Mexico anyone?

[Jim Robeson]

I had asked you all for some ideas awhile back on where to go on our 20th wedding anniversary...and some great ideas you had. We decided to keep it simple and close and go to Cancun area...Playa del Carmen area. We are staying at The Royal, first time there for us and was wondering if any of you have been in that area before and any recommendations on what to do or not to do. We are set to go in at the end of February and will be there the following week. Looks nice.

http://www.realresorts.com/The-Royal-Playa-Carmen/Galleries/Photos/

 

[Bruce]

Drugs, gangs, ransom, extortion, prison for one round of ammo, Peggy Hill smuggling drugs, headless college students, avocado and lime cartels?

I vote for Bimini, even if you can't take your boat!

 

[Jim Robeson]

Well, that sounds like my kind of place! Sorry, I don't know who Peggy Hill is but she sounds like fun??

 

[BigN8]

Get a cab or shuttle to Akumal. While there you can snorkel with the tortuga in the bay. Really cool. Then eat lunch at one of the little resturaunts. It's a good half day or full day adventure.

We also went horseback riding a few times on the beach at a little place that is just south of Playa. Maybe 10 minutes. Don't know if it's still there but it was a great adventure.

There are also a lot of places that will take you snorkeling in the cenotes. Some are good some are bad. You need to just do a little research. Be warned though the water is cold.

Another good stop would be Puerto Aventuras. It's about 15 minutes South of Playa. Plan a night to go down there and eat at one if the places that sits next to the dolphin pens. There will beive music at a few of the places. That is our spot! We have stayed in the condos at Puerto A for roughly 8 years off and on.

Will you be renting a car??

 

[Bruce]

I don't know who Peggy Hill is but she sounds like fun??

This is the incident I was referring to http://kingofthehill.wikia.com/wiki/Death_and_Texas

But you can learn from this one as well

 

[Jim Robeson]

@BigN8 ... hadn't planned to since my understanding is that there is a lot within walking distance from our resort. But it doesn't mean we couldn't for a day trip or two. Thanks for info on places to go, always helpful to get inside info!!

@Bruce ... never even dawned on me about the cartoon. I looked up Peggy Hill on the web just after you posted and expected to see something about someone smuggling drugs across the border. Had to smile when I saw what you meant!!

 

[txav8r]

@Jim Robeson , get a tour to do the xenotes. They were
Underground rivers that have eroded. You float them, swim them, kayak them, and even zip line them! Clara
And I did this and thoroughly enjoyed the day. Note...she is not high adventure and she enjoyed this too. They will hit 4 Or 5 different ones. We enjoyed just hanging out at the Riu Palace and didn't venture too far except for the xenotes. we are both divers and snorkling around cancun is just tame, so I wouldn't waist the time on it. Now if you want to go diving, head to Cozumel. We enjoyed the upscale restaurant and a quiet little bar outside and also the evening shows for a little while.

 

[txav8r]

Also Jim, when are you guys going? PM me, we are going next month possibly.

 

[Woodchuck]

We were just at Cozumel on a cruise and took an excursion over to the mainland at Playa del Carmen/Tulum Mayan ruins. I didn't feel unsafe. The guide made sure to tell us to spread the word that the area is safe and send our friends and family. Of course I would say the same thing if tourism was my source of income.

 

[BigN8]

If your a diver just go 15 minutes south to Puerto Aventuras. Great dive shop there called Aquanauts. There are some excellent reefs to dive within a 10 min boat ride from the marina. The night dives are great as well but you need to call and put your name on a list. They won't go out without at least 4 divers.

 

[Jim Robeson]

Neither of us have our diving certificates but have done plenty of resort dives. Some of the best diving we have done was on the Great Barrier Reef, that was awesome but I have seen better color in the Tortola area and Kauai. Thanks for the heads up on things to do and not feeling unsafe. That will be important to my wife.

 

[Andy S]

I had asked you all for some ideas awhile back on where to go on our 20th wedding anniversary...and some great ideas you had. We decided to keep it simple and close and go to Cancun area...Playa del Carmen area. We are staying at The Royal, first time there for us and was wondering if any of you have been in that area before and any recommendations on what to do or not to do. We are set to go in at the end of February and will be there the following week. Looks nice.

http://www.realresorts.com/The-Royal-Playa-Carmen/Galleries/Photos/

In April of 2014 we went to the Royal with friends of our that are Platinum members of the Royal. The resort is outstanding, they made us feel like we were Royalty. The Royal is in the heart of Playa del Carmen which makes everything within easy walking distance. Never once did we feel unsafe, actually saw more police presence than anywhere else I have ever been. You will have to take a day to go to Cozumel, there is a ferry that runs between Playa and Cozumel. Once in Cozumel rent a scooter and ride around the south and east shore of the island. There is a some neat little places to stop along the road, again never felt any danger. At the resort there is someone to setup excursions which we used for a trip to the Mayan ruins Chichen Itza which was amazing. On the way back from Chichen Itza the tour bus stopped at a cenote (natural pit, or sinkhole resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath) that we were able to swim in, very refreshing. You will have a great time.

