Tulum and Playa trip report

[TnTWalter]

Tulum/Playa Trip May 2008


Wednesday...Our flight leaves at 8:30am from Indy, we connect in Atlanta. No problems. Arrive Cancun 12:41pm [gain an hour during flight]. I'm a little nervous about the bus thing..hoping I can figure it out. First stop the ATM...FYI, it only allows $1500 pesos, not 3000 here so keep that in mind. I know to leave airport and turn right. No one is hounding us but I can see how it would be overwhelming if you didn't know about it.

On way out I see an ADO booth and buy our tickets there. Easy. We walk right out and jump right on and think 'awesome' no wait. He pulls out...Woo Hoo...but the bus driver then proceeds to drive to the next terminal and sit and wait for 20 minutes there. LOL. At least we're on.

Arrive in Playa 45 or so minutes later. Nice A/C and movie in Spanish. We exit the bus in the PDC bus station, so no walking required to another bus station. Sweet. We walk right up to the counter to buy tickets to Tulum. She says 2nd class only and leaves in one hour! Ugh. But only 22 pesos each. Alright y then. So we walk out with our luggage [luckily we travel light] and find a cute little restaurant having happy hour. Some guacamole and cervezas and a view of the ocean and we're happy. This is nice.





We head back with 20 minutes to spare and they are boarding...hop right on. OK there's minimal A/C on this bus....not bad at first but towards the end...a little steamy. But we arrive in Tulum sometime after 4pm. We are too tired to think straight and don't get more money here [duh] and just grab a cab and head to La Luna for $6.

We pull up to La Luna and Free and Luce come right out to welcome us and take us to our room. He says 'You are in Marrakech, right?' I say 'No I booked Columbus'. He is confused but says 'No you're in Marrakech, I've put someone else in Columbus'. OK. I know this is a bigger unit so it's all good. Wow. Nice upgrade. We're in a 2nd story with 2 beds and a large balcony overlooking the ocean. Pretty! Thanks. I can't believe I'm finally here. This trip seemed to take forever to arrive and I did so much research beforehand that I felt like I had been here before. LOL.





Let me make observations about La Luna. The most private unit is Marrakech. I am thankful we got this unit. You walk right by Casablanca and Columbus to and from the beach. So if you're in the units hanging out on your little deck, or sleeping with the door open [which we did every night or else it was hot], not very private, but could be fun and social. Captain Dale's is self contained and off to the side so that would also be nice and private plus it is most directly in front of the ocean. All units are very nice.

About the vibe that beachreader talked about...hanging out, fire pit, guitar, etc. was just not there. There were a few kids around the kitchen area but always on the laptops during the day. Luce and Free were nice but in no way bent over backwards to meet any needs, etc. as Rene was praised for on Tripadvisor, etc. It's a nice quiet private place but not sure if it has that vibe it once did. We picked it for the accomodations, location and amenities [electricity was key for us].

I would absolutely stay there again but in Marrakech or Captn Dale's BUT for the price I might stay elsewhere. It was a nice location in the middle of things.....I liked the walk to and from places. Nice beach area. The beach beds were comfy. Some more shade umbrellas might be nice. It was great charging my camera battery in the room and having lights whenever you needed.

I pre-planned for Free to fill our cooler with a 6 pack of Sol Light and Modela...there's also a plate with sliced up limes. Nice touch, BUT they only add ice once even though we ask every day and it cost us $39...FYI for others...buy beer & ice in Pueblo on your own. LOL].

Back to trip...

OK...I knew it was windy. I had seen videos and read about it. It really is WINDY. I suppose BREEZY might be a better choice because it was just a constant breeze that kept the temperature wonderful. It is amazing how hot it is just across the street. It's funny when people said 'jungle side and ocean side' I thought there was more of a distance. But it's right across the dirt road. No breeze there. LOL.

Onto more important matters....the beach, the beautiful beach. Nice and wide. Great for walking. We walked and walked and walked. I recognized so many places on our walks, it was great fun. We walked North to Posada Margherita to make reservations for that evening. I would not have found this place if not for the board. It's tucked on the side of a rather large out of place building [especially at night it's so bright] but when you turn round the bend, there's this cute little hopping place.



