Trip Report: Puerto Morelos, QR (Villas Clarita), March 2011
Mar 28th, 2011, 08:34 AM
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Trip Report: Puerto Morelos, QR (Villas Clarita), March 2011
My partner and I traveled to the area for the first time for eight days (March 11 to March 19). It was also our first trip to Mexico. Our last four trips out of the country have been to Costa Rica; we love it there and will return, but for this trip, we wanted something a bit less involved in terms of logistics – and we were really needing a relatively straight-forward beach trip. We had planned on staying in Playa, but as usual I switched everything around a couple of months before leaving (I always do this, it seems!), and I’m very glad we made the switch.
I had originally looked at Puerto Morelos, but for some reason I couldn’t get a grasp on the layout of the town. We generally like to base ourselves in walkable towns so we don’t have to have a car or rely on transportation. For some reason, PM didn’t seem to offer what I was looking for on my first look. After booking in Playa and then having concerns that it might be too busy (during March) for us, I took a closer look at PM. This time, for whatever reason, I was able to find maps, use Google Earth, etc. to convince myself it was walkable, pleasant, nice beaches and water, etc. One of the most useful maps I found was on the Viva Puerto Morelos website (http://vivapuertomorelos.com/).
Besides it’s small size, slow pace, and low-key profile, I was also drawn to PM because of the nearby botanical garden (I love seeing monkeys in the wild), by the prospect of snorkeling for the first time, and the fact that the town is surrounded by so much green on Google Earth. Somewhat odd reasons maybe, but there you have it.
Villas Clarita
We booked our entire eight nights at Villas Clarita (http://www.villasclaritamexico.com/). Cabanas Puerto Morelos was my first choice, but they didn’t have a room on an upper floor available. I don’t even remember now how I stumbled upon Villas Clarita and even though they do not have an entry here on Trip Advisor, I was able to track down some previous guests by searching on Flickr and Picasa and got some great feedback. We’re so glad we stayed here; it’s a special place, that’s for sure. Though a bit more worn in places than it looks in some photos, we found it to be a very charming place with a lot of character. It’s a relatively large walled property – possibly a combination of two previously separate properties? – with tons of places to sit and relax. It’s weathered a few hurricanes, and its few signs of age became indications of strength and survival for us. It reminded us a movie set in some ways, with tons of statues, figures, plaques and other unique items all over the property; we noticed new things every day. Just really beautiful. It’s managed (and owned?) by the friendly, sociable and very funny Johnny. In fact, everyone in town seems to know VC better as ‘Johnny’s Place’.
We stayed in an incredibly spacious one bedroom apartment on the 2nd floor, with one king size bed and one single bed in the bedroom, two amazing balconies, a working kitchen, huge dining table, couch, big closet, big dresser, tv in the bedroom. The balcony in the back, overlooking the yard, was truly a peaceful sanctuary with a huge almond tree and a palm tree providing privacy. I fell in love with that almond tree. The small balcony off the bedroom faces the street and the ocean and allowed for an amazing breeze.
A basic but good breakfast was provided every morning in the courtyard by the pool: coffee, granola, yogurt, mixed pastries, orange juice (fresh-squeezed by hand every morning – thank you, Fabiola!) and a big basked of fruit. Free wi-fi was provided (which I could only pick up from the courtyard with my iPod, but that was fine). The pool is gorgeous, but it was a bit nippy at this time of year (though I did get in one afternoon and had a nice little swim). Three or four hammocks on the grounds, and a nice swing. We received daily housekeeping (except on Sunday).
The walk to the town square was less than 10 minutes, and the beach was ½ block away. Around the corner there were two mini supers, and you can enter the property either from Av Niños Héroes or Av Javier Rojo Gómez.
The only two things that took some getting used to were the bed – it was very, very, very firm – and the fact that that morning sun floods the bedroom by 7 am every morning. I basically got used to the bed after a couple of nights, and we were going to bed early every night, so the early rise was fine – and who can complain about the sun on a beach vacation?! Though, to be honest, I would prefer to have a more comfortable bed for a week-long stay, neither of these things would keep me from staying there again. The positives far outweighed the mild negatives.
