. Before I forget the R.C. trip is where they catch fish or you catch fish and then the take you to Xaac or Xaak bay for a fresh fish cook out. We chose to let the Captain, David do the fishing while we dove. Jose got a couple of Conch, Barracuda, Lobster and some other fish while we gringos admired the Coral Reef and the critters. Saw may forms of sea life. What a trip! After our two dives off to Xaac or Xaak bay, this used to be a Mayan ceremonial site as there is a Mayan temple at the cove. After arriving at the cove Jose and David proceeded to prepare our meal. Cleaning all the goodies collected from the sea. Jose was in charge of the Ceveche. The Ceveche was made of Conch, Lobster, fish, onions, tomatoes, spices, and lime-juice. It is eaten uncooked. He also made the Guacamole. David cleaned the fish and prepared the fire. He then fried that fish in garlic and butter (Pescado ala mojo de ajo). What a meal that was. It has to be a memory that will out last time it's self. Anyway I'm hungry just writing about it three years later. While all of this was taking place us Gringos where snorkeling, checking out the Mayan temple and all sorts of things that drift on to the beach. I guess that's called beach combing. By the way all the beer, wine, and soda that you can drink. After that was done I saw a coconut in a Palm tree that I thought would satisfy a childhood dream. I proceeded to climb that Coco tree barefoot just like the native boys I had seen in a movie some time. It was a real trill for me. What a place!

During this trip we did spend a lot of time at the beach bar or as it was called the snack bar at Loll-Ha at Akumal bay.

We drove to Ruinas Tulum and rented a guide for the tour of the ruins. I think that it is important to get a guide and share the wealth with the locals even if the stories may not be entirely correct, who know what is entirely correct anyway. It was hotter than Hedoubletoothpicks out at the ruins. We decided to take a swim at the beach there at the ruins. That was a great relief. Do take a hat, sunscreen, and water. We shopped for junk there and drank a cold Cerversa (beer). We asked one of the merchants for a recommendation for a place to eat in the Puebla Tulum; his remarks were that his cousin or something had a good place called Dona Rita's at the other end of town. So off we went to find Dona Rita's.
Sure enough there at the other end of town was this crummy looking place called Dona Rita's. The air was full of insect spray due to the hurricane and that in it's self was a real deterrent to an appetite. We sat there for a while and finally I said what the H__l and in we went. She didn't speak English and we hardy knew any Spanish. One of our friends is a very finicky eater and I saw the look on his face as he looked around so I jumped up and said I would order for everyone or something to that fact and did so. We ended up with Chicken stew and Lime-aids. Fortunately for me we all survived Dona Tina's. I really enjoyed it myself as I've eaten in so really bad place in the Far East.

Back to the beach bar and the beach for a swim. This beach bar and restaurant is called Lol-Ha. It was the only bar and restaurant open after Roxanne, so we really did enjoy this place as it was the only act in Akumal. I'm sure that at times they wished we would just take our Gringo selves home. Oh well that's a Gringo for you.

A couple of the group went horseback riding at kdsfdfdfkskdfk???. They did get some mosquito bites as the ride was though the jungle and onto the beach.

Half Moon bay is just a hop, skip, and a jump north of Akumal bay. If walking back and forth after dark, please remember the mosquitoes. They will carry you away on the road. They are not a problem at the beach or restaurants.

Some where in here we did do some snorkeling at the north end of Akumal bay, that is where the cannons are. There are some accommodations called Casitas out there.

We really ate, drank and partied until they closed the bar on our last night in Akumal. We swore to come back again some time. This was the most enjoyable vacation that we had ever had. As of today Lynn and I are the only ones to return.


Trip number 2:
July 1996

The second trip we stayed at the Villas Maya Bungalows on Akumal bay. They don't have a view of the ocean. There is air conditioning and a fridge for keeping your drinks cold. Bottled water if furnished in a large water dispenser. They call these bungalows with a garden view. The garden view is very pretty. The bungalows do have use of the pool at Hotel Club Akumal Caribe on the beach. There is also a day care center called Kids Club Akumal Caribe Escuelita. It is very well done and a very safe place to leave your children while diving or visiting the Ruinas or whatever.