We finished our walk and enjoyed our large balcony with some cervezas [they were cold this first day]. Nice.


More of our deck..it was great!



Off to dinner...no shoes just walk on the beach. I notice the tattoos on our waiter and ask if he had been kite boarding that day. He was. We had enjoyed watching him earlier in the day. Looks like fun. DH was drooling. He would love to try this. He sat at our table and told us the menu and then took our order. Cool. Place is medium busy [8:30 pm] and neat mix of folks.

I cannot find pics from PM...here is our waiter kite boarding though.


The appetizer plate arrives and is so good. My wine was a tad too warm and not generous but good. Food was very good. I had fish bathed in sea salt. Yum-O and DH had pasta in marina. It was good but my fish was better. I believe it was about $70 + tip.


Walk home on the beach. Wow. It's so dark and look at the stars!! Oh, the stars. We camp often during the summer and have seen our share of nice starry skies... but this sky blows that away. You can see so many of the dim stars that you never get to see. This is lovely. Off to enjoy our private balcony and snooze to the waves crashing.



We leave the door open to the bedroom off the deck. It is a lovely breeze. The waves crashing all night sound heavenly. I toss and turn all night however. Never a good sleeper.


More pictures of our room Marrakech


to be continued

[TnTWalter]

Thursday....Hubby is ready for the day around 6:30 am...I know...I just can't help it...and there's so much to do and see....come on honey get up! LOL.


We were planning on doing the ruins and North beach today. But in our haste to get to La Luna, we didn't hit the ATM in the pueblo. Ugh. So we decide to rent bikes and go from there.

I had thought La Luna rented bikes but they sent us to Posada Escondida to get them. We walked along the beach as far as we could but had to go up and across a little bridge to get to Zamas for breakfast. OK. This place does have a nice view but it was just OK. And service was really 'just OK', even on Mexican time. Not worth the hike, but the food is good, coffee is good.






We find the bike rental place just north, grab bikes for $8 each, they require ID or passport to keep while you take bikes. And decide to take the bike path to the Pueblo for money. Sadly we had taken the snorkels out at La Luna or else I would have suggested Gran cenote. Another time perhaps. When we arrive to HSBC, there's something going on at a school. We sit and watch a ceremony of sorts. Neat. I find a few kids to give my bouncy balls to. Tim is able to get $3000 pesos at HSBC. Yes!




Now it's close to 10:30 and we don't want to hit the ruins. So we decide to just hit the north beach. We ride up to Zazil Kin and lock our bikes to a tree. Not open and not a soul around.....walk south to El Paraiso. Lots going on here. The beach up here is STUNNING and so much calmer than south. Interesting. We buy a beer and Margarita for $9. Yikes. We walk and walk and walk and head back towards Zazil Kin and it's now open and there are people around. We grab 2 beers and a water $6.50. Woo Hoo. Plop down in comfy wood chairs and hang for a while. Feels great. It's about 1:30 and we're getting hungry. As we leave, a nice gentleman offers to take our picture and comments on making sure we keep this feeling 12 years from now...I think he thinks we're newlyweds which is sweet. Nice pictures too. Thanks!




We hop back on our bikes and head South to Mayan Grill. We are the only people there at 1:45 and ask if they're open. Yes! Very pretty view. We split fish tacos, chips and salsa and have some beer. DE-LICIOUS. Mm good. DH is liking the message board! Nice. 160 pesos + tip.


Now on our ride up we had seen a sign on Mezzanine 2 for 1 margaritas 1-4 pm....so of course we have to stop along the way....only have 1 margarita because we have to somehow ride the bikes back! They hit the spot and it's a really cool place.



We carefully ride back to La Luna for a much earned siesta and long walk along beach. LOL. Life is good.



Dinner tonight finds me wanting to head south. We decide to just wander the beach. I have places in my head but we just want to walk and see what we discover... although you can't actually see the sun set, the sky is beautiful. I eye some places that look nice for a future stay. I remember BR's review of OM and OCHO and we settle on OM. Looks like a great setting. It's now dark. We get a corner table and it doesn't have the plastic wind protection so we enjoy a lovely view. And I have my first Tulumian Sangria. Love it. The lime juice with fruit sweetened wine floating above it. Unique. Refreshing. The bread comes. Wow is that good. Mm. Mm. We each had a good salad. The entrees were good, I thought mine looked prettier than it tasted. But it was good. Such a lovely dark romantic restaurant. The menu is in Spanish so it made it a little difficult but we managed. $70 US + tip.



