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If not Akumal, where? - 2/28/2013 12:54:20 PM
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SnorkelQueen
Posts: 247
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We came to Akumal for snorkeling 7 years in a row, but haven't been there since 2010. We went to St. John in 2011, which was amazing and uncrowded, but twice as expensive as Akumal. In 2012 we were not able to make a snorkel trip, and I am determined to snorkel somewhere in 2013. I was thinking about coming back to Mexico, but I am really concerned with everything I am reading about the condition of the coral in Akumal Bay and at some of the resorts. For those of you who have been coming for years, has it really deteriorated that much? And if it has, where would you go for a snorkeling trip that is reasonably priced and has good accommodations?
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RE: If not Akumal, where? - 2/28/2013 1:24:14 PM
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reluctant diver
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According to reports I've read healthy coral in Akumal has decreased from 40% to less than 8% due to the sewage being dumped into the bay through aquifer.
That being said, is it much differnet from 2010. Can't say.
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RE: If not Akumal, where? - 2/28/2013 1:52:38 PM
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reefhugger
Posts: 8906
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The "water quality" issues and more coral dying off every year isn't anything new, not to Akumal or most other beach destinations... especially those that have continued to grow in popularity and development. (You can find dismal sounding reports back 10-12 yrs if you know where to look...) I think the addition of a new resort property on Akumal Bay has just sparked the latest round of, "I'm never going back again," and "It's ruined." And yet there sure doesn't seem to be any shortage of people on the beach or in the water when you look at the webcam.
If you liked it 2010 and want to go back, then go back. Pretty sure you'll see things in about the same condition underwater now as you did then. You can also check out other bays and snorkeling areas. There's more to Akumal and the area then just Akumal Bay.
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RE: If not Akumal, where? - 2/28/2013 3:15:58 PM
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sherrys07
Posts: 3895
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We go 3X per year, and it is still just as beautiful as when we started over 10 years ago.
We dive, snorkel, fish, and relax. Half Moon Bay is never crowded, the snorkeling is great. We usually only go down to Akumal Bay once, and we hit Lol Ha at Happy Hour some days. I hear FIJI has good diving though, if you are looking for another destination!
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RE: If not Akumal, where? - 2/28/2013 3:27:00 PM
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arkansasgurl
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We adored St Thomas and St John and also noted it was not over crowded. But the prices are REDICULOUS. There is a place called Bolongo Bay. Now, if you google it you will see that it is one of the top 10 beach resorts in the world and the website makes it look like it is too die for. But it is a joke! It costs approximately $5000 to get all inclusive and the rooms look nothing like what you see posted. The rooms are like some tacky, sleezy pay by the hour in the ghetto and I am not exaggerating. Further more, the beach and the ocean area is really not even swimmable. It is extremely rocky and the water is murky all the time.
The food was the only redeeming quality of the resort, because you can have truly amazing filet mignon, mahi mahi, sushi, gourmet desserts to your hearts content there is no buffet and no limit on how much you can eat.
The taxi drivers will rob you blind.
The best part of the area is going to individual famous beaches, such as Lindquist and honeymoon beach and others on St. John.
If not Akumal, where? We actually prefer the area almost halfway between Akumal and Cancun. Puerto Morelos area has the most beautiful area and alot of the resorts have a sense of isolation. Some people are not happy unless they have a lot to do at night, however, so some might prefer PDC.
I am actually a huge fan of Cozumel and love its laid back island vibe, small town friendliness and gorgeous sunsets. The East Side is amazing.
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RE: If not Akumal, where? - 2/28/2013 3:34:52 PM
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reluctant diver
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Akumal is not the only area for snorkelers!
Roatan, Belize, Bahamas, Bonaire all have fabulous snorkeling. More difficult to get to. Maybe. Worth it? YES!
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RE: If not Akumal, where? - 2/28/2013 5:42:37 PM
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Kim in STL
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We have been going to Puerto Morelos for a few years, just to change things up a bit. The reef there is a National Park, so you must snorkel with a $10 wrist band, but it is SO much nicer because the coral and fish are still there. We like the small town, laid back feel too, and the food is cheap and so was our stay at Casita Blanca Condos on the north end of PM. The beach is the best calm swimming area, and the restaurants are close...love that place....now I am wishing for another trip there...good value!!!
