Tulum Trip and Tips

[mgsipa]

Tulum, Mexico, Cabanas Copal, April 2007 – Part 1
Greetings everyone,

My wife and I honeymooned at Cabanas Copal in Tulum, Mexico, the week of April 8 to April 14, 2007 and we occupied Cabana #1 (Seaview Quad) for the duration of our stay. Yes scorpions, tarantulas, crickets, crabs, so read on. I'll probably get some hate mail from grumpy visitors but just be forewarned that although other visitors to Cabanas Copal will disagree with me, after staying at Cabanas Copal myself I have to consider them complainers who didn't do their homework in advance.

So, here we go: We did our homework thoroughly and I read all the reviews that I could get my hands on before booking a flight and accommodations at Cabanas Copal. I read all the reviews, both positive and negative, and I have to say that the negative reviews are somewhat unfair. That isn't to say we didn't have any problems (as you'll see later), I'm just saying that a little advance homework goes a long way- it did for us!

As I said, I read the reviews, both good and bad and was worried enough to print out a 'Management Response' to one of the complaints I found on a website (TripAdvisor.com) which stated that in case you're unhappy with your accommodations at Cabanas Copal management will work with you to reach a mutual satisfaction. I took this with me just in case, along with my staple gun, in case I needed to staple it to someone's forehead, but in the end I didn't need either.

Some reviews we found on the web mention problems we never even encountered or were quickly remedied. Here's what we learned, both good and bad:

TOWELS: There are signs in the room telling you to leave your towels on the floor and they'll be replaced when the room is cleaned. We did, and they were replaced with fresh ones every time. On one of the days we requested additional towels to use on the beach, and a staff person walked with me to the laundry area and came out with four additional towels, clean and folded. In other words, we never ran into any towel problems.

RESTAURANT and FOOD: One of the most recurring complaints I hear is about the restaurant at Cabanas Copal. As such, on our first evening there, I told my wife, "Let's go someplace else- I've only read negative reviews about their restaurant." However, we weren't yet familiar with the area and decided to eat at the Cabanas Copal restaurant the first night anyway. We weren't disappointed. The food’s not cooked by Wolfgang Puck, but who cares? I can’t stand Barfgang Yuck food anyway. The food’s just fine at the Copal restaurant unless you’re confused and think you’re at a 5-star hotel! We later had lunch there and it was fine, and we had dinner there and that was fine too. Maybe a little pricey for Mexico and for the town’s environment, but that’s all.

My wife had the 'Fish Your Way', filet of fish drenched in garlic, enough to kill an invading army of Huns and very very tasty, but definitely not 'kiss me all night long' food! I had some delicious Tortilla soup followed by the steak dinner, and both were very good! I especially liked the Tortilla soup, as it was creamy and definitely better than anywhere else I've had it before. We had dinner at the Copal restaurant three evenings out of our 7-day stay.

The 'Fish Your Way' Dinner... sorry, pic quality sucks on this one... I swear, that IS fish (and a little beef from my plate since all women apparently are inherent food thieves!)...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/DSC00955.jpg

Note: With the Tortilla soup they give you some dried chili pepper. Unless you like the feeling of your esophagus melting spontaneously, your tongue turning to jelly, and your teeth popping like popcorn, use the dry chili carefully. Then again, maybe it was just me! I'm having my esophagus reconstructed as I write this!

Again, I can't see what some people are complaining about, unless they are visiting from countries where the food is prepared very spicy, salty, or over-flavored every day and they prefer it that way.

The Copal restaurant...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/DSC00950.jpg

[TnTWalter]

Congratulations on your marriage! And glad you had a wonderful honeymoon.

I agree it's great to find out good and bad before you go so you're not surprised and know how to deal with issues that may arise.

Thanks.

Any pictures or information on any places you visited, ate, etc.?

:eat-drink:

[lazydog]

Can hardly wait for part 2. It's coming soon right?

[mgsipa]

Here are some photos from the trip...

Amanda on the beach....
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3331.jpg


Our favorite bartender/Waiter Jose, at Zahra's restaurant:
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3344.jpg

The road to Sian Kaan...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3348.jpg

Secluded beach on the road to Sian Kaan...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3351.jpg

A Mexican RV...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3365.jpg

The parking area at Cabanas Copal...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3368.jpg

More to follow with the next post!

[firecop680]

I have to say that you have hot the area right on the head. We stayed at Azulik last year around the 2nd week of March. The place was just beautiful but you are in Mexico, they aren't time used to the same level of services we are. They will bend over backwards to help you all you have to do is ask. I did my homework also before we left. I read every thing I could find. People will complain about the smallest things, get over yourselves. Thanks for the honest trip report... I am on your side so if they yell at you they can yell at me too!! Cheers:eat-drink:!

[firecop680]

Do you have anymore pics on another sight?

[minniemex]

Love the report so far....... notice I said so far..... that does mean we are expecting more!! LOL

I love your sense of humor with the Mexican RV - too funny!!

I am with you on the reviews!! I have read reviews where they blame the weather on the resort!! Man, I need a list of those resorts that can control the weather!! I will be there in a heartbeat!! LOL

Really - thanks for sharing, we do love our pictures and reports here!!

[mgsipa]

Hi all... thanks for all your comments and kind words. I didn't want to post the whole report at once because it's actually quite long. I ended up splitting it up into seven sections, each as long as the first one for ease of reading. I'll also add photos as I go along.

We took lots of photos, but because of the humidity one of our digital cards got damaged and so we lost almost a gigabyte worth of .jpg formatted photos. That's a lot of photos, including many from X-Caret, Sian Kaan, Tulum ruins, horseback riding on the beach, etc. Luckily we're both into photography so we did have two cameras with us.

