mayaflya
13th April 2007, 12:17 PM
Introduction:
Thanks again to everyone who offered help with the technical aspects of posting photos. I decided to post in a non-scrolling size to keep as many people happy as possible. The following trip report is for our visit to Tulum (and points north) last month. This was our second visit, the first being a week spent at Azulik in June 2006. On this visit, we decided to split our time between a small cabana on Tankah Bay and finish our week at an all-inclusive further up the coast. As this is a Tulum forum, I’m going to limit myself to reporting the first part of the trip, and stretch the definition of Tulum area to include Tankah Bay ;-)
I probably should warn everyone that I am long-winded….and that one of the reasons that we fell in love with the beaches of Tulum is the opportunity to occasionally explore the optional part of clothing optional. So, while all photos are rated G…the story may occasionally drift into PG-13.
MONDAY, March 19, 2007
With no travel snags all day, our plane landed about fifteen minutes early in Cancun. Baggage claim was a little slow, as our bags seemed to be the last ones off the carousel, but it was a good excuse to take turns hitting the restroom…and the lines at immigration were dwindling by the time we got the green light and checked in at the Avis desk.
We had a good experience with Avis. We got a much "newer" car than last year. It was a Chevy Sport and felt much more solid than the VW Pointer we rented from National last time. The only caveats were that their "office" is a little farther away than I expected. It was out the departure doors and then all the way down the covered walkway and across the street, about two blocks to shlep the bags. They didn't volunteer a shuttle and we didn't ask, because we didn't know how far it was. We had wheeled luggage that we could pull, but if we had more stuff, it would have been inconvenient. They gave us a ride back to the airport when we returned the car, so I don't know if the lack of transport on the front end was typical. The agent in the airport probably would have arranged a ride if we had asked, or if it looked like we needed help.
The rental process was relatively quick, but there was only one other customer there at the time. We opted for prepaid gas, but only burned a little more than half of a tank during the week...vehicle was full to start. We again avoided the gas station scams by having a thrifty car. Last year, we were going to fill up before returning the car, but missed the last Pemex station before the airport, so we just took the car back empty and paid the charge. I have to say that I was prepared to do battle over buying fuel at the Pemex, but I wasn't looking forward to it...I'm going to be much happier to avoid these unpleasantries and hold on to the laid back vibe as long as I can. When they asked at Avis about prepaid gas..it was a no brainer for me, as I figured we could do the week on one tank easy.
There was a very "helpful" young lady in the Avis office asking us questions about our destination and giving us maps and information. At first, I thought she was Avis staff, but she had a slightly different uniform and worked out of a desk in the corner. It soon became clear that she was "timeshare" sales. She was offering us first $150, then $200 off the car rental as we walked out the door. As we were declining her discounts, she said "But you don't know what this is about". I replied that it probably involved a "presentation". I think she was expecting me to say "timeshare".… and she probably had all kinds of answers for that. She didn't have a way to sugar coat "presentation" except to offer more money. I told her that our time was too precious, and thanked her for the maps she gave us.
We were on the 307 within an hour of landing. There was much less traffic than I expected, no crazy drivers, and the drive was almost as easy as driving I-70 across western Kansas. (Except they don't stick topes across I-70 every few miles) The car was smooth and had just enough power to feel safe. The wife had surprised me earlier at the rental office, by asking to get on the rental agreement as a driver. She didn't drive the 307, but later the next day, drove to Zamas and Tulum. This was the first time in all our international travels that she has expressed an interest in driving. I was all for it.
We made good time through Playa del Carmen, and decided to stop in Akumal for an early dinner before hitting Tankah for the first night. We ate on the beach (Lol Ha), down by the locogringo web cam. The food was good, but a little pricey, about 500 pesos with tip for two beers, a ceviche appetizer:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/181/457799906_d675f8a6af_o.jpg
and two entrees:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/244/457815581_720f690766_o.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/240/457799952_65b318e4b5_o.jpg
Not complaining, though, as it was a fine setting on the bay, with sand under our feet. Akumal is a really cool, unspoiled town, I can understand the appeal of Akumal Beach Resort (much loved on the locogringo forum), as it gives you both the All inclusive amenities as well as a beachfront fishing village vibe within walking distance.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/220/457307113_18a267fc5f_o.jpg
We hit the road again about dusk (it was getting dark by 6pm with Mexico still on standard time and, duh, the days in March being shorter than in June...biggest surprise for me!) and arrived at Tankah Bay about twenty minutes later, in the dark.
