first timer

[scooter]

my wife and i are pretty boring i suppose...when we find something we like....we tend to stick with it...and as far as travel...that has been isla mujeres...we first went in 2003 and have been a total of eight..maybe nine times...

i guess we are looking to venture out...i have done some research and we are thinking of tulum and cabanas copal or azulik...i think it would fit us nicely...all we need/want is the beach and a beverage of choice...the wife would also love the spa...me..just the beach and a cold cerveza and i couldn't be happier...have also heard the beaches here are even nicer then north beach on isla...

we don't care for the nightlife of a cancun but we don't really go to bed that early either...we do enjoy solving the world's problems over drinks...do the bars at these locations stay open later then 10 or are there others in the area...i did read on their website that coolers are not allowed in the rooms...well, i am somewhat of a dipsomaniac...at least when on vacation and prefer to have a cold one available at all times....so this could be a problem...lol....solution???

also how are the beaches at copal or azulik...waves..rocky..etc...the wife prefers floating away life's problems on an air mattress and does this for countless hours at isla...is this possible???

have read that the heat can be unbearable and since the cabanas have no a.c......it can be quite miserable...i guess it depends on the time you go...but are the seaside cabanas ok...as far as a nice enough breeze to keep one cool or at least sleepable...

and i also think that there are not safes available in the rooms...has anyone had a problem with this...we actually had our room broken into at isla and thankfully all cash, passports, etc were stored away safely in the safe...other stuff is obviously replaceable...

any help or suggestions would be appreciated...also open for other places to stay if you think there are better spots....if you need any info on isla mujeres..i can help there..

thanks

[Gale in KY]

If you like to camp, you will love Copal. Azulik is more upscale, but it is still rustic. I like Copal, which I think of as upscale camping. Nothing fancy, bathrooms are very rustic but they work.

The Beach-the reef is farther from the beach in Tulum and there is some surf. It is not the still bay you find in Isla or gentle waves of Akumal. There are some coves along the beach road where it is calmer than other places. Copal is rocky..the cabanas are set up above the beach on a small rocky cliff. Seaview are a must..the breeze will keep you cool. We actually were thankful for a blanket in Jan. I am not sure I would stay there again, as they do not allow coolers in the cabanas any longer, something that I like to do no matter where I stay.

The farther you go south along the beachroad the wider expanses of white sand you will find..it is also more secluded and quiet. There are so many wonderful places to stay..it is very hard to recommend just one.

If you don't mind a drive down the beachroad, I would check out Retiro Maya and also Tierras Del Sol. TDS is a wonderful place. If you want real seclusion on a great stretch of beach check out Casa Buena Suerte.
www.casabuenasuerte.com
Tita Tulum is becoming very popular and sounds great. I hope we get a chance to check it out in April.

I liked the convenience of being closer to town etc. when we stayed at Copal. I loved the secluded beaches and peaceful beachtime to the south.

You can find a good selection of lodging in Tulum at www.hotelstulum.com

Food: Along the beachroad it is more pricey and less selection than in Tulum Pueblo. There is a bakery in Tulum that has the most wonderful pastries. Don Cafeto's has good food at a reasonable price. Charlie's is always a good choice.

I will be visiting Isla for the first time soon, any tips you can give me would be great. We will be staying at Posada Del Mar. As always, I like the small cozy places that the locals frequent when it comes to food. I was wondering about snorkeling from the beach there..is it necessary to take a tour to Contoy to do some snorkeling?

[jx2]

I will be visiting Isla for the first time soon, any tips you can give me would be great. We will be staying at Posada Del Mar. As always, I like the small cozy places that the locals frequent when it comes to food. I was wondering about snorkeling from the beach there..is it necessary to take a tour to Contoy to do some snorkeling?


Hey we are visiting Isla in Nov. and are staying at Posada. We have been on the island once in 2000 with a day tour group. We do plan on doing the Contoy snorkel trip(with Capt. Tony), but going to snorkel just North of garrafon park on the West side of the island too. Heard it was ok. Heard to try Playa Lancheros for dinner.
Other than that i would love to hear some more good pointers. :)

[austxdan]

...i have done some research and we are thinking of tulum and cabanas copal or azulik......

...... also how are the beaches at copal or azulik...waves..rocky..etc...the wife prefers floating away life's problems on an air mattress and does this for countless hours at isla...is this possible???

.....and i also think that there are not safes available in the rooms...has anyone had a problem with this...we actually had our room broken into at isla


Scooter,

We stayed at Copal last May, and will return to Tulum again next May (annual anniversary trip). We will not stay at Copal again. The accomodations were nice, just what we expected as far as rustic goes. We hid our cameras, passports, etc on the floor in the back of a closet, and had no problems. The beach, and in particular the water just off the beach was extremely rocky tho. I also found the staff at Copal less than accomodating, but others have not had this problem. PS - Copal has never heard of Sol Cerveza, a definite gripe of mine when staying there :mad: I posted a long trip report on another forum, and the staff was the only problem I had with Copal, but it was enough.

