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Trip report 12/3-12/10 Akumal - 12/11/2005 6:44:53 AM
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Jan24
Posts: 56
Joined: 5/24/2005
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I figured before I got into the craziness of the holidays I would get a short report posted.
We had just an unbelievably good time. Everything went so smoothly and it was definitely one of our best vacations ever.
We booked this last minute as our trip to Cozumel in January was cancelled due to the hurricane. We saw some great air from Mpls to Cancun for Dec 3rd and jumped on it and decided to go back to Akumal. We've been there three previous times and always loved it. We flew on MLT (Champion Air) and arrived on time into Cancun. There was obvious damage from the hurricane (trees stripped, billboards down) but not as bad as expected (I heard the hotel area still looks pretty bad though). Got our bags and a green light and outside to our ride from DITA (booked through Loco Gringo as well as our hotel). The man who drove us however requested we buy him a beer and we weren't real comfortable about him drinking while driving. We arrived safely and I have to say that it's obvious how much work has been done in such a short period of time. Other than lots of greenery gone, it looked absolutely beautiful in Akumal.
Hotel-We stayed in Hotel Akumal Caribe. We absolutely loved it and would stay there again in a heartbeat. Beautiful, clean room and an unbelievable view from the 3rd floor. Had a dresser and full closet for storage. No tv but we didn't miss it. Had a/c but didn't use it. We usually stay on Half Moon Bay but I think we're Akumal Bay converts. We loved the convenience of being close to everything and loved plopping ourselves down on the hotel's beach chairs for the day.
REstaurants-We ate at Lol Ha (the main dining room was still closed until Friday before we left) beach bar several times (what a great staff they have), ate at Turtle Bay for breakfasts and dinner, ate at La Lunita one night and also Cueva pescador. Not a bad meal was eaten and I couldn't fit in any clothes by the time we left. We also at the little place next to the grocery and had great cheap breakfasts. Great happy hours at La Buena Vida and Lol Ha.
Fun-well folks since we've been there before so we've done Xel-Ha, the ruins, Playa del Carmen and toured around so we pretty much stayed on the beach and snorkeled and ate and had a wonderul relaxing week. Never rented a car and we were happy as clams. We did do the Robinson Crusoe tour. Great time and a great lunch but I don't snorkel so it really wasn't worth the money for me. Glad we went on it, probably wouldn't do it again since I don't snorkel. The "deserted" beach we went to was beautiful but they're building an AI right there so pretty soon it won't be deserted.
Snorkeling and diving-I don't do either but hubby did both. He dove 3 times with Akumal dive center and had great dives. Water was kind of cloudy but he was still happy. He also snorkeled in Akumal Bay quite a bit. Once again, kind of cloudy but saw a turtle every time but one.
Weather-perfect. Even though I knew better had checked Weather Channel before leaving and said showers Tues-Fri. Had clouds for morning on Friday, beautiful every other day.
Loco Gringo party-so many people and never got to say hi to everyone. Loved the business for Lol Ha. Very fun time was had by all.
Did I say this was going to be short? It was very quiet when we first got there and felt very strange with it being so deserted in restaurants. It did get much busier each day we were there and very busy right when we were leaving. We met some wonderful people and miss it already.
DITA once again picked us up on time to go back to the airport on our last day. Left on time from airport and arrived back to MPLS early. We missed a week of really cold weather and came back to 37 degrees so we were happy.
It amazes me every time we go to Akumal how beautiful it is there and how wonderful the people are. I'm so glad that when you tell people where you're going they have never heard of it. I hope it stays that way for many years to come. Janice
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RE: Trip report 12/3-12/10 Akumal - 12/11/2005 9:15:19 AM
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greekbeachgirl
Posts: 14161
Joined: 9/3/2005
From: Sherwood Park Alberta CANADA
Status: offline
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great report janice..
did you get a chance to survey the progress of ABR???
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I wish cancer could get cancer and die itself ....
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RE: Trip report 12/3-12/10 Akumal - 12/11/2005 9:49:13 AM
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AkEduktr
Posts: 28
Joined: 11/23/2005
Status: offline
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Sounds like a perfect trip! Thanks for sharing your vacation...