The turn off to Tankah Tres was well marked on the 307, so we had no trouble finding it, even in the dark. The road from 307 to the bay was about a half mile of patchy asphalt, it then turned north at the west side of the beach properties, and ran north for almost the whole length of the bay. The properties were pretty well marked, even the private villas (as they were likely rented by the week as well). Slice of Paradise (I'm going to call it SOP, both to abbreviate, and because I can't say that name with a straight face) was at the far north end of the bay, just before the road turned to go out around the headland between Tankah and Soliman Bays. The road doesn't actually connect to the Soliman Bay road, and there are only about four or five more villas beyond SOP, so there is very little traffic past this point.
As I mentioned, we arrived after dark, so we couldn't see too much of the setting. Tankah Bay is on the grid, so all of the properties along here had electricity, but it was used with discretion. As these were primarily single-family residences, the exterior lighting was pretty subdued. There's an All Inclusive resort at the far south end of the bay, and it was lit up like a baseball field on the horizon, but that was the only jarring note. The starlight and waning moon were almost as intense as at the hotel zone at Tulum.
We found the owners, Arturo and June in the casita...a small two room house, closest to the road...and introduced ourselves. Art led us down the footlit pathway, past cabana #2 (rented, but dark) and the main house (rented, but dark) to our cabana #1, on the beach. We were delighted to walk in and find the cabana candlelit. They had several wall-mounted candle sconces and several table candles. He showed us the room, turning on the electric light in the bathroom (above the sink, switch outside the door). The only other electric light was a portable reading lamp that could be moved around the room.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/239/457800300_0e98117479_o.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/207/457800086_32bae16268_o.jpg
The other two nods to Thomas Edison were a floor standing electric fan, and....surprise....a mini-fridge!
We had decided at the last minute to NOT pack our foldup cooler, but to buy a styrofoam one in Tulum if we needed too. I had asked about coolers in an earlier e-mail to the owners, but had not gotten a response. (this is probably my biggest gripe about SOP, the communication from here to there was pretty spotty...only about half of my inquiries got answered, but I don't know if that was due to problems with the ISP infrastructure, or the owners). It was a pleasant and unexpected surprise to find an actual fridge in the room! As far as we were concerned, they were doing electricity absolutely right...using it where it made a difference, but not going overboard and blowing the vibe. The house and casita had A/C, but in March, nobody was using it. There were also plug-ins for recharging batteries, etc., but we never needed them.
We unpacked the bags into the open closet, took off our shoes and walked down to beach in the moonlight to check out the water and view. It was a little cooler than last June, but felt like it would be fine during the day. No swimming at dawn, though! We were pooped from traveling, so we called it an early night. Windows open (with screens, no less!), the sound of the surf and the gentle breeze put us right to sleep....
to be continued.
Thanks again to everyone who offered help with the technical aspects of posting photos. I decided to post in a non-scrolling size to keep as many people happy as possible. The following trip report is for our visit to Tulum (and points north) last month. This was our second visit, the first being a week spent at Azulik in June 2006. On this visit, we decided to split our time between a small cabana on Tankah Bay and finish our week at an all-inclusive further up the coast. As this is a Tulum forum, I’m going to limit myself to reporting the first part of the trip, and stretch the definition of Tulum area to include Tankah Bay ;-)
I probably should warn everyone that I am long-winded….and that one of the reasons that we fell in love with the beaches of Tulum is the opportunity to occasionally explore the optional part of clothing optional. So, while all photos are rated G…the story may occasionally drift into PG-13.
MONDAY, March 19, 2007
With no travel snags all day, our plane landed about fifteen minutes early in Cancun. Baggage claim was a little slow, as our bags seemed to be the last ones off the carousel, but it was a good excuse to take turns hitting the restroom…and the lines at immigration were dwindling by the time we got the green light and checked in at the Avis desk.
We had a good experience with Avis. We got a much "newer" car than last year. It was a Chevy Sport and felt much more solid than the VW Pointer we rented from National last time. The only caveats were that their "office" is a little farther away than I expected. It was out the departure doors and then all the way down the covered walkway and across the street, about two blocks to shlep the bags. They didn't volunteer a shuttle and we didn't ask, because we didn't know how far it was. We had wheeled luggage that we could pull, but if we had more stuff, it would have been inconvenient. They gave us a ride back to the airport when we returned the car, so I don't know if the lack of transport on the front end was typical. The agent in the airport probably would have arranged a ride if we had asked, or if it looked like we needed help.
The rental process was relatively quick, but there was only one other customer there at the time. We opted for prepaid gas, but only burned a little more than half of a tank during the week...vehicle was full to start. We again avoided the gas station scams by having a thrifty car. Last year, we were going to fill up before returning the car, but missed the last Pemex station before the airport, so we just took the car back empty and paid the charge. I have to say that I was prepared to do battle over buying fuel at the Pemex, but I wasn't looking forward to it...I'm going to be much happier to avoid these unpleasantries and hold on to the laid back vibe as long as I can. When they asked at Avis about prepaid gas..it was a no brainer for me, as I figured we could do the week on one tank easy.
