** email your photos to us here **Thank you John & Michelle for sharing your 7th annual Akumal vacation photos with us!
Showing posts with label Guests. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guests. Show all posts
14 June 2010
Akumal Guest Photo's - Send Us Yours!
** email your photos to us here **Thank you John & Michelle for sharing your 7th annual Akumal vacation photos with us!
21 May 2010
BIG SUMMER DISCOUNTS! SAVE UP TO 50% - FOR A LIMITED TIME!
Big Summer Discounts!
Save up to 50% off Beachfront Villas! Limited Time Only. Choose from some of Akumal's favorite villas. We also have great weekly rates available on 1, 2, and 3 Bedroom condos! Please see our specials page for details on this and other special offers now available!
New Reservations Only, Subject to Availability. Must confirm by May 31, 2010. Reservations must arrive June 30, 2010.
Save up to 50% off Beachfront Villas! Limited Time Only. Choose from some of Akumal's favorite villas. We also have great weekly rates available on 1, 2, and 3 Bedroom condos! Please see our specials page for details on this and other special offers now available!
New Reservations Only, Subject to Availability. Must confirm by May 31, 2010. Reservations must arrive June 30, 2010.
 | Great value 5 bedroom ocean front home with pool right in the heart of Akumal. Walk to everything! Fabulous snorkeling right out front. 50% OFF NEW RESERVATIONS ONLY. ARRIVE BY JUNE 30, 2010. |
 | Cute and comfortable 3 bedroom villa on the ocean. Easy walk to everything! Great staff and customer service! 50% OFF NEW RESERVATIONS ONLY. ARRIVE BY JUNE 30, 2010. |
 | 4 Bedroom Villa in Akumal within easy walk to Half Moon Bay for great snorkeling and Akumal Bay for restaurants, dive shops and other services. Great Staff! Great Architecture! 50% OFF NEW RESERVATIONS ONLY. ARRIVE BY JUNE 30, 2010. |
 | 5 Bedroom Beauty on the Lagoon. Golf Carts For Guest Use Included!! 50% OFF NEW RESERVATIONS ONLY. ARRIVE BY JUNE 30, 2010. |
 | 5 Bedroom Akumal Classic on the Lagoon. 50% OFF NEW RESERVATIONS ONLY. ARRIVE BY JUNE 30, 2010. |
 | Wonderful 5 bedroom home right on the white sandy beach at South Akumal. Beach side pool, hammock, great alfresco dining, kayaks, plus all the mod cons that you would expect of a luxury villa like this! A wonderful place to spend the perfect vacation. 50% OFF NEW RESERVATIONS ONLY. ARRIVE BY JUNE 30, 2010. |
 | Luxury 4 Bedroom Villa in the private residential community of South Akumal. Elegant and very well appointed for your enjoyment. Sandy Beach with very few people, Swimming Pool, and many many amenities. 50% OFF NEW RESERVATIONS ONLY. ARRIVE BY JUNE 30, 2010. |
 | 3 Bedroom Beachhouse on Tankah Bay. Big sandy beach, Swimming Pool, AC, Wireless Internet and a Great Staff! 50% OFF NEW RESERVATIONS ONLY. ARRIVE BY JUNE 30, 2010. |
 | 3 Bedroom Villa. Great pool, great beach, unusual architecture. Located on Tankah Bay. 50% OFF NEW RESERVATIONS ONLY. ARRIVE BY JUNE 30, 2010. |
 | 4 Bedroom Beach House on Soliman Bay. Very Private! 50% OFF NEW RESERVATIONS ONLY. ARRIVE BY JUNE 30, 2010. |
 | Beach house on Soliman Bay. Great beach area just in front. 50% OFF NEW RESERVATIONS ONLY. ARRIVE BY JUNE 30, 2010. |
01 September 2008
Quinto viaje del Stensrud's
Our travel begins July 15th. We depart from Portland,Oregon via Mexicana to Mexico City. Destination, Cancun International Airport! This is our fifth trip to Akumal and our first experience with Mexicana Airlines and the Mexico City airport. I must say after reading some leery posts we were skeptical about our arrival to MC (in truth, we were a little freaked out).
