"Heading south from Playa"
Akumal (ah-Koo-mall)
Once you leave Playa heading south down 307 the first place worth investigating would be Akumal, primarily a condo community and not cheap. Lodging in Akumal is very pricy and not conducive to backpackers or hostel dwellers who would be best served further south in Tulum.
What Akumal does offer to Joe average is fantastic snorkeling in Half Moon Bay and many sightings of local turtles who have seemed to inherit the area as a major nesting grounds. There is a great beach bar and restaurant on the south side of the bay called La Buena Vida, their cheeseburgers are as good as you can find in Mexico, remember I said "in Mexico" nothing to compare to the Longhorn Cafe on Blanco Road on the north side of San Antonio though. The water is as clear here as you will find anywhere in the Caribbean, shallow, warm and filled with marine life a snorkelers paradise. There are several dive shops and tour specialist as you enter the community through a narrow arch at the Hotel Club Akumal where you can collect lots of info for things to do as well as sign up for tours or day trips.
"Tulum" (2-loom)
The ruins at Tulum are the most picturesque of all the ruins, maybe not the most majestic but definitely the most picturesque perched on top of a 50 foot cliff overlooking the clear turquoise Caribbean Sea and white sand beaches that make Arctic snow look dirty. Tulum has become a haven for backpackers, campers and budget minded travelers, don't get me wrong, they also have some of the nicest and prestigious resorts in Mexico. There are many hostels and even places that have nightly tent rentals. The village itself is 3kms west of the beach resorts on highway 307 and is often referred to as Tulum Pueblo to distinguish itself from the resort areas. Driving south on 307 you will come to the center of town which has a traffic signal called El Crucero, here is where you would turn left to go to the beach and resort area, the road to the ruins is about 1km north of this light. There are many, many fun, jubilant music filled roadside bars and resturants on the main street of 307 or as locals refer to it as Av. Tulum. I can't refer to any of them as excellent eating but they do range from "not bad" to "very good". The Pueblo Tulum is the best place to seek out cheap lodging as well as inexpensive tours to the "Sian ka'an Biosphere Reserve" and snorkel tours to a local cenote. A cenote is a large sink hole in the limestone crust of the Yucatan which has developed into a fresh water lake with many caves and underwater passageways, some only accessible with scuba gear. You can easily spend several days in the Tulum area and not get bored, I heard there were several good head shops in Tulum also.......what is that ??????
