Trip report: Akumal, March 6-13, 2003
(Our group consisted of four people: my wife Kathy and I, and our friends
Dale and Jule.)
For starters, a word about Transglobal Vacations and their carrier, Ryan
International. For travel out of Minneapolis/St. Paul, I couldn't recommend anyone
more highly than this team. Service was exceptional, especially for a charter.
Comfort was outstanding. Ryan flies Airbus A 321's for Transglobal out of MSP.
These have very good seating room throughout and are a very quiet aircraft. The
only time I can remember being as comfortable on any aircraft was the one time
Northwest bumped us into first class. While I'm not terribly tall, I do take up
a fair amount of space; still I never felt at all cramped. The flight out left
MSP right on time and landed in Cancun also on time. On the flight back, we left
Cancun about 45 minutes early and got back to MSP correspondingly early. Also,
Transglobal's scheduling for flights is wonderful: you get into Cancun around
10 AM and leave Cancun around 7 PM, giving you almost a full extra day. Can't
say I enjoy getting up at 2:30 in the morning, but it's an acceptable sacrifice
considering the destination!
Day One, Thursday, March 6
The ordeal many people have faced with customs and immigration at CUN was
nonexistent. We were out of the airport and heading for the Hertz agency in just
over a half hour, no red lights for any of us and short lines as well. I don't
think Hertz is any worse than any other agency in Cancun, but it took longer there
than getting from the plane to the agency. In any event, the four of us and our
excessive amount of baggage were crammed into the Nissan Tsuru and on the road
south by 11:30, and at the arch in Akumal an hour later. Checked into the Cannon
House where our wonderful housekeeper Gloria was in the midst of cleaning from
the previous guests. We headed for the Lol Ha beach bar for lunch and various
forms of liquid refreshment. After lunch we headed over to the Super Chomak for
supplies: beer, wine, coffee, Coca Lites, limes, etc. Back to the Cannon House
to organize things and stretch out on the terrace.
View from the Cannon House terrace
Sunny, temperatures in the high 80's, but very windy. We found out from the
folks at the Akumal Dive Center that it had been very windy for the past 9 days.
Not much business for them, and the sand was so stirred up in the bay that we
wouldn't even bother trying to snorkel there for the next couple of days. We
walked south along the beach past ABR, then back to Lol Ha for pizza. We ended
the day with a bit of stargazing on the terrace and collapsed in bed early…it's
been a long day! A note on the beds: the Cannon House is one of the few places
we've found so far with real beds, mattresses with box springs, not just a
mattress on a slab of concrete, and my old back really appreciated it.
Day Two, Friday, March 7
While we often have had breakfasts in various restaurants, this trip all
of our breakfasts were at Lol Ha. They have some of the best french toast
anywhere, and fresh orange juice that's a must. After breakfast we stopped at
CEA and met Mary. Had a very nice chat and invited her to join us for Happy Hour
at Lol Ha that evening. Then we walked out onto the point in front of the Cannon
House for a bit, before heading to Hekab Be to drop off a load of books and school
supplies, along with a small cash donation. That's part of the reason we had so
much luggage to cram into the Tsuru! Had a nice talk with Emelia, but Carlos
wasn't in this morning. Needing more supplies, we headed north to the new Chedraui
store at Playa, but first turned inland for the Chaak Tun cave tour. Very
interesting cenote and cavern. We only did the walking part of it, but it's also
possible to swim in the cenote there. If anyone wants to check it out, go west
at Av. Juarez about 5 km, and you'll find it on the right side of the road.
Along the way you'll go through a gate, but don't let that throw you.
Bad shot inside cavern!
After the tour and the shopping we returned to the Cannon House for lunch,
then went for a swim in both the bay and the pool by the hotel, walked on the
beach again past ABR, went back to the house and got ready for Happy Hour.
We had a marvelous time, talked with Mary from CEA again, Greg Brown
(the photographer for the new publication Sac-Be), met Sharoon and Steve, and
generally consumed far too many assorted beverages.
Mary from CEA talks with Sharoon. Steve is just visible in a green shirt,
standing to Sharoon's right.
Some time after the end of Happy Hour we wandered over to Cueva del Pescador
for another great dinner, then went back to the house to relax for the rest of
the evening.
Day Three, Saturday, March 8
After breakfast at Lol Ha we headed over to Yal Ku. Lots of small fish
at first, then things started to get crowded. We stayed until a large group of
people lined up across the lagoon and basically drove the larger species out of
the area. Packed up and headed to Casa Cenote for lunch.
Tankah Bay, a bit north of the Casa Cenote
After lunch we walked north from the restaurant along Tankah Bay, then
went back and drove north through the area being subdivided and developed, ending
up at Oscar y Lalo's on Soliman Bay for a couple of drinks. What an idyllic location!
