Tulum trip report

[Packoderm]

Hello all, we spent 10 days in Tulum as part of our 16 day Yucatan adventure. The first 6 days were spent at Joe Rainwater's Cabanas La Luna. The private residence rental, located between Ana y Jose's and Arrecifes, was just right for our needs and desires. It was like a mix between a hotel and camping.

http://file.taskstream.com/file/b87b85Ur12h0Hb0shvMmuj11My3rhxcWnd3judYudrh3Mu10s4 Rfa9yN6uoyvcOb8xkgdFtggu8cWpphqmdD8ivg2cLx9g58Astb p0Ychv9x/La%20Luna%20front.jpg
http://file.taskstream.com/file/byjmm7Ugt2h0Hb0shvMmuj11My3rhxcWnd3judYudrh3Mu10s4 Rfa9yN6uoyvcOb8xkgdFtggu8cWkg338bDssn5wLvm065bA6vf yvbY7j5vsbRpj23cdZeeqoddZm5grycUh4cvwXetp21C89b/La%20Luna%20front.jpg
http://file.taskstream.com/file/b3nvf3U4l2h0Hb0shvMmuj11My3rhxcWnd3judYudrh3Mphk11 Ru2q7bdNxh5juOk3xdjbFs0151cWlqxk0bDmh7b5bLs12l6cAe or2bdYsj277cRqc31edZ142eabZe7321U05s01/palapa.jpgIt had two cabana bedrooms, a covered outdoor kitchen, a very nice semi-outdoor bathroom, a palapa for hammocks, and a large palapa that will soon be another cabana. It even had a firepit for campfires. We reserved the place so that we were the only ones on the 1 acre property.
http://file.taskstream.com/file/bh5508Uww2h0Hb0shvMmuj11My3rhxcWnd3judYudrh3Msx0g3 Rfa9yN6uoyvcOp63gndFfn31edW37vd5cDeeqoddLm5grycA9t nm0Yps601R22b/La%20Luna%20kitchen.jpg

http://file.taskstream.com/file/bccl11U1l2h0Hb0shvMmuj11My3rhxcWnd3judYudrh3Mphk11 Ru2q7bdNxh5juOu24fjFt4wj2cWegljgbDkx1eabLcdrt4Ar/palapa.jpg
http://file.taskstream.com/file/bh5508Uqp2h0Hb0shvMmuj11My3rhxcWnd3judYudrh3Msx0g3 Rfa9yN6uoyvcOp63gndFfn31edW37vd5cDeeqoddLm5grycAr8 e38Ycgov4R89vj/La%20Luna%20kitchen.jpghttp://file.taskstream.com/file/bh5508U9f3h0Hb0shvMmuj11My3rhxcWnd3judYudrh3Msx0g3 Rfa9yN6uoyvcOp63gndFfn31edW37vd5cDeeqoddLm5grycAwa lm7Y1rrt4Rjxci/La%20Luna%20kitchen.jpg
http://file.taskstream.com/file/bccl11Ueg3h0Hb0shvMmuj11My3rhxcWnd3judYudrh3Mphk11 Ru2q7bdNxh5juOu24fjFt4wj2cWegljgbD5wla6Lgrdn7Afwc/palapa.jpg
http://file.taskstream.com/file/bccl11Ud52h0Hb0shvMmuj11My3rhxcWnd3judYudrh3Mphk11 Ru2q7bdNxh5juOu24fjFt4wj2cWegljgbDg4dh3Lu7918Akhc/palapa.jpgI'll write more if anybody is interested.

[Gale in KY]

Yes, please, we would love to hear about your trip, good and bad! Continue!:) I am not able to see your pics though.

[minniemex]

Very interested - please write more - as Gale said though - we can't see your pictures -:(

[AdGuy]

I can see three of the five you posted...#1, #4, and #5 (not the second and third). FYI...you are limited to four images (including smilies) per post, so you may consider that for future postings. :rolleyes:

UPDATE: I can't see any of them anymore!

[Packoderm]

I have been taking my son, who is now six years old, to Mexico every winter break since I became a student four years ago. We've always drove to Baja for long road trips with camping and renting rustic cabins. My wife went with us one time, but it has been mostly a father/son sort of thing. Last summer, for no real good reason, I looked around for airfares to Mexican destinations that might replace the Baja desert road-trip just once. I found roundtrip fares to Cancun for $350.00 U.S. total price apiece which was probably cheaper than gas, insurance, etc to Baja. My sister caught wind of this, and she wanted to go too. Actually, she had planned on going to Baja with us, but our favorite cabins, Camp Gecko, had closed. My mother and my brother also bought air tickets, but my mother got sick at the last minute and my brother had traffic problems getting to LAX.

During the summer, after buying the airfare, I Googled "cabanas and tulum" and came up with several interesting rental options. One option was Casita Tortugita in Tulum, but they were slow responding to my inquiries. Cabanas La Luna was also an option that we ended up taking. Their website looked nice but I had no real idea what renting a private property was like.

