Flying into Cancun this trip

[sharky60]

I assume you adventurers are going to drive yourself to Chichen Itza, I love C.I.!!!!

Cancun is the closest to Chichen Itza and it's almost a 3 hour drive from there. The highway is in very good condition (at least it was 4-5 years ago when I drove it), and doesn't have a lot of traffic. It is a tollway with one toll stop for 30 pesos ($3) about 1/2 to 2/3 the way there.

If you stayed in Playa, then you would have to backtrack the hour or so drive to Cancun before heading to C.I.

Same deal with Isla Mujures, you'd have to take the ferry to the island to get your hotel, then take it back to the penensula in the morning to drive the 3 hrs. to C.I.

I'm not a big fan of Cancun by any means, but in this case I think I would use it as a base camp for the first couple of days before heading to Coz.

 

[VooDooGasMan]

Get ahold of divemex.net he found me a place on water the with diving for your budget your lookinng for in PDC He can take care of your land tours, Dirk will set you right up, and tou wil be relaxed Guaranteed.

 

[Spratman]

If you decide to do snorkeling and cenotes, then PDC is best located for that. If you have C.I. on your mind, then Cancun would be a better choice with an hour trip to PDC for cenotes.

I've been to Cancun for the last three or four years. I prefer Cancun, because our time share is there. I'm not into partying and the night crowd, but I've never been disappointed with the diving. If you are looking for a resort in Cancun, check with allen@britsincancun.com. He has some really good deals on AI's and non-AI's. Dive op, check with Ben@mayanaquadive.com. He runs boat trips to Coz, and can customize a dive plan to your liking.

Oh yeah....you have GOT to do the cenotes! I was blown away last year on my dives in Chac Mool.

 

[Martha]

Did you run across the tarpon? Last year we did that dive and came up on a school of hundreds of tarpon, some of them easily 100 lbs or more. If you hung motionless and let the current carry you, you could drift right in amongst them. It was spectacular!

I'm curious as to why you didn't like Tortugas? I've done it once and the countless turtles was wonderful. Can't get a Coz Op to go there often - depends on the waves I'm told.

The day we went, the current was ripping and the visibility wasn't very good (kinda looked like a snowstorm). The Tarpon were there, but we could just make them out in the distance as we zipped by. I didn't see that many turtles either, but I guess that was because we were going so fast. Pedro (the DM) saw a lot more than the rest of us. The boat ride over wasn't too bad, but like you mentioned, we went when the ocean cooperated.

 

[scubawife]

On our last trip to Cozumel, we did a two tank boat dive to PDC. The first was Tortugas, which was ok, but not a dive I would go out of my way to do again. The second site was much more to my liking, but the name escapes me at the moment.

I completely agree. I've dived Tortugas and the other site (also can't remember the name... that's how exciting it was, I guess...) To me, Tortugas is the equivalent of Boca for turtles. Yes, there are lots of turtles and they are big, but they just sit there and really couldn't care less who's envading their space. Tarpon, well, I've been on several dives to a couple sites on the east end of Cayman where there were schools of tarpon. Seen them off Akumal in schools too. Both dives were ok, but if I'm in Cozumel and have the choice to do these sites or a couple dives on the far southern reefs, I'll stay on the Cozumel side.

 

[scubawife]

We will be flying into Cancun this trip and out of Cozumel. Thinking about staying on the mainland 2 or 3 days before heading on over to Cozumel for the remainder fo the trip. We have 10 days total.

Where do you suggest for the first leg of this trip? Considering Isla Mujures, Cancun and Playa. May hit Chichen Itza one day and dive one day.

I haven't been to Isla in several years, but I've spent a lot of vacation time there in the past. It's sort of a mini Cozumel and I very much enjoyed it. We moved south and to Coz when we started diving.

I'd probably go to Cozumel first then head up to Isla for the last few days. It's about 90 min max from the island to the airport. Lots of affordable places to stay, and several great restaurants and bars. Fun little island. Hmm, I usually fly into Cancun for my Cozumel trips... you've just given me an idea! I've been wanting to get back to Isla.

 

[driftwood]

We will be flying into Cancun this trip and out of Cozumel. Thinking about staying on the mainland 2 or 3 days before heading on over to Cozumel for the remainder fo the trip. We have 10 days total.

Where do you suggest for the first leg of this trip? Considering Isla Mujures, Cancun and Playa. May hit Chichen Itza one day and dive one day.

Personally, I like PDC. The areas claim to diving fame are the cenotes, Hidden Worlds Cenotes Park Yucatan Mexico Riviera Maya for what the diving there is like. If I were going to CI, there are two good alternatives. For those with a good credit card try, Aerosaab the best way to enjoy the mayan world!. Leave at 8 and get back by 1. For a full day trip, try the tours at Playa del Carmen, Mexico's Virtual Guide Book : Playa.Info. Mitch is a great guy and scuba instructor who now makes more money doing tours, also they are a lot less expensive.

There are some good inexpensive places to stay in PDC, but it has been two years since I have been down there. Off the top of my head I would try Hotel Riviera Caribe Maya Playa del Carmen Mexico Hotel with Beautiful Air Conditioned Hotel Rooms and Suites. Nice place just off 5th, but probably a little more than your $65 request in high season. We have stayed there a couple of times and liked it. Nice and clean but not upscale with a good staff. Request a first floor room so you don't drag your gear up staris. You should search the playainfo site for threads on inexpensive hotels for other options.

We generally stay in Akumal and LOVE IT, but in your case PDC is a better choice. Here is the best Akumal link that I have, Riviera Maya Hotels, Resorts, Rentals: Mexican Caribbean Vacation. A real bargain in Akumal are the two bedroom condos on Half Moon Bay. Most of the units are directly on a perfect beach and much less than condos in PDC.

Have a great trip, we will be there in May!

BTW, the closest I have ever been to Cancun is the airport!

 

[driftwood]

One other thought, if you like CI, Ek Balam will blow you away. The only Mayan ruin I would spend the time to visit again. If you stay in Valladolid, try http://www.mesondelmarques.com.

 

[underachiever]

How are the cenotes near Valladolid for diving? Or the ones near Playa better?

 

[MMM]

I love the Tortugas dive and would do it over and over if I could. Tarpon aren't there until the summer however. A couple of trips back, we encountered a bullshark during the dive! On my most recent trip, we did our second dive at a spot called Barracuda (the Playa Barracuda obviously, not the Coz Barracuda) which was very nice. It hadn't really been affected by Wilma and there was lots of life there. I did this trip with Living Underwater. Jeremy told me that there are very strict limits about the distance his boat must be from shore etc. Jorge told me that Blue Angel doesn't go there anymore. Jeremy also set up a cenote dive on a day that there was a norte. We dived with an op called Aquanauts in Peurta Aventuras (sp?) who had cntracted Benjamin Sarmiento from Aquaaventura dive centre in Playa del Carmen. Benjamin met us at the ferry pier. Our dive site was Dos Ojos which was quite interesting. However the dives were a very quick 45 minutes each.