We are thinking of renting instead of doing the AI thing this December.If any one could give me a headsup on the do's and don'ts that would be great.This is a big step for us,would be interested on any info that would help us thanks.

Have you been to Puerto Moreles before, or are you considering it because it's cheap?

I ask because we considered it before we'd ever been down there, then decided on Tulum because of location (closer to everything we wanted to do). We loved Tulum, but weren't impressed by Puerto Morelos in the least. If we ever go back to the area, we would stay in Akumal, only because we could snorkel, then do whatever, then spend the rest of the day snorkeling.

Well, we did enjoy Puerto Morelos. We spent a week there maybe 3 or 4 years ago, and we rented a studio apartment. There were enough restaurants, beach was nice, and so on. We've stayed down in Tulum a couple of times, and that's also nice. We haven't stayed in Akumal, just gone there a couple of times for the day.

I like vrbo.com for accommodation. Some people think it's risky that you're renting directly from the owner and not going through an agency, but so far I haven't had any problems. The place we rented is called Abbey del Sol, and they had 3 apartments plus the house that they rented. Nice accommodations and it worked well for us.

We rented an apartment in Puerto Morelos, across the street from the beach, two years ago. We loved it. Puerto Morelos is a fun little town - a handful of restaurants, a long, sandy beach, a local crafts center, and a quiet, not too touristy downtown. Sorry I can't remember the name of the place we stayed, but there are many apartments just a few blocks from the town center. The one issue as far as the beach - there is virtually no shade, so you'll need to buy a beach umbrella unless the apartment has some.

zootsi do you have to have a rental car or can you do without.The reason I ask is getting groceries,water that sort of thing..... Thanks Chris

"Downtown" is a town square with several little stores in the area surrounding; if you were staying in Puerto Morelos, you could do without a car pretty easily.

We were about 5 blocks from the town center. I believe there were some small grocery stores there. We did have a car, and used it a little, but you probably could get by without one. On the other hand, it's great to have a car to explore the area.