Soliman Bay over our table at Oscar Y Lalo's
Next it was back to the house to get ready for the last half of Happy Hour,
then an excellent meal and awesome apple pie at Turtle Bay Bakery. They're now
offering evening meals on Friday and Saturday nights. Back to the terrace for
some more star gazing, then off to bed.
Day Four, Sunday, March 9
Got up at sunrise and took a few pictures from the terrace, then off to
breakfast at Lol Ha.
Sunrise from the terrace
Then we visited the ATM at Super Chomak for some pesos. The ATM worked
fine, although we understand that it's kind of an occasional thing to find it
working. From there we went to the Original Akumal Dive Shop to schedule a Robinson
Crusoe cruise for Monday morning, since the wind had abated somewhat. Next we
piled into the Tsuru and headed off to Coba. Last year I'd noticed a sign on a
dock into the lake promoting crocodile viewing but hadn't stopped then. This time
we managed to have one croc come up to the dock.
Looking for breakfast
Hadn't planned on revisiting the ruins at Coba this year, but as long as
we were there we did so. As has been mentioned in a couple of places, the ruins
are no longer free on Sundays, except for locals. Still pretty inexpensive, though.
On our previous visit to Coba we hadn't climbed the large pyramid, Nohoch Mul, so
we did that.
Nohock Mul
We found that it's a bit more of a climb than Kukulkan at Chichen Itza.
The steps are mostly larger and quite uneven, and there are more of them (we counted
118 vs. 91 at Chichen). The name of this pyramid is Mayan for "Big Mound". It
is the tallest structure in the northern Yucatan at 42 meters. Leaving Coba, we
headed for Gringo Dave's, south of the Tulum ruins, for a superb lunch with a
breathtaking view.
From Gringo Dave's
After lunch we drove north to the end of the road just before the ruins,
then back about a km to a beach access road and parking area. We walked north
on the beach for quite a ways, then went back to the car. It being Sunday, there
were a lot of people enjoying the beach. Returned to Akumal for some snorkeling
in the bay. We swam with several turtles, ranging in size from about a foot in
diameter to maybe 2 and a half feet. Also saw various other fish including a
small sting ray and several small barracuda. To finish out the day we enjoyed
yet another happy hour at Lol Ha, and then indulged in the pasta buffet there.
Day Five, Monday, March 10
Breakfast, as usual, at Lol Ha, then we got ready for the Robinson Crusoe
Cruise. This was the first day since we've been here that the cruise actually
went out, due to the strong winds earlier. We boarded the catamaran Katanis along
with a small group from Loveland, CO. I apologize for not getting all of their
names, but their daughter is Aubrey and her boyfriend is Brandon. They've been
on the cruise before, but this was our first time.
The catamaran Katanis
The cruise started with fishing for any who wished to do so. Despite our
best efforts there were no cooperative fish. We anchored in Xaac Bay, next to
an old Mayan lighthouse.
Xaak Bay with Katanis and Fat Cat (closer to camera)
Seaward side of the Mayan lighthouse
For an hour or so we swam and snorkeled in the bay and explored the area,
while Angel (the captain) and Jose (his help) fixed a wonderful lunch of fish
tacos made with wonderfully prepared barracuda, and plenty of chips and salsa.
Sols for everyone, or Coca lites, etc. A little more exploring after lunch,
looking at the cenote back a couple hundred meters from the beach. Then back on
the catamaran and a short trip to Xaac Chico for some more snorkeling.
The Cannon House is the second house from the left, as seen from Katanis
Jule and Angel on the return cruise
The whole cruise ran from 10 AM until around 3:30 PM. Returning to Akumal,
we all descended on the Lol Ha beach bar for some slammers and other refreshments.
Later our group of four retired to the Cannon House where I fixed a supper of
beef enchiladas, my one and only contribution to the world of culinary arts, and
also the only major meal we ate in the house. My thanks to Dale for dicing the
onion and also the cheese. You just can't find shredded cheese in this part of
Mexico! The Lol Ha had an ice cream buffet so we had dessert and Mayan Coffee
there. After a liberal application of sunburn lotion we called it a day.
Warning…prepare to get burnt in new places when riding on a catamaran! No…I mean
the top of your feet and lower legs, at least in my case.
Day Six, Tuesday, March 11
After our usual breakfast, Jule and Dale headed off to the Akumal Dive Center
for their first dive of the trip. Kathy and I headed out to find Sally at Mixuc,
next to Charlie's Restaurant in Tulum to drop off our few remaining school supplies.
We then drove south on 307 to find Muyil, in preparation for some future trip.
