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LOVED **ABR** + other fun stuff - 12/17/2011 12:53:25 PM
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gerber
Posts: 816
Joined: 1/22/2009
From: Alberta
Status: offline
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Well we just got back from our 6th trip to the area 3 weeks ago. All 5 other trips were at the Bahia and Palladium, but we just had to see what all the fuss was about ABR this time. We loved it! I generally write a diary of sorts each day, and I apologize, but I can be rather wordy. 
Anyhow, here's what I had to say for November 17th:
It was lovely to have a direct flight. 8:30 am - 3 pm with the hour loss of time change. The airport in CUN was a bit of a cluster. Keith's boss had arrived on the same flight the day before and had said it was insane. Yep. Huge lineups. USA Transfers were prompt, though, no worries that they'd be there waiting for us. The driver didn't speak much English but could understand enough to get us to the 7-11 for a couple road pops.
First night, point form today:
Buffet is super tasty
Can't believe how close everything is to the beach!
We walked to Lol Ha in the pitch black w flash light. Being on this bay feels so much like coming home.
Room is basic and functional maybe a half step down from the Palladium regular rooms. Surprisingly very nice.
There is a really big bathroom area that makes it much easier for 2 people to share.
The view is spectacular!!
We've never had a view like this before
It's a very small safe and won't fit an iPad
It had towels, soap, shampoo, body wash, tissue, bottle of water
Patio door lock was broken
At the lobby shop we bought "What Did I See" book and a bird book, a white ABR turtle tshirt and sunscreen. There are only 2 kinds available - 30 and 50 both biodegradable. That's awesome.
Flashlights necessary at night. Next time we go it will be turtle season and we'll have red covers but not this time.
Eating our buffet at one of the outside tables on the beach was super romantic. Where else do you get to do that - ever?? The Palladium has zero seats like that, except beach bbq once a week.
We thought the food tasted more fresh, less mass produced.
So far, we don't think we'll miss the food variety, as the quality is superb.
Who needs bacon???
It's sure easy to have too much wine when it's self serve!
In the evening there was some silly fun game with Animacion team at main bar. One of the team was from Calgary, a girl named Shy, short for Cheyenne or Cheyanne.
Here's some photos of the room, building 5, 3rd floor:
The teeny safe - fine for passports, cameras, e-readers, wallets, not a laptop or iPad:
A shower stall, no tub, but I've never taken a bath on vacation anyway - takes too much time!
That's a VIEW!
AHHHHHH!
< Message edited by gerber -- 12/19/2011 3:03:23 PM >
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RE: LOVED **ABR** + other fun stuff - 12/17/2011 1:24:31 PM
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Jamie
Posts: 2551
Joined: 3/10/2005
From: Southern California
Status: offline
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Nice pictures, thanks, waiting patiently for more
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RE: LOVED **ABR** + other fun stuff - 12/17/2011 1:35:36 PM
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gerber
Posts: 816
Joined: 1/22/2009
From: Alberta
Status: offline
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November 18, again mostly point form for now:
We had breakfast first around 9. Again we sat outside. Awesome. How could you get tired of that??
Towel game in high gear. No palapas available even though there was no one on the beach
We found chairs by big round building beside the hammocks. Turned out to be a perfect spot. Quiet
We asked the maid for facecloths second day and got them
We stole a do not disturb sign from an empty room
The room has a very large closet, but only 5 hangers.
There were way more little bugs (ants?) here than we've ever had in a room.
Air conditioning works fine - sometimes a bit high. Bed is hard-ish, but no problems with sleeping
The white room is a bit bland, but at least while it's new, it seems fresh
We found a stick the first day to lock the patio door, worked well
Yes, the room has a flat screen tv but we'll never turn it on
We went to Chomak - Kahulua 175 pesos (At Pueblito it was 220)
Dive center in Akumal was very against night dives. Bothers the turtles. Wouldn't even suggest a place I could do it. Went further north to the dive shop and they were helpful. $40 for an hour, starting at 5:15 (it's pitch black at 5:30, book the morning you want to go. They also seemed to be the place to go for booking a car rental. Front desk at ABR also said we had to go into Akumal for rental.
I snorkeled twice today. First time I saw the usual suspects plus a large ray that I think must have been a Yellow Stingray as it was too round to be a Southern stingray. It didn't have the markings of a yellow stingray, though, and one book suggests it's a Caribbean Whiptail.
Second trip I went out further, saw a good 4+ foot barracuda, which just floated sideways to me at the surface till it moved on, 3 large reef squid and just as my camera died I saw a spotted Eagle Ray near shore. That was a first for me. I followed it a bit, but as it did a little turn towards me, I kinda freaked and stopped following. That was cool. Pictures of everything seemed to be better than most days I've been out.
Keith got super burnt today and I wasn't feeling well by the evening. Still had a great meal at the Italian a la carte and went wandering around the resort after dinner. Seafood salad, gnocchi and main course. Veggies done perfectly. Steak a little chewy, but way better than steaks at the Palladium which was much thinner.
No free wifi in the lobby (I thot there was...) but one computer was in use. We didn't wait long at 9 pm to check email, though.
Some land photos:
Outside tables where we've had some meals:
Look at that view!
First course salad at the Italian a la Carte:
Gnocci:
Main courses:
Dessert:
Ok, and who stays in this room? It's on top of building 5, like a fourth floor:
Underwater shots today:
Curios reef squid:
Interesting coral:
Schoolmaster:
Doctorfish:
Yellowtail Damsel - juvenile. I've never got a really good one of these guys, they're fast!
Four-eyed Butterfly:
Not very good pics of the barracuda:
Caribbean Whiptail? Notice how completely round:
Spotfin Butterflies:
I like this little guy:
Not really sure what this guy is, and I didn't get much of a picture. Some kind of juvenile parrot?
Anemone and Bluehead
Yellowtail Damsel, intermediate
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RE: LOVED **ABR** + other fun stuff - 12/17/2011 2:09:49 PM
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gerber
Posts: 816
Joined: 1/22/2009
From: Alberta
Status: offline
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Nov 19 and I start getting wordier!
Hit the beach at 7 am and only 2 palapas left. Only one couple occupying their palapa, the rest saved with towels etc. No shade under ours yet so I covered up with a long sleeved shirt and sarong. Keith enjoyed his sleep and joined me around 8:30 and we went for breakfast. So far Enya seems to be the breakfast music of choice. There wasn't bacon yesterday but was today. Honestly I couldn't give a crap but I know some people find it important.
Snorkel 1: First lionfish sighting just out from Moonrise hiding in a coral head right by the grouper (found out later was a large hogfish) I saw with other fish including a couple of butterfly. Must not have been hungry. Probably 2 feet in size from the parts of it that I could see. First time also for seeing a juvenile angelfish. Also sailors choice, parrots, sergeant majors, surgeonfish, juvenile and adult tangs, trunkfish, grunts, porkfish, spanish hogfish etc. None seemed skittish as I mostly just floated and didn't chase.
We walked up to the dive shop in Akumal and discussed a night snorkel. They won't do it with one person so they said I should come back at 4 to see if anyone else had come by to book in for that night. Hit Chomak and bought spray sunscreen (for in the hairline) smaller bottle of water and bug killer for all the little ants. Sunscreen was about 200 pesos but the total came to only about 250 pesos.
Noticed that all the golf carts at HAC were gone so we pre-booked with them for a golf cart for tomorrow. $20 or 250 pesos deposit (refundable if we change our minds due to weather). Rental for the day will be $40.
Back at ABR, I went for another snorkel, heading more north. Ran into too many snorkel tours but did find two large-ish green turtles. One had no remora, one had 3. On the way back I found one of the prettiest stoplight parrotfish (male) that I've ever seen. I'm really happy with the sealife Mini II that Keith bought me in April. He got the first that was available in Calgary. What a good man.
I came back from snorkeling because I could just tell, that eventhough I had used biodegradable sunscreen and a swimshirt, I was starting to get a bit burnt on the back of my arms. Not good if we want to check out HMB and Yal Ku tomorrow. I think I'll wear a long sleeved swim shirt tomorrow.
After about half an hour at the beach, rain hit hard and we headed in. Chatted with the bartenders a bit and tried to get the nuances of muey buen (sp?) and when you say that vs muey bueno. I think one is what you say when someone says comma esta and you want to say you're doing really well. And the other is something you say about food (or whatever) that's really good. Also I'm told that we can put up a sign at the moonrise on our second trip to ABR.
Back at the room. 3rd day with no towel art. Odd? Bit of balcony time and the rain hit again, super hard and longer this time. Not boding well for a night snorkel. Just phoned the dive shop and they don't have anyone else for a night snorkel. Hopefully another day.
Booked a couple's massage on the beach (ABR massage hut) for Monday at 3 pm. $80 special for 2.
We had reserved the Spanish a la carte for later tonight (8:30) because of the possibility of a night snorkel. To bridge the gap between breakfast and late dinner, we decided to try something new at Loncheria in Akumal. Just because I didn't know what it was, I chose Chili Relleno for us to share. It appeared to be a thin egg shell filled with cheese and some kind of cooked green pepper. It came with beans, rice and tortilla shells. Very good! 90 pesos plus a 500 ml coke for 150 pesos.
