I'm planning my first trip to Mexico in mid-March. Some of my friends have been to Tulum and raved about it, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to go there. I was all set on booking a cabana at Zamas until I read that the beach there isn't too good. My husband and I are food lovers, so we were excited to hear how great the food is there, but now I'm worried that the beach isn't nice enough.

It seems as if other nicer beaches are in walking distance. Is that true? And if so, is it fine to stay at Zamas where the price is right and food is good, and explore other beaches?

We live hectic lives in NYC and are looking for a laid-back trip with LOTS of relaxing on gorgeous beaches... We like things rustic, but not overly rustic. Is Tulum the right place for us? We've already booked a flight into Cancun, so any other places along the "Mexican Riviera" that you think would be better?

Please help! I feel as if places are booking up fast...

Liaw,

I spend most of my time in PDC and have not stayed in Tulum but have visited. It does seem rustic but in a beautiful, wild sort of way. The beaches are better in other area but the area is very low key. Coming from NY originally myself I understand your need for a stressfree environment. It is true that March is still high season and you will need to make reservations fairly quickly. No matter what, once you go, you'll probably be hooked. The area is wonderful and there is an awful lot to see if you want to. Or not! I hope you find exactly what you're looking for but you can always go back for a 2nd, 3rd, etc. time. If you have any questions about things further north I'd be happy to give you some input. Enjoy.

The beach at Zamas is not too good, but the food there is excellent. The best meal we had in Tulum was there. (That and lunch at Mezzanine.)

Excellent beaches are well within walking distance.

If you have your heart set on staying at Zamas, I'd stay there and venture elsewhere. The beaches of Tulum are amazingly-beautiful.

Thanks so much to both of you. This helps a lot already.

Colokid, I would be interested in places farther north since I really don't know much at all about Mexico and kind of booked this trip in a moment of desperation b/c NYC life was making me crazy! My husband and I have always wanted to explore Mexico, so we thought this would be the perfect time. And I do hope to return again and again

Diana, it's good to know that good beaches are in walking distance of Zamas. I just don't want to have to go too far! It just seems like a solid place that has gotten great reviews on most travel sites, and I can't say that for all of the other places I've looked into.

Does anybody have an ideal itinerary for a week in Mexico for someone who is flying into Cancun and looking for great food and amazing beaches? I could still change my mind about Tulum if there's somewhere even better!!!

I love La Conchita; which is near Zamas. The beach was great, but have heard that the last hurricane brought up many rocks. I'm not sure how severe it is. We stayed at La Conchita for 10 days last Aug. It was heavenly.

There are a few places down the road in Tulum to check out:
Suenos Tulum
Coqui Coqui
Nueva Vida
Ana y Jose
Posada Margherita

Other than the regional Mexican food in Tulum, there is the best Italian food - many Italian run hotels and restaurants.

Here is an aerial of Zamas:
http://www.locogringo.com/maps/tour/036-t.html

And here is an aerial of Coqui Coqui (I had killer shiatsu and reflexology):
http://www.locogringo.com/maps/tour/041-t.html

Ok, now you've totally turned me on to Suenos! I didn't realize what great reviews it was getting. It looks more my speed, though, of course it is pricier. Coqui Coqui also looks great. Ana Y Jose is already booked during the time I'll be there as is La Conchita. They both looked great.

Has anyone else stayed there and can help me decide between there and Zamas? It'll cost about $40 more, though I see that breakfast is included.

For those who have been to Tulum, is it necessary to rent a car?

I've only spent a couple nights in Tulum (Cabanas La Conchita). If I was going back, I would rent a car. Driving is easy in Mexico, the main highway is four lane all the way from the Cancun airport to Playa del Carmen (maybe further south by now).

Be advised that some of the properties are really quite rustic. La Conchita only had electricity four about four hours each evening. No air conditioning. It was fine for us, some people wouldn't be happy there. I think some of the places do have power for longer periods, and even a/c.

Make sure and have dinner at Posada Margherita.

(September 2005) We stayed at the Freedom Paradise Resort on Tankah Bay. It is a mid-price all-inclusive close to Tulum.
http://www.freedomparadise.com
Very clean rooms. (rooms are small-recommend the Junior suite)(We had the Honeymoon package-our 30th anniversary)
Very quiet an relaxing.
Wonderful clean beaches. Food was good. We were there 11 days and did not get bored with the food.
Here is a ariel view.
http://www.locogringo.com/maps/tour/103a-t.html
You can get a car at the airport or take a taxi to the resort(get all the way out of the airport before you let anybody "help" you with your bags, or talk about rates -$75/$85 one way. If you take a taxi, you can rent a car in the pueblo of Tulum-they will pick you up at the hotel-$120 +/- for 3 days.)

We drove the Tulum (10 minutes drive, 3 hours to see-go early, very early in the day) and another day we drove to Punta Allen (3-4 hours each way).

Have a good time. Take a phrase-book. In this area of Mexico not everyone speaks English.

Suenos is definately more, but I would not say you get "more for your money" with the continental breakfast. I believe it's pastries, granola and yogurt, fruit, coffee, juice. That isn't worth $40/night.

But their rooms seems to be in better shape than Zamas - they are much newer.

The beach alone would make me pay an extra $40/night. Plus Suenos is located down the road quite a bit, so there are hardly any people on the beach. Near Zamas, it's more of a town center - if you can even call it that.