[mgsipa]

Firecop.... wow... you must be banking to be able to afford Azulik. It's an awesome place though, but seriously pricey. I'd definitely stay at Azulik if I was on a honeymoon or another special occasion because the rooms do look terribly romantic with their stained wood, subdued lighting, and elevated (off the sand) platforms. :eat-drink:

I think this was Papaya Playa in 2007. I believe they've replaced these buildings now because the website shows completely different buildings now, but the windows latticework is the same then as now...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3333.jpg

[mgsipa]

Minniemex... I'm happy to hear you're enjoying the report. I do agree with you to a certain extent about not blaming the resort for weather. I do think though, and perhaps we're in agreement on this too already, that the resorts don't have a satisfactory refund policy when it comes to weather. I just booked a 7 day stay at Cabanas Copal again for April 1-8 and in the fine print it's plainly stated that they have an "absolutely no refunds" policy, even if you're requesting one due to inclement weather.

Since vacations are supposed to be win, win, fun, fun, I think that you should be able to take your money somewhere else if it's pouring for days at the resort you booked, and the vacationer shouldn't be made to pay that penalty just because God chose to cry right above your resort. Maybe I'm wrong, but if I owned a resort, I'd keep my visitors happy campers so they could come back every year knowing that I've got their backs.

[mgsipa]

OK... here we go... part 2 of 7.. no, 8 actually:

Tulum, Mexico, Cabanas Copal, April 2007 – Part 2


OTHER RESTAURANTS: A good optional choice I can recommend is the 'Restaurant 101% Natural' at Zamas (see photo of Jose above). Go see Jose for breakfast or lunch and you won't be sorry. Tell him "Hi" from us and try to speak a little Spanish and Jose will go the extra mile for you. Jose is Good People. He's always pleasant, helpful, and always had a little bit of extras for us with every meal- whether it was an extra free cup of margarita, or a free second half of the avocado and tuna for my bride, there was always something extra, which we appreciated every time. Plus he's very friendly and smiles a lot, which is always a plus. Then again, maybe it was the tip I was leaving. :)

We also had dinner at ‘Treccelunas’, a restaurant about 300 meters left of the entrance to Cabanas Copal, in the little pueblo (where you can also buy trinkets, blankets, clothes, purses, cigarettes, cigars, water, sodas, candy, food, etc.).

‘Treccelunas’ is run by Amanda and Carlos(?), a pleasant couple who run a quaint and pleasant restaurant. Although we liked the food, I didn't see what other reviewers are raging about when saying to eat here rather than at Copal. The food was tasty enough and well made, but prices were the same and in some cases more, and variety was actually less to choose from than at the Copal restaurant. Don't get me wrong, I recommend Treccelunas for dinner one of your nights, but I can't recommend it OVER the Copal restaurant as other reviewers have done. We did love the geckos chasing each other on the white walls though quite a bit. We had money going on some of them. :checkeredflag:

A cheap option is to get to town (2 or 3 kilometers) and eat at the several small 'hole in the wall' places there. Fish tacos (come with 2 tortillas and double-wide fish filets to make two tacos) for $1.25 each, with all the salsas and condiments to get very full, burritos, ceviches of several varieties, etc.

Here’s how to get to one of the good ones: get back to highway 307, turn right towards Cancun, and 100 meters later on the left hand side. May look iffy, but it's not. Many additional options await you if you go left on Hwy 307 into Tulum pueblo, where there are a wide variety of restaurants to choose from, all with very reasonable prices.

GAY PARADE at CABANAS COPAL: Some of the men and women at Copal are gay for sure (“not that there’s anything wrong with that”). However, we didn't observe any "Look at me, I'm gay" personalities, and we spent a lot of time on the beach there. The people there during our week-long stay were probably 90% heterosexual couples, some couples with their children, and maybe 10% gay. I'm sure this varies weekly, monthly, yearly, and based on whether Ricky Martin's in town or not, so don't use this as a compass.

None of the gay men were overtly affectionate towards each other or anything and definitely none were offensive. As a matter of fact it ended up being a straight couple that we found offensive. They were both fully nude, male body parts were swinging like stubby whips everywhere every time he ran along the beach or into the water.

This was all normal, but unfortunately it was followed by a nude photo and modelling session with a pro-SLR camera and a lens longer than his d**k, in full view of families with children. The girl wasn't very attractive (although it was obvious she thought she was), and she was quite happy spreading her stilts for the camera with children playing 10 feet away.

The photographer was too tall, scary-hairy, way too lean and bony, and letting his privates hang out there enough to make the whole thing almost creepy. I wanted to jump up and stand next to him and act like a paparazzi with his girlfriend just to tick him off, but unfortunately that would have also ticked off my wife, and let's just say she's a tough cookie and leave it at that.

However, to their credit they had come down from Azulik next door, and that's an adults-only resort. Also, to their credit, if you have kids and don’t want your kids to be exposed to viewing both male and female genitals, don’t take them to a clothing-optional beach, which Cabanas Copal’s beach definitely is. Fair?

Here are some photos... sadly they don't necessarily go with the storyline:

This is the massage area at Cabanas Copal...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3455.jpg

Hanging beds on the beach..Cabanas Copal...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3457.jpg

Hanging beds on the upper level.. Cabanas Copal...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3458.jpg

View of approaching storm from the bar.. Cabanas Copal...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3459.jpg

Seaview King cabanas.. Cabanas Copal...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3464.jpg

Gardenview cabana at Cabans Copal...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3473.jpg

[firecop680]

I have to say your right about the other lifestyles down there. I didn't bother me though, I am sure I wasn't impressing them either. Keep up the good work, I am really enjoying this.:eat-drink:

[TheWindyCity]

Thanks for sharing the reports...better late than never! We stayed at Azulik last May and are headed back "home" for our third helping this May as well. I'm glad to see that you "get" what a stay there is all about. We read up on everything we could before we booked and knew what to expect. Like firecop said, we found the people there to bend over backwards to fix anything or take care of any requests. The main thing was that nothing went ignored, and problems were taken care of.

