Question June Tulum Advice

[EdC]

Off topic-Is your avatar a picture of the Keystorm?

 

[Tracy]

Wow! I was in Tulum last year and totally missed all the free car rentals.

I rented a scooter for a few days, cost me $200 plus round trip from airport to Tulum was over $100 each way.

Next time I'm definitely going with the free rental car.

Not sure why the snark, but he was saying car rentals are cheap. I usually spend about $350 -$500 for a week or two depending on the season. The rental itself is normally $15-$25 per day, the rest is insurance.

 

[Tracy]

Hey folks! I am heading down Cancun with my girlfriend in early June for ten days and am wanting some advice on putting our plan together. We are both sidemount cavern divers, she is full cave and I hope to have my cave certification by the time I go down there. Our initial thoughts are to head straight down to the Tulum-Aventuras area to stay for the majority of the trip for some cenote diving, then come back towards Playa for a day or two of saltwater diving, then wrap the trip up back in Cancun to dive with whale sharks at Isla Mujeres (figured we would do this on our last day of diving), and figured we would spend our last day and a half checking out ruins in the Cancun area. Does this sound like a reasonable itinerary to those in the know?

1. Protec seems highly recommended to dive with in the Tulum area. Any others we should consider?
2. I can get a car pretty cheaply ($15-$20/day). Is this worth it or should we just hop a bus to Tulum and then utilize the dive shop's provided transport? Are cabs/ubers/lyfts available if we want to go to the beach/to eat/etc?
3. Who and where would y'all recommend for our saltwater dives? Can you do this out of Tulum or are we better off going a bit north for this?
4. Any places you have stayed that you really enjoyed that we should consider?
5. Any dive and stay packages that we might should consider?
6. I'm sure this list will get longer. Any other advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Also, if an admin needs to delete this thread please shoot me a message and let me know what needs to be changed. I understand that these questions have probably been asked before but the search function leaves a lot to be desired. Thanks!

1. Protec is good, they have a range of guides and instructors so your experience will vary based on how well you mesh with who you get.
2. I prefer to rent a car, I recommend Mex or Isis. They are both off airport, but have shuttles to take you to their location. Both of them include the insurance in pricing. The others all work with a bait and switch type deal, they quote low prices for the rental and then charge lots for insurance when you get there.
I have on occasion taken the ADO bus down to Tulum, it drops at the Chedraui and there are car rental places across the street. If you arrive during christmas time and you can't find a reasonable car rental at the airport, this is a good option. Tulum rentals are typically cheaper than at the airport and the bus cost is crazy cheap.
3. Akumal dive center runs a boat from akumal, there are a great little shop and easy to deal with. Usually we run up to playa one day on a long trip and hit Cozumel for a day. Akumal diving isn't bad at all, but Coz is a bit better.
4. I have stayed at Underworld several times, at Xoc Ha several times, rented random airbnbs a few times, it depends on you and what you want.
Underworld is great, but you need to be able to shop and go dive on your own. They have wonderful little apartments catered to divers. They have tank rentals available, you will need to get them filled after diving and pick them up in the morning. They have a lot of dogs wandering around, you can claim one for yourself, either for the week, or to take back home with you. Lanny is ableto teach pretty much any level and agency you want.
XocHa is a bit more lush, they have a couple of rental houses, you get it to yourself. They make breakfast and deliver it to your house, they pack you a sack lunch in a cooler, and go fill your tanks for you in the evenings. It is about as lazy as it gets, this is my standard go to. Roger teaches through a couple agencies and can do as high as you would like short of instructor courses.
If you are wanting the airbnb route, take your pick. I use third dimension for tank rentals and fills, they can also provide any level of training you desire.

Personally, I like to stay in Puerto Aventuras area, the housing is cheaper, the food is cheaper, and it is still very Mexico. Tulum has really turned into little Cancun, there isn't a lot of Mexico feel left.

5. Hard to say, you would have to reach out to the operators directly.

6. Enjoy your trip, it is an addicting place to visit.

 

[passedoutwookie]

Off topic-Is your avatar a picture of the Keystorm?

It's the Juliet. That's the only liveaboard I've ever done, but it was great and I highly recommend!

Thanks so much for all the advice! I was able to rent a decent car for $20 a day. My credit card covers the insurance so I should be all good there, hopefully.

I booked an AirBnB in Akumal. It is a short distance from Akumal Dive Center. I fired off an email to them last night asking about packages and telling them what we are interested in doing. We prefer quiet, authentic type setting vs the more developed areas. Akumal sounds like a good fit for us while giving us the flexibility to drive north to Playa or south to Tulum.

