Aventuras Akumal report

[Linda S.]

I posted my report on the other forum- we stayed in Aventuras Akumal, but spend some time in and around Tulum- tried out several new places that I learned about from this forum- so thought you guys might have an interest in it also. Here goes:

This trip we booked U-Nah-Kin condo on Aventuras Akumal Bay. Our previous 3 trips we have stayed in various condos on HMB. On the great advice of TwirleyB and Gato- we were anxious to try a new place. My mother and step father joined us this trip. I also found out after I booked our dates, that a friend of mine (since grade school) had booked the CRT the same week. Since we fly charter out of St. Louis, we were all on the same plane together.
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Flight was good, as usual, rented from Cancunrentacar for the 4th time, got a Dodge Attitude- no problems at all, they even started us with a half tank this time, that was a pleasant surprise. We were on our way south on 307 by 11:00 or so. Decided to hit Lucy's for lunch. The taco queen herself was there, apparently she was training a new girl who was not only learning the job, but also learning to speak English at the same time. Because of this (I assume) Lucy was there everytime we visited all week. Lucy's was the most crowded I had ever seen it, so we had to wait a little while, but as usual the food was worth the wait. We had our first taste of Ice cream- cappacino, butter pecan, and I can't remember what else. With our bellys full, we headed for Aventuras. The maid Suemi was just coming out of the room next to ours, so she unlocked our unit and gave us the keys. Nice welcome flowers on the table.
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The condo was nice and the beach- fabulous. From the time we stepped off of the plane we noticed the weather was much different this year. Not very hot, no humidity. It actually clouded up on our first afternoon, and became very windy- the water was really churned up. At first, I didn't like the layout of the condo because to get to the back bedroom, you had to walk thru the front one, but I soon figured out the back room had a private entrance, that opened right by the main door of the condo- so everything was fine. Rusty and I never miss a sunrise, and the parents like to sleep in- so they claimed the back room. We pretty much just spent the afternoon unpacking and settling in, since it was pretty gray outside. We hadn't grocery shopped yet, so we decided on El Ultimo Maya for dinner. We soon found out that the entrance to both the pueblo and the beach side of Akumal are in great disarray- they are building an overpass into town, and in the spirit of Mexican construction- there are really no cones, or markings of any kind. When we headed up the main road into the Pueblo, we encountered giant boulders all over the street. We ended up going north and then around the block to get to the restaurant. There was only one table being occupied besides us. My parents were a bit put off by the menu in Spanish, but we were able to explain what most of the items were, and the owner came over to talk and take our order- he was very helpful. We ordered garlic grouper and shrimp. It was a huge piece of fish, and very good ( I must have forgotten the pics this time). After cooking, the owner sat and visited with us. He explained that the locals aren't thrilled with the whole overpass idea, and that the first plan was to tie it in way back in front of his restaurant which would kind of wipe out all of the little businesses coming up the hill, but they agreed to adjust the plans so it isn't quite as bad. Since we had gotten up at 2:45 a.m. to catch a plane- we turned in early.
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SATURDAY- Day 2- Woke up to see a beautiful sunrise. It didn't take us long to start feeling the vacation mode setting in.
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We met many beach dogs during the week, watched them playing ball early in the morning. When the parents got up, we headed for Tulum for breakfast and grocery shopping. We ate at Don Cafeta's. I was a bit surprised to find out they even serve the hot pickled veggies for breakfast- boy were they good!
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I had my all time favorite Huevos Motulenos, served with coffee, juice and a salad.
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The others had more traditional (American) fare. I was on a mission today to find a couple of new places in Tulum. One was the Fruteria Pool, also the Gelato place, and the Oasis seafood restaurant. We tried to walk to Oasis, as I had heard it was around the corner from El Mariachi, and we needed to walk off that huge breakfast. We found out it is on the street next to El Mariachi, but it is all of the way to the dead end. We ended up driving there. We never did find the Fruteria. We stopped at a Tortilleria, bought a big warm stack of tortillas, for $1 and tried to ask the boys for directions, but they just weren’t understanding. Instead, they were thinking “crazy Americanos” especially when I took pictures of their tortilla machine- but you know- it’s something we don’t usually see.
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We went to the SanFrancisco and bought our groceries for the week, and then to the seafood store and bought some shrimp. We tried to get some of the highly recommended gelato, but found out that they didn’t open until 1:00. We did take the time to purchase 2 chicken deals from Pollo Bronco, and managed to get 3 meals out of them during the week. We were tired of shopping and headed back to the condo. I think it was cloudy by the time we got back. Rusty and I were determined to get in the water with our snorkels, even though it was pretty rough. We started up north near GORM and just stayed close to the shore. We actually found a huge bunch of sargeant majors and other assorted fish hanging around the boats anchored there. We weren’t out long and it started raining on us, so we gave up. It stayed dark and cloudy the rest of the afternoon. We did some reading and napping, then decided to walk up to the Hacienda Dona Isabel at the Bahia. Some interesting shops there, but didn’t really shop much, figured I’d come back with no men along. Walked back to the condo and fixed arrachera, pico, quacamole, chayote and potatoes for dinner. The skies had cleared, so we did a little star gazing.