We've found that one ruins excursion per trip is about right…gives us something
to put in the planner for next time! When we returned to Akumal we stopped by
Super Chomak to get more pesos from the ATM, but found it not working. Not a
problem, just yet. Jule and Dale were back from their dive and we went to La
Buena Vida for lunch. I do have mixed feelings about going there, due to their
involvement in bringing dive boats in Half Moon Bay where such boats have previously
been banned in order to preserve the coral, but it's just too good to avoid
entirely. Then for the rest of the afternoon we lounged on Akumal beach. We had
our own happy hour at the Cannon House and went off to La Lunita for supper.
We've been hearing many good things about their coconut shrimp. We used to get
that at Lol Ha, but these days it's off the menu at the restaurant, having been
relegated to appetizer status at the beach bar. I'd have to say that it would
have been a really good meal had it been more than lukewarm. I understand that
that's not usually a problem at La Lunita and will try them again next trip, but
we were a bit disappointed. And it wasn't only the shrimp that should have been
warmer; none of us had much luck with anything there. Incidentally, their presentation
for their special that night could stand some work as well. It consisted of a
fish, complete with the head, fettucini around the bottom of the fish (picture that!),
shrimp and mussels. Not really something to write home about, especially in its
cool state. We also tried their chocolate cake, which was typically Mexican…kind
of bland. The coffee was good, as were the drinks, and the setting was fabulous.
Day Seven, Wednesday, March 12
Woke at sunrise and made coffee. As usual, Dale and Jule went for a morning
walk to Yal Ku. Kathy and I walked out onto the point in front of the Cannon House
and poked around for awhile. After breakfast at Lol Ha Dale and Jule went on
another dive. I checked the ATM at Super Chomak and it was still out of order,
but was being worked on. It would be ready in a "half hour". I strolled over
to CEA and talked some more with Mary, who told me that if I couldn't get cash
at the Akumal ATM there was one just outside the entrance of Xel Ha. Went back
to Super Chomak and it was working again (less than two half hours, but more than
one). Kathy and I went to Half Moon Bay for some snorkeling. We then met Dale
and Jule and went exploring. We were looking for a restaurant that was on Laura's
Riviera Maya map just north of Tulum. I think we found it, down a one-car-wide
road, however when we got to the beach end of the road found a chain across it
and a very closed-up place which might have been the Maloo Ha at one time. So we
turned around and headed back to 307 and then back to Gringo Dave's. This time
I had their beef kabob and it was amazing! When we got there, the folks from
Colorado who were on the Robinson Crusoe cruise with us were there. After lunch
we drove south on the Boca Paila road and got behind a van from Wisconsin. We
stopped and talked to the people in the van. They were from the Madison area,
retired, and had been touring a lot of Mexico for about 6 months. We left them
and went to Ana y Jose's to look at their beach (Kathy and I saw it last year but
it was new for Dale and Jule.) Had some coca lites and then headed back toward
Akumal with a stop at Xcacel.
The beautiful Xcacel waters
Back in Akumal we stopped at the library and had a nice talk with Carlos.
He said that he wants to start teaching the kids Mayan, which has been discouraged
of late since the parents think they'd be better off learning English and forgetting
about their Mayan heritage.
Carlos and Kathy at Hekab Be
We said good bye to Carlos and went back to the house to get ready for our
last happy hour. We again met Greg Brown there and had another nice talk with him.
He had transferred a lot of digital pictures to a CD for Jule earlier in the week
to free up her digital's memory card and let her know she should come back and
transfer some more. (She and Dale would be staying a few days longer than Kathy
and I, so might need some more picture space.) Later we went to Lol Ha for their
taco bar and the flamenco show. We went home later than usual (almost 10!) and
fell right into bed.
Day Eight, Thursday, March 13
Our last day - sniff! Once again up before sunrise. There were a few
clouds for a change, so the sun was a bit late in rising above the clouds. Lol
Ha breakfast, then some shopping at Super Chomak and the square next to the mini
super. Went back to the house and packed everything up. Dale and Jule were moving
to one of the bungalows for their last few days, so we hauled our stuff over there
with them for the rest of the day. Lunched at the beach bar then snorkeled in
Akumal Bay. Not too much to see this time. Some of the A/I's in the area were
starting to drop off their patrons by the boatload in the bay for snorkelling and
it seemed to be having a negative effect on the number of turtles hanging around
the bay. Kathy and I cleaned up and said goodbye to Dale and Jule and headed north
to the airport at 3 PM.
When last seen, Dale and Jule were relaxing on Akumal Beach
An hour to the Hertz agency, a half hour there, a couple of parting cervezas
at the airport, then we boarded the plane before 6 PM. It left the gate at around
6:15 (about 45 minutes early) and we were back at MSP just after 10 PM, also 45
minutes early. Quickly through immigration and home by midnight, wanting to make
our reservations for next time.
The cannons, for which the house was named, standing guard over Akumal Bay
Click here for our Akumal 2003 Photo Gallery number one.
Click here for Some of Jule's Akumal 2003 pictures.
Click here for still more 2003 Akumal pictures.