Trip Report--Akumal, Nov 30-Dec 8, 2007

[midtowngirl]

Day 1—Friday, November 30

We got a deal flying out of Harrisburg and back into Dulles, and since we have a friend in the transportation industry, we took it since we could easily get a ride back from Dulles. I had fun with the “behind glass feature” of our new camera (Olympus 770SW)









Flights on time, Terminal 3 was extremely organized—we had through immigration, customs and out of the terminal in 15 minutes. We had rented through Cancun…we chose it instead of American/Caribbean because we wanted the 0 deductible insurance, and they bundled it more cheaply than the other “brands” of that company. We reserved a Fiat Panda (mini SUV, we were planning a trip to Punta Allen) but they were unavailable when we got there. They upgraded us to a Chevy Monza—and as it turned out it had plenty of clearance for what we ended up doing. It rode so much better than the Hyundai Atos we had last year! Mark took pictures of the existing dings while I got instructions on where the controls were.



Made a big difference on the Half Moon Bay road. Total for 8 days was $322 which we paid in cash. I was a little nervous about paying cash up front and giving them a credit card, but it turned out fine. I did ask the rep to sign the paperwork at the bottom where he’d written “paid in full cash.”

The ATM in Terminal 3 was out of order, so we stopped at a 7-Eleven right down the street from Cancun/American. Got water and pesos and headed next door to Pemex because the tank was empty (on the bright side, it meant that we didn’t have to worry about how much was in it when we returned the car). Had no problems with the attendants. We both get out of the car, one on each side. We’re very friendly, ask for 200 pesos, get it, give the guy the bill, say “dos cientos pesos?”, have him acknowledge it, then thank him, get in the car and get on our way. I think eye contact and friendliness go a long way. You can convey nonverbally that you know how the game works and that you expect fair play.

We used cash the whole trip (from ATMs, not at the cambios) and found it very convenient. We didn’t have to worry about credit card fraud or transaction fees. I used the usual precautions of covering the keypad with my hand when putting the code in (but you have to do this at home too!). We’ve had no issues since we got home. I’d debated getting a prepaid Visa card and using it for the car rental and for cash, but the fees made it not worth it.

Stopped in Playa for groceries and lunch. Had huaraches at El Jurado—and forgot to take the picture until it was half eaten!





Two chicken huaraches and two waters was 84 pesos.



The Mega—we fell in love. My first Spanish challenge was finding insect repellent I’d been working on intearactive Spanish lessons (Rocket Spanish, I highly recommend) so I was feeling pretty confident on the basics. But I’d forgotten to learn this important phrase (hint—it’s not hard, “repelente de insectos.” It’s in with the household items, Raid etc). The pharmacist didn’t speak English, but she introduced us to one of our new best friends—Carlos. We were back there twice during the trip and ran into him both times, day, night, didn’t seem to matter. Super nice guy, and in talking to him about English speaking tourists and the items they’re looking for, I got to teach him something. He was confused by the term “horseradish.” I explained it to him—and how do you explain the taste of horseradish to someone who’s never had it?? But once I found out he’d tasted wasabi before, we were in business. So as corny as it sounds, as much as people there helped us, it was nice to help them back.



We stocked up on breakfast stuff, snacks, beer/tequila/soda, loaded the car and were on our way. (We’d been wandering in there for an hour and a half! I found it fascinating to see the differences in product placement, the products themselves, and space allotment. There is one aisle devoted to oils and maseca!) I would have loved to take more pictures but felt SUPER DORKY. I had to get a shot of the bakery though. You get a round pizza tray and tongs up front, pick your pastries, then bring them back up where they wrap them individually, bag them, and put the price on. You would never get this service at home! Most pastries were 3.5 pesos.



The huge cinnamon rolls were 4.5 pesos.



Finally! In Akumal!





