Akumal/Playa May 2011

Dr D & Rosie · 06-22-2011

Ok, here it goes. My 1st attempt at a real trip report. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed reading everyone that has contributed their reports to this forum.
Day 1
We arrived at CUN on May 18th for 2 weeks of R&R. We caught the ADO to Playa and then a taxi to Akumal for 4 days at Club Akumal Caribe. Jorge got us checked in to bungalow 26. By the time we unpacked a few things. Breakfast had been about 11 hours ago so we were both starved. We headed over to the Loncheria for an awesome late lunch. Then it was off to happy hour @ Lol Ha snack bar where we enjoyed our 1st, 2nd Mojito of the trip. We hung out on the beach in front of Lol Ha til around 8 and decided to go see Fabian, our favorite waiter in Akumal at our favorite restaurant/bar in the world. La Cueva del Pescador. After a couple of Sol's, & fish Tacos. Heard music from the Lol Ha main restaurant and caught the end of Flaminco dancers act. In bed by 10.

Alexep · 06-22-2011

We're leaving in a couple of weeks and we're staying at Club Akumal Caribe ...can't wait to get there! We hope to hear more from your trip report!

Dr D & Rosie · 06-22-2011

Day 2

The Club Akumal Caribe was perfect for us in many ways.
Number 1, Location. Unit 26 is not the closest to the beach but any of the bungalows are just steps away from beautiful Akumal Bay. We stayed at the north end of Halfmoon Bay last year and wound up driving my rental to Akumal Bay a lot of days. So this year, with no car, we wanted to be close to the places we fell in love with last year.
Number 2. For less than 1 Ben Franklin a night, we had a large room w/ fridge, and free breakfast at Lol Ha everey morning. Everyone we came in contact with at the Hotel was helpful and always had a smile.
Number 3. We were steps away from the best off-beach snorkeling on the Riviera Maya. With all the palm trees on the beach, it was wonderful to just get a chair (free chair service for guest) and catch some rays and people watch.
The vouchers for breakfast can be used for anything on Lol Ha's extensive breakfast menu. Everything we tried was prepaired perfectly and was mmmm soooo gooood.
After Chiliquila's for breakfast, we walked around the beach and walkway to the northend of the bay to Cannon House and took some pics then hit the beach for some rays. The wind that day made it tough for snorkeling but without my u/w camera, I was treated to 4 turtles grasing in the bay. The big treat was a huge eagle ray and then I saw Barry the Barracuda. At least that is what some folks told me as I described the biggest cuda I have ever laid eyes on. My best guess is 10 to 12 ft and 10" diameter. Maybe he just seemed that big but if anybody out there that has seen him can verify or discredit me, I would appreciate it.
This was our 16th anniversary and we had never tried the Turtle Bay Cafe so we chose it for our dinner after Margaritas at La Cueva. It was a good choice sharing curry shrimp pasta and the grilled fish filet.

kaki321 · 06-22-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr D & Rosie

Ok, here it goes. My 1st attempt at a real trip report. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed reading everyone that has contributed their reports to this forum.
Day 1
We arrived at CUN on May 18th for 2 weeks of R&R. We caught the ADO to Playa and then a taxi to Akumal for 4 days at Club Akumal Caribe. Jorge got us checked in to bungalow 26. By the time we unpacked a few things. Breakfast had been about 11 hours ago so we were both starved. We headed over to the Loncheria for an awesome late lunch. Then it was off to happy hour @ Lol Ha snack bar where we enjoyed our 1st, 2nd Mojito of the trip. We hung out on the beach in front of Lol Ha til around 8 and decided to go see Fabian, our favorite waiter in Akumal at our favorite restaurant/bar in the world. La Cueva del Pescador. After a couple of Sol's, & fish Tacos. Heard music from the Lol Ha main restaurant and caught the end of Flaminco dancers act. In bed by 10.

Nice start, but there seems to be an issue with your pics loading, however I CAN click on them. Is that Fabian in the 3rd picture?? (he's a friend of my best friend here in Chicago!! We were supposed to see him a few weeks ago and pic up something for her (from him) but didn't make it to that restaurant). He's a cutie!

kicking myself now for not going there.

caramba · 06-22-2011

Nice start to your report... keep it comin'!

boop · 06-23-2011

Nice start! I can't wait to hear more.

Sol · 06-23-2011

Great start!

LucyE · 06-23-2011

Great start to your TR.

