Trip Report - Casa Sortilegio

[heenan]

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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/23872398@N03/3017109015/" title="View of beach from deck of Casa Sorteligio by heenan92, on Flickr"><img

Being brave here by announcing a new trip report before having even written one word of the report. That's pressure.

But we do have a highlight photo (even though unsure about which code to link to this post) as well as some foreshadowing of the report - great weather, hot water issues (as usual), great food, awesome afternoon beach hangs, dog attacks, Obama discussions with non-Americans, and balky ovens on the plane that was supposed to return us home!

More to come!

[minniemex]

I am going to love hearing about Villa Sortilegio!! Hurry with your report please!!

[SassyGirl]

A nice photo is a good start! Can't wait to read the rest!

[TnTWalter]

Looking forward to the report.

Taking liberty to post it because it is so drool worthy!!

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HOW TO INSERT PICTURE:

Click on the picture button above this text box..... [in the row under font type, size, etc. where you see B I U and outher choices...there's a box with mountain in it...].

Click on the picture and PASTE the http: location of the picture...

OR JUST TYPE AND BEFORE AND AFTER THE HTTP ADDRESS....

FOR EXAMPLE http://MYPICTURE.COM/PRETTYPIC.JPG

Beautiful!!

[heenan]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23872398@N03/3021039980/

With TnTWalter's help, I can now post one more pic of the palm trees on the beach at Casa Sortilegio!

[heenan]

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/23872398@N03/3021039980/" title="Palm trees at Casa Sortilegio by heenan92, on Flickr"><img

One more try at this tonight.

[heenan]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3293/3021039980_ce086bb0f4_b.jpg

Finally, success!

[PhyllisB]

Hey Heenan, where is this place? Is it way far south?

[TnTWalter]

You did it!

Beautiful shot!! looking forward to more!

:beerchug:

[heenan]

Phyllis - Casa Sortilegio is far south in Rancho San Eric where Hechizo's is. The house is the second house north of Hechizo's that you can see from the beach. It is south of TDS and still within an easy walking distance to Dos Ciebas or Las Ranitas for a lunch or mid-afternoon order of guacamole.

[minniemex]

Say Heenan ~ were there any sea weed issues at all??

[heenan]

No sea weed issues at all were we were. Simply the beautiful wide beaches of Tulum.

[minniemex]

Thanks!! I was hoping it wasn't an issue anywhere!!

[Lynnette]

Great photos......can't wait for more!

[marjan]

Those beautiful, perfect pix are what it's all about. MasMasMas :sun:

[pinky]

It is south of TDS and still within an easy walking distance to Dos Ciebas or Las Ranitas for a lunch or mid-afternoon order of guacamole.

Mid-afternoon order of quacamole...I just LOVE the way that sounds!!
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Looking forward to more of your trip!!!

[pinky]

Heenan...your pictures are just beautiful, may I use the second one for my screen-saver?

[heenan]

Pinky - Sure. I am honored. I do not think I am much of a photographer. To me, the beach pictures are all about the light.

[beachreader]

Heenan...your pictures are just beautiful, may I use the second one for my screen-saver?



Me too, me too! Ahhhh. I love that picture.

[heenan]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3039/3026549642_a7cdf0c3c0_b.jpg

Here's one looking north up the beach from Casa Sortilegio, in case anyone wants another screen saver option.

[pinky]

Pinky - Sure. I am honored. I do not think I am much of a photographer. To me, the beach pictures are all about the light.

Thank you!!!...I love my new screensaver!!! Beachreader, did you get it too?

[Lynnette]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3293/3021039980_ce086bb0f4_b.jpg

Finally, success!


OMG....AWESOME! It should be on a calendar. Fabulous shot, heenan!!!

[beachreader]

Thank you!!!...I love my new screensaver!!! Beachreader, did you get it too?




Yupper. And I think I'll send it off to my travel companions too! Thanks again, Heenan!

