Akumal Day 3 - Friday, October 9

Since I got up early to “reserve” our chairs yesterday, I nominated Bob for the job today. And with that task came the side job of photographing the sunrise. (FYI...sunrise in Akumal is about an HOUR earlier than here at home in Minnesota!) I wasn’t sure any sunrise could compare to the one the previous day, but it just wasn’t too bad!

Friday was just our second full day at the resort, but we found ourselves falling into a predictable routine…breakfast at the snack bar, lounge on beach, snorkel, float on my noodle, Bob do SUP, etc. However there was one change from the previous day…the beach was thick with seaweed. Although we hadn’t heard the storm during the night, others were talking about it and the wind seemed to have changed directions and was washing up massive quantities of seaweed. We still were able to enjoy our snorkeling...but this time we went directly out to the reefs in front of the resort.

Workers at the resort worked relentlessly raking up the sargassum on the beach. Just as they seemed to be getting ahead of it, another wave of the seaweed would wash ashore. I felt sorry for them…being Minnesotans, I likened it to shoveling snow in the middle of a blizzard.

There was a bit of entertainment value to the seaweed clean up. We got a kick out of a woman who would wade out into the water and grab a single handful of the stuff and carry it to shore and add it to the piles. At that rate I’m sure she could have had the whole area cleaned up in about…679 years.

A couple of other guys did their part as well by using a beach towel to gather large quantities of the seaweed floating in the water. Slightly more efficient, but still a hopeless cause.

Bob did a couple of SUP (stand up paddle boarding) sessions, and in between I suggested that we walk down the beach as far as