Here are my photos of Villas Clarita: http://bit.ly/i3wSAH
Puerto Morelos
In short we LOVED Puerto Morelos. It was the perfect choice for us for this trip. It’s the slow, easy, safe, walkable, beachside town we were hoping for. In fact, the water and beach were much nicer than I was expecting. Once the sun is out, the ocean water is magnificently clear and inviting. I had read that it was murky, but that wasn’t our experience at all. It was beautiful and gentle and just perfect for floating and playing in. I go to the ocean to be in the water, and it was just so nice to be able to do that. In fact, I usually look for beaches that are described as “child friendly” – because I just want to float around in the water and not have to worry about rip tides, etc. The reef offshore ensures gentle water. The water temperature (at this time of year) was not as warm as I was expecting, but we got used to it within a minute of getting in. It was still way warmer than the water on Long Island in August!
The air temperature was in the low to mid-80s every day (with low humidity), and it got down to the low to mid-60s at night (and very, very windy at night). We definitely got chilly in the middle of the night and had to close the balcony door. It was sunny to partly cloudy every day; not a drop of rain in the eight days we were there. We really had the most perfect weather, and it was the escape we needed from this seemingly never-ending winter this year.
I have to give proper credit to the Alma Libre Bookstore (http://www.almalibrebooks.com/) for publishing so much helpful information on their website and for their monthly newsletters; this helped in planning and knowing what to expect a lot. In fact, that was the first place we stopped in after walking into town that first afternoon – and I have to give a huge shout out to Daphne at the bookstore. We saw her several more times over the week, and her advice and smile and attitude made the trip for us. Thank you, Daphne! She gave us one of the local tourist maps (that we also saw in other businesses around town) and turned us on to the “boardwalk” through the mangroves behind Ceiba del Mar. I wouldn’t have known about it otherwise, and it was a great little morning trip one day (I would recommend packing a lunch and having a little picnic in the gazebo while there). We went to the bookstore almost every day (and actually made some purchases to pay them back for the info – thanks!). It, along with the church, became a daily stop for us.
So, basically, each day consisted of getting up, eating breakfast at VC, then going to the beach for two to three hours and frolicking in the water, coming back and either making lunch or going into town for lunch, stopping in at the Casa Martin grocery store for more food (seriously, every day), exploring the town, sitting in the church, coming back to relax at VC, making or walking into town for dinner, more relaxing at VC, some reading, some tv, to bed early – get up the next morning and repeat. Sometimes, we went to the beach in the afternoon instead, but you get the idea.
Though Casa Martin is certainly bare bones in terms of grocery options, we were able to find pretty much everything we needed for the week. They also had a much better produce section than I was expecting, so that was a welcome surprise.
We had every intention of getting out of PM for a day trip or two. I really wanted to get down the coast to Muyil and to Coba – and maybe even Punta Laguna. Maybe even into Playa for an afternoon. None of that happened! We just got so comfortable, and we couldn’t muster the motivation to get on the road for a few hours.
We did make it to the Dr. Alfredo Barrera Marin Botanical Garden (http://www.ecosur.mx/jb/YaaxChe/home.html) one afternoon (a less than 10 minute, 50 peso cab ride from the town square). I really wanted to see spider monkeys (and was hoping for a tamandua sighting also). I had read the best time for monkey sightings is in the late afternoon, so we got there at around 2:45. Maybe two minutes after paying the entrance fee (100 pesos each) and entering the trail, a troop of about six or seven adult spider monkeys (with three or four babies attached) and maybe one or two juveniles came swinging by. I think we got very lucky, but it was immediate. We saw another adult with a baby later in the hike, by themselves. We also saw many iguanas and birds, and there are some small pretty ruined ruins there also. Nothing super impressive, but it will have to hold me over until next time when we will get to Cobá or Muyil. Though the rest of the hike wasn’t particularly exciting, the monkey sightings made the whole little excursion more than worth it.
We also went to the Jungle Spa (http://www.mayaecho.com/Jungle_Spa.html) one afternoon for massages. I had made the appointments a couple weeks earlier via email. The quick 50 pesos taxi ride was easy, and the hour-long massage was fantastic. Brutal but amazing! Okay, maybe not that bad, but it was definitely mostly a therapeutic massage, working on the lymphatic system and pressure points. I like these kinds of massages, but not everyone does. They do ask if you want soft, medium or hard – so ask for soft if you’re not sure, and I’m sure they can tailor it to your needs. The setting was peaceful, there was a nice breeze, and be sure to check out the products they have for sale on the tables. Thank you, Lupita!