The flight to Cancun via Atlanta seemed to take longer than anticipated, so we ended up in Cancun pretty late at night and debated whether to push on to Tulum or find a hotel in Cancun pueblo. I won the argument, so we pushed on through the night to La Luna.

[Packoderm]

There was intermittent rain during the drive, and after stopping at the giant Mega market on the way we found the gate to La Luna. The groundsman Justino opened the gate and pointed the way down a vegetated driveway to the cabanas. I was amazed how hot and humid it was for early January. Mosquitoes were biting, and as I was fumbling for the light switches in the outdoor covered kitchen I started to wonder what I was getting us into. It felt like the beginning of some kind of an adventure.

The rain calmed down and we slept surprisingly well under the mosquito nets - my son and me in one cabana and my sister in the other. We woke up to beautiful weather with the sun shining and commenced to explore the property and its buildings.
http://file.taskstream.com/file/bl9et4Un12h0Hb0shvM9sgf3My3rhxcWnd3judYudrh3Mlgdn7 R13k8wcNttc0O3g9kuFu24fjWt4wj2cDegljgbL0mtl7A0ksfa bY22b/cabana%20bed.jpg

[Packoderm]

There is really no other way to put it. Their is a feeling you get when you rent a cabin for a week and the whole place just feels right. La Luna felt this way plus more. Justino, a Maya, is such a nice and charming man. My son asked about some of the coconuts on the trees and on the ground. In the sink the next morning, we woke to find two coconuts all cleaned up - each with a perfectly cut hole and two straws nearby. His Spanish was good, and it was fun and enlightening to speak with him.

La Luna has solar electricity, gas hot water, and a small refrigerator that was always cold. I savored the smooth taste of Leon Negra cervesa and smoking my own tobacco pipe the entire week. There was a small palapa shade structure with hammocks near enough to the turquoise Caribbean Sea yet set just over a small gardened dune so that the winds never felt too strong. The whole compound was set facing away from the beach which was actually a blessing for the calm air, and the grounds were beautifully landscaped anyway. It was fun to sit and sing around the campfire. We had complete privacy whenever on the property. There was some construction going on next door, but it never got loud enough to bother us. We cooked most of our breakfasts and a couple of our evening meals. I like French toast for my son because at least he gets a whole egg in him for protein. There were ants, but it didn't really bother us too bad because we're used to camping. There were two ice chests and one served as an ant-proof pantry for all of the ants' favorite foods.

I found the nearby restaurants to be way overpriced and the staff not exactly friendly. There was one exception, I believe it was the Margharita, where the waitress was fun and entertaining. It felt as if she was sincerely happy to have us for company.

I'll write more when I can be assured that the photos are working. My web host seems to have an Urkle thing going.

http://file.taskstream.com/file/blij18U742h0Hb0shvM9sgf3My3rhxcWnd3judYudrh3Mulcha bRdt0whdNei4nnbOrpbu0cFldnvhdWiskcgbDqs713bLxq9i6b A8jq54bY6ctbccRjwe5iZt4wj2cZegljgbUodul7Xm9qt4C0/tmpphpB2jQdP.jpg

[Packoderm]

http://www.taskstream.com/main/?/peterson70/PhotoPage.html

Maybe the photos can be viewed here.

[minniemex]

Were you just to the left of this picture??

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k83/Minniemex/Tulum/DSC00890.jpg

P.S. Lee - I did it!!!

[Packoderm]

That place is Los Arrecifes. We were two properties South of there. I remember a while back you posted a picture of a big building wondering if it was La Luna. La Luna is just next to that place.

http://www.taskstream.com/main/?/pet...PhotoPage.html (http://www.taskstream.com/main/?/peterson70/PhotoPage.html)

[AdGuy]

P.S. Lee - I did it!!!


Yyyaaaay, Kayt!! Now that you know how to post photos, "iguana" see more!! :D

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i317/FloridaAdGuy/DSCF0971.jpg

[Steve O]

Pacoderm....I was at that place you stayed. I knew right away from your photo of the outdoor kitchen. I thought it was a private resicence. My brother and I started getting island fever on Cozumel and decided to take a vacation over to Tulum. We didn't want to stay in a cabana, just wanted to sleep on the beach or near it. Had the cab driver drop us off near the cenote. We thought we could hang our hammock tents there to spend the night but the ground was to wet to really be comfortable. Sleeping would have been fine but you need a dry site for a fire. I saw this property across or down the road that looked perfect. It was the place you stayed at. I walked in and tried to find someone. Finally ran across two guys up by the kitchen drinking Margaritas. I asked one of them if he would mind if we hung our hammocks down by the beach. He told me to ask the other guy as he was paying all the bills. I felt uncomfortabl at that point as I assumed they were a couple and didn't want to be disturbed. I left but kept that place in mind. I really liked the outdoor kitchen. Something I would like to incorporate into my place when I move down.

Thanks for the photo

[MollyJ]

Thanks for the trip report and pictures!

MollyJ