 

[Jim Robeson]

@andy07sx230ho ... thanks for that feed back!! I'm hoping to take the trip across to Cozumel but was worried about the ride over. My wife doesn't do well with rocky rides on big bodies of water. How long is the ride across and is it usually fairly calm or just depends?? Me, I have no problem with any of that so it really doesn't bother me. Also, did you ever find a need to rent a car and if so, was it fairly easy to get around?? Thanks again for the info!!
Love this forum!!

 

[Andy S]

@andy07sx230ho ... thanks for that feed back!! I'm hoping to take the trip across to Cozumel but was worried about the ride over. My wife doesn't do well with rocky rides on big bodies of water. How long is the ride across and is it usually fairly calm or just depends?? Me, I have no problem with any of that so it really doesn't bother me. Also, did you ever find a need to rent a car and if so, was it fairly easy to get around?? Thanks again for the info!!
Love this forum!!

Jim, the ferry is about 80' long and has inside and outside seating for probably 100 to 200 people and takes about 45 minutes to cross, http://www.playadelcarmentours.com/ferry-schedules.htm. When we went across is was a smooth ride, in our Yamaha boats it might have been a little rough but in the big ferry it was smooth. From the Royal the ferry is about a 10 minute walk south, we walked through the market street which is 1 block west of the Royal. As for renting a car, we never found the need but that was us. Our friends arranged for the Royal to have a shuttle pick us up and take us to the Cancun airport, I think it was about $60 per couple each way, we added a $20 tip each way. We spent 7 days at the Royal of those we spent one day in Cozumel, one day at Chichen Itza, and the rest lounging around the resort and walking the market street.

One thing we found unique but nice is that the fancy restaurants at the resort wanted the men to wear long pants and button down shirt and the women to wear a dress, skirt, or pants again no shorts otherwise nice shorts for either men or woman was acceptable at the other onsite restaurants.

 

[Jim Robeson]

@andy07sx230ho ... thank you! I had read the dress code from the on-line site and noticed the long pants things. No big deal, I can always pack one pair for a nice dinner. I also heard that reservations were the way to go if you wanted to eat in the nicer restaurants. Thanks for the tips about the ferry, I'm sure she'll be just fine going across, I'll just try and pick a good day for that.

We have a shuttle already lined up for the trip to and from the airport, so we hadn't planned on renting a car. I like the idea that the resort is so close to market area as my wife is one of those gals that like to shop. Me, give me a ice cold beverage and a view and I'm good to go.

Thanks again for the insight on where to go and what to do.

 

[Woodchuck]

@andy07sx230ho ... thanks for that feed back!! I'm hoping to take the trip across to Cozumel but was worried about the ride over. My wife doesn't do well with rocky rides on big bodies of water. How long is the ride across and is it usually fairly calm or just depends?? Me, I have no problem with any of that so it really doesn't bother me. Also, did you ever find a need to rent a car and if so, was it fairly easy to get around?? Thanks again for the info!!
Love this forum!!

Jim, Here is a picture of the ferry boat we crossed in. It was pretty rough the day we crossed. I would say the boat was listing 15-20 deg. to each side of vertical 90. I didn't get sick but there was a lot of motion.

I also included a picture of the beach at the Mayan ruins of Tulum just for the fun of it.

 

[Jim Robeson]

@Woodchuck ... thanks for that!! We may have to take a supply of ginger for my wife to make this happen. Good information for sure. That beach looks great, but then again most any beach at this time of year would look great to us!! Thanks again!!

 

[BigN8]

The ruins in Tulum are okay to tour, the beach is not what you think. It is pretty for sure, but it is very small and will be crowded by other annoying tourists. If you want to visit what has been labeled as one of the top 10 beaches in the World, then I would recommend venturing just a little farther. I would rent a car and visit the ruins early, then drive a little further south on Hwy 307. Make a left on Hwy 109 and follow it until it makes a "Y" south but don't go south, make a hard left North. Follow this road for another 5 miles maybe back to the North towards the ruins. You will find several little sand roads that branch off to the right. Find a good one and park.

I have done this several times with my family. There will be some guys out there with little skiffs that will take you snorkeling for about $30. It's pretty crazy when you are riding out in the boat and you can see the ruins high up on the cliff. Amazing view!! I would recommend packing food and a cooler with some drinks.

https://www.google.com/maps/@20.2059939,-87.4285023,3067m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

[Jim Robeson]

WOW!! That looks amazing!! Thanks for that @BigN8 , I will be checking this out for sure!!

 

[HawkTX]

You will have a blast. My wife and I have actually stayed there and it was incredible. You get a lot of bang for your buck. We spent most of the time at the resort, but we did go into Play Del Carmen and took the ferry over to Cozumel and snorkeled one day. That was awesome too. Have a blast!