We were celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary. What a place to celebrate!

We spent time at the beach bar and restaurant. We played in the water. We sat on the beach. We snorkeled at the north end of Akumal bay. We snorkeled at Yal-Ku Laguna. Yal-Ku is a fresh water lagoon that is so fabulous that words can't describe it. I suggest a trip of your own just to check it out.

One morning really early before the restaurant was open we jumped in the Budget Rental car and headed for Ruinas Coba. When we arrived, the Ruinas was not open yet so we went to a local Mayan restaurant for breakfast. We spoke no Mayan and they spoke no English so we just pointed to the menu (la carta). It worked just fine and we had a most enjoyable meal. We then proceeded to the Ruinas Coba. We hired a guide, as we believe in visiting with people of the region. The man's name was Jose; funny that a very large number of men are named Jose. Jose took us all around Coba, pointing out the Sacbeob (these are roads made of lime stone) and mounds that have yet to be restored. There are pyramids and Stellas and all sorts of ruins that are partially restored and jungle life and boy what a place to get your mind jumping to the past and the future and boy. Do wear a hat and bring water and good shoes. After we spent several hours walking, climbing and questioning we were on our way back to Akumal.

On the way back we decided to take a side trip to Casa Cenote and Cenote Tan-Ka.
That was one of the most incredible ideas we have had. A dip in the fresh water Cenote was a blast. A cenote is a sinkhole where the lime stone roof of an under water river has collapsed. Casa Cenote is a great place for lunch and a beer. You will swear that you have found paradise for sure. Maybe I'm just blinded by the light.

Next we met Hilario Hiler. He is a local that gives tours of the local area. He has lived in the Yucatan for quite a number of years. He has been married to a Mayan lady, had his on milpa (farm or ranchito). He speaks Mayan and Spanish as well as English. We made arrangement for a tour of Sian Ka'an Biosphere for the next day. Hilario tracked us down that afternoon while we were snorkeling at Laguna Yal-Ku and told us that a big boss was arriving in Cancun and he would have to put our trip off until the next day. We being in no way worried as there are a world of things to do in the area agree without hesitation. We spent the day at Casa Cenote talking to the little Mayan friends that we had made the day before. Well the morning we were going to Sian Ka'an the weather was rainy and windy. Hilario arrived late, that's just the way it is in Mexico; no one is in a hurry. That's especially true when it raining and you are to do outdoor things. Anyway Hilario ask if we would like to wait for another day and we said no way, life is to short to keep putting things off and besides that it was our fifth wedding anniversary. So off we went in HIS car, as we didn't want to take our rental wherever we were going. As we traveled towards Tulum Hilario ask what we wanted to do? He suggested that we not go to the Sian Ka'an this morning with all the rain as the dirt road would be a mess. So he suggested that we go to Coba for a Mayan meal, we told of our meal the day before and he said that the restaurant was the one he would have taken us to. So next he suggested that we meet and visit a Mayan family that is the local Massage masters. That sounded like an interesting idea so off went up the road towards Coba. About half way to Coba there are a couple or three Mayan villages. We stopped at one and Hilario checked to see if it was ok for our visit. They were very excited to meet two Gringos from Oklahoma. We asked questions in Ingles and Hilario translated in Mayan with a few Espanol words thrown in. They answered in Mayan and so forth. They live in hut made from sticks placed vertical and with thatched roofs. They sleep in hammocks. There few worldly good hang from the ceiling. Their chicken was sitting on her nest at the side of the palapa, inside that is. Their cooking and visiting shelter is similar except it is open on the sides as they cook on an open fire. After a while of visiting they asked if we were interested in a massage and we said sure. It is what they call a deep abdominal massage. The massage makes you feel really good. After words we were invited to have lunch with them. After asking Hilario if we wouldn't be using up their resources, he said that if they didn't want to share a meal they would not have asked, we agree with much delight. We sat on logs and all pulled up to the table. Lunch was tortillas, salsa, and scrambled eggs. You use your tortillas for your utensils. When the meal was over we were to that we owed 300 pesos each for our massages and that the meal was at no cost as we had been invited to share it with them. We felt that this was a great deal. We said Hasta Luego and were off to another adventure. Hilario took us to Tulum, we stopped at the store for Cervesa for Lynn and I and a Coke for Hilario. He then showed us his house that he rents out in Tulum and allows for a pit stop. We met one of the Pueblos elders on the street and Hilario introduced us. Next we were off to Sian Ka'an Biosphere. Stopping along the way to see an unfinished abandoned mansion that he said had been started by a drug lord that had been run out of the area. Interesting place and truly big enough for many people. The guesthouse was a mansion. Anyway on towards the Biosphere. When we arrive at the entrance we are told that the road is quit muddy and advised that we should have 4-wheel drive to venture on. OH well next time. Turn around and head back. When we got back to Tulum Hilario suggested another Ruinas that we could go see a few miles south of Tulum. Ruinas Muyil was very interesting, as it was right next to some canals that lead to the Laguna Chunyaxche, Laguna Campechen, and the Caribbean Sea. Well the day had been quite an exciting adventure and we went back to the bungalow. Said our good-byes to Hilario.