The silver shop on the basketball court was boarded up. Couldn't even tell if it's still there. Will have to check later.
Mexicarte is one of our favorite shops. We have a number of unique items at home and in our offices that we've bought there. Yesterday we were looking at the metal rocking birds that have a big rock weight in the middle. Couldn't figure out how to get it home, though. Today we found one that was a bit smaller, about 3 feet tall and found that it breaks down into 2 pieces and can be boxed up. Since we did carryon only, we could check a bag/box each on Westjet free. Easy peasy. 1200 pesos (bigger one was 2200), and we were really quite happy. It's going to look great in our backyard. Put a deposit of 200 pesos down and we'll pick it up tomorrow.
Also, we noticed a complete lack of tatas on this beach. We think it's because it's a smaller resort, people may feel less anonymous, or more self-conscious, or more conscious of other cultures. anyway, I almost miss them. Tata watching can be kind of fun, in a completely heterosexual way. :)
Hung out at the round palapa by reception till dinner with some wine. I think 8:30 might have been the last reservation at the restaurant as we were the last people to leave. Dinner was really good with either a fish or pork option (vegetarians would have a difficult time - pescatarians ok).
By the time dinner was done the show at the main bar was in full swing. From the Stones to Celebration Time, to YMCA, I hate to say it but we really got a kick out of the butchared english. The choruses were mostly ok, but the rest was a lot of mumbling, a few correct words and a lot of... ??? Lobby bands at the Palladium are really no better. We really enjoyed it. By the time we got to our room, they were in full swing with spanish songs which sounded much better and more authentic. It does totally make sense, though, that they'd start with English songs to get the guests into things.
It's now 10:30 pm and yep, it's fairly loud in building 5, 3rd floor. Keith is fast asleep, but he can sleep anywhere. I might be able to sleep - with a bit more wine and ear plugs. Good thing i got some wine to go before we left the bar. :) Oh, now they're back to the funny English-ish songs. Awesome.
We were discussing tonight under what circumstances we'd go back to the Palladium instead of ABR. I think ABR would have to be much more money and we'd consider it. We LOVE being on the best beach. Close to everything - not only things on the resort, but all things Akumal. I mean we walked down there twice today, for various things, because we like it, it's handy and we can.
Things we like about Palladium that we can't get here: slightly nicer rooms, mini bar with water and a few beer stocked most days, coffee maker, less in-room bugs, slightly softer beds, more natural jungle-y paths, more manicured common areas, more restaurant choices without reservations, bathtubs that we never use and more amenities that I can't list - because we've never used them.
Thing we like about ABR that we can't get at Palladium: SUPER FREAKING AMAZING OCEAN VIEW, almost everything is ON the beach, like rooms and restaurants and massage, proximity to Akumal means less cabs to get to the beach we want to be at most, bigger, better pillows, better snorkeling, less crowded, everything close at hand, more quaint. Fresh, rather than powdered juices (tasted more real, or less watered down), help yourself beer and wine at the buffet.
I guess that's it. For some people, with that list, they'd choose the Palladium, hands-down. For us, ABR has more of what's important to us. Having said that, if the Palladium was much cheaper, we'd love to go back.
Side notes: We really like that ABR (had to stop typing to kill a little bug on the iPad) doesn't feel the need to keep crocodiles or flamingos in pens to entertain visitors (very few people actually watch them). In November, at least, reservations at ABR a la cartes are very easy to get (and unlimited, like Palladium, but unlike Bahia). The Palladium feels more secluded and cut off from everything (which may be good if you have teenagers who are prone to wander and get into trouble..) ABR feels more connected to Mexico - without being a party town like Playa or Cancun (shudder). At ABR we had zero need for a coffee maker or mini bar as everything is so close that it's a 2 minute walk to get what you want. I'm told you can get mattress toppers at ABR if the mattress is too hard, but we haven't needed it.
The band is done at 10:45 and Keith is asleep. Nite!
Land photos of the day:
Our temporary patio door "lock":
It was THIS big!
The storm's a comin'
One of our many walks into Akumal:
Chomak is such a handy little store:
Loncheria:
A little something to share - YUMMY!
A later walk to Akumal and back:
Hanging out:
Dinner:
Underwater shots today:
First snorkel
Sailor's Choice
Who doesn't love a fish face??
I'd like to know what this 3-color damsel (?) is. Anyone?
Poor photo, but I really like the juvenile French Angels:
Yellow-tail damsel:
Love these guys. Which kind of trunkfish?
Snorkel 2
Stoplight Parrot
I thought this coral looked pretty cool:
3-spot Damsel, juvenile
First turtle pic:
Second turtle:
Yellow tail Damsel intermediate
Yellowtail snapper or yellow goatfish:
Porkfish, bluestriped grunt, Sailors Choice and that mystery 3-colored damsel etc:
More fish face:
Can you see the lionfish spines hiding in here?
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RE: LOVED **ABR** + other fun stuff - 12/17/2011 2:51:23 PM
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gerber
Posts: 816
Joined: 1/22/2009
From: Alberta
Status: offline
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Nov 20
this morning we hit the buffet and had one of the best omlettes ever. At home we've never put corn in a omlette, but for some reason it works here.
Leisurely got our things together for a walk into Akumal for the golf cart. At the Palladium, you would generally feel like you should pack all your beach stuff and bring it to breakfast, so you could take a cab from there. Not here. :) At 10 am in Akumal, finished up the paperwork for the golf cart, paid our 450 pesos (or $40 or $10 an hour if you want it short term), and off we went.
We were too early for La Buena Vida so we just tooled up and down the road a bit, looking at things. We walked in to the beach at the path just past Mirage and looked around. At 11 am we went back to LBV, ordered 2 Modelos beer (60 pesos) and I headed up to the tree house/crows nest. It is a little freaky getting up there. Maybe I'm a ninny but it's not for the faint of heart, especially on a very windy day. Keith decided not to join me so after I got over my pleasure of making it up there, I joined him on land. We grabbed a pretty table and watched the surf with our beer for a bit, took some photos around the place and continued on our ride.
A lot of the road has been fixed up very nicely. Pot holes make for an interesting, fun ride, but I'm not complaining about the improvements. Golf cart days are one of our highlight fun days for Keith. He always drives.
First stop had us back up by Mirage. We parked our cart by the bendy palm tree on the right side and went in. Put our bags under a tree just south of the path and I headed in for a snorkel. Now I have to say, I'd been warned to not snorkel HMB on a windy day, but I felt like I had to try. I'm sure it could have been worse, but it was tough going at times. Initially I went straight out, but the current was driving me south and trying to work my way north on the way back was exceedingly difficult. I wanted to come back out where I'd gone in because I knew it was a safe spot without too many urchins and wasn't too shallow. It was tough and even with fins on, I was panting when I got in.
I didn't really see much there that I don't see elsewhere. It's almost like HMB is the nursery for a lot of fish. Juvenile fish of many species, and nothing of significant size that I saw in the areas I went. Very cool, different terrain, however, which I really enjoy. I wound up at some fan garden area and floated there awhile until I realized how strong the current was and headed back. I did see one green turtle almost at shore, but he was surfacing and heading off fairly quick. Camera was off, anyway.
We were grateful for a cooler, cloudier day as Keith still couldn't deal with too much sun. As it was, he was able to stand at the shore and just in the water and watch the surf almost the whole time I was out, without too much fear of sunburn. He had a much more relaxing experience than I did!
90 pesos each at Yal Ku and they had no problem with the biodegradable sunscreen we bought at ABR. Someone had told us a few days ago to avoid Yal Ku after a rainfall (rained yesterday) but we went anyway. Yes, there was a lot of murkiness, but there were some really good parts and I saw some cool stuff. Before I even got in we found this big school of teeny silver fish, which Keith had never seen. Every now and then there would be a commotion in the middle of the school and you could tell something was feeding on them.
Interesting finds: 2 large Atlantic Spadefish hanging out at the bottom near the back. I'd seen them our first visit (4 or 5 then), but not again till today. Queen Angelfish - not sure I've ever seen one before and she was very shy. Barely got a shot off and missed part of her. A very aggressive damselfish that really didn't like my camera. I kept shooing it away so I could get a picture, but it wouldn't move and kept trying to attack the camera. I finally had to just leave. Also a long, barracuda-shaped fish with interesting markings lying at the bottom, almost motionless. I couldn't get a good shot due to murkiness, but it's got me curious what it is. (Back at home now, with google to the rescue and it was a juvenile barracuda).
La Lunita on the way back offered overpriced, watered down drinks with good guac, chips and pico. Cocktails were 80 pesos each, and the one appetizer was 50, I think. It's a nice beach, but there's nothing that special about the place. Nothing worth going back for. Not with drinks that price.
Checked out Playa Blanca and Vista Del Mar on the way back. Both seem to have nice beach sections. If we go the condo route in the future, I think we'll check those out.