We stayed at Yal Ku Cai at the edge of the lagoon. Loved it. Very remote, could be too remote for some. No sandy beach in front, but in exchange you had very little foot traffic and fantastic wave-crashing sounds.













Unpacked and walked the half block to Que Onda for dinner. Forgot the camera. Mark had linguini with chicken and I had vegetarian lasagna. They brought two delicious little mushroom bruschetta. Dinner (entrees and two beers) was 234 pesos.

We were so thrilled to be there!

[midtowngirl]

Day 2—Saturday, December 1

Got up with the sun, had my coffee while I checked in at home.





Bar none, the best thing about the condo is having real coffee. Internet access is a close second! I picked up Café Garat in Mega, 42.5p for a pound. It’s good standard coffee, nothing fancy.



I went for a run down to Akumal, across to the beach, and down to the end of ABR and back. The opposite of what I did last year. It’s still far warmer in the morning than it is in the late afternoon—I think it’s more humid, plus the breeze hasn’t kicked up yet.

Mark read on the deck. Then when I came back we went down to the pool—it was chilly! But felt good after my run. We talked more with the husband of a couple that has just moved down here permanently into one of the units at Yal Ku Cai. They’re getting renovations made so have been staying in the other units as they’ve been vacant. The homeowners here seem to be pretty close and help each other out. The owners of #5, where we are, live in California and also own one of the other units. (there are 6 total)

We saw Humberto, the caretaker, take out bikes for another couple staying here and we asked him to take some out for us. The bikes are in good condition and come with a lock so you can secure them when you’re in town (not that I think there would be a problem!) After going back inside and having breakfast (yogurt with cereal) we headed out on the bikes into town.

They’re doing work on the Half Moon Bay road. It’s very rough in one place (where you can tell it was open to the storm so got hammered).



Someone wasn’t very patient with how long the repairs were taking.



The road is paved in brick. When we passed by, there was a guy shoveling sand into a screen to get the finer stuff to use between the bricks, and 3 other guys placing the bricks. There’s also a raised sidewalk on one side, which is a great idea. It’ll be very nice when it’s complete.











We parked our bikes and checked out the new/remodeled El Pueblito next to the laundry.





It’s very nice, not as big as the Chomak, but had a good selection and the prices appeared reasonable. The owner/manager (I’m guessing he was) was very friendly and asked us if we needed any assistance.

We browsed in the other stores too. Chomak is remodeling and has added on to the right of the building. It was a little disorganized at the moment but will be nice when it’s done. Prices are still about the same. El Pueblito is a bit lower on the couple things I looked at.

We walked down to the beach and went by ABR. The beach has changed since Dean; much of the turtle grass in front of buildings 5 and 6 is gone, which makes for nicer swimming in that direction. We stopped at Budha Gardens and I made an appointment for Monday for a massage while Mark’s out fishing.

On our way back Mark noticed bonefish shadows in the bay where the boats sit:





Baby permit



We looked around in Akumal Dive Shop and found Imelda’s Ecocina. They were offering 3 choices for lunch (60p)—pork fajitas was the only one I remember.

We decided we had to try Lucy’s tacos since she was open.





We each had a shrimp and a fish taco, and they were every bit as good as I’d heard.



They’re BYOB so I went next door for a couple of beers. Lucy gave us two empties so we didn’t have to pay the deposit. Mark thought the first two tacos were so good he needed a third : ) Both fish and shrimp tacos are 25p.

Then we went across the highway and walked through the pueblo to find a couple of the restaurants I’d heard about. We stopped in the Super Mar Caribe—their prices weren’t all that much lower than the Pueblito, but maybe it was the things I was looking at.

By the time we crossed the highway we decided it was time to stop back at Lucy’s for ice cream (double chocolate in a homemade waffle cone)

We got back and read until it was time to get ready for dinner. We got in the car and drove down to La Buena Vida. It was very windy, so we decided not to eat right on the beach, but instead at one of the tables next to the bar where there was a glass wall blocking the wind. Grouper was their catch of the day, which they offered in two preparations, the veracruz and a mayan style. I had the veracruz. Mark had chicken stuffed with spinach and cream cheese with a chipotle/habanero sauce. The cream cheese sounds weird but the sauce had some heat to it and the cheese balanced that.

