Hello -

I need help finding a location in Mexico for our next vacation. Also am trying to find the right hotel for us. Here are some of the specifics my husband and I are looking for.

1.) On the beach, preferably a nice swimming beach with clear blue waters and snorkeling.

2.) Not too touristy (not interested in Cancun).

3.) Not interested in nightlife or high-end shopping.

4.) Interested in culture and good restaurants but also looking to spend a lot of time relaxing.

5.)Looking for a smaller hotel with charm that is within walking distance (shorter vrs longer distances since my husband has MS) of restaurants and other stuff to do.

6.) We're coming from the Midwest and I will be in my second trimester.


We've been to Hawaii, St. Thomas, St. John, Key West, and St. Marten fefore and are looking for some place with a Carribean feel but not a huge resort with tons of touristy tourists.

Hopefully some of the experts can help.

Stick to the Yucatan for the more Caribbean setting (not west coast Mexico). Maybe somewhere just outside Playa del Carmen?

I second the "Riviera Maya" area.

Take a look at www.differentworld.com - a UK site with virtual tours of the best boutique hotels in Mexico. We go to Mexico very often (used to live there) and usually rent villas, but if I were staying in a hotel, I would completely trust that site.

The kiwi collection and slh also list fabulous Mexican hotels.

I was about to post a very similar request! Crosscheck, where's a good place to find villas to rent in the area?

Sounds like Akumal (south of Playa) might be a good bet.

Two ides, south of Tulum, mainy reasonable and pleasant low key collections of beachfront places

or Puerto Escondido. Hotel Santa Fe fly from Oaxaca which is also a great place to visit w/ world class archeological site and colonial architecture

buen viajes

AndrewDavid

Akumal might meet your needs. Have you been to locogringo.com ?

Biscuithead -
The villa rental business in Mexico has become huge. Holiday prices are now out of control in certain places. We have started renting directly from owners in smaller towns (through www.vrbo.com), but here are some suggestions in the more popular areas:

For villas in Playa del Carmen/Akumal/Tulum I second www.locogringo.com
They have a very user-friendly availability chart.

For PV we have used Charlotte at charsvillas. She is a real go-getter and will find you what you need (unless it's for this Xmas - just about everything is booked!) Her regular server is down now, but you can get to the site by going to
http://char.lavasys.com You can also email her at [email protected]
Casa Helga has a good site but I haven't actually booked through her.

For Zihuatanejo try www.donfranciscoproperties.com

There are many extravagant villas in Manzanillo in one gated community on a cliff, but we prefer beachfront and walking distance from a town.

P.S. AndrewDavid - I love Puerto Escondido - used to be my favorite beach in Mexico, but haven't been there since it evolved from a tiny town to a city. I think there are now nonstop flights from Mexico City. If you go, be careful in the ocean.

Look into Isla Mujeres too. It's a quick ferry ride from cancun. With the exception of St Johns, the places you have been to are VERY tourisity. You might even be happy with Playa. I'd call it an in-between, but I love it.