Visited the shops across from La Buena Vida and Keith got a tshirt. He's big on unique tshirts, and artistic tshirts, stuff you don't find just anywhere. He got a great LBV tshirt at the shop, and tipped because the lady there had a wee little baby. He's a sweetie. On the way out we were accosted by a large coati family who were quite certain we had food. They're so damned cute. At one point I wanted to take pictures, so Keith put down his bag to take the camera out. That signalled something for them because they just swarmed him as though his bag was a wonderful pinata full of coati goodies. It kind of freaked him out and he did get a bit of a scratch but they didn't actually draw blood. More of a shock than anything. You can put your hand out and they'll sniff, lick it just to see if you have food, but if you tried to touch their head, you will see a little row of teeth. Darn, but they're the cutest things.
Back at LBV for a beer (30 pesos) and margarita (55 pesos, hot happy hour) on the swings. It was pretty darned windy and although I put a coverup on, I'm still wearing a wet bathing suit and I'm kind of freezing. It started out as such a hot day, but has wound up being mostly windy, cooler and had small showers now and then. A good day for Keith to finally lose his sunburn (I snorkeled in long sleeved shirt and capri pants with a bandana for my forehead which mostly protected me).
Dropped off the golf cart at Mexicarte (the guy at HAC was gone) and picked up our bird from Mexicarte as well. It was an interesting packing job, but it may do the trick. Hauling 2 beach bags, plus that box down the beach was a challenge, but we made it.
We had planned to go to Cueva del Pescadores tonight, but the day's been full, my back is sore (seems to mostly be sore these days) and we're tired. We'll probably go there tomorrow after a chill day at the resort (including a massage on the beach).
Finally got towel art today. Also, they're good with the basics - floors, bed, bath and hand towels, it's not so easy to get face cloths or shampoo. We got shampoo to begin with, but replenishing it is hit and miss. We asked for facecloths, but once they're dirty, they aren't replacing. Nothing big. Just mentioning.
Also, no matter how we set the air conditioner, it didn't seem to make a difference. Too cold, so for now we've turned it off. Hung out on the deck for a bit, downloaded underwater pics to the iPad for viewing (LOVE being able to do that), had some Kahlua and wrote some trip report.
Went to the buffet for dinner. So far we've been there twice for dinner and the menu is quite different both times. There was a kind of chicken soup tonight that was fantastic, chicken, fish, beef burritos being made fresh, pasta etc. It would be hard to not find something you liked. Also, every buffet we've been at so far has had fresh pineapple (incl breakfast) and that is a big favorite of mine.
Not sure if it's the time of year or what, but almost every guest we hear at the resort is non-English. Kind of nice to be out of our culture.
After dinner we laid out on the pool chairs and watched the stars, some bats, and a couple "shooting stars."
Back at the room, the noise from the main bar picks up at 9 pm. Sounds like some game that's got people pretty worked up. Keith is pretty much faded and he's out for the night. I'll wait till the noise dies down. Ear plugs are recommended if youre in building 5 and you plan to sleep before 10:45. It's not loud every night, but sometimes there's more activity. Also, the birds can be a bit loud in the morning. No complaint - better than home where all the birds have flown south!!
Think I'll sip a bit of Kahlua, play some Mah Jong on my phone and call it a good day.
Land photos today:
The outside restaurant tables at ABR:
Building 5:
The path into HMB past Mirage:
La Buena Vida:
Crowsnest:
Looking down:
Other tables at LBV:
Still at LBV
Drinks at La Lunita:
Still at La Lunita:
Coati's - the guy in the middle cracks me up:
Yal Ku:
Half Moon Bay
Elkhorn coral:
Brain Coral:
Cactus Coral:
Some other cool low-lying coral:
Not sure:
Yal Ku
That school of little fish from the surface - hard to get a pic with the glare on the water:
From underwater:
Ok, so I chased them a bit. For your enjoyment, fish bums!
Yellowfin Mojarra:
Atlantic Spadefish. Pretty big, but they were wayyyy down at the bottom and I couldn't get a decent picture to clean up:
I can't seem to find this guy in any of my books. Very distinctive with the stripe over his eye:
Here's a better shot of him:
This might be the same type:
One thing I love about Yal Ku is the landscape is utterly different than anything else. Gorgeous!
French grunt
Partial Queen Angel:
That agressive little Damsel:
Here she comes! I have a tonne of these pictures because she kept attacking me!
Bar Jacks. These were the guys feeding on that school of teeny fish:
Chub
Juvenile barracuda. The best pic I could get:
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RE: LOVED **ABR** + other fun stuff - 12/17/2011 3:09:52 PM
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gerber
Posts: 816
Joined: 1/22/2009
From: Alberta
Status: offline
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I got up at 7 am and headed down to the beach. I think there were 2 single palapas not saved. Oh well. We got one of the singles. I sat and read a bit, headed back to the room and got my snorkel stuff and had a 30 minute snorkel or so. Saw one turtle and got video of one eagle ray. Met Keith back at the room for breakfast buffet. Fresh pineapple has been replaced by fresh grapefruit. We're still on the every-second-day-there's-bacon schedule and the music is Enya-ish.
Still sitting on one of the 3 outside tables and being outside on the beach for breakfast, or any meal, is such a treat. Keith tried the lemon bread and figured that's a new breakfast staple for him.
Went up to Akumal TSA to ask about night snorkeling again (check back tonight) and car rental (have to go to Tulum or Puerto Aventuras - we decided not to).
Keith took some time to just walk in the water and found permits of various sizes around him
some needle-type fish and some other great big fish that came in for a swoop around him. Thicker than a barracuda but not as big as the 4 foot hogfish.
We had some beach time, some rainy swing-bar time, some rainy lobby time and back to the chairs for some sun time. When it cleared up I went out for another snorkel. Saw the big hogfish again in the same place and took some crappy video. As he turned towards me and showed me his teeth I got a little freaked out and left (moonrise bartenders can't tell me if they bite). Got pretty good pics of a lionfish (not good that it's there), a not very shy spanish hogfish, decent sized turtle and all the other usual suspects. Camera screen started flickering on the way in. Not good.
As I got in I discovered that the underwater watch I'd been wearing hadn't been set to the correct time and we were 5 minutes late for our massage. Turns out, one of the massage therapists had to go to Playa for some family thing and we couldn't do it today anyway. Booked for Wednesday. Checked out the camera in the room. Seems to be okay with new batteries, but I'll leave it to air out for awhile.
Walked up to Akumal and checked with TSA again - no night snorkel tonight, but they took my name, hotel and room number and will let me know if they have anything.
Back at the room we've discovered that turning off the air conditioning may be easy, but getting it going again, not so much. We've tried doing it in increments, but now we've got it set to high. Fingers crossed.
Getting ready for dinner at Pescadore's tonight. Hope we don't need reservations.
Later: walk up the beach was lovely. Pescadores at night is character and charm and cozy. We had a wonderful seat and ordered up white wine and a margarita. Appetizer was lime soup (shared), which we had never had and was very delicious. It's really a chicken soup, with a tomato broth, tortilla chips, some lime and avocado. Never had anything like it.
I asked for conch ceviche and the waiter had to check with the kitchen - yes 140 pesos. Keith ordered the mini lobster, by locogringo recommendation, done grilled with garlic. Both were just unbelievable. At the end of dinner I asked for some hot sauce and was given a little bowl of chopped up peppers and warned about them. I drizzled the juice from them on my dish and that was more than sufficient.
For 4 glasses of wine, 2 margaritas, soup, ceviche and mini lobsters came to 650 pesos. I'd consider that a good - great - dinner.
After the soup I noticed Turdle, Halnass and the beagles show up. Of course I went to say hi and get some good puppy kisses. Jackson did not disappoint. He's a huge flirty sweetie. I had a nice chat with the dogs' people about condos, rental cars, Akumal, HMB etc and I've got to say they are really lovely people, and dogs.
On our way out we checked out the shop next door and Keith found the "just right" shadow box he's been looking for. He almost felt like he was cheating on Mexicarte, but it's good to support all the local businesses. :)
Stroll back down to our room, it's 9:30 and the band has started u..
Land photos
Lime soup
Ceviche
Mini Lobster:
Beagles
Jackson
The band
Snorkel 1
Eagle ray
Not sure how the fish on the left got messed up but they're yellow goatfish
Snorkel 2
That big hogfish. Embarassed by the shot, but it's all I got:
I thought this was pretty:
Damned lionfish
Spanish Hogfish
I like this one of his face:
Spotfin butterfly
Cool coral head
More cool coral
Turtle
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RE: LOVED **ABR** + other fun stuff - 12/17/2011 3:34:23 PM
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gerber
Posts: 816
Joined: 1/22/2009
From: Alberta
Status: offline
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Today was our beach crawl day and it was the most cloudless, hot and gorgeous day we've seen.`
First, while Keith was still sleeping, I went for a snorkel at 7:15. The big hogfish wasn't in it's place, so I continued on. I saw the school of 8 giant parrotfish and followed them awhile. A few turtles (the smallest just zip on by - much more skittish) and the usual suspects. As I headed into Northern Akumal bay, I wasn't paying attention and the current drove me into shore in an area I wasn't familiar with. It was between Moonrise bar and Lol Ha and was very shallow with a lot of coral and urchins. I was seriously freaking out. It was so shallow I couldn't turn around. All I could do was hope I could find a safe place to stand up and get out. Every couple of seconds I'd find a bare rock spot that I could touch to help propel/direct me, but I was sure I would wind up coming out with a thousand urchin spines all over me. Finally I found bare rock and stood up, hugely relieved, and walked the 10 feet into shore. It was so not fun. I walked closer to Lol Ha and went back in there, went further out and back down South to ABR. More turtles, plus the school of giant parrotfish, which I followed again. I noticed that a few spots on my hand had been scraped earlier, but it was quite minor (it did turn into a really bad bruise for a good long while). Checked again and the hogfish wasn't in his spot.