[heenan]

Day 1 - Sunday
Travel day. We left the fog of our home airport for blue skies in Mexico. The sunny skies were a precursor of the weather for the week. We had sun every day and no rain during the week. The new terminal at the Cancun airport was nice but had to take shuttle bus to the Hertz rental site. In the old terminal, we simply walked across the street to get to Hertz. There was not much of a line at the rental car agency so we were on our way soon. The drive to Tulum seemed quicker this time. There was less of slow down thru Playa del Carmen, and more of 307 was improved. Based on our return trip to the airport the following Saturday, I think part of the reason the trip to Tulum on Sunday seemed quicker was there was less traffic on Sunday. When we reached Tulum, we found the road to the beach road was finished. It was now a 2/4 lane road with smooth pavement and two large topes by the Bomberos Station. As we drove down this road, we saw the road cuts for the Downtown Tulum development. There was a guard at the entrance so we did not try to take a look. Turning down the beach road is when it always feels like we have arrived in Tulum. That short stretch of road would basically be our home for the week. We were staying at Casa Sortilegio, which is at the end of the beach road in Rancho San Eric (where Hechizo’s is) just before the entrance to the Sian Kaan. We drove up to the house which was not marked with a “Casa Sortilegio” sign, but with a sign that said “Imagine Tulum.” We had a short hiccup when we walked around to entrance to the house, which was on the beach side of the dune.
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Pic of the beach from the deck of Casa Sortilegio on top of the dune.
There was no one there to meet us, and no key in sight. We knew there was a caretaker that was on the property, but we could not locate him when we drove back out to the beach road. We had not had lunch so we went back up the beach road to find a place for a snack and a drink. We stopped first at Las Ranitas, but the gate was closed and the guard indicated it was not open. We drove further back up the beach road to La Zebra. There we had chips and margaritas while I found the phone number for the rental agency in Playa del Carmen and looked through old emails for more specific instructions on how we were supposed to get the key. (This was a time when it was great to have blackberry service in Tulum.) We called the rental agency’s number but it was Sunday and we had to leave a message. We also left a voice mail on the agent’s cell phone. Finally, I found an old email which said the key was supposed to be at the caretaker’s house at the entrance to Rancho San Eric. So we finished our drinks and went back to try again. When we turned back into Rancho San Eric. We thought we knew which house this was from the three houses near the entrance to Rancho San Eric. When we got there this time, the caretaker was waiting for us and accompanied us to the house. He had the keys and helped show us around the house. This was a relief, I have to say. Although several times, we have had “adventures” in getting situated in our hotel mainly due to language issues and managers not being around when we arrived, this was the first time we had rented a house and not having anyone there when we arrived at first had me a bit worried. But it all worked out. It was now about 4:00 p.m. so we were too late for any sun really. We decided on a beach walk which was great before we went back to La Zebra for the Sunday beach barbecue and salsa party.
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View south down the beach looking toward the Sian Kaan.
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View of Casa Sortilegio from the beach.
We had been to this before at La Zebra and thought it was a lot of fun. One more “adventure” with the house on this first day was a lack of hot water. Hot water for showers often seems to be an issue for us in Tulum. We called the rental agent’s cell number and left a message about getting the hot water fixed. (We did get this fixed, but it took a bit as the hot water heater had to be lit, and then when we came back from dinner, a pipe came loose and water was running out of the garage, leading to another repair. I will add that our rental agent was attentive to this problem and worked hard to get it fixed. We had hot water for showers each day.) At dinner, there was a pretty good crowd. The food was great. We did not try the mojitos this night, deciding to save them for a time when we were not so tired from travel. The salsa band was good. We noted that there were a lot more salsa dancers during the lessons portions when salsa music was played than when the band actually played. During the band’s songs, the salsa teachers danced and their skill may have intimidated folks from participating. We left early to get some rest so we did not join in this time. As we drove back to our house, we got a kick out of the crab crossing signs, which were new from when we in Tulum last, and at the number of crabs that were crossing the road at night. Some of the crabs would scurry away when a car approached, while others would play “chicken” with our car. We wanted to “help our brothers” as one of the signs requested so we drove slow and careful.
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"Help Your Brothers" crab crossing sign on Tulum beach road.
The bed at Casa Sortilegio was quite comfortable and the sound of the waves on the beach were great for restful sleep. More details on Casa Sortilegio and pics to come in future installments of our trip report.

