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denisea
Forum Goddess
Registered: Fri Aug 16, 2002
Location: On the road to ruins...
Posts: 6891
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Review Date: Sat Nov 13, 2004
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Great for newbie snorkelers. Clean, nicely kept park.
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Cons:
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Can get crowded from tour buses in the afternoons.
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Xel-Ha definitely rocks! We visit almost every time we're in Playa because it's one of my husband's favorites. It's a great place for newbie snorkelers. If you're not into snorkeling, floating down the lazy river in a tube is awesome... one of my favorite things to do at Xel-Ha. If you only want to spend half a day at Xel-Ha, do it in the morning as you will have the place virtually to yourselves... But be warned, it's easy to spend the whole day there... if you decide to spend the entire day there opt for the AI package to get the best bang for your buck. It's also very easy to visit on your own as opposed to taking a tour.
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Entilzha
beachaholic
Registered: Sun Feb 29, 2004
Location: Sherbrooke QC
Posts: 289
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Review Date: Mon Nov 29, 2004
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Steroid-laden fishes
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Cons:
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too many people
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We got in the gate at 9h00, just as they opened but already, three tour buses were disgorging their hordes. However, by the time their guides had corralled them into line and given them useless instructions, we are through the gates. There were other groups ahead of us but they had to get their snorkeling gear and they all stopped at the first gate (as mentionned in other posts). We already had all our gear and moved to station 3 to get a locker. We got a nice quiet section of beach chairs close to the children playground and dropped our stuff there. A few minutes later, we were all in the lagoon, not the first ones in but very close.
The water in the lagoon is divided in three depth. The first two feet are greenish/brown and COLD!!! Then, there is a blurry section between 2-3 feet that has an oily appearance from the mixing of fresh and salt water. Finally, the deeper section is clear and warm…too bad you need to hold your breath to get there. Bottom is mostly silt so my guess is that within a couple of hours of being stirred around, the visibility will go down to near zero. Oh yeah! the fishes… Lots of them and they are BIG! They must be spiking the lagoon with steroids or something because these babies are bigger than I have ever seen. There is even these tri-color parrotfishes of a species I have never seen before, red being the dominant color. There are these schools of 2-3 feet jacks that let you swim among them as if you belonged there. Those fishes are really used to human presence. We swam all the way to the floating bridge and there, you had even more of these obeses fishes. There was this huge grouper with a big set of theeth that scared the hell out of my daughter…the one that laughed at the face of a two foot barracuda a few days ago.
We got back to our spot, hunted iguanas (there were as big as the fishes) and finally, took the little train to the tubing/river ride. I would have rather taken the bikes but they were too big for the kids. So we rode lazily down the river, we proved our courage at the cliff and eventually made it to the other side…eventually. Dinner was a very expensive cheeseburger. We slept in the hammocks, watched the dolphins, did some shopping and ended up buying one of those pictures they take during your visit (We don’t have that many from the four of us). There was way too many people for my liking. We counted over 30 tour buses on our way out. Clouds had been gathering since mid-morning and thunder had rumbled for the last three hours. As we made our way to the parking the frist drops began to fall.
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Softy57
añejo
Registered: Sun Jan 4, 2004
Location: Massachusetts,U.S.A.
Posts: 1676
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Review Date: Mon Nov 29, 2004
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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clean family park,decent food-lots of different things to do
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Cons:
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gets crowded later in the day.
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Except for dolphins kept in rather small enclosures,this is a great place.Next time we'll do the river float. We snorkled 1st. then took the tram thing up to where the river tube ride starts. We elected to cross over and walk the jungle trails on the south side of the park. There are cenotes & places to swim & snorkle,including a neat grotto where you get your picture taken,it was the best pic. of the two of us together on the whole trip.
Then we crossed the floating bridge,where the big fish are! There is a beach,bars and restaurant options,and lots of hammocks in the shade for a siesta. Shopping too ,of course,& photo ops. with colorfull birds,etc All in all a great place to spend a day,with something for all family members,from young to old.
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Xel
lost on fifth
Registered: Wed Jun 23, 2004
Location: California
Posts: 22
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Review Date: Tue Dec 7, 2004
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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safely packaged water activites
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Cons:
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safely packaged water activites
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This might not be the place if you are into "eXtreme" watersports, but great for families, beginner snorkelers, or just a fun mellow time. It is a beautiful place to walk around and spend the day snorkeling, tubing, swimming, sunbathing, etc. in a controlled environment with accessibility to food, bathrooms, lockers, etc. The management was very good when we were there: my girlfriend used her watch as collateral to rent snorkel equipment and when it was stolen, a manager handled the situation and returned her watch. Try not to leave things lying around (although a lot of people do.)
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Review Date: Wed Feb 2, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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excellent nature park
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Cons:
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long line-ups in order to use the lockers
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A fantastic idea to spend a day. Located about 15 min from Tulum or 25 min from playa del Carmen , has many attractions which include " scuba and snorkling adventures " ," dolphin lagoon " and one of my personal favorites - " cliff of courage ". The restaurants have a nice selection of mexican dishes and although I didn't try all of them the ones I tried were absolutely delicious.
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MWC
añejo
Registered: Thu Jan 16, 2003
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 5295
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Review Date: Fri Feb 11, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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snorkeling in non-threatening environment; all-in-one-place access to a broad range of aquatic environments/experiences
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Cons:
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can get crowded; limited liquour access
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Xelha is an excellent place to go to: experience non-threatening snorkeling; to get a taste of the region’s coastal offerings (cenotes, lagoons and beachfront); enjoy an active day for a group with divergent interests and energy levels. We have been to Xelha three times now, twice with children. We always seem to walk away happy from each of our visits here. We have never come as part of a tour. We always come, on our own, right when it opens – and strongly recommend that others do that as well. (And we tend to leave right as the park closes, and still leave feeling as if we could have done more!)