We had breakfast at 9:30 and by 10:15 or so we walked out to the highway for the colectivo. Now, it should only be 30 pesos each to get to Tulum, but we had no small change and the lobby had none for us. We were going to have to pay 100 pesos for the two of us, which really isn't a huge deal. We got across the highway and a cab driver from the ABR side came running across, offering to take us for 100 pesos, 80 pesos, 60 pesos, 80 pesos, 60 pesos. It was sad because he was obviously so bored and to take his cab would (with tip) wind up being equivalent to taking the colectivo, but we had decided on wanting to take the colectivo and had to turn him down. I'm sure he really didn't understand and thought we were a little loco.
Took the colectivo to the San Francisco store in Tulum and grabbed a cab to OM. 120 pesos. I had planter's punch for 70 pesos and Keith had beer. Super pretty spot and I'd recommend it, and go back. Next up was La Zebra, which from the beach side you first see "Lina's Mexican Kitchen." Easy to miss if you're looking for La Zebra. Even from the beach road, the sign is posted a ways north of the actual entrance.
We just had to have their mojitos with hand ground sugarcane from a grinder imported from Cuba (from what we've been told). This was our third time there and the first that we've had a stick of sugarcane actually in the drink. It's a really cool spot with lots to see and very interesting - well everything. You just have to go and see.
Further down the beach we found "Lodge Nueva de Ramiro/Zona Corazon" which looked like a lovely spot to stay, but likely beyond our budget.
We looked for Akiin Beach Club awhile and actually passed it (a friendly australian guy looked at our Mapchick map and informed us we had to go back) and found it closed. At least we found the bathrooms before we had to leave.
Next up was Villa Las Estrella, which we had found last trip. They are not cheap (cocktails are 90 pesos!) but the strawberry margarita is the best we've ever had, made with fresh strawberries. The lime margarita was also very tasty, and a bit strong.
The view is forever and the staff are lovely. Beside us, we saw an order of octopus be served and I was completely intrigued. 4 legs of octopus, in butter/oil, and spices and it was just something I had to have. We shared an order and for lunch, it was definitely enough. 150 pesos!! It was called Crunchy Octopus, but it was unbelievably tender and tasty. That is a new must-do when we come back. Fantastic! There are also kiteboarding lessons at that location but they were putting things away around 1:30 so we didn't get to see anything.
Watching circling frigates and pelicans swooping in for lunch on the water is pretty cool, though.
Ziggys was our next stop. We've been there once before. They have beach chairs, tables further in and a swing bar a bit further in. We picked swings (who wouldn't want to drink on a swing with their feet in the sand???) and had 2 margaritas for 90 pesos (2 for 1). Pretty chill atmosphere, swanky bathrooms and good priced (strong) drinks and we'll likely be back again.
After Ziggys we wanted to hit the North side of Tulum beach. Walked out and grabbed a cab, which I think was 40 pesos. El Paraiso turned out to not be a place that we really liked. It was too much of a party atmosphere. Eventhough we were on our little beach crawl, that wasn't the vibe we were looking for and we didn't even have a drink. Just walked out to the beach and headed north.
It starts looking really deserted around there, but MapChick assured us that there were still a couple places to see, with Mariachi being next. We started seeing a lot of pangas and a few people advertising snorkeling tours. Not sure where they were going snorkeling... Anyway, Mariachi's is a little, kind of run-down looking place that was just ok. The little spot on the beach didn't offer much other than beer and pop. We asked about the bathrooms and were told they were in the restaurant back in from the beach.
As we headed in, things looked pretty run down. The little cabins... Well they were barely sticks held together. It was odd and we felt like we were in the wrong place. We asked a couple guys we passed about the restaurant, and along with the clouds of pot smoke, they assured us we were headed in the right direction. They were super stoned.
Found the bathrooms and ordered a margarita at the restaurant. It was fine, can't remember how much. Keith got a beer on the beach. Wound up talking to a couple from Victoria (would you take a picture of us?) and got to chatting. The guy was Scottish, wife wasn't, and man he could talk. We were planning to eat dinner at Chamicos and we had a ways to go, with little time left but it was hard to get away.
Finally we walked in to the beach road and there were 3 cabs with drivers who really did not speak English.
What we were looking for was:
a. a driver who could speak English - not there
b. someone who knew where Solimon Bay and/or Chamico's was - not there, although I'll take some of the blame here - I kept telling them we had to turn off the highway at Ana y Jose, not Oscar y Lalos. I'm not surprised they were confused.
I resorted to telling them, all we needed was a cab for 1.5 hours and I would tell him where to go. I wrote 1.5 on the car with my finger. Still confusion. I mimed driving, eating, waiting and driving - 1.5 hours. They still weren't on board, although there was some understanding. Finally I said we'd pay 400 pesos (which is what we paid in May) and we had sudden buy-in.
The road into solimon Bay and the road along the condos to Chamicos completely sucks. I think they've graded it in the past, but it's in dire need of it again. Super slow ride as the driver was understandably concerned for his car.
Found the place and had yet another memorable meal of lobster and fish and all the trimmings (tortilla chips, pico, rice, beans and little taco wraps. Veggies were carrots and zucchini which were excellent. Also, they've got killer french fries. 2 meals was much too much for both of us, but we made do. 2 dinners, 2 beer plus a coke for the driver came to 450 pesos. Keith tipped... well... generously. As we left I told the lady/mother that we had been to this place (some miming involved) tres times. She smiled really big and actually pointed to where we had sat before. She remembered and told her husband who gave us a couple good back slaps and a big grin. Wish we spoke more Spanish!!
An hour after we arrived it was almost dark and getting cooler. I had put on my rain jacket for a little warmth and it was time to go. 110 in an 80 zone on the way back (at least there were seatbelts this time and we were "home."
Super tired and sweaty. Couple showers and we'll be in bed shortly. Oh, and they've finally fixed the patio door. Lastly, Keith had to leave a note asking for dos shampoos, and they were left, no problem (no shower gel, but hey, that's not so important).
Land photos
Om
Walking up the beach
Mojitos at Zebra
more Zebra
 
Sign on the beach road
view towards the beach:
cool tables:
At Villa Las Estrella
YUM!
Still at Las Estrella
It was the crunchy octopus
Las Estrella from the beach
Ziggy's from the beach
Further in towards the swing bar:
He didn't look old enough to serve us!
Not our thing:
Keep going North, gorgeous wide beach!
Mariachi
I wonder if this happened due to a hurricane that partially buried the buildings??
Chamico's!!
Lobster
Underwater shots
Rainbow parrots
Hawksbill zipping by
This juvenile angel was pestering this other fish to no end
Another favorite pic:
Ballyhoo. Is that his tounge coming out? I've never seen this before:
Porkfish, hogfish, Sailor's choice
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RE: LOVED **ABR** + other fun stuff - 12/17/2011 4:35:17 PM
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ChrisandCindy
Posts: 4699
Joined: 12/24/2005
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Enjoyed your report and pictures. Nothing better than going snorkeling before breakfast on a day when the bay is flat and calm
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RE: LOVED **ABR** + other fun stuff - 12/17/2011 4:41:29 PM
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gerber
Posts: 816
Joined: 1/22/2009
From: Alberta
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23rd
I hit the beach at 6 am. I was determined that we would get good beach chairs as Keith was still slightly burnt and shade is important. Got the last double palapa before Moonrise. Watched the sun rise just after 6 am.
Snorkeled at 7:45 which is a good time with lighting. First I saw a smallish turtle and watched a bit. Going on, of course butterflies, parrots, surgeonfish etc. Then a little hawksbill turtle came zipping by over the coral, which was cool.
Back into the beach. In for breakfast. More beach. Another snorkel. This time it looked like there were at least 3 snorkel tours in this section of the bay - 2 had taken off from our resort beach, but aren't from the resort. I successfully avoided them and just went on a mission of looking at little fish. I did find one that was maybe an inch and a half with brilliant vertical blue stripes and a bright yellow/or ant head and tail. I hardly saw him, and the camera missed most of him, but I think he was a new one. I'll have to look that one up back at home. (at home, I think it's a juvenile Queen Angel)
Chatted with a russian/Ukranian couple from Pennsylvania on the beach. Compared snorkeling stories. I swear we snorkelers are like fishermen, outdoing eachother with our stories. Speaking for myself I do get a sense of pride when I add to my repertoire of fish/creatures seen and that I know the names of. Told her about Yal Ku Lagoon and how to get there by golf cart. Her husband had wanted to do a more "extreme" excursion with zip lines and such, but she's more sold on the golf cart day. I showed her the barracuda I had seen on my iPad, and that's pretty cool to be able to do - on the beach. Actually, I'm typing this on the beach at 7 am the next day after watching the sunrise.