We saved hard to afford our first trip to Azulik, and can say if you ever spent a few nights there...you'd be hooked. The decks are the death wish....the soaking tub and hanging deck bed.....it's paradise perfection! We try to help the budget a bit by booking low season. You definitely have the place more to yourself, no doubt.

Sorry to hear about your beach experience...it is creepy. We saw none of that on our two visits. But we probably had the same mix of people there as well. Looking forward to the rest of your reports and great photos!

[TnTWalter]

Excellent report. Thanks so much. I recognized your beautiful wife from the picture thread blowing a kiss. Great 'happy in the moment' shot. Love the shots of cabanas copal!

Thanks for the 'no holds barred' honesty. :eat-drink:

[mgsipa]

Tulum, Mexico, Cabanas Copal, April 2007 – Part 3


MORE ON CLOTHING OPTIONAL at CABANAS COPAL: Folks, the emphasis is on clothing OPTIONAL. I read some reviews where the writers complained about the lack of nudity at this clothing optional resort. During our week the nudity was split about 70/30 in favor of the dressed. Again, 'clothing optional' in my book means that you have the option to be dressed or optionally undressed. It doesn't mean you must be nude. Some of the nude people should have stayed dressed, while some should have taken off more, while others still were perfectly happy in their bathing suits.

The overall majority of women who opted to take some clothing off went topless, while some of the ones that were fully undressed should have spared the rest of us and stayed dressed, maybe even added a few layers of clothing, like maybe a thick winter coat!

Storm coming in...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3536.jpg



The men who decided to undress didn't have much variety in their options so it was bottoms off for them! However, and I’m sorry to be picky, but guys, if an 8 year old little girl is walking towards you and your genitals are swinging left and right close enough to smack her in the face, you might opt to not be so “Here it is, deal with it” about it unless you enjoy everyone else thinking you’re a pervert the rest of your vacation. Yes, true story, happened next to the bar, and the poor little girl was scared because the swinging genitals were also pierced with a huge ring. I think she was worried that he’d had a freak genitalia accident.

The nudists were split about 60/40 in favor of undressed women. However, if you're single and hoping to score a hot mamasita, stay home. Most women at Copal were part of a 'couple team'. True, there were some single women there, but none we met were really alone. They came with their best girlfriends in tow, and all guys can probably relate when I say that the girlfriends are worse than a frontline of pissed-off German soldiers who just found out The Kaiser dresses in women's clothing.

Additionally, nothing gives us guys a worse image than the single guys (and sometimes married ones) who go to clothing optional resorts in the hopes that the line, "Did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?" will finally win over some gorgeous senorita.

Our own dress option? We kept our bathing suits on, because after all we did have that option! Amanda did say she'd try the topless option next time though for the all-over (at least on top) tan.

View from the surf...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3314.jpg

[mgsipa]

Tulum, Mexico, Cabanas Copal, April 2007 – Part 4

PACKING: Pack light. Here's all you'll need if you're a man (ladies read next section): Guys, you'll only need two pairs of underwear, one pair of shorts and one pair of swimming junk (shorts or trunks, boxer briefs, or god forbid, a thong). Leave the XXXL size swimming or walking shorts at home because by the third day you'll want to hang yourself with them if you don't. Go as light and breezy as possible.

Two t-shirts (not white or they'll be a nice rust-color in 3 days due to sweat or something) preferably light grey, tan or similar (not black or you'll boil from low albedo). Shaving kit if you want to retain some civility and not go all-native, but bring only a small disposable razor and a small shaving foam can, or use soap like I did- your face won't crack (high humidity factor). Bring deodorant, but leave the cologne bottle at home. If you MUST have cologne, do yourself a favor and bring a small sample- the vial-type that you get free when you buy cologne.

And finally, bring sunblock. At least SPF 15 unless you like pain and don't mind tossing and turning your sunburns in the sand in your bed every night (yes, you will get some sand in your bed because it's inevitable). Skip the hair gels, the face creams, beauty crap, etc. as you'll never use them here. Go native and buy a sarong in town (no, not the lacy, see through kind- leave that to your babe), and you'll be truly comfortable. Tie it in the front and let the loose material drape in front to cover your unmentionables, and if you're truly shy, wear underwear underneath. Finally, leave the shoes at home and only bring sandals (open footwear).

If you decide to bring shoes anyway, check them for scorpions often and especially in the mornings before putting your shoes on. Scorpions love surprise parties! See below for what I mean...

Our buddy Chilito Peligroso...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/DSC00965.jpg


And Amanda dealing with it... no, the photo's not blurry because I was shaking from fear :)
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/DSC00967.jpg


Freedom!!!!!!!!!
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/DSC00972.jpg


>Here's what you'll need if you're a lady: Nothing. Go naked. All right, fine, if you MUST wear something, bring a couple of pairs of tiny panties (no joke, you'll be too hot and 'not so fresh' if you wear granny-panties). A bra only if you must, but you'll be much more comfortable without one, plus if it's white, prepare to throw it away when you go home (it'll be rust-colored from sweat and bleach won’t fix it). Bring a couple of pairs of shorts. Don't bring pants, it's hot and humid and you'll choke the man you love with them for bringing you here after a few days.

A couple of shirts or t-shirts (again, try to stay away from pure white, since even angels are sweat-stained in Tulum). Bring only the basic makeup needs. You won't look so good if it melts all over your face and you end up looking like Paris Hilton after she finds out the bar’s closed. Bring deodorant, but leave the perfume at home unless you have a small vial of it. Also keep in mind that perfume attracts mosquitoes, so be wise and leave it at home. Buy a sarong in town, yes the lacy, see through type, and you can go anywhere with it if you wear a bathing suit underneath (or not, if you’re adventurous), even to dinner.