It was good, but definitely more expensive than Que Onda. I understand that they have a higher overhead being on the beach, and it was comparable to home (190p for mine, 160p for his, entrée only with rice and vegetables).

Had another early night.

[midtowngirl]

Day 3--Sunday, December 2

Sunday is the only day the maid and caretaker are off, but they left the bikes out for us, though we didn’t use them today. I went for my run, then jumped in the pool again. After breakfast we took a walk around the condo, left towards Yal Ku and right towards Half Moon Bay. As you get closer to the water there are neat little pools where baby fish hang out.









People have built cool sculptures out of the washed-up coral.





Mark loved taking iguana pictures.





We got cleaned up and drove into Playa for the afternoon and to meet Mark’s fishing partner for dinner. We made another stop at Mega for more pastries. Put the groceries in the car where it was parked in their covered parking (the store itself is on the second floor) and walked over to El Fogon for a snack since we didn’t really have lunch.



I’d tried to go to El Fogon on Friday but they weren’t open for lunch. It was 3:30 this time, and with it being Sunday, I’m guessing they started serving earlier. We each had two tacos el pastor (Mark’s with cheese) and shared a bowl of frijoles charros. They brought out salsas and assorted vegetables (radishes, cucumbers, cactus) also.





It was perfect and Mark said he could have eaten 4-5 more tacos. 4 tacos, frijoles, and 2 beers = 90 pesos.



We walked down to 5th Avenue and went up one side and down the other, but didn’t have time to go down all of the side streets or the beach. Next time. We walked back to the Mega and to La Pesca, across from the Mega on 30th. That was where we were meeting Richard at 6. We were a little early so had a beer while we waited.

I’d heard great things about La Pesca, especially their “shrimp casserole” which was like a bisque with lots of shrimp. We shared that, and each had a fish fillet, mine in garlic butter and his just grilled. They also brought out salsas and chips, and after we were finished, they brought us each a complimentary kahlua and cream. It was lovely. This restaurant is way off 5th, unpretentious, and inexpensive. We were impressed. Dinner for all 3 of us was $45, and that included drinks. They gave us coupons for margaritas with our next visit (hope they’ll let us use them next year!)



We dropped Richard off at his hotel on our way out of Playa, and back down the highway to home. Driving at night was no problem. There wasn’t as much traffic as during the day, we didn’t see any pedestrians/animals/obstacles, and we were still the slowest thing on the road. I don’t mind being passed! And once we got to the road to the condo, it was actually easier to see the potholes with the headlights than it is during the day. So it was a successful trip.

Mark got his fishing gear ready before we went to bed.

[midtowngirl]

Monday, December 3

I dropped Mark off in town at 6 where Richard was waiting for him, then went back and made coffee. Went for my run, got back, cleaned up, and took a bike back into town for my 10:00 massage appointment at Buddha Gardens Spa on the beach. The massage was great. (I found out later that there is a massage therapist who lives here in the building and will do massage here cheaper than down there, but oh well)

I poked around town long enough to see that Lucy was open for lunch, so had two tacos (one fish and one shrimp, still can’t decide which is better), then headed back to the condo.

I got my snorkeling stuff together and went down to the bay. I couldn’t find a place to walk in without shoes (lots of coral) so ended up not going in. Boo hoo. I stayed on the beach for about an hour (there may have been a nap involved) and then headed back. (I read later on the message boards that I could have put my fins on and backed in, but I felt kind of stupid doing that, like I was some kind of Navy SEAL. But I will do this next time)

They’re renovating the unit next to us, and this involves chipping out the existing floor by hand. They started back at work today after having the weekend off. It’s loud! Had I realized how loud, I might have stayed at the bay.