We tried like heck to get smaller peso notes at the bars, store, lobby. No go. It's like they go into some black hole once you tip with them. You'd think the bartenders would want to give you change from their tips, right? I mean if we've been tipping 20 pesos for every 2 drinks, I think we're good. Then we run out of little bills, and I have a choice to make - give the next bartender 100 pesos for a drink, or don't tip. I chose the latter. Anyway, we went looking around in the shop for something to buy that would net us at least 30 or 40 pesos change. Bought a small cookbook in Spanish for Keith's dad (he likes to keep up his Spanish) and the guy at the till actually had to reach into his pocket for change.
Shared a burger at the snack bar which was surprisingly good. Not sure why I'm surprised, but Keith is pretty picky about his burgers and he really enjoyed it. Done just right, not over done, plus the french fries are perfect.
Massage at 3. That was such a treat. Keith had suggested it before at the Palladium, but we'd have to book further in advance, and it wasn't near so close, AND it wasn't on the beach. $80 special for 2 people was just lovely and the therapists are really quite talented. We did mostly swedish (relaxation) massage, but they did find a few tight spots that they gave good attention to. I actually fell asleep, which I never do. Although that might be partly due to the fact that I was up before 6 am for good beach chairs...
I had to shower off all the massage oil and then off to Akumal Dive Shop for a night snorkel. I guess they finally realized after numerous visits and phone calls that no one else was interested in night snorkeling with me, so they decided to take me on my own That was super nice. Antonio is a very good guide, getting me totally lost in the coral heds, and taking me places I'd never go in the daylight. Everything is pretty quiet at night, most everything seems to be sleeping. What you can see is also very different because in that low light, you're not really able to sense much color. The flash wasn't working on my camera, but there was a lot of silt/sand in most areas so I'm not sure it would have helped much. I would have liked to try it, tho.
Saw: Green turtle, hawksbill turtle, yellow stingray (new for me), lion fish, trumpetfish, spiny lobster (new for me), reef squid, who are curious but have no sense of personal space and some kind of snake or something.
About halfway into the snorkel a school of teeny blue fish (1 cm) and little neutral spheres (2 mm) began following in my flashlight glare. I first noticed them as they dive bombed my face, neck, hands etc, grateful for the shortie wetsuit they lent me. I asked Antonio what they were and he said they were some kind of bio-luminecing creature but they weren't because when I turned off my flashlight I couldn't see them anymore. At one point I was sure one bit my cheek, but so far there's no irritation. I'd heard of portugese man-o-war but didn't know what they were, just that they could sting people and I was worried. By the time we got in I was quite certain that my face would shortly be a mass of swelling and possibly open sores, I was pretty freaked. Anyway, at the bare minimum, they're super annoying once they find your light. It's doubtful you could lose them.
The snorkel went from about 5:30 till 6:45. Quick rinse-off at the dive shop then off to meet Keith who was working on a Lol Ha happy hour buzz while being entertained by the super drunk people who were working harder on their buzzes.
He had spent a bit of time in Mexicarte (his favorite store) and chatting with the one lady there. It was a busy night in the store and she said Thank God. The last season it was super quiet and they have to make up for it now.
Fortunately his few Akumal transactions netted him some smaller bills and coins.
We had about an hour to get ready for dinner at the Italian a la carte, which is super easy when the room is about 7 minutes from the Dive Shop and the restaurant is 2 minutes from the room. We LOVE that about staying here.
This time at the Italian restaurant we have different appetizers, desserts and 2 different entrees to choose from. I chose the fish with spinach and lemon sauce (pick off the spinach) and Keith had the pork chops. We were both suitably impressed. While we've found it nice to check out food off the resort, we have nothing bad to say about dinners here. Even breakfast. There's not a lot of variety sausages/bacon, pineapple/grapefruit, but who really needs a bunch of choices for breakfast? They have an omlette/egg station, yogurt with various things you can add to it, various breads, buns, croissants, toast, hard boiled eggs, cereals, very good scrambled eggs, done 2 ways, hash brown patties. Now I'm making myself hungry. Can't comment on lunches as we never have any other than the one burger. One more food comment - for the time being: We really like being able to get our own coffee in the morning - no waiting on anyone, plus our own wine at the buffets at dinner, plus the beer tap at the snack bar. That's something you don't get at anywhere else we've stayed.
After dinner we sat in the main bar and watched a Mr. Akumal contest. Mostly silly games but Keith enjoyed it. I was trying to get on the computer in the lobby, but someone was having issues trying to print his boarding pass and I never got on. I did get to chat to some lovely women who were new to the area (one from Italy, can't remember the other) about the various resorts down here, and what we liked/didn't like about them. Even though they hadn't stayed at other RM resorts, they agreed that they like the small size here and the fact that everything is ON the water. Every meal, every bar, most rooms. Nothing is a far walk. This is awesome.
Brought some wine back to the room, intending to write up the day, but I couldn't even finish the wine, let alone write more than a couple paragraphs. Poured the wine and slept like a rock.
Land photos
Outside of massage hut
Inside
Fish for dinner:
Pork chops
Dessert
First snorkel
He was fast!
I love how the fish all hang out together.
Yellow eyeshadow
I was sure this was a red hind the whole trip. Turns out it's a Graysby. The markings are different than a red hind. It was pretty hard to get a great picture as they're pretty shy. I got a better one later...
I love these little juvenile beaugregorys
Fish face
The Hawksbills are always on the move
Snorkel 2
Another crappy photo but if you look at the bottom, that's what I'm pretty sure is a juvenile Queen Angel:
I wonder what the bottom guy is here???
Juvenile Blue tang
Another juvenile Beaugregory
Night Snorkel. Not much to see. Have to use some imagination!
I think this is a Lesser Electric Ray
partial profile of a lionfish
Curious reef squid
It got really, really close!
The annoying little things that kept pinging off my face and hands. Can't tell what they are, but...
This was wild and I can't find it in any of my books. I'm quite sure it's not a rope. Antonio said it was a kind of worm. Must have been over 6 feet, I think.
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RE: LOVED **ABR** + other fun stuff - 12/17/2011 4:45:34 PM
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gerber
Posts: 816
Joined: 1/22/2009
From: Alberta
Status: offline
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Thanks for the help on the fish ID's Conifer!
I don't remember the name of the drink at La Lunita but it really seemed watery and didn't taste nearly as good as it looked.
How do you get a "combo" fish??
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RE: LOVED **ABR** + other fun stuff - 12/17/2011 5:10:46 PM
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gerber
Posts: 816
Joined: 1/22/2009
From: Alberta
Status: offline
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24th
I definitely had too much wine last night. I almost didn't get up early this morning. Advil at 4 am did the trick, though and I was on the beach by 6 and in time to watch the beautiful carribbean sunrise. Ahhhhh.
A couple Palapas down from us a family is building the most intense, detailed sand castle. They're digging out areas on the inside, making walls, parapets etc. Many people who are walking down the beach have taken pictures. It's a work of art.
Today the bay is the calmest I've seen it since we got here. Almost like glass with light little waves. Can't wait to go for my morning snorkel. Twice a day (yesterday was 3) has become the norm.
Finally got on the internet - trying to get ahold of someone to view some rental places in Puerto Morelos - no luck yet.
After grabbing a quick coffee at the bar (self serve - I like) I ran into the lady I chatted with on the beach yesterday. She was talking to someone else, trying to figure out how to get a golf cart down Half Moon Bay so I described the roads again. I guess she convinced her husband.
And now I'm under a palapa, enjoying the early morning quiet (lots of saved palapas but not another soul in sight), sound of the surf and morning rays. Our only plan for the day, is sun, snorkel, and a little jaunt to the pueblo for Naty's flat chicken. I'm going to attempt to skip breakfast since I don't think I can eat at 9 am and 11:30. Keith figures he's up to the task and he'll have both.
Random observation - there are hardly an iguanas here. We've seen one in the last week. At the Palladium the morning beach was criss-crossed everywhere with their track. It looked like once people were in bed, they held regular parties on the beach. Here - I've seen one iguana. Weird.
Better bring the electronics back to the room and get out in the water for snorkel 1 of the day.
Later: I had a 7:45 am snorkel. I saw the usual suspects, but finally some no-so-shy Red Hinds (nope, Graysbys). I'd been trying to get a decent pic of one for days and finally got it. Also a itty-bitty unhappy eel, opening and closing his mouth at me. Eeek. I wish I'd taken video, but once I fled, I couldn't find him again.
