Green light and go! Trip Report 07/17-07/23

carinosa2 · 07-25-2012

We have been MIA from Playa for nearly 4 years thanks to the media creating a certain paranoia for my sister.

We visited in 2006, 2007, and 2008 and the following summer vacations just weren't the same. So, with heavy cohersion, twisting of arms, and a great flight deal with Funjet, my sis finally was sold... and with no regrets I must add!

Day 1

The flight was nice and smooth with beautiful sunny skies. We had nearly a 30 minute wait for the next ADO bus so we took advantage of getting a head start on our tan while waiting. So glad we did since it was cloudy in Playa. We stayed at Hotel Vista Caribe at Calle 6 and the beach. It was decent, except for the hard bed, but whatever we are in Playa and that was all that mattered. Hunger was starting to set in so off we went to Carboncitos for lunch.. que pastor tan delicioso!

Later that evening we headed over to El Fogon and had the most delicious huaraches and quesadillas. Though we had made a few trips to Playa previously, we were first timers at El Fogon.

carinosa2 · 07-25-2012

Ok...I will do my research on how to post a more user friendly trip report with the pics and all.. more to come this evening with more pics from Playa, Xpu-Ha, Akumal, and Isla Mujeres!

SharonD · 07-25-2012

Great start, PI will hav to share how to post pics o that I can after our trip!

LucyE · 07-25-2012

Great start, can't wait to read the rest and hopefully see your pictures.

If you don't already have one, get a photobucket account. That is the easiest way to post your pictures.

Hopefully someone will chime in on how to post them, once they are in photobucket, as I don't remember how.

carinosa2 · 07-25-2012

Patiently twiddling my thumbs as I wait for my pics to finish uploading into Photobucket

carinosa2 · 07-26-2012

Day 2

Off to Xpu-Ha we go. We should have taken the colectivo, but we didn't. It was $460 pesos round trip to La Playa Beach Club. We have been here before, so we were prepared to pay the " entrance" fee of $40 pesos per person to take the bumpy ride down the road just to get to the beach club. They give you a wrist band to wear and upon our exit they reimbursed the fee as long as we returned the wrist bands and showed our "recibo de consumo" from the beach club... done! We were refunded the entry fee. Yay! Now, I don't know if they are going to offer the refund unless you ask. I actually had inquired with the waiter at the beach club and he told me "what to do". So, keep your receipt and wrist bands and be prepared to turn them in at the exit. Our taxista complained more than anything..."if they are going to charge, they need to fix this road!". I guess all the potholes were giving his shocks and struts a run for his money. Any way, we told him to pick us up at 3 and he was there on time to take us back to Playa.

Very nice, quiet beach area.

Tacos de pescado..Yum!

Aguacate relleno de camaron

Nachos de arrachera

Mojito y Capirina

On our way out of Xpu-Ha... my kids love this beach!

And back to Playa we go...where our appetites were revived after a little nap and shower. Dinner time was calling and I had decided it was time to head down to El Jurado. We had heard about it, but had never been. Shame on us! What took us so long to personally discover this little gem? I love eating where the locals go. I hardly ever eat on 5th, which my son pointed out on occasion. Like I tell my kids, when we are in another country, we are going to savor the authentic essence of what it is to be there. I assured them that they would discover that appreciation, eventually.

A comer...

Now, we can get huaraches any time in Houston, but none as delicious as this one!

Las quesadillas tan gigantes! My daughter didn't know where to start!

I didn't note prices, but I am sure somewhere else in another forum someone else has noted them. All I can say is that the food was delicious and went easy on the pocketbook...just the way I like it!

After dinner, we walked off dinner, sort of, and went across the way to Mega. We picked up on water and snacks for the kids. Of course, we had to pass by the panaderia and pick up a late night snack of pan dulce. Fresh and delicious... sorry no pics of the bread!

Before heading out back to the hotel, we passed by Ah Cacao so that I could restock on my cacao nibs. I love using these to cook with and make moles. I will post Day 3 later today...vamos a Akumal!

Sol · 07-26-2012

Great start!!! The huarache looks so delicious. More trip report please!!

caramba · 07-26-2012

Nice start to your report. The food pictures are making me hungry! Keep it coming.

carinosa2 · 07-28-2012

I have been wanting to check out Akumal for a while now, and this time I was going to make it happen. We got up around 9:30 and my sis asked me what we were going to do that day and I quickly replied that I was going to Akumal. She asked me, " How do you get there?" Duh...the colectivo! She had all these questions that I deemed nonsense primarily because I was the only one that lurked the forum boards around here and had a clue more or less of the ins and outs of the Riviera Maya

.
So, we packed the beach bag, grabbed a few tacos at the taco carts, and loaded up the colectivo. Super easy! The driver dropped us off at the crosswalk and we headed down to the beach...crowded on the colectivo, but beautiful beach made it worth it!