[PhyllisB]

Woohoo! Great start Heenan!

[beachreader]

Great report, can't wait to see more of Casa Sortilegio! It sounds really wonderful.

[Lynnette]

I need a Tulum fix....more please!!!

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[heenan]

Day 2 - Monday

On our first full day in Tulum, we missed the sunrise because we slept late. But we got our own sense of the sun through the louvered doors that open toward the beach at Casa Sortilegio.

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Looking out the louvered doors from inside with two sets of louvers open in the morning.


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Another pic looking out the louvers without so much sunlight.

The house sas four sets of double doors that form the wall in the main room on the beach side. All of the doors have louvers that can be opened to catch the breeze. There are screens on the other side of the louvers. Or the doors can be opened them selves. There is a wooden deck along the entire beach side of the house also. There is an outdoor shower to rinse off on one end. The entrance to the house is from the deck so there are steps from the back of house around to the deck on the other side.

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Deck outside with table and chairs, and lounging chairs.

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Steps from parking area and garage up to the entrance on the deck.

We drove up the beach road for breakfast at Zamas, one of our favorites. I have to have their banana pancakes a couple of times a trip and we like their coffee.

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Colorful chairs at Zamas.

We brought a laptop to check stories of the presidential race and email. We booked the trip last spring and overlooked the fact that the presidential election was the week we chose. This was a bit tough to take after following the election so closely during the fall. But it also led to some interesting discussions with other travelers and waiters.

After breakfast, it was time to pick up supplies at the San Francisco market and cash at the ATM. We did not get much in the way of supplies – drinks and snacks for days on the beach. Buying tequila in the store was interesting. (Casa Sortilegio has a blender which we used to mix up margaritas.) They keep the good stuff in locked cabinets and you have to get a manager to help. The manager smiled at our tequila selection, which we hoped meant it was a good choice.

Then it was time for beach “action” – or rather relaxation. We spent the day on our little stretch of Tulum’s beach.

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Our beach spot at Casa Sortilegio.

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View of the ocean from our spot.

There were very few people that ventured this far south on the beach. The most activity was a short ways back north were a crew was filming or shooting some sort of commercial or video or ad.

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Photo shoot on the beach.

We did interrupt our reclining long enough to walk north to Dos Ceibas for lunch. We had guacamole and fish tacos. The fish tacos were particularly good. We did not see many folks on the beach at Dos Ceibas or at the hotels and houses between Dos Ceibas and our house.

After an afternoon on the beach, we chose Don Cafetos in the pueblo for dinner. This is another favorite of ours. We got a table on the sidewalk, and watched the walkers and listened to the organ player as we had dinner. Great food. After dinner, we walked up and down both sides of the main street to see what was new. We stopped in the bakery for some items for the following day, and ended up back at the gelato store near Don Cafetos for several flavors of gelato, including cinnamon, which was great.

With one day of "successful" sun and relaxation down, we turned in to the sound of the waves looking forward to several more days of the same.

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One more pic of our view south toward Sian Kaan.

[PhyllisB]

WOW, excellent day! The casa looks fantastic!!!

[beachreader]

Sigh. Fantastic, thanks!

And I love seeing absolutely no seaweed, even in front of Zamas. Fingers crossed that trend holds for a while longer!

Did you have a person who cleaned the beach in front of Sortilegio every day, or during the week? Your beach is beautiful.

How far is this from Dale's place, Casa de las Olas? I guess they're both in the Rancho San Eric development?

