Never been to mexico, but really want to do the whale shark thing next summer. I need to know if we should stay the whole time on Isla or travel from there to somewhere else QUIET not resortish, but we are AVID snorkelers!!!!!!!! HELP and how do we go from one place to another???

What do you mean by 'the whole time'? You don't say how long you're staying.You can certainly rent a lovely house or room away from the hustle of Norte Beach and it would be very QUIET. There is a park nearby for snorkling, and you can hire boats to take you to other spots. As for getting from one place to another, you take a ferry from Cancun to and from Isla. In Cancun you can rent a car to get to other spots in Mexico. In Playa Del Carmen, (about an hour from Cancun) you can take a ferry to Cozumel which also offers excellent snorkling. Hope this helps.

Besides Isla Mujeres, you can head south down through Playa del Carmen on to Akumal and Tulum. It's quiet down that way with good snorkeling. You can get there by: ferry (to get off Isla) the either renting a car, arranging a private driver, using shuttles, or public transporation (bus).

Thanks for the replies, they did help. And, by whole time I mean maybe 10 days. I did not know if there was enough to do on Isla for 10 days. Since there is not really good snorkeling,i had thought we would do 4 days there and maybe 4 or 5 somewhere else. that gives me a good place to start though, thanks!!

I like to split my time between Akumal and Isla Mujeres, but was not able to get to Isla this year due to time and money constraints. Plenty of places to stay there in all price ranges. I also would not call Isla "resortish" at all. Have a great trip.

how far is it to Akumal and Isla? Are they easy to get back and forth to??

Isla Mujeres is an island you get to by ferry to from Cancun.

Akumal is south from Cancun (you'd rent a car or take a bus or hire a driver) down the coast. I've never done it, but looks to be approx. 90 miles on the map. The island of Cozumel (situated out from Akumal) is another place you might want to consider.