As for footwear, the same advice as the men: leave the fancy shoes at home- you'll just break the heels in the sand anyway, maybe even your ankle- and just bring flat sandals or tongs.

The same rule of shaking out shoes (if you bring them anyway) goes for you ladies. Scorpions don't discriminate, and neither do tarantulas, as you can see below...

Amanda has arachnophobia. At least she's trying to convince me that she does. I don't believe her, and here's my documented evidence. That's a tarantula in the glass:
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/DSC01293.jpg


BEACH ADVICE: Bring along a pair of water shoes, or buy them at the main store in town for about $60 pesos ($6). They will help save your feet from rocks, coral, or that awesome stingray you’ve been dying to see. Underwater coral is white, the sand is white, and you will kick it as you prance like Bo Derek through the surf. Remember, the nearest reliable emergency center is really back home. Also, bring along your own supply of sun block. You can almost buy a car in Mexico for the same amount as a bottle of sun block in town. We paid $12USD for a bottle at the local store across from Zahra.

[mgsipa]

Tulum, Mexico, Cabanas Copal, April 2007 – Part 5


TEMESCAL: This is a jungle ceremony inside a domed structure the size of a 6-person tent built like an adobe, where Copal incense is burned and you recite confidence-building chants. The guys that run it seem like really nice guys, and although they barely speak English, you can still get a friendly description of what Temescal is from them. I missed out on it and actually am sorry I didn't get a chance to do the Temescal, so if you can, do it. It costs $49 for a group session or $150 for a private session (one-on-one). I only found out the schedule on Thursday (no sessions Fridays), which was the last day of the week I could do it, as we were leaving Saturday morning and the next available session was Saturday afternoon. Guys, it may sound new-agey, hippy, and somewhat lacking in testosterone, but we have to let go sometime and just have a good honeymoon or vacation experience, and this is one of the ways to do that. Just get over it and go do it. Besides, you can think of it like having a sweat-bath with Sitting Bull or Crazy Horse… hmm, come to think of it, look where it got them: both dead, not by natural causes either. How much more testosterone do you want?


Temescal sweat lodge at Cabanas Copal...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3479.jpg


One of the Temescal tenders at Cabanas Copal. Couldn't communicate with him, but he let me take his photo, which was friendly enough...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3481.jpg


TRANSPORTATION: Four options. I recommend one: RENT A CAR. I'll start with the other options first though.

Option 1: Take a bus from the airport to Tulum. In the airport lobby look for the bus charters and get yourself hooked up for transport to Tulum. This is a good cheaper option if you're backpacking or otherwise on a major budget. The bus ride will take anywhere from 2 to 4 hours, depending on the number of stops along the way to pick up other stray passengers who flag the bus driver down, or bandits holding up the stage (kidding). Get off the bus at the next stop light after the intersection of the Tulum ruins (the intersection points to Coba to the right), and save yourself a long walk back from the town where the bus actually stops, unless you arrived early and want to do some shopping. Sorry, prices vary and I don’t have them.

Option 2: Van ride. Several charters in the airport fill a van with tourists and then drive them to Tulum. This is another economical way to get there, and it's faster since the van stops for nobody along the way. Not even people they run over… Approach some of the drivers that you'll see busy trying to get customers (if they don't take you down like a rugby team to begin with). Price: around $80 roundtrip and you should negotiate.

Option 3: Cab ride. Go alone, with your babe, or share the cab with other travelers and split the cost. This is probably most economical (if you split the cab fare). Cost: around $80 total... split 4 ways that's about $20 each.

[mgsipa]

Tulum, Mexico, Cabanas Copal, April 2007 – Part 6


TRANSPORTATION CONT'D:
Option 4: Rent a car. This was the option we chose. This can be good and bad. Here's why: I reserved the car online through Expedia and my final cost was $115 for 7 days for a mid-sized car through Dollar-Rent-A-Car. There was something vague in the final pricing about other optional costs, but since the key word here was 'optional' (there's that word causing trouble AGAIN!), I figured optional things were my OPTION to purchase or not. Wrong! The only option in question was insurance! And it wasn't optional at all! The only optional thing about buying the insurance was whether I opted for the Liability insurance (a slow screw without KY) or the Full Coverage (a slow screw WITH KY). The 'Around the World' (no insurance) option wasn't offered, so I opted for the Full Coverage option. There was only a few dollars difference between the two, so why not go for the full coverage and be worry-free? This of course TRIPLED my rental cost!!

The car was a Nissan Sentra and although I wanted a bigger car than a Sentra when I got there, I'm actually happy that I ended up with the Sentra. A small car gets you parked better than a larger one in the cramped Mexican parking lots. Just drive very carefully while driving in the demolition derby that is the Mexican highway, go slowly over the road bumps (aka. Kilimanjaros), and try not to drive too fast on dirt roads because some contain holes big enough to swallow the car.

So as I said, we rented a Nissan Sentra but we paid through the nose for insurance for the week. I found this to be a typical problem in Mexico, where deals can be very misleading. The car rental itself was $115 for the week, but the insurance on the measly Sentra set us back an additional $204. That's almost twice the rental fee just for insurance, for just 7 days. I pay $400 for 6 months of insurance back home, so that fee seemed a complete rip-off to me. Be prepared for it so that you don’t have to beat someone senseless with a coconut.

