This is my first trip report for Fodor’s, and it is very overdue. I’m not great at keeping a travel journal on vacation, so this is a summary rather than a daily account. I wanted to get it posted this month, because people may be starting to plan their winter vacations and the info could be useful.

We traveled to the Riviera Maya over the 2007 holidays, arriving on Dec. 19 and departing Dec. 30. We were pleasantly surprised by the Cancun airport. Although we had been prepared for chaos based on some postings, it is a very new and nice airport, and navigating past the people selling tours on the way out was not difficult. We used Cancun Valet to get us to Akumal, which was our base for the entire trip. Cancun Valet was very professional and delivered us to our condo in the dark with little difficulty.

We stayed at La Bahia condo #2 in Akumal, which is about 80 minutes from Cancun and 25 minutes from Tulum. The condo itself was nice, at beach level on Half-Moon Bay, and probably one of the best floor plans we’ve seen on a beach vacation, with 2 bedrooms, 2 baths and a spacious living area. This was good, because we were vacationing with 4 other families; we were able to socialize with our friends quite comfortably in our condo. The only negative on our condo was its nearness to where staff congregated, which made for some early awakenings and probably wasn’t the quietest spot.

We generally had good service in the Akumal area (one major blip on Christmas Day when a restaurant basically forgot or ignored the special plans we’d make with them for the group) and good food in Akumal, Tulum and Chichen Itza, the 3 places we visited during the vacation. Residents of Quintana Roo are nice, if a bit reserved, and one night we had a wonderful Mayan meal, prepared by a local cook through www.locogringo.com. Although the Mexican grocery stores were a little challenging when it came to staples and produce, we thought the quality of the eggs, chicken, seafood and poultry was quite good. Fresh milk is almost nonexistent, so you have to buy it boxed, but we used what was available every day on cereal and it was fine.

Half-Moon Bay is a good place for snorkeling (not so good for swimming because it is shallow and has a lot of coral). You will find all kinds of fish, turtles, rays and great sponge and coral formations. From our patio, it was fun to watch the pelicans diving for fish, the evening and morning skies changing and the surf coming in and out.

Akumal is small and has a quaint little downtown. The main beach is pretty and appropriate for families with small children. For us and the other families traveling with us, Half-Moon Bay worked fine because we all had teenagers who walked together to the main beach and shops, and we liked the quiet atmosphere away from the bustle of the main beach. Akumal generally felt safe, but there are quite a few people coming and going from the area so it’s good to be aware of your surroundings; I generally felt the kids should stay in groups. Our favorite restaurants in Akumal were Que Onda near Yal-Ku Lagoon (great easy snorkeling) and Turtle Bay Bakery and Café downtown. We also loved the ceviche at the Paraiso Hotel beach bar on the beach in Tulum.

Not far down the highway from Akumal, Tulum is a lovely beach for playing in the surf and swimming. And the Mayan ruins at Tulum are interesting and in an amazing oceanfront setting.

I traveled with one of the families for a day trip to Chichen Itza. We ate a very nice brunch at Mayaland, a beautiful resort adjacent to the ruins and hired a guide to take us through the ruins. This was a highlight of the trip. It is hot there all the time; bring a hat, wear sunscreen and drink a lot of water.

This was our first trip to Mexico after many years of traveling to Hawaii, and we learned quickly that we needed to adjust our thinking a bit to enjoy our vacation. There is a “gouge the tourist” attitude among some residents, but others are incredibly nice. The garbage along the sides of the road and even on some areas of the beach at Half-Moon Bay, which is a snorkeling delight, is a bit disturbing. Akumal has problems with its septic systems, so during the busy season the odor coming from behind the condos is not great. And it’s not uncommon to have to go through military checkpoints when driving along the Mayan Riviera. I suppose people traveling from other parts of the world might find the police presence and overflowing garbage cans in New York City not so appealing either.

Although we stayed 11 nights, I think 9 would have been sufficient to enjoy the area. Our experience in the Cancun airport on the way back was a little more hectic (slow lines), but still not that difficult. We used Caribbean Rent a Car (known as American Rent a Car when you get there), which offered a great rate for a small SUV and had no problems with the company really…except they don’t fill your tank with gas when you pick the car up and forgot to mention that to us. It was an inconvenient but not insurmountable surprise after having bought groceries in Playa del Carmen.

Since we live on the West Coast and Hawaii is convenient to us, I can’t envision making this trip again. That said, if you can see past some of the issues described above and are an easygoing traveler, the Riviera Maya combines a relaxing beach vacation with easy access to top-notch cultural attractions at Tulum, Chichen Itza and Coba. Other members of our vacation group enjoyed cenote snorkeling, a day trip of diving in Cozumel and kite-surfing at Tulum, so area activities meet a lot of varied individual needs.

Sounds like you had a wonderful time. Thanks for taking the time to do a trip report.

Thanks for the report!!

MY

I have to make a comment on your "gouge the tourist" comment. I live here in MX part of the year. Yes, it is lovely but it is different from living in the U.S. The way people address each other and speak to each other is different depending on the situation. Here's an observation I had yesterday while walking with a friend after lunch in Playa. A young man was trying to talk to a police officer about a problem he had at the pharmacy. It seems he was trying to return a prescription medication that he had purchased. My friend and I offered to help and off we went to the pharmacy to see if he could return his purchase as he said it was the wrong prescription. While there, and having my friend translate to the cashier the young man spoke quite rudely about the cashier and her inability to make a refund on a prescription med. He assumed she didn't speak English and continued to make rude remarks. After a few minutes he then said he wanted to return it because he had found the same prescription at another pharmacy for a lower price. So, since he decided to be rude to the staff and then lie to us we left him there to his own devices.
So, I'm glad you had a good trip and saw the sights. It's not Hawaii for sure. People do try to get what they can sometimes but the tourist is also often an interesting encounter also.

Thanks for taking the time to post!

I understand that some tourists can be very rude and we work hard at being extra polite and friendly with locals. In our case it was gas station employees who deliberately distracted us while others changed the amount on the pump. We realized we had been cheated about 30 seconds after we pulled out of the station. Two other families were stopped by highway police for speeding, but they were not speeding.

As a contrast, we received help from an Akumal policeman with finding our son, and we had nothing but the nicest experiences with people in restaurants and other tourist sites.

Yes, the gas station scams and the police tickets are unfortunately something that happens to those not prepared with that knowledge. It's not fun and one of the things that I least like dealing with.

I'd love to hear more about your snorkeling at Half Moon Bay...this is a place we want to check out. How did coral and fish compare with other places you've been? Where did you get in? Was current a challenge or was this pretty sheltered? Any other tips or sightings would be welcome!!! Got any photos??!!

Snorkelluven

I'll try to help you. We stayed in Half-Moon Bay 2 years ago and thought the snorkeling was great. The water is very shallow for a long ways out. There is a break in the reef right in the middle of the bay and even though I am a very strong swimmer, I could always notice a current in that area. Just stay to the left side and right side of the bay if you are not a strong swimmer.

I thought the best snorkeling was to the left (facing the ocean) as it is deeper with more coral. You can just jump in from the shore (which is a little rocky, but nothing horrible). We saw all types of fish and tons of turtles.

Right next door (5 minute walk) is Yal Kul Lagoon which, even though it's a little developed, it was a wonderful place to snorkel and hang out. Tons of every type of fish and sea life. I came face to face with the biggest ray I've ever seen. We've snorkeled at many places in Hawaii and Half Moon Bay and Yal Kul are just as great.