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RE: Trip report 12/3-12/10 Akumal - 12/11/2005 1:26:03 PM
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Rindercella
Posts: 484
Joined: 11/3/2005
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Janice - your vacation sounds like the kind we like. We have migrated further south each year just for the solitude and relaxation you had on your trip. I'm glad you have a great holiday!
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RE: Trip report 12/3-12/10 Akumal - 12/11/2005 3:28:38 PM
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Jan24
Posts: 56
Joined: 5/24/2005
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GBG-ABR looked ready to roll to us. I couldn't see much that needed to be done. The only place I saw them doing any work was a larger room by the water (maybe a dining room?) and they seemed to have finished it up by the time we left. We didn't see any workers doing anything after that so hopefully they will open soon. It looked great!!! Janice
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RE: Trip report 12/3-12/10 Akumal - 12/12/2005 4:14:47 AM
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Sandibelle1
Posts: 3558
Joined: 11/12/2005
From: South Dakota
Status: offline
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Hey Jan glad you made it back ok, we did too. It was 53 when we got back so breaking us in slowly to the cold to come. It was nice meeting you and your husband, sorry we couldn't talk about Panama more..I just posted my trip report,too.Happy Holidays!
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Sandi
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RE: Trip report 12/3-12/10 Akumal - 12/12/2005 11:52:08 AM
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Sheba and The Indian
Posts: 15
Joined: 12/3/2005
From: North Bay, Ontario
Status: offline
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Great report! Loved hearing about your trip. Glad it all worked out good in the end.
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RE:Trip report 12/1-12/9 - 12/17/2005 12:40:59 PM
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herman11
Posts: 8
Joined: 10/31/2005
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 My wife and I and our daughter and he husband and our son and his wife and three kids, after enduring all of the flight cancellations and other irritations that go with a vacation in Akumal finally arrived (the ones with the kids came 2 days later because they forgot that they needed birth certificates for the kids) exhaused from our flights from Chicago through Dallas. We rented a car from easyway (more about them later) and hit the 307 also known as el camino de muerte or The Highway of Death. Those who have not driven on it will need to know that for the most part it consists of three lanes. The center lane is fair game for anyone so you will be playing "chicken" every time you drive it. The rules for navigating this road are beyond anything a grino will have experienced in driving throughout the world. For example, left turns are made from the right side of the road (!) Please be sure you know what you are doing when you drive that road or your chances of death will be greatly enhanced.
It is imparative that when you rent a car you get the maximum insurance offered no matter what the cost.
We arrived exhausted at Our accomdation as Las Villas Akumal, about 1/4 mile south of ABR. The place was clean and relatively undamaged by Wilma. Palpiero's continue to work on the roofs as they do everywhere. Palm trees are topped but there has been lots of replanting. The beach is stony. But at Las Villas, the pool is ready and the staff is very accomodating, including David Nelson, the manager. Las Villas is a condo where we have a kitchen. Sio the first thing we did was to go over to Pueblo Akumal to get some basic provisions. The Pueblo is on the west side of 307 and is not to be confused with the Town where the restaurants are and where the Super Chomak is. There are not alot of tourists in the Pueblo but the storekeepers areglad to have the tourist dollars and are very friendly. Don't forget to tip the kids who bag your stuff. This applies whereever you shop. So we had a meal of chorizo, refied beans and guacomole, salsa and chips. We washed it down with lots of cold Sol beer. We headed down to the pool with some Margaritas to see the magical sky. We live in a rural town in Wisconsin and I can't remember when I have seen such a display of stars at night. My wife and I took the bedroom off the terrace (we have the second floor reachable by stairs from the beach). We lay down listening to the waves splashing on the beach and feeling the wonderful ocean breezes. On the next morning, Dec. 2, we found that we had been robbed by a sneal thief who entered our unit in the night through the sliding screen door. He tood $500 in cash and pesos, my wifes video camera, my new digital Canon Sureshot