It was a super-hot day and we walked to the pueblo by 11:30 for flat chicken at Naty's. We had been told to go early as she runs out, but this day there was no shortage. Also no one else there, but before we left, the younger man put another 3 chickens on the grill outside. The napkins wrapped around the cutlery appeared to be toilet paper. Might have just been a protective covering? Anyway, we ordered one chicken with the accompanying dishes. 1 full chicken, tortillas, beans, rice, coleslaw with cilantro and a spaghetti dish which seemed a bit incongruent, but good. Way too much food for 2 people. With 3 soft drinks (just cuz they were so nice and cold) it came to 130 pesos. Great deal and wonderfully delicious. Note to self: find out what they're rubbing on the chicken before grilling - achiote? (at home, yes it was achiote)
We wandered into a few shops in the Pueblo on our way out. One seemed to have a variety of goods, and happened to have packing tape, which we really needed for the box of things (wrought iron bird etc) that we are checking on the airline. Can't believe we found that as it wasn't in either of the main stores on the beach side of the road. Wanted to get a small-ish bottle of tequila and a bottle of Kahlua for our room and none of the stores had them. Seriously no Kahlua that we could see on the pueblo side, which is where we had got it cheaper before. Lots of tequila, but no small ones.
Off to the library for a donation, then the smaller silver shop. Prices seemed to have gone way up. Rings were something like $50 - $90. I like that they don't hound you like the vendors in Playa, but they don't seem too keen to haggle over prices that, to me, seemed way too high. Chomak for the Kahlua and tequila.
Back at the resort, we got planted in our chairs. Super quiet afternoon. Reading, chilling, tanning. Went for a late snorkel at 4:20 - 5 pm and found that the light just isn't that great at that time. Walked up to Hotel Akumal Caribe to book the golf cart for the next day and hit Lol Ha for Happy Hour margaritas. In between, we bought a couple awesome little painted skull figurines at Mexicarte. About 60 pesos each. About Happy hour, yes, we're at an all-inclusive just steps down the beach, but the margs at Lol Ha are just so much better - and dangerous. 2 each... That's serious stuff.
Back at the room, I sipped some tequila as we got ready for dinner buffet. All that, plus a glass of wine at dinner and holy crap, I was done for by about 9 pm. Seriously done for. I remember taking pics in the buffet. I remember that the food was really good. I remember Keith walking me back to the room... Yep.
I blame Lol ha.
Land photos
The sand castle
I could get used to this!
Sidewalk to the highway from Akumal:
And over the pedestrian overpass
Up the street, turn right here:
Turn left at the next corner where you'll see this store:
Down this street it's Naty's is on the right with the blue signage:
Inside:
Seriously a lot of food for lunch!
Back on the beach side.
Home at the resort
I decided to take a bunch of pics of the buffet.
There really is enough variety every meal, PLUS look how close you are to the beach! You're ON IT!
Snorkeling
Southern Stingray
This guy was awesome! We circled eachother for a few minutes and as soon as I started to move away, he went the other direction.
Ok, what the HECK is in this coral head? I didn't even see it at the time. I was trying to get a shot of the Graysby in the bottom right and wound up with this. The markings don't seem to match any eels I see in my books, but it's definitely a creature...
Better pic of the Graysby
So, I followed the Graysby till he went into this coral head by an urchin
What I didn't see right away is there hiding in the sea rods...
NOW I see him! Goldentail eel
What I didn't know then is that fish that are stationary (like barracuda, the big hogfish, this eel) have to open and close their mouths to aid in respiration when they're not on the move. It's not aggression. Like I said I didn't know that then.
He's coming out a little more now
And gone
One book calls these permits, another calls them Palometas. Type of Jack and very common near the shore because people feed them (not us).
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RE: LOVED **ABR** + other fun stuff - 12/17/2011 5:39:14 PM
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gerber
Posts: 816
Joined: 1/22/2009
From: Alberta
Status: offline
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25th
I've had one-ton-a-mayo going through my head for about a week. It's the only song and it won't go away. (at home: I have no idea what the song is actually called but it was so damned catchy I couldn't get rid of it till the Christmas music started up. Oh, and great, now it's stuck in my head again!)
Today we had another golf cart day, meaning I didn't have to get up early to get a palapa. Yay! I do miss the sunrise, but I got more sleep. On the way down the beach we saw a little boy doing serious damage to the elaborate sand castle as his parents watched. It really didn't seem right. Obviously someone had built that thing over many days and this little kid was just knocking down all the tall parts.
We were at Hotel Akumal Caribe by 10:15 or so to pick up the cart from Marcelo. Just drove around Half Moon Bay until La Buena Vida opened at 11:00. Had a chill hour or so over a margarita and beer and off we went. Down the road, parked by the bent palm tree just past La Lunita and took the path in.
Keith had brought his Kobo to read on the beach while I snorkeled. I suddenly realized that, while I had remembered my long-sleeved shirt and capris, I had forgotten a head scarf to prevent burning the top of my head, and it was a scorcher. Keith offered up his tshirt which I tore a long chunk out of and wrapped around my head. It's not the first time he's done that. Fortunately, many of the tshirts he brings down are almost worn out and not intended to be brought home. This was one of them.
This was a much, much calmer day than when we did this a week or so ago. There were more snorkelers in the bay and almost all of them were walking around in the bay, way out. We get seriously frustrated at the lack of care/education for many tourists. I have gently chewed out people in the past, if I'm close enough, but I find that most people just don't care.
Regardless, HMB has some of the best coral I've seen in the region if you get out far enough. I've still rarely seen much in the way of awesome fish in the bay (one small turtle notwithstanding), but the landscape is just so amazing. It's frustrating getting past the really shallow stuff that goes out a long ways - always seems too shallow - but once you do, it can be breathtaking. I mostly snapped pictures of the reef and some turned out alright. 45 mintues later and I was back in and packing up for Yal Ku. First, though, we had to go back to the LBV tshirt shop to get Keith a replacement. Good thing they have some really cool stuff. Tshirts are around 160-180 pesos each and good quality.
At Yal Ku, we took a bunch of pictures of sculptures that we think were new additions in the last couple years. I hit the water and snorkeled to the back. The clarity of the water was superb, but as it was mid-afternoon now there were a lot of shadows in the depths. I think it would have been slightly better if I had gone out with the sun at it's midpoint.
From where I started I really didn't see anything super unusual. Mostly damsels, surgeons, bermuda chubs and a few smaller parrots. The camera ran out of batteries so I headed back. I had brought batteries, a towel and a camera brush, but I was soaking so I explained to Keith how to get it all dry and opened and the batteries changed out.
Back in the water, I headed towards the mouth (my put-in point was pretty far back to begin with) and still didn't have any unusual sightings. One of the things I like about it, though, is that like HMB it has it's own distinctive beautiful landscape unlike anything else. Not too far in to this trip the camera fogged up inside and, while it would turn on, it wasn't seeing anything, just blur. I held the camera over my head and swam back to Keith.
Unsure if there was water in the camera, or condensation (from opening it in such a humid area) we pretty much raced back to Akumal bay, dropped off the cart at HAC and quickly went back to the room to let the camera air out. As soon as we had dropped it off, we went back to the cart (gosh, we love that everything is so close here - imagine if we'd had to go back to the Palladium or something!) and headed back up HMB to Gynn-ak for a pre-dinner snack.
On our way back to the golf cart we noticed that the people who had built the sand castle were rebuilding. I bet they were just a little upset - at least - to see someone had been deliberately wrecking it. Sometimes little boys can be such ****s. Having said that, the parents let him. Big ****s.
Review of Gynn-ak: We had heard that Gynna can be abrasive and had mean dogs and for that reason we hadn't gone earlier. However, after going past her place so many times in last few days, and last May, we didn't notice anything to be concerned about. She's got a cute little place outdoors with a covering (there were some decent clouds hanging about) and some cool character in the variety of chairs, chair cushions and table cloths. Kinda colorful. The two dogs were in view, but really just lazing about, not too excited by our arrival. When one would start to wander off, she'd give it a little talking-to and it would mind her, no worries. When another family arrived, one of the dogs got a little excited and wandered over to them - she put them away in the fenced area then. There were two kinds of lion fish tacos, deep fried, and one with tequila, avocado and cilantro on what looked like whole wheat tortilla shells. We ordered the second. It came with Thai Slaw, and we ordered fries as well. Keith had lemonade (pieces of lemon in it - highly rated) and I had red wine which came in a mug and was chilled (my only criticism of the place). Sauces for the tacos included a chipotle/tamarind and another that was some kind of peppers, peanuts, oil and I don't know what, but it was spicy and good! Both sauces were amazing and much better than ketchup on the fries. The coleslaw was gourmet, if coleslaw can be gourmet. There was almost no slaw sauce (good) and it had cilantro and sesame seeds in it. Just a lovely combination, and I hate coleslaw. Fries were perfect. The lion fish tacos were really fresh tasting and unique. Lion fish taste like fish, but they're really flaky, light and good. Great combination of flavors. This was a highlight and we're really glad we tried it. We also chatted with Gynna about how she and her mother and staff all dive and hunt for the Lion Fish, usually getting about 10 or so a day. Initially she caught them for personal food, then added them to her menu as specials, then it became regular. She does think the population of them in the area is pretty much under control - hopefully she's right.
