1st Riviera Mayan Visit-Free or Cheap Ideas

jghardt · 07-16-2006

Hi,
Going to Occidental Grand Xcaret Aug 2-7 with 3 broke college kids- 17,19,21. Please don't slam the OGX since we couldn't beat the $695 AI cost-flight included. We are also going to the Adventuras Spa for a wedding 8/4. Any suggestions to my questions would be appreciated!
* Free out of the way places for decent snorkling...willing to walk or bike?
* Have pass for X-Park next door, bring own snorkle stuff? Suggestions in general?
* Free ruin areas? Are rental bikes a decent way to get around?
* Go to Playa? Possible to bike there?
* Anything to do at Aventura Spa Palace?
* Will my older looking - 6' 1 inch daughter be able to get into ASP for the day?
* Id's checked at the door?
The kids are into adventure and not night life so please help us maximize our trip with no or low costs.
Thanks!
jghardt at yahoo dot com

Michele · 07-16-2006

Welcome to the forum. OGX is close to Playa but not a recommended bike ride. I think biking on the highway is dangerous. Check with your hotel to see if there is a shuttle service provided to town. If not colectivos may be your answer. Ask at the hotel for details. Because OGX sits quite a way off the highway you will have to get yourselves to the north going pick up spot. Are there 4 or 5 of you? If it's only four, a taxi would also work. Walking around PDC for a day is an adventure in itself. Check the changarros y mas forum to find some good places to eat on the cheap.
On Sunday, entrance to the Tulum ruins is free. Go in the morning when it is a bit cooler then head down to the beach.
For snorkeling, take a colectivo to Akumal and snorkel the main bay. There's a little grocery store, so you can stock up on snacks and beverages for the day. I would recommend bringing you own snorkeling equipment, if you have it, just to save on costs.
I can't comment on what to do at the AI's as I haven't been to either. Just be sure to check out any free transportation provided. Have fun.

fuzzlekins · 07-18-2006

The resort you chose is FABULOUS! We were there in May and are going back in November b/c we loved it so much (and we almost never go the same place twice). The park next door is great -- plan to spend A LOT of time there. Plan your water activities for the late morning/early afternoon b/c it's way too hot to be walking around at that time. Go to the night show at 6:30 to get a good seat -- you don't want to miss the first half at least! If you don't want to rent towels at the park (I think it was ~$3), take a beach towel from home -- you can't take the resort's towels w/ you even though the Xcaret desk at the resort says you can. If you do decide to book another attraction/activity at Xcaret (snuba, SeaTrek, dolphin swim, etc.), you can get back into the park on that day for free a couple hours ahead of your scheduled activity. That extra stuff is relatively pricey though. You can snorkel at the resort and the park next door for free. You can see a couple of small ruins at the resort for free. You can also see a few small ruins at the park for free. If you want to see Tulum inexpensively, you'll need to go on your own. However, it's a long hike to the main road to catch a collectivo (cheap), so I wouldn't really recommend it. It should be about $35 per person to take a nice tour bus to Tulum with a guide. Not bad and well worth it IMO. That's the Tulum Express tour btw. You can walk around Playa del Carmen and visit the beach there for cheap. The cab ride should be about $10 -- you can either have the bellboys summon one for you or you can take the prearranged shuttle -- the cost should be about the same but double check with guest services. If you like Kahlua and/or tequila, PDC is a great place to buy it -- way cheaper than the US. It's a great place to buy some cheap souvenirs too. If you rent a car, I suppose you could see a lot for free or close to it -- ruins, cenotes, beaches, etc. It wouldn't be my choice but a lot of people do it. Have a Grand time!!

fuzzlekins · 07-18-2006

Forgot to mention that you can bike around the resort to your heart's content as they provide bikes for free, but there's nowhere you can go off-resort with a bike. All the resorts are set way far back off the road and the driveways are surrounded by jungle. I would not use those access roads by anything but car. Also, there are lots of activities at the resort itself so I honestly don't think you'd get bored even if you only did Xcaret Park all week. We did four excursions in a week (only Xcaret was a full day) and felt like we didn't have enough time to see/do everything at the resort. It's too hot for tennis, but the archery sounded cool. Your kids will probably enjoy the activities pool -- stuff going on there all day. I could go on and on about this resort

, but feel free to email me if you have any other questions. (fuzzlekins at yahoo)