Day 3- SUNDAY- Watched one more sunrise- Had some great pastries, and scrambled eggs w/arracherra for breakfast, then packed in the car and headed to Paamul. We like to attend their church service when we are in the area. Very nice, as usual. We had planned on maybe staying in Paamul to snorkel, and maybe have lunch there, but the water was crazy again today.
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We did walk the beach a little, and then decided to go to Akumal Bay and look for turtles. We rented a chair and unloaded all of our junk. This was my mom’s first attempt at snorkeling. She jumped right in and did very well, but the water was so stirred up you could see absolutely nothing. We finally got her out far enough to see a few fish, but really nothing worth the effort, and definitely no turtle sightings. We spent some time on the beach there, and then walked up and had lunch at the Loncheria. I had the Chicken Mole, step dad opted for American and ordered a Cheeseburger and fries, which he said were very good. The mole, as always was fantastic, and I do have a photo, but you would really have to be a mole fan to appreciate it. A big plate covered in brown sauce really doesn’t make a great picture. After lunch we went back and hung around the beach for awhile. When we were walking back to our car, we saw people carrying ice cream cones-ON A SUNDAY! I thought Lucy’s was closed on Sunday’s, but we decided to check it out, and sure enough she was there and just open for Ice Cream. This time we tried caramel, cappuccino, butter pecan and chocolate. After Ice cream, we got back to the condo just in time to see the two Golden Retrievers from next door take their afternoon swim and a game of fetch.
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One came to visit at the condo this morning.
I started some shrimp ceviche for later and then Rusty and I decided to take a walk, and ended up taking the beach all of the way to the South end of the Bahia. Man is it ever huge! Didn’t seem like there were many people there, lots of empty palapas, and weddings going on all of the time.
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I fixed some chicken quesadilla’s (Pollo Bronco, meal #2), and some guac, beans, and cucumber jicama salad for dinner, with our shrimp ceviche.
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After dinner we did some reading and once again turned in early.

[letele]

Ahhhh, looks beautiful! Where is Paamul?

[Lynnette]

Great start...I like your lunch "fixins"! Oh, and the shadow shot on the beach is very cool!! I'm looking forward to more of your report and photos!!

[Linda S.]

Letele- it is just a little bit North of Xpu-Ha. It's actually an RV community. There is one hotel and a restaurant there, and supposed to be pretty good snorkeling, but we didn't get to try it. The church is an open air palapa built by an American missionary couple, who works mostly in Playa. They have an English speaking service that the RV park customers, and also some tourists attend, and then later they have a Spanish speaking service.

[letele]

Oh okay, I think I have heard of it before, actually. Too bad you didn't get to snorkel there! :(

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip!

[pinky]

Linda, this sounds like a wonderful vacation so far...lots of eating & relaxing, my kind of trip!!! I have never attended a church service in Mexico, I might try that next time...Lynnette?

Beautiful picture!
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[Linda S.]

Thanks Pinky- I had a new camera- nothing fancy, but did alot of experimenting with the timer, and other functions

[Linda S.]