Renting a car is definately recommended - especially if you stay at Suenos - it's fairly remote. Although, I'm sure it can be done w/o a car; it would make things much easier.

I like that Suenos is a bit more remote than the others, but will this make it hard to try out other spots for dinner? Would I need a car to get to those or can you reach them by simply walking along the beach? It seems like people hop around to different spots for meals, and I wasn't sure how they got from one to the other.

I am going to look into a car though since we'd like to visit the ruins, go into town, etc.. Not sure how much they cost per week, but I'll find out.

My other question is, HOW do you get the people at these places to ever write back about availability??? I'm having the hardest time getting in touch with anyone at Suenos. Zamas wrote me back to say what was available on Thursday (after I wrote on Tuesday). I told them I wanted to book and still haven't heard back.. Now I'm at the point where I'll just stay at whichever place writes me back first!! Has anyone else experienced difficulty when trying to book?? Any suggestions?

Hi Liaw,
Fellow NYer here, so I know what you mean about needing some relaxation! We can't wait to get to Mexico, also mid-March!

Have you checked out Sian Kaan? We are staying three nights at the Sol Caribe... see http://www.locogringo.com/research/b.../siankaan.html

In general, the locogringo site is great for trip planning on the Mayan Riviera.

We are taking two weeks so are doing one week inland and one on the beach - primarily Tulum/Sian Kaan/Punta Allen.

Maybe we'll run into each other down there!
Good luck with your planning...
Amy

I think Suenos is on the last section of the map along the beach rd. - near La Zebra which is in bold.

Not everyone down there has satellite for internet. Zamas does. So Suenos relies mostly on Locogringo and DifferentWorld for reservations.

You can see availability here:
http://www.differentworld.com/mexico...ailability.htm

There are a few places close to Suenos - you can walk to for meals and drinks.
Go on locogringo.com and check out the "trip reports" on their forum. I'll try to top them for you - you can see where others went to eat and what was good.

A Nissan Tsuro is a good, inexpensive car to rent that can handle the Boca Paila Rd - Tulum beach Rd. Try Easy Way or Executive.

Well, I just heard back from Suenos and they do have some availability but only for four nights, so I need a different place for two. I'm thinking of Zahra.. Does anyone know anything about that place? My friends went last year and loved it but I've been reading some bad reviews on Trip Advisor.

Would it be possible to walk to places such as Zama for dinner from Suenos, or would I have to drive/take a taxi?

Here...I topped a few reports for you:
http://www.locogringo.com/forums/tt....=1&smode=1

Not sure if I'd try Zahra. It sounds very hit or miss. And their beach is kinda cruddy too. I'd pick Zamas over Zahra based on the level of service.

Suenos is way too far away to walk to Zamas.

Thanks so much for this info! I'll check it out now.

Any other places you know of that don't have minimum stays that are good?

And if I can't walk to Zamas, taxis are available near Suenos, right?

They are available, but not plentiful. I think Suenos can make a call and get you a cab.

Often people share a cab.
We always rent a car and we're always picking hitchhikers - you could hitch.

Try this place. It's near Posada Margherita.

http://www.hotelstulum.com/Hemingway/default.htm

If you can get a map from cancunmap.com. Laura and Perry create maps for the Yucatan coast and some of the ruins. They're well worth the price and give you information on where hotels/resorts/rental homes/restaurants/car rentals, etc. are located along the coast. That way you can get a good idea of the area and driving distances. We always rent a car either at the airport or in PDC. I've also taken the bus from the airport to PDC and used the private service when we had a bunch of people going. There's been a lot of great posts since I was here last (very busy week!)You can spend as much or as little as you want with as many or a few people as you want. There's also been a lot of good posts on this site about different areas to see. Other websites that have forums for people to write back and forth about what's going on in the RM are locogringo and playadelcarmeninfo.com. Both these sites also have webcams to check out the beach. If you rent a car be sure to print out the check list for car rentals on the cancunmap site. It's a good one to have when you pick up the car. Pemex is the national gas station chain. They only accept pesos - be careful to not give the attendant payment until the gas has been pumped and that the gas being pumped is from your site of the pump that has been zeroed out. Generally waiters will not bring you your check unless you specifically ask for it, many times the gratuity has already been figured in for you so be sure to ask about that also. Most places accept both pesos and dollars but will give change in pesos. There is an ATM in Tulum and several places in PDC to change money. I seem to remember that Chichen Itza will only take pesos if you are interested in going there. Any excursions are best taken in the morning before the tour buses arrive with the hordes. Drink plenty of bottled water...but don't be afraid to eat and drink in MX. We've been many times over the years and have yet to get sick. We eat everywhere, usually in local places. If you decide to rent a car read up on the rules of the road, they are a little different in MX but easily understood. Coming down the coast from Cancun airport you will pass Puerto Morales, Playa Del Carmen, Playacar, Akumal, Puerto Aventuras and Tulum. There are many different places to stay in each and a lot of development is going on. Even doing a search of these places online will give you good info. If you want specific info on PDC let me know.

It turns out that Suenos has a cancellation, so we'll now be staying there the whole time. I'm very excited!

Thanks to all of you for your help, and I'm going to print out all the car information, Colokid. It seems like it will come in very handy.

Have a great time. I can't wait to get back myself.