[heenan]

BR - We never saw anyone clean up the beach, but we only got up early, i.e. sunrise time, one morning. I noticed in walking in the Sian Kaan that some areas were cleaner than others. I don't know if this is due to tides or an occasional clean up by some one. Maybe this spot is just lucky to have the seaweed and other stuff wash up some where else. Casa Sortilegio is about 200 yards, I would say, north of Casa de Las Olas. We saw Olas when we went down the beach to the Sian Kaan. The two houses were too far apart to see what was going on each. About all I could tell in looking south is that some people were going into the ocean at times at about the same spot as where Olas is. There is one house next to Sortilegio - Casa Blanca, which is featured on Rancho San Eric's website. When we were there, Blanca had two families with kids stay one night. Otherwise, the beach was ours.

[beachreader]

Wonderful. Thanks again for the report!

[Lynnette]

Wow, Heenan...I ask and you deliver!!! I love your photos...large & colorful. I can't wait for more!!

[Dale]

Casa de las Olas is outside of Rancho San Eric. You pass their entrance and then you will see a very small unmarked driveway with a chain across it. That's it. It is within about 50 yards of the Arch. As far as seaweed, there never was any washing up on our beach. Santana and his wife raked the beach every morning, but there was no seaweed to rake up anyway.

Heenan, I took pictures of what I thought were the next 3 houses up from us, but I don't have one of yours. Don't know how I missed it. Your report is great so far.............waiting for more.

[BP.]

We did not see many folks on the beach or at the hotels and houses between Dos Ceibas and our house.



Love the wonderful photos and report! Your trip sounds great. The solitude really distinguishes the southern beaches. Did you see what's happening at the old Casa Buena Suerte, one house north of the Rancho S.E. complex? I stayed there several times years back, but it has changed hands and name since then. And the next place north was Rancho Safire- has it been changed into a new spot?

[heenan]

BP - The place one north of Sortilegio looked like it had several cabanas. We did not see many people there. We did talk to one woman who was camping on their grounds. I remember seeing a sign on the beach road saying Safire, but I don't remember what the house looked like from the beach. I will post some pics looking north in the next day's report so you can see what looks familiar.

[BP.]

Cool. You know, as I'm looking at some of your photos of Casa S it really resembles CBS in some ways. There was a land dispute w/RSE & CBS & now I'm wondering if CBS became . . . Casa S? Is that possible? I see the house is round, w/ identical stone steps. There was no deck, though. I love that spot. Did you have an incredible open shower w/ gorgeous green tiles??

Well, scratch that, as I see Casa S has more than 1 bedroom & bathroom.

[heenan]

That might be possible. We did not have an open air shower. There is an outdoor shower, but it is more to rinse off from the beach. It has little colorful stones in it.

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Stones in outdoor shower.

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Picture looking north on beach from Casa Sortilegio

[Lynnette]

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What a view!!! I know where my beach walks are taking me next spring!!

[graceland]

Heenan, I had to tell you how gorgeous your shots of the beach are..did you find this house last time you were staying at La Luna?

We unfortunately had a family crisis that will prevent us from spending Xmas at La Luna. I am especially sorry I will not be seeing that beach but on this freezing day it is quite uplifting.

I'd love to hear more about the house - and if you would recommend it over a stay at a cabanna, of course!

Since finding out we could not go to Tulum we've been so bummed out, :mad: but between Lynnette's wonderful report and pics of PV and the new tr's out on Tulum, I am once again living vicariously, so Muchas Gracias to All!

Dont know how to remove my ticker, so if anyone can guide me, I'd appreciate it.
Gracie

[heenan]

Graveland - We found this house on the internet. We had walked past it several times on prior trips and never noticed it. We could not find out that much about it. We liked the location. Have not stayed at La Luna.

[heenan]

I should not type these messages from my blackberry!

[PhyllisB]

Oh, Gracie, I'm so sorry. We all had so much fun planning your trip with you. :(

To make the ticker disappear, go to your settings. See the Welcome, graceland on the top right side of the page? Click on your name and it should bring up your control panel. From there you find your signature, and delete the text from there. A very sad thing to do, but probably not as sad as seeing it there every time you post.