While the primary attraction continues to be the snorkeling, Xelha has added other water-based activities that are worth experiencing. It would be especially wise to do so once the tour buses arrive, and crowds of people hit the lagoon. When the lagoon area is packed to the gills, you can still find uncrowded areas to explore.
You could spend an entire day snorkeling the lagoon areas, but that would entail a lot of tiring, tedious swimming. In a nutshell: for the best snorkeling in terms of fish, head for the two bridges. The floating bridge, where the lagoon meets the sea, is the hangout of choice for the larger-specimen fish. You will swim among large jacks, groupers, parrotfish and snappers; look down, and you will likely see large stingrays. They are all quite used to a human presence, so you can get very close to them.
The other bridge is at the opposite end of the lagoon. It is smartest to walk there: from the main entry area, you would go right. Keep walking past the restaurants, past the kiddie play area, and keep going. The path will head left, and you’ll soon come to the bridge. Under and around this bridge, you will find large schools of the smaller, more colorful reef fish, plus large parrotfish. Swimming here is truly like jumping into a tropical fish tank.
The river float should be done at least once, I suppose, but I found it really difficult and tiring at the end, to cross the lagoon in the innertube. But there are two stops along the way that are fun: the cliff jump and the rope challenge.
This past trip, we discovered the jungle path and the cenotes, and the beach area. The jungle path is a good, shady break to take in the middle of the day; we did it as a digestive aid after lunch. There is signage along the way to educate you in both the specific flora and fauna of the region, and in Mayan culture. If you are curious to see what cenotes are like, there are along the path. There is a rope swing into one. I found the cenotes a little too algae-fied to be interested in swimming in them, but there is a boardwalk crossing that gives you a good view into the clarity of the water, and the different types of aquatic life.
The beach is accessible from the floating bridge area. First you will come to a natural pool, which is a rocked-in area whose water level is replenished by the waves. This was pretty cool. There are steps into it, and it is overlooked by a large palapa, under which are hammocks and lounge chairs. No bar service, but very relaxing nonetheless.
To get to the beach from here, follow a long path that is lined with dead coral heads. Just be forewarned that there is absolutely no shade along this path! There are tidal pools along the way to keep things interesting. The beach is very scenic; it is kept wild, with a strong surf on the day we were there. It was very private and underutilized. Good shell-hunting. If I am not mistaken, you may be able to take the shuttle to/from there, but I would be guessing on that point.
We have never opted for the AI package. We prefer eating at the Mexican-oriented restaurant, and we have always been happy with the quality of food & drink there.
Xelha is easy to find off 307. Last time, we used the collective system to get there. It was a not too long walk from the highway, along a sidewalk that weaves through the surrounding jungle. The children (12 & 7) had no problems with the walk in either direction. There is ample parking, there is an active taxi stand (but NOT if you stay too late after closing!), and there is bus service that drops you off right at the entrance.
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tesa001
beachaholic
Registered: Mon Jun 7, 2004
Location: houston, texas
Posts: 268
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Review Date: Tue Apr 26, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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great snorkeling for beginners, great way to spend the day
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Cons:
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bar closed an hour before park
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one of our best days! snorkeled all day, walked in the jungle which is nice, the cenotes are beautiful, the river tube was a bit slow, we're used to the texas hill country floats, and got out and back in our fins asap!! but even then, it was nice, daniel jumped off the"cliff of courage" and scraped his back on rocks.be careful!!
great day, stsaff was very friendly....
please bring the proper sunscreen, as several people were made to throw their regular stuff away, and shower....
breakfast buffett was really nice, as we were starving, but the lunch buffett was so-so we snacked and went to the grill for a nice burger and more beers.........
AI package is the way to go!!
had a blast!!
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momohunter
toe in water
Registered: Tue Jun 29, 2004
Location: eolia mo an hour noth of st louis
Posts: 46
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Review Date: Sat May 21, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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we enjoyed this park very much. we started out getting in off the floating bridge and snorkling. my 5 year old was scared and clinging on to me. after about 3 min he got interested in all the fish and loved exploring. after snorkling for an hour we got out and explored around. we went to a cenote with a rope swing. it didnt look like much but hey its a rope swing so we gave it a try and stayed there for over an hour having fun. we then went to the cliff jump again lots of fun. after that we walked back to get a bite to eat. the food was good. then we went back and did it all again.
i would recomend this park but we booked a tour through "best day tours " at the hotel that went to tulum in the morning and xel ha in the afternoon. i would not recomend there tour. nothing wrong with best day but spliting the 2 doesnt give you enough time at either place
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pmb
beachaholic
Registered: Sat Sep 4, 2004
Posts: 319
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Review Date: Sat May 21, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Great place for first time snorkelers. Would recommend the all inclusive price because you will receive meals, drinks, snorkel equipment (new mouthpiece for each person) life vests, towels and locker. Arrive early before the crowds appear. Swimming with the dolphins is great but because of the demand they book up fast -- I recommend reserving on line before your arrival (you will also receive a 10% discount if you do). Lazy River Tubing, floating bridge (great place to snorkel because there are huge fish here), or just laying around on a chair or on a hammock can be enjoyed. Fun for all ages and well worth the price. Beautiful scenery.
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Review Date: Thu Jul 28, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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easy to use/navigate
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Cons:
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not very adventurous
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This was a fun way to spend a very, very hot day. The park facilities were well-kept, the snorkling and other mild sports were fun, and the food was decent. Would go back again for sure.
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