Trip Report, Dec. 9-17 2007

[beachreader]

As per James' preference, I'll do this all in one thread, but I reserve the right to add other threads for specific locations (especially the ones where I didn't stay but still did research) where I can put more pics and thread names for ease of future reference. Hope that works for everyone.

Oh, and apologies in advance for the length here. Too much detail perhaps, but it's what I'm always looking for.

Re-reading some of this, it’s essentially a food review, since I rarely do much of anything else while I’m down there other than read, flop on the beach and eat. So you’ll get weather reports, room reviews and lots and lots of food.

Spent Saturday night 12/8 at the Philly airport Holiday Inn to help save me having to get up at 3:00 a.m. Besides, using hotel points for the stay allowed me to leave the car in their lot for 10 days for only an extra $35. Sounded like a deal to me, and it got me out of the house, where I was literally climbing the walls to get going.

Philly’s International terminal is a very nice place, but it was a bit irritating to breeze through check-in only to get to the security area and find they hadn’t even opened yet. There was a crowd of people waiting, including some very annoyed flight crews, and finally a sluggish TSA person slid the gate up at around 5:45 (I had a 7 a.m. flight so I wasn’t worried at all, just seemed odd).

Otherwise, it was a smooth flight, arriving in CUN a good 15 minutes early. Inmigracion was empty, I had time to buy a bottle of Centenario anejo at the little duty free in the baggage claim area (this is in the new Terminal 3) before the bags came and I was out front by 10:45 a.m. Yippee!

You still have to walk by all the pushy tourism people to get outside, but once outside you’ll find an outdoor bar, http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27c69c94f0200000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

an ADO bus stop (not really clear on the details of why they’re here, i.e., do they stop here and then over to T2, or is this the new stop, but they were here) http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27c69ecce1700000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

and all the drivers. What I think I found was that the crowd in front of you will be the drivers for the big tourism companies (BestDay, Apple, etc.). If you’re looking for an off site rental car guy, look immediately to the left upon exiting the door. There’s a little gate there and it looks like they have to stand behind it with their signs.

My Continental guy, Eduardo, was right there and off we went!

We were at Plaza Santa Fe before 11:00 and I was really ready to go by then, but I had a problem with the car. The cigarette lighter didn’t work (I needed to recharge my cell phone, and I knew Gale was going to want to do the little coffee maker thing), and he didn’t have enough cars to switch me out. It worked fine in the mid-sized car next to me, but he couldn’t give me that for the price I’d paid. I waited around for another car to arrive and then finally just decided to take what I had and leave. Figured I’d meet up with someone down the road who might let me recharge my phone in their car and off I went.

Overall, I was very pleased with my experience with Continental and I’ll use them again for sure. Eduardo was very helpful and very understanding about the lighter issue and sorry they couldn’t help. He said they’ll put that on their list of things to check; it hadn’t ever come up before with them, but he completely understood that more and more people will want to recharge things using their car. On my end, next time I’ll just be sure that the car I get is an automatic, since the million-tope beach road is a pain in the neck to me with a manual.

I filled up at the Pemex right next door and got my first cash at the ATM at the 7-11 attached to said Pemex. The fee was no worse than I found at the HSBC in Tulum, and it was nice having a full wallet right up front.

The ride south was smooth, and traffic on a Sunday in PDC was no issue at all. The new northbound highway is complete and active all the way down to Aktun Chen (I think that’s the Chemuyil interchange?), and is under active construction much farther than that, though not all the way to Tulum yet. There was a huge iguana in the middle of the road after it went back to two lanes, hope he made it across!

[beachreader]

I pulled into Om and was greeted by Viri, a charming young woman who seems to be the on-site manager most of the time. Massimo, the main manager, was out the day I arrived (and Angelo, with whom I’d been corresponding via e-mail, is apparently in Canada much of the time), so she didn’t know about my reservation, but that was OK, plenty of room. They’d only just opened the week before, and while she couldn’t give me the amazing rate KSquared had been given before they officially opened, she did give me a nice small room for $80. She gave me the option of one of the large rooms for $100, but I decided for 2 days and single, $80 was better.

My room was very cute, they’d put a large poinsettia on the bed table, and the bed had a mosquito net that hung from four corners, which is so much better than the cone variety, which I find claustrophobia-inducing. In this case the “roof” of the net was a solid fabric, not netting, which was odd only in that the ceiling fan for the room was right above it. I didn’t need the fan while I was there because the ocean breeze was plenty, but they might have to change that at some point.

The room was small for my camera to shoot properly, but here's the bed:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d153d6f8400000025108Aas2rVo2ZuS
The storage unit:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d278fee1f00000025108Aas2rVo2ZuS

The bathroom was cute, sink in the main room, toilet and shower behind the door. I moved the spare toilet paper into the other room so it wouldn’t get wet but found that wouldn’t be much of an issue since the water pressure wasn’t great. Big rain-style shower head but not enough pressure for it and very inconsistent water temps. Plenty of hot water, but it would switch from scalding to cold with a ¼” turn on the handle so I had to be careful.

The sink area:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d21b6ee2500000025108Aas2rVo2ZuS

The bathroom:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d39e8ee7700000025108Aas2rVo2ZuS

Anyway, it was the only small room on the property, and apparently shares its structure with the supply room so there was some amount of in and out next door, but nothing that I found bothersome. Minor privacy issues put me in the bathroom to change clothes when the sun went down, but nothing major. I had a great breeze from the windows on the front, and even a bit of a view, which most of the big rooms don’t have.

Looking from the restaurant back into the property, my little room on the left, the big rooms are all the brown buildings:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d2e0e2f3200000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

The bed was comfortable but a fairly small double bed; tall people or couples who need a bit of space between them might find it too small, but it was perfect for me. She told me that soon all the rooms would be $150, no differentiation for the small room, which surprised me. Perhaps that would be negotiable. The rooms all have ceiling fans and doors on the bathrooms, handsome design, and the large ones are really large (see KSquared’s post for a pic of the larger room, I didn’t get one), so I’d imagine they wouldn’t be too hot. Oh, in the larger rooms with two beds, the ceiling fan is central, so probably not affected by the netting the way mine was.

My little sitting area:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d2834ae3b00000025108Aas2rVo2ZuS

My view: the restaurant is on the left.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d21bf6f1c00000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

[Jana]

Great start, Beachreader! Love the detail and looking forward to more. :)

Jana

[beachreader]

My plan was to hit Mayan Grill for lunch on the way in but I was tired so I decided to stay home for lunch and see what they had. It was too windy, alas, to sit on the deck, so I hid inside behind a deck door and perused the menu, entirely in Spanish. They have no typically Mexican dishes, which was what I was craving, but figured I’d just try the mixed appetizer platter and see what they came up with.

There were about four different seafood items, some squid, some shrimp, some octopus, all in different sauces. Each was delicious, though definitely Asian/Mexican/Mediterranean fusion. The octopus was the winner, served as a sort of ceviche that somehow included capers along with the cilantro. Sounds bizarre, but it was very good. Sorry, forgot to take a picture.

I just hung out for a while and settled into my room, a bit frustrated by the wind howling outside (especially after Viri told me it had been beautifully calm for the previous four days), but decided to brave the beach for a while. Om is going to be a beach club but don’t yet have cushions for the lounge chairs yet, so she hooked me up with a few plush chair cushions that were even more comfortable than the standard lounger cushions.

Om from the beach:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d2a522f6c00000025108Aas2rVo2ZuS

Shot showing Om, Casa Violeta, Amansala line-up (Om has the palapas in the foreground):
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d39236f8c00000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

Om is right next door to Casa Violeta (who are building a new massage hut on the north, Amansala side of the property), and the next property to the south is the new Ocho Tulum, the outrageously expensive, but beautiful property whose beach will be familiar to those fans of Suenos Tulum, since that’s the next place to the south. No action happening with Suenos, alas. Still in the hands of the ejido (did I spell that right?) and the courts. I saw a new hammock hanging in one of the structures, but was told that it was probably a guard sleeping on the property to keep squatters away. I’ll do more on Ocho in a separate thread.