Tacos de cochinita pibil

Upon entering Akumal

Beautiful beach!

My view looking up

Tacos de pescado at Lol-Ha....they were good, nice place on the beach, a little heavier on the pocketbook if you are a "budget" traveler.

On our way out of Akumal, we had a little rain shower along the way. The colectivo was carrying a light load, so it made it nice to relax and enjoy the ride back to Playa.

We get back, shower and rest up a bit, and the anticipated hunger started to creep up on us again. So, we made our way down Calle 6 between 10th and 15th to Los Portales. We ate here during our last visit to Playa...it is a place where the locals dine, very economical and tasty, but if you are looking for efficient service, Los Portales might try your patience

. It was very eviden this particular evening that they didn't have a system in place for taking orders. I had to gesture a few times to get someone to come take our order, but the way I looked at it, it give us more "talk time" about our earlier visit to Akumal

. Like I explained to my kids, life will not always be accomodating, so you have to learn how to adapt to various situations and be patient.
We wanted beef, so we ordered Arrachera...oh, wait ..they were out. So we figured the next best thing would be fajitas, right?! Nope! We were "unpleasantly" surprised to see that it was chicken. On the plus side, the flavor didn't disappoint so we got over it. We will just know better to specify fajitas de res for next time!

Slurping down our 1 liter aguas de melon y pina. So good!

Manana...Day 4...our final day in Playa before heading out to Isla Mujeres... more pics to come!

lovetheroo · 07-28-2012

Enjoying your trip report - more more! Nice pictures of Akumal - it's our favorite day trip.

Goodtobehere · 07-29-2012

Great trip report so far.....great pictures of beach and food....can't wait for more.....

carinosa2 · 07-31-2012

Sorry for the delay...once you get back to reality, well, it's back to reality. Our last day in Playa couldn't have been better! My son and I ventured out to Wal-Mart. I usually pick up on my tequila, Kahlua, and the Mexican cookies that my kids like there since it is relatively cheaper than here. I usually just pick up a bottle of Centenario-Plata, which ran me right at around $10. If anyone else has recommendations, please share!
So, enroute, we walked up Calle 6 to grab breakfast before proceeding on to Wal-Mart. I noticed this place on the corner of Calle 6 and 10th days before and it was packed. I figured it might be worth a shot. It is called El Cahuamo. It was pretty economical...the food was decent... the service needs some work. It took a while to get our drinks, but again I am very patient, so I didn't fret. I just kindly reminded them about our licaudos

.

My son ordered Chilaquiles de pollo and I ordered Huevos Motulenos...

A little rain shower ensued, so we just hung out at the restaurant a while and struck up conversation with 2 ladies from DF( Mexico City). They were with a tour group traveling the Yucatan, so we had a nice conversation and then my son and I were off to Wal-Mart. Of course, my son saw all the cookies that he wanted. I can get them here at the Mexican grocery stores, but the prices can't be beat. We stocked up pretty niceley. They like the Sponch, Principe, and Emperador cookies...I like them too! I also picked up on a creamy Habanero sauce from the Del Primo brand...Love It!

It felt like an eternity from the time we left the hotel in the morning. We changed quickly and headed down to La Tarraya. The beach and the weather was spectacular. My sis and daughter met up with us and we enjoyed a fabulous ceviche and some Sol beers while we were at it!

Enjoying churros in the evening...love these!

Call me a mean mama, but I NEVER do McDonald's while in Mexico... my kids are very aware that we go to immerse ourselves in the Mexican culture, BUT I did make this one exception to buy my son the Mc D's Oreo cone for $9 pesos...couldn't resist since he had been eyeing in the past 4 days! My daughter opted for the helado de limon from the the little cart near the Zocalo

Ahh Playa, why did we wait so long to return? We won't make that mistake again. Now we are off to Isla Mujeres as first timers, but not the last!

SharonD · 07-31-2012

Thanks! Can't wait for more, plz hurry!! lol!

Goodtobehere · 07-31-2012

La Tarraya is a favourite place of mine to go for ceviche and your picture looks delicious....just how I remember it! Can't wait to read about your adventures is Isla.

CooperMichigan · 08-01-2012

Waiting for the Isla portion!! Always one of my favorite parts of our trips!!