OK so I remember it's Thursday and I say 'let's go to Zamas to meet up with the board and see the band.' We arrive at 10:30 thinking things are just starting [didn't remember Margo's post] and the band is leaving....sigh...looked like fun. So we spent $4 to get up here...let's see what's up at Luna Maya...band is also gone from here. What a cool setting this place is...we sit and have a drink and watch a really drunk gentleman dirty dance for his amused lady. Then $4 back to La Luna for bed.


Note about North vs. South areas. South area is very quiet and limited taxis, etc. When we pulled up into the North area it was booming with people milling about and taxis everywhere. Crazy. So we were surprised when things were over so early.



to be continued...

[TnTWalter]

Friday...our last day in Tulum [already? I know]....last night was a little harder to sleep because the wind was blowing so much our sheets were flapping all night. LOL. But if you closed the door, it got hot quick. [I wish La Luna's screens went all the way up the window. They only are screened on the bottom half [w/shutters]. Top half is glass or plastic.]


DH is snoozing away and I'm restless....long power walk to enjoy God's handiwork. Grateful to be here enjoying it. My skin feels so good here too. I even forgot my brush but my hair is wavy not frizzy. Awesome.



Back to wake up my honey. Now we have to do the ruins today since we missed them yesterday. So we head up the beach road hoping to grab a taxi. It takes a few minutes but one does show up. $4 to ruins.


Our taxi driver must have been determined to get us there at opening because he FLIES us there, ignoring the lovely homemade rope topes along the way. We bounce up and down and enjoy the free entertainment that comes with the ride. And we arrive right after opening. Just a few others are with us.



I'm really glad we did this, it was 48 pesos each I believe.. It's really pretty and the structures were actually cool to see. Tim was my guide reading me the information on the signs. The little beach area was pretty...for some reason I thought it lead to the North beach area we were the day before...Tim said well then why would you pay? LOL. Never dawned on me that we couldn't walk down the stairs to the beach...LOL.



Anyway, it's quite warm but not too warm yet and we leave through the side entrance in the wall about 45 minutes later. It's just past nine as we're walking towards the first entrance. We see many tour groups heading in and are thrilled to be done. We pat ourselves on the back for actually getting this one right. LOL.


We met a couple on our flight home who were there 20 years ago and were able to walk through the buildings and climb on them...how cool is that?


Off to Don Cafetos for breakfast. We just walked there from the beach road, easy walk. I convince Tim to try the Huevos Motulenos. I have another yogurt granola fruit mixture and coffee. Coffee is very good here. Nice crema. Tim loves the HM and now he really loves the board. He's a happy camper. Nice breakfast.



We swim in the calm water for a while but decide that we need to spend time on our beach so we find a cab and head back to La Luna. We wander up and down the beach swimming here and there. Our hunger takes us to La Zebra for some food and drink. I have a Mojito here because I know about the sugar cane press. It is SOOO yummy. I am one happy girl. We find out later that Doug, Margo and Scott and his wife are there the same time. We never see them. We're out on the deck and they're in the bar area. Boo Hoo.

North Beach Area


We do meet and hang out with Rick and Alex from London. Great guys! Fish tacos here are also yummy [Mayan Grill wins though] and I think Tim ordered some quesadillas which he loved. After a couple hours it's time for us to head out...Rick and Alex were in Cancun and ran out of there and ended in Playa which they enjoyed. They hired a car for the day and found there way to Tulum on accident and were thrilled. They were asking about cheap accommodations on beach and I suggested Cabanas Tulum. Anyway, we had a nice chat about life, politics and love...pretty much all the good topics necessary to discuss when one has consumed Mojitos, Margaritas and cervezas. Great fun!




We take a quick cab ride to the pueblo to call home and get more cash. $2 for 10 minutes! It is really hot in town without the breeze. Have to pop into Charlies before heading back to the beach. $2.50 for a beer. Tim is happy. Back to La Luna.