For dinner I thought I’d head next door to Casa Violeta, where I’d had a great dinner last year, but when I sat down and asked for a glass of wine, the apologetic young Italian who’d seated me said they didn’t have their liquor license yet, it would be coming soon. This makes me wonder if there’s been a change of ownership at Violeta, since they had wine last spring. I thanked him kindly and said I’d be back when I had some wine to bring with me. BYO is a popular thing here in NJ, saves us a lot of money on wine, but I know it’s not common down there so I was happy to take advantage when I had the chance later in the week.

Back to Om I went, figured I’d give them a try for dinner and I’m SO glad I did. I chose the Om salad, a stacked affair that looked like a standard tomato-mozzarella napoleon, but was much better. The cheese was Mexican, one of the layers was smoked nopales paddles, and the balsamic-looking drizzle over the top was actually a smoky guajillo chile-based vinaigrette. Completely delicious, full of different tastes and textures. Oh, and there was bread. Real bread, not the nasty bread you usually get down there. He even changes the bread from night to night so you get something different.
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For my main course, I had the steak de pez, the fish steak. Apparently it was a thick piece of red snapper, but the dish was again outstanding, from sauce to accompaniments. I would seriously put this fish dish up against anything at Hechizo, or up here in NJ.

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Apologies for the blurry pictures--the flash was too bright and I forgot to try WindyCity's thing with the tissue paper so I just did without flash.

The chef is a Mexican gentle giant named Freddy. The staff apparently calls him “bonbon”, which someone said means marshmallow, and that would suit him well. He’s very sweet and an amazing chef, definitely the kind of guy you can say “Freddy, surprise me!” and you’ll get something great.

I will say this place isn’t cheap. Because I drink a lot I ended up spending almost as much at Om as I did at Hechizo last year, but according to a note I found, my fish was only 120, the salad was 90. The meat dish I had the following night was more in the 200 range, but they were both of great quality. I’m actually surprised the fish was only 120, it was so good.

This was the night I met Zach and Shelly, who will hopefully join the board as they’re well experienced Tuluminari and great folks. Hi guys! They’ll show up a few more times this week as I apparently stalked them.

So the next morning I walked the beach while waiting for breakfast, checked out Suenos and Ocho and then up north for a ways. Came back and saw Freddy in the kitchen, asked him to make me something special with eggs.

The dish that came out (admittedly, quite some time later, but hey, you can’t rush art) was the coolest-looking egg dish I’ve ever seen. Since Viri had sat down to chat while I was eating, I forgot my camera until it was halfway done and you really don’t want to see what it looked like all cut up like that (if you do, PM me). He had somehow poached some egg whites in a dish or form that made them into a perfect white globe. It wasn’t an omelet because there weren’t any seams or folds. It really looked like a very large, shiny egg or a polished stone, more than anything else. Inside the globe was ham and chaya and cheese and more egg, but I’ve really never seen anything like this and I’ve had a lot of restaurant breakfasts over the years. Incredible.

[beachreader]

Spent the rest of the morning on the beach, still a bit too rough and windy for me to actually swim, but I waded out to waist-deep and jumped around the waves a bit. Craving Mexican food, I decided to head up to La Zebra for lunch (LZ is just a few properties north of Om). I ordered fish tacos and a margarita, both of which were outstanding, but the real winner was the platter of salsas that came with the food. Four or five different salsas, in addition to the very hot (too hot for me but I’m turning into a chile wimp these days) pico de gallo that came with the chips to start. The smoky pineapple salsa was incredible with the fish tacos and I ended up eating the whole dish. Next to that was a bright orange puree, and I remembered she’d said carrot and something, and I didn’t know until I took my first bite that the “something” was habanero! Woof! Still, really delicious, just beware! There was a smoky dark red one and a green one as well as more pico. Very tasty, and while it wasn't cheap, it was about the same as Mayan Grill and I’d say it was well worth the money (but my tolerance for food prices is higher than many other folks, so I’m showing the bill here).
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27de711eee100000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS
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I'll post more pics of La Zebra in a separate thread at some point.

More reading on the beach fending off the wind, but it really wasn’t so bad. More beach walking, more reading, then time for dinner! I almost never eat at the same restaurant twice during a trip, but I really wanted to see what Freddy would do off the menu.

It had gotten chilly in the evening, so I asked him to make me something warming, something to go with red wine (they had a very nice Argentinean Malbec on hand). The bread tonight included a cheese bread, like regular thick foccacia-type bread but much denser, it tasted at first like it was underdone, so I think it was just the cheese making it so moist and dense. Very good. There were also some egg twists with cheese in them, also very good. I ate way too much bread!

Freddy sent out a potato soup with a dollop of lemongrass crema in the center. Amazing! Who’d even think of putting those flavors together? So good, the lemongrass really livened up the warm potato soup. I think I forgot to take a pic of the soup.

For dinner, he did a filet mignon stuffed with cheese, stacked with Portobello mushroom and covered with a mushroom/cheese cream. Again, delicious.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d208aae8100000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

Massimo (the manager) offered me another drink, so I ended the meal with some xtabentun over ice. It was the bottle with the red label (he said that was good on the rocks and it was), and I really meant to buy some on the way home but that brand wasn’t at the duty free. I’ll have to remember to buy it in town next year, because it was much better than my earlier tastes of the sweet Mayan liqueur.

OK, so with four meals down at Om, I waddled out on Tuesday early afternoon after doing my work conference call sitting on my bed. Had a good connection with my Blackberry (AT&T), and talked until my battery died (about 2 hours) and called that my work day.

Some other pics of Om:
The ceiling of the restaurant:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d2f3a6f9e00000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

The deck (too windy while I was there to enjoy it much, alas):

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d2bf1ee6700000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

[beachreader]

I knew I’d need some supplies for my next stop at Hamaca Loca, so I decided to have lunch at Mayan Grill on my way to town. I LOVE that place so much. Prices have gone up a bit, but nothing surprising. My huge margarita was 70 instead of 65, for example. They reprinted their menus (I don’t know if you can read the prices here, but I can send them individually if you want to blow them up for studying). Tacos arrachera weren’t quite as fabulous as they were last spring, but still very very good, and the margarita was just as good as I remembered. The view, of course, hasn’t changed much.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d186eae7900000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d079fee1f00000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS
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Actually, looking at this bill reminds me that it's really the same price as La Zebra, but LZ gives you that amazing salsa platter included. Interesting.


After lunch, off to the San Francisco, bought a cooler, some beer, water, wine, a few snacks, some yogurt in case I couldn’t find breakfast easily, that sort of thing, and headed back down the beach road to Hamaca Loca.

I was greeted by Luciana who escorted me to Cabana Caracol and showed me around. It’s a great unit, but I just saw Lee’s old picture from last year and realized there’s been a major change. There’s now a fence running down along the side of the unit all the way to the beach, probably because of La Via Laktea next door.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27dcd50eeb500000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

I had plenty of breeze and the windows are well screened, but I’m guessing before that fence was there you had a much better view of the water. I really didn’t have much of a view, not that I needed one. The unit to have there is definitely Tortuga
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27ddc04ae7100000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

, with the porch and extra space in the living room (they had the same day bed I did, but also had more room for a table and chairs and a sitting chair, something I wished for once or twice), but Caracol is still a terrific unit.

The new unit has a kitchenette, but is pretty small, with a double bed and a single bed.

New unit beds:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27dd1baee5100000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

New unit bath (note fan):

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27dd1f6ee1d00000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS
New unit kitchenette:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27dd46aae1b00000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

I never got to see inside El Pirata, which was being redone, but it’s tucked behind Tortuga along the fence with TDS. I don’t know if it would be hot in summer, but it was cool enough at night this month that I think any of the units would be fine.

El Pirata:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27dd24a2f0800000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

[beachreader]

OK, more on Caracol:

Caracol was very clean, beautifully and artfully designed, a great bathroom and probably the best shower I had all week in terms of pressure and consistency of temperature.

My pictures aren't the best:
The beds can be set up as one bed or two.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27dca6e2f2000000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS
There's also a daybed, essentially exactly the same bed as above:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27db1ceee1500000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS
Storage:
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Still has that brackish water that doesn’t really get your hair all clean, but I’ve never minded that much. I just clip it up wet and go out, and then dry it in the sea breeze when I get home. The next day it’s all back in a ponytail or wet from the ocean anyway. I didn’t notice good hair again until I showered at Al Cielo in Xpu-Ha on my last night. That was silky hair, not sure how!

