Akumal to Chichen Itza..?

I finally got some plane tickets for the family...last minute..and now
I need to settle on accommodations. Thinking of plunking ourselves in
a small 6 unit condo (cheap) on the beach in Akumal and then
day-tripping out from there. Can you drive to Chichen Itza on a day
trip or does it take too long? Do you have to go all the way into
Cancun to the toll road or can you take the smaller road that passes
through Coba? I think I will have to leave REALLY early so as not to
hit the ruins in the heat of the day!
Anyway, is a day trip to Cozumel possible or impractical?
Thanks for your help.
Joy

"Joy Hardie" <q.t@> wrote in message
news:jtnme0lrcdt0j4a44jfpvtggloldp3q7fk@...
> I finally got some plane tickets for the family...last minute..and now
> I need to settle on accommodations. Thinking of plunking ourselves in
> a small 6 unit condo (cheap) on the beach in Akumal and then
> day-tripping out from there. Can you drive to Chichen Itza on a day
> trip or does it take too long?

It's doable. Chichen is a big site. It's best to get there before the
tour buses start pouring in from Cancun, but not the end of the world if you
don't. (My navigator says don't let the ambulance by the Castillo worry
you.)

>Do you have to go all the way into
> Cancun to the toll road or can you take the smaller road that passes
> through Coba?

The road through Coba works fine. The paving is thin through there and
it always has a lot of pot holes, so you have to drive carefully. Personally
I prefer that route. Watch out for the topes (speed bumps) too.

I think I will have to leave REALLY early so as not to
> hit the ruins in the heat of the day!
> Anyway, is a day trip to Cozumel possible or impractical?

Very easy to do. Akumal isn't all that far from Playa del Carmen and the
ferry to Coz'. Unless you dive there really isn't a lot there for tourists.
The submarine looks interesting, watch out for the barges that claim to be
subs. Snorkeling is better on the mainland. Coz' gets a lot of cruise ships
and has a bunch of shops and bars catering to that crowd, but as everything
has to be shipped from somewhere else there are no real bargains there. (The
family that sells hammocks at the entrance to Akumal has good hammocks at
reasonable prices. It's one of the better places to buy hammocks in the
area.) The museum on the water front is mildly interesting.

Dennis

Hi Dennis,
Are the hammocks there in Cozumel cheaper or better than you can
get them at any other market on the mainland?....and how much would
you say they should cost as my boys want to get one?
Also, our 11 year old son wants a leather hat of some sort (don't
understand his description)....but do you think a market will sell
something like that and how much would he need to be prepared to
spend?
Also, in Cozumel, do you know if we rent a car and go to the other
side of the island....is there still a charming seafood restarant
there on the beach? On my honeymoon 20 years ago I ate at little
place we got to on a moped.
Thanks, Joy


>"Joy Hardie" <q.t@> wrote in message
>news:jtnme0lrcdt0j4a44jfpvtggloldp3q7fk@.. .
>> I finally got some plane tickets for the family...last minute..and now
>> I need to settle on accommodations. Thinking of plunking ourselves in
>> a small 6 unit condo (cheap) on the beach in Akumal and then
>> day-tripping out from there. Can you drive to Chichen Itza on a day
>> trip or does it take too long?
>
> It's doable. Chichen is a big site. It's best to get there before the
>tour buses start pouring in from Cancun, but not the end of the world if you
>don't. (My navigator says don't let the ambulance by the Castillo worry
>you.)
>
>>Do you have to go all the way into
>> Cancun to the toll road or can you take the smaller road that passes
>> through Coba?
>
> The road through Coba works fine. The paving is thin through there and
>it always has a lot of pot holes, so you have to drive carefully. Personally
>I prefer that route. Watch out for the topes (speed bumps) too.
>
> I think I will have to leave REALLY early so as not to
>> hit the ruins in the heat of the day!
>> Anyway, is a day trip to Cozumel possible or impractical?
>
> Very easy to do. Akumal isn't all that far from Playa del Carmen and the
>ferry to Coz'. Unless you dive there really isn't a lot there for tourists.
>The submarine looks interesting, watch out for the barges that claim to be
>subs. Snorkeling is better on the mainland. Coz' gets a lot of cruise ships
>and has a bunch of shops and bars catering to that crowd, but as everything
>has to be shipped from somewhere else there are no real bargains there. (The
>family that sells hammocks at the entrance to Akumal has good hammocks at
>reasonable prices. It's one of the better places to buy hammocks in the
>area.) The museum on the water front is mildly interesting.
>
> Dennis
>

"Joy Hardie" <q.t@> wrote in message
news:celne09084fk8dqj3i6s2t56qav3lsidps@...
> Hi Dennis,
> Are the hammocks there in Cozumel cheaper or better than you can
> get them at any other market on the mainland?....and how much would
> you say they should cost as my boys want to get one?

Everything on Coz' has to be shipped over there, so prices are higher
there. Check with the family at the entrance to Akumal for the best prices
and quality in hammocks in that area. Have them show you the difference in
weaves. Ask about the type of thread used. Prices will depend on the size of
the hammock and how many you're buying. IIRC we paid $30 for one grande or
"matrimonial", the biggest size. Because of the differences in quality it
was at least as good of buy as the $20 grande I bought in Merida.
Traditionally you get your best prices by shopping early in the day. The
larger your purchase the more leverage you'll have bargaining.

Leather hats come from somewhere else, so you won't get a particularly
good buy on them in the Yucatan. In Mexico the best prices are always at or
near the point of origin. As they'll only be found in tourist districts in
that area I don't know anywhere where you'd get a particularly good deal
there. You might actually find better prices in the States.

As I recall you're going to Valladolid. There are good bargains to be
had on the main square buying directly from the Mayan women there,
particularly for the traditional dresses of the region. It's the sort of
place where you'll find Mexican women shopping.

> Also, in Cozumel, do you know if we rent a car and go to the other
> side of the island....is there still a charming seafood restarant
> there on the beach? On my honeymoon 20 years ago I ate at little
> place we got to on a moped.

They get enough tourists that it shouldn't be all that hard to rent a
car. I only go over there for the diving so I haven't gotten out of St.
Martin. They rent lots of mopeds there and thus have lots of moped
accidents.

Dennis