07-16-2006	#1 (permalink)
jghardt sandflea Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 8	1st Riviera Mayan Visit-Free or Cheap Ideas Hi, Going to Occidental Grand Xcaret Aug 2-7 with 3 broke college kids- 17,19,21. Please don't slam the OGX since we couldn't beat the $695 AI cost-flight included. We are also going to the Adventuras Spa for a wedding 8/4. Any suggestions to my questions would be appreciated! * Free out of the way places for decent snorkling...willing to walk or bike? * Have pass for X-Park next door, bring own snorkle stuff? Suggestions in general? * Free ruin areas? Are rental bikes a decent way to get around? * Go to Playa? Possible to bike there? * Anything to do at Aventura Spa Palace? * Will my older looking - 6' 1 inch daughter be able to get into ASP for the day? * Id's checked at the door? The kids are into adventure and not night life so please help us maximize our trip with no or low costs. Thanks! jghardt at yahoo dot com Last edited by denisea; 07-16-2006 at 12:48 PM. Reason: Removed active email link to avoid SPAM per forum guidelines.

07-18-2006	#3 (permalink)
fuzzlekins lost on fifth Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 20	OGFX is FABULOUS The resort you chose is FABULOUS! We were there in May and are going back in November b/c we loved it so much (and we almost never go the same place twice). The park next door is great -- plan to spend A LOT of time there. Plan your water activities for the late morning/early afternoon b/c it's way too hot to be walking around at that time. Go to the night show at 6:30 to get a good seat -- you don't want to miss the first half at least! If you don't want to rent towels at the park (I think it was ~$3), take a beach towel from home -- you can't take the resort's towels w/ you even though the Xcaret desk at the resort says you can. If you do decide to book another attraction/activity at Xcaret (snuba, SeaTrek, dolphin swim, etc.), you can get back into the park on that day for free a couple hours ahead of your scheduled activity. That extra stuff is relatively pricey though. You can snorkel at the resort and the park next door for free. You can see a couple of small ruins at the resort for free. You can also see a few small ruins at the park for free. If you want to see Tulum inexpensively, you'll need to go on your own. However, it's a long hike to the main road to catch a collectivo (cheap), so I wouldn't really recommend it. It should be about $35 per person to take a nice tour bus to Tulum with a guide. Not bad and well worth it IMO. That's the Tulum Express tour btw. You can walk around Playa del Carmen and visit the beach there for cheap. The cab ride should be about $10 -- you can either have the bellboys summon one for you or you can take the prearranged shuttle -- the cost should be about the same but double check with guest services. If you like Kahlua and/or tequila, PDC is a great place to buy it -- way cheaper than the US. It's a great place to buy some cheap souvenirs too. If you rent a car, I suppose you could see a lot for free or close to it -- ruins, cenotes, beaches, etc. It wouldn't be my choice but a lot of people do it. Have a Grand time!!

07-18-2006	#4 (permalink)
fuzzlekins lost on fifth Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 20	Forgot to mention... Forgot to mention that you can bike around the resort to your heart's content as they provide bikes for free, but there's nowhere you can go off-resort with a bike. All the resorts are set way far back off the road and the driveways are surrounded by jungle. I would not use those access roads by anything but car. Also, there are lots of activities at the resort itself so I honestly don't think you'd get bored even if you only did Xcaret Park all week. We did four excursions in a week (only Xcaret was a full day) and felt like we didn't have enough time to see/do everything at the resort. It's too hot for tennis, but the archery sounded cool. Your kids will probably enjoy the activities pool -- stuff going on there all day. I could go on and on about this resort , but feel free to email me if you have any other questions. (fuzzlekins at yahoo)

07-16-2006	#2 (permalink)
Michele añejo Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Playa del Carmen, QR, MX Posts: 2,719	Welcome to the forum. OGX is close to Playa but not a recommended bike ride. I think biking on the highway is dangerous. Check with your hotel to see if there is a shuttle service provided to town. If not colectivos may be your answer. Ask at the hotel for details. Because OGX sits quite a way off the highway you will have to get yourselves to the north going pick up spot. Are there 4 or 5 of you? If it's only four, a taxi would also work. Walking around PDC for a day is an adventure in itself. Check the changarros y mas forum to find some good places to eat on the cheap. On Sunday, entrance to the Tulum ruins is free. Go in the morning when it is a bit cooler then head down to the beach. For snorkeling, take a colectivo to Akumal and snorkel the main bay. There's a little grocery store, so you can stock up on snacks and beverages for the day. I would recommend bringing you own snorkeling equipment, if you have it, just to save on costs. I can't comment on what to do at the AI's as I haven't been to either. Just be sure to check out any free transportation provided. Have fun.

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