I didn't look too close into XocHa, since @oya said they were booked up, but checking out their website now, that looks really awesome. We have a couple months of flexibility if we wanted to cancel the AirBnB so we may explore their packages further.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[Norwegian Cave Diver]

A Mexican car rental company will not accept your out of country insurance. They will only rent you their vehicle if you purchase their insurance. Vehicle rental is usually cheap and the insurance is expensive.

 

[Tracy]

It's the Juliet. That's the only liveaboard I've ever done, but it was great and I highly recommend!

Thanks so much for all the advice! I was able to rent a decent car for $20 a day. My credit card covers the insurance so I should be all good there, hopefully.

I booked an AirBnB in Akumal. It is a short distance from Akumal Dive Center. I fired off an email to them last night asking about packages and telling them what we are interested in doing. We prefer quiet, authentic type setting vs the more developed areas. Akumal sounds like a good fit for us while giving us the flexibility to drive north to Playa or south to Tulum.

I didn't look too close into XocHa, since @oya said they were booked up, but checking out their website now, that looks really awesome. We have a couple months of flexibility if we wanted to cancel the AirBnB so we may explore their packages further.

Thanks again everyone!

I would check into the credit card insurance, I haven't found one yet that is accepted by the Mexican rental companies or that the credit card specifies they cover the Mexican liability required.
When you rent the car, do a full walk around with your phone taking video. Make sure it has a spare tire. It isn't like renting a car here where you essentially get a new car. You will normally be renting a well used automobile with existing damage. It is easy for them to say the scrapes and dents are worse than they were when you left.
Also, when buying gas, you can't pump your own, it is like New Jersey, you have to pay them to pump it. Count your money and know exactly how much you are handing them. Don't be afraid to get out and make a scene if they try to scam you. I love Mexico and rarely have issues, but when I do, it is always a pump jockey trying to pull a fast one on a gringo. If you do catch them in a scam, call the phone number posted and report it.

 

[Norwegian Cave Diver]

Here is a document you should read and print To keep in your rental. I didn’t produce this, it was from someone else on SB.

 

[Norwegian Cave Diver]

Here is the document…

AVISO A USTED OFICIAL DE POLICIA

Entiendo que Usted ha pedido que me detenga debido a que posiblemente he cometido una violación de tránsito. Obedeceré sus instrucciones de acuerdo a la ley, le entregaré mi licencia para conducir y el registro de mi vehículo. Sin admitir culpa en esta situación, voluntariamente loseguiré hacia la Comandancia de Policía en donde Usted o alguien podrá informarme acerca de los procedimientos legales a que haya lugar y si me es requerido, pagaré la multa que corresponda.

Entiendo que en este caso, se me extenderá un recibo por el concepto de la multa



Por favor, tome nota de que:

Tengo conocimiento de que existe la Sindicatura del Ayuntamiento y que si Usted me ha pedido que le pague directamente la multa de la infracción de tránsito, le pediré que me diga su nombre y número de oficial. Es mi derecho reportar esto al a oficina del Ayuntamiento, donde una investigación oficial podría ser iniciada.



NOTICE TO MEXICAN POLICE OFFICERS

I understand that you have stopped me for allegedly committing a traffic violation. I will obey your legal instructions by providing you with my Drivers License and vehicle registration. Without admitting guilt in this situation, I will voluntarily follow you to your local police station,where you can properly inform me of the legal procedures, and if asked, I will pay the required fine. I understand that you will issue me a receipt for these actions.

Please note: I am also aware of the SINDICATURA process, and if you have asked me to pay you directly for a traffic violation fine, I will ask that you give me your name and badge number. It is my right to report this to the Mayor’s Office, where an official investigation may be undertaken

 

[passedoutwookie]

Very helpful info Tracy and NCD! I expect a few shenanigans, but it's great to know which shenanigans to expect.

I will check with my card. It's Chase Sapphire Reserve, but it sounds like my rental company may not accept their coverage. I will check with the rental company also.

 

[oya]

Unfortunately several industries in Mexico (most relevantly, banking and insurance) are incredibly insular and don't work easily with international systems.

What that translates to is a lot of people thinking the counter people at the rental agencies are scamming them by not accepting their insurance when it works in every other country on the planet. And it does. But not in Mexico.

It's not a scam. It's just that one of those weird things about Mexico.