There was a very "helpful" young lady in the Avis office asking us questions about our destination and giving us maps and information. At first, I thought she was Avis staff, but she had a slightly different uniform and worked out of a desk in the corner. It soon became clear that she was "timeshare" sales. She was offering us first $150, then $200 off the car rental as we walked out the door. As we were declining her discounts, she said "But you don't know what this is about". I replied that it probably involved a "presentation". I think she was expecting me to say "timeshare".… and she probably had all kinds of answers for that. She didn't have a way to sugar coat "presentation" except to offer more money. I told her that our time was too precious, and thanked her for the maps she gave us.
We were on the 307 within an hour of landing. There was much less traffic than I expected, no crazy drivers, and the drive was almost as easy as driving I-70 across western Kansas. (Except they don't stick topes across I-70 every few miles) The car was smooth and had just enough power to feel safe. The wife had surprised me earlier at the rental office, by asking to get on the rental agreement as a driver. She didn't drive the 307, but later the next day, drove to Zamas and Tulum. This was the first time in all our international travels that she has expressed an interest in driving. I was all for it.
We made good time through Playa del Carmen, and decided to stop in Akumal for an early dinner before hitting Tankah for the first night. We ate on the beach (Lol Ha), down by the locogringo web cam. The food was good, but a little pricey, about 500 pesos with tip for two beers, a ceviche appetizer:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/181/457799906_d675f8a6af_o.jpg
and two entrees:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/244/457815581_720f690766_o.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/240/457799952_65b318e4b5_o.jpg
Not complaining, though, as it was a fine setting on the bay, with sand under our feet. Akumal is a really cool, unspoiled town, I can understand the appeal of Akumal Beach Resort (much loved on the locogringo forum), as it gives you both the All inclusive amenities as well as a beachfront fishing village vibe within walking distance.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/220/457307113_18a267fc5f_o.jpg
We hit the road again about dusk (it was getting dark by 6pm with Mexico still on standard time and, duh, the days in March being shorter than in June...biggest surprise for me!) and arrived at Tankah Bay about twenty minutes later, in the dark.
The turn off to Tankah Tres was well marked on the 307, so we had no trouble finding it, even in the dark. The road from 307 to the bay was about a half mile of patchy asphalt, it then turned north at the west side of the beach properties, and ran north for almost the whole length of the bay. The properties were pretty well marked, even the private villas (as they were likely rented by the week as well). Slice of Paradise (I'm going to call it SOP, both to abbreviate, and because I can't say that name with a straight face) was at the far north end of the bay, just before the road turned to go out around the headland between Tankah and Soliman Bays. The road doesn't actually connect to the Soliman Bay road, and there are only about four or five more villas beyond SOP, so there is very little traffic past this point.
As I mentioned, we arrived after dark, so we couldn't see too much of the setting. Tankah Bay is on the grid, so all of the properties along here had electricity, but it was used with discretion. As these were primarily single-family residences, the exterior lighting was pretty subdued. There's an All Inclusive resort at the far south end of the bay, and it was lit up like a baseball field on the horizon, but that was the only jarring note. The starlight and waning moon were almost as intense as at the hotel zone at Tulum.
We found the owners, Arturo and June in the casita...a small two room house, closest to the road...and introduced ourselves. Art led us down the footlit pathway, past cabana #2 (rented, but dark) and the main house (rented, but dark) to our cabana #1, on the beach. We were delighted to walk in and find the cabana candlelit. They had several wall-mounted candle sconces and several table candles. He showed us the room, turning on the electric light in the bathroom (above the sink, switch outside the door). The only other electric light was a portable reading lamp that could be moved around the room.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/239/457800300_0e98117479_o.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/207/457800086_32bae16268_o.jpg
The other two nods to Thomas Edison were a floor standing electric fan, and....surprise....a mini-fridge!
We had decided at the last minute to NOT pack our foldup cooler, but to buy a styrofoam one in Tulum if we needed too. I had asked about coolers in an earlier e-mail to the owners, but had not gotten a response. (this is probably my biggest gripe about SOP, the communication from here to there was pretty spotty...only about half of my inquiries got answered, but I don't know if that was due to problems with the ISP infrastructure, or the owners). It was a pleasant and unexpected surprise to find an actual fridge in the room! As far as we were concerned, they were doing electricity absolutely right...using it where it made a difference, but not going overboard and blowing the vibe. The house and casita had A/C, but in March, nobody was using it. There were also plug-ins for recharging batteries, etc., but we never needed them.
We unpacked the bags into the open closet, took off our shoes and walked down to beach in the moonlight to check out the water and view. It was a little cooler than last June, but felt like it would be fine during the day. No swimming at dawn, though! We were pooped from traveling, so we called it an early night. Windows open (with screens, no less!), the sound of the surf and the gentle breeze put us right to sleep....
to be continued.