Dr D & Rosie · 06-23-2011

HELP!!!! Please give me help loading pics. I have a flickr account and tried entering url of pics and obviously did not work. Thanks in advance to any help anyone can give me. As soon as I figure it out, I will get back to the TR

kaki321 · 06-23-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr D & Rosie

HELP!!!! Please give me help loading pics. I have a flickr account and tried entering url of pics and obviously did not work. Thanks in advance to any help anyone can give me. As soon as I figure it out, I will get back to the TR

I don't know if flickr has this but you need to copy and paste the IMG code from each pic. Try photobucket

Dr D & Rosie · 06-26-2011

Just a little housekeeping. Thanks Anne & Kaki for your help on uploading (see added pics for day 2 post). Once my pics on Photobucket and figured out what to do, it is easy.

Yes Kaki, that was Fabian with Rosie. This is the Fab, me and Gonzolo, the best bartender in all Quintana Roo.

I will be posting day 3 and more soon.

caramba · 06-26-2011

All right, keep it coming!

Dr D & Rosie · 06-27-2011

Day 3

Our reason for coming to Akumal 1st before Playa was to gear down and relax. My body clock just did not cooperate with my mission. So I got out early and took some pics of sunrise on the bay.

I turned my back to the sun coming up and caught the moonset.

This is #26 bungalow on the right side. Did I say earlier it was perfect for us?

I do not remember what this was called but it was kinda like breakfast enchaladas. Rudy the waiter said it was one of his favorites so yaknow I had to see if he was just tryin' to get a big tip or somthin. Turns out he was. OMG

After breakast, we headed to the beach for an early snorkel before the tours come 'round. The wind was still kickin it but with just another full day in lil ol A, I had to get out. My Canon D10 that took every frickin pic you see on this TR perfomed absolutely flawless. I saw these 2 grazin in the grass around one of the tieup bouys.

Can you see the tag on left front flipper on the above?

Headed out to the reef next.

I think this dude thought I had a doggy bag w/ me.

We hung out under the palms til we felt like toasted wheaties then cleaned up and headed to a La Cueva for Rita's and an early dinner of grilled Pescado e ajo. On to Happy Hour at Lol Ha main restaurant. A Cuban band was setting up so we hung out on the veranda to listen. After the hour sped by, the manager ask us if we wanted to come in for another Feliz Dias mojito. The music was mucho bueno so hey, somebody had to do it.

Day 4 Our last full day in Turtle Town

We had contracted with a taxi driver the night before to take us to Dos Ojos for cenote snorkel. After breakfast, we decided to let him take us to Yal ku instead. Even though we have never done Dos Ojos, Rosie had not done any snorkeling and she and I both love the upper end of the lagoon so I saved what I thought was a bit of a ripoff $50 US 1 way to tbe cenotes. We got there around 9am so we were by ourself for awhile and it was amazing.

We worked our way towards the reef and rested on an entrance and saw this dude chekin out breakfast.

I got a little sea sick as I got out closer to the mouth of the lagoon. I guess the wind did not mix well with my Rita's e Mojito's from last night. So we headed back to our chairs on the bay.

We both got a club sandwich at the Lol ha snack bar for dinner. I'm not sure if it was the view or what but it was one fine club.

We headed back to our La Cueava to tell everyone goodbye until next year. Caught an awesome Mariachi band and got some desert at Turtle Bay Cafe.

One more sleep then on to PDC. WooHoo

Alexep · 06-27-2011

Come on Day 5!

Dr D & Rosie · 06-27-2011

Day 5 Moving Day

A little calmer wind this morning for some sunrise pics on the bay.

The sun lit up the bay with this golden light for me looking south toward ABR. Oh how I miss you Turtle Town.

We inquired at the front desk at checkout about coming a little earlier next year. Their low season rates start sometime after Easter. That was great news for us as I need to back on my job by Memorial Day next year. Thanks to the entire staff at Club Akumal Caribe for making our stay just incredible.

We got a taxi for $30 US to the termination of Calle Ocho where Juan, our housekeeper @ Playa Maya carried most of our bags across the sand to the lobby of new home for 10 more days. It was only a little after noon so beautiful Nora told us our room was not quite ready. We asked her if they could take our Sol's up and stickem in the fridge. No problem. First task, find La Tarayya and a lovely palm, table, chair and a cold Sol. Ah success only a few blocks south.

I'm sure a bunch of ya know this dude makin' ceviche right at the entrance. Man thats what I call freeeeesh. Just as La Cueava in Turtle Town, La Tarraya was going to be our favorite hang in Playa.

