alliegator

So it's our tenth anniversary this August and we were kicking around the idea of taking a cruise to Mexico. We are still not sold on this idea and I'm thinking of maybe just flying there directly.

We are looking to snorkel, see the ruins and bum around the beach.

I'd like good sandy bottom snorkeling with colorful fish. Not opposed to excursions close off shore or taking tour small tour groups.

Also, I'm concerend about safety and not getting sick from the food or water. I know these might not be major concerns in this area..but never the less it is a concern.

Where would be a good place to start looking for us? Not thrilled about an all inclusive but not opposed either.

I hope all the Maya experts can provide some input? I have been searching through the threads but it seems to be overwhelming. Confused between Cozumel, Cancun and Playa Del Carmen...or none of the above.

beachbum2

Playa del Carmen is wonderful. I would not worry too much about food/water issues. The water is filtered in most hotels. Just use common sense and take acidopholis while there if you are worried. I haven't been sick. We are headed to Ceiba del mar in a few weeks which is Perto Morelos (just south of Cancun) I can let you know how it is. It gets amazing reviews on TA. There is so much to do in Mexico. I love it. We are planning 3 trips this year...Ceiba del Mar, Ixchel Beach on Isla Mujeres and Playa del Carmen (hotel still undetermined, but would not mind the Royal again)

pepper131

If you stay in a hotel, how much per night?
Do you want an all-inclusive or a small hotel?
Is air conditioning a must?

Couple of things to note:
Everyone uses purified water - they don't want to make you sick; they like your return business.
Best snorkling is in areas that are rock-y, coral-y and seagrass-y...that where the fish hang out.

Start by looking through the listing on differentworld.com. They have a nicely editted list of non-AI hotels.

alliegator

I would say no more then $175/night for a hotel. A/C in August is a must and would like somewhere with a nice beach to swim at.

I don't mind rocky/coral bottoms, i'm just not a fan of a ton of sea grass. We were in Grand Cayman and I didn't care for one area that had a slippy, rocky sea grass bottom as you entered from the shore. Not sure if that is how the Mexican snorkel areas are?

All inclusive is not my first choice. If the restaurants are pretty safe in terms of food prep, then we are fine going out and can do without an AI.

How about renting condo's and cooking? How are the grocery stores?

Thanks for your help!

pepper131

You might like Akumal - Akumal Bay in particular. There's one hotel - Hotel Caribe (I think it's called) and nice condos called Las Casitas. Around these areas, there's is a sandy entrance and lots of snorkling...some people take snorkle boats out, so you will see boats in the bay.

More condos on Half Moon Bay in Akumal. I hear the entrance can be rocky here.
Or look for a place on Yalku Lagoon in Akumal. It's more like a giant rocky inlet, no beach.

Restaurants in this area are very good and very clean. I wouldn't question eating there. Remember...often what makes one sick is not the food, but too much alcohol, too much sun, not enough water, not washing hands before eating, etc.

jaydreb5

I would second the Akumal suggestion. Good snorkeling in that area and Akumal is well situated for visits to ruins at Tulum and Coba.

alliegator

Thanks for the responses and giving me some sort of direction. I was looking on VRBO.com and there are tons of nice condos around and for reasonable prices.

Do you all rent cars while down there or rely on taxis? Do taxis cost much money and are they reliable?

pepper131

We rent cars.
A taxi from the airport to Akumal would be about $75 one way.
Akumal to Playa del Carmen about $30-40.
You get the idea...if you want to get out and about - rent a car!!

jaydreb5

We rented a car because we like to have the freedom to travel when and where we want. Driving is pretty simple as there is only one main road.

alliegator

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. After doing a bit more research, I think I may try and find a condo in Akumal, as the snorkeling seems great there and it is close to the ruins. I figured Playa is close enough to drive to one day to shop. I found some great places to stay there but they were near the ferry dock. My experience is that I don't want to swim near a bunch of ferry's that are likely to have pollutants. Maybe I'm wrong!

Now here are some more questions? Are there boat excursions that leave from Akumal that can take you to Cozumel to snorkel the reefs around there? Or will we have to drive to Playa or even ferry over to Cozumel?

Also, I'm looking at many different condos. Some on Half Moon Bay and some furtur south on Akumal beach itself. Can fodorites give info about experiences with these two areas. Locogringo has a pretty good aerial, so I can see which have beaches and which are rocky. But if anyone has a favorite condo, please advise.

Thanks!

jamie99

Hi alliegator,

We are going back for about 6th or 7th time this May to Hotel Akumal Caribe, which we booked through Locogringo (they live down there). We almost went with Hacienda de Las Tortugas condo this time, but came back to the hotel for the main reason, location, location!

Lots of good condos down there, Playa Caribe gets good reviews, as does Las Casitas (although they do not have a pool at Las Casitas) and Vista del Mar and La Sirena also looked good to me.

Great snorkeling off main Akumal Bay, you'll almost for sure see turtles and they might be hatching when you are there. You'll probably need water shoes in HMB due to coral and ironstone.

schmerl

For lots of good information on the Akuimal area, go to this site:

http://www.locogringo.com/forums/default.asp

alliegator

Thanks Jamie and Pepper...I should have looked closer at my own post as I saw pepper gave a ton of condo advice too.

alliegator

Thanks for everyones help! We booked a condo down in Akumal. I believe we will be happier down there.