The other little excursion we did was to take a walk one morning in Colonia, the part of town on the west side of the highway. I thought we might hire Ana Trépanier ([email protected]) for her walking tour through Colonia, but we ended up just wandering around on our own (sorry, Ana, maybe next time). We stopped in at the various produce markets, bought some fruits and veggies, and snapped some photos of some of the great signage. We didn’t eat because we weren’t hungry, but there were a couple of appealing looking places. Thanks again to Alma Libre for their info on walking around Colonia.
I also took a snorkeling trip one morning by myself. I went to the pier and hired someone through one of the vendors on the east side of the town square (in front of La Aldea café); can’t remember the name of the company. Since I was alone and no one else was ready to go, I ended up paying for two people. I know I could’ve done much better, and I didn’t try to haggle the price down – but I was really fine with the situation. I got a private snorkeling trip with Alberto, and it was great. It was my first time snorkeling, and it was really fun. Saw all kinds of tropical fish, several schools – and a barracuda. That was fun! The water was so clear and it was just such a nice experience.
Restaurants we tried:
• Dona Triny’s (I would try it again – it gets good reviews – but what we had was pretty boring and tasteless actually)
• Le Terraza (VERY good – we went twice; the vegetable samosas and chicken burritos are excellent)
• La Aldea del Mar Café (very good – we went twice; great jamaica and the guacamole is to die!)
• Cantina Habanero (really great pizza, guacamole and margaritas – we went twice; hi Heidi!)
• Hola Asia (it was really good, and I would go back again)
• Tacos.com (really, really fresh and tasty)
• Piccolinas (we didn’t go here till the last day, and I wish we had gone earlier – AMAZING!)
Here are my photos of Puerto Morelos: http://bit.ly/h0Bh5o
I’ll end with saying we had a really great time, and we will certainly be back. We will probably try staying in the north side of Playa at some point, if we ever go back during a less busy time, but I know Puerto Morelos will always be a base for us. We also hope to explore more inland areas (Valladolid & Mérida) and more southern points (Akumal, Tulum & Cobá).
One lesson learned: never fly into our out of Cancun on a Friday or – especially – Saturday in March. Oy! We flew out on Saturday, and it took two hours just to check in. We got to the airport three hours before our flight and made it to the gate about 10 minutes before boarding; it was a little frantic. It was the worst airport situation I had ever seen, and I will never do that again. I guess it’s a duh moment, but my schedule made it necessary for us to travel at this time. If we’re ever there in March again, I will definitely fly in and out on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, that’s for sure.
Oh, also, we used the ATM by the bathrooms at the airport when we landed to take out pesos and used those for the entire trip. I did take other’s advice and opened up a separate checking account with a debit card and used that during the trip, just to be safe. I’ll keep that one open and use it when I travel from now on for a little more peace of mind.
I’ll add more details if I remember anything – and feel free to ask any questions or send me a private message over on Trip Advisor (same username). Definitely go to Puerto Morelos!
I had originally looked at Puerto Morelos, but for some reason I couldn’t get a grasp on the layout of the town. We generally like to base ourselves in walkable towns so we don’t have to have a car or rely on transportation. For some reason, PM didn’t seem to offer what I was looking for on my first look. After booking in Playa and then having concerns that it might be too busy (during March) for us, I took a closer look at PM. This time, for whatever reason, I was able to find maps, use Google Earth, etc. to convince myself it was walkable, pleasant, nice beaches and water, etc. One of the most useful maps I found was on the Viva Puerto Morelos website (http://vivapuertomorelos.com/).
Besides it’s small size, slow pace, and low-key profile, I was also drawn to PM because of the nearby botanical garden (I love seeing monkeys in the wild), by the prospect of snorkeling for the first time, and the fact that the town is surrounded by so much green on Google Earth. Somewhat odd reasons maybe, but there you have it.
