ditka3000
23rd October 2007, 04:39 PM
Arrival
Our flight got in on time to Cancun, bags off, car received, and we're off. I didn't see the signs for the bumps on 307, so sent our roomy Chevy Swing for a ride a few times. Get to town and the directions did not indicate a left at the light. We drove around town, a little freaked as we got lost in the Pueblo neighborhoods, dogs running around, rain coming down. Finally the jeweler next to the big pharmacy got us going.
Day 1
Woke up to a windy but pleasant day. Had breakfest and hit the beach. Felt good to hit the sun. After a few, I went into town at about 11 to hit the market, exchange $, and let our families know we got there ok. The HSBC exchange on a Monday is a disaster. 30 mins, finally got some peso walking $ and was gone. Back at the ranch I realized how hot it was when I dropped off the groceries and was dripping sweat. Beach, pool did the trick. Had lunch at AyJ. Food there could use an upgrade.
After beers and some beach, we decided to try our hand at dinner. Dos Ceibas was down at the south end, so we headed down that way to try and get dinner. First, we stopped in at La Zebra for a beer and some tequila. Nice experience, but totally empty and we didn't know what the hype was about.
Finally, went to Dos Ceibas, but it was closed--they seem to have odd hours. Told us to come back for lunch tomorrow. In any event, we scrambled and went to Las Rasinitas. Hadn't heard about it before and it, too, was empty, so a bit nervous. Despite this, the food came out--my banana leaf-wrapped fish and my wife's shrimp and we were both pleasantly surprised. good preperations and some funky curry rice. Took a cab back to AyJ (don't ask), which was 100 pesos. I protested, but to no avail. Drank with some locals we met and called it a night.
Day 2
We decided that with the wind and no snorkeling, we would have Day 2 be more of the same--beach, sun, swimming. I went into town and found Halokline, per a recommendation from the board. Good choice. Marco is wonderful--gave me good recommendations on cenote and snorkeling. Got gear for the following day.
Tried Dos Chiebas again--ugh, now not open for lunch. Had lunch at La Zebra, which was good. They have "fish tacos", which are non-fried and we thought very tasty. I kept trying to get the name of the "chelada" right, explaining that I wanted lime and beer, but got the michelada, which was too powerful a taste given the heat. I'd exact my revenge in a serious way on the chelada, however.
Full and kinda drunk, we went back to AyJose for our massages. Great stuff. Afterwards, we showered and headed down for a little happy hour and then dinner. We'd heard Playa kin was good for HH, yet they were a casualty of Dean. Closed. We wandered over to MayaTulum to check out the grounds and then went to Posada Margaherita, having heard good things.
The board was right on--loved the owner (forgot his name), thought the food was very good, and the atmposphere one of the best in Tulum.
Ended the evening drinking with some friends back at the hotel.
Day 3
Decided to make this an activity day. Went to Akumal with snorkeling gear, but got shut down--red flagged due to waves. Decided to hit Yalku, which was ok but very touristy--do you think it's good to yell at other divers, "yeah, man, look at that huge fish". Needlefish was pretty cool, tho. Then we headed to Dos Ojos, which was a very casual and dive-intensive cenote. Really enjoyed the caverns, but not the best for snorkeling.
On hearing from the board about "Cucina Economica", we hunted down something local in the pueblo. After driving through town, my lovely wife spotted it at the end of the town road. We walked in and true to form, were escorted to the back to pick what we wanted out of their cooking pots. My pork chop verde and her chicken mole were both astounding, as was the price. Try the seafood stew, too.
More beach and then we asked some friends to join us at Mayan Grill. That place had us definitely skeptical--the same one guy serving drinks, scrubbing dishes and making the food. One other couple came in, looked scared, and left. Against all odds, the food was amazing--we got the seafood platter, and while I think mussels should be saved for serving in Seattle, the shrimp, grouper, and calamari were just perfect. We really enjoyed this place.
Day 4
Decided to do some solid beach time and then hit the tour of Sian Kian. I love this type of stuff and so did my wife. The initial swim in the copper red mangrove-infused waters was a real treat--amazing to have warm salt and cold fresh water mixed into this clear red water. So cool. The rest of the tour was wonderful, including the float down the river. Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a solo tour with my wife including our french and german "friends", who couldn't go on the kayak tour b/c of the winds. Seeing osprey and the other birds was a treat. Dinner kinda stunk, but alas, was nice to enjoy and talk about the area with our guides.