07-26-2012	#6 (permalink)
carinosa2 lost on fifth Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Houston,Tx Posts: 14	Day 2! Day 2 Off to Xpu-Ha we go. We should have taken the colectivo, but we didn't. It was $460 pesos round trip to La Playa Beach Club. We have been here before, so we were prepared to pay the " entrance" fee of $40 pesos per person to take the bumpy ride down the road just to get to the beach club. They give you a wrist band to wear and upon our exit they reimbursed the fee as long as we returned the wrist bands and showed our "recibo de consumo" from the beach club... done! We were refunded the entry fee. Yay! Now, I don't know if they are going to offer the refund unless you ask. I actually had inquired with the waiter at the beach club and he told me "what to do". So, keep your receipt and wrist bands and be prepared to turn them in at the exit. Our taxista complained more than anything..."if they are going to charge, they need to fix this road!". I guess all the potholes were giving his shocks and struts a run for his money. Any way, we told him to pick us up at 3 and he was there on time to take us back to Playa. Very nice, quiet beach area. Tacos de pescado..Yum! Aguacate relleno de camaron Nachos de arrachera Mojito y Capirina On our way out of Xpu-Ha... my kids love this beach! And back to Playa we go...where our appetites were revived after a little nap and shower. Dinner time was calling and I had decided it was time to head down to El Jurado. We had heard about it, but had never been. Shame on us! What took us so long to personally discover this little gem? I love eating where the locals go. I hardly ever eat on 5th, which my son pointed out on occasion. Like I tell my kids, when we are in another country, we are going to savor the authentic essence of what it is to be there. I assured them that they would discover that appreciation, eventually. A comer... Now, we can get huaraches any time in Houston, but none as delicious as this one! Las quesadillas tan gigantes! My daughter didn't know where to start! I didn't note prices, but I am sure somewhere else in another forum someone else has noted them. All I can say is that the food was delicious and went easy on the pocketbook...just the way I like it! After dinner, we walked off dinner, sort of, and went across the way to Mega. We picked up on water and snacks for the kids. Of course, we had to pass by the panaderia and pick up a late night snack of pan dulce. Fresh and delicious... sorry no pics of the bread! Before heading out back to the hotel, we passed by Ah Cacao so that I could restock on my cacao nibs. I love using these to cook with and make moles. I will post Day 3 later today...vamos a Akumal!

07-28-2012	#9 (permalink)
carinosa2 lost on fifth Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Houston,Tx Posts: 14	Day 3 in Akumal I have been wanting to check out Akumal for a while now, and this time I was going to make it happen. We got up around 9:30 and my sis asked me what we were going to do that day and I quickly replied that I was going to Akumal. She asked me, " How do you get there?" Duh...the colectivo! She had all these questions that I deemed nonsense primarily because I was the only one that lurked the forum boards around here and had a clue more or less of the ins and outs of the Riviera Maya . So, we packed the beach bag, grabbed a few tacos at the taco carts, and loaded up the colectivo. Super easy! The driver dropped us off at the crosswalk and we headed down to the beach...crowded on the colectivo, but beautiful beach made it worth it! Tacos de cochinita pibil Upon entering Akumal Beautiful beach! My view looking up Tacos de pescado at Lol-Ha....they were good, nice place on the beach, a little heavier on the pocketbook if you are a "budget" traveler. On our way out of Akumal, we had a little rain shower along the way. The colectivo was carrying a light load, so it made it nice to relax and enjoy the ride back to Playa. We get back, shower and rest up a bit, and the anticipated hunger started to creep up on us again. So, we made our way down Calle 6 between 10th and 15th to Los Portales. We ate here during our last visit to Playa...it is a place where the locals dine, very economical and tasty, but if you are looking for efficient service, Los Portales might try your patience . It was very eviden this particular evening that they didn't have a system in place for taking orders. I had to gesture a few times to get someone to come take our order, but the way I looked at it, it give us more "talk time" about our earlier visit to Akumal . Like I explained to my kids, life will not always be accomodating, so you have to learn how to adapt to various situations and be patient. We wanted beef, so we ordered Arrachera...oh, wait ..they were out. So we figured the next best thing would be fajitas, right?! Nope! We were "unpleasantly" surprised to see that it was chicken. On the plus side, the flavor didn't disappoint so we got over it. We will just know better to specify fajitas de res for next time! Slurping down our 1 liter aguas de melon y pina. So good! Manana...Day 4...our final day in Playa before heading out to Isla Mujeres... more pics to come! Last edited by carinosa2; 07-28-2012 at 12:14 PM..