Over to the beach bar for some Cervesa and food, or was it Ceversa and a swim, or maybe all the above. Magic does the heart good. There's some thing about this area that just catches my being.

Trip 3:
June 1997

Arrived in Cancun, have forgotten to tell you that all our adventures to Akumal start at the Cancun airport. We always rent from Budget Rental. They have always had good prices and treated us fairly. When we travel we always try to tip everyone involved in our care and I think it really helps. If you rent have every scratch, ding and whatever recorded. Don't forget to check the floor mats and spare tire and the jack. They do look for every thing when you return. We always reserve ahead of time.

Off to Akumal on Highway 307. Our first stop is to get a Cervesa, oh, so you noticed that we like out Cervesa did you. Well it's true. Don't forget that there are only a few gas stations in the whole of Qroo. Always get gas when you don't know where you will be going. There is a station not far south of the airport. But you will not need gas yet, so continue on to Akumal. But there is a store that sells Cerversa at the gas station so you might want to stop anyway, I do. Since you can't ask, I will tell you that Dos Eqis (XX) and Superior are our favorites.

The road to Akumal for the most part just scrub jungle with not much to make you think of Paradise. Don't despair it really is just a few kilometers to the left. Oh, before I forget there are bumps in the road called Topes that are speed bump just before entering most villages. Sometimes there is a sign and some times there are not. Keep your eye open. They have another strange idea in this area, a left hand turn signal may mean that it is ok to pass and then again it might mean a left hand turn. Lots of times there is a right lane for making a left turn. You pull off to the right and then stop so as to see both ways and the go.

Arrive at Akumal, get our room at the Villas Maya bungalows and a beach towel. Carry luggage to room and off to the beach bar for a Cervesa and Nachos de Queso. Say hi to some of the friends we've made at the beach bar. You know we have been here two other times now. We consider ourselves regulars now. Time for a swim in the ocean. Nothing like it I always say. Another Cervesa is in order.
Dinner at a new place called La Buena Vida. Wow what a place. We met Benito for the first time. He manages the restaurant. Back to the Lol-Ha beach bar. Now time for some sleep. Tomorrow is another day in paradise.

Up and off to breakfast at the Lol-Ha restaurant. Wow one of our young Mayan bar keeps from the other times is now waiting tables here. It is good to see him again. His name is Jose. There's that name again. He is happy that we remember him. He introduces us to his friend Rolando. They share a room together. Breakfast is a fruit plate and sweet rolls (pan dulce) and coffee. Off to the north end of Akumal bay for a time of snorkeling on the edge of the reef. It certainly is beautiful to see. Coral, fish, cannons, the water and beach. Wow what else could one ask for? A cervesa wouldn't you know.

Off to Casa Cenote. We had to wait until after ll:00 AM as it's not open until then. Spend the day eating, drinking, sunning, swimming, visiting, admiring, and loving the place. The view is beyond words for me. Please take a trip and go see for your self. Some say it like something out of a Jimmy Buffet thing. I say it Heaven on Earth. I could sit there and look out into the Caribbean forever and a day.