Will you be able to reschedule????




Heenan, I had to tell you how gorgeous your shots of the beach are..did you find this house last time you were staying at La Luna?

We unfortunately had a family crisis that will prevent us from spending Xmas at La Luna. I am especially sorry I will not be seeing that beach but on this freezing day it is quite uplifting.

I'd love to hear more about the house - and if you would recommend it over a stay at a cabanna, of course!

Since finding out we could not go to Tulum we've been so bummed out, :mad: but between Lynnette's wonderful report and pics of PV and the new tr's out on Tulum, I am once again living vicariously, so Muchas Gracias to All!

Dont know how to remove my ticker, so if anyone can guide me, I'd appreciate it.
Gracie

[graceland]

whoops Heenan, I saw you were at Las Ranitas (another interesting spot I wanted to see) Not La Luna.

Phyllis, you are always so helpful, thanks - I think it worked; at least it disappeared in front of me, which made my heart sink a bit....but that's life.

We are going to plan another trip, but things are so up in the air with my family that I can't commit to anything right now.

I still enjoy reading everyone's messages and one day I hope ya'll will be reading mine.
Thanks for the kind thoughts.


Since I was finally able to put it down in print that we were not able to go on our Xmas trip, I did want to acknowledge the unbelievable support we received from Loes at La Luna and the owners, Hanne Jesca and Victor.

I can't say enough about their large hearts; the kindness they extended and their many emails of hope and support sent to us.
I will ask Beachreader to give Loes a huge hug from me.

I can't go into details in a forum, but it was a family event that was devastating and La Luna was there for us with no problems whatsoever.

I can't wait to get there one day.....

I've got to see this paradise in person..

Although for now, the pictures are breathtaking!

Gracie

[graceland]

Agggh, it did not disappear!
well I will keep trying,
or maybe I just don't know it , and will be there :rolleyes:

G.

[heenan]

Graceland - We'll all look forward to your trip report whenever you get to to back to Tulum.

[graceland]

Graceland - We'll all look forward to your trip report whenever you get to to back to Tulum.
Thank you so much,

I am stumped with this ticker and so frustrated with my inability to do something so simple!:mad:

They tell me over on ticker factory I need a pin; have no idea what that is, so I guess I'll just let it run out itself. I kind of like seeing paw prints; they remind me of my lab when I take her to the beach :palmtree:

G.

[beachreader]

Grace, I'm SO sorry you won't be able to make your long-planned trip, and for the family emergency that caused the cancellation. I'm glad the La Luna folks were supportive of your need, I'll tell Loes how much you appreciate their help.

For your ticker, go to User CP on the blue bar above. In the blue box on the left, go to Edit Signature. Your signature will pop up in the box, and you should be able to delete it from there.

[Lynnette]

I'm so sorry, Gracie. We "lost" a trip to Tulum once and it's difficult, still family comes first. When you plan another Tulum vacation, it will be all the sweeter for missing this one. The next Tulum ticker we see from you will say ARRIVED!!! :)

[graceland]

Ok...I think it took a bottle of wine to get the ticker on..

so...it took a bottle to take it off

I think it worked, though it made me so sad......

BR, thanks to you and Phyllis for walking me through this...I owe yall a marg at least:beerchug:

and one day at Zebra, I hope we all meet up and I can buy a round:margarita::margarita::margarita:

For now, I need to take care of family...but I assure you

I will have another ticker, another time!:)

Positve thoughts, and lots of great tr's to read - I love this forum!:wave:
Gracie

[BP.]

Graceland, wishing you & your family good thoughts to get through your tough time. Many of us have been in your shoes. We lost our sweet little nephew last spring, so had to forego MX. It's hard, but lots of trip reports will tide you over 'til your new ticker's up. Peace, Barb

[Jana]

Heenan - you're pictures are stunning! Those beach shots sure make me miss Tulum. It didn't happen for us this year but there's no way 2009 is going to pass without a week there!