To our relief, the service Mexicana provided was impeccable! Our flights both to and from were on time and we had zero problemas finding our way around the airport. Hmmm... all that pre-trip stress for nothing!
Our daughter decided to go on this trip (last minute) and was able to get on all of our same flights, except the flight departing from Cancun to Mexico City; instead, she would be departing an hour ahead of us. While checking our bags, we inquired about the possibility of bumping her to our flight and to our surprise, the agent put all of us on her flight at no additional charge.
After arriving in Cancun and getting the green light with our baggage, we immediately found Easyway Car Rental waiting for us with their sign in hand. We highly recommend Easy Way, each time their service has been flawless with us.
We arrived to our final destination on Half Moon Bay and our favorite condo; Yool Caanal around 8:00 p.m. After falling in love with the white sandy beach and amazing views, we return to Yool Caanal and Half Moon Bay again and again. It’s our little slice of paradise and always feels like we are coming home to a familiar place.
As we sit on the balcony enjoying the view it seems like we never left. It must be that we keep the scenery etched in our minds while we’re away.
May I also add that booking our trip with Akumal Direct Reservations has been our choice year after year. We highly recommend their friendly staff and helpful services!
Now back to what we love about Yool Caanal...location, location, location! We like the garden entry; a garden setting wrapped in palms and a variety of blooming bushes and plants. The vivid plant life invites an assortment of butterflies and the stone pathway leads you away from the road to the building where there are five condominiums with wall-to-wall beach side windows. The condo presents a private location, on a less populated stretch of the bay. Not to mention the best snorkeling is directly out front of the building. On the upper balconies, you can actually see fish, turtles and rays swimming below.
After settling in, we head into town for a late dinner at Turtle Bay. It is customary that we eat at La Cueva del Pescador our first night; however they were getting ready to close.
This was our son’s first trip, the trip we promised him after his four-year stint in the Navy. He is well beyond that now and is in his third year of college in the dental field. A well deserved vacation to celebrate his many accomplishments…he gives Turtle Bay a two thumbs up!
We spent a day at Xcacel beach riding the waves and a day on a Tulum beach in front of Zulums. A small entrance fee required at Xcacel, a protected turtle nesting ground. There is free parking just across the road from Zulum.
The ocean was a bit rough; hence tropical storm Dolly. Nevertheless, we didn’t let
the surf spoil our fun…it actually made for a better ride.
We also re-visited Xel-Ha and as usual opted for the AI, we stay all day so it’s worth it. We heard there were Manatees somewhere on the property and were anxious to get our first look. We found them in a fenced enclosure and the larger of the tree was quite friendly. We walked through a small un-marked gate entrance to greet the gentle giants, the friendly manatee seems eager to get some attention. We found that he/she liked a belly rub, as it would roll over seeming to enjoy the touch.
Some of our favorite eats and drinks were La Buena Vida, Lol-Ha, Turtle Bay and the Loncheria and of course down town Tulum. Unbelievably we did not fit in La Cueva del Pescador this trip, a first. We voted LBV for best drinks and our new favorite drink is a caipirinha made with limes, rum, fine sugar and/or sprite….very refreshing.
We bought grilled chicken in Akumal Pueblo and ate lunch at El Ultimo Maya, they were both yummy. In Tulum, we ate at Don Huacho’s twice and revisited past favorites La Nave, Charlies and Don Cafetos and of course Pizza Leos in Chemuyil.
We also paid our respects to an old favorite Oscar ye Lalos in the new location on the edge of 307. Noticeably the beach atmosphere is gone, hence “old favorite.” However, the new location is clean and very nice. We stopped for a few drinks and our complimentary tequila shot topped with jalapeño pepper.