We wound up heading further south every day to enjoy a beach that truly is better than Isla's north beach. Think of North Beach with better water just off shore. Personally I found north beach water to be too shallow, we were staying at Na Balam in 2000. In Tulum, the sand is awesome and the water and drop off are just perfect. The waves are quite fun too, something you won't get on North Beach.

We are going to stay at Tita Tulum next May. Other places I would consider are Posada Margherita (even if you don't stay there, you HAVE to eat there), Kin Ha (right next door) or perhaps maybe even Las Ranitas or some place further south. The beach is perfect all along there. I didn't find heat an issue, especially if you are seaview. But then I live in Texas, it was hotter when we got back home.

Enjoy,
Dan

[AdGuy]

Scooter,

We have been to Isla four times prior to discovering Tulum. The beaches of Tulum are amazing...you'll never return to Isla's Playa Norte once you've seen them. They get even more incredible once you head south into the Sian Ka'an (though they're not "maintained" so you'll like find trash at some points from offshore dumping). At some places, you'll be the only two on the beach for as far as the eye can see.

We also went twice to the El Garrafon Hotel's beach club (right next to the El Garrafon park) and snorkeled the same (mostly dead) reef that runs through the park. It was disappointing to say the least. After that, we became certified scuba divers and now dive at offshore reefs. My only snorkeling experience recently in Tulum was up north in Half Moon Bay in Akumal. Definitely worth a visit!

[scooter]

thanks for the info/suggestions...
we are planning a trip in december....still undecided on where to stay....but definitely going to pick tulum over isla this time...

as far isla goes....can't help much on the snorkeling.....my wife and i both are beer(or tequila in her case) and a chair...and we are good...but most i speak with have much enjoyed their trip with captain tony....i hear he is a great guy...

we have stayed at posada once and it was fine....basic but most hotels on isla are..it was kept very clean...the staff does not seem to be the nicest but i don't think it was in a rude way....just not overly friendly....except at the pool bar...miguel i think???...great fun and great drinks....

i think since the hurricane the prices on the island have gone up somewhat but not terribly....north beach looks great...sand has moved from xazil-ha towards buhos and sergios....i would definitely spend my days on north beach..

we always stay at playa media luna http://www.playamedialuna.com/ king bed for 130.00 night...little more pricey then many locations but the view is just great and an easy walk to north beach and into town....however, the beach here is not swimable...

places to eat...honestly the last couple trips have been disappointing food wise...just didn't seem to be as good as earlier visits...however, cooking is one of my hobbies so maybe i'm being a little critical....not that it was bad...have just had better on the island...

most of the eating spots are on the main drag...hidalgo...
for breakfast...french bistro is very good and probably the best value....amigos also has a good breakfast...definitely one day for breakfast you need to try cazeula m & j's...it is not on the main drag but the restaurant at rocomar hotel...they have their own creation called the cazuela...somewhere between an omelette and a souffle...they are very good...plus the restaurant sits right on the water....nice view and breeze...

places to eat on hidalgo...angelo's: very good italian food...meals always been pretty good here...rolandi's: also italian and pretty good....pizza is nice...fredy's: owned by fredy of course...we really like it here...fredy is a blast...small place with only few tables inside and out..but fredy will take extra care of everyone...shrimp in garlic sauce is very good here...fayne's: in past trips they have had the best coconut shrimp w/mango sauce...last trip was ok...but for some reason not as good as previous trips...they also have live entertainment here and a great place to hang out at night...
there are many others on hidalgo...we've eaten at many of them...honestly...seems a lot like hit or miss lately...we've had a meal at a few that i would describe as average...while others thought were very good....i guess look for the crowd works...
there are many very small family owned eateries on both sides of hidalgo as well...three or four table max spots...honestly haven't tried a lot of these...

seafood: sunset grill or xazil-ha on northbeach are good spots...but quite a bit more pricey...coctilleria picus used to be my favorite spot...and very affordable...but once again...last trip..it was ok..but not the norm for them....maybe for whatever reason...the food was just off that trip or my expectations were too high...once again..no horrid meals...just not a memorable one...oops..i take that back...bamboo's on the main drag...had a wonderful meal there but i've heard they have closed or changed management....

as far as entertainment at night...a few places on hidalgo will have live bands...great place to dance or just people watch...can go to the wee hours of the morning....but nothing like cancun...more like a party with friends and everyone drinking....can be a very good time...romi's bar is also a good place to go for fun....nice guy..great drinks..
if you have a game you can't miss or such (have watched the hogs get their butt kicked in a bowl game)...jax bar and grill has satellite....english speaking....for sunday football...etc....and not a bad place for a late night drink....food only decent if that...

once again..as far as beach goes...we stay on north beach most all day every day...three main beach bars are sergios buhos and xazil-ha...we spend most of our time in front of xazil-ha but like i said...the beach there is very small now...most of the toplessness can be found here or just a little further down at buhos if you prefer that :)

oh yeah...playa lancheros.....very neat spot off the beaten path a bit...will have to take bus, rent golf cart(we usually do this one day..rent from ciros....or take a cab....go for lunch...will be best to go sometime 12:00....the guys(no english) will bring their catch up to the bbq pit to begin the filet...you pick out what you want...they filet and bbq....called tik in xic.....it really is very very good...just don't get in a hurry....can take awhile...there are drinks available....and hang out on the beach while you wait...

hows that for a ramble????