Checked out the silver shop across from LBV which was now open. Cute silver pendant that goes with a ring I found last year on Tulum beach road - $35. They're doing a 1:13.6 exchange rate from dollars to pesos. We would have done just as well to pay with dollars at this place.
It was sprinkling when we left and returned the cart. Bought a little metal fish at Mexicarte. We just shouldn't be allowed in that store, I think. We're ALWAYS buying something. We'd brought our little 4 oz rain jackets and were actually glad to have them. They fit into a little pouch and are easy to pack along. Quiet beach as it's getting darker and we got back. The camera seems to be almost all defogged, but not quite. Hopefully by morning.
Another mini ant-highway has found our Kahlua bottle. Raid.
Funny thing: Keith was getting a little low on shampoo (I bring my own), so a number of days ago, he wrote a note to housekeeping with his tip that said: Dos shampoo por favor. Worked great. Lovely. Then a few days later we were getting low on shampoo and soap. He thought he was pretty smart with his spanish and added "and sopa" to the note and left it out. Today, we checked and discovered he had asked for 2 shampoo and 2 soup. Awesomely funny. I just about died. I wonder if the cleaning person found it as funny. She actually deciphered it and left us 2 shampoo and 2 soap. I'm still wondering if they'll send soup soon. They're so good at doing everything else.
Dinner was buffet. We went down at 8:30 and the a la carte had only one table full. We thought maybe we could get in, but they were the last reservation and staff were just waiting for them to leave. No new tables. Totally understand that, but it's just weird to me that the buffet was packed and the a la carte wasn't.
We ran into the Russian/Ukranian couple from Pennsylvania in the main bar tonight and asked them if they'd done the golf cart/LBV/Yal Ku day and her face just lit up. They loved it! They spent a bit of time in the crows nest at LBV and she said they snorkeled Yal Ku for 4 hours. Good times. :)
We discovered ABR has a theatre that had a comedy show tonight. I guess we missed the memo since we were away most of the day. Wonder if they have an activity board somewhere?? Anyway, nice building, but we arrived during the last 5 minutes of the show (which was funny). To-go wine from the main bar and back to the room.
Land photos
Grounds in front of building 5
It always seems like some repairs or refurbishing is happening - here a balcony is in progress
The pot-holed part of the HMB road. Kinda fun!
Partial LBV menu for interests sake
Drinks at 11 am. That's when you know you're on vacation!
The bendy palm tree just past La Lunita where you can park a golf cart
The walk in
After Keith sacrificed his tshirt. HAHAHAHA!!
no, he didn't wear it like that!
A cotton plant along the HMB road:
Sculptures at Yal Ku
Cracked us up:
Lotsa tatas
One thing Keith loves is that you can see lots of fish without needing to swim:
Notice Keith's tshirt wrapped around my head.
My honey
Gorgeous location
Lionfish tacos here we come!
Chilled red wine 
SO GOOD
The view from Gynn'ak is actually pretty, especially with the lighting at this time of day
Chef Gynna
The bill
Heading back to the resort as it's starting to rain:
Cool clouds!
Just the lobby
Computer area beside the front desk
Half Moon Bay
The juvenile Beauregory is really becoming a favorite of mine
Look how the stripe goes right over his eye
I loved the coral
Damsel
Another cool type of coral
More
Gorgeous colors!
And this was the underside of that
Yal Ku
Is this maybe a juvenile Schoolmaster??
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RE: LOVED **ABR** + other fun stuff - 12/17/2011 5:40:39 PM
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gerber
Posts: 816
Joined: 1/22/2009
From: Alberta
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: nancyjo
Love your report and Pictures, thanks for posting!
I mostly do it because I want a diary, but I'm so glad other people are enjoying it. It's a lot of work so that's nice to know!
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RE: LOVED **ABR** + other fun stuff - 12/17/2011 5:49:04 PM
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gerber
Posts: 816
Joined: 1/22/2009
From: Alberta
Status: offline
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26th
Pretty much just a beach day.
I hit the beach at 6 am as usual, but it was a bit windier and the bay wasn't as calm so I didn't bring my snorkel gear. More clouds for sure than the previous 4 or 5 days, but it was beautiful still. Keith joined me around 8, which for him is stupidly early. Breakfast buffet. Shared another omlette, which Keith says is his favorite ever. He said he isn't getting tired of them at all - he's getting used to them, and he says he's going to crave it when we get home (we haven't mastered omlettes at home - at all).
We hung out on the beach. We did actually go to the buffet to have some "lunch" (really just chips, guac and pico for us) and we were really quite surprised at how many options there are available for lunch. It's our 9th full day and it's the first time we've bothered to check it out. Quite impressive. Many hot items. Like other buffet meals, yes the Palladium or Bahia might have more options, but you'll never be left wanting at a buffet meal here. And it's really good quality food.
Then more beach time. Keith walked to the South end of the bay and just past the point. It's a beautiful area but the shore gets rockier. Even the South end of ABR gets pretty rocky. However, if you want a really secluded piece of beach to sit on, and if walking out to snorkel at any time isn't your priority, then you should really go for building 6 or 7.
As the sun set, we got ready for dinner and got to Pescadore's around 7 pm. We had the lime soup (we need that recipe - and it's a big appetizer to share between 2) plus the Seafood Medly for 2 for 600 pesos and substituted out the squid for Octopus (no charge). Fish, Octopus, shrimp and mini lobster. It's huge. It could easily be shared among 3 people as it comes with pico, lots of tortilla chips, creamy coleslaw, beets, carrots. As the seafood medley items are all cooked together on the grill you can't ask for some of the items to be cooked differently (different spices, sauces, whatever). It all comes grilled with garlic and was seriously amazing. Every bit of it.
I first ordered a mango margarita but eh, it didn't thrill me. Everyone raves about mango margaritas so I had to try. It might be that it's not mango season, or the fact that I'm not really a mango fan, but it was just so-so. I had a couple lime margaritas after and they were much more to my liking. Pescadores margaritas are strong, but I still maintain that Lol Ha's are stronger. Keith stuck with vino blanco.
A band came through Pescadore's (traditional Mexican music) and they were really amazing. Beautiful voices, range of ages, same uniform outfit and they weren't obnoxious about tips, just brought a hat around once. The atmosphere of Pescadore's is relaxed, authentic, comfortable, toes in the sand - it's just a place we wish we could go more often.
Afterwards we hit Chomak at 8:50 and asked them if they had achiote paste (which we're sure was the coating on the flat chicken). Yes - a small "brick" for 20 pesos. We got one.
The sky was dark on the way back but the clouds were totally gone. The stars out here are breathtaking. Every time Keith sees them like that, he pulls me off to the side to just notice, appreciate, watch. Ahhhhhh.
Land photos
Snack bar
Pool area
Buffet/restaurant
At lunch
Cool clouds
Canopy at the restaurant. Don't get that at home!
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RE: LOVED **ABR** + other fun stuff - 12/17/2011 6:06:12 PM
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gerber
Posts: 816
Joined: 1/22/2009
From: Alberta
Status: offline
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27th
Today was another mostly-beach day except it was cloudier and periodically rainier. I came out at 6 am to grab beach chairs and watch the sunrise. It's always better than you expect. Read some. Keith showed up at an even more ungodly hour at 7:50. Early morning sunrays are fantastic to enjoy as they aren't as intense and it's so quiet and beautiful.
After he showed up, I went out for a snorkel. First thing I noticed was a larger-than-usual trunkfish or cowfish, which was really pale and almost white. The shape gives it away, though. Not sure how those pics turned out, though, since he really blended into the sand and the camera was beginning to fog up again. (checked later - no pics due to clouding). I guess it must have still had a little moisture in it. Unfortunately, I didn't notice it until I arrived at the coral head with the school of Sailor's Choice, and 2 giant rainbow parrots. I gently turned around and when I was a little ways away, I hurried in. Keith ran up to the room for the backup canon camera in a dicapac. While he was gone, I talked to the german couple we've seen for a few days at the next palapa. She speaks English and they snorkel so that was the combination I was looking for - I gave her the "What did I see" book that we bought here but already had at home. I also asked her if she'd like an almost full bottle of Kahlua, and yes, yes she would. :)
When Keith got back, I went back to the same coral head, where I've seen so many interesting fish and the big parrots were still there. I got some ok shots and followed them to a smaller coral head where I could actually hear them chewing the coral. Even saw them pooping it at one point. Hopefully the pics turn out ok as it's not really an underwater camera. Went a little further into the reef and saw something on the bottom that had stripe type markings but was so still that I thought it was some kind of item that had fallen on the sea floor, not a fish. It camouflaged so well. I floated above for awhile until I noticed sets of fins and started taking pictures. It never moved. I'm pretty sure it's not something I've seen before. A little ways away I noticed two more of the exact same fish lying side by side and took more pics of them. Not knowing what something is always freaks me out a little, so I started to head in (from home: I posted pics on the main board - they were Sand Divers). I saw a few more of the large parrots. Also one large Caribbean reef ray let me watch him for awhile and then I was done. Last snorkel of the trip.