Other outings included; Grand Cenote, Tulum Ruins, Muyil Ruins, Yalku Lagoon and Sian Ka’an guided boat tour. A first for Muyil and the Sian Ka’an boat excursion.
The ruins and the boat trip were a memorable experience. We floated in the lime stone canal using a life vest. The canal stretches for miles connecting to lagoons and eventually the ocean. The canal is bordered with mangroves and was once used by the Ma
yans to deliver goods. Beautiful, refreshing and peaceful….we had it all to ourselves.
A climb to the top of El Castillo and sacrificing your sister to the Mayan Gods…. Priceless!
This way to the beach…we found some interesting coral shapes….and beautiful Akumal skies.
We stopped to get some almond tequila off 307 at the restaurante and market place at mile marker 283. The building is bright yellow you can’t miss it. The tequila is tasty and they do offer samples of other flavors but we thought the almond was best. The flavored tequila comes in a plastic water bottle, no label and very rustic. We bought two and it has become quite a tasty conversation piece. There is a donkey tied behind the building that drinks coke from the bottle. Afterward we couldn’t help feeling sorry for the donkey.
The day has come and until next time, we will be dreaming of our favorite view from the Yool Caanal balcony...forever etched in our mind. Thanks again Akumal Direct Reservations for making each trip a memorable experience. We are looking forward to visit number 6 !
21 July 2008
Frequent Akumal visitors, Chris & Cheryl Stensrud return to Akumal this week with their children; Michael and Hailey
"The tropical storm missed us. Looks like it went over the top of the Yucatan. The bay looks good minus some fairly large waves on the other side of the reef. I'm sure we'll venture out in the bay today. Not sure what is on the agenda… maybe Coba? More pictures to follow!" -Cheryl Stensrud
12 March 2008
Permit Success on a Cloudy Day
While visiting Akumal recently, I made a side trip to Punta Allen. As a fishing guide in Alaska, I love to spend part of my winter each year, stalking the flats of Ascension Bay in search of permit. My friend and fellow fishing guide, Guy Fullhart operates the Ascension Bay Bonefish Club in Punta Allen. Although Guy could not join me this week, I was able to share part of my time at the lodge with Guy’s partner, Dale DePreist and 4 fellow flyfishers from Ketchikan, Alaska plus one more experienced angler from the Keys.
The conditions in Ascension Bay were difficult this week. The wind had been up, blowing hard from the East making the bay choppy. Dale had landed a large permit, over 20 pounds, a few days before I arrived and Seth Conrow from Alaska had hooked one that got away. Bonefish were providing the staple action. As the odd man out, I had a boat to myself and felt fortunate to have the Caamal Brothers as my guides. Francisco, Benito and Manuel Caamal along with their brother-in-law William have over 70 years of guiding experience between them. They are legendary in these parts for putting their clients on permit.
The first day I had Benito and Manuel as my guides. We made the run across the bay and spent the entire day searching for permit. After several hours on the bow of the boat without seeing a fish, I was thinking, with sore feet and tired eyes, that I should have elected to go wading for bonefish. Bonefish are much more common and can often be found in schools in the many mangrove lagoons. Wading for bones gives the angler many more chances to cast during the day and plenty of hook-ups with these “hot rod” fish. Having caught oodles of bonefish over the years, I was really interested in pursuing the permit, known locally as Palometa, which are nototriously the most difficult specie to land in this region. Part of the difficulty lies in the finicky attitude of the permit towards the artificial crabs that flyfishermen try to offer.
Shortly after lunch, Benito spotted some “nervous water”, a subtle V-shape wake coming towards us against the waves. It appeared to be a large permit and I made a cast as he approached within range. The nervous water disappeared as soon as my fly hit the water, we never did see the fish. We ended up seeing two permit late in the day, at very close range that sensed the boat and fled before I could make a cast. It was difficult day of fishing, but still better that shoveling snow. Back at the lodge, the reports from other anglers were not much better. Seth got a few shots at good sized permit, but no hook ups. Some of the anglers landed a few bonefish to keep the skunk off the boat.