DAY 4- Monday
This was the day we had made plan to meet up with our friends Tonya and Jeff who were staying at the CRT. They didn’t have a car, so we picked them up at their hotel at around 9:00. It was pretty cool that morning, I think around 70, and no sign of the sun. We took them to Jardin del Eden Cenote. They have done many AI’s but never really gotten out to see the real Mexico. I had a hard time convincing myself to get in that cold water when the sun wasn’t shining, but we all bit the bullet and got in and snorkeled awhile. http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/clydepower/aventuras08/IMG_0126.jpg There is a pretty good jumping cliff at this cenote- so Rusty went up and took a jump. Tonya decided she would join him, and Jeff and I stayed on the swimming platform and tried to get pictures of them in the air.
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While Rusty was up on the cliff- he says “there’s a snake laying on the rocks over there.” I’m definitely not a fan of snakes, but no one really made anything of it. In a few minutes, I decided I would take a jump, but made Rusty show me where the snake was so that I didn’t get too close. About that time, a young Mexican man came along with some really fancy looking camera and stood on the edge of the cliff, so that the snake was between us and him. I looked over and realized the snake was now moving toward the man. We tried our best to get his attention, but he was paying no attention to us, I figured maybe he didn’t speak English. Finally, when the snake was almost touching his foot, I yelled “Hombre!” really loud, and pointed down. This time he heard us, and saw the snake. He yelled a cuss word in perfect English, and then started thanking us profusely for telling him about the snake.
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If you look really close in the above photo you can see the snake, a couple of feet to the left of the man with the camera. The snake got excited in all the ruckus and fell off of the cliff into the water. It appeared to be mad and disoriented for a few minutes, then finally got itself together and swam up under the cliff. The man told us how the Yucatan has a huge number of snake species, and only 3 are poisonous. We asked him if that was one, and he said he wasn’t sure, so I opted not to jump in the water. Having had enough excitement for the morning, we packed up in the car, and headed for Akumal in search of turtles. We weren’t out more than five minutes until we found our first turtle, and then another soon after. The visibility was much better today. About the time we were getting out of the water, the sun started coming out, boy did it feel great! We walked up and had lunch at Lucy’s, including ice cream for dessert.
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We did a little shopping in downtown Akumal, and took the obligatory skeleton photo.
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Tonya and Jeff really wanted to check out our condo, since they’ve always done AI’s, and wanted to see some other options. It turned out to be a pretty nice day, sun was shining.

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We hung out on the beach for awhile, and then had the guys drop us at Dona Isabel for some shopping. We didn’t spend too much time there, but picked up a few things, and then headed back to the condo. I made some quac and pico to snack on, and then later some pasta with shrimp for dinner. We had a great day together, and when it got dark, ran them back to their hotel.

[minniemex]

What a fun day with friends!! Too perfect!! You didn't say how they liked the non "AI" experience.

The snakes seem to be showing themselves this fall!!

[Linda S.]

They really like the condo- we had a great day on the beach. They actually wanted to spend another day there, but when we dropped them off, we told them to call us if they wanted us to come pick them up, and apparently they found out after many attempts that they didn't have international service on their phones. So, we decided next time, to make a plan for the week ahead of time. THey thought about taking a Collectivo down and showing up at our door, but were afraid we might not be there.

[Linda S.]

DAY 5- Tuesday
Woke up early and watched the sun come up, sat on the beach and did some journaling. The water is nice today, still a little cool out.
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We had plans to go to Muyil this morning, but Rusty and I were dying to get out in the bay for a snorkel. We went out around 7 a.m., started up north in the bay and headed south. We were in front of Villa Italiano when we came upon a big mountain of coral. The snorkeling there was awesome, there is one really big school of fish, I don’t know what kind of fish they are, but they are much bigger than the ones in the fish ball in Akumal bay.
We came back in and I fixed some pancakes for breakfast, along with the usual fresh pineapple, and papaya. We headed for Muyil around 9:00. Entry fee was $2.90 a person. We spent probably 45 minutes there. As I have mentioned earlier in my report- the weather this time was much cooler than last year same time, so being at the ruins was very pleasant- not hot at all.
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We were walking on the sacbe and came upon the guy who collects more money to walk down to the lagoon. We hadn’t seen much of the ruins at this point, so we decided to keep looking, and maybe come back later.