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RE: If not Akumal, where? - 3/1/2013 8:46:49 AM
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arkansasgurl
Posts: 328
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If you and Tomas ever consider seriously the USVI, please lets talk (shoot me a msg and Ill give you my phone#)
There is a way to do it and spend less money if you are an experienced traveller. St Thomas and St John are really not to be missed. We really want to go back BAD (my husband worse than me). But we were at famous, breathtaking beaches several times and had them all to ourselves. I think I am going to try to take this trip again next year because both of our cars will be paid off and one child out of school. We should have the $ to do something special. Beautiful place and of all the places I have been, very unique beauty. Best advice is to rent a car, the concern here won't be policia, but the extreme driving conditions. the roads are windy curvy hilly and full of potholes and you are driving on the wrong side of the road. They have a 'different' set of rules they drive by, too.
Anyone fantasizing about the area google: Lindquist Beach, Honeymoon Beach, Meagans Bay, and St John beaches.
There are only a couple AI's on the island and groceries are quite expensive but there is an area with condos near a beautiful beach.
quote:
ORIGINAL: crunch
Akumal is still great in my opinion. Cozumel rocks. PM, and the many other smaller areas up and down the coast I still hope to explore all seem fabulous. Isla Mujeres is great. I think for the price these are still really wonderful places.
Sure, I would love to explore many of those other places and islands like the virgin islands etc, but for my personal budget and the amount of time off I can take the Riviera maya is where it is at.
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RE: If not Akumal, where? - 3/1/2013 10:07:36 AM
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SnorkelQueen
Posts: 247
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Thanks for all the input. For anyone trying USVI, we didn't even attempt all-inclusive because of the cost and because the AI's were all on St. Thomas. We stayed on St. John, got groceries to eat breakfast and lunch in the room, and only went out for dinner. Since most of it is national park, and maybe because the expense keeps the number of tourists down, for places other than Trunk Bay there were days when we would be the only snorkelers on the beach. However, the price is probably going to keep us from going back anytime soon. That's what pulled me back toward the Akumal area, which was our "go to" place for so many years.
I would be happy to buy a $10 wristband for Puerto Morelos, but I thought you could only snorkel with a guide there. Is that not the case? Since we snorkel both morning and afternoon, a guide would get pretty expensive! Also, is it possible to snorkel from shore in PM?
Reluctant Diver - do you go to the out islands of the Bahamas? The Bahamas are much closer to us than Mexico, but I always thought snorkeling wasn't great in the Bahamas.
Sounds like we could still have a great trip to the Akumal area, but maybe we need to make the effort to hit some new areas instead of relying on Akumal Bay because of the ease of access. I guess that ease of access is what has caused people to "love it to death".
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RE: If not Akumal, where? - 3/1/2013 12:42:54 PM
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reluctant diver
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quote:
ORIGINAL: SnorkelQueen
Thanks for all the input. For anyone trying USVI, we didn't even attempt all-inclusive because of the cost and because the AI's were all on St. Thomas. We stayed on St. John, got groceries to eat breakfast and lunch in the room, and only went out for dinner. Since most of it is national park, and maybe because the expense keeps the number of tourists down, for places other than Trunk Bay there were days when we would be the only snorkelers on the beach. However, the price is probably going to keep us from going back anytime soon. That's what pulled me back toward the Akumal area, which was our "go to" place for so many years.
I would be happy to buy a $10 wristband for Puerto Morelos, but I thought you could only snorkel with a guide there. Is that not the case? Since we snorkel both morning and afternoon, a guide would get pretty expensive! Also, is it possible to snorkel from shore in PM?
Reluctant Diver - do you go to the out islands of the Bahamas? The Bahamas are much closer to us than Mexico, but I always thought snorkeling wasn't great in the Bahamas.
Sounds like we could still have a great trip to the Akumal area, but maybe we need to make the effort to hit some new areas instead of relying on Akumal Bay because of the ease of access. I guess that ease of access is what has caused people to "love it to death".
The Bahamas have many great small resorts geared towards diving and snorkeling. If I lived close to that area I would certainly be exporing it. Many many pristine beaches where you'd almost be lonely were it not for the fish and reefs.