Villas Clarita
We booked our entire eight nights at Villas Clarita (http://www.villasclaritamexico.com/). Cabanas Puerto Morelos was my first choice, but they didn’t have a room on an upper floor available. I don’t even remember now how I stumbled upon Villas Clarita and even though they do not have an entry here on Trip Advisor, I was able to track down some previous guests by searching on Flickr and Picasa and got some great feedback. We’re so glad we stayed here; it’s a special place, that’s for sure. Though a bit more worn in places than it looks in some photos, we found it to be a very charming place with a lot of character. It’s a relatively large walled property – possibly a combination of two previously separate properties? – with tons of places to sit and relax. It’s weathered a few hurricanes, and its few signs of age became indications of strength and survival for us. It reminded us a movie set in some ways, with tons of statues, figures, plaques and other unique items all over the property; we noticed new things every day. Just really beautiful. It’s managed (and owned?) by the friendly, sociable and very funny Johnny. In fact, everyone in town seems to know VC better as ‘Johnny’s Place’.
We stayed in an incredibly spacious one bedroom apartment on the 2nd floor, with one king size bed and one single bed in the bedroom, two amazing balconies, a working kitchen, huge dining table, couch, big closet, big dresser, tv in the bedroom. The balcony in the back, overlooking the yard, was truly a peaceful sanctuary with a huge almond tree and a palm tree providing privacy. I fell in love with that almond tree. The small balcony off the bedroom faces the street and the ocean and allowed for an amazing breeze.
A basic but good breakfast was provided every morning in the courtyard by the pool: coffee, granola, yogurt, mixed pastries, orange juice (fresh-squeezed by hand every morning – thank you, Fabiola!) and a big basked of fruit. Free wi-fi was provided (which I could only pick up from the courtyard with my iPod, but that was fine). The pool is gorgeous, but it was a bit nippy at this time of year (though I did get in one afternoon and had a nice little swim). Three or four hammocks on the grounds, and a nice swing. We received daily housekeeping (except on Sunday).
The walk to the town square was less than 10 minutes, and the beach was ½ block away. Around the corner there were two mini supers, and you can enter the property either from Av Niños Héroes or Av Javier Rojo Gómez.
The only two things that took some getting used to were the bed – it was very, very, very firm – and the fact that that morning sun floods the bedroom by 7 am every morning. I basically got used to the bed after a couple of nights, and we were going to bed early every night, so the early rise was fine – and who can complain about the sun on a beach vacation?! Though, to be honest, I would prefer to have a more comfortable bed for a week-long stay, neither of these things would keep me from staying there again. The positives far outweighed the mild negatives.
Here are my photos of Villas Clarita: http://bit.ly/i3wSAH
Puerto Morelos
In short we LOVED Puerto Morelos. It was the perfect choice for us for this trip. It’s the slow, easy, safe, walkable, beachside town we were hoping for. In fact, the water and beach were much nicer than I was expecting. Once the sun is out, the ocean water is magnificently clear and inviting. I had read that it was murky, but that wasn’t our experience at all. It was beautiful and gentle and just perfect for floating and playing in. I go to the ocean to be in the water, and it was just so nice to be able to do that. In fact, I usually look for beaches that are described as “child friendly” – because I just want to float around in the water and not have to worry about rip tides, etc. The reef offshore ensures gentle water. The water temperature (at this time of year) was not as warm as I was expecting, but we got used to it within a minute of getting in. It was still way warmer than the water on Long Island in August!
The air temperature was in the low to mid-80s every day (with low humidity), and it got down to the low to mid-60s at night (and very, very windy at night). We definitely got chilly in the middle of the night and had to close the balcony door. It was sunny to partly cloudy every day; not a drop of rain in the eight days we were there. We really had the most perfect weather, and it was the escape we needed from this seemingly never-ending winter this year.
I have to give proper credit to the Alma Libre Bookstore (http://www.almalibrebooks.com/) for publishing so much helpful information on their website and for their monthly newsletters; this helped in planning and knowing what to expect a lot. In fact, that was the first place we stopped in after walking into town that first afternoon – and I have to give a huge shout out to Daphne at the bookstore. We saw her several more times over the week, and her advice and smile and attitude made the trip for us. Thank you, Daphne! She gave us one of the local tourist maps (that we also saw in other businesses around town) and turned us on to the “boardwalk” through the mangroves behind Ceiba del Mar. I wouldn’t have known about it otherwise, and it was a great little morning trip one day (I would recommend packing a lunch and having a little picnic in the gazebo while there). We went to the bookstore almost every day (and actually made some purchases to pay them back for the info – thanks!). It, along with the church, became a daily stop for us.
