Sian Ka'an Tour Recommendations?

[AdGuy]

Hey Gang,

My wife and I are heading back to Tulum in early December. While we love to hang out at the beach for an hour or two every other day, we get bored pretty quickly and the "exploration bug" grabs us. We've been to Coba, Chichen Itza, and several of the cenotes but haven't traveled into the Sian Ka'an before...we're thinking at least a few day trips will be spent exploring this new area.

We'll have a rental car for the eight days/seven nights we'll be staying in Tulum. While we're pretty comfortable "winging it", I'm wondering if there's value in taking one of the full-day guided tours of the preserve in the first day or two we arrive (I know CESiak offers a tour and I imagine there are others). It might help us get a better appreciation of the area and offer ideas for future journeys later in our stay.

I'd love to hear others thoughts (both those who took a tour and those who just headed off into the "wild blue yonder"). What did you like about your tour/trip? What would you have done differently? Any item that was a must-have (or something you brought that you'd leave next time)? Feel free to name names and provide pricing...I need all the info I can get! :D

[dcap]

We did not take the trip into the preserve so cannot be of alot of help.

[Jessie James]

I'd read more about tours at the playa.info site as they run this one too and have a lot of tours to offer. The forum there is a lot more busy as well. Myself, I can't get boored of the beach. Me likes to be lazy. I lay around that beach from sun up to sun down... I will stroll down the street to the Tulum ruins once a year though.

[digummm]

Just go back last week from 10 days in Xpu Ha,and while I did not get a chance to go into the Sian Ka'an this time.When we were down in May and June we spent the better part of 3 weeks checking out the beaches on the way to punta allen.

I can spend the whole day at the beach and not be bored,the wife and I have a passion for empty beaches and there are plenty to be found along
this road.

When we were down in June they were working on the road,widing it,and trying to smooth it out. It was 2 lane or more all the way to Punta Allen.
I would think by now it should be smooth the whole way down.
We went the whole way to the end of the road at the lighthouse.Not much to see but we stoped back in Punta Allen and had one of the best meals of our trip and the view from were we ate that day is still my favorite of the whole trip.http://www.playa.info/media/data/500/medium/Punta_Allen_Lunch_View.jpg

We did manage to make it to tullum beach for dinner one night.we always go to Don Cafetes on the beach,they told us they have one year to move,I guess the beach has been sold ?

[AdGuy]

"we stoped back in Punta Allen and had one of the best meals of our trip and the view from were we ate that day is still my favorite"

Do you remember the name or approximate location of the restaurant? And, what made it so great (food, service, prices, atmosphere)?

[digummm]

I think it was the total package,food was fantasitc,drinks were cold,view
was best of my trip.Heres a pic of front of building.http://www.playa.info/media/data/500/medium/Picture_180.jpg

It was still early in the day,they were not open for business yet,they opend up for us.Now I am not a fish lover of any kind,if it smells like fish,tastes like fish or even looks like fish I want nothing to do with it.
Wife had fish in garlic-she made me try a small bite.It was fantasitc
never knew fish could taste so good.Was 2 meals 6 drinks and bill was
$23.00

[AdGuy]

Thanks Digummm!

I know what you mean on fish...but something about eating fish just inches from the ocean is incredible. Makes me feel good about my position on top of the food chain! :D

Garlic fish is my favorite...here's a shot of a great garlic fish we had this past June in PDC:

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i317/FloridaAdGuy/DSCF0802.jpg


We'll definitely check this new find out when we're down there this December. Thanks for the photo reference!