The other problem I had with the car was returning it with only 3/4 of the tank full. I filled the tank from empty to full for $250 pesos (roughly $25). Again, that's from EMPTY to FULL. Then I drove from Tulum to the airport in Cancun, spending 1/4 of the tank on the 70 mile trip. That adds up to about $60 pesos (about $6) spent. When I returned the car they said that they charge 3 times the price of gas for every liter below full. I quickly did the math in my head and came up with about $18 my cost for not filling up again. $18 sounded reasonable, but when he gave me the total, it said $49. I flipped, whipped out my coconut and was ready to beat him senseless with it. I told him to "get the f***ing car" (yes in those words) and that I was driving to Pemex to fill up the tank. I did just that and sure enough, it cost me exactly $60 pesos ($6) to fill it up. Even so, when I brought it back, the guy checking the car tapped on the dashboard above the gas gauge in an apparent attempt to see if I tampered with the gauges in the 5 minutes that I was gone. It was almost laughable. Again, be aware of the potential rip-offs, walk softly but carry a big f*cking... coconut.

Note: A funny thing with Dollar-Rent-a-Car- one of those WTF moments: When we arrived in Cancun. the Dollar-Rent-a-Car rep inside the terminal personally walked us outside. Yes, she closed down the booth and walked us outside, across the street and about 50 feet to the left of the terminal’s doors, to a waiting van. Seeing the van I expected it to drive us outside the airport somewhere. NOPE! He took us on a tour of the airport apparently, made several turns and close brushes with other cars just for show, and drove us across the street to a location just about 50 feet from where the van was originally parked. We could have walked there faster than he drove us. That's Mexican efficiency at its best. We tipped the driver appropriately; after all he did risk our lives (oops, I meant, his life) getting us there.

The road towards Sian Kaan while it's still paved...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3341.jpg

Then it gets rough...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3347.jpg

But it's so pretty... until you get stopped by machine-gun wielding soldiers in the Kaan...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3349.jpg

Watch for alligators...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3350.jpg

[mgsipa]

Tulum, Mexico, Cabanas Copal, April 2007 – Part 7

SHOPPING: 300 meters down the road from the entrance to Cabanas Copal is a little pueblo of shops, a small grocery store, and some restaurants.



http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3342.jpg

Also, if you go back to the intersection of the beach road to Highway 307 and then go left at the 307, a few hundred feet down the road you'll get to the main shopping area. Here you'll find dozens of souvenir shops and eateries. I can't call them restaurants, because they're just 'holes in the wall' technically, but the food is cheap and not too shabby. Negotiate all your purchases in the souvenir shops, and remember that everything sold as boar's tusk is in reality made of cow bone, and everything labeled as whale ivory is also cow bone. We did find a seller in the pueblo by the cabanas who had some authentic boar’s tusks (though overpriced and hard to negotiate with), and he had some cool stuff he’d carved himself, so check his stuff out if you get the chance. I bought a Maori fishing hook made of bone, and it came with the original bone it was carved out of, all for $35. Kind of pricey, but he threw in a few dollars’ worth of other jewelry so I felt pretty good about the buy.

Even shark's teeth necklaces are mostly carved cow bone. Don't be taken in. If the seller says $300 pesos, counter with "Too much.. I can only pay you $100 pesos or whatever", and then meet somewhere between $100 and $200 pesos. Trust me, you'll feel stupid if you don't. It's expected, and so they grossly over-price everything. I overheard a guy in a Tulum pueblo market ask the price for a shirt and he was told $300 pesos. As he was digging in his wallet for the money, another tourist came by and asked the price for exactly the same shirt and then haggled on the price, and he walked away with it for $120 pesos. The same EXACT shirt! Negotiate, negotiate. If you don’t, you’re not doing anyone, including yourself, any favors.

I DON'T recommend shopping at the souvenir shops at the entrance to Tulum ruins. They're a major rip off compared to other shops around town, and they don't negotiate so well because they know there's 50,000 people going to Tulum ruins that day, going right past their shops, and they're all potential suckers. Sadly most shoppers are just that- suckers. My wife saw an embroidered purse and was told $400 pesos (that's $40!!). I was only able to negotiate down to $350 pesos before walking away. Later the same day we saw the same exact purse in town and I successfully negotiated it down to $180 pesos ($18).



Performer at Tulum ruins...

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3384.jpg


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http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3386.jpg


Laugh, and I'll send a couple of beefy enforcers to your house...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3432.jpg


In Tulum Pueblo (on Hwy 307), there are dozens and dozens of shops for souvenir hunters. Keep in mind though that 99% of the stuff you buy in any of these resorts will be fake, crudely-made items. Don’t expect authenticity. If anyone tells you you’re buying something authentic Maya, you’re not. If someone tells you they’re selling you whale ivory, they’re not. That’s rare! Also, beware of drug dealers in some of the shops. We walked into a shop with three bored looking characters at the entrance, and one of them followed us inside telling us about having the best price in town, nobody could beat his prices, etc. and soon I realized he wasn’t talking about his tourist-trap merchandise, but about the marijuana he was holding in his hand and trying to peddle on me.

Also in the pueblo, be aware of the electrical post (sadly, one of the lost photos) in the middle of a driving lane! Yes, on a one-way alley along the road in front of the shops there is a full-size electrical post in the middle of the road. How drunk the city employees were when they put it there is a matter of debate, but I vote for “Way above the legal limit”.

[mgsipa]

Tulum, Mexico, Cabanas Copal, April 2007 – Part 8


RUINS: Go to Tulum ruins either in the morning or the late afternoon. Mid-day it's extremely hot and all you'll want to do is jump off the cliff into the ocean below the ruins together with the other 25,000 sweaty tourists. Here's what you should do: Get your butt down to the beach, down the wooden staircase, while trying to avert your eyes from the naked German changing in plain view of the other 24,999 people there. Bad German!
PS// How do I know he was German you ask? He was speaking to another tourist in English saying, “Ich vary hott hear!”