On day two, the wind was coming from the North and many clouds obscured the sun. I fished with Francisco and William and elected to wade for bones and maybe look for a permit later. I expressed my desire to stay relatively close to home due to the strong wind. I was not up for another day of standing on the bow, peering into the waves or having a bone-jarring ride home at the end of the day. After a short run in the boat William took me wading along the shore. Visibility was difficult and the wind botched the few shots I had at the scattered bonefish we encountered. We moved to a protected lagoon and found one nice bone tailing in shallow water. I managed to hook up after a series of terrible casts. He ate the fly about 8 feet from my rod tip and proceeded to run around several mangroves bushes. Fortunately Francisco and William were able to help get me untangled and boat the nice fish.
After lunch we ran farther up the bay to Francisco’s “Secret Place", looking for both bonefish and permit. We had just given up and got back in the boat when Francisco whispered excitedly to William, "PALOMETA - COMING". Sure enough a tail and fin both exposed just 50 feet away and coming. I slid back into the water while William stripped some line from my reel and handed me the rod. With the wind blowing hard I over-led the fish and landed the fly ten feet upwind. "Cast Again - More to the Right" William said. The next cast was perfect (must have had my eyes closed). Just 3 feet from his nose, let it sink and just started a slow strip when he swam up AND ATE IT!!
YeHaw! I was hooked up on a nice permit, in just two days of fishing. He went deep into the backing and fought well. Francisco was constantly reminding me, "Not too much pressure". He told me he was praying that I would not lose that fish. Hell, I didn't want to lose it either. The permit gods were smiling on me and William was able to tail the fish after many times that it came close. Lots of smiles and handshakes after that, some photos too! This is my biggest permit to date (Francisco estimated 12 pounds).
There were a few more hours until quitting time, but the clouds were thickening and the wind was strong, so we called it a day. It was a very good day, at least for me. The other guys had some (much) difficulty, in fact only one other bonefish was caught by the other 3 boats, not to mention the terrible boat ride home from the south side of the bay.
Day 3 was cold, almost too cold to wade. Francisco and William were bundled up in warm clothes. We did wade for a while, and the guys gave me several good shots at bonefish. I managed to hook 6; well six of them ate, but I only hooked and landed 4. One was on a big ugly fly that I had dropped under the bow of the boat for a snook, and a nice bonefish gobbled it up. We all laughed about that one. We waded the "Secret Place" one more time, but the cold North wind and clouds would not produce a permit for me a second time.
Dale and John have gone home to the Keys, the Ketchikan boys are back home looking for steelhead, and I have returned to the comforts of Nicte Ha and Akumal. My daughter will arrive soon with her boyfriend and are looking forward to experiencing the laid back style of Punta Allen after touring some of the Riviera Maya highlights.
For those visitors looking for a sightseeing or flyfishing experience in Ascension Bay or Boca Paila Lagoon, please contact my friends Guy and Sarah Fullhart at . The road to Punta Allen is very good now, with just minor delays for construction.
Tight Lines,
Ed Toribio
The conditions in Ascension Bay were difficult this week. The wind had been up, blowing hard from the East making the bay choppy. Dale had landed a large permit, over 20 pounds, a few days before I arrived and Seth Conrow from Alaska had hooked one that got away. Bonefish were providing the staple action. As the odd man out, I had a boat to myself and felt fortunate to have the Caamal Brothers as my guides. Francisco, Benito and Manuel Caamal along with their brother-in-law William have over 70 years of guiding experience between them. They are legendary in these parts for putting their clients on permit.
The first day I had Benito and Manuel as my guides. We made the run across the bay and spent the entire day searching for permit. After several hours on the bow of the boat without seeing a fish, I was thinking, with sore feet and tired eyes, that I should have elected to go wading for bonefish. Bonefish are much more common and can often be found in schools in the many mangrove lagoons. Wading for bones gives the angler many more chances to cast during the day and plenty of hook-ups with these “hot rod” fish. Having caught oodles of bonefish over the years, I was really interested in pursuing the permit, known locally as Palometa, which are nototriously the most difficult specie to land in this region. Part of the difficulty lies in the finicky attitude of the permit towards the artificial crabs that flyfishermen try to offer.
