See slide show top right screen! ....
The Sun beats down in the unrelenting mid morning heat as I dive beneath the refreshing turquoise waters of Akumal Bay to swim with the turtles. Underwater, they are remarkably agile, even graceful. Minding their own business. Grazing on the sea bottom. Gliding up and down from the surface. Whole families! I saw 6, a family, the mother and father as big as coffee tables, in my first five minutes of snorkeling. Amazing.
Also observed: 2 Sting rays, 3 baby octopus, lots of brightly coloured Parrot Fish, and a huge school of Blue tang. I had to swam out past the crowds. Then I continued past the markers, along the coral reef for a kilometer or so back to our hotel beach strip, making landfall again on the pure white sand. One incredible natural high!
We are having a great time. To be frank though, let's get the concerns out of the way:
The food is fine. The staff very warm and friendly. The all inclusive Akumal Bay Beach Resort is small, not too busy. A wonderful design, very simple, nice lines. However, its quite impractical. Our room looks nice too, but there are no dresser drawers for our clothes. We are still living out of our suitcases!
I researched our resort very thoroughly online first. Review wise, it compared quite excellently with the others here in Akumal, Still, we've receved little or no info on the hotel amenities. Even the official Air Canada/ Best Deal hotel "Info Meet" turned out to be nothing more than a sales spiel. Indeed, we have been hounded relentlessly to buy this or that time share or trip package since our arrival in Mexico. Not pleasant.
Here's a first: We were told to lock up everything in our safe, even our cellphones, when we leave the room ....
We kept trying to ask where Akumal Bay is located as we tried to orientate ourselves and were repeatedly mislead by folks, even at the hotel, trying to sell us ridiculous tours, taxi and bus rides. Turns out it's only about a 10 minute walk down the beach!
The exchange rate for "pesos", even at the hotel, is ridiculous overpriced. Complete highway robbery. I have no interest in buying "pesos" and will take my chances just using US dollars. Or not buy anything at all.
Lots of Americans but none of them seem to be packing guns, nor have they tried to shoot us, yet! ;-) Families of our fellow Canucks? Their brat kids running around screaming? "Expressing" themselves? Parents drunk and oblivious? Fortunately they are all missing in action but then school isn't out yet .... Anyway, the Euro guests seem very attentative to their small fry. Don't seem to tolerate such rudeness. By and large, at least in comparison, the kids here seem refreshingly pleasant and well behaved. Much moreso than what we have come to expect, at a family resort.
Overall, I much prefer Cuba for it's lack of commercialism. The tourism hustle and hucksterism here is truly god awful. However, all that aside ..... Akumal Bay has one beautiful beach! Today's snorkel dive, one of my all time best!
The Sun beats down in the unrelenting mid morning heat as I dive beneath the refreshing turquoise waters of Akumal Bay to swim with the turtles. Underwater, they are remarkably agile, even graceful. Minding their own business. Grazing on the sea bottom. Gliding up and down from the surface. Whole families! I saw 6, a family, the mother and father as big as coffee tables, in my first five minutes of snorkeling. Amazing.
Also observed: 2 Sting rays, 3 baby octopus, lots of brightly coloured Parrot Fish, and a huge school of Blue tang. I had to swam out past the crowds. Then I continued past the markers, along the coral reef for a kilometer or so back to our hotel beach strip, making landfall again on the pure white sand. One incredible natural high!
We are having a great time. To be frank though, let's get the concerns out of the way:
The food is fine. The staff very warm and friendly. The all inclusive Akumal Bay Beach Resort is small, not too busy. A wonderful design, very simple, nice lines. However, its quite impractical. Our room looks nice too, but there are no dresser drawers for our clothes. We are still living out of our suitcases!
I researched our resort very thoroughly online first. Review wise, it compared quite excellently with the others here in Akumal, Still, we've receved little or no info on the hotel amenities. Even the official Air Canada/ Best Deal hotel "Info Meet" turned out to be nothing more than a sales spiel. Indeed, we have been hounded relentlessly to buy this or that time share or trip package since our arrival in Mexico. Not pleasant.
Here's a first: We were told to lock up everything in our safe, even our cellphones, when we leave the room ....
The exchange rate for "pesos", even at the hotel, is ridiculous overpriced. Complete highway robbery. I have no interest in buying "pesos" and will take my chances just using US dollars. Or not buy anything at all.
Lots of Americans but none of them seem to be packing guns, nor have they tried to shoot us, yet! ;-) Families of our fellow Canucks? Their brat kids running around screaming? "Expressing" themselves? Parents drunk and oblivious? Fortunately they are all missing in action but then school isn't out yet .... Anyway, the Euro guests seem very attentative to their small fry. Don't seem to tolerate such rudeness. By and large, at least in comparison, the kids here seem refreshingly pleasant and well behaved. Much moreso than what we have come to expect, at a family resort.
Overall, I much prefer Cuba for it's lack of commercialism. The tourism hustle and hucksterism here is truly god awful. However, all that aside ..... Akumal Bay has one beautiful beach! Today's snorkel dive, one of my all time best!
COMMENTS:
1 comment:
Why isn't Ann Hawkins diving? How is it possible to have a non-scuba diver as OECTA President?
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