Day 5
More beach time brought more wind. Kinda bummed at this point. We finally made it to Dos Ciebas, which was good but not mind-blowing, and certainly not worth 4 trips down the beach for it. Another round of massages and a determination to make it to town for a little red meat and shopping.
Intent on hitting Buenos Aires, we walked the streets, looking in the shops and doing some haggling. My favorite is the guy that says, "come, buy something you don't need". After haggling with me about Cubans, he said, "oh, you want something stronger". :rolleyes:Maybe, but not today, my friend.
Buenos Aires was good, but we over-ordered and for some reason took home a ton of meat that we never ate. I thought their sausage was the best thing on their menu. Nice to have some red meat and wine for a change.
Every evening seemed to end with me jumping in the pool, and this was no diff.
Day 6
Determined to get my snorkel on, I hung with my wife until noon and then headed over to Zazil Kin for a snorkel tour. The gents at the dive shop were nice, but wouldn't take me out solo. I was crushed. I also marveled at how nice the beach was compared to AnayJose. big wide sandy beach + the water quality seemed exceptional.
Despite my crestfallen initial contact, I decided to grab some fins and a snorkel and head out to the reef on my own. Nice at first, but then black clouds rolled in. I was gonna see it through, but seeing water spouts and the boats turn away made me re-think my strategy. I swam back in after seeing very few coral or fish. I was really despondent now while talking to the guy during a pretty heavy rain storm
I cut my losses and headed back to the shore and to the hotel. Of course, an hour passed and we had brilliant sunshine. BUMMER. My fiance told me she would have come with, but with a massage appt looming, I didn't trust her. I ended the day content with sun, mas cheladas, and a massage.
Dinner found us hitting La Vita e Bella after a very pleasant HH at Zahara, where their 2 for 1 mojitos knocked me on my can. After such rave reviews, La Vita was, as our new British friends said, "bloody awful". It really was bad, the worst meal we had all week. Great location and property, but mexicans doing italian should be a red flag. Avoid, if you ask me.
Day 7
Again, we tried to get our snorkel on, but it was way too windy and the sat evening storm that woke us several times from our sleep had churned the sea up even more. Oddly, tho, the seaweed that was so present all week was gone from the water...just murk b/c of the big waves.
With rain looming in the morning, we decided to hit Coba. We enjoyed getting out a bit, and despite the building temp, the ruins were really cool. We purchased a ceramic sink on the way back, one that I haggled over for some time yet broke in transit at DFW. I was, and still am, quite heartbroken.
After Coba, we grabbed a late lunch at Don Cafeto. It lived up to the billing from the board, with solid mexican cantina food, really good salsa, and a great pickled carrot/garlic plate.
Stuffed, we returned to a bit of sunshine on the beach and some late afternoon waves.
Sunday night, my wife wanted to do only one thing--go to La Zebra for salsa. We had a blast. I felt a bit ill, while she tried to keep up during the group lesson. It's clear this is a bit of a tourist attraction, esp with Mezzaine closed b/c of a "lack of papers". We met up with our British friends, drank beer, and danced to a very solid band. What a great way to end a great week. Loved the energy there as well.
We ended our honeymoon the way we started it...eating breakfast at Ana Y Jose. I would do a few things different and one thing would be to eat breakfast out more--ours was paid for, so it was hard to venture out, but their b-fast menu got boring real quick. Today, as my wife drove me to work, she said, "would you be getting the huevos dona ana or the chilaquiles today?" Despite saying i'd get the fruit each day, it would have been the huevoes dona ana.
In the end, we liked tulum a lot, loved the people, and found the Chelada to be the most mindblowing, albeit simple, drink ever, perfect for a climate that turns beer warm in 10 mins.
I would have changed a few things--since it was the honeymoon, i might have gone to Maroma or Escenia for a few nights of true pampering. I think AyJ is good, but could up-level their service a bit--more folks on the beach, foot baths so your room isn't covered in sand, and a better pool. But the absence of these things is what makes Tulum unique and we look at the last seven days as a wonderful experience shaped by warm breezes, a constant sun, and a near endless supply of Tecate-based cheladas. Hmmmmm.