So, basically, each day consisted of getting up, eating breakfast at VC, then going to the beach for two to three hours and frolicking in the water, coming back and either making lunch or going into town for lunch, stopping in at the Casa Martin grocery store for more food (seriously, every day), exploring the town, sitting in the church, coming back to relax at VC, making or walking into town for dinner, more relaxing at VC, some reading, some tv, to bed early – get up the next morning and repeat. Sometimes, we went to the beach in the afternoon instead, but you get the idea.
Though Casa Martin is certainly bare bones in terms of grocery options, we were able to find pretty much everything we needed for the week. They also had a much better produce section than I was expecting, so that was a welcome surprise.
We had every intention of getting out of PM for a day trip or two. I really wanted to get down the coast to Muyil and to Coba – and maybe even Punta Laguna. Maybe even into Playa for an afternoon. None of that happened! We just got so comfortable, and we couldn’t muster the motivation to get on the road for a few hours.
We did make it to the Dr. Alfredo Barrera Marin Botanical Garden (http://www.ecosur.mx/jb/YaaxChe/home.html) one afternoon (a less than 10 minute, 50 peso cab ride from the town square). I really wanted to see spider monkeys (and was hoping for a tamandua sighting also). I had read the best time for monkey sightings is in the late afternoon, so we got there at around 2:45. Maybe two minutes after paying the entrance fee (100 pesos each) and entering the trail, a troop of about six or seven adult spider monkeys (with three or four babies attached) and maybe one or two juveniles came swinging by. I think we got very lucky, but it was immediate. We saw another adult with a baby later in the hike, by themselves. We also saw many iguanas and birds, and there are some small pretty ruined ruins there also. Nothing super impressive, but it will have to hold me over until next time when we will get to Cobá or Muyil. Though the rest of the hike wasn’t particularly exciting, the monkey sightings made the whole little excursion more than worth it.
We also went to the Jungle Spa (http://www.mayaecho.com/Jungle_Spa.html) one afternoon for massages. I had made the appointments a couple weeks earlier via email. The quick 50 pesos taxi ride was easy, and the hour-long massage was fantastic. Brutal but amazing! Okay, maybe not that bad, but it was definitely mostly a therapeutic massage, working on the lymphatic system and pressure points. I like these kinds of massages, but not everyone does. They do ask if you want soft, medium or hard – so ask for soft if you’re not sure, and I’m sure they can tailor it to your needs. The setting was peaceful, there was a nice breeze, and be sure to check out the products they have for sale on the tables. Thank you, Lupita!
The other little excursion we did was to take a walk one morning in Colonia, the part of town on the west side of the highway. I thought we might hire Ana Trépanier ([email protected]) for her walking tour through Colonia, but we ended up just wandering around on our own (sorry, Ana, maybe next time). We stopped in at the various produce markets, bought some fruits and veggies, and snapped some photos of some of the great signage. We didn’t eat because we weren’t hungry, but there were a couple of appealing looking places. Thanks again to Alma Libre for their info on walking around Colonia.
I also took a snorkeling trip one morning by myself. I went to the pier and hired someone through one of the vendors on the east side of the town square (in front of La Aldea café); can’t remember the name of the company. Since I was alone and no one else was ready to go, I ended up paying for two people. I know I could’ve done much better, and I didn’t try to haggle the price down – but I was really fine with the situation. I got a private snorkeling trip with Alberto, and it was great. It was my first time snorkeling, and it was really fun. Saw all kinds of tropical fish, several schools – and a barracuda. That was fun! The water was so clear and it was just such a nice experience.
Restaurants we tried:
• Dona Triny’s (I would try it again – it gets good reviews – but what we had was pretty boring and tasteless actually)
• Le Terraza (VERY good – we went twice; the vegetable samosas and chicken burritos are excellent)
• La Aldea del Mar Café (very good – we went twice; great jamaica and the guacamole is to die!)