After you get to the beach, elbow your way past the tourist clones, and go left. Your path will look blocked by the cliffs and crashing waves, but don't despair! Time your dash for safety with the surf surging back and forth and go past the cliff and you'll be rewarded with a white-sand lagoon with clear fresh azure blue water, probably only populated by 30 or so people. Ah, Nirvana! By the way, turn around when you’re in the water and look towards the shore, and you’ll be rewarded with the coolest view. Trust me, you’ll want your camera!

Don't venture out too far into the water or you risk attracting the hordes of tourists from the side you just came from, not to mention the <gasp!> German dude! If you venture too far out the other 24,999 people will be able to see you behind the cliff and want to join you.

There's an easier way to get to this lagoon directly from the entrance to Tulum ruins, but the way I mentioned is for those already dying from the heat after having already walked the ruins a while and are already licking their own sweat for liquid nourishment- which by the way is non-existent in the ruins area. Bring your own water or you'll find yourself in dark corners waiting for dumb tourists to knock over the head for their water.


The German tourist is the 16,897th tourist from the bottom and slightly to the left of center:
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3447.jpg


Look to the left of the palm tree... between those large rocks is an extremely secluded, private place to change your clothes, right on the beach! Nobody will ever see you there as you can see!!
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Another photo of the beach at Tulum ruins. Notice there are less tourists now. That's because our German tourist cut a swath between them to the water. He can part the crowd like Moses parted the sea...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3452.jpg


PRIVACY: Privacy at Cabanas Copal is minimal at best. You have to be at least somewhat comfortable with someone else seeing you naked either in the shower or in bed. Nights you sleep naked, because clothes at night are a nightmare. In the morning you wake up to find that the wind has shifted your curtains, and realize that every staff member or guest that might have walked past your windows and happened to look inside (humans are curious creatures) might have seen you naked asleep. The best you can hope for is that you weren't scratching anywhere private or weren't too hot at that moment and spread-eagled.



We brought a few feet of duct tape just in case we had to seal something on the cabana and that kept our curtains in place pretty well. Duct tape: highly recommended for keeping curtains closed, and for taping college Freshmen to walls (so I hear)!!

If you're walking around and anyone looks at you funny and snickers, it means they've probably seen you naked. The same goes for them though, so if they do that, just look at them funny and snicker even if you haven’t really seen them naked. That'll seriously throw them off. What comes around goes around I say. Karma.

As a matter of fact people aren't even shy when it comes to privacy. Here's a good example: My wife and I were sitting by the beachside bar and another couple was two chairs down from us. They'd been there a while, and when they got up to leave the girl's skirt (yes, a fluttering sash tied at the waist) caught the wind and blew upward, revealing that she wasn't wearing any panties beneath the sash. She didn't hurry to pull it back down - when she saw that we'd noticed her 'Britney Spears immitation' she smiled sweetly and pranced away. Sorry guys, no photos of that. As a matter of fact, never mind, I didn't notice anything.



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Some from Azulik:
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3482.jpg


More Azulik:
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3486.jpg


And more Azulik:
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j232/mgsipa/_DSC3495.jpg



ELECTRICITY: Thank God there was none! That was probably my favorite thing about the trip- the lack of television, video games, computer access, email, telephone, etc. We didn't even have a clock with us the whole trip. The morning of our departure we had an 11:45 am flight to catch and a 2 hour drive to Cancun to catch that flight, and when the sun rose I woke up and started to get ready. That was it... no stress. Completely out of touch for a week! That's heaven! If I’d have missed the flight, I would have bought a cabana and stayed.


FINAL CHECKOUT: Here’s a tip: Don’t have your expenses at the hotels billed to your room. I speak from personal experience. The morning of our checkout there was a couple already dealing with the checkout guy and they had a stack of receipts that they were balancing against what the resort had showing as billed to their room. I patiently waited thinking they’d be done soon. Wishful thinking! I got into a short conversation with the wife while the husband was accounting and found that these poor people had charges on there that weren’t even their charges, not to mention that they had to account for each receipt, and they were supposed to be on the same flight as us which was leaving in two and a half hours from Cancun. They suggested I go ahead, and all I did was turn in my key, get a receipt, and was out of there in 3 minutes flat. I hate to say it but I didn’t see them board the plane with us.
So those are our tips for now… we’re heading out again in April 2008, so I’ll write another report then, hopefully with more info.

[heenan]

Lots of info and details. I haven't quite got an understanding of the public amatuer photo shoot myself. We saw a similar but much less explicit shoot on one of our walks in the Sian Kaan. Kind of hard to ignore when you are walking toward it along the beach. But even there where there are so few people, the couple took a break from the shooting when we walked by.

[KTCussen]

Your trip report is AWSOME! We are going to Akumal in April and I sure wish I would have found this site pre booking at ABR. I am sure we will enjoy ABR but that sounds like heaven on earth!

[mgsipa]

Thank you... it WAS a great trip. We're going again in April and believe me we're on pins and needles and just itching to go. It's going to be an even more exciting experience since our brand new US passports aren't scheduled to arrive in our mailbox until four days before departure and two of those four days will be weekend days. Talk about cutting it close!! Good times though!

[boreal j k]

Liking the TR. Enjoying the "in-your-face" style.

[KTCussen]

Mgsipa, We are booked for 3 days at 1 resort and 5 at another. I am thinking of changing our 3 nights to this place. It looks so AWSOME. a couple questions. Is it neccesary to have a rent a car? How far is it from the ruins? And what kind of cash is involved for meals and drinks. We like to drink! We would be staying April 12- 15th. Then moving on to our next resort on the 15th which is all inclusive. But the cost of the cabanna is so cheap. 330 for 3 nights!!! so would another 300 USD be enough for 2 1/4 days here for food and drink? Thats what the other place is costing us. I thank you for any input I want to visit. We have enjoyed C/O beaches in the past and didnt think any existed other then hidden beaches resort. I am so excited to find this info!