We decide to lay on the beach beds in front of La Luna. Comfy. I've brought a nice beach music playlist for the ipod and found a great little portable stereo for it so we set it up quietly so we can enjoy but not disturb others. [We had it at La Z also and it was a hit with our waiter and the English boys.]



Nice and relaxing. Time for a long siesta. Sadly we've never gotten the other guests at La Luna to engage in conversation. We saw them every day but they just weren't into making friends I guess. Oh well...as Sonny and Cher said so eloquently 'I got you babe'.....and tonight is Hechizo.

OK why I booked 6:30 is beyond me when I originally had 7:30. I was thinking we could see a sunset and wanted to be there for it or I don't know...but to help those planning a visit, 7:30 would be fine. Still light to arrive and 2 hours later you still have time to do something else; hit La Z, whatever.

So my brilliant husband suggests a nice stroll along the beach....sounds nice right? Sure ... but we leave just before 6 for 6:30 reservation, I'm actually wearing eye shadow [crazy I know] and have made an effort in my appearance......and now we're rushing on the beach in a lovely outfit and makeup.....And it's HOT.....


We are bickering and I am getting nervous that we may not find it from the beach but sure enough there's a sign ON the beach.



Yippee!....but our feet are covered in sand and we're sweaty. Stefan is gracious and says we're on the beach, no worries....it's a wonderful meal. The setting is beautiful. The service is great. The food is very good.

After I go and towel off in the bathroom and try to recover....I join my hubby, take a deep breath and enjoy the evening.






I loved my watermelon and goat cheese, Tim loved his portabella. He ordered Mahi Mahi and really enjoyed it. I for some reason ordered the Tuna...I'm not a huge fan of Tuna and it is really raw...sigh. I make up for it with the chocolate sin on a plate. OH my soooo good. It is gooey on inside and comes with coconut ice cream. Tim has some pecan bread with a different ice cream that he enjoys. And the cappuccino is outstanding. Fabulous foam. So 2 drinks, 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, 2 desserts + 1 coffee. $110 + tip. Not bad at all! Good thing we're walking home! Geez.


As we're preparing to leave 2 hours later, I ask Stefan if a Doug or Margo are here and he points. They came in at 7:30 but were seated around the wide corner from us. We stop and chit chat with them. They are exactly how I pictured them. Doug is really cool with wild hair and Margo is lovely and carefree. They're fun. We take a picture and then we say goodbye. They said we missed a good time at Zamas, which we tried and failed to do, and we find out they were at La Z earlier that day also. I can't believe we didn't see them. Another bummer. None of us are sure if we're up for Mezzanine disco. Knowing them, they probably found a way.



We stroll along the beach back home in the dark. Lovely. It is a nice walk when you can be leisurely. So we really did plan on going to Mezzanine but the meal was so filling and our porch seemed so welcoming that we instead opt to share some warm cervezas and talk and talk...with 3 kids it's nice to talk to each other. LOL.

[TnTWalter]

Saturday.....so I had been trying to figure out how we were getting to Playa on this day with our luggage and my desire to stop in Akumal....someone on the playa board [Babaloo] was volunteered to take us. How cool. Now my hubby doesn't get the board thing so he's a little unsure about it all...but he's met Doug and Margo and they were cool and he's enjoying everything so far, so he's up for it.

But first...breakfast...we wander south on beach road to Nueva Vida. Very nice breakfast.



Tim's 2nd Huevos Motulenos...he said this would have been his favorite if it had toast to dip....


We've checked out the day before so we have no worries today. Rick is picking us up at 9:30. He arrives shortly after having a hard time finding La Luna since there's no sign just a 'moon' at the entrance. We meet and greet and pack up the car and leave....bye bye Tulum.



Fist stop is Dos Ojos. We've read that you only have to pay $10 but you need a dive light....sadly only way to get a dive light [smart on their part] is to do the tour for $30 each. What the heck....we go for it. It is really really cool. I'm very glad to have done it. The water is refreshing. We can see the scuba divers down below the surface going through the tunnels. That would so freak me out. There is one narrow passage that we swim through where you need to watch your head but it's not as long or narrow as I fear. Really neat. Then we're in the bat cave and you can see the bats on the ceiling. But it's really high and there's light streaming down so it's not creepy at all. We are in the first eye and bat cave a little more than an hour and then hit the smaller eye. But there's not much here...a lot of scuba folks heading in. Overall we'd recommend it! If you have a dive light, even better deal.