Mark and Richard got back about 6:30. They had a very successful day; they each caught five bonefish. They enjoyed their guides tremendously and got some great pictures on the trip.











Richard took these two





They also drove down to Punta Allen before heading back.

























We went to La Cueva del Pescador for dinner. I need to go in and get pictures during the day—the tables are slices of tree trunks and lots have little palm trees growing through them. It’s a neat place. I had fish, Mark had chicken fajitas, and we both had margaritas. Forgot to take pictures. It was excellent. We shared flan for dessert.

[Nerak936]

Great pics!! Looking forward to seeing your underwater photos - I have an Olympus 720SW.

[midtowngirl]

Tuesday, December 4

First thing this morning we dropped off laundry at Mulgrew. After breakfast we sat and read on the patio until the workers started pounding on the floor next door, then went over to Yal Ku to swim. Paid our 75 pesos apiece and walked around. We didn’t bring our camera since we didn’t feel like dealing with it while we got used to snorkeling again. But it’s lovely with paths laid out and several bronze sculptures in places.

I was expecting a crowd because we didn’t go first thing in the morning, but I figured we could check it out and go back later in the afternoon. It was pretty crowded with tours so we took a loop around and decided to go back after we had lunch.

We biked down to town and had lunch at the Loncheria.







Pork tacos for me and chicken tacos for Mark. They were both very good.

Yal Ku was much less crowded after lunch and we spent close to 2 hours in the water. Saw a fair number of fish. The coral is pretty much dead where there’s people traffic, but there was some live coral to the south of the entrance along the west side. We had a great time looking around and it gave us both more confidence to go in the “open water.”

We enjoyed the last bits of sunshine from the deck then got ready to go to the webcam wave and happy hour at the Lol Ha. Saw lots of people we met last year and caught up with them. A little after 6 we went to get the laundry—it was 80 pesos, and I suppose the bag weighed around 8 lbs. It was still a bargain to get it washed and folded. Better than doing laundry yourself on vacation.

We decided to cross the highway and walk into the pueblo to El Ultimo Maya for dinner. We shared tortilla soup and then I had chicken tacos (made with shredded rotisserie chicken) and Mark had chicken fajitas. Mark counted and his dinner came with 10 tortillas. He “only” ate 6 or 7 of them—it took that many to eat everything on his plate! Dinner and drinks (one beer, one water, two sodas) were 185p. We stopped at the grocery to pick up more milk for my coffee and then we walked back into town. Plus Mark found a package of the cookies they had on the fishing trip. Florentinas. If you can find them, buy them! The strawberry is good, but the caramel is superior.

I didn’t run today but still fell asleep on the couch at 9:15. You use your legs snorkeling, that’s for sure. We got our first rain of the week—it poured for about a half hour right after I crawled into bed.

[u2girlie]

more, more, MORE!!

[midtowngirl]

Wednesday, December 5

We headed out this morning to Coba. First we stopped at the Loncheria and shared a huevos motulenos, eggs on top of a tortilla with ham, cheese, sauce, and peas (!) on top. They’re served with tortillas so you can make little breakfast tacos out of them.

The trip to Coba took about an hour and the road is brand new. About halfway out they switched to asphalt. Mark thinks it’s because we’re further inland. They’re still working on the road for the last mile or two to Coba so you have to share a big lane with both sides of traffic. You just have to be careful but it’s fine.

Paid 15 pesos to park in the lot at Coba, then 45 pesos apiece for entrance.



Guides were available for $20 USD. We chose to go without, mostly because we like to be on our own. I do wish we’d looked beforehand for a guide book to bring with us. There weren’t as many explanatory plaques as there are at Tulum.