Gracie - so sorry to hear about your family emergency and missed trip.:( Tulum will still be there when you're ready to go back.

Jana

[graceland]

Sorry Heenan for hijacking-- but it was your gorgeous shots of Tulum that made me able to even write again on the forum:)

Those pics, along with Lynettes - and others on the forum, have gotten me through some tough days;
and I also realize Tulum will be there for me to see - when it is time.

Meanwhile I am loving the photos and Tr's!

So, thanks youall for all the words of support.
Like I said, reading this forum is such a blessing when going through troubled times. It always brings a smile to my face:wave:

Gracie

[heenan]

Day 3 - Tues.
It was another beautiful day when we awoke.

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Looking through the palm trees.

Today, we decided to get back to our exercise routine with a run south down the beach in the Sian Kaan. Being from the middle of the country, it is a great pleasure to run barefoot on the beach. We saw 2-3 others out for a run.

Then it was off to La Zebra for breakfast. We are pretty set on La Zebra and Zamas for breakfast because of the availability of good coffee and lattes at both. At breakfast this morning, the waiter noticed that we were looking at stories on the presidential election and he asked about the election. We had a short conversation with him and he was quite interested in the election.

We had decided to try a massage on this trip so after breakfast we went to the Mayan Spa at Copal to check out what was available. We decided on the back and neck massage, and a foot massage, for the next day.

Being that it was mid-morning now, it was time to head back down south for another beach day. The commercial/video filming was over so it was very quiet on our stretch of the beach.

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Looking at Casa Sortilegio from the beach.

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Looking north.

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Looking south.

For dinner, we decided to try Posado Margherita. This was a new restaurant for us and we were quite pleased. The manager pulled up a chair and sat down with us to describe the menu for the evening in an Italian accent. We were about to chose grilled fish when he urged us to select their specialty, the “fish in sea water.” This had not sounded that appetizing to us, but his passion for it convinced us to try it. It was red snapper cooked in a broth of some kind. I am not sure it was actual sea water, but it was delicious. The fish melted in your mouth. We split that with a pasta and vegetable dish. This was after an appetizer tray that came with the meal and consisted of various types of Italian breads with toppings of cheese and onions, or tomatoes. We finished with chocolate mousse and coffee. It was a great meal.

After dinner, we went back to La Zebra to log on to their wi-fi connection and check out returns. We timed it pretty well for our battery life to see what the result was going to be. A group of English folks stopped by our table to chat about the election. And we finally tried the La Zebra mojito. We have a recipe we at home with agave nectar, but the real sugar cane was great.

Finally, it was time to head back down the beach road for our casa, making sure to watch out for “our brothers” in the road. Each of the crabs crossing the road could behave quite differently. We had some flee when our lights shined on them. Others stood their ground and played “crab” with our car.

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Again the sound of the waves lulled us to sleep.

[SassyGirl]

LOVIN' your report! Beautiful HUGE photos make me feel I am there.

[letele]

What a great report, Heenan! I love all the crab crossing pics....didn't see those when we were there in June! Too funny!

[heenan]

The crab crossing signs were new to us too. There were about 10 signs all different on both sides of the road. Don't if the fall is some sort of migration time for crabs or what. But the signs cracked us up too, especially the "love your brothers" sign.

[marjan]

Thanks for such a beautifully pictured trip report. It made me feel restful after a whack day at school and smiley when I think that that's where we'll be in just over 100 days. Thanks, excellent commentary and photos.

[heenan]

Day 4 – Wednesday

Fourth day in Tulum, third full day and the time begins to run together a bit. We got a bit earlier to get some sunrise shots from the back deck.

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Then it was time for a run again on the beach in Sian Kaan. This trip we saw more runners with the majority of them running on the beach road rather than the beach. That seemed hotter and less scenic to us.

