Technobarbarian

<GlennOch@> wrote in message
news:1154635450.886646.57310@m73g2000cwd. ...
> We can't go back to Playa becasue that was daughter #2's choice and
> daughter #3 wants her own place! Isla Mujeres and Tulum are interesting
> suggestions. I know they both have the beaches. Not having been to
> either, Isla I imagine to be too built up and Tolum not built up
> enough-- shopping is important to all my girls, and the beach, but none
> of us want anything resembling Cancun. Additional info welcome.

Ok, it sounds like what you want is Puerto Aventuras. It's a very
large gated community south of Playa. The advantage for you is that it has a
nice mall and the other amenities you're looking for. It's not Playa, but no
place else is. One of the things that make the place unique is that it has a
large man made harbor. There are better places to do the "swim with
Dolphins" thing, because the pens at Puerto Aventuras were not made for
dolphins. They were made for small boats and they're too shallow for
dolphins. The pens were added later, when it became a big hit. Akumal is
another place to consider, but there are fewer shops there. If the ladies
really want to go shopping you shouldn't limit yourself to one place. You
might want to consider nights in both Valladolid and Merida. Valladolid is
one of the best places to shop for local craft items directly from the Mayan
women selling their wares on the main square. The traditional mercado at
Valladolid is small, but I always enjoy it. There's a big cenote there and
some other sights. The center of Merida is a shoppers paradise. It has
everything from upscale botiques to a very large traditional mercado. If you
haven't seen Uxmal, it's another place to consider if you're into wandering
around a bit.

You didn't say what sort of time frame you're looking at. If you have
the time one of the best reasons for visiting that area is the diving.

TB