great snorkeling site nearby?

[chacolateforever]

Hi Ladies,

 

we are planning to stay at the brand new EdenH (i think they changed the name to EH or something like that though) @ Puerto Morelos and wonder if any of you know any great sites for snorkeling? and will the water be cold in Janurary?

 

thanks,

[MarieSam]

You're in luck, the RM area is full of great snorkeling sites, which is why it's one of my favorite vacation spot!

Some of my favorites are:

- Xel-Ha (sort of a natural amusement park - this is a haven for snorkeling but there is an entrance fee so check their website)

- Paamul (awesome low key place with just one main restaurant on the beach and virtually no crowds)

- my personal favorite Akumal (snorkel in the main bay and you'll see groups of turtles, it's awesome and the reef with tons of fish and marinelife is wonderful about 150 feet out!!!).

- Also in Akumal is YalKu Lagoon, which is a small scale version of Xel Ha and about $9 for a day's worth but much less commercialized. I havent snorkeled in Yal Ku, but from what I've heard it's spectacular!

Hope that helps!!!

[chacolateforever]

Hi MarieSam,

 

thank you for the info! do you know what's the best way to get around? my husband doesn't want to drive because he doesn't want to take the risk of getting pull over by cops.

 

thanks,

[Jacilynda]

If you go to the locogringo site you can find transportation on there. We personally have found it easiest to drive ourselves around RM, but there are plenty of services that will take you where you would like to go. Look into services or you can go into each town and look at the services in that town

[MarieSam]

I can understand why your husband would be reluctant to drive, during our wedding site visit in June 08 FI, myself and my daughter got pulled over on our first night at the checkpoint just outside Playa del Carmen. Our car was circled by 3 police officers with machine guns ~ they claimed that our car first fit the description of a car they were looking for (I'm sure a lie), then said our tags had expired , then were in disbelief when I told them I didn't speak Spanish (I am often mistaken for being Latina although I'm Filipino ). When they saw we weren't giving in -- FI didn't pull out his wallet -- they got discouraged, made some half-ass apology and let us go. We were freaked out the rest of the week, but never got pulled over again.

A good friend of ours who owns a van transportation service in Playa del Carmen then told us that the local authorities are not allowed to give tourist traffic tickets, no matter what they say. They're just trying to scare you and get money out of you, but stay strong and do not give in, and eventually they'll let you go. Nevertheless, getting pulled over is a bit scary and intimidating.

But despite that, renting your car is really a great way to get around the area because it affords you the freedom of 24/7 convenience and is quite affordable. And, because most of the travel is done on Highway 307 ~ its really just a matter of noticing the speed limits and driving cautiously.

Now if you're not trying to rent a car, the cheapest ways to go are collectivos (carpool vans) and the public bus system. Both are generally available in the centers of town, or off the highway. But it's really a wait and see type deal ~ no real set schedule and can sometimes be quite crowded. But definitely affordable.



Hope that helps ~ and again, there are tons of options out there. Good luck and happy travels, I'm sure you will have a fabulous time out there

[chacolateforever]

Thanks for the info! I'll definitely check it out! it's just my hubby and I so we don't have a big group. I tried to convince him to drive but he's totally against it. I think there's a lot of stuff to do around the area so we won't be able to do everything in 6 days, but we can always go back.

[rodent]

we took a cab from puerto aventuras to paamul. when you get there, there is an office in the back of the large restaurant where they will call for a cab to pick you up.

 

paamul was great. we had the beach to ourselves. wear water shoes. mike got stabbed by a sea urchin.

 

I posted pictures from our trip on BDW. search "paamul" & it should come up