The underwater camera was awful...but this one ok. Shows the open cenote at Dos Ojos.


Now we head to Akumal....it's a strange little area....like a designed community. The beach is really nice but more crowded than Tulum. Someone comes right up to Rick and it's Scott [sctx]. I told him I saw pics of him w/Doug and Margo and that we were at La Z yesterday too. Nice guy. Well my man Rick has set us up! We have a cooler full of beer and he's made homemade guacamole and salsa which are delicious. And now he grabs some fresh mangoes he had in the car and slices them up so we can just munch away. Really really good. We love mangoes and have them all the time, but what we get in Indiana the skins are reddish green, these are orange....these blow them away. Thanks Rick!


left to right Scott [sctx] and Rick [Babaloo]



I am determined to swim with a turtle...that's why Akumal is on my list....so Tim and I head out. Rick goes to sit with Scott and the gang. We swim and swim and swim....NOTHING. Boo hoo. I'm tired of swimming by now and my ears are still ringing from diving down to rescue on of the dive lights when it was dropped. So we give up and plop on the beach for a while.....



I can't believe it's already after 1. We've filled up on the delicious food from Rick and decide we're going to go for one more stop....I was just settling in for my nap but the boys are getting twitchy so off we go.....I had planned Yal-ku but Rick and Tim think an open cenote, Azul will be nice. Off we go. It's very crowded, it's mother's day in Mexico so lots of locals. It's fun and refreshing. We spend about 30 minutes or so there and we're off....one last stop Sam's club. Rick says the ATM rate is good there and he loves Sam's club. LOL.

More bad pics with underwater disposable....but this one shows the cool color of Azul.


We get our money and it's drop off time at La Tortuga! Thanks Rick! You Rock! He heads to the peep fest at Bad Boys on the beach and we're planning on meeting up in a bit. We check in and go to our room. I have to say that I'm a little disappointed. I had seen the revamped rooms on the web and we received an older one. It's nice just not as nice as I hoped. Tim was impressed and not disappointed at all [no expectations]. And the AC was blasting which made Timmy happy. The bed was huge [King] and sooooo soft. And the shower had filtered water....life is good. We were 2nd floor overlooking the really cool pool. Let's swim....



Nice and refreshing and a bar right there. Yes. We swim for a while and hang out. Ahhhh...it's like having 2 different vacations.

So we're now starving and it's around 7. I have aspirin to give to the peep fest and want to say hi to people....we arrive and man is it crowded. I look at Tim and say 'let's just go to dinner.' He's fine with that....I later wish we had been brave and stopped but it was packed, I couldn't hear and we were starving....oh well...another missed social opportunity. When did I become so antisocial? LOL.

This is as close to Bad Boys peep fest as I get...pretty sad, eh? LOL.


Other beach shots.



El Fogon is an easy walk...everything in Playa is so close together. We are the only gringos there. The menu is entirely in Spanish [obviously] and we have no idea what to get....we order some beers and do our best to decipher...I can figure out special [those are always good] and pollo [chicken] so I point to that and DH knows fajitas so he picks that....we had so much fun. People were very warm and even though we were out of place, they mostly found us amusing. A gentleman was floating around the outside playing a guitar. He was pretty good. When he left, I ran after him to give him a tip and say thank you. He was so charming. This was one of our favorite meals and so cheap!




We roam 5th street. I cannot believe how crowded and lively the street is, such a different atmosphere. But it's fun. The shop keepers are friendly and there are just people roaming around. We stop at Haagen Dazs for tiramisu ice cream. It is really really good. We sit and enjoy and watch people go by. Off to bed...it was our earliest night yet! LOL.
My night shots aren't very good.

My youngest liked this one

[TnTWalter]

Sunday...We slept like rocks. Fantastic! It's our last day of vacation. We have Selvatica today. Tim really wanted to do this and I lovingly booked it. LOL. Breakfast is included at La Tortuga and was quite good. You could order whatever you want and coffee or juice. I had my standard fruit yogurt granola and coffee. DH had Huevos Motulenos again. This time it came with mashed potatoes and the eggs were over easy not sunnyside up. He also enjoyed it.