Coba is spread out over about 5K of roads. You can rent bikes (30p apiece) or a bike taxi for 2 with a driver (95p). We walked, but it appears that the majority rode. The big tours all got taxi’d. We got there at 10 am, and it was a little crowded, but not that bad. There were tons more tour buses in the lot when we left at 12:30. We got to see all of the ruins









climbed the big pyramid at Nococh Mul















and had a lovely walk. The roads were shaded so it was only hot in the sun.





We stopped in Chemuyil to look for Loncheria El Parque, but didn’t have any luck finding it. We saw two parks and no signs of a restaurant near either. (I remembered later that it was only open for dinner, not lunch) Pizzeria Leo was closed. After walking around the town we drove back to Akumal and had lunch at Imelda’s. She offers 3-4 menu items per day.





I had pork stew and Mark had chicken fajitas (his favorite thing in the world if it isn’t obvious by now) Both were served with rice and beans (and tortillas for Mark), plus homemade salsa (hot sauce). It was incredible, green with lots of herbs, and man was it spicy.

We walked over to Lucy’s to see if she had mango ice cream. No luck—the new flavor for today was cappuccino. We went next door to the Pueblito market and got ice cream out of the freezer—a mango popsicle for me and an ice cream sandwich/Eskimo pie thing for Mark. Sat on the bench and had those and then headed back to the condo. Spent the rest of the afternoon reading on the patio.



We’d been driving a lot of the day so decided to go up the street to Que Onda for dinner. Had another great meal, mine was even better than the first night. We both had the homemade linguini, mine “Maribel” style, with shrimp, leeks, wild mushrooms, and a Thai chili sauce. It was outstanding.



Mark had his with an alfredo-type sauce made with gorgonzola. It was very rich! I had a bite and it was great.



They didn’t have the little mushroom bruschetta this time, just plain bread : ( Those little bruschetta were good!

On the way back I saw a couple of shooting stars so we sat out on the patio to look for more. Mark saw a couple but I didn’t. We went to bed at an embarrassingly early hour--before 9.

[midtowngirl]

Thursday, December 6

We decided to spend our last two days close to home. I ran, then we read on the patio until noon, when we drove another couple to the highway so they could catch a bus to the airport. It was their first trip to the area and they said they’d definitely be returning.

We stopped at Lucy’s for lunch. I’d heard about the sautéed fish tacos (they are not on the menu!) and yes, they still had them. I had two of those and Mark went with two regular fish and one shrimp. I went next door to continue our Tour of Mexican Beers and got us two Pacificos. They were good. I think I’ve had just about every one available in the stores other than Corona and XX which I’ve had before (Sol, Pacifico, Leon, Montejo, Superior, Modelo Especial, Negra Modelo, Modelo Light) and it’s tough to pick. Not surprising since I think Modelo makes them all. I tend to pick Sol more often, so I guess that’s the winner. But Modelo Light is still the best light beer I’ve ever had, except possibly Sam Adams Light.

We brought our snorkeling gear with us in the car so we toted it out to the beach and laid our towels out for awhile, then paddled around in the bay. There were some tour groups but it wasn’t terribly crowded. We saw one turtle and some coral/fish, but I know there’s more out there.

We stayed on the beach until the sun was just about gone. It was interesting to watch the panga boats come back in with the fish they caught. One had a nice tuna.

Back at the condo we could see rain offshore. It was pretty with the sun setting. Mark got a couple of nice pictures. We've been so lucky with our weather!









We went to Turtle Bay Bakery for dinner and had a great dinner. Mark had parmesan crusted grouper



and I had grilled mahi with pineapple salsa.



Both dinners came with vegetables, succotash and GREAT mashed potatoes with parmesan.

We both had salads since we hadn’t had salad all week.