We went back to Zamas for breakfast and then it was time for our massages at the Mayan Spa. The massages were very good. The setting in the open air pavilions in the trees was nice. We could hear some traffic from the beach road, but that did not prevent me from falling asleep during the massage. The back and neck massage were what we expected. The foot massage was a bit different because it included a wrap of leaves over black mud that was applied to our feet and lower legs. It was interesting to see what had been done to our legs when it was time to wash off the mud.

After the massage, the beach was calling again. We had a nice long afternoon on the beach. Saw a few walkers including the military patrol.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3233/3032757802_cc03057043_b.jpg

Then we returned to Zamas for their mixed seafood grill which included lobster, shrimp and snapper, all of which was very good.

Here are few pics of the interior of Casa Sortilegio.

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Sitting area/living room area. The conch shells in the corners were lamps.

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Kitchen which was on other side of living area. The cooler came with the casa.

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Doors into one bedroom.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3146/3034789066_b2af4cfd87_b.jpg
Looking up at loft and palapa roof inside casa.

[TnTWalter]

Fantastic Report!

We also loved the sea salt fish and cool vibe at Posada M.

:beerchug:

[Tranquilo Tomas]

Heenan . . .
Thanks for the great trip report and stellar photos (I downloaded a couple for screensavers). We love the secluded south end Tulum beaches and have also enjoyed a house in Rancho San Eric.
Great to hear you are runners! When we we down a couple of weeks ago, we were up early and ran barefoot on the beach. The sea breeze in my face was a great cool down. Nov. is perfect running weather, don't you think?
Glad to hear you had a great time.
Saludos,
Tom in Colorado

[heenan]

Si, November was great for running in Tulum. And it is always nice at the turn around point to turn and get a breeze in the face for the return leg.

[heenan]

Day 4 – Thursday

This morning we decided to walk north on the beach in place of our run. Along the way, we took pics of the various hotels and houses. Here is a link to our beach walk pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23872398@N03/sets/72157609712733734/

Minnie and others have done this, and we have found it helpful for planning trips.

We tried to put the pics in order from the northern most point of our walk back to the south end of our walk. But when I viewed the pics, I realized that we stopped taking pics at Casa Magna, and we did not having further south to Casa Sortilegio. This left out TDS and the place just north of Rancho San Eric.

After our walk, we headed back to La Zebra for breakfast. We had a talk with one of the waiters about the presidential election. He was young and quite interested in the election. We also learned that the construction north of the restaurant on the beach is to build more cabanas at La Zebra.

After breakfast, we returned to our southern spot of the Tulum beach for another lazy day of reading and swimming and sun. The waves were bigger today, making the body surfing better. It seemed that the waves had remade the beach bringing more sand and widening the beach where we were.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3236/3032834464_8097f0837b_b.jpg

Later in the day, we took another walk to Dos Ciebas for refreshments.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3214/3065905124_c93b6f3269_m.jpg

Their restaurant is in a nice shady spot on the dune overlooking the beach.

Walking back to our house, we had a scary occurrence. Two dogs started barking at us and ran from the dune down to the water where were walking. This was not so surprising as some of the dogs on the beach barked at us before. But this time, one of the dogs actually bit my wife on the leg. This was unexpected and happened before we could react to it. Fortunately the bite was more of a graze than a puncture. Still, it broke the skin and was painful. We were not sure what caused this dog to do more than bark, especially since we were a long way from the dog when it started barking.

Back at Casa Sortilegio, we discovered we had neighbors in the house next door to the south, Casa Blanca. Two couples and their two kids were busy building sand castles. They only stayed the one night.

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Casa Blanca.

Dinner was Don Cafetos again with the requisite gelato stop for dessert. At Don Cafetos, we discovered they have an English language newspaper. For news junkies, like me, this is a welcome bit of information for future trips.