[kcaraco]

I registered just to let you know how much I enjoyed your trip report. Great humor!

Cheers,
Kathy

[mgsipa]

Is it neccesary to have a rent a car? How far is it from the ruins? And what kind of cash is involved for meals and drinks. So would another 300 USD be enough for 2 1/4 days here for food and drink?

Awesome... I'm glad you're enjoying it.
Here are the answers to your questions to the best of my knowledge:
A. You don't have to rent a car, especially if you don't plan on leaving the beach often. There are taxis everywhere, bike rentals at almost every resort, you can hitchhike (though you should be careful and I don't recommend it), or you can hook up with other people heading into Tulum pueblo and share the cab fare. Getting to and from the airport is also easy and the resort can arrange that transport for you either with one of their private vans or by calling for a pickup for you. Just ask when you're there. Be prepared to pay around $150 for this type of hotel/airport transfer.

B. The ruins at Tulum are close enough to walk, if you're into walking a few miles. The distance to Hwy 307 depends on where you're staying in the hotel zone, which extends 10km or so into the hotel zone. If you're adventurous, you can walk along the beach all the way to the ruins, but be prepared to do some mild climbing over rocks along the way. We saw many people walking along from the resorts to the ruins, but if you want to get there within 5 to 10 minutes, the best way is to rent a car. There are car rental agencies in Tulum if you just want to rent a car for a day or so.

C. $300 is more than enough for 2 days food and drink. Pricey meals run about $15/person or so, but you can eat at many places in Tulum pueblo for $5/person and sometimes the cheaper food is better all around. Drinks vary from $1.50 to $3 for beer and $4 to $6 for mixed drinks. Be careful what tequila you select for mixed drinks. High end tequila like Patron runs about $20 and more a shot so your mixed drink can end up costing more than expected. The bartenders won't use expensive tequila unless you request it, but it's not cheaper in Mexico.

Have a fun time! Let me know how it went when you get back!! Cheers!!!:eat-drink:

[mgsipa]

I registered just to let you know how much I enjoyed your trip report. Great humor!

Cheers,
Kathy

Kathy... that's really cool of you. Thank you.

[KTCussen]

Great Thank you again for all the info. Now which cabana to request! We want to be beach front. A nice cabana with out breaking the bank. Any suggestions?

[mgsipa]

The Seaview King is nice and it runs around $115 a night. They sit on the cliff above the ocean, have a king size bed, an in-room bathroom, etc.

The best one is the Casita, which is a one of a kind at the resort but costs around $285 a night. The Casita has a tub and a deck and it sits up on a cliff right on the ocean.

[kimba]

Commenting on a few photographs up ...

I love a man in a sarong. Nothing sexier. Maybe a man in a kilt or a skirt is sexier. Nope, you wouldn't get a laugh from me : )

My ex-boyfriend (ex only because he moved back home without me) is South African and he wore sarongs around the house. Maybe I'm used to the look ... but I think guys should wear them more. Especially in a beach or hot environment.

Great trip report by the way. I'm glad to hear positive things about Copal.

[mgsipa]

Thanks Kimberly...
I've been going through your Artist-At-Large pages as well and I like what I see. I like your style of writing. It makes one curious to see how it all turns out. Like your story of the Angel of Ek-Balam- now I have to go see it for myself when we go in April. Especially since you didn't post a photo of it. SOMEBODY has to document it... :)

[kimba]

ah-ah-ah, the first thing about being a good photographer is being observant ; ) There is a photo of the angel on the Ek-Balam page and in my Ek Balam folder on the shutterfly page.

I, on the other hand, need directions to Nohuch Muul : ) If you've read the Coba story ...

I'm glad you like the Yucatan section of the site. I hope to have the opportunity to add a lot more stories and photos by the end of the year!

[mgsipa]

Ah.. you got me. I see it now. I wasn't looking for a Mayan angel with downward-angled wings. I was stuck on the traditional angel look and I thought, "Now that would be something! A religious icon from another culture from before the Mayans had any contact with the other culture".

There are TWO angels in that case though. Or am I still not looking at the right thing? However, I should point out that those "wings" (this is where I wink conspiratorially) look suspiciously like long tail feathers or palm fronds in the Mayan's costume rather than angel wings. :cool::cool::cool:

[kimba]

Don't be a theory pooper : )

Yes there is more than one 'person' with wings on The Acropolis! There is also a person with his head in his lap sitting in the lotus position.

I've been trying to make connections between eastern religions and native Latin American ones. I started thinking about this when I met someone in Merida who made a few design comparisons between things he had seen in Asia and things he had seen in The Yucatan. And when I saw the piece on genetics on NOVA (I think it was NOVA) about all people on the planet being descended from 50 or so people who migrated out of the Kalahari Desert thousands of years ago. I think there is just so much we don't know about past cultures and I wouldn't be surprised if they were more connected than we think.

[Gale in KY]

As a Copal fan, I have to say, BRAVO! for an excellent and honest trip report!

I stopped in this weekend and had a fabulous reflexology treatment with Blanca at Copal. Having stayed here in 2005, I was suprized to see how much the vegetation has returned after the hurricanes, and the changes they have made in the last couple of years.

This is still and always will be my favorite rustic place. Lot's of people talk about the "dark vibe" they get from Copal, but I have always felt more of a sense of peace and tranquility on their property.

On a sad note, right now, the beach is a mess. The seaweed muck that has plagued other areas is now washing in at Copal. I was disheartened to see this, but it's the way of the sea to bring in and and take out. It wasn't stopping anyone from enjoying the beach just yet, but if it continues, it may be a big problem.