Back to Akumal and a trip to the beach and by now I need not say. We rested from our all day rest and made our way to La Buena Vida for dinner. After dinner we decided to have a couple of Spanish Coffees, (a flaming drink of brandy, kalua, and coffee). We invited the couple sitting next to us to join us. It was fantastic. The couple turned out to be from Switzerland. Their names are Lucia and Marcus. We still keep in loose touch by email. Email is really great for long distance friends. We meet again during this trip for dinner at La Buena Vida. Back to our bungalow as we are headed to Isla Cozumel early in the morning.

We are up and at them early. We have to get a taxi to Playa Del Carmen to catch the ferry to Isla Cozumel. We rode a taxi as we intend to spend the night a Cozumel.
Bought our tickets and head to the bar for a beer, thought I was going to have a cervesa didn't you. Well it's time for the ferry to load so we are off to the boat. Arrived in San Miguel, we walked about remembering our honeymoon. Then we decided to stop at café that we had lunch in before and ordered 6 ceversas in a bucket and a plate of jalepenos relleno (5 inchs long with white cheese stuffing). These dudes were the biggest I'd ever seen. The waiter watched as I devoured them. At on time he stopped by to ask how I could do it, I replied that they were very good. Next we negotiated a taxi for the day. The main reason for the trip to Cozumel is that we spent our honeymoon there in July 1991. We wanted to go to all the same places and relive the experiences. This is where we learned about Akumal from a young college girl bumming her way around Cozumel. We asked where we might go that was a little more laid back. Akumal she said and drew a circle around it on our map. So if it were not for her we may never have experienced the magic of Akumal. We stopped at San Francisco beach and drank a couple of (no not cervesas) pina coladas, they are served in a ripe pineapple. They are the best I've ever had! Off to a Palapa junk food stop on the surfside of the Isla. This is where I first tasted the ugly green sauce that is served in the Yucatan area, Habenero Salsa. I now carry enough home to last just about a year so then I will have to return for more. Yes we drank, ate, and swam our way around the Isla. After returning to San Miguel we asked the taxi driver for a clean, air conditioned, cheap hotel. He took us right there. I didn't wake until late and off to breakfast. We were then to the ferry for the return trip to Playa. Caught a taxi to Akumal and cleaned up just in time for happy hour at the beach bar.

Went to breakfast at the Lol-Ha. Talked to Jose and Rolando about going with us to Ruinas Tulum and then on to Sian Ka'an Biosphere. They agreed to accompany us on this adventure as our guides. Seems we knew more than they did. They are young Mayans that don't get many opportunities to do much more than exist. I gave Jose a driving lesson when we got off the beaten track. That was a real trip to say the least. Only once did it look like we were going to go 4 wheeling into the jungle. He got quite a thrill out of driving. This was his first time at the steering wheel of an automobile. They both enjoyed the adventure as much or more than we did. We had already been to Ruinas Tulum. They thought it great to see what their ancestors had done. They also got to see place in the Biosphere that they had heard tell of from Gringos at the bar and restaurant. We returned to Akumal in time for Rolando to get ready for the evening shift at the Lol-Ha. Jose went for a nap before we took him out to dinner at the La Buena Vida where a former Boss served him. Seemed to enjoy it.

Spent the rest of our time at the beach, Casa Cenote, and just lying around.
Off to the airport for a return to reality. Stopping at the last gas station before airport so as not to have to pay too much at Budget. They really rip you if you don't fill up. All went smooth as always at Budget.

Last minute shopping for brain lapse at the airport. Bet you thought I'd forget one last Cervesa. The plane is loading and we are not ready to return but that part of life. I'm not much on the return trip but in DFW airport our flight was over booked and we gave up our seat for a 1-hour layover for 2 $500 ticket vouchers. Ate a bite of American food and caught the next flight home. Planning the next trip on the way.