Shortly after lunch, Benito spotted some “nervous water”, a subtle V-shape wake coming towards us against the waves. It appeared to be a large permit and I made a cast as he approached within range. The nervous water disappeared as soon as my fly hit the water, we never did see the fish. We ended up seeing two permit late in the day, at very close range that sensed the boat and fled before I could make a cast. It was difficult day of fishing, but still better that shoveling snow. Back at the lodge, the reports from other anglers were not much better. Seth got a few shots at good sized permit, but no hook ups. Some of the anglers landed a few bonefish to keep the skunk off the boat.
On day two, the wind was coming from the North and many clouds obscured the sun. I fished with Francisco and William and elected to wade for bones and maybe look for a permit later. I expressed my desire to stay relatively close to home due to the strong wind. I was not up for another day of standing on the bow, peering into the waves or having a bone-jarring ride home at the end of the day. After a short run in the boat William took me wading along the shore. Visibility was difficult and the wind botched the few shots I had at the scattered bonefish we encountered. We moved to a protected lagoon and found one nice bone tailing in shallow water. I managed to hook up after a series of terrible casts. He ate the fly about 8 feet from my rod tip and proceeded to run around several mangroves bushes. Fortunately Francisco and William were able to help get me untangled and boat the nice fish.
After lunch we ran farther up the bay to Francisco’s “Secret Place", looking for both bonefish and permit. We had just given up and got back in the boat when Francisco whispered excitedly to William, "PALOMETA - COMING". Sure enough a tail and fin both exposed just 50 feet away and coming. I slid back into the water while William stripped some line from my reel and handed me the rod. With the wind blowing hard I over-led the fish and landed the fly ten feet upwind. "Cast Again - More to the Right" William said. The next cast was perfect (must have had my eyes closed). Just 3 feet from his nose, let it sink and just started a slow strip when he swam up AND ATE IT!!
YeHaw! I was hooked up on a nice permit, in just two days of fishing. He went deep into the backing and fought well. Francisco was constantly reminding me, "Not too much pressure". He told me he was praying that I would not lose that fish. Hell, I didn't want to lose it either. The permit gods were smiling on me and William was able to tail the fish after many times that it came close. Lots of smiles and handshakes after that, some photos too! This is my biggest permit to date (Francisco estimated 12 pounds).
There were a few more hours until quitting time, but the clouds were thickening and the wind was strong, so we called it a day. It was a very good day, at least for me. The other guys had some (much) difficulty, in fact only one other bonefish was caught by the other 3 boats, not to mention the terrible boat ride home from the south side of the bay.
Day 3 was cold, almost too cold to wade. Francisco and William were bundled up in warm clothes. We did wade for a while, and the guys gave me several good shots at bonefish. I managed to hook 6; well six of them ate, but I only hooked and landed 4. One was on a big ugly fly that I had dropped under the bow of the boat for a snook, and a nice bonefish gobbled it up. We all laughed about that one. We waded the "Secret Place" one more time, but the cold North wind and clouds would not produce a permit for me a second time.
Dale and John have gone home to the Keys, the Ketchikan boys are back home looking for steelhead, and I have returned to the comforts of Nicte Ha and Akumal. My daughter will arrive soon with her boyfriend and are looking forward to experiencing the laid back style of Punta Allen after touring some of the Riviera Maya highlights.
For those visitors looking for a sightseeing or flyfishing experience in Ascension Bay or Boca Paila Lagoon, please contact my friends Guy and Sarah Fullhart at . The road to Punta Allen is very good now, with just minor delays for construction.