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didn’t end up getting back there, but it is still something I would like to do sometime- take the boat tour of the lagoon. There was a tour group at the ruins, probably about 15 people, otherwise we were alone. There is a really nice looking restaurant and bar and mini-super just across from the entrance.
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We stopped in there for some drinks and snacks, it was too early for lunch, but looked like a really nice place- maybe brand new? Got back in the car and headed north- today we were going to introduce the parents to a cenote. We stopped at Cristal and paid our entrance fee- $4, walked down to Cristal which is on the west side of the highway. I took a picture of the sign at the entrance- I thought it was kind of funny- make sure you're not drunk or naked when you come here!
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They had nice banos and a changing area, pretty jungle walkways, but the cenote was small and not one of the prettier ones I’ve seen.
We decided to go across the highway and try Escondito. We didn’t realize how far off of the highway it was, quite a walk- probably about ¾ of a mile. When we got all of the way back there, we saw a tour van, so I guess maybe if you asked the guy at the gate of Cristal he might open the gate and let you drive a car in.
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This was a really nice cenote- I think my favorite of all we’ve been to (no snakes here!). There is a jumping cliff, but not a very high jump- probably 8’ or so. It’s kind of a long narrow cenote, very deep. We snorkeled, and cliff jumped for awhile. The sun was trying to come out, but still not real warm. While we were there 2 tour vans came at different times, so apparently this is a popular site for the tour company’s, they didn’t stay for long though.
By now we are getting hungry, decided to try the Oasis seafood restaurant in Tulum. It was at the westernmost dead end of Orion Street, and there was alot of road construction going on close by. They had indoor air conditioned seating and an outdoor area. We sat outdoors, hoping to soak up some warm sun, but it was a little dusty in that area. The food was very good, Rusty and I shared shrimp ceviche and fish tacos. They had 3 sizes of several different kinds of ceviche, plus all of the regular items- fish tacos, fajitas, shrimp cocktail, etc. My parents had chicken fajitas which came with slaw, rice, salad, and vegetables, kind of a whole buffet on the plate. They said they were very good. The fish tacos I think were the best I’ve ever had. They served some really hot habanera salsa with their food- also, very good.
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Our bill for 4 with a couple of drinks was $24. Since we were in Tulum, and it was now after 1:00 we decided once again to try the Gelato place.
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Definitely worth the trip, they had probably 24 different flavors, all presented in a glass case. Most of the flavors were garnished with some thing attractive- coffee beans on the cappuccino, lady fingers in the tiramisu, half of a fresh coconut, whole hazelnuts, etc. This time I had queso mascarpone w/ blueberry, Rusty had cappuccino. So many great looking flavors, we hoped to get back there again! I wanted to stop by and check out the Fruteria Pool, which we looked all over for when we were shopping, and then came upon it by accident after we were done. We drove over there- it is one block east of the main drag on the block of the first roundabout. They had just set out a bunch of poinsettias- just a reminder that it is Christmas time!
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It was a very nice store, much better than the fruit markets on the main drag. They even had mangos here, but since they were out of season, they were imported and kind of expensive.
We headed back to the condo- Rusty and I went for another snorkel. The getting in and out is a little rough, there are some rock just inside the water line, but definitely worth the effort. We were still pretty full from our seafood and Gelato lunch, but decided to head to Leo’s for dinner tonight.
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We split an extra large pizza half chorizo/onion, and half Mar y tierra (shrimp, chicken and ground beef). Pizza was great- and we had leftovers to bring home. Tomorrow- hoping to spend all day on the beach!

[Lynnette]

Your photos are making me so hungry and the gelato...YUM!! I must say that I'm a bit disturbed about another snake sighting. :D Since we're on a "snake" theme, are you staying at the condo where the owner keeps boas in a cage in the garden? We checked that place out, but between the snakes outside and the rats she was raising inside to feed them, I said no way. Oh, and she told us that she had "lost" one "somewhere"...made her sad because it was such a nice snake...didn't hiss at her. Yikes!

[beachreader]

Oh, yum. And it's lunchtime and I'm starving and it's snowing here in preparation for a winter storm and I only have boring things in the house.

Great pictures, great report!

[Linda S.]

Your photos are making me so hungry and the gelato...YUM!! I must say that I'm a bit disturbed about another snake sighting. :D Since we're on a "snake" theme, are you staying at the condo where the owner keeps boas in a cage in the garden? We checked that place out, but between the snakes outside and the rats she was raising inside to feed them, I said no way. Oh, and she told us that she had "lost" one "somewhere"...made her sad because it was such a nice snake...didn't hiss at her. Yikes!