By the way, Caracol was a very very private unit. The entire bath area had glass-block windows, and even if you were in the main bedroom, there was plenty of greenery screening the main windows. The Tortuga unit is also private b/c the deck is above the level of anyone on the beach. The new kitchenette unit is a bit more central in the property, so you might hear people from reception or wherever, but I'm sure that wouldn't be a big issue.

Good screens on all the windows, never had a skeeter issue (of course, it was windy most of the time). I would recommend they put a foot bath by the sliding door, since that's the door I used most of the time. I ended up putting a towel down there to help keep the floors clean.

The beds aren't the best, pretty typical Mexican beds (i.e., after four nights my back was starting to complain), but they're not bad either. All in all, a really nice unit and I was very happy there.

The view:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27ddaea2fac00000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

My personal hammock palm god:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27ddf6dee8100000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

My sitting area--this is where the new fence with LVL really affects things (Lee's pic from last year shows now fence, much more open). Of course, it's much more private now, and the view opens off to the right toward our beach.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27dc8acaed300000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

The beachfront: there are more chairs and umbrellas, this just shows two:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27dbf9fee4300000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

The umbrellas up close--I never opened one, but it seems that they're supposed to look like palapas once open. The dangly bits are plastic of the type that might come from plastic shopping bags. Not a problem, just thought it was funny:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27defb5ee4100000025108Aas2rVo2ZuS

[beachreader]

OK, back to the day-by-day:

I wandered out to the beach after settling in. It was late afternoon by this time and I headed left, looking for SoKaliBeachBoy at LVL and Zach and Shelly, who I knew were staying next door to LVL at the little-known Xi-Cho. Ironically enough, I found them all standing and chatting together on the beach! We all hung out for a while catching up and enjoying the sunset, and Zach and Shelly and I decided to try Casa Violeta for dinner since we all had bottles of wine to bring along.

Showered and dressed and headed over to meet them at Xi-Cho, which is a very nice place. You can just see an LVL building to the left:
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Apparently the owners live downstairs and in half of the oceanfront upstairs, so they let out one upper oceanfront and two upper garden view units. Z&S said they were paying $90, and they had a nice balcony, a good bathroom with a door, a ceiling fan, breakfast down in the family part of the house and a cute little property with a nice cluster of hammocks among some beachfront palms as well as nice beach chairs (the metal and webbing type rather than the wood ones, but they were good chairs) and a shade palapa.

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We drove up to Casa Violeta, which was closer than I’d remembered, but it would have been a long walk after dinner in the dark.

Greeted again by the young Italian man and woman, neither of whom were there last year. English not their strongest language, and we had a few communication issues that slowed our meal. Happily the salads were just as wonderful as I’d remembered from last year. We had the carpaccio of tuna and the carpaccio of eggplant, both great.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27daeb22fce00000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

The pastas, alas, were just OK, and all benefited from the crushed red pepper flakes I’d smuggled in my bag (I remembered from last spring they didn’t have any, though in fairness I didn’t even ask them this time).

We hopped over to Om after our dinner because we knew SoKaliBeachBoy and his lovely girlfriend would be eating there. We got to them just in time for dessert and drinks, and Freddy made up a dessert that honestly wasn’t all that great, but I don’t hold it against him, probably took him by surprise and maybe after he’d shut things down in the kitchen.

So that was a big fun evening and I hit the sack hard. Next day we had a beautiful sunrise, but the clouds moved in and we had showers on and off all day long. So sort of a bummer of a day, but there was still enough sunshine to head out and read for chunks of time. And really, it was certainly better for my skin than baking all day long!

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[PhyllisB]

Loving your report and details BR! Sounds like some amazing meals!!!!!!

[beachreader]

Lots of great meals, definitely. Somehow I managed to get home only about 2-3 lbs. heavier, but I sure tried harder than that! :D

I'm thinking now that Tulum is going to be the kind of place where I try to sleep as cheaply as possible so I can spend more money on food.

[minniemex]

Wonderful............ ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh..... Just feeling like I am there!! I really enjoy how everyone covers their trip just a little different with their flair for what they really enjoy!!

[FITZ]

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS AND CAN"T WAIT FOR MORE!!!

It is hard to respond to each post, and I'd like to (note: James) but I'll wait til the end and make notes along the way. Thanks for the great pic's and report. It even got Glen away from the Bears game!

[beachreader]

Hey there. I'm glad you're enjoying it. I'm thinking maybe it's better to do it in chunks, wait a few days for replies to gather, then go forward again. I don't know. I wrote this all in Word the other day and am just copying it in here, adding comments and pictures and moving along. I really seriously apologize to those who are coming to it late and have to read through page after page after page!

But thanks for taking notes. I think you can also use the quote function, quoting the whole thing, then deleting down to what you mean to comment on. Just a thought.

[PhyllisB]

No worries, beachreader! I don't mind the scrolling. And the "View First Unread" link is really helpful, when I'm reading from the same computer all the time. I just click that - it's on the top of the thread, on the left side, above the name of the author & the date & time of the first post. If you don't see it, you've read all the posts. If you see it, you can click on it and go direct to the new ones.

But I think it is nice to hold a little back (as much as I want to read it all right now!!!!!!) - it spreads out the fun and gives me something to look forward to when I'm at work tomorrow!

p.

[beachreader]

Wow, look at that! I never noticed that "view first unread" thing before, always just noticed if it was bolded and there was a new name in the last poster thing and scrolled down to the end.

I'm going to have to start using that on these long threads!

[lazydog]

I think your name should be "tripreporter" not "beachreader" anymore. This report is amazing! While reading it I felt like I should have paid to buy and read the book. I am only sad that I will miss the rest of the report....but I'll read it all when I get back in fifteen days!

[Jana]

I'm thinking now that Tulum is going to be the kind of place where I try to sleep as cheaply as possible so I can spend more money on food.

I think that's going to be our plan too. I realized that I don't need much at all in the room so why pay for it. Eating and checking out all the restaurants is half the fun in Tulum!

Really enjoying your report and hoping there's an installment to read at work today too. :(

Jana

[minniemex]

I have said that I doubt I will stay at a place that offers breakfast with it again as I really missed the going out for breakfast. Now, if you ask my DH who absolutely loves his same old boring breakfast every morning, I would have to say different!! But since I do most of the planning and just pass it by him, I will not find one that includes breakfast again - it's off to a new place every day!!

Really looking forward to more BR !!

[BP.]

I'm loving this, beachreader!!! Love the photos, too!

[beachreader]

Thanks for all the kind words. Here's more:

I wandered down to Casa Magna, very nearby, for lunch. That is one gorgeous place, I think I'll post more pics on a separate thread. Lunch was very good; my usual fish tacos (I don’t vary much for lunches, sometimes I think I’m comparing the same dishes from place to place, sometimes I think I just like fish tacos!) and a margarita. This time, even though the tacos may have been a bit more expensive than other places on the menu, it came with guacamole on the plate and an actual green salad. The salad was dressed in something that tasted more Asian than Mexican, but it was a very tasty salad, and very welcome. I always crave more vegetables down there.
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I checked out the “other” Casa Magna (the big house that they’re still renovating), just wandered through an open room and down the halls, in and out of rooms until I realized they were still under construction. The north house, the smaller house, is called Casa Magna 1 (though that’s unofficial, apparently), and is the only one of the two with a restaurant.

Rain and chilliness sort of settled in for the rest of the afternoon, so I just hung around the room and read on the daybed (this is where I really would have liked a porch and/or a sitting chair inside the room since I got tired of reading in a prone position all the time).