Tight Lines,
Ed Toribio
04 October 2007
Time of my life
My boyfriend and I went down to Akumal in the beginning of September and it was fantastic! It was my first visit to the Riviera Maya and I can't wait to go back. We went down with a group of 6 friends and stayed in Casa del Sol. The house was amazing. The outdoor kitchen was a great place for us all to get together at night for dinner and we spent quite a bit of time there. If we wanted a little peace and quite the house was large enough to accommodate us all with room to spare. We were just steps away from the lagoon where we could stand on the foot bridge and watch the fish swimming in the crystal clear water. Some of us, myself included, went snorkeling in the lagoon. It was beautiful. The snorkeling was only topped by the scuba diving. It was my first time and I loved it; easily my favorite part of the trip.
Staying in Akumal was great. The restaurants in town are fantastic with plenty to choose from. The bakery has a great breakfast menu and La Buena Vida is a bar like no other. I could have never left town and been perfectly happy with my 10 days in paradise.
Of course we did leave town, visiting the ruins in Tulum and 5th Ave in Playa as well as Aktun Chen (a great cave system just minutes from Akumal). Staying in Akumal gave us the peaceful time on the beach that we wanted, but still put us within about 30 minutes or less of about everything we wanted to do.
We have been home for a few weeks now and we are still talking about what a great time we had. The only problem with my vacation was that it ended!
Staying in Akumal was great. The restaurants in town are fantastic with plenty to choose from. The bakery has a great breakfast menu and La Buena Vida is a bar like no other. I could have never left town and been perfectly happy with my 10 days in paradise.
Of course we did leave town, visiting the ruins in Tulum and 5th Ave in Playa as well as Aktun Chen (a great cave system just minutes from Akumal). Staying in Akumal gave us the peaceful time on the beach that we wanted, but still put us within about 30 minutes or less of about everything we wanted to do.
We have been home for a few weeks now and we are still talking about what a great time we had. The only problem with my vacation was that it ended!
03 October 2007
A little hurricane debris isn’t going to stop me!
A group of 8 of us went down Sep. 6 through the 16th of Sep. '07', just a few weeks after Dean visited to the south. I just have to say WHAT A GREAT TRIP! We stayed in Casa del Sol and it was spectacular. The house is huge and beautiful with lots of character, perfect for a large group like ours. My girlfriend and I were the first to arrive so we picked out our room and I took her around town to show her around. As a former Akumal local, I knew the good spots, but they aren't hard to find in Akumal. The rest of the group arrived a few hours later and the fun began! We had two birthdays while we were there and what a blast. We had one at La Buena Vida, one of the best bars in the world. The other, we went to La Cueva del Chongo in Playa del Carmen. The atmosphere was like you are in the jungle with a water fall running through it, it's pretty cool.
On the first Sunday we went to Chitzen itza (the big Mayan ruins near Merida). It was the first time most of the group had seen anything like it. The ruins are well restored and well maintained. During the rest of the week everyone enjoyed the activities available in Akumal such as messages at the spa, scuba diving, sky cycling, snorkeling and much more. My girlfriend enjoyed the scuba diving the most, it was her first experience and now she won't quit talking about it.
So, all in all we didn't let a little hurricane debris stop us, it sure didn't stop the fun in the area. There was still a little debris around that was being cleaned up but other than that you would never know that a hurricane like that had been so close. Thanks Sydney and Leslie for the house, it was the best!
On the first Sunday we went to Chitzen itza (the big Mayan ruins near Merida). It was the first time most of the group had seen anything like it. The ruins are well restored and well maintained. During the rest of the week everyone enjoyed the activities available in Akumal such as messages at the spa, scuba diving, sky cycling, snorkeling and much more. My girlfriend enjoyed the scuba diving the most, it was her first experience and now she won't quit talking about it.
So, all in all we didn't let a little hurricane debris stop us, it sure didn't stop the fun in the area. There was still a little debris around that was being cleaned up but other than that you would never know that a hurricane like that had been so close. Thanks Sydney and Leslie for the house, it was the best!
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