and my old wristwatch. He left our passports, credit cards, ATM cards, drivers licenses etc. How kind! This substantially cast a negative feeling for us about the whole trip. Thereafter, we locked the sliding door at night and forewent the wonderful sound and breeze that we came for. We asked the building manager how to call the police. Here is something you should know. There are no police!!! Akumal is, for all intents and purposes, a lawless area. I should also say that Las Villas has two security people that walk the grounds at night. Where they were as we were getting ripped off is anybodys guess. We were told that to report this we would need to go to Tulum and see the police there. I knew I needed to have a police report to amke an insurance claim when I got home (we ultimately collected full value on everything, less a $250 deductible). Before we left for Tulum, we chatted with some neighbors who had been staying as Las Villas for years. They told us that our unit was always being ripped off. However, David denied this. In making the report in Tulum, we saw an admin officer who spoke no english but somehow we managed with our bit of espanol. When we got back, we needed a drink so we walked down the beach to Lol Ha. We met some LG people there and talked about the party there on the 8th. We had taken 3000 pesos from the ATM in Tulum which is right outside the bank - not the one by St. Francis supermarket but across the street. I cooked at home and made acharra (which had been premarinated), in a stew with onion, tomato and garlic. My wife prepared rice and beans. We had expected my son and his family but got an email that they had "a problem at the airport". We later discovered it was because they had negliected to get original birth certificates for their three kids and were not let on the plane. We slept that night with a pole in the slot of the sliding door. I still shudder when I think that someone could have slit our throats in addition to robbing us. These folks are very poor and some of them will take your money anyway they can. At about 7:am I opened the screen door and then we had coffee on the terrace and planned the day. We headed to Turtle Bay for breakfast. It is great! Try the carrot cake or the crabcakes benedict. We then shopped at the Super Chomak in Akumal where we met Charlene for the first time. She works there and is in a wheel chair. A very neat lady! That night, we had dinner at Oscar & Lalo's. We had olong conversations with Quikki, Oscar's son, who now manages the place. I had grilled whole fish with garlic butter, fries, beans and plantains ($10) which was absolutely delicious. My wife had civiche which see said was OK. Kira had chicked fajitas and Mike grilled shrimps which they said were sensational. After dinner we went to shop in Tulum and on the way back north, stopped to see Casa Cente. It is closed but is being worked on. We took pictures at the cenote and returned home. We snacked on pina coladas and guacomole and went to bed.
Every day we were in Mexico, the weather was great. I little cloudy in the morning and then sunny and warm the rest of the day. The nights clear and starry.
The next day was Sunday and the kids arrived at last, embarrassed (their parents) at having screwed up. I reprised my dinner from the second night and all enjoyed. By the way, watch out for the peppers. Make sure you can tolorate them or you will certainly remember eating those poblanos for days afterwards.
The next morning, I had a stuffy nose from the air conditioning since we can't have the sliding door open. Breakfast is chorizo, onions, garlic eggs and cheese. Soaked up with fresh tortillas aquired at the St. Fransis of Asisi in Tulum. Andy and Tania went deep sea fishing and returned with no fish. they went with one of the guys on the beach past ABR. The guy promised them a free hour the next day but they never went. They took the two older kids and one got seasick. That day, we spent at the pool and had a great time as did the kids, working on their tans. Las Villas, that night provided a grill because the next night I would grill checken and we would have a family party for little Andy's birthday- he turned 6.
But that night, just my wife and I went back to Oscar and Lalo's. We were the only customers and we sat at a table right on the beach. I love that place. We were greeted by Quikki as old friends.
I was inspired, at that point to write this poem:
Christmas decorations bravely installed on the trunks of topless coconut palms
Are one reflection of the hopes of this community of Mayans now dashed by the hurricane.
All-inclusive luxury hotels open for the business that the airlines cannot bring.
Others closed to those whose vacation plans have crashed along with the winds and waves of Wilma on this fragile coast.
The stars shine down in spite of the bright lights of Playa del Carmen but few are here to see.
We sit in the near dark of the beach in front of the restaurant where we are the only customers.