Thanks again for a wonderful walk down memory lane for me, and for a great report about my favorite CO facility!

[AdGuy]

Just got around to reading this...nice photos and good info. Copal is one of those "mystery places" to me as I've never stayed/visited there and don't think I'd want to. I really appreciate you pulling back the curtain for a little looksee.

Thanks!

[mgsipa]

I really appreciate you pulling back the curtain for a little looksee.

I like that.... I hope you don't mind if I use this comment in the future..:)

I hope you didn't get the wrong message about Copal though. It really isn't a bad place to stay. In our week there, the only person we somewhat disliked was the Front Counter guy, and even he wasn't really someone I'd seriously complain about. He just seemed very dis-interested, that's all. Very bored. It didn't help that he was constantly on his computer and I always felt like I was interrupting his "playtime". Everyone else was friendly, polite, even... shock of shocks...helpful.

Our room wasn't cleaned after the first night, but after that it was cleaned every day. Not really knowing what Tulum was like yet, we brought along a pricey SLR camera, a digital video camera, a PSP and two iPods, but after the first day we left all that in the room while we went all over that part of the Yucatan for the day. At night we found our room cleaned, and all our expensive items neatly arranged and covered against being seen from the windows.

The only thing that we lost were a pair of Quicksilver sandals my wife had brought from the US. She'd left them outside our cabana door while we went to the beach, and when we came back they were missing. Anyone could have taken them though, so I wouldn't presume to point the finger at anyone local.

The place is rustic as they say, but that's what we like about it. We like the "Lord of the Flies" feel. We were thrilled with the scorpion in the room. We loved not having electricity the whole time there. We loved being lost to the world as much as we were. If anything, we wish we could have been even more lost.

If I were to complain about one thing, it would be this (if you're squeamish stop here):
With three days to go in our vacation, I was walking through the sand back to our room on the beach at Copal, just below the bar. As I was walking, I kicked a hidden metal ring buried in the sand, and felt a sharp pain in my foot, that went beyond just a stubbed toe. I had kicked one of the tie-down eyelets used to secure beach furniture during storms.

When I looked down I saw blood all over my right big toe, and my toenail sticking straight up and away from the rest of the toe. I pushed it down and applied pressure to stop the bleeding and then hobbled back to our room.

I sent Amanda up to the Front Desk for a First Aid kit, but a few minutes later she came back and handed me a band aid... a fu**ng band aid! They had told her that they don't have a First Aid kit at all and the band aid was the best they could do.

So, I drove to the Pueblo, went into the market and got some alcohol and then at the Pharmacy there we found some bandage material and gauze and I performed my own foot surgery. I'd never been to a doctor in Mexico, and I have nothing against them, but I trust my own skills and as long as I'm awake I know I can take care of myself.

This of course wasn't a major injury by any means, but it did put a damper on the remaining three days of our stay. We had planned on more cenotes, more beach time, some jungle trekking in the Sian Ka'an (which sports enormous rattlesnakes by the way, so be careful), and other such activities which out of fear of infection I could no longer do. So we contented ourselves with lazying around the beach for the rest of the time. Oh, the misery!

When we got back home I contacted Cabanas Copal management and explained what happened in hopes that they'd accept some responsibility for the accident. After all, I hadn't done anything beyond walking on the beach. It was supposed to be their responsibility to ensure that their beach was safe to walk on.

To shorten up a long story, after a few weeks worth of back and forth negotiations they refunded my account three days of our seven day stay.

[Gale in KY]

Trust me, you are not the only one to suffer a toe injury and a lost toenail at Copal. Mine was to those pesky rocks that seem to hide in the sand on the pathways...and too a bit too much tequilla at the restaurant bar..lol.

[cobeachgirl]

I love love love your trip report! We are fans of Zahra, Copal, and Azulik; we stay at Zahra. I'm working on my trip report from our recent trip so I hope to post that soon.
Thanks for your honest and at times hilarious take on Copal and that area. I think it is what people need to know when deciding to go there or not.
:)

[dcap]

Great report loved the reviews of Copal. We stayed there in #12 right behind the bar, never saw any bugs though. We plan on going back even though I said I wouldnt. We did like the place, we love the CO beach nothing like some you described a little seclusion is fine for us. We were 2 of about 10 or so who took advantage of it. We will be back this summer.

[John in DC]

Small world on the toenail-losing front. I blew one out in Playa two years ago. My son clobbered me while we we horsing around on 5th, and it was a gory mess. (In the making me feel old department, some young American thing with an AI bracelet and a southern accent walked by while I was repositioning the wayward nail and said, "Wow sir, that looks really gross.") Fortunately, we popped right into the farmacia and got everything necessary to mend and protect it. Unfortunately, this happened on the first night of a 10 day trip. After changing dressings and disinfecting several times a day, I am now a skilled wrapper of wounded toes.

Anyone else have any gruesome wounds to share about?

[Lynnette]

Excellent, funny, detailed report. Your photos are great!! I'm not joking/laughing....love your pareo...did you buy it in Tulum?? I can't wait for your return in April for more!!! :)

[mgsipa]

Excellent, funny, detailed report. Your photos are great!! I'm not joking/laughing....love your pareo...did you buy it in Tulum??

Lynnette, Thank you. I'm really glad you liked it.
Yes, I bought the flowy thing in Tulum (I ripped the first one while having dinner at TrecceLunas, so I went through several). I had read somewhere that people who come to Tulum in business suits leave in loincloths, but I didn't believe it until I got there.

Myself, I came in pants but after three days I was already in "man skirts". A few more days and I probably would have been walking around with only a grape leaf covering the unmentionables.

Both Amanda and I can hardly wait for April 1...:)