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RE: If not Akumal, where? - 3/1/2013 11:11:17 PM
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GlubGlub
Posts: 22
Joined: 3/1/2006
From: Minneapolis, Minnesota
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I'd like to learn more about snorkeling at Puerto Morales as well.... I've also never tried Soloman or any other beaches just south of Akumal.
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Happy snorkeling,
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Snorkel favs...
Akumal ('95, '05, '06, '08, '11, '13)
Bonaire ('01)
Belize ('89)
Grand Cayman ('86, '88)
Key West ('96, '03)
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RE: If not Akumal, where? - 3/4/2013 7:31:49 PM
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Luft
Posts: 131
Joined: 3/5/2012
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Shhhhhh... let's keep this little gem of a town our secret!!!!!
quote:
ORIGINAL: Kim in STL
We have been going to Puerto Morelos for a few years, just to change things up a bit. The reef there is a National Park, so you must snorkel with a $10 wrist band, but it is SO much nicer because the coral and fish are still there. We like the small town, laid back feel too, and the food is cheap and so was our stay at Casita Blanca Condos on the north end of PM. The beach is the best calm swimming area, and the restaurants are close...love that place....now I am wishing for another trip there...good value!!!
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RE: If not Akumal, where? - 3/5/2013 2:39:31 PM
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FinsUP
Posts: 6914
Joined: 1/16/2008
From: Oakville, ON ...we have squirrels here!!!
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Kim in STL
We have been going to Puerto Morelos for a few years, just to change things up a bit. The reef there is a National Park, so you must snorkel with a $10 wrist band, but it is SO much nicer because the coral and fish are still there. We like the small town, laid back feel too, and the food is cheap and so was our stay at Casita Blanca Condos on the north end of PM. The beach is the best calm swimming area, and the restaurants are close...love that place....now I am wishing for another trip there...good value!!!
My husband and I just stopped there for a day on our way to pick up friends at the airport. We walked the main beach and had a beer. The water was very rough, the pier and beach were crowded and we sure couldn't see the big 'draw' to PM.
Don't get it, we both thought....what? Where's the calm water?
We did a snorkel out of there in 2008 on some tour, to the national park area. It's not the same as a shore snorkel...how do you putz around the coral in water that deep? Same as a boat snorkel out of Coz....
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RE: If not Akumal, where? - 3/5/2013 2:47:09 PM
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Vancouver Sundog
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pomo can be very rough
We went in december for a few days after the coz trip
the 1st day was perfect and flat - 2nd day was rough - We did go out in the afternoon but it was very wavey with a strong current
Depth out by the reef is very shallow as well (5-10 feet)
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RE: If not Akumal, where? - 3/6/2013 1:37:53 PM
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Buggs
Posts: 814
Joined: 7/30/2006
From: Baltimore, Maryland
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DW and I went to Akumal six or seven times, but the last two trips (one in February and once in November) were so crowded that it was a problem for us...... (not that we had a bad time - just not as good as it was). Puerto Morales sounds good, but I'm worried about the (Chinese) Dragon Project which has been started. We did not like St Thomas too much (but we did not see much of it - as we were only there one day). We did like St. Martin - but, the flights (from Baltimore) are much more expensive than Cancun.
We've started going to Xcalak (four trips and counting). The snorkeling there is great! It's still inexpensive and it has a kind of 'remote' feeling to it. You can take a 'day-trip' to San Pedro, Belize with XTC diving. There are three restaurants there that are good (one is actually great - The Leaky Palapa). The problem is that it is a 5 1/2 hour drive from Cancun......but, once south of Tulum, the ride is very pleasant.
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RE: If not Akumal, where? - 3/6/2013 8:43:24 PM
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jfralia
Posts: 191
Joined: 7/17/2007
From: Louisiana
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Hubby and I traveled to Eleuthera (outer Bahamas) last summer and it was AMAZING!! We had some great snorkeling and the beaches are just gorgeous!!! WOW!!!
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RE: If not Akumal, where? - 3/6/2013 11:24:12 PM
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panesh
Posts: 1443
Joined: 11/27/2009
From: San Rafael, CA
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I took this down and will post it elsewhere. Thanks
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