Lynette- I don't know anything about this???? The owner wasn't there when we were, but I didn't see any sign of snakes or rats, are you sure it was U-Nah-Kin???? I'm certain if that were true and we knew about it ahead of time- my mother would never have stayed there!

[Linda S.]

Your photos are making me so hungry and the gelato...YUM!! I must say that I'm a bit disturbed about another snake sighting. :D Since we're on a "snake" theme, are you staying at the condo where the owner keeps boas in a cage in the garden? We checked that place out, but between the snakes outside and the rats she was raising inside to feed them, I said no way. Oh, and she told us that she had "lost" one "somewhere"...made her sad because it was such a nice snake...didn't hiss at her. Yikes! We'll have to wait and see if Twirley reads this, she is good friends with the owner- she would know.

[minniemex]

Like I said, snakes everywhere this trip!! Too funny!! I think the rats might bother me more!!

Looks like you are having a wonderful trip and those food pictures are making me hungry too!!

[letele]

The frutería looks amazing! I wish I'd known about it when I was there!

Great report, Linda! :)

[Linda S.]

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DAY 6- Wednesday
Got up for sunrise and coffee on the beach. Rusty and I decided to take a Kayak out. It was a little tricky getting going, between the waves and the rocks, I was ready to throw in the towel and forget it, but after a little effort we managed to get off shore. It was wonderful out there. The water is crystal clear, and you have a great view of the interesting coral formations. Rusty paddled us around the bay for awhile, and then we just floated in the sun. The current pulls to the south, but not alot, we ended up down closer to the Bahia, but were able to just bob around for quite awhile before having to paddle back up. Took my mother out snorkeling today, and we were able to find the big school of fish pretty effortlessly, so this time she actually got to see some stuff.
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Today was just a hang around the beach day, lots of reading, sunning, and snacking. Watched the kite boarders from the dive shop (I think they use the kite board as a chick magnet!)

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I whipped up some chicken quesadillas for lunch (our third meal from 2 Pollo Bronco chickens), and some fresh pineapple, mango, and papaya. I love U-Nah-Kin! They even have pretty plates, and serving dishes! I also fixed some of the mole I had purchased at the San Francisco. I took a picture of the label, in case I want to purchase more next time.
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I absolutely love mole, and had seen in one of the Windy City’s trip reports that they sell it in bulk at the SF. They have about six different varieties in cookie jars back in the deli. I randomly picked one, and fixed it by diluting with water and cooking until it was the right consistency, and it was fabulous! I wish I could have brought a bunch home, but since it wasn’t in a sealed package- didn’t know if I’d have trouble with customs so I didn’t try it. We decided to try and eat at the Loncheria El Parque in Chemuyil tonight. We headed there around 5:00 and the place was dead. The night before when we were at Leo’s they were open, it seems there isn’t much consistency. We got back in the car and headed for Akumal- ended up at Turtle Bay. I think when we got there we were the only ones there, but by the time we left they were very busy. The food (as always) was amazing.
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My mom and I had the coconut shrimp, and I had tortilla soup, she had a salad. Rusty had a citrus fish special, and I can’t remember what Jr. ordered for his entree, but I do remember he had the Death by Chocolate for dessert.
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He had commented earlier in the week that not many of the restaurants had any sweets on the menu, so he made up for it in one night. It was the biggest dessert I think I have ever seen, he managed to handle it! I had a Mexican coffee- the perfect dessert! Everyone loved Turtle Bay, they were ready for something other than the same old stuff we had been eating

[Lynnette]

This is a great report, Linda!! I was thinking of bringing home some mole next trip...thanks for taking a pic of the label. Do you think it would survive the flight home in a ziplock? I don't remember the name of the condo that had the pet snakes...it had a small bar/restaurant on the roof with amazing views.

[beachreader]

I think if you double-ziplocked the mole and put it in your checked luggage, it shouldn't be a problem, and for under a dollar, I think it's worth the risk if Customs catches you and makes you throw it out.

[Linda S.]

Your right BR- only if I were bringing some home I would buy alot more, probably is worth a try.
PS- enjoying your report!