Our flight got in on time to Cancun, bags off, car received, and we're off. I didn't see the signs for the bumps on 307, so sent our roomy Chevy Swing for a ride a few times. Get to town and the directions did not indicate a left at the light. We drove around town, a little freaked as we got lost in the Pueblo neighborhoods, dogs running around, rain coming down. Finally the jeweler next to the big pharmacy got us going.
Day 1
Woke up to a windy but pleasant day. Had breakfest and hit the beach. Felt good to hit the sun. After a few, I went into town at about 11 to hit the market, exchange $, and let our families know we got there ok. The HSBC exchange on a Monday is a disaster. 30 mins, finally got some peso walking $ and was gone. Back at the ranch I realized how hot it was when I dropped off the groceries and was dripping sweat. Beach, pool did the trick. Had lunch at AyJ. Food there could use an upgrade.
After beers and some beach, we decided to try our hand at dinner. Dos Ceibas was down at the south end, so we headed down that way to try and get dinner. First, we stopped in at La Zebra for a beer and some tequila. Nice experience, but totally empty and we didn't know what the hype was about.
Finally, went to Dos Ceibas, but it was closed--they seem to have odd hours. Told us to come back for lunch tomorrow. In any event, we scrambled and went to Las Rasinitas. Hadn't heard about it before and it, too, was empty, so a bit nervous. Despite this, the food came out--my banana leaf-wrapped fish and my wife's shrimp and we were both pleasantly surprised. good preperations and some funky curry rice. Took a cab back to AyJ (don't ask), which was 100 pesos. I protested, but to no avail. Drank with some locals we met and called it a night.
Day 2
We decided that with the wind and no snorkeling, we would have Day 2 be more of the same--beach, sun, swimming. I went into town and found Halokline, per a recommendation from the board. Good choice. Marco is wonderful--gave me good recommendations on cenote and snorkeling. Got gear for the following day.
Tried Dos Chiebas again--ugh, now not open for lunch. Had lunch at La Zebra, which was good. They have "fish tacos", which are non-fried and we thought very tasty. I kept trying to get the name of the "chelada" right, explaining that I wanted lime and beer, but got the michelada, which was too powerful a taste given the heat. I'd exact my revenge in a serious way on the chelada, however.
Full and kinda drunk, we went back to AyJose for our massages. Great stuff. Afterwards, we showered and headed down for a little happy hour and then dinner. We'd heard Playa kin was good for HH, yet they were a casualty of Dean. Closed. We wandered over to MayaTulum to check out the grounds and then went to Posada Margaherita, having heard good things.
The board was right on--loved the owner (forgot his name), thought the food was very good, and the atmposphere one of the best in Tulum.
Ended the evening drinking with some friends back at the hotel.
Day 3
Decided to make this an activity day. Went to Akumal with snorkeling gear, but got shut down--red flagged due to waves. Decided to hit Yalku, which was ok but very touristy--do you think it's good to yell at other divers, "yeah, man, look at that huge fish". Needlefish was pretty cool, tho. Then we headed to Dos Ojos, which was a very casual and dive-intensive cenote. Really enjoyed the caverns, but not the best for snorkeling.
On hearing from the board about "Cucina Economica", we hunted down something local in the pueblo. After driving through town, my lovely wife spotted it at the end of the town road. We walked in and true to form, were escorted to the back to pick what we wanted out of their cooking pots. My pork chop verde and her chicken mole were both astounding, as was the price. Try the seafood stew, too.
More beach and then we asked some friends to join us at Mayan Grill. That place had us definitely skeptical--the same one guy serving drinks, scrubbing dishes and making the food. One other couple came in, looked scared, and left. Against all odds, the food was amazing--we got the seafood platter, and while I think mussels should be saved for serving in Seattle, the shrimp, grouper, and calamari were just perfect. We really enjoyed this place.
Day 4
Decided to do some solid beach time and then hit the tour of Sian Kian. I love this type of stuff and so did my wife. The initial swim in the copper red mangrove-infused waters was a real treat--amazing to have warm salt and cold fresh water mixed into this clear red water. So cool. The rest of the tour was wonderful, including the float down the river. Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a solo tour with my wife including our french and german "friends", who couldn't go on the kayak tour b/c of the winds. Seeing osprey and the other birds was a treat. Dinner kinda stunk, but alas, was nice to enjoy and talk about the area with our guides.