The palapieros hired to repair our roof are required to watch us play in the cool blue water of the pool. Do they wish us to leave them in their sorrow? To stop us wathcing the brightness of their stars?
On Tuesday it is little andy's birthday and there will be a cake called Tres Leches cake. Today, we are all going to Xel Ha. The families split up and Judy and I tubed down the waterway. We are in our late 60's and had a ball. The kids swam with the fish and in the cenotes, jumped from the cliff etc. It is an experience you can't miss. Xcarat was closed and was to reopen the 12th, after we left. Some people we talked to said Xel Ha was better. Judy and I didn't do the all-inclusive and I think we came out better than those who did.
The next day, the couple that we came down with had to go home and I drove them to the airport, keeping the car. By now, I was well experienced on El Camino de Muerte, the Highway of Death. It is one of the most dangerous roads I have ever driven and I have driven all over the world. On the way back south, we stopped at a horsebak riding stable which was pretty nice. They also rent ATV's for groups. After that was when I got ripped off at the Pemex by the employees who put no gas in my tank. See my posting on the thread relating to gasolina ripoffs. I lost 100 peso's. After being robbed of stuff worth $2000 this was nothing but it infuriates me still. I would be expecting to be treated this way in an Moslem country but not in our friendly neighbor to the south where I came to spend money and not negotiate for trinkets.
We had lunch at the lettle diner next to Super Chomak and it is highly recommended for price and quality. Buy beer at the store next door. We stopped for a cold one at Lol Ha. The bar was closed since it was being repaired but we had a nece table in the sand. Then we went to El Pescadore for dinner and had Langostinos and more beer. Very tasty.
There are new palms being planted all over our part of the Roo. Puerto Aventura has done a gargantuan job to be open. The main bar is beautiful...but empty.
The next day, Judy and I went to Coba and stopped at the Archiological villa where we had stayed 15 years before. It is now a Club Med. We had lunch of tacos and beer. Then we found a way around the sacred lake which is now flooded. You have to part in neighbors yards for 10 pesos ($1). The house where we parked had its roof blown off. The lady had a little baybe and two other kids. They showed us their coloring books. Suffice to say, we paid much more for the space. We hire this wiry little Mayan to pedal us around the ruinas of Coba for 70 pesos. He worked very hard and we tipped him well too. On the way back from Coba, we crossed the 307 and took the Punta Allen road to the beach bar at Samas (sp?). We were tired from the day and headed back to Las Villas. When we pulled up in from, we say Big Andy's Jeep, rented from Executivo. The right rear was wrecked. He had, we later found out, been driving on the Camino de Muerte with Tania and the kids and been sideswiped by another vehicle that just kept going. I made them some Margaritas and they then went to Playa Aventura to talk to their rental people. The car was then driveable and no one had been physically injured, fortunately. They didn't have full insurance coverage but relied on their credit card insurance. They immediately reported the damage to the credit card company which shut their credit card down so Executive couldn't charge them for the damages. They were told that someone would come out and give them a new car after it died next to the Super Chomak. No one ever came.
On our last day, we took two of the kids to the ariport. Andy & Tania took a cab with little Jeff. I had a hassle at the Easyway when the guy insisted that the fuel needle was below half, where it needed to be. The needle was right on half full. He screamed that I owed him 100 pesos. The thefts and problems of the entire trip welled up and I screamed back at the guy, threw 100 peso's at him and he drove us to the airport. He checked to amke sure we had not stolen the spare or any of the tools from the truck on the car. Imagine that!
We caught our plane to the frozen north whicere we go home at 3:00 a.m. the next day.
Well, that is the trip report. We had a great time in the sun, nice tans, better accomodations than I expected in view of Wilma. But to tell you the truth, I found our hosts of the Roo a little too greedy and conniving and dishonest. This is about my 10th trip to Mexico, third or fourth to the Roo. I had always expected Mexico to be a bit more friendly and less financially mercenary than, say, Turkey or Cambodia. But I think things have changed there and we won't be coming back real soon.
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. It's good to hear that business is picking up for the locals down there-- they sure do need it right now! As much as we all want to keep Akumal our little secret...