After dinner, we returned to our beach house for rest before our last full day of sun. We discovered this little guy on our steps scurrying around.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3271/3065076819_9d42cc63f6.jpg

[heenan]

Whoops. Just discovered I posted a second day four of our trip report. It was our fourth full day in Tulum, and fifth day of the trip. This must be the Tulum time warp effect!

[minniemex]

Great job Heenan!! We were just there days after you!! Those crab signs were funny:) It was hard though down in the Sian Ka'an to avoid the crabs and the pot holes!! We noticed too that later in the week we didn't see hardly any crabs, so I don't understand their migration patterns.

Loved your beach walk pictures. I too took some, so may be able to fill in where you left off. I can't remember how far I went though either.

Beautiful pictures!! My fav restaurant is Don Cafetos too!! Love their beef tacos. Hopefully I can work on my TR this weekend now that I have Thanksgiving out of the way!!

[Lynnette]

I like this shot, too....it would make a great avatar!!! :)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3214/3065905124_c93b6f3269_m.jpg

[worthless nut]

Great report and pics. We have been trying to get prices for this place but there seems to be an issue with their email. Do you have a sight for rates?

[heenan]

WN - here's a link we used to contact the rental agency (it has rates listed):

http://www.rentalsplayadelcarmen.com/rentals/sortilegio.html

[worthless nut]

Thanks for the quick reply. Sounds like a great place.

[heenan]

Day 5 - Friday

With all the great new trip reports being posted, it’s time to wrap up this older trip report. Friday was our last full day and we were clearly into a routine: Morning run, followed by breakfast today at La Zebra, and back for sun on the beach.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3066/3032811866_ff4f016054_b.jpg
Sunrise

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Beach to the north

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3036/3031994755_39a0069b7a_b.jpg
Beach to the south

It was a quiet day on the beach. Our excitement came from watching a Mayan guy fishing with a net. He walked along the beach with his net. A guy with a large bucket followed. Then he stopped and threw his net into the waves. When he pulled his net up, it was full of fish – enough to top off the bucket. Then they went back to their family that was on the beach a little further north. I was amazed at the fish. I never saw any fish in the time I was out in the waves that day. He only needed one cast so I did not have time to get a picture.

We also had a visit from one of neighbors who was camping at the property to the north. She told us about having purchased property in Tulum four years earlier and the slow pace of development of her property.

After the day on the beach, we returned to Posado Margherita for the “fish in sea salt.” It was that good. We tried another type of pasta to go with it. This time the manager did not repeat the entire dinner menu when he sat down at our table because he recognized us. It was great meal again.

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Sign at Casa Sortilegio

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View through the palms at Casa Sortilegio

For this trip, I learned something about tickets purchased with frequent flier miles. We had originally been scheduled to leave Tulum on Friday because there were no tickets on Saturday available with miles. But I kept calling American as our trip approached and about a month before we left, American opened some flights on Saturday for miles so we were able to add a day to our trip. We were very happy about that!

On Saturday, we had a late afternoon flight so we got a couple of hours of sun on the beach. As it turned out, we could have had the entire day because of a problem with the ovens on our plan that made us five hours late leaving Cancun. The airline did buy us dinner in the airport. But the late departure meant we got so spend the night in Dallas before we could get home on Sunday.

This was our first trip to Tulum in the fall. We found there to be much fewer people on the beach and in the restaurants which made it nice. The slower season meant that some places were closed, like Hechizos, but there were still plenty of choices. The weather was great for our week – all sun, no rain, and light winds. We could see why so many on this board choose November and December for trips.

I posted a few short videos on my flickr site (flickr limits videos to 90 seconds) here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23872398@N03/sets/72157609176032758/

When you need to hear and see the waves on a cold winter day, enjoy!

[Lynnette]

Wow, heenan....nice videos. Just listening to the waves and seeing the palms sway in the breeze is almost as good as being there. Thank you for your wonderful report and breathtaking photos!!

[ilovewyoming]

:):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
Ya gotta love Tulum...thanks for a great trip report and another:
Should do/go to