Decided pizza would be nice on such an evening so headed into the pueblo (again discovering how much I dislike driving a manual trans in town traffic, but at least I didn’t stall out). Got some more money at the HSBC, hit an internet café to send a note to Gale about weather and such, then took a look at La Nave, where I ran into Zach and Shelly again—seriously guys, I wasn’t stalking you, I swear. Tables were filling up fast, so I left them and crossed the street and down another block to Nero di Sole, where I had a really great thin-crust pizza and a reasonably-priced Chilean red. Watched a bit of a soccer match rerun and suddenly realized I’d eaten the whole pizza. I mean, I know they’re thin-crust, but it was just too good to stop!
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Next morning I had breakfast at our neighboring Tierra del Sol, where the woman handling the tables completely ignored me for some reason until I finally waved her over and asked for a menu and some coffee. The coffee was good, the huevos mexicanos were fair, but I never got my juice nor my second cup of coffee (though she came and took the cup when I asked for more coffee—not the saucer, just the cup, and it never came back). This required some adjustment of the cuenta when the time came, and all in all the whole thing took forever. It didn’t make sense to me. The two women in the kitchen seemed to be working just fine, but the woman working the tables was having trouble for some reason. There were only 5 tables of people the whole time I was there, coming in at staggered times--how hard can it be? :confused:


This was Thursday, the most beautiful day of the whole trip. Gorgeous blue skies, much less wind, much calmer water (still wavy, just not crazy).
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A perfect day for Gale to arrive, though I had warned her of bad weather in my e-mail the night before. With such a beautiful day, I stayed close to home, chatting with the neighbors, napping, reading, swimming, one of those really nice Tulum days.

I walked up to Las Ranitas for lunch, never having been there before. They didn’t have tacos, but I had a seafood burrita (not a burrito, as my stupid spell check is trying to make it) which was good if a bit greasy, guacamole, a very good margarita and a beer.

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The bill was high because I ordered guac--I much prefer places that include guac with the dish!
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Something delicately brushed my foot, and I moved my other foot to itch the spot and an iguana scooted out. I’ve seen plenty of iguanas on my Mexico trips, but this is the first time I touched one (and I didn’t even get to appreciate it since I couldn’t see my foot and iguana at the same time). Here he is:
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SoKaliBeachBoy made the discovery of the ages, that Las Ranitas has hot coffee available as early as 6:30 a.m., and breakfast service starts by 7:30. That boy is a genius, I tell you. I couldn’t wait to greet Gale with the news, especially since the car wouldn’t work with her coffee pot.

Headed back to my chair for the afternoon, just hanging out until Gale showed up. I was so relaxed I didn’t even realize how late it was getting, and when the sun started to set, I realized there might be a problem. Luckily, Hamaca Loca has a laptop you can use to check e-mail and it was set up in the reception area. After a few problems, they got me online and I found Gale’s bad news e-mail about her husband’s emergency. Poor Gale!

I’m so glad he’s fine now, and that they were able to get everything done in time, but I just felt so bad Gale wouldn’t be able to come down. We’ll definitely have to hook up next time around! Everything for the next few days was “oh, Gale would have loved this”. :)

[beachreader]

So, now planless, I showered and got into the car hoping for a plan to hit me. I wanted to try Luna Maya for tapas, but the prices are definitely more for people sharing. If I’d tasted as many dishes as I’d have wanted, it would have cost too much. Perfect for groups, I think. I like tapas places that charge just a couple of dollars for a plate so I can taste as many as I care to. Very few places do this anymore, but Ginger in the pueblo is one of them.

Anyway, I probably should have hit up Trece Lunas after that (especially with Jana’s enthusiastic reviews), but I wasn’t sure they had a liquor license yet and hadn’t brought my bottle with me and suddenly decided to check out La Vita e Bella, see how they were doing after Dean.

I walked around the outside of the restaurant to see the units, and all three of the units to the right of the restaurant (they’d be to the left from the beach looking back up--the colorful ones) are still in use, in fine shape. I spoke to a couple (Australian, perhaps) who were enjoying it a great deal, though worried they were paying too much at $180 a night. Definitely on the steep side for preseason, but not out of the ballpark anymore unfortunately. They’d been $150 last spring in high season, so I guess they passed along some of their reconstruction costs to their new customers. Apparently only one of the units on the other side (the side closer to Paraiso) survived the hurricane, so there’s lost business to be made up there as well. Next trip I'll go back during the daytime to see if they've improved their beach chairs.

Anyway, it was a nice evening so I sat outside and my waiter (a great waiter, one of my favorites all week, sorry I can’t remember his name) brought me a mosquito coil but put it down by my feet under the table, and it actually helped a lot. On his recommendation I had the shrimp/zucchini pasta, and it was very good but not anything out of this world. Again I made good use of my magic baggie of crushed red pepper flakes. Chips and salsa instead of bread, which I thought was odd for an Italian place, but I won’t complain—at least they didn’t give me bad bread. Overall, I’d give them another chance, and I’ve since heard great things about their grilled fish dishes. For some reason, I was in the mood for pasta that night, so that’s what I got. I’ll go back.

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Friday morning I headed up to Las Ranitas for lots of good coffee and an OK omelet, then decided to do some serious beach reconnaissance up in the northern end just south of Maya Tulum.

I’m thinking I might do a separate thread for what I found going on up there, but the seaweed problem at MT is somewhat abated though still in evidence on shore. Hemingway lost all their beachfront units so have completely rebuilt three of them as well as the restaurant and they all look truly fabulous.

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New unit interiors (it's always funny to me when places are so willing to show me a room that someone's occupying):

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I hope to eat there next time and sit out on that big new deck. Paula herself (the Italian manager) is going to be the chef now and has set up a little bakery behind the main kitchen and will make bread and homemade pastas. She’s very excited about it.

Right next door on the south side, between Hemingway and the AyJ beach club, is a new house or houses that I believe are part of the Casa Magna/Amansala group, called Casa Miel. They look lovely, but I’m curious how they’ll rent out, either as a house or just as rooms. It wasn’t complete yet so I couldn’t see inside.

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I saw the new paint job at Posada Margarita, but more importantly the new Playa Kin-Ha building, which looks like it will be very nice (though not the funky little place it once was).

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Just south of Retiro Maya is the new Puerto del Cielo, a huge stretch of beach that will have a restaurant, a small pool, two very large and expensive casitas with TV and A/C and roof decks and two very small and not cheap bungalows right on the beach. Nice place, but definitely of the “new” Tulum. [see separate thread on this place]

More of the old Tulum is right next door in the form of a place I’ve never noticed before, Playa Azul (one of the signs says “Rancho Playa Azul”). Very cute little units, 700 pesos up on the dune back off the beach, 850 for beachfront. No beach furniture, but each unit had a hammock and a couple of plastic chairs out front. They’re building a restaurant of some sort, my Spanish wasn’t good enough to figure that out, but it’s part of their property since the gal who was showing me the units showed me the restaurant too. Big deck, should be a fun place. [see separate thread on this place]

I also checked out Los Arrecifes, someplace I’ve been meaning to see for a while. They have an odd mix of rooms, from a $50 stick hut such as you’d find up by the ruins (dig the groovy bedspread)

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to a $150 beachfront unit with king bed and futon. That room has a great view, of course, but the décor is very 70s, dark wood, dark fabrics, kind of reminded me of someone’s old basement room despite the big windows. Little bathroom but it’s got a door.
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Then they have a couple of really small rooms for $100, but they do have two beds for people interested in a deal who don’t care much about style (or mustiness; all the rooms had that old smell). The building running horizontally to the beach has large rooms for $150; less musty, but no more interesting or appealing. I’d put LA at the bottom of my list for when I’m really in a pinch, though I honestly doubt I’d ever be in that much of a pinch. I don’t mean to be so damning, but it was just an odd place to me. Nice big property, though, and lots of chairs and hammocks and such around the place. And a restaurant.

A big cloud had appeared and was starting to rain by the time I got back to my car (I’d parked at AyJ beach club), and I was out of memory on my camera so I knew I’d have to sit and do some deleting before I took more.

The rain didn’t materialize much more than a few showers, so I headed over to Dos Ceibas for a late-ish lunch, where again I ran into Zach and Shelly who were there for massages. Zach was sitting and waiting on Shelly, and when she came out and he went in, Shelly and I hung out and ordered drinks and lunch for me while we waited for him. Zach came out and joined us for a few, and I think it was probably 3:30 or so by the time we decided to head home. They were having their anniversary dinner at Hechizo (just reopened in time for their visit), and I was full of food and tequila and decided just to doze the rest of the afternoon away. Got showered and ready to go out for dinner and then realized I wasn’t hungry at all so just skipped it, climbed into bed and read and dozed all night.

[beachreader]

Saturday was the day I was heading down to Xamach Dos so I had to pick up ice and some more money and figured I’d do some due diligence on my map project for MayaFlya. Had a fantastic breakfast at Don Cafeto’s, the desayuno azteca with arrachera. Lots of meat, lots of chilequiles, those cool pickled veggies they have, etc.

