Hi,<BR> My husband and I and another couple are thinking of going to Belize or Mexico. We want to split the week between going to ruins and time snorkling. We have never been to Belize so we thought we would be adventureous and try this country. Any ideas would be great. Thanks

Hi - We too were looking for ruins and snorkeling and after much research, we decided on Playa Del Carmen or Tulum......lots of ruins and great snorkeling either there or nearby. We are going in February.

Belize could be a great choice. It has some of the best snorkeling in the hemisphere, and ruins -- while not as spectacular as Tikal and Copan -- are far less touristy than those visited by daytrippers from Cancun.<BR><BR>The Yucatan has some great areas, too, although in recent years the Tulum-Cancun corridor and even points south on the coast have seen intensive development. Seems like there's a McDonald's everywhere you look. (There are no McDonald's and few other American-style franchises in Belize, happily.)<BR><BR>--Lan Sluder<BR>San Pedro Cool, Belize Adapter Kit, Fodor's Belize & Guatemala, Belize First Guide to Mainland Belize

If you are looking for ruins, snorkeling, lots of culture, few crowds, and a low-key, relaxing vacation go to Belize. <BR>If you are looking for ruins, snorkeling, all-inclusives, American fast food, and lots of people (everywhere!) go to Playa or Tulum. <BR><BR>Been to both, and I prefer Belize. Last time I was in Playa was 1997, and it was too built up for me then.

Hi, <BR> Thanks for your replies. Belize sounds more like the place we would like to go. Any ideas of where to stay for snorkeling and then for the ruins. Just starting to investigate a trip. Thanks.

A few interesting sites for travel to the Tankah/Tulum area, great location not only for snorkeling and ruins, but also cenotes and biosphere.<BR><BR>http://CasaTropical.com<BR>Casa Tropical Tankah... Romantic, Mayan Riviera, beachfront villa, located on privately owned, 1/2 acre lot. Located in Tankah, Mexico, a 1 hour drive south of Cancun airport, 3 miles north of the Tulum ruins, with other major archaeological sites within driving distance. Great views with barrier reef just offshore, and Manatee Cenote up the beach for diving, snorkeling or swimming, jungle style. Two guests quarters with kitchenettes, private patios, maid, gardener, manager. Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve is just south of Tankah and Tulum.<BR><BR>Weather Base (past weather history, temps, rainfall, etc.)<BR>http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=509567&refer=<BR><BR>Hidden Worlds snorkel & dive tours of cenotes<BR>http://hiddenworlds.com.mx/<BR><BR>Aktun Chen <BR>www.aktunchen.com<BR><BR>Maps of Riviera Maya Can-do Maps <BR>http://WWW.cancunmap.com/<BR><BR> Check out this web site for tours lead by the Friends of Sian Ka'an group. It is a non-profit organization and tour guides are usually biologists. Very informative tours lead by a very worthwhile organization. <BR>Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve<BR>http://www.cancun.com/siankaan/<BR><BR>photo of tankah's cenote'<BR>http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian/issues98/apr98/diver_jpg.html<BR>

For snorkeling, I would recommend going to Ambergris Caye or Caye Caulker. Both have lots of hotel choices with different ranges of amenities - condos with full kitchens to budget hotels with shared bath. Snorkeling is a short boat ride away. If you prefer to snorkel from shore you could go to one off the more remote cayes, but I have no experience with lodging there.<BR><BR>For ruins, I would recommend the Cayo region if you want to visit Tikal (in Guatemala) or Caracol. Again, lots of choices in that region. There are also several smaller ruins to visit in the area. You could also stay right at Lamanai at the lodge there - that's only one ruin but a great place to stay. All of the hotels on Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker run day trips to the ruins too, if you want to stay in one place, however I recommend seeing the Cayo region.<BR><BR>Or you could pick one mainland spot to stay, like Hopkins or Placencia, and take snorkel trips and excursions to the ruins from there.<BR><BR>You have lots of options - I would suggest getting a good guide book and surfing the web a bit. The Fodor's Guide is good and has info on Tikal also (there's a plug for Lan) and the "Belize Handbook" and "Belize Guide" are two other books I've used.