Trip report: Akumal and Tulum
 

Hi all,

Just wanted to give you a quick trip report. We stayed in Akumal for three nights and in Tulum for the remaining three. The break up was great and allowed us to see more than we would have had we stayed in one place.

We rented our car from Executive and they were quick, efficient, and very nice. Akumal turned out to be a great place and I am glad that we didn’t stay at Hotel Akumal Caribe (one of our choices but much more crowded.) Instead we stayed at Vista Del Mar, which turned out to be much more quiet and pleasant…although as most of you know swimming is almost ruled out because of the rocky bottom. We loved Akumal. Vista rooms are small but clean. The sheets occasionally had stains on them, but this was not due to dirt but they looked like stains that just won’t come off. It’s not ideal of course but the price is so reasonable that I think most could live with that.

Tulum was even better. We stayed at Posada Del Sol in their second best room. The room was gorgeous, far better than the room our friend had in Posada Margarita and the view was amazing. But the service left something to be desired for. The owners who lived at the property pretty much shut off everything after 9 or 10 and the place was dark (with no candles or lights in the walkway—these are little points but can make guests feel more welcome). Also, our water kept running out which means that going to the bathroom and showering became an issue at times.

The sheets and towels also had that orangey stain on them which I think may be due to the water, iron perhaps? But they were clean and I don’t think anyone could help that unless they bleach stuff everyday. We had electricity all around and hot water (when we had water!) The owners were very sweet and I enjoyed conversing with them everyday.

The beach was small but nice. The beach at their sister property Posada Lamar (next to Posada Margarita and Hemingway) is much better though…long stretches of white sand where you can just walk for hours. But our room looked better than what we saw at Lamar and we were in the middle of a bunch of great food options too. Guess it all depends on what you’re looking for.

I am also happy to report that we didn’t have a single lizard/gecko in any of our rooms. Iguanas, however, were plenty outside of our Tulum room, this was because we were really close to rocks. This freaked me out a lot at first but I found ways to ignore it.

We also did a little day trip to PDC and while beautiful it was too crowded for my taste. Cancun, which we did a drive through on our way back to the airport, was just too obnoxious for my taste, it was like Vegas on the beach. But again, it all depends on what you like….just wasn’t for us.

All and all, the Yucatan is really fantastic; the people were super nice everywhere and I highly recommend it.

Thanks for the great advice on this forum. Helped us out a lot. Hope this helps others too.

S

Hi sasson,

Thanks for the trip report. We've booked flights for June and we're planning on splitting our 8 night stay between Akumal and Tulum.
Can you recommend any particular restaurants in the 2 areas? Did you snorkel at any cenotes or from the shore?

In Akumal we liked La Cueva del Pescador for its great seafood and Turtle Bay Bakery & Café for breakfast try the Turtle Bay Skillet. We also had inexpensive local style breakfasts at a little place (think it’s called Lonchería) by the grocery store near the arch.

In Tulum, we liked Piedra Escondida. We had breakfast at Zahra too which was good. Posada Margarita has great pasta but they don’t give you a menu so you have no idea how much you’re paying. For $60+, I can get a much better lunch in Manhattan….so we only ate there once. We also hit some local restaurants in town and had great tacos for dinner one night for only $6.25 including drinks for two people. Right across from Posada Del sol there is a café (looks like a garage) that has good sandwiches and coffee. One of the owners likes to talk to you, and while charming the first time, we found it a little annoying the next few times and avoided it/her!

Also, while driving down, maybe stop at La Floresta in PDC (right off of HWY 307) for some shrimp tacos, good price, good food.

You’re going to have a great time wherever you eat.

We didn’t go snorkeling. We meant to but never made it. There’s a place in Akumal called Yak Ku Lagoon that looked really cute…so maybe try that. There’s also a couple of cenotes that our guidebook recommended (Moon Handbook which proved really useful. We also got the rough guide but it was pretty useless for Akumal)

Thanks so much. We'll need lunch on the drive down so La Floresta sounds good.

Great report, sasson!!

So...Akumal Caribe was really crowded? That's good to know; so many people like it - but I think it's be too much for us.

hi sasson, thanks for the fun trip report. i have traveled once to this area and can't wait to go back.
highflyer - on tulum beach we enjoyed lunch at le mezzanine. open air, beachfront with great view. dandy mojitos and a salad with pine nuts and bleu cheese that's just excellent.
in akumal we liked lol-ha, also directly on the beach. you can swim while you wait for your order. also, had great appetizers and drinks at a really fun spot called la buena vida. also on beach - they have a couple mini tree houses you can climb into and have your cocktails.
yal-ku lagoon is a wonderful spot to snorkel. the day we went the water was crystal clear. the fish are huge. we also enjoyed xel-ha eco-water park immensely. we stayed on tankah bay beach and the snorkeling there was quite good.
for cenotes you could go to hidden worlds.
for general info on the area be sure to check out www.locogringo.com if you type cenote into their search box you'll get a plethora of info.

Hi Pepper,

we were really torn b/w Akumal Caribe and Vista and randomly picked Vista. What a relief. Akumal Caribe was just wayyy too much for our taste. In a few minutes I was ready to leave.

Also, even though the beach is swimmable and pleasant, it's filled with boats, so it's not super pretty to look at. Akumal is great though.

S

I agree...all those boats are a real bummer. I'm guessing it doesn't bother people.

virginia, thanks for the additional information. We think we will probably stay at a condo at Vista Del Mar for 4 nights and somewhere in Tulum for the other 4 nights.... any suggestions?
We're a family of four and would prefer beachfront

highflyer -

My fave place to stay is La Conchita - they have a 2 level room that's ideal for families. But they only accept over 5 or 6 yrs old.

highflyer,

Place we stayed at, Posada del sol, also had 2 level rooms (one of them is ocean view, right behind our room) with two queen beds in it. It's almost next to La Conchita, so same beach, although the service may be better at La conchita, dunno).

Posada Margaritta also has family suites but they are rather pricy. The beach does rule however. Also look at Posada Lamar, I saw families with kids there when I visited. If you look on the net, they have rooms with two double beds. And their beach (same as Margaritta outwins the La Conchita and Posada Del Sol).

S

Thanks pepper... I was looking at La Conchita. (My kids are 16 and 10)
I think we can survive without AC in June for 3 or 4 nights!

Thanks for the info sasson. I'll check out your recs.

Hi Sasson,

Thanks for the great posting! My husband and I are deciding between Akumal and Tulum for our trip in December, and the two places we are deciding between are the Vista del Mar and Posada de Luna Sur.

My husband loves the idea of staying on the beach (not to swim, just to enjoy the sounds, etc.) but I am concerned about geckos and other insects in our room at the Vista del Mar. (One or two people on TripAdvisor mentioned cockroaches and lots of insects.)

In terms of towns- did you prefer Tulum over Akumal? If so- why?

Thanks for any/all help!

-Donna

ddb -

Posada Luna del Sur is in the pueblo and NOT ON THE BEACH. It's a 10 minute ride to the beach - make sure you know this.

Nowhere will be immune from critters - it's jungle-y in this area and there are critters.

Basically Tulum beach is like a bohemian village with vistors from all over the world.
Akumal is more Americanized with condos.