07-31-2012	#12 (permalink)
carinosa2 lost on fifth Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Houston,Tx Posts: 14	Day 4- Last day in Playa before Isla Mujeres Sorry for the delay...once you get back to reality, well, it's back to reality. Our last day in Playa couldn't have been better! My son and I ventured out to Wal-Mart. I usually pick up on my tequila, Kahlua, and the Mexican cookies that my kids like there since it is relatively cheaper than here. I usually just pick up a bottle of Centenario-Plata, which ran me right at around $10. If anyone else has recommendations, please share! So, enroute, we walked up Calle 6 to grab breakfast before proceeding on to Wal-Mart. I noticed this place on the corner of Calle 6 and 10th days before and it was packed. I figured it might be worth a shot. It is called El Cahuamo. It was pretty economical...the food was decent... the service needs some work. It took a while to get our drinks, but again I am very patient, so I didn't fret. I just kindly reminded them about our licaudos. My son ordered Chilaquiles de pollo and I ordered Huevos Motulenos... A little rain shower ensued, so we just hung out at the restaurant a while and struck up conversation with 2 ladies from DF( Mexico City). They were with a tour group traveling the Yucatan, so we had a nice conversation and then my son and I were off to Wal-Mart. Of course, my son saw all the cookies that he wanted. I can get them here at the Mexican grocery stores, but the prices can't be beat. We stocked up pretty niceley. They like the Sponch, Principe, and Emperador cookies...I like them too! I also picked up on a creamy Habanero sauce from the Del Primo brand...Love It! It felt like an eternity from the time we left the hotel in the morning. We changed quickly and headed down to La Tarraya. The beach and the weather was spectacular. My sis and daughter met up with us and we enjoyed a fabulous ceviche and some Sol beers while we were at it! Enjoying churros in the evening...love these! Call me a mean mama, but I NEVER do McDonald's while in Mexico... my kids are very aware that we go to immerse ourselves in the Mexican culture, BUT I did make this one exception to buy my son the Mc D's Oreo cone for $9 pesos...couldn't resist since he had been eyeing in the past 4 days! My daughter opted for the helado de limon from the the little cart near the Zocalo Ahh Playa, why did we wait so long to return? We won't make that mistake again. Now we are off to Isla Mujeres as first timers, but not the last!

07-25-2012	#2 (permalink)
carinosa2 lost on fifth Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Houston,Tx Posts: 14	Ok...I will do my research on how to post a more user friendly trip report with the pics and all.. more to come this evening with more pics from Playa, Xpu-Ha, Akumal, and Isla Mujeres!

07-25-2012	#3 (permalink)
SharonD life=playa Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 699	Great start, PI will hav to share how to post pics o that I can after our trip!

07-25-2012	#4 (permalink)
LucyE añejo Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Torrance, CA Posts: 7,240	Great start, can't wait to read the rest and hopefully see your pictures. If you don't already have one, get a photobucket account. That is the easiest way to post your pictures. Hopefully someone will chime in on how to post them, once they are in photobucket, as I don't remember how.

07-25-2012	#5 (permalink)
carinosa2 lost on fifth Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Houston,Tx Posts: 14	Patiently twiddling my thumbs as I wait for my pics to finish uploading into Photobucket

07-26-2012	#7 (permalink)
Sol añejo Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: The Gem State Posts: 16,176	Great start!!! The huarache looks so delicious. More trip report please!!

07-26-2012	#8 (permalink)
caramba añejo Join Date: May 2002 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 6,641	Nice start to your report. The food pictures are making me hungry! Keep it coming.

07-28-2012	#10 (permalink)
lovetheroo beachaholic Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Beaumont, Texas Posts: 312	Enjoying your trip report - more more! Nice pictures of Akumal - it's our favorite day trip.

07-29-2012	#11 (permalink)
Goodtobehere way into it Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia Posts: 162	Great trip report so far.....great pictures of beach and food....can't wait for more.....

07-31-2012	#13 (permalink)
SharonD life=playa Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 699	Thanks! Can't wait for more, plz hurry!! lol!

07-31-2012	#14 (permalink)
Goodtobehere way into it Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia Posts: 162	La Tarraya is a favourite place of mine to go for ceviche and your picture looks delicious....just how I remember it! Can't wait to read about your adventures is Isla.

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08-01-2012	#15 (permalink)
CooperMichigan way into it Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan Posts: 189	Waiting for the Isla portion!! Always one of my favorite parts of our trips!!