We went to Gran Porto Real to be picked up. It's a short walk from La Tortuga and another beautiful day!

Already on board was a lovely family from Dallas. Kevin Bacon [not the actor! LOL], his wife and daughter. So nice. We stopped 1 more time but they were a no show. Kevin said they had 2 other stops with no shows. We were glad for that. When we got there I'm thinking cool only 5 of us....no there's another group of close to 10.....so 15 total. We get strapped in and get ready to go. There are 11 or 12 zips. 1 or 2 are really short and not very exciting. The rest are pretty good and the last one is super fun. The guides are fun, the group is all adults and nice but we do spend a lot of time waiting for our turn on these ladders. Not bad but not the best. I had originally booked the early morning [starts at 9] and she called to make sure I didn't want midmorning because that's what most people want and I assured her that was the reason we picked early morning. Well we had a message at check in that we were not going to be picked up until 9am instead of the original 7:30am; so they put us on the 10:30 [midmorning] one anyway. I was a little annoyed and wish we had our own way there because I bet it would have just been us at 9am. LOL.

So then we get on bikes for a 1.5 mile ride through the jungle to a cenote. The ride was fine, we were towards the back so it was slow going. The cenote was nothing special but very refreshing and you could zip into it which was cool. We were only there about 20 minutes because most of our group wanted to leave...sigh....then we rode back...we were towards the front and it was better....

No pics of the zip lines because you weren't supposed to bring your camera as they took pictures and videos that you could buy.
Here's us in our gear though.



Here's the cenote. It's not as pretty as the ones we were at yesterday but it's refreshing and the zip into it is fun!



Time for lunch. It was pretty good. Chicken and veggies & chips & guacamole. Tortillas would be nice. You could buy beer which was great. Then off to home.



Now we were last pick up and we were so excited to be dropped off first....nope he takes the Bacons all the way to their resort in Playacar [20 minutes extra time...grr]. I'm a little irritated but smart Tim asks him to take us directly to La Tortuga which he does.....it's after 2 when we get back....there goes beach time.


La Tortuga interior

I've had enough of this tour thing so Tim sends me to the pool while he goes to front desk [don't remember what for]...smart man....I grab a Mojito and jump in to cool off. Much better.....it's so nice here. Let's just stay and enjoy the resort for a while and then go to beach.

left camera in room sadly.

We end up chatting with a great family from Corona, CA. Randy & Sylvia and their kids Lisa & Steven and their friends that I can't remember their names. They've been to Playa and La Tortuga 3 times and love it. We stay through happy hour...mm. And it's now almost 7. So much for the beach. But this was great fun. I grab the restaurant list that I printed from playa board and Randy is very excited. He reads through it a little and is excited when the reviews seem to match his on the places he's been. We say our goodbyes to the nice family and head to our room to shower and think about dinner....

Tim really wants Mexican and we settle on Yaxche, for Mayan food. What an adorable place. They lead us back to the garden. Charming. I am served a generous glass of not too warm red wine. I'm liking this. We have fantastic meals. And the best part....a whopping $43 + tip! Wow. That was nice! I'm itching for some more tiramisu ice cream. So off we go. I do some window shopping along the way...for some reason I'm not realizing I really should be shopping as we leave early tomorrow. Another duh moment. I wish I had bought those bracelets and those gifts....more ice cream and people watching. It is such a neat place. Off to bed.


Doesn't look appetizing but tastes wonderful!


Observations about La Tortuga. It really is a nice oasis in the middle of it all and it's not far at all from the beach. I have no idea the distance to the clubs that they give tickets for but the beach is a hop skip and a jump. We were walking distance to everything. The grounds are beautiful and they keep them very clean. The pool is refreshing and the hot tub is nice. Tim thought it was too hot so I only sat in it once by myself but then was too lonely. LOL.


Our room was small but bed was soft and the little deck was nice. I did hear construction noise Monday morning but only from my porch and I was up reading. I never heard disco music at night. We kept the fan on the A/C running.


The staff is very nice and helpful. The included breakfast was a nice touch and it was yummy and not typical included breakfast of cold pastries and cereal. There was one lady that worked front desk I believe on Sunday who never even bothered to look up at you when you walked by or if she walked by you in the hall at the hotel. We just found it odd.