Day 5
More beach time brought more wind. Kinda bummed at this point. We finally made it to Dos Ciebas, which was good but not mind-blowing, and certainly not worth 4 trips down the beach for it. Another round of massages and a determination to make it to town for a little red meat and shopping.
Intent on hitting Buenos Aires, we walked the streets, looking in the shops and doing some haggling. My favorite is the guy that says, "come, buy something you don't need". After haggling with me about Cubans, he said, "oh, you want something stronger". :rolleyes:Maybe, but not today, my friend.
Buenos Aires was good, but we over-ordered and for some reason took home a ton of meat that we never ate. I thought their sausage was the best thing on their menu. Nice to have some red meat and wine for a change.
Every evening seemed to end with me jumping in the pool, and this was no diff.
Day 6
Determined to get my snorkel on, I hung with my wife until noon and then headed over to Zazil Kin for a snorkel tour. The gents at the dive shop were nice, but wouldn't take me out solo. I was crushed. I also marveled at how nice the beach was compared to AnayJose. big wide sandy beach + the water quality seemed exceptional.
Despite my crestfallen initial contact, I decided to grab some fins and a snorkel and head out to the reef on my own. Nice at first, but then black clouds rolled in. I was gonna see it through, but seeing water spouts and the boats turn away made me re-think my strategy. I swam back in after seeing very few coral or fish. I was really despondent now while talking to the guy during a pretty heavy rain storm
I cut my losses and headed back to the shore and to the hotel. Of course, an hour passed and we had brilliant sunshine. BUMMER. My fiance told me she would have come with, but with a massage appt looming, I didn't trust her. I ended the day content with sun, mas cheladas, and a massage.
Dinner found us hitting La Vita e Bella after a very pleasant HH at Zahara, where their 2 for 1 mojitos knocked me on my can. After such rave reviews, La Vita was, as our new British friends said, "bloody awful". It really was bad, the worst meal we had all week. Great location and property, but mexicans doing italian should be a red flag. Avoid, if you ask me.
Day 7
Again, we tried to get our snorkel on, but it was way too windy and the sat evening storm that woke us several times from our sleep had churned the sea up even more. Oddly, tho, the seaweed that was so present all week was gone from the water...just murk b/c of the big waves.
With rain looming in the morning, we decided to hit Coba. We enjoyed getting out a bit, and despite the building temp, the ruins were really cool. We purchased a ceramic sink on the way back, one that I haggled over for some time yet broke in transit at DFW. I was, and still am, quite heartbroken.
After Coba, we grabbed a late lunch at Don Cafeto. It lived up to the billing from the board, with solid mexican cantina food, really good salsa, and a great pickled carrot/garlic plate.
Stuffed, we returned to a bit of sunshine on the beach and some late afternoon waves.
Sunday night, my wife wanted to do only one thing--go to La Zebra for salsa. We had a blast. I felt a bit ill, while she tried to keep up during the group lesson. It's clear this is a bit of a tourist attraction, esp with Mezzaine closed b/c of a "lack of papers". We met up with our British friends, drank beer, and danced to a very solid band. What a great way to end a great week. Loved the energy there as well.
We ended our honeymoon the way we started it...eating breakfast at Ana Y Jose. I would do a few things different and one thing would be to eat breakfast out more--ours was paid for, so it was hard to venture out, but their b-fast menu got boring real quick. Today, as my wife drove me to work, she said, "would you be getting the huevos dona ana or the chilaquiles today?" Despite saying i'd get the fruit each day, it would have been the huevoes dona ana.
In the end, we liked tulum a lot, loved the people, and found the Chelada to be the most mindblowing, albeit simple, drink ever, perfect for a climate that turns beer warm in 10 mins.
I would have changed a few things--since it was the honeymoon, i might have gone to Maroma or Escenia for a few nights of true pampering. I think AyJ is good, but could up-level their service a bit--more folks on the beach, foot baths so your room isn't covered in sand, and a better pool. But the absence of these things is what makes Tulum unique and we look at the last seven days as a wonderful experience shaped by warm breezes, a constant sun, and a near endless supply of Tecate-based cheladas. Hmmmmm.