We brought DVDs with us and tried to put one in, but the door to the DVD player wouldn’t open. We could have watched it on my laptop but decided to save it for the plane or for home. We watched some CSI reruns and were in bed by 9. Hey, all the better to be up by sunrise! Plus, it’s 10 at home. At least that’s our excuse : )

[midtowngirl]

Friday, December 7

Today was essentially a repeat of yesterday, except we biked into town for lunch instead of driving, since we weren’t giving anyone a ride. Ran, read on the patio, went to the Loncheria for lunch, where we had the Best Chicken Soup Ever



plus chicken tacos for me



and chicken/cheese burritos (they were like quesadillas) for Mark.



I hadn’t had agua sandia (watermelon water) all week and had some today. Then we stopped in the Pueblito for ice cream and brought it to the beach.

We spent the afternoon on the beach. Neither of us could wear fins because Mark had a blister from his and I’d stubbed the hell out of my toe this morning on the steps in our condo and cut it pretty well. But I went in without fins for a little bit and had the pleasure of being alone with a turtle as she swam up to the surface for air a couple of times. It is indescribably cool.

We stayed on the beach until 4:30, by which time the sun is pretty much gone.

Back at the condo for sunset



We had our last dinner at La Cueva del Pescador. We were very lucky to arrive shortly before a party of 20. I had forgotten one beer I hadn’t yet tried, Bohemia, and was very glad I hadn’t totally forgotten. It was outstanding, the only “hoppy” beer I’d found in Mexico. We both had the fish fillet (grouper today), mine veracruz style and Mark’s with a mushroom sauce. Forgot to get pics before I’d eaten half of mine and Mark’s was just about gone. Both were very good.



We had coconut ice cream with Kahlua on top for dessert. Their ice cream had more flavor than Lucy’s, or maybe it was the Kahlua. In any event, it was great.

Went home, got 90% packed, and went to bed so we could get up with the sun one more time.

[midtowngirl]

Saturday, December 8

Skipped a run today so that we could enjoy our last morning. Got lots of sunrise pics.





Left in time to stop for breakfast at the Loncheria. We were grumpy about leaving! (crying on the inside)



We were making good time so we stopped at Chedraui for tequila (and more cookies for the plane ride). Got two bottles of El Jimador reposado and packed them in our luggage.



Returning the car was easy—they took us to the airport in our car so we didn’t have to unload the luggage. I can’t say how much nicer Terminal 3 is—it’s so nice to have a place to wait. New for this year—Mexico is using the 3-1-1 rule for liquids, so you have to pack just like you do going down from the US. Mark forgot to pack his money clip with a small knife in his checked luggage, so lost that at security. He was annoyed with himself as it was a gift from his parents. On the bright side, it was very difficult to tell it had a knife, and it was in a pocket of his travel vest, so the security staff was doing a good job.

Just like home, look at the difference in buying a liter of water in the airport vs. just outside



Got a neat view of Isla Mujeres on our way out.





and Moon Palace?





We were so unhappy to leave! Every year it’s gotten harder to leave. I wish I had more vacation time—that’s the only thing keeping us from going twice or more a year.

[u2girlie]

Really great pics! Thanks so much for sharing. Makes me miss Akumal very much and I only spent a few hours there.

[midtowngirl]

Originally Posted by Nerak936

Great pics!! Looking forward to seeing your underwater photos - I have an Olympus 720SW.

No underwater pics this time. We were sissies about taking it in the water--even though that's the reason we bought the darn camera! We wanted to get more comfortable snorkeling first. Next trip! Still, the convenience of being able to bring it on boat trips, etc without worrying if it got splashed was great.

[mexipat]

Great report, especially the restaurants. That will help me a lot next week. You did a good job with the beer, too.Modela is my favorite.
I notice you are a runner from Camp Hill. I'm from Harrisburg and, back in the '80s and early 90s, my brother and I were very active in the Harrisburg Area Road Runners Club.

[Jesus]

Clap, clap, clap.

Wonderful trip report, not because it has food pictures, but because is an excellent vacation, with lots of nice tips and great recommendations.

I take my cap off, Bravo! You are very good travelers.