• Cantina Habanero (really great pizza, guacamole and margaritas – we went twice; hi Heidi!)
• Hola Asia (it was really good, and I would go back again)
• Tacos.com (really, really fresh and tasty)
• Piccolinas (we didn’t go here till the last day, and I wish we had gone earlier – AMAZING!)
Here are my photos of Puerto Morelos: http://bit.ly/h0Bh5o
I’ll end with saying we had a really great time, and we will certainly be back. We will probably try staying in the north side of Playa at some point, if we ever go back during a less busy time, but I know Puerto Morelos will always be a base for us. We also hope to explore more inland areas (Valladolid & Mérida) and more southern points (Akumal, Tulum & Cobá).
One lesson learned: never fly into our out of Cancun on a Friday or – especially – Saturday in March. Oy! We flew out on Saturday, and it took two hours just to check in. We got to the airport three hours before our flight and made it to the gate about 10 minutes before boarding; it was a little frantic. It was the worst airport situation I had ever seen, and I will never do that again. I guess it’s a duh moment, but my schedule made it necessary for us to travel at this time. If we’re ever there in March again, I will definitely fly in and out on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, that’s for sure.
Oh, also, we used the ATM by the bathrooms at the airport when we landed to take out pesos and used those for the entire trip. I did take other’s advice and opened up a separate checking account with a debit card and used that during the trip, just to be safe. I’ll keep that one open and use it when I travel from now on for a little more peace of mind.
I’ll add more details if I remember anything – and feel free to ask any questions or send me a private message over on Trip Advisor (same username). Definitely go to Puerto Morelos!
Mar 28th, 2011, 08:49 AM
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Wow - great report, Robert! We just visited Puerto Morelos for the day (great snorkeling trip) and thought it looked like a nice base. I know you put a lot of time into your choices - looks like you made the right one. Happy trails!
Mar 28th, 2011, 08:58 AM
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Oops -- I forgot that parentheses mess up URLs on here. Sorry about that. If it's okay, here they are:
Viva Puerto Morelos http://vivapuertomorelos.com/
Villas Clarita http://www.villasclaritamexico.com/
Alma Libre Bookstore http://www.almalibrebooks.com/
Yaax Che botanical garden http://www.ecosur.mx/jb/YaaxChe/home.html
And Tacos . com is not the one the browser takes you to!
Jungle Spa http://www.mayaecho.com/Jungle_Spa.html
Viva Puerto Morelos http://vivapuertomorelos.com/
Villas Clarita http://www.villasclaritamexico.com/
Alma Libre Bookstore http://www.almalibrebooks.com/
Yaax Che botanical garden http://www.ecosur.mx/jb/YaaxChe/home.html
And Tacos . com is not the one the browser takes you to!
Jungle Spa http://www.mayaecho.com/Jungle_Spa.html
Mar 29th, 2011, 10:08 AM
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Really enjoyed your report and pictures, Plumboy. So glad you had a good trip. Due to a change in our travel plans, we took a last minute family vacation in that area overlapping your trip. The winds were really strong all day in the days before you got there. What an ordeal for you at the airport! We traveled on Tuesdays, and had very short lines at the Cancun airport both coming and going.
Mar 29th, 2011, 11:06 AM
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Last trip we flew home from the Cancun airport the Sunday after New Years and it was a ZOO. Exactly as plumboy says, "...it took two hours just to check in. We got to the airport three hours before our flight and made it to the gate about 10 minutes before boarding; it was a little frantic". I felt bad for the people an hour behind us in the check-in line.
Mar 29th, 2011, 01:11 PM
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Actually, I notice they pull people out of the line as their flight approaches -- so maybe it actually doesn't pay to get there early?? Seems like you can just show up and then tell them your flight is leaving -- and they move you to the front. At least that's what I saw happening a lot. Of course I don't want to see anyone missing their flight, but it was sort of annoying to see people getting there late and checking in at the same time we were...
Thanks, everyone. Yeah, we did have a nice, relaxing, fun trip. Just what we needed. I just wanted to write up something mainly for future trip planners to the area; you don't see a whole lot out there about Puerto Morelos (and Villas Clarita isn't on Trip Advisor).