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Well stuffed, I staggered off to my rounds.

First, before I forget, it looks like 100% Natural is no more. This is too bad, but I have a feeling it’s because they were out of the main drag area. I had a really nice breakfast there last spring and would have gone back again.

I walked east to find Lucy’s Tortilleria, which turns out to be one block west and a little bit north of where it was on the map. Heading east on Calle Orion, the first street off Ave. Tulum is called Calle Andromeda. The next street is marked on the map as Calle Sol (though I never saw a street sign to confirm this), and Lucy’s is just a few doors south on the west side of the street. It smelled great, but I was so stuffed from breakfast I not only didn’t buy any but forgot to pull out my camera. Sorry.

I confirmed the presence of the cochinita pibil guy, tucked into a little booth-sized spot immediately north of the bus station. Again, smelled great but I was too full to try any.
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There were a lot of carne/pollo asado places that all smelled amazing. It would take a good long trip to be able to taste and compare all of them. I also found this tamale vendor, working stand under the shade of a tree just on the west side of Ave. Tulum. He seemed popular, always a good sign:
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Here's a longer shot with the street sign--I can't read it but I'll try to blow it up and see if I can just post what the cross street is:

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Picked up my ice and cash from the Bancomer and headed south to Xamach. Before I get to that part of the trip, here’s my financials:

Using my Bank of America ATM card, I got money three times. Once, using the ATM at the 7-11 at the Pemex near Plaza Santa Fe in Cancun after picking up my car, I took out 5000 pesos, which cost me $462.42 plus a fee of $5.00 and another fee of $4.62. So the exchange itself was $10.812 (if I’m doing my math right), but after the fees came to $10.59.

At the HSBC in Tulum, I got 3000 pesos for $277.42 plus fees of 5.00 and 2.77. So I think that makes it a slightly better rate of 10.813 instead of 10.812 at the 7/11, but with the fees makes it a slightly worse rate of $10.51 (probably more a function of volume since I took out more the first time, but there you are).

At the Bancomer in Tulum (by the San Francisco), I got the best rate of 10.833, which turned into 10.537 after fees.

Did I figure all that right? Numbers are not my strong suit.

Shelly told me that the Bancomer doesn’t charge any fees for cash exchanges (you do need your passport, though) and gave her a great rate, though hopefully she’ll check in to tell us what that was since I can’t remember. I’m trying to decide if it’s better to bring a large amount of US cash to take advantage of this and risk losing it somewhere along the line or just stick with the ATMs. Still, it would be nice to have no fees to pay!

[PhyllisB]

Okay, I think BR needs a new career as a travel agent or something -- this is fantastic. You can scope out all the new hotels for a travel company or something! I'm loving it! Makes me want to be there right this minute!

[beachreader]

If anyone can figure out a way for me to make money at this, I'm all ears, but from what I understand, modern-day travel agenting is all about AIs and cruises because they can't get paid by small hotels or even airlines anymore.

Maybe "travel consulting"? :)

[PhyllisB]

Maybe some freelance writing for a travel magazine or travel book series????

[Gale in KY]

Mucho Excellente Report!

Even though it has me http://www.marcorsyscom.usmc.mil/sites/ia/References/training/User%20Security%20Training/images/1628317.gif

[beachreader]

OK, let's see, where was I? Oh yes, heading south to Xamach Dos. I've posted a "proper" review in a separate thread, but here's more.


OK, so now I’m off to the Boca Paila road. I’ve never been south of the arch before and am really excited to see what it’s like. There was no one at the guard shack, though I did wait for a minute to see if he was just in the back, so I saved whatever fee that was (now I feel guilty though, probably will just have to send money to them to save a turtle or something).

I don’t know what you guys used to experience on that road, but this go-round it was up and down. Sometimes just fine, a regular old bumpy road, sometimes really terrible, making me worry for my rims. Clearly the terrible parts were closer to the water and suffered from the storm surge. There was a lot of road work going on, so it may well be all smooth by the next trip (ha!).

I found the drive alternately boring and fascinating; you’d go along with nothing but jungle and road for a long time, then turn a bend and bam! There’s a gorgeous bay. The beaches on these gorgeous bays are really depressing, completely knee-deep in trash and seaweed. The seaweed I understand, the trash just makes me want to cry.

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Xamach Dan said he’s found trash from Haiti and Cuba on his beach. I’ve also heard that cruise ships get out in unregulated international waters and just dump their trash in the ocean. Ratbastards. :mad: There’s not a beach in the world, however remote, that can be free of human trash if this kind of thing goes on. Ocean currents can carry trash for thousands of miles before depositing it somewhere. Sigh.

Anyway, I stopped off at CESiak to check them out and see some tents, and they do look pretty cool. A group of workers were down repairing the beach, apparently sleeping in the yoga palapa. I don’t know if I’ll end up sleeping there now that I know what treats lie a bit farther south, but it was good to satisfy my long-standing curiosity.

A "deluxe" unit (meaning oceanview, many of which have both ocean and lagoon views):

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A double (they look dark but it's only because all the flaps were zipped up):

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The porch of the double:
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The restaurant:
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After about a half-hour of bumpy riding, I pulled into Xamach Dos and peace and quiet. I've written the whole review thing on a separate thread, so do check that out for more pics and stuff.

Anyway, while Margo and Amalia were finishing up my unit, I dumped my stuff and hit the water in one of their kayaks. I got all the way out to the reef and realized that was more exercise than I’ve had all week (at least for my upper body) and turned back to home. When I got back in, Zach and Shelly were there (not stalking me this time, but I knew they’d love it there so I’d blithely invited them down for lunch and happily Margo was able to accommodate them), and we all hung out for a while as Margo whipped up some fabulous hamburgers for everyone.

Here are Zach and Shelly hanging out in the dining palapa, and again up on the deck of the new treehouse:

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We just hung out for a few hours, Z&S went for a snorkel around the point and then they took off to get back to Xi-Cho before dark. I know they'll be back for sure!

Dinner was also delicious, a spicy chicken dish with all the trimmings and a fair amount of tequila and other frosty beverages.

Here's Margo, dishing up the goods (I'm sure she dresses up for dinner every night!):

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Paul (Badger43, el Carpentero), his lovely wife Babs, XDan and Margo:

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Dan and Margo had to head to Tulum for the evening, leaving Paul, Babs and me alone with the tequila. Big mistake. I think we drank poor Dan out of house and home, or at least it felt that way! The wind had shifted earlier so we had some issues with the skeeters and beach flies, but none of them followed me to bed, and the mosquito netting took care of the rest.

I think I mentioned in the other post how great their beds are--I only wish I were a little more sober to truly appreciate them! :D

Someone found this huge hermit crab shedding his shell; we kept trying to find shells to his liking, not sure if he ever chose one. They really are freaky-looking critters when they're naked! (aren't we all) :rolleyes:

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Early morning coffee was followed by a perfect post-tequila breakfast of eggs, papas, plantains and chicken. Oh, and the most amazing agua de melon! Darn I didn't get a picture of it, but I think I had two or three glasses. So refreshing!

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Paul found this bad boy while he was making coffee (I think):

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A more pleasant creature shot, here's Miaou Miaou the real owner of Xamach. He only eats live sardines, and the guys go out and catch them for him every day!

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Part of the huge conch shell collection that decorate the whole place--this lineup was on my unit's porch wall:

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A quiet morning of recuperation on the beach punctuated by sounds of work in the new unit (the window guys came that day) and it was just about time for me to leave. I wanted to head north to be closer to my flight the next day and I was going to check in on some friends in Xcalacoco. A fond farewell to Paul (who very generously lent me a memory card since mine was full and I really didn’t want to delete any more pics) and Babs who were there for the rest of the week and especially to Dan and Margo.

Thanks so much for a wonderful visit, I will definitely be back as soon as I can!!!


