 |
| Puerto Aventuras |
 |
| Watching sunset on NY eve |
 |
| dolphins swimming around |
We still had not seen any proper ruins in Mexico, we planned to with mom and Jess, but due to unforeseen circumstances (mom's knee was really bad and Jess getting a 24 hour stomach flu) we had not gone yet...we decided to do Tulum as we were really curious to visit this town thinking it would be more our vibe and we heard the ruins there were really pretty. The town of Tulum itself was a little surprising, as there are two sections; the beach- lined with hotels and small resorts with the ruins at one end. The town itself is up by the highway. Definitely more of a back packer vibe here with people riding bikes all over the place, but not the beachy town that we all seem to love (like Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres). The ruins themselves were incredible, located right on the beach with one of the prettiest stretches of sand we have seen. We got there fairly early, which was a good thing as it got pretty packed by the time we left. We left the ruins and spent the rest of the day at the beautiful public beach.
 |
| Tulum Ruin |
 |
| overlooking the most amazing beach |
 |
| A secluded stretch of beach at the ruins |
 |
| The beach at the ruins |
 |
| Tthe public beach in Tulum |
On the day Jess was sick, Johnny took the girls to a snorkeling place called Yul Ka (very close to Akumal)- they all thought this was one of the best places they have seen so far for snorkeling...(surprisingly up until this point there have been only a handful of places that truly wowed us with the abundance of fish-Shark Ry Ally in Belize and the reef to name a few). We also wanted to check out Akumal, which is a beach south of Play del Carmen that is a turtle protection area so we decided to make a day of both. We headed to Akumal, it was very crowded, with everyone going out with guides to try and glimpse the sea turtles. As it was so crowded we decided we would come back super early the next day intending to get a guide. Since we were there we decided stay a bit and swim around on our own. Good thing we did, as we were able to swim with two different sea turtles...it was so amazing!
We then went to Yul Ka- the snorkeling there was unbeliveable and even though it was a bit overcast, we all had a great afternoon, It makes me so happy that this is something we can all do as a family and really enjoy....
 |
| Anneka has finally mastered going underwater, makes for a much more exciting snorkel experience |
Our final big destination was a road trip to a town called Bacalar. We only heard about it through fellow travelers throughout our journey, so we decided to go. Had we planned better we would have made this the first stop on our Mexico trip as it is very close to the Belize border, but as we had already booked Playa Del Carmen, we had to make a road trip out of it. We booked our hotel for the night, packed up our car and drove almost 4 hours to get there. The town of Bacalar is located along Lake Bacalar,, with a very small population of only 11,000,while tourism is starting to creep its way in, it is still pretty authentic. When I asked a local why it wasn't so busy, he said it's Quintana Roo's best kept secret, he said they don't want to see what happened to Playa Del Carmen happen there....I can see why.
 |
| We stayed a 5 minute walk from the water at a beautiful hotel called Aires (highly recommend) |
The water is beautiful - crystal clear, turquoise and fresh! The shores are lined with lily pads and flowers,with most establishments having docks stretch out so you can enjoy swimming in the lake. In the centre of town there is an old fort dating back to the 1700's as pirates used to pillage the town. As far as attractions go, most people take the only tour available- a 2 hour boat ride around the lake visiting the cenotes and "Pirates cove". There are cute little restaurants, any type of lodgings you are looking for and even a water park (nothing fancy at all- this is NOT Xel Ha), cot $3 to get in, mostly locals, the kids loved it and we stayed the afternoon. If you plan to go to Mexico, Bacalar is a definite must, and stay a few days to really enjoy all it has to offer.
 |
| From the fort |
 |
| Cenote Noir- 100ft deep! |
 |
| Pirates cove |
 |
| abord the boat getting a tour of the lake |
 |
| The southern end of Bacalar is a little more built up with beautiful hotels and guest houses |
 |
| At the water park |
 |
| Cenote Cristalino |
 |
| Our house on Akab in Playacar |
 |
| We ate here often, food was so yummy and cheap! |
We stayed in a hotel in Cancun for 1 night as we had to be at the airport for 4:45am! We were preparing for a grueling 18 hour day of travel..UGH!
Kids were troopers we were all just really excited to start the next leg of our travels...see you soon Hawaii!
Just to summarize and highlight some of our favourites (For Candy:)
Puerto Morelos- would love to retire here, its the exact vibe we love, but the prices are crazy expensive and the only thing affordable is about 5-10 minutes from the beach
Isla Mujeres-another fave, same reason as above, another possible retirement spot, I love that you are on this island that still retains true Mexican charm, yet so close to all the comforts of home if need be (hospitals,good grocery stores etc). The real estate prices are not too bad, (not on the beach but close enough) I saw some places that were pretty affordable but needed work. The downside, it is really crowded. The nicest beach is packed...not sure if this was just because of the holidays? definitely something I would want to investigate further
Tulum- we loved Tulum, but did not like that the town, was so far from the beach, I think we need to come back here to stay and see what its like...
Bacalar- my fave...I loved that it was fresh water, close enough to the Ocean for snorkeling and day trips if need be, still untouched by tourism, you can pick up an empty lot for pretty cheap (considering its on the water). I have a feeling (judging by all the hype from backpackers about this place) that it will be an "it spot" in years to come.
Every Cenote- we went to about 7 and each one was incredible
Yul Ka- for the snorkeling
Eat the street food! Street food was our favourite food in Mexico- we went to the vendors as often as we could and we very rarely had something that we did not like.
Puerto Aventuras- very touristy, but still not crowded, the girls loved it here and it was there favourite beach. this would be a good place to stay for people not use to travelling so much, central to most attractions and very "easy".
Akumal- unfortunately we did not see too much of Akumal, I have heard from several people that the town is beautiful and definitely a great place to stay- we only went to the beach with the turtles and loved it even though it was crazy crowded. on our next stop we will try to stay here for a few days....
In a Nutshell
If you are planning your next 2 week Vaca and want to do a little exploring, maybe not quite back packing but want to see more then your resort- my advice:
Fly in Belize city- go to Caye Calker for a couple of days, take the ferry to Chetumal Mexico rent a car- drive to Bacalar- stay there for 2 days- drive to Tulum for a couple of days, then drive to Akumal stay here for 2-3 days- (visit Playa Del Carmen), then head to Puerto Morelos, stay here for a couple of days, then head to Cancun, drop car off, take ferry to Isla Mujeres. Stay for the rest of your trip and then fly out of Cancun....
You can join us when we do this trip in a couple of years :)
(don't worry Natalie- for sure we will stop in Hopkins on way to Caye Calker!)