More shots of Playa







Monday morning....is it really time to leave? After another yummy breakfast at La Tortuga we head out. We checked the bus station last night to figure out when we could leave...there's a 10am that will get us there at 11am....a little early but don't want to wait and be late...we look into renting a taxi but I'd rather lounge on the bus and save the $30 difference...so all this time La Tortuga has FREE internet...do you think we remembered to check in online? NOPE.



I shop quickly while waiting for the bus but run out of time. At least kids got things.



Now we still have to check-in thanks to our beer drenched brains....so upon arrival at the airport we have to wait in a very very LONG line to check in and we have no luggage to check. That was annoying...this is the way the rest of the way home goes for us....ending with us getting home with the kids after 11pm in Indy. Welcome home. LOL. Reality hits!

More random shots of Tulum.....



It was a wonderful vacation! Thanks for reading along.

Adios!

[Solbound]

Sounds like you had a very exciting trip. Any pics?

[TnTWalter]

I'm adding pictures as I go and it's going SLOW...so check back tomorrow...should have pics up to go with the tale.

[Margoinmexico]

Great report! Nice to meet you, too bad we didn't get to visit much....lots of near misses! Looking forward to your pictures!

[minniemex]

Enjoyed your report!! I agree with you about how wonderful the weather down there makes your skin feel... so hydrated and healthy!! Moisturizer does not do what Tulum does for the skin!!

[think]

Thanks for the report

I hadn't heard about the 1500/3000 peso thing. Which ATM only gave 1500, was it at the airport? I wonder if I could use my debit card to get 1500/3000 and my wife use hers to get another 1500/3000? (They are linked to the same account, but different card numbers.)

[PhyllisB]

Wow, I can't believe how much stuff you packed into a short trip! You really hit everything! Looks like a good time was had by all!

It amazes me too how different the north & south beach areas are. It's kinda nice that there's a little of everything, so when you want to be social you can, but when you want to get away from everything you can too!

Thanks for the report!

[TnTWalter]

Think...yes it was the airport that only gave 1500. It wouldn't be a problem because there's a bank close to the bus stop and there are cabs right there too in the pueblo so you can grab 3000 there. I would think the limit is for the account but worth a try to use both cards. You could also pop out and get money in PDC...we just weren't thinking...we did have an hour to wait for the bus there...we spent it drinking. LOL.

Phyllis...we loved mixing the adventure and beach. It was great fun and still really relaxing at the same time. And we loved the contrast from North to South also although South is so very large there's almost a Middle now and a South....

It was really a nice visit and we enjoyed having a couple nights in Playa as well. That town is what you make of it. We are not partiers and did not party while there. We loved all the hustle and bustle of people on the quaint streets at 11pm and the food was cheap and good. That felt like vacation part 2.

Thanks for reading everyone.

I'm figuring out how much it all cost tonight. I'm guessing I'll be right around $2500 with everything included [air, tips, park ride & fly, hotel, food, drinks, excursions, souveniers, etc.]. Not bad for 6 days of fun in the sun.

[Linda S.]

Great report- your food pics are fabulous!

[FITZ]

Sounds like you enjoyed a bit of everything! That was fun. Thanks for taking the time to share.

[Helly]

Thank you so much for this report! We're going to be at La Luna (Captain Dales) for 8 days starting May 24. Sorry to hear about the lack of bikes since we won't have a car, but all the info you provided is really MUCH appreciated!!! (And, P.S., I grew up in Indianapolis so nice to see a fellow Hoosier here on the board!)

[TnTWalter]

Helly you're going to LOVE Captn Dale's. And it's not a bad walk to get the bikes. It's part of the adventure!



GO COLTS! You should see the new stadium!

[Lynnette]

Love your report....great photos. You did more than we've done in the last 4 years visiting the area!! Thanks for sharing with us!!!

[Helly]

Thanks, Trish! You know, it's been so long since I lived in Indy that there were no Colts THERE back then (gasp!). But you can take the girl out of Hoosierland, but you can't take the Hoosier out of the girl!!

[dcap]

Great Job on the report. We also stayed at La Tortuga in on of their swim uo rooms and really loved the place.

Dave

[Gale in KY]

Amazing report Trish! I felt like I was back there again!