Akumal in may

[TJ O'Dwyer]

I am headung to Akumal at the end of the month for a short dive vacation. Staying at the Vista del Mar . Can any one tell me good diving spots . Also good dining places?

Many thanks

 

[Diver Lori]

Oh rats....old age is setting in and I can't remember the names of the two restaurants we ate at in Akumal!

At the main turn-off for Akumal proper on HWY 307, turn toward the ocean. You'll go through a white stucco arch a ways down the road. On the other side you'll find a couple of really good restaurants in the square. One of which is right on the beach.

Heading south on 307 it's a left hand turn, north on 307 it's a right hand turn.

Vista del Mar....isn't that in Adventuras Akumal? If so, you can walk down the road a ways and have dinner at Villa DeRosa. Villa DeRosa is also home to Aquatech Diving. www.cenotes.com

 

[TJ O'Dwyer]

Thanks for the info !!

 

[scubawife]

I stay at Vista del Mar in their condos a couple times a year. If you are diving with Akumal Dive Adventures you will have an enjoyable time. The DM's, Jose and Lupe, are laid back, easy going. The usual sites they go to are Yalku, Yalku Norte, Half Moon, Grouper, Tarpon, Gorgonians, Miramar, Seahorse, The Nets, Aquarium, La Tortugas, and a handful of others that I can't recall off the top of my head.

VDM is in a great location right in the middle of Half Moon Bay. You're about a 12-15 min walk from "town" (Akumal Bay).

In Half Moon Bay, La Buena Vida is good for happy hour and since they got a new chef post-Wilma, the food has really improved.

Also on Half Moon Bay is La Lunita. Lovely atmosphere right on the beach by candle light. The prices have gone up some but it is nice and food and service are usually good.

In "town" Cueva de Pescador is good seafood and very strong margarita. (I like their lime daquari better). Turtle Bay Bakery & Cafe is great for breakfast and lunch. They also do a very nice dinner. In low season they are not open 7 nights so check their hours. Also in Akumal Bay is Lol Ha. I used to like it but in the past couple years the menu seems to have gone more American/Continental and I miss the Mayan/Yucatan/Mexican selections they used to have. Good happy hour at Lol Ha beach bar and they usually will play sporting events on their tv's.

If you like pasta then try Que Onda, which is by Yal Ku Lagoon, about 10 min walk from Vista del Mar. Homemade pasta and very fresh sauces. A nice garden setting.

If you have time, try a cenote dive. You can either hire a guide (Dennis from Diablo Divers is very good), or go to Hidden Worlds (www.hiddenworlds.com). With Hidden Worlds you can do a single tank if you just want to try it and not sure you want to do two.

Have a great trip!

 

[Brewone0to]

Great info! Considering trip to Akumal next May. Thinking Akumal Beach Resort, it seems like a mid center base. Very interested in Dos Ojos for diving and heading over to Coz several days to dive. My question being related to transportation. I read where car rental there may not be the smartest thing to do. The colectivo's (vans or buses 2 bucks a person) sound great but If I wanted to go from Akumal to a cenote or to the ferry to Coz in Playa can I use the colectivo and have my dive luggage (bag) with me on it? Will they accept you as a passenager with baggage? Because I know I'd take my gear and my wife would have her beachbag and her snorkel gear also.
Has anyone ever used this mode of transportation before. Seems every place we are interested in going the collectivo goes whereas taxi's could get pretty expensive.

Brian

 

[chickdiver]

I was in Akumal last week. I very strongly second the recommendations for Cueva de Pescador and Turtle Bay Cafe- we ate at both several times and found both the food and the service outstanding!

Brian and I rented a car- and had only a little trouble -that being stopped by the Playa Del Carmen PD at midnight as we drove from Cancun to Akumal- and ending up paying the bribe, as we didn't know any better. Since then we have been told be several residents of the area to REFUSE to pay the bribe. If the officer wants to take your license and "write you a ticket" tell him to do so. Also take his name and car number- it's illegal and you can report them to the tourist police. Every indication is that they will back down when you call their bluff.

On a final note- we stayed a Villa DeRosa- and though the accomodations were nice, as was the Mexican staff- the owner- Nancy DeRosa was VERY RUDE and several times acted as if we were an inconvenience, rather than paying customers. I would NOT do business with Villa DeRosa again, and would recommend that others go elsewhere as well.

 

[scubawife]

Great info! Considering trip to Akumal next May. Thinking Akumal Beach Resort, it seems like a mid center base. Very interested in Dos Ojos for diving and heading over to Coz several days to dive. My question being related to transportation. I read where car rental there may not be the smartest thing to do. The colectivo's (vans or buses 2 bucks a person) sound great but If I wanted to go from Akumal to a cenote or to the ferry to Coz in Playa can I use the colectivo and have my dive luggage (bag) with me on it? Will they accept you as a passenager with baggage? Because I know I'd take my gear and my wife would have her beachbag and her snorkel gear also.
Has anyone ever used this mode of transportation before. Seems every place we are interested in going the collectivo goes whereas taxi's could get pretty expensive.

Brian

For the cenotes I highly recommend you consider a private guide (Dennis would be my choice, but whatever shop you are using for ocean dives can also make arrangements for you with whomever they use). The guide usually picks you up so you don't need to worry about transportation. If you go to Hidden Worlds it's around $10 each way for a taxi. The collectivo would involve having to get out to 307 with your gear and that is quite a haul with dive bag.

If you want to dive several days in Cozumel then your best bet will be to stay on the island for consectutive nights. The better shops leave between 7:30 and 8am and that would mean being on the 6am ferry. The ferry will be $20pp roundtrip. A taxi Akumal-PDC is around $20 (you can hondle that down a bit), and your taxi from the ferry pier to the Caleta in Cozumel will be around $6. Diving with better shops will run you $75-85 pp for a 2 tank trip. That will really add up if you plan to do it for several days as day trips. There are lots of decent places to stay for $50-90/nt, and many good restaurants to choose from for dinners.

My favorite trips are our December trips where we spend about 5 days diving in Cozumel then head to Akumal for about 5-6 days. Very different places both above and below the water. I prefer to do Coz first then just completely relax and veg out in a beach condo in Akumal, enjoy some easy ocean dives and few great cenotes.

I know Akumal Beach Resort has many fans. My preference is a condo. It gives us more space, relaxation and our big balcony right on the beach with a great view. We stock up with breakfast and lunch food, snacks and drinks and usually go out for dinners. From Half Moon Bay we can walk everywhere (Akumal Bay, Yalk Ku area) within 12-15 min. The diving in Akumal is 3 single tank trips each day, returning to the beach/shop between each dive. The sites are no more then 10 minutes out.