[Linda S.]

This is a great report, Linda!! I was thinking of bringing home some mole next trip...thanks for taking a pic of the label. Do you think it would survive the flight home in a ziplock? I don't remember the name of the condo that had the pet snakes...it had a small bar/restaurant on the roof with amazing views.

The dive shop Villa De Rosa (I think) was a couple of doors down, they had a bar and restaurant, doesn't sound like the same condo (thank goodness!)

[Lynnette]

The dive shop Villa De Rosa (I think) was a couple of doors down, they had a bar and restaurant, doesn't sound like the same condo (thank goodness!)

That's it Linda....Villa de Rosa!

[Linda S.]

DAY 7 – Thursday
There was beautiful pink sky this morning. We were up early to take advantage of every minute of our last day. We read on the beach for awhile, watched Ismael rake the beach.
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He works incredibly hard, washed windows every day, waters palm trees, scrubs screen door, etc. Suemi the maid does a great job, but remains very inconspicuous, she tries not to be in the room when we are.
Came in and had French toast for breakfast, we have to try and empty all the leftover food in the fridge today. After breakfast Rusty and I decided to try and walk the beach all of the way to Akumal. It’s really not a bad walk, as long as you don’t mind a little adventurous rock walking. We made it around the ironshore at GORM fairly easy. Then we hopped over to a new road where they were apparently developing a subdivision. Four very large and luxurious homes were being constructed on the water. Two of them looked almost complete and the other two maybe half way.
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We walked on this road until it ended. There was a little path thru the jungle, so we took it. Turns out it is only about 50 yards long and comes right out at the dead end of Akumal Sur road. We took the little path from the road to the beach, and then walked the beach again for awhile.
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We went around another rocky point to Jade Bay, and then on to Akumal. It is a pretty long distance, I think a little over 2 miles, but it can be done, even in flip flops. It took us about 45 minutes one way, then we walked back.
We tried to get one last snorkle in, and did for a short while, but the water was really rough again today. I would have liked to have had a lot more time to explore the bay than what we had this trip- maybe next time.
We found Ismael and gave him his tip for the week- he was very grateful, and said “You’ll come back?”.
I asked Suemi if we could take a tour of Villa Italiano while we were there. I’m looking for a bigger rental for this spring- trying to bring the kids with us this time. She graciously showed us around.
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The Villa was very nice, it had a gorgeous kitchen and a goody basket filled with all of the “extras” just like U-Nah-Kin. I also went to Casa Sombra and asked if I could see the house. There was a nice teenage young man there, who said his mother could show us, and went to get her. His mother was Artemia, whom I’ve heard so many good things about from Gato and others. She is a very pleasant and smiley lady- who was happy to show me the house. It was also very beautiful inside and of course on the same wonderful Aventuras soft white sand beach. I decided either of these rentals would work well for the 6 of us.
We decided to try the Loncheria El Parque one more time, thinking maybe since it wasn’t open last evening, maybe it would be for lunch. It wasn’t. We ended up at LaPalapa instead, and it turned out to be a very good choice.
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The waiter spoke very good English and was very friendly. He took our drink orders and then brought out a big complimentary plate of appetizers. It consisted of potatoes that were apparently cooked with habanero’s, they were incredibly spicy, but very good, some seasoned ground beef, some wild pumpkin-cooked with onions and peppers, and sausage in chipotle sauce.
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All were very tasty. They also served chips and some kind of very hot verde salsa. I ordered the PocChuc, and I can’t remember what everyone else ordered. With our 4 dinners, and a couple of cervezas and soft drinks the bill came to $27. We would definitely go there again.
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After lunch we decided we should probably make one last trip to Tulum for gelato. My mom and I wanted to do a little shopping, so the guys found some chairs on the street and waited for us. I had been trying all week to get a deal on a whole set of the little pottery dishes with the bright colored peppers. I’m not sure how good of a deal I got, but ended up buying a set of eight and a few pieces of jewelry. My mom bought a very pretty tapestry purse and a few T-Shirts for gifts. We did some shopping at a store a couple doors north of the gelato place.
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They had a little girl names Jacelyn who entertained the guys while we were in the store- I think she was trying to teach them Spanish. We finally finished our shopping and headed for the Gelato store. This time we sampled hazelnut, coconut, bon bon, and cookies and cream.
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We went back and spent our last afternoon on the beach. I whipped up a blender of Mango/Pina Colladas, and soaked up the warmth, knowing tomorrow would be back to reality.
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For dinner, we cooked everything we could that was left in the fridge, then packed up for an early morning flight.
Rusty meticulously minded the speed limits, and we made it back to the airport with no Policia problems. Our charter flights out are always so early in the morning, I don’t think they are really out and about yet, we did see a few officers, but they didn’t appear to be doing much yet. We visited Pemex twice while we were there, and had no problems at all. We always pay with $100 peso bills, and hold a tip with it, seems to work very well. When we arrived at the rental place there was no one there to meet us. This has happened all 4 times that we have rented from Cancunrentacar, but we always call their cell phone number and they show up with a minute or two. This time I called and got a woman at the Playa office. I told here we were at the Cancun office and there was no one there. She asked what time we were supposed to meet them, and I told her 8:30. She said “Well, it’s not 8:30 yet, they will be there!” I looked at my watch and it was 8:28. In about 5 minutes a small SUV came tearing into the office, squealing tires around the corners, and 4 guys jumped out and quickly started processing our car. I had taken photos of the car in front of them when we picked it up, so they just gave it a quick once over, checked the gas tank and said everything was fine. I did have to ask for my CC receipt back. I don’t think they were holding it on purpose- just a bit flustered and in a hurry. When I asked he handed it right over, then shuttled us to the airport. We were once again very satisfied with the car and their service.
Our flight home was on time and uneventful, customs easy, everything good- EXCEPT the temperature- very hard to take!
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I can’t say enough good things about U-Nah-Kin. We would definitely go back if we ever have a group of 4. Absolutely no problems with the condo except we never could get the safe to work, but no big deal, we felt very safe there. Loved the Aventuras area, would definitely like to return there and do a lot more snorkeling. The owners were not there, so didn’t really have any contact, but as long as Suemi and Ismael were there they would help in any way we asked. They had a TV that actually had a lot of working channels, some in English. Also, a CD and DVD player. One other great thing about the condo is one of the garages is full of all kinds of equipment for the guests use. They had nice life vests, noodles, boogie boards, kayaks, water toys, anything you could want. Also had nice big coolers we were able to take when we went grocery shopping. The beds were very comfortable, and the water pressure/hot water were better and more consistent than any of the places we have stayed before. We rented the condo thru one of LG’s winter specials, so the price was absolutely unbelievable. I can’t think of anything at all that is negative, or that I would change about the place. Time to start dreaming about the next trip!!!!