Thanks, everyone. Yeah, we did have a nice, relaxing, fun trip. Just what we needed. I just wanted to write up something mainly for future trip planners to the area; you don't see a whole lot out there about Puerto Morelos (and Villas Clarita isn't on Trip Advisor).
Mar 29th, 2011, 03:26 PM
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Plum, you were close to our favorite spot, Tulum and Akumal. We have about 30 trips there over the years, we started going in the early 80's. And have been yearly since. We stay for 3 weeks to 6 weeks. We truly love CR/BdC etc but it is easier for us to get to MX.
I loved your report and the pictures were fantastic, just great!
A must for your next trip....Tulum, oh that beach and funky hotels...we love it there....get there before it turns into Playa. Changes are happening ALAS
Valladolid/Ek Balam/Chichen Itza w/ a lunch or stay at Hacienda Chichen. Also we love love love Merida . We have traveled all over the area.
Get in touch w./ me if you go again, I would love to share some of our faves!
Again wonderful report and fotos, we head back for 3 weeks in Oct/Nov. Toni
I loved your report and the pictures were fantastic, just great!
A must for your next trip....Tulum, oh that beach and funky hotels...we love it there....get there before it turns into Playa. Changes are happening ALAS
Valladolid/Ek Balam/Chichen Itza w/ a lunch or stay at Hacienda Chichen. Also we love love love Merida . We have traveled all over the area.
Get in touch w./ me if you go again, I would love to share some of our faves!
Again wonderful report and fotos, we head back for 3 weeks in Oct/Nov. Toni
Mar 29th, 2011, 04:35 PM
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Yeah, I'm already spying Akumal and Tulum for maybe our next trip. Of course I'm already thinking about the next one... I would love to pick your brain sometime.
I really, really, really feel like I need to get away from the oceanside places too, to diversify. The ocean is SO appealing for me though, it's hard to not go there. Since we can only go for 7 to 9 days at a time, it makes it harder to split our time.
In addition to the Valladolid area and Merida, we're also really wanting to get to Guanajuato and Oaxaca. There's just not enough time...
I really, really, really feel like I need to get away from the oceanside places too, to diversify. The ocean is SO appealing for me though, it's hard to not go there. Since we can only go for 7 to 9 days at a time, it makes it harder to split our time.
In addition to the Valladolid area and Merida, we're also really wanting to get to Guanajuato and Oaxaca. There's just not enough time...
Mar 31st, 2011, 03:13 PM
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Plum, you will love the inland areas.
2 years ago we went to Akumal/Tulum for 6 weeks, we have traveled all over the area for years, have missed very little....but I wanted to head to Palenque and that area, we had 6 weeks after all and we have not been there...well we ended up the full 6 weeks vegging out except a few day trips! hahaah That is also priceless , getting up, snorkeling, reading, snorkeling, a dive , reading ....doing nothing.
I was surprised to see Guanajuato on your list, I have had that one on the list for a while as well as Oax, and San Migule de Allende and Chiapas....alas too little money and time
But I loved your report and feel free to pick my brain anytime
Hugs, enjoy spring if it ever comes??? Toni
2 years ago we went to Akumal/Tulum for 6 weeks, we have traveled all over the area for years, have missed very little....but I wanted to head to Palenque and that area, we had 6 weeks after all and we have not been there...well we ended up the full 6 weeks vegging out except a few day trips! hahaah That is also priceless , getting up, snorkeling, reading, snorkeling, a dive , reading ....doing nothing.
I was surprised to see Guanajuato on your list, I have had that one on the list for a while as well as Oax, and San Migule de Allende and Chiapas....alas too little money and time
But I loved your report and feel free to pick my brain anytime
Hugs, enjoy spring if it ever comes??? Toni
Apr 5th, 2011, 02:00 PM
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you put together such wonderful trips plumboy i might just save myself the angst and start copying yours. 
tossing around so many ideas right now it's making my head spin. WONDERFUL photos as always. love the colors and vibrant nature you capture. awesome. and as always, love the food pics. ;-)
tossing around so many ideas right now it's making my head spin. WONDERFUL photos as always. love the colors and vibrant nature you capture. awesome. and as always, love the food pics. ;-)
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