[jx2]

thanks for the info/suggestions...
we are planning a trip in december....still undecided on where to stay....but definitely going to pick tulum over isla this time...

as far isla goes....can't help much on the snorkeling.....my wife and i both are beer(or tequila in her case) and a chair...and we are good...but most i speak with have much enjoyed their trip with captain tony....i hear he is a great guy...

we have stayed at posada once and it was fine....basic but most hotels on isla are..it was kept very clean...the staff does not seem to be the nicest but i don't think it was in a rude way....just not overly friendly....except at the pool bar...miguel i think???...great fun and great drinks....

i think since the hurricane the prices on the island have gone up somewhat but not terribly....north beach looks great...sand has moved from xazil-ha towards buhos and sergios....i would definitely spend my days on north beach..

we always stay at playa media luna http://www.playamedialuna.com/ king bed for 130.00 night...little more pricey then many locations but the view is just great and an easy walk to north beach and into town....however, the beach here is not swimable...

places to eat...honestly the last couple trips have been disappointing food wise...just didn't seem to be as good as earlier visits...however, cooking is one of my hobbies so maybe i'm being a little critical....not that it was bad...have just had better on the island...

most of the eating spots are on the main drag...hidalgo...
for breakfast...french bistro is very good and probably the best value....amigos also has a good breakfast...definitely one day for breakfast you need to try cazeula m & j's...it is not on the main drag but the restaurant at rocomar hotel...they have their own creation called the cazuela...somewhere between an omelette and a souffle...they are very good...plus the restaurant sits right on the water....nice view and breeze...

places to eat on hidalgo...angelo's: very good italian food...meals always been pretty good here...rolandi's: also italian and pretty good....pizza is nice...fredy's: owned by fredy of course...we really like it here...fredy is a blast...small place with only few tables inside and out..but fredy will take extra care of everyone...shrimp in garlic sauce is very good here...fayne's: in past trips they have had the best coconut shrimp w/mango sauce...last trip was ok...but for some reason not as good as previous trips...they also have live entertainment here and a great place to hang out at night...
there are many others on hidalgo...we've eaten at many of them...honestly...seems a lot like hit or miss lately...we've had a meal at a few that i would describe as average...while others thought were very good....i guess look for the crowd works...
there are many very small family owned eateries on both sides of hidalgo as well...three or four table max spots...honestly haven't tried a lot of these...

seafood: sunset grill or xazil-ha on northbeach are good spots...but quite a bit more pricey...coctilleria picus used to be my favorite spot...and very affordable...but once again...last trip..it was ok..but not the norm for them....maybe for whatever reason...the food was just off that trip or my expectations were too high...once again..no horrid meals...just not a memorable one...oops..i take that back...bamboo's on the main drag...had a wonderful meal there but i've heard they have closed or changed management....

as far as entertainment at night...a few places on hidalgo will have live bands...great place to dance or just people watch...can go to the wee hours of the morning....but nothing like cancun...more like a party with friends and everyone drinking....can be a very good time...romi's bar is also a good place to go for fun....nice guy..great drinks..
if you have a game you can't miss or such (have watched the hogs get their butt kicked in a bowl game)...jax bar and grill has satellite....english speaking....for sunday football...etc....and not a bad place for a late night drink....food only decent if that...

once again..as far as beach goes...we stay on north beach most all day every day...three main beach bars are sergios buhos and xazil-ha...we spend most of our time in front of xazil-ha but like i said...the beach there is very small now...most of the toplessness can be found here or just a little further down at buhos if you prefer that :)

oh yeah...playa lancheros.....very neat spot off the beaten path a bit...will have to take bus, rent golf cart(we usually do this one day..rent from ciros....or take a cab....go for lunch...will be best to go sometime 12:00....the guys(no english) will bring their catch up to the bbq pit to begin the filet...you pick out what you want...they filet and bbq....called tik in xic.....it really is very very good...just don't get in a hurry....can take awhile...there are drinks available....and hang out on the beach while you wait...

hows that for a ramble????


Very cool .... Thanks for all the input :D

Our situation is similar to yours, but in reverse. We are ready to try something different. We have been to Playa 7 times now ,Akumal 4 times, and Tulum twice. In Nov we plan 5 days in Playa, 2 in Tulum and 3 in Isla M.
I am no good at typing and have little patience to type for more than a couple minutes. Any specific questions you would like i will try my best. Multiple questions at once just overwhelm my little peabrain:o .

In Tulum will be trying the old " hippie beach" area this trip just for the sake of saying we got to do that before it was modernized.