Trip 4
May 1998

This trip with the help of the Internet we found the Vista Del Mar group. I call it group because they have 3 bedroom condos, 2 bedroom condos, 1 bedroom suites, and 1 bedroom hotel rooms, all with a view of the ocean and a balcony or patio on the beach. There is a hammock for those who like to nap. Palapa sunshades, chase lounges and tables. Oh, ceiling fans and air conditioning are in all rooms. They rent snorkel equipment and sea kayaks for those that like the sea. Snorkeling is fantastic in Half Moon bay and Akumal bay and Laguna Yal-Ku. The
La Buena Vida restaurant and Bar are a stones throw away. Can have room service if you so desire. The Beach bar is sand floored with some swings for bar stools. La Buena Vida is quite an enjoyable place. The restaurant has the very best food and service. The Caesar Salad for two is yummy. The manager Benito is a super guy and very helpful. If you go, say hi from Bill and Lynn of Oklahoma. They have a pool for the less adventurous souls. It is next to the La Buena Vida (the GOOD LIFE) so you can have a Cervesa while you swim or sun bath.
(email [email protected])
Roberto and Elizibeth they both speak English.
011-52-987-59060 voice 011-52-987-59058 fax
US 800-925-6325 (#15)

Another restaurant and bar is the Lol-Ha on Akumal bay.

The Turtle Bay Bakery and Cafe is another delightful addition to Akumal with their fresh bake goods, the muffins are soooo good. By the way it's the only place that has girls to wait on you. Oh before I forget, they also have the very best Coffee there is in Akumal and area.

La Cueva De Pescador restaurant is also new to the area. It's an ok place but not a favorite.

There is a small fast food (Mexican) next to the Super Chomak convenience store just out-side the Gate. It is called Loncheria Akumalito. The meals are quite good and inexpensive. A must try place. The meats and cheese are imported from the USA at the Super Chomak store. Good place to get supplies. Have a small drug store supply as well. This group is part of Club Akumal Caribe. Which by the way is the Original Group to develop Akumal many years ago before there were any road to the area. Don Pablo Bush was his name. His daughter Laura and her husband David run it now. They intend to keep it Eco-sound.

There are other places to eat in the area but seem to never get around to them.

There is a pizza place at Lol-Ha and an ice cream place as well.

There is a laundry across from the Super Chomak store.

There are two dive shops for you diver types. Akumal Dive Center on the beach next to the Lol-Ha. http://akumaldivecenter.com/
Akumal Dive Shop close by.
I understand they are both well done operations. My experience is only with Akumal Dive Center.
They both offer rental of all types. This includes Snorkeling and dive stuff as well as dives off the reef and cenotes and cave dives.

Oh, yes on the way to Tulum there is a place called Casa Cenote in Tan-Kah. This has to be the best beach bar this side of Heaven. The Cervesa is cold, the food is great, the service is good and the view is out of this world. The beach and swimming are good. There is a fresh water Cenote (sink hole) called
Cenote Manatee or Cenote Tan-Kah depending on whom you talk to is just behind the restaurant. Do plan to take a swim quite refreshing on a hot day. The fresh water under ground river dumps out right in front of the restaurant Palapa. Gary the owner puts on a Sunday Texas Bar-B-Que that is world famous. The rest of the time it's Mexican and seafood. They are very delicious meals. Never stop stopping by here for a Cervesa and bite to eat, always stay longer than I planned to in the past so now just plan to stay the day. Open from 11Am to 4 or 5Pm, as there is no electricity. There is a Mayan family that lives close by that have some of the best kids I've ever met.

Side trips to Ruinas Tulum, Ruinas Coba are in order if you are into the Mayan history. I understand that at Coba they have restored the Ball Court. Not been since this has taken place. I do recommend it as it is still mostly not restored and jungle with well kept paths so you don't have to hack your way through.

Another worthy adventure is a trip on past Coba to Punta Laguna; this is a preserve started by local Mayan families to preserve a small part of the rain forest and a band of Spider Monkeys. We arrive early one morning and paid our fee, (20 pesos each)(that's about $2.50) the guide was 50 pesos and a 10 peso tip. We tracked all through the jungle for some time in search of the Spider Monkeys to not avail but we saw many plant and birds. Heard all kinds of jungle sounds and the Ant trails are 6" wide. Wow one could get carried away. Our guide worked very hard at finding the Monkeys but finally said that maybe-another day. We continue to the Laguna on our way back to the parking area and wouldn't you know it the Monkeys were in a tree above our car. So the trip had an ending that couldn't be beat.