[minniemex]

That's it Linda....Villa de Rosa!

I stayed there years ago!! Probably 1999 or 2000!! I don't remember anything about snakes!!:eek::confused::eek:

[Linda S.]

Believe me Minnie- if there were snakes there- I wouldn't be giving such rave reviews:):)!

[beachreader]

Great report, Linda, thanks for sharing your Aventuras adventures.

Do you mind sharing how much your great deal was? I really love going out to eat for all or most of my meals, but I think my friends would have been much happier in a condo, cooking most of the time. I need to start learning more about condo options in the area.

[Linda S.]

Sure- always happy to share when we score an unbelieveable deal. This is not a typical price, but we were able to take advantage of a special they were running to fill some empty weeks. I believe the condo usually runs about $140 per night slow season, we got it for $85 per night. We are also fortuneate to have direct charter flights out of St. Louis, that I've learned to watch and snag the best rates possible, usually about 5 weeks out. We were able to find charters for $302 round trip. We rent from Cancunrentacar, mid sized with all insurance/zero deductable- 288 per week, and we buy insurance that usually runs about $40 per person. So if you divide out the cost of the condo and the car 4 ways, it came to just under $600 per person for 7 days. Of course that doesn't include food and drinks, but we eat at really resonable restaurants and cook about half of our meals, so we don't spend any more than we do for food at home. Counting all trips to the grocery store we probably spend $120 total for everyone. And when we ate out, we probably averaged $8 per meal. I pride myself on being the queen of cheap!!! I'd much rather search for deals like this and be able to go twice in a year, than pay for more luxurious accomodations and only go once.