akumal, tulum for 3 weeks - help! :)

[mick]

hi- i am going to akulmal and tulum for three weeks, and have a really low budget to work with- id be cool with staying in a really cheap place even if it were just four walls with no floor. i just need to feel safe at night. any suggestions?
thanks so much!
-mmc

[james]

I think that you'll find cheaper accommodations in Tulum than Akumal.

Go to the beach in Tulum and check Playa Papaya, and head south from there.

[c943]

on the beach or in town?

[Jessie James]

We payed about $20 a night in Tulum and am going back this January. We were going to go to Akumal, but heard while we were in Playa that it isn't the cheapest. I might stop and check it out this year just to see the town and see for myself, but Tulum won me over in a big way. We could have payed less than $20 if we stayed at a couple of other spots. It's a 30peso cab ride to the beach from the bus station in town as well.

[TankahIII]

Tulum has a hostel called the Weary Traveler right on the main street (307). I hear they have cool entertainment and salsa lessons, too. We envy your 3 weeks.

[Gale in KY]

Weary Traveler would be a great option, if you don't want to be on the beach, as it is located in Tulum Pueblo, only a couple of miles from the water. We visited there a couple of weeks ago, and it is funky eclectic, reminded me of something I would have loved to have done back in the 70's when I was a teenager..a girl on the bed in the corner with a guitar, lots of board games, books, and music. The guy who runs it was very friendly, talked to him for quite awhile. I would best call it "hippy chic". I know they rent beds, kinda bunkhouse style really reasonable.

Copal, Papaya Playa both have cabanas right on the beach with sand floors, and a shared bath, kind like camping with thier rustic roof over your head, very reasonable. This beachfront is the very best, as it is kinda rocky on both ends, which limits pedestrian traffic so the beach doesn't get real crowded.

There is also Tribal Village, next to Papaya Playa, not sure about their price range, but, it seems to be about the same budget wise.

[fnarf999]

I think Diamante K, also on the beach right where the road from the highway hits it, but a little to the north, is pretty cheap. Papaya is a good budget choice, though.

I don't think you'll find any budget options in Akumal; it's mostly condos, not hotels, and though you can get one by the week it will not be in the budget range. There may be some, though.

Tulum is way cooler than Akumal, anyways. I do recommend you go there, all the way to the end, to snorkel in Yal Ku lagoon. You won't believe your eyes, it's fantastic. Bring a good underwater camera if you have one. The main section of Akumal has a nice but small beach and some decent restaurants, and a terrific art shop, but most of the beach in Akumal is rocky -- better for going under the water than atop the beach. On Tulum beach there isn't much to do, which is perfect -- just the best beach you can imagine, with hardly anyone on it.

You are so lucky to have three weeks! Make sure you get out and about, too -- I strongly recommend the tours at playa.info as well as the Sian Ka'an tours you can arrange at the Weary Traveler in downtown Tulum. I wouldn't stay there personally -- a bit hippieish for my tastes -- but it's a fantastic resource. You can check your email for 5 pesos and hour!