We got back to our new home in Rm#304 and found it very much to our liking. Rosie was kinda jonesin for some Bandomax since we had no tele in Akumal so we felt like we belonged already. After much due diligence, we chose Playa Maya for our 1st stay in Playa. Turns out everything you ever heard about this place is absolutely true.

After a little nap, we got ready to go to dinner. My notes told me to head to Mannie's for Sunday Prime Rib. Oops, Mannie closed. Still on vacation himself in Berlin. We passed Los Brisas so we headed back and got their grilled seafood feast of shrimp, fish, octopus, lobster, & squid. I enjoyed mine a little more than Rosie but we got plenty to eat. Had to walk it off so we headed for the Zocolo and a stroll down La Quinta.

Stay tuned for the next chapter. Thanks for all the encouragement from all of you out there.

06-22-2011	#3 (permalink)
Dr D & Rosie very sparkly Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Nashville Posts: 28	Day 2 The Club Akumal Caribe was perfect for us in many ways. Number 1, Location. Unit 26 is not the closest to the beach but any of the bungalows are just steps away from beautiful Akumal Bay. We stayed at the north end of Halfmoon Bay last year and wound up driving my rental to Akumal Bay a lot of days. So this year, with no car, we wanted to be close to the places we fell in love with last year. Number 2. For less than 1 Ben Franklin a night, we had a large room w/ fridge, and free breakfast at Lol Ha everey morning. Everyone we came in contact with at the Hotel was helpful and always had a smile. Number 3. We were steps away from the best off-beach snorkeling on the Riviera Maya. With all the palm trees on the beach, it was wonderful to just get a chair (free chair service for guest) and catch some rays and people watch. The vouchers for breakfast can be used for anything on Lol Ha's extensive breakfast menu. Everything we tried was prepaired perfectly and was mmmm soooo gooood. After Chiliquila's for breakfast, we walked around the beach and walkway to the northend of the bay to Cannon House and took some pics then hit the beach for some rays. The wind that day made it tough for snorkeling but without my u/w camera, I was treated to 4 turtles grasing in the bay. The big treat was a huge eagle ray and then I saw Barry the Barracuda. At least that is what some folks told me as I described the biggest cuda I have ever laid eyes on. My best guess is 10 to 12 ft and 10" diameter. Maybe he just seemed that big but if anybody out there that has seen him can verify or discredit me, I would appreciate it. This was our 16th anniversary and we had never tried the Turtle Bay Cafe so we chose it for our dinner after Margaritas at La Cueva. It was a good choice sharing curry shrimp pasta and the grilled fish filet. Last edited by Dr D & Rosie; 06-26-2011 at 07:29 AM.. Reason: adding pictures

06-27-2011	#14 (permalink)
Alexep ruined Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 83	Come on Day 5! Last edited by Alexep; 06-27-2011 at 09:09 AM..

06-22-2011	#2 (permalink)
Alexep ruined Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 83	We're leaving in a couple of weeks and we're staying at Club Akumal Caribe ...can't wait to get there! We hope to hear more from your trip report!

06-22-2011	#5 (permalink)
caramba añejo Join Date: May 2002 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 6,643	Nice start to your report... keep it comin'!

06-23-2011	#6 (permalink)
boop life=playa Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: The burbs outside of Chicago Posts: 678	Nice start! I can't wait to hear more.

06-23-2011	#7 (permalink)
Sol añejo Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: The Gem State Posts: 16,176	Great start!

06-23-2011	#8 (permalink)
LucyE añejo Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Torrance, CA Posts: 7,242	Great start to your TR.

06-23-2011	#9 (permalink)
Dr D & Rosie very sparkly Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Nashville Posts: 28	HELP!!!! Please give me help loading pics. I have a flickr account and tried entering url of pics and obviously did not work. Thanks in advance to any help anyone can give me. As soon as I figure it out, I will get back to the TR

06-26-2011	#11 (permalink)
Dr D & Rosie very sparkly Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Nashville Posts: 28	Just a little housekeeping. Thanks Anne & Kaki for your help on uploading (see added pics for day 2 post). Once my pics on Photobucket and figured out what to do, it is easy. Yes Kaki, that was Fabian with Rosie. This is the Fab, me and Gonzolo, the best bartender in all Quintana Roo. I will be posting day 3 and more soon.