On my way out, part of the cemetary:

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And the mysterious ruins across from the entrance. Next time I'll saddle up and actually go see them up close:

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Um, OK, not such a great shot (I took it from the car). Look at the big lump in the middle and you can just see stonework in a little patch on its lower left. Sue me, it was a quick shot! :rolleyes:

[beachreader]

OK, coming into the home stretch here, guess I'll try to get it done before I go to dinner and New Year's:

Heading back up the road, this property is for sale just north of Dan's. Lots of beachfront and lagoon front as well; for a cool $2.5 mil, anyone interested? Here's the number:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d6211ae3b00000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

OK, headed back north and stopped at the Mayan Hostel and TeeTotum, both of which have had my curiosity for a while, and both of which are on the Coba Rd (or is the the Boca Paila at that point?) heading out to the beach. As you know, this road is being widened, and apparently there are plans for shops and condos along that length. Oy.

Anyway, the hostel has a great gathering room palapa, soft drinks available, wireless internet access and breakfast included.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d1cfeaeeb00000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d1b6a6fd400000025108Aas2rVo2ZuS

Their rate sheet:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d1ed22ff600000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

The rooms are, well, hostel rooms, bunk beds with a bathroom, but they do have A/C, and I’d bet if you had a group of 4 or 6 young people it would be an awesome place to stay for very little money (I think 120 pesos p/p for the 6). They also have some single rooms, but he didn’t show me those. They had that stick look of the north beach, and had ceiling fans instead of A/C. The rooms are all behind the big palapa, nestled into the back of the lot by the jungle.

Here's the six room (and hey, a door on the bathroom! :D)

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d103f2f1c00000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

And the exterior of the single:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d1cb32f9600000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

Just about 100 yards west of the hostel, TeeTotum is definitely “new” Tulum, sleek with a European flair though it’s owned by Americans. Very cute place, a little plunge pool in the courtyard and a nice roof deck right on the Coba Rd. out to the beach. They have only four rooms, and the rooms are very cool (literally, they have A/C). They are, however, $125. For $125, I’d want to be on the beach myself, but I’m sure there are a lot of people who want A/C and to be closer to the pueblo. And they do include continental breakfast and really good coffee. They have bikes and a cute little orange VW, which maybe they use to help people get to the beach; I forgot to ask him where people go to the beach who stay there, i.e., if he had a deal with one of the beach clubs or anything like that (you know, PDC-style).

The lobby and computer:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d7bfdee4300000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

The plunge pool in the courtyard and steps to the roof deck:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d795eeee100000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

The roof deck from across the courtyard:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d7ee82ffc00000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

The bedrooms are all the same, a huge bed:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27e47e00fa400000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

A sitting area:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d7def6f6200000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

Storage area with safe:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d7265ae4700000025108Aas2rVo2ZuS

And a bathroom, cool sink but no door!
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27d65936f1200000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS


Onward and northward!

[beachreader]

As I was heading up 307, I remembered my friends in Xcalacoco wouldn’t actually be there that weekend, so I took advantage of being completely free and swung into Al Cielo in Xpu-Ha beach.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27c69894f4200000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS
(the above picture was taken before the cushions, pillows and mats were laid out--it's really quite a beach furnishing paradise)

Happily they had a room for me (the one in the upper left of this picture); they wanted $180 but since I was only there for one night I paid $150. Al Cielo is a very cool place, and the restaurant is excellent, but on the expensive side. They do include a full breakfast in the rate (a very full breakfast, with delicious yogurt, granola and honey and your choice of egg dishes), and that does help the cost basis somewhat, but now that Café del Mar is closed (very sad), there really aren’t any options for reasonable public dining along the beach. I mean, you can probably go over to Esencia next door, but that’s not exactly casual beach dining either.


There are only four rooms, and they’re very cool, made of very dark wood throughout. Very different, but I liked it.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27c6deace1300000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

The bathrooms were a bit dark from all that wood, but they included fluffy bathrobes, slippers, an in-room safe and one of these gadgets, something I hadn’t seen in a long time:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27c662a0f7e00000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27c6f8dce7500000025108Aas2rVo2ZuS

The shower was large (and wood), but oddly designed in that rather than a wall around it, they just had a cotton curtain, so when the shower was running, the water ended up on the floor around the toilet. I put a towel down so I wouldn’t have a flood. The flooring in the shower was a wood-slatted mat which I’ve seen before, but really wasn’t very comfortable on the feet. The shower itself had an odd sort of pulsating thing going on (maybe from a pump since I was on the second floor?), but overall was OK. The big surprise was later on when I was drying my hair with that strange contraption, my hair felt like silk! After a week of thick, almost sticky-feeling hair, that was a revelation. So maybe the pulsating thing was some kind of water filtration system? I never did ask them, but I liked my hair. I still didn’t bother styling it, though. A girl’s got to have some beach standards. J

Xpu-Ha beach may well be my favorite swimming beach in the world right now. It doesn’t have the miles-long expanse of white sand that you have in Tulum, but the water is clear and beautiful for swimming. The waves are more like gentle swells than the angry crashing I’d had most of the week in Tulum (and yet a bit more active than the calmness of the bay at Xamach).

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27c69934f5800000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS



I had arrived at Al Cielo in time for a late lunch, so I ordered a delicious chicken Caesar salad and a glass of wine (seemed appropriate for the setting, which was breathtaking). Oh, and they have very good bread, always unusual (to me) in Mexico. I spent the rest of the day swimming and reading on their beautiful beach furniture.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27c64810fd400000025108Aas2rVo2ZuS

Since Café del Mar was closed, I just figured I’d spend the rest of my pesos and have a little blow-out at Al Cielo. It turned out to be the most expensive single meal I’ve had in Mexico, but it was my fault for ordering a bottle of wine from Australia instead of South America. Big mistake, turned out to cost 550 pesos. I could have gotten a nice Chilean something for 300. Oops. Oh well, last night in country, what the heck.

Since the restaurant closes at 6:00 on Sundays (something I found out only in casual conversation with my lunch waiter), I got to watch the sunset with my meal:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27c714b4f8c00000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27c71ad4f6a00000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

I had an interesting scallop/ham appetizer in a sauce that was heavy on the cloves. Perhaps a bit too strong, but it was still good.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27c78190f4200000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

The fish that followed was delicious. Oddly, it was my first mero (grouper) of the week, and I usually have grouper several times since I love it down there. The sauce was many different chiles and achiote I’m sure. Very good. And since I was having a blowout on my last night, I stuck around for crème brulee, which was really very good.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27c66f00fa400000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27c6dfcce0500000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

It turned out to be a very cold night, and I was very glad for the big puffy down comforter on the bed.

Morning in Xpu-Ha:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27c78488e2300000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27c7f444f8400000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

My room (Agua) in the morning light. The upper two rooms have king beds, the lowers have two beds:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27c78908efb00000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS


There were a few issues at Al Cielo. Other than the whole early dinner on Sundays thing, we lost power and water during the night. Apparently the road crews working out on 307 had cut the power line, and no one knew about it until the manager showed up at 9 a.m. Breakfast was supposed to start at 7:30, which I usually take to mean 8:00. But by 8:00 there was still no sign of anyone around, and as I had to leave by 10:00, I started getting antsy. I found a guy sweeping the floor and he said there was no one around and he didn’t know why. The kitchen had a padlock on it so we couldn’t even do anything ourselves.

The manager (I think she said her name was Cindy, but that might be an anglo version of her real name) got there at 9:00, discovered the problems, called in another chef (no one knew why the first guy was absent), and had breakfast rolling by 9:30. She was really terrific, appropriately apologetic but not in a false way.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cc39b3127cceb27c6717ceeb00000026108Aas2rVo2ZuS

Between the yogurt and the eggs, I finished packing up and was on the road by 10:30, which was really fine. One of the owners came out to the parking lot as I was loading up and apologized again. I think he may have thought I was leaving because I was upset with them, but I really just had to leave, ya know?

Anyway, I totally understand when something awful happens like losing your power/water. I really do. What I was frustrated by was the lack of anyone on site earlier than 9:00 to deal with it all. There were no cushions on the beach chairs and no one to explain the situation, so another new couple (some Brits who had arrived in the middle of the night) and I were pretty unhappy for a while.

On the bright side, a French couple who’d been there all week said that every single other day, breakfast was served at 7:30, no problems. They’d had a wonderful stay and all had been smooth. And to me, the food was great when it came, the manager was terrific, I had great service at the other meals, and while the bed itself was a bit too hard for me, there was a huge fluffy down duvet cover to keep me warm.