By the time I got back we had missed breakfast, which wasn't a bad thing as Keith had been able to maximize his sun-time on the last day and it was now clouding over. We decided to go to Loncheria in Akumal as the big clouds rolled in. We had the BEST coffee we've had since the Bahia (which has been our benchmark for a few years). Better than any coffee shop at home. It was perfect. Keith ordered Poc Chuc (pork) as we had really enjoyed that before and I had beef tampiquena (you can have beef, pork or chicken). Both dishes were very similar (with rice, beans, grilled onions, tortilla shells) but with different meats done with different spices. We enjoyed them equally. We surmised that the reddish poc chuc might be seasoned with achiote and so I wrote on a napkin "poc chuc achiote?" and showed it to the server. He lit up, smiled and said, "Si!" So, now we may be able to make it at home? During lunch it totally poured but was so warm.
That meant we decided to do a little shopping, which is pretty much never a good idea for us. We went across to the newer silver shop to look around. We were looking mostly for something for Keith's mom, but I found a pretty cool ring as well. The guy helping us, named Cesar is pretty helpful and charming, of course. A good salesman. When we showed him the items we were inquiring about, he took them away to weigh and came back with a list of their prices in pesos. Almost immediately he writes their prices with our "discount" of 20%, sweetening the pot. We hemmed and hawed a little as it's really not cheap. We came down to a pendant and matching earrings for Keith's mom, plus a big ring for me. Multiple items appear to grant you another 10% discount, which I had asked about (not sure if it's automatic, or if you need to ask - might even get more discount if you're good at those things?). Anyway, we got the total and Keith had to go to Chomak ATM for money as they prefer pesos over mastercard. Keith tried to get 3000 (way more than we needed for this), but I think it ran out at 1600 and crapped out. It was enough for the jewelry at least, but the service charge is incredible. Something like 69 pesos?
Next up was Chomak for some old newspapers for packing, plus 2 more packages of achiote paste. They're super helpful and gave us a stack of old papers.
Back at the resort it's still cloudy and a bit rainy. NO one on the beach. We went to the ATM at ABR and took out some more pesos - as a bit of a buffer on our last day. Again another approx 70 pesos service charge! I don't recall this happening at the Palladium at all. Taking pesos from the ATM was our way of replenishing our cash periodically. NOT a good idea here as it will seriously cost you. I guess we'll bring down more cash next time.
Back at the room, it's raining lightly, so we hung out a bit, had some take-out wine, plus my little stash of tequila on the balcony (just for me - Keith hates it). For the first time we saw our neighbors on the next balcony and I asked if they'd like the tequila since we are leaving. Of course! Good - now we've given away the book and the booze. Nothing to waste as my Dad would say. As I would say, "I am my Father's daughter."
Still completely clouded over and little windy and cooler, but we hit the beach again. A little beer, margarita, then some wine is how we've spent our afternoon, and where I'm typing from now. We see some blue patches of sky but they never quite seem to make it to where the sun is. But still - tomorrow we'll be on a plane. In about 28 hours we'll be in cold Calgary. This beach is friggin gorgeous and I don't want to leave. :( The germans have just left the beach, dug into their English vocabulary and haltingly wished us a good trip home.
Here come the animation team down the beach, including Chy from Calgary. They keep trying. Twice a day at least if you're at the beach all day. Earlier in the day they'll tell you if there's stretching (yoga) on the beach, a spanish lesson or turtle lesson in the snack bar, volleyball, salsa dancing lessons etc. Later in the day they come around to let you know about live bands, karaoke, Mr/Mrs Akumal, comedy night etc. We don't really participate in anything, but we watch a few things. They're really good at keeping you informed and they appear to work ALL day. From sun-up to past sun-down. It may seem like a job in paradise, but they work their asses off every day and they always have to be upbeat. Not only are they telling you about the activities, but they're running all of them. Not many people could do the job for anything length of time.
Had a last drink at Moonrise on the swings and headed back to start packing. It always seems that what we brought down somehow multiplied. Yes, we've definitely bought stuff but we're also packing a box that has a tonne of extra room that we're using.
Sunday night the a la carte is closed. It's a more relaxing last night if we stay on the resort so we did the buffet. Even the pizza is pretty darn good. Roast chicken was juicy and delicious. Grilled fish. There was even couscous. Vegetables included stuffed zucchini (great) and other veggies (carrots, squash, brussel sprouts) that are done perfectly and not drowned in butter. Mashed potatoes, pastas etc etc.
This was the coldest evening we've ever had in Mexico. Lots of people wearing pants, most people wearing sweaters or jackets - even 2 out of 3 of the animacion girls were wearing a jacket. We talked to Chy a bit about her hours: they're at work for 13 hours but there are 3 hours worth of breaks in those 13 hours. She works 6 days a week. She has been doing it for 4 months and she did think she could do it for a few more years. We didn't think to ask where she stays but I guess it would be on the resort. She knows the area well as her grandparents had a place in Chan Chemuyil where she stayed every summer for a month or so as a kid, but she didn't know hardly any spanish until she came to work. She said that was pretty painful, but now I think she is quite understandable for the spanish guests. We talked a little about the region and things to check out. I wondered if she had ever been to the jungle place. It turns out she's known Heidi for years and remembers when there were only a few guests let in at a time, twice a day, and from her recollection, the groups would pay about $20 total (now it's around $50 per person and there can be 8+ people in there. Still the monkeys have the freedom to come to you or not and they don't seem distressed by it, as they will come and just cuddle you after they've eaten with no food reward.
It turned out there weren't enough women interested in participating in Miss Akumal so they had a pop-culture type music trivia game. They would play a few notes of a song - regular speed, slow, fast...- and if you could identify it or the show or movie it was from you would yell Akumal! Kind of like Bingo. Each winning answer got you a bottle cap, which were tallied at the end. Not sure what the winner got, but we only had 2 caps. Thought we'd be better than that!
That's it for our last full day in paradise. Extremely relaxing.
Land photos:
coffee at Loncheria:
Beef Tampiquena
Poc Chuc
The sad little unused workout area at ABR
Another balcony view
And another
We have to leave this tomorrow???
Uber geeky uber romantic
And because it was so cool, and often people are asking about their signs, I took a bunch of photos of them. I didn't get all, of course!
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RE: LOVED **ABR** + other fun stuff - 12/17/2011 6:17:55 PM
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gerber
Posts: 816
Joined: 1/22/2009
From: Alberta
Status: offline
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Random thoughts to round out the report:
The last palapas on the beach to be taken between the main bar and moonrise are those in front of the pool. It seems, like us, most beach people want quiet and unfortunately ABR has a speaker facing the beach so it's not very quiet. Well, not quiet at all. That's why it was worth it to me to get up and stay up at 6 am so we could enjoy our seats better.
Another thing ABR could do is have more plentiful pots of sand for ashtrays on the beach. There are a lot of butts in the sand and while there's no excuse for people to do that, more ashtrays could certainly help.
Renting a car for a day from ABR or Akumal area is not easy. There isn't a rental agency on the resort or in town. You have to go into Playa or Tulum, which takes too much time if you just want it for a day. We had thought of going to Chichen Itza for a day, driving down to Sian Kaan or running around and seeing some cenotes but it mostly seemed easier to stay in the area. Fortunately there's a lot to do.
I checked with Chy of the animation team and, on the resort all the toilet paper goes in the toilet. They have a good sanitation system and can handle it. Off the resorts, though, it goes in the bin. (from home: many LG'ers apparently disagree with her)
I'm used to having blended margaritas but as ABR seems to have a no-straws-on-the-beach policy (smart), I switched to on-the-rocks, which works better in a bubba if you have no straw.
The beds at ABR may be harder than most, but we did fine without asking for a mattress topper. Great pillows by the way.
The resort is quite obviously working hard to not only do basic maintenance but they are improving things constantly - replacing tile, filling in chips in railings or replacing them, painting etc. We never got the feeling that they were letting things go, as was the impression we got from previous guests a few years ago. Kudos to management.
Final thoughts about our vacation in particular this time: It was the best vacation we've been on, including better than our other 5 times down to the Akumal area. We felt like we sampled more of the authentic Mexican/Mayan food (Naty's, Loncheria etc), but more of the tourist spots as well (Gynn'ak, Pescadore's, octopus at Estrella's). Chamico's seems to fit both and is a great go-to for a unique, tasty experience. I would say that this trip was focused more on trying new food places, which is harder to do at a bigger resort that's further from everything.
Highlights for Keith: Golf cart days from Akumal to HMB to Yal Ku Lagoon, his favorite store - Mexicarte, the beach he loves the beach, Chamico's, Pescadore's, Tulum beach crawl, standing in the bay checking out all the fish in view just feet from the shore, breakfast at the buffet on the outside tables.
Highlights for Connie: Naty's, Gynn'ak, HMB with Keith on a golf cart on the deserted stretch of beach, Chamico's, chilling on the beach in our favorite chairs, seeing some amazing "firsts" while snorkeling Akumal bay, night snorkeling. Whew that was awesome!
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Glad you got in so much snorkeling...hope I can do the same. 
