Akumal, Need a little Help!

[SterlingDiver]

I am hoping to give my wife a romantic/dive vacation for Christmas. The longest we could get away including travel time is four days. we will leave in January or Febuary of 2005.

Good old reliable Mexico is looking like our best bet. We have been to Coz. three times in the last 2 years and would like to try something new. Cancun & Playa seem a little too touristy for our taste, though we would be open to suggestions there. After searching the threads I am leaning towards Akumal.

Our typical agenda would be two boat dives in the morning, eat lunch, have a siesta or "nap" if you know what I mean, lay on the beach, kayak, snorkel, eat supper, etc. We are not big partiers so the night life isn't a big priority. We will also try to get a night dive in before we are done.

I am looking hard at the Bahia and haven't decided on the dive shop, yet.

Here are my questions:

-What is the best way for two people to travel from Cancun airport to Akumal at a moderate price. Should I make those arrangements before we go or when we arrive. Because of our limited time I don't want to spend more than 2 hours getting to our hotel.
-If you had only 2.5 days to dive the Akumal area, would you dive one of the cenotes? If so, which one?
-Dive Shop referral?

I would be interested in any of your thoughts or recommendations you may have.

Thank you,

Dave

 

[KazInAz]

-If you had only 2.5 days to dive the Akumal area, would you dive one of the cenotes? If so, which one?
-Dive Shop referral?

My husband and I go to Ackumal once a year for the past few years (hoping to increase the frequency) We cave dive while we are there so I highly recommend doing a cavern dive. Contact Zero Gravity ( http://www.zerogravity.com.mx/zghome.htm )
for excellent guides, Chris and Danny. We did our cave training with them.
Tell them Art and Karen from Phoenix said hello and will see them in October.

Have a good time!
Kaz

 

[SterlingDiver]

Hi Kaz,

Who do you normally stay with in Akumal? Is there any places you wouldn't stay at for what ever reasons?

 

[beachbum70635]

Hi Kaz,

Who do you normally stay with in Akumal? Is there any places you wouldn't stay at for what ever reasons?

Send Dennis (Pez De Diablo) a pm and get his advice. He lives in that area and is a wonderful guide, reef and cenote diving. He should be able to recommend a motel in the area and may be able to help with travel advise.
Scot

 

[AmyJ]

I second the 'contact Dennis' . dove with him in Oct. he will be a great resource and is a great dive guide! Have fun!

 

[Rescue Diver68]

Yes, the Cenote's are worth it. Dos Ojos would be a great trip for one day especially since the reef in Akumal is not as spectacular as Cozumel. You can take the Riviera bus from the Cancun Airport to Playa Del Carmen and a different bus to Akumal. If I remember correctly you'l' spend about $15 on the bus fares. You do need to know where to get off the bus though in Akumal as well as getting on the right bus in Playa . I would recommend the Villas DeRose in Aventura's Akumal to dive with for Ocean and Cenotes. The accomodations are really peaceful and nice.

 

[KazInAz]

We've stayed at a few different places in Akumal. Its full of small hotels and condos. We stayed in a 2 bedroom condo that was very large on the beach for 70/night split with some friends of ours.
try http://www.akumalvacations.com OR http://www.bill-in-tulsa.com/
We also stayed at a more expensive all-inclusive resort called Sunscape just north of tulum, also very nice.

We're hoping to return in May and again in November.

Kaz

 

[Ondeen]

My husband and I both love Akumal. We stay at the casitas by the Akumal Dive Shop. They are nicely located and spacious. I dive with the original Akumal Dive Shop. It's the shop closest to the Casitas or, if you stand by the sea and face land, it's the shop on the right.

One can drive from Cancun to Akumal in a little over an hour. Well, that was so two years ago. That coast continues to grow and traffic increases accordingly. Do check the price for car rentals as they can be steep. At one point, there was the option of arranging taxi service. It was very expensive, too. I'd probably go with the car rental. Rent it from here as soon as you know your dates and have them fax you a confirmation. One gets all sorts of deals offered at the Cancun airport but I've never had one that beat an early reservation. Go with an American owned rental company if there is a choice and the price is competitive.

Akumal has several delightful restaurants. Some are near the dive shop. Others are in Half Moon Bay area. Most are excellent. Akumal was developing a small but nice shopping area the last time we were there. It's worth checking and it won't take much time.

The dive ops, regardless of which you select, are small. If you want a night dive or two, try to get confirmation on that before you leave home. I think either would help you with this if they had an advance request.

I didn't do the ceynote but I'd not miss the opportunity again. You mention having been to Mexico a lot so you have probably visited Tulum. If you haven't, it's quite impressive and beautifully located.

Akumal diving isn't as dramatic or as spectacular as Coz. However, the reefs are healthy and there are lots of critters. However, with the time factor, I'd probably do the ceynote diving first as it is relatively unique. Akumal itself is delightful and romantic. Have fun!

 

[DiverColt]

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[SterlingDiver]

Big Thanks.....

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.......for all of the information.

It sounds like the transfer down to Akumal is the biggest challenge. I was hoping for something faster than the bus, but at the prices people are talking maybe that is the best way to go. I have been unsucessful renting a car twice in the past year in Mexico with reservations that I originated here. Has anyone been sucessful with one of the american companies? If so, which one.

kaz thank you for the links. I now see choices for lodging I hadn't seen yet.

If anyone thinks of anything else, let me know. I am planning on making the arrangements on 27th of Dec after my wife and I can agree on the best weekend for us. I will let you know what we end up doing.

Thanks Again,

Dave