I'd definitely go back sometime when I want to splurge a bit--I just hope another independent restaurant opens up soon so you're not so trapped!

There were some gorgeous private homes for neighbors, really dream house-type places. I might have to look into whether any of them are for rent one of these days.

OK, so after that drama, returning the car and getting to the airport was a breeze. Xpu-Ha was a bit farther south than I’d remembered, and traffic getting through the PDC lights was heavy on a Monday morning, but I got to the airport in plenty of time and my flight was delayed enough to shop the duty free and have a mediocre burger at the Margaritaville in the gate area in Terminal 3. I gotta say, though, I really missed the TGI Fridays in Terminal 2. That place has some seriously good burgers. I might have to arrange a flight out of there next time. J

Oh, in Terminal 3, the security is tighter at the first stage. You know how in T2 you can carry water bottles through the main security, but you can’t bring them on board your plane (to the US, anyway)? In T3 it’s more US-style, no water past the initial security, but you can buy it in the secure area and bring it on board the plane.

What else could there possibly be to mention? I don’t know, but I’ve been at this for a looong time and I’m going to stop now.

I hope you find it all helpful. It was a great trip, and I can’t wait for the next one!

[SoKaliBeachBoy]

Thats it......! Bwahahahaaaaa.... heheheeeeeheeeheee! :D

[minniemex]

Wonderful!!

Here's to the http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k83/Minniemex/Avitars/crown.gifof trip reports!!!

[PhyllisB]

Fantastico!!!!!!!!!!!!! When's your next trip?!?!? Maybe I need a ticker to count down to your next trip report!!!! :) :) :) :)

[viajero]

Beachreader, muchas, muchas gracias! I really appreciate the detail as we will be heading to Hamaca Loca in 5 weeks.

Notes to self:

1. Coffee at 6:30 at Las Ranitas
2. Laptop with wifi at HL
3. Buy tortillas and roasted chicken in pueblo
4. Bakery at Maya Tulum

Great report!

[mexipat]

If there is a prize for the best ever trip report, you are my nominee!

[beachreader]

Aw gee, thanks, guys. :o It was fun reliving it all. Sorry it was so long, but I have a cold and really just planted myself here with a box of tissue and kept plugging away at it.

Viajero, I didn't get down to Maya Tulum, you might be thinking of Hemingway, where she'll be baking stuff for the restaurant, probably not for re-sale (though who knows? Maybe you could talk her into it).

[firecop680]

Bravo, Bravo....!!!! Outstanding!!!

[patmex]

WOW!

What a great report, BR!

I so want to go this year. But it's looking more like it'll be next year now, what with a few months of unemployment this past summer.

WOW! Good job.

[Badger43]

Where do we vote for best trip report??
Beachey, sharing that bottle of Tequila with you was one of the highlights of Babs and my trip...BTW, when Dan asked where the Tequila had gone the next night, I blamed it all on you:D:D

Paul

[beachreader]

BTW, when Dan asked where the Tequila had gone the next night, I blamed it all on you:D:D




Figures. I brought a nice bottle as a host gift for Dan, then he leaves for a few hours and I happily polish the thing off! What a rude camper I am. :o

Dan, I owe you a nice new bottle (or two) next time.

[Lynnette]

I hate to see this end!!! Fabulous detail, narrative and photos....I felt like I was there with you!!!!!

http://off1.imgcup.com/images/girly/youRock/youRock22.gif (http://www.girly-tags.net/)

Great report, Fran!!!!!!

[dionski]

BR,

Great reporting and pics. Been snowing a bunch here lately so between skiing and my Job not a lot of time to check in here.

Before dozing of the other night I was reading your latest food postings and just wanted to thank you for the most pleasant food dreams I've had in a while:D

d2

[Julie in PA]

Thanks for the great and informative report! Al Cielo has been on mour list for a couple of years - we actually considered Xpu-Ha this year before settling on Tulum - the lack of "funky beach cafes" in Xpu-Ha was the deciding factor :) We may want to get there sooner rather than later before it gets bought and closed in the interest of "progress" :rolleyes:

[beachreader]

That's what I was thinking, Julie, just really wanted to get there since Al Cielo had been on my own list for a couple of years now.

And I think I'll go back, just for maybe 2 nights next time. The lack of alternate restaurants is definitely an issue for longer-term stays in my book.

[TheWindyCity]

Well done, Beachreader! You gave us a lot of food ideas for our next trip, hopefully in May. Liked your photos and writing. And the tortilleria you mentioned, was it Lu Lu's?
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x216/TheWindyCity/IMGP1515.jpg

[beachreader]

Eso si que es!

Did I say "Lucy's" or something? I may have done, but yes, Lulu's is the place. I was just updating the map info for Mayaflya.

[Armchairshrink]

Fantastic report!

I can't get over the way you describe the temperature in December - when we went in July I couldn't conceive of a down comforter or "too chilly to swim" ! Honestly, even with the breeze and good ventilation, Caracol at Hamaca Loca was a bit too hot to sleep comfortably in July, and "inland" cabanas would've been downright hellish - the minute you got away from that breeze it was insufferable. Every hotel we saw we viewed the rooms through the lens of "How much breeze does that get?" I guess the moral is if you want to stay at the cheaper breeze-free rooms, go in the winter!

Also sad to hear about that fence - we absolutely had a great ocean view (and a lot more light) from Caracol prior to it being put up:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1150/867818938_b470334551.jpg?v=0
That was from the door step, and I can see where the fence goes now and how it completely blocks that gorgeous view. Muy triste! But I wanted to stay in the big cabana next time anyway, mostly for the elevated patio. As nice as it was digging my feet into the sad at Caracol, the ants running around in it didn't seem to appreciate it.

[beachreader]

Oh man, that would have been an awesome view! Stupid need for fences, but perhaps good fences make good neighbors or something?

Shrink, have you checked their website for prices lately? You'll be shocked at the increase. 40% at Caracol, all at once, and not for the holiday season or anything, that was for pre-12/15. Still, a nice place and these days, that's not so bad for oceanfront (even though Caracol doesn't really qualify for that anymore). I'm all about the Tortuga unit for my next trip (well, if I stay at HL, that is).

[Armchairshrink]

Yeah, I've seen the increase and was really bummed. My boyfriend and I had pretty much decided that for the former price, Hamaca Loca was damn near perfect. I mean, seriously, the only complaint I had was the lack of nighttime ambient lighting in the cabanas and around the grounds - just some torches would've made a difference.

I guess it's still a relatively good deal for the price but I'm sad I just discovered Tulum as the "old Tulum" is being completely eradicated. My boy isn't really that much of a beach guy and the biggest selling point for Tulum was fact that it was one of the cheapest international vacations we could take and it seems this will cease to be true very quickly. :(

We still may decide to just suck it up and pay the increase next time (which will hopefully be this year - the boy says it's his turn to choose a trip but unlike me he doesn't start saving or planning for one, meanwhile I'm already planning my glorious 2-3 week tour of the Yucatan and Chiapas) but then again the more I read about Xamach Dos the more I realize there are lots of other places I want to stay. And as long as prices at Hamaca Loca are going up I'd be tempted by one of the more luxurious places like La Zebra, which I really enjoyed having a drink at last time I visited even if we didn't end up eating there (sadly)!

[beachreader]

They do have lighting on the HL property now. I actually asked them to turn it off one night because one of the lights is way up in a palm tree and it's fairly bright. Not obnoxiously so, but I was down at the beach trying to see some stars and that light was interfering. Of course, the light at Casa Magna and the light at Las Ranitas was also interfering, but I couldn't control them.

I think all of these places should have ground-level lighting and that's about it. Lighting up the beach just steals one of the great pleasures of Tulum--the nighttime sky!



I was actually shocked at how much light pollution now eminates from Tulum pueblo. Even down at Xamach you could see the glow from Playa and even a distant glow from Cuba (we think). Still great stars, but not as complete a picture as you'll get up in the mountains here in the US on a clear night.

[PhyllisB]

I thought the same thing about the light pollution, BR. The amount of light at Las Ranitas was ridiculous. It's a nice place to eat, for sure, but enough with all the light! I want to enjoy the stars, and the moon! One highlight of my first trip was seeing my moonshadow on the sand!