06-26-2011	#12 (permalink)
caramba añejo Join Date: May 2002 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 6,643	All right, keep it coming!

06-27-2011	#13 (permalink)
Dr D & Rosie very sparkly Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Nashville Posts: 28	Day 3 Our reason for coming to Akumal 1st before Playa was to gear down and relax. My body clock just did not cooperate with my mission. So I got out early and took some pics of sunrise on the bay. I turned my back to the sun coming up and caught the moonset. This is #26 bungalow on the right side. Did I say earlier it was perfect for us? I do not remember what this was called but it was kinda like breakfast enchaladas. Rudy the waiter said it was one of his favorites so yaknow I had to see if he was just tryin' to get a big tip or somthin. Turns out he was. OMG After breakast, we headed to the beach for an early snorkel before the tours come 'round. The wind was still kickin it but with just another full day in lil ol A, I had to get out. My Canon D10 that took every frickin pic you see on this TR perfomed absolutely flawless. I saw these 2 grazin in the grass around one of the tieup bouys. Can you see the tag on left front flipper on the above? Headed out to the reef next. I think this dude thought I had a doggy bag w/ me. We hung out under the palms til we felt like toasted wheaties then cleaned up and headed to a La Cueva for Rita's and an early dinner of grilled Pescado e ajo. On to Happy Hour at Lol Ha main restaurant. A Cuban band was setting up so we hung out on the veranda to listen. After the hour sped by, the manager ask us if we wanted to come in for another Feliz Dias mojito. The music was mucho bueno so hey, somebody had to do it. Day 4 Our last full day in Turtle Town We had contracted with a taxi driver the night before to take us to Dos Ojos for cenote snorkel. After breakfast, we decided to let him take us to Yal ku instead. Even though we have never done Dos Ojos, Rosie had not done any snorkeling and she and I both love the upper end of the lagoon so I saved what I thought was a bit of a ripoff $50 US 1 way to tbe cenotes. We got there around 9am so we were by ourself for awhile and it was amazing. We worked our way towards the reef and rested on an entrance and saw this dude chekin out breakfast. I got a little sea sick as I got out closer to the mouth of the lagoon. I guess the wind did not mix well with my Rita's e Mojito's from last night. So we headed back to our chairs on the bay. We both got a club sandwich at the Lol ha snack bar for dinner. I'm not sure if it was the view or what but it was one fine club. We headed back to our La Cueava to tell everyone goodbye until next year. Caught an awesome Mariachi band and got some desert at Turtle Bay Cafe. One more sleep then on to PDC. WooHoo

06-27-2011	#15 (permalink)
Dr D & Rosie very sparkly Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Nashville Posts: 28	Day 5 Moving Day A little calmer wind this morning for some sunrise pics on the bay. The sun lit up the bay with this golden light for me looking south toward ABR. Oh how I miss you Turtle Town. We inquired at the front desk at checkout about coming a little earlier next year. Their low season rates start sometime after Easter. That was great news for us as I need to back on my job by Memorial Day next year. Thanks to the entire staff at Club Akumal Caribe for making our stay just incredible. We got a taxi for $30 US to the termination of Calle Ocho where Juan, our housekeeper @ Playa Maya carried most of our bags across the sand to the lobby of new home for 10 more days. It was only a little after noon so beautiful Nora told us our room was not quite ready. We asked her if they could take our Sol's up and stickem in the fridge. No problem. First task, find La Tarayya and a lovely palm, table, chair and a cold Sol. Ah success only a few blocks south. I'm sure a bunch of ya know this dude makin' ceviche right at the entrance. Man thats what I call freeeeesh. Just as La Cueava in Turtle Town, La Tarraya was going to be our favorite hang in Playa. We got back to our new home in Rm#304 and found it very much to our liking. Rosie was kinda jonesin for some Bandomax since we had no tele in Akumal so we felt like we belonged already. After much due diligence, we chose Playa Maya for our 1st stay in Playa. Turns out everything you ever heard about this place is absolutely true. After a little nap, we got ready to go to dinner. My notes told me to head to Mannie's for Sunday Prime Rib. Oops, Mannie closed. Still on vacation himself in Berlin. We passed Los Brisas so we headed back and got their grilled seafood feast of shrimp, fish, octopus, lobster, & squid. I enjoyed mine a little more than Rosie but we got plenty to eat. Had to walk it off so we headed for the Zocolo and a stroll down La Quinta. Stay tuned for the next chapter. Thanks for all the encouragement from all of you out there.

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