Akumal in April/May....

[toodles]

Just looking for some info....

I am thinking of going to Akumal in April/May.

Can anyone tell me if there are any disadvantages of going at this time?
Can anyone recommend any good places to stay around Half Moon Bay?
Also, what is the water temperature and is this a good time to go for ocean/cave diving?

Thanks a bunch.

tp

 

[teamheatwave]

We go to Mexico 2-3 times each year. Usually (and not because of the holidays) we are there for Cinco de Mayo week, Halloween week and a straggler week in the summer here and there.

The nice thing about late April / early May is the lack of crowds. That means shorter lines, better prices, more "elbow room". This part of the year is when there are final exams in HS and College, its the off season for the locals taking their vacation, and before a lot of families go away because as stated above kids are still in school.

The weather for the most part has cooperated although the earlier in April you go the more rain we experienced.

The ocean waters are 82-84F and the the cenotes (Dos Ojos) 75F

Sorry, can't help you with accommodations in that area though.

 

[toodles]

Thanks a bunch for all the info...

I am looking forward to the less crowds.
I am just going down there for the diving.

Cheers.

 

[SCUBAKristey]

Is the name of the hotel I stay at when I go to Akumal. It's a nice little hotel....clean, ocean front, GREAT staff- even has it's own little conveniece store! It's also right next to Akumal Dive Adventures which is who we dove with last time we were there and they were FABULOUS. We went in Sept, so my sister and I mainly had the boat to oursevles. (Only three of our seven dives had other divers with us.)
Now, the rooms at the Vista del Mar are a bit small, but you CANNOT beat it for the price. My hubby, between dive classes one day roughly measured from our sliding glass door to the water line and it was about 50'- all for under $50.00 a night WITH taxes. (I think April or May could be a bit higher, but sitll extremely reasonable for the rates from what I remember seeing.)

Have TONS of fun down there!!!!

 

[Diver Lori]

I'm heading out to Akumal tomorrow for my 3rd year in a row! Staying at Villa DeRosa/Aquatech. Check them out at www.cenotes.com

 

[lragsac]

SCUBAKristey once bubbled...
Is the name of the hotel I stay at when I go to Akumal. It's a nice little hotel....clean, ocean front, GREAT staff- even has it's own little conveniece store! It's also right next to Akumal Dive Adventures which is who we dove with last time we were there and they were FABULOUS. We went in Sept, so my sister and I mainly had the boat to oursevles. (Only three of our seven dives had other divers with us.)
Now, the rooms at the Vista del Mar are a bit small, but you CANNOT beat it for the price. My hubby, between dive classes one day roughly measured from our sliding glass door to the water line and it was about 50'- all for under $50.00 a night WITH taxes. (I think April or May could be a bit higher, but sitll extremely reasonable for the rates from what I remember seeing.)

Have TONS of fun down there!!!!

I stayed at Vista del Mar back in October and also found it clean, quiet, safe, and reasonable. One thing to keep in mind, though, is it will be a bit of a walk into the heart of the little town of Akumal. It's an easy walk down a pleasant, mostly dirt, road, but if it's raining, it's a different matter. If you're renting a car, of course, this won't be an issue.

 

[5615mike]

teamheatwave once bubbled...
We go to Mexico 2-3 times each year. Usually (and not because of the holidays) we are there for Cinco de Mayo week, Halloween week and a straggler week in the summer here and there.

The nice thing about late April / early May is the lack of crowds. That means shorter lines, better prices, more "elbow room". This part of the year is when there are final exams in HS and College, its the off season for the locals taking their vacation, and before a lot of families go away because as stated above kids are still in school.

The weather for the most part has cooperated although the earlier in April you go the more rain we experienced.

The ocean waters are 82-84F and the the cenotes (Dos Ojos) 75F

Sorry, can't help you with accommodations in that area though.

Totally agree. We love to go in May for the same reasons. Will be doing so diving at Akumal this coming May myself. Try this.
http://www.mexicovacations.com/mx/Akumal-Yucatan.html You can surf through the site. Many places to stay up and down the Yucatan. Good Luck

 

[scubawife]

Just got back from Akumal. Dove with Akumal Dive Adventures for the 2nd year and they are a great operation. We rented a condo at Vista del Mar. Stayed in the hotel last year. The hotel rooms are very small. Condos are really spacious and pretty well equipped. Vista del Mar and Akumal Dive Adventures have the same owners and offer a discount if you book diving (4 pre-paid dives minimum) and accommodations (hotel or condo) with them. You'll also get 15% off additional dives. They arranged cenote dives with a guide for us too.

It's about 15-20 min walk into "town." There's a small grocery store, a few shops and a few restaurants. There's also 3 restaurants on Half Moon Bay. If you get a condo (even a studio) you'll have a kitchen and it's worth stopping in Playa del Carmen at the Chedraui on the way down to buy food & drinks. Much cheaper then the Super Chomak in Akumal, better selection and it was great to have breakfast, lunch and even a couple dinners in.

We've only been in early Dec. Price wise, Apr/May will be in the high season. The water is supposed to be warm then and the weather good.

 

[Jessixa]

Like many of the other posts, I would like to chime in on my experiences with Half Moon Bay and the diving there. I stayed at Vista del Mar for three or so days, and went diving with the folks at Akumal Dive Adventures. I had been living in Akumal for three months at the time, so I was pretty familiar with the area.

First, the distance to town is a VERY long walk in the heat, not just 15 minutes, more like 30, and many times I simply hitched a ride with the newspaper delivery truck to get into town. In addition, there are NO lights so if you dare to walk the road after dusk, beware. Bring a flashlight. A BIG one.

Second, I was robbed while a guest at Vista del Mar, and they chose not to do anything about it. The security personnel didn't even believe me that my things were stolen. I speak very good Spanish, so I can't imagine it was a communication problem.

However, I was very pleased with the dive shop. The dives were all great, and the divemaster catered the dives to the preferences of the boat. However, three people went into the water without having their air turned on, which I consider to be both the diver's fault for not double checking but also the assistant could have been more on the ball.

Further, if you want to do any swimming or snorkeling you can't really do it on half moon bay (it's way too rocky and slippery you could get really hurt) so you have to take the walk into town to do any real swimming.

Overall, I would not stay on that end of Akumal again. I had a much better time staying at Hotel Akumal Caribe for the same price.

Sorry for the length, but I wanted to iterate my experiences. Thanks, Jessixa

 

[Vickie In Vegas]

We're heading down there in April also. Great weather, and not to many "Spring Breakers". We stay at Oasis Akumal, the food, beverages and water are great and the price is decent. We dive at Aquatech which is 2 buildings over from the resort.

V