[beachreader]

That's cool, isn't it? Last year I was there during a full moon so I couldn't see any stars anyway. The moon was literally like a spotlight in the sky, so shadows were all over the place, very cool. I did have to close my shutters one night when I woke up in the middle of the night and my room was full of light. :cool:

[senorawo]

Hi, BR!

I feel so famous, having made a few cameos in what must be the trip report saga of the ages!

Fran, I'm glad we kept bumping into each other, and your accounts of our experiences were almost as much fun as having them! Bumping into each other in tiny Tulum is barely a coincidence. If you show up in Denver unannounced, I'll start to worry about stalking.

Hi to sokali & his fiance as well! We thought of you on Sat as we prayed for the weather to clear up. It worked; that was the day we got sunburnt to a crisp!

It's great to know about the board; will try to check in often to say hello and help out where we can.

- Shelly & Zac

[beachreader]

Hola, Shelly! Can you tell us what the rate was you got for exchanging cash at the Bancomer, and confirm that there was no fee? I know you need a passport these days, even for cash, but what was your rate?

Firecop just posted a similar question, and I thought you might be able to help.

Thanks!

[minniemex]

Hi, BR!

I feel so famous, having made a few cameos in what must be the trip report saga of the ages! Shelly & Zac

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k83/Minniemex/Smileys/ALLWELKOM.gif to the board!! May you spend some more time here and share your adventures!!

[SoKaliBeachBoy]

Hola Chica y Chico......!

Why did getting sunburnt to a crisp bring thoughts of me........:rolleyes: Although I am a "SUN GOD".......:D

My "B~DAY" which was that Thursday was a sunny one....... however the next day on Friday was awful at Encensia....! Sat was pretty nice as the wedding made it under some sunshine. Is that what you guys were praying for! Sunday was nice as well.... too bad we had to leave mid day... :cool:

Happy New Year 2 ya 2's ! So if we don't catch up with ya in Tulum for a cerveza this year maybe it will have to be in Denver for a brew! ( Both me and my girl have family now in Golden and Thornton ).

Peace... SKBB aka Jeffrey

[beachreader]

it will have to be in Denver for a brew! ( Both me and my girl have family now in Golden and Thornton ).


You have family in Golden too? How funny. My sister lives in Golden, out the highway a bit near Evergreen. They're right at the exit where the bison heard lives.

We might have to have a CO get-together sometime!

[PhyllisB]

They're right at the exit where the bison heard lives.

Okay, I just love that! :)

[cobeachgirl]

Oh, and the beer here is yummy!:D

[beachreader]

Oh, and the beer here is yummy!:D


And what beer would that be?

I'm OK if you're talking about some of that nice brew-pub stuff I've seen, but please don't tell me that big-assed factory out in Golden! :eek:

[cobeachgirl]

Nah, Odell's, New Belguim, Flying Dog...mmmmm good. :D

[minniemex]

And what beer would that be?

I'm OK if you're talking about some of that nice brew-pub stuff I've seen, but please don't tell me that big-assed factory out in Golden! :eek:

Morphed hi-jacked thread to what?? From trip report to big-assed factories??

Too funny!! LOL

[mexipat]

Nah, Odell's, New Belguim, Flying Dog...mmmmm good. :D

Thank goodness. For a minute, I also thought you meant the "bigass" one that makes the flavored water.

[beachreader]

I am also relieved. Funny how my beer snobbery continues even though I only drink the stuff in Mexico anymore! :D:rolleyes:

[mexipat]

I am also relieved. Funny how my beer snobbery continues even though I only drink the stuff in Mexico anymore! :D:rolleyes:


Idon't discriminate. I drink beer everywhere.:rolleyes:

[AdGuy]

All hail, Fran...the Queen of Trip Reporting!! http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_22_31.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxmk762YYUS)

I can't even begin to tell you how much I'm impressed with a girl who can switch from tequila to tecate to tempranillo (gosh am I a sucker for alliteration)! And your food descriptions and accomodation details were really excellent.

Well done, BR!! http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_17_1.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxmk762YYUS)

[AdGuy]

Idon't discriminate. I drink beer everywhere.:rolleyes:


Amen, pat! A sign in my office says it all: "BEER...The reason I get up each afternoon". :D:D:D

[Jessie James]

Thanks for sharing... Great pics

[Karen in OH]

Loved the report, thanks so much for sharing! :)

[senorawo]

Hi, BR -
Z & I don't remember the exhange rate we got at the bank next to the Super San Francisco, but we do know it was better than the one in town and there were not any fees. Another benefit - it was way less crowded than the one in town, at least when we've been there! You were right, you do need a passport to exchange.

Take care!

[benb]

Thanks again for your report, some much info that covers things new travellers like myself wouldn't even think to ask.

[beachreader]

Thanks again for your report, some much info that covers things new travellers like myself wouldn't even think to ask.



You're welcome, Benb! That's always my goal, more information than necessary because you never know what's important to people. Little things like do they provide washcloths, beach towels, drinking water (yes, yes, no at Hamaca Loca, by the way, in case I forgot to mention it) and are there screens on the windows. Stuff you don't think you need to know until you get there and hey, no drinking water!

[SassyGirl]

The most awesome trip report ever! Wonderful!!!!

[minniemex]

The most awesome trip report ever! Wonderful!!!!

SassyGirl - nice to see you back!!

[beachreader]

Hi, Sassy! Where's that pic taken? Looks like one tasty beverage!

[firecop680]

Speaking of pictures... Does anyone remember how Windy City said to get good food pics at night? Wasn't it something about a napkin or something?

[beachreader]

He said if my flash was too bright (which it is--makes the food all look like it comes from a cafeteria or something) to put a bit of tissue over the flash to cut it down a bit.

I still haven't tried it yet. I generally turn the flash off and try to use the ambient lighting. I had a book light with me this past trip so I used that with one hand, but it didn't always turn out that well. My hand shakes too much and everything comes out a little blurry.

I'm thinking about shopping for a new camera, I wonder if they have different flash settings? You know, bright, not-so-bright?

[AdGuy]

I had a book light with me this past trip so I used that with one hand, but it didn't always turn out that well. My hand shakes too much and everything comes out a little blurry.


I'm pretty sure more wine would help settle down those shakes. Of course, the focus and centering might suffer. :D

[firecop680]

He said if my flash was too bright (which it is--makes the food all look like it comes from a cafeteria or something) to put a bit of tissue over the flash to cut it down a bit.

I still haven't tried it yet. I generally turn the flash off and try to use the ambient lighting. I had a book light with me this past trip so I used that with one hand, but it didn't always turn out that well. My hand shakes too much and everything comes out a little blurry.


I think that I can do that... I don't know though after a couple of cervezas I might fall out of my chair and have a picture of the underside of the table. :D:D

[TheWindyCity]

Speaking of pictures... Does anyone remember how Windy City said to get good food pics at night? Wasn't it something about a napkin or something?

Depending on the camera, you can soften the harsh light of the flash when you're at such a close range by putting a double layer of tissue or paper napkin on the flash. Just tear off a piece, dampen it and stick it on the plastic flash cover, and whallah:

Sopa de Maiz y Huitecoche at Los Lirios:
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x216/TheWindyCity/IMGP1211.jpg

[beachreader]

OMG, that looks amazing!!! Was that taken at night, with this wet-tissue technique? I totally have to try that next time. You're a genius! I want my pics to look like yours, because that's the way they always look in my head!

And now I want to actually go eat at Los Lirios because maiz-huitlacoche sounds awesome (it's hard to find huitlacoche on menus), and that looks so good!

[TheWindyCity]

Yep, that's what I did, but this was on a separate mounted flash unit on a Pentax K10D DSL.

We were pleasantly surprised that Los Lirios had a few "deep" cultural dishes on the menu, as well as mixed drinks made with Xtabentun. We really liked the service here as well. It was really attentive, and they took a lot of pride in explaining any dish.

[beachreader]

Yep, that's what I did, but this was on a separate mounted flash unit on a Pentax K10D DSL.


I figured it was something more than my 2004-era Nikon Coolpix where the flash is about an inch from the lens. :D:rolleyes:

[hummingbird_206]

This thread is too good to miss, so bumping it up!

I just finished several hours of Super Bowl eating and drinking and never thought I'd be hungry again, but seeing all these great pics and reading about the good food makes me want to forget all about my pre-vacation diet, again!