LikeablePerson

There are a lot of all inclusive hotels on offer in Riviera Maya Is this a town or an area. Are there any shops or public transport here. Any feedback about Riviera Maya will be appreciated.Thank You

hopefulist

Riviera Maya is a long stretch of coastline mainly south of Cancún. Public transport is pretty decent and there are lots of communities of various sizes with shops.

My photos with blog links on the main page of each collection are below in case you're interested - all my recommendations are embedded there.
Happy trails!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections

schmerl

The Riviera Maya, sometimes also referred to as the Mayan Riviera, is the coastal area that runs from Cancun to the beach town of Tulum. There are several towns along the Riviera Maya...Cancun, Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Aventuras, Akumal, and Tulum.
If you tell us what you are looking for we could suggest an area.

jamie99

It's an area from south of Cancun to Tulum. Schmerl has listed most of the towns although there are a few other small places like Tankah and Soliman Bay and Xpu-Ha beaches which are very difficult without a car.
The ADO first class buses run along the highway between Cancun (airport and downtown) to Playa del Carmen and Tulum pueblo with a short stop at Puerto Morelos. They do not stop in intermediate places such as Akumal. Second class buses will stop everywhere on the highway but take a long time, are not listed online and do not have onboard restrooms.
What are you looking for, AI, non-AI, condo, etc.

zootsi

The Riviera Maya takes in about 100 miles - there are all kinds of AI's, towns and beaches. The locogringo.com website has lots of good info on the whole area.

LikeablePerson

We have now booked to stay at the H10 Ocean Mayo Royale (adult only) in Riviera Maya at the end of March. So any information about public transport near the hotel or anywhere shops bars etc within walking distance will be appreciated. Also how much are Taxis say to Playa Del Carmen if there is no Public Transport.Thank You

schmerl

According to your hotel's website it is 11.2 km or just under 7 miles from Playa del Carmen.
You can contact the hotel to see if they run a shuttle to town.

jamie99

That hotel is actually closer to Puerto Morelos than to Playa del Carmen. I did not see anything on their website about a shuttle to either town but you can ask. Your best bet is probably a taxi to either town. Some of the hotels in the PoMo area are a fair hike to the highway.

kja

IME, the Moon Guide provides excellent coverage of the area.

hopefulist

We love these easy to take along map/guides, too: http://www.mapchick.com/

madlena0104

I personally loved Tulum! I found it really magnificent! Be careful with the algae season. Does anybody know how it works? Because apparently there are certain periods that are better to be avoided but then, I spoke to the locals and they told us that the season for the algae is more or less always, that they never know when it's gonna hit. That was very disappointing since I was expecting the beautiful colors and clean sea.

justineparis

Its not really algae, its sargassum.. a type of seaweed.. and it is impossible to predict.. we have literally been there when its heavy one day.. and gone the next. If floats in when it pleases ..

It hasn't stopped us enjoying our visits., . as we have yet to have it present every day of our holiday.

I love the Mayan Riveria .. we use the Collectivos mostly .. which are the public buses.. like extended vans really. Cheap, clean, and air conditioned.

livetotravel66

There are mini buses that run from Cancun to Tulum and stop in all the little towns. Super quick and cheap.

theviruzware

I think there is almost no public transportation or it is very difficult to move like this, most rent a car or use some transportation service.

jamie99

The minibuses are called "colectivos" and there is one set that travels from Cancun downtown (not Hotel Zone) to Playa del Carmen and a second set that travels from PDC to Tulum pueblo (not the beach road). Normally they will not allow any luggage larger than a daypack or something that will fit on your lap.
Normally I rent a car or use private transfer or a combo of both.

kja

IMO, collectivos are an absolutely and irreplaceably wonderful way to gain insight into local culture! I use them whenever I can.

Christina

The problem is there isn't any little town close to that hotel so even if you hiked out to the main autoroute, I doubt if tghere is a stop nearby becuase there is no town there. There are not real;ly restaurants to walk to, either (except maybe one). YOU can look on Google maps and see. Those AI hotels in that area are really just down long winding roads by themself. I suspect you'll have to depend on the hotel calling a taxi or something, you shouldn't even book a place like that unless you are sure you really want to eat there, if you don't have a car, anyway.

schmerl

Their hotel is only about 7 miles from the town of Playa del Carmen. It should NOT be a problem finding transportation for such a short distance.

parsonspattie

the best way you can check out that sort of thing without a person lying to you or advertising you is by looking at trip advisor.

kja

I know of no reason to assume the one will get better advice on tripadvisor than here on Fodor's. Some people who respond to questions on each site offer expert local advice; some people on each provide inaccurate information (whether intentionally or not).