There are so many things to do in the area that one could spend days, weeks, months, years, and even a life time doing them, that why We have returned over and over again to this Very Magical "Place of the Turtles" (Akumal)

Here are some web-sites of interest.

http://wwte.com/mexico/south.htm
http://akumaldivecenter.com/
http://Houston-InterWeb.COM/vida/
http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~jwcoym/akumal.html
http://locogringo.com/akumal/sitesinak.htm
http://www.video-travel.com/
http://hawkpci.net/bsc/tulum.htm
http://mindspring.com/~mataort/yucatan.htm
http://streetmaps.com/ruins.htm
http://www.akumal.com/index.html
http://www.xaac.com/dosojos/resturaunts.html
http://ease.com/~randyj/rjyuc.htm
http://www.cancunmx.com/
http://www.budgettravel.com/cancun.htm
http://www.casadelmarmex.com/buddy.html
http://www.tankah.com/activite.htm
http://www2.ucsc.edu/~vicmuri/calendar.html
http://www.halfmoon.org/date.html
http://www.halfmoon.org/date.html

Hasta Luego

Bill and Lynn

[email protected]

(Hope All Your TRAVELS TAKE YOU SOME PLACE)
 
Old Jul 4th, 1998, 05:22 AM
  #5  
PVPete
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Posts: n/a
If snorkeling is your goal then don't consider Puerto Vallarta. There is excellent Snorkeling in the Cancun area. My favorite place to go is La Paz, BCS. It is the capital of the state of Baja California Sur. It is a small city of about 150,000. Not very touristy but at the same time does have some excellent accomodatios and is great for water activities. La Paz has some of the finest beaches in Mexico just a short distance away. Actually La Paz is located right on the bay with beaches righ in town but I would not recommend the local beaches. The good beaches are 5-10 miles away. The water may be a little nippy in January.

Definitely stay away from Mazatlan. Not very nice and the beaches are terrible. I used to live pretty close to Mazatlan and was just there a few months ago. If it wasn't for family in the area, I would never go near the place. Puerto Vallarta is a nice place to visit but the beaches are generally poor and as I said, lousy for snorkeling.
 
Old Aug 12th, 1998, 02:42 PM
  #6  
maria
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
I recommend Cabo San Lucas. It's clean and safe and has great snorkeling (Santa Maria Bay and Chileno Bay). The beach on the Pacific side is more quiet (no beach vendors) but the ocean is too rough there for swimming. The hotels on El Medano are nice but I didn't like El Medano beach at all - very crowded, noisy, many beach vendors. I'd stay on the Pacific side (Terrasol or Solmar) or stay in the corridor where most resorts have both quiet, private, swimmable beaches and activities for the family. Overall, Cabo is beautiful, clean, safe and fun - activities include snorkeling, kayaking, wind surfing, parasailing, jetskiing, sunset cruises, golfing etc.
 
Old Aug 12th, 1998, 04:51 PM
  #7  
Al Alvarez
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
I've been both to Puerto Villarta and Cabos San Lucas. I preferred Puerto Villarta, I found it to be cheaper than Cabos which is isolated and therefore, more expensive. However both places are great. In Puerto Villareta, we rode horses into the Jungle where Arnold Schwartzinegger filmed "Perdator", a 5 hour trip. The restaurants were much nicer than at Cabos. The beaches at Cabos are generally dangerous due to Riptides. Both places are safe. Once you get away from the U.S. border towns, you see a better quality of Mexican citizen.

Like I said, Cabos San Lucas was also great. We rode horses on the beach, we danced at Van Halen's night club called Cabo Wabbo (I understand its "dead" now), We fished there on a 35 foot boat and caught 26 Mahi Mahi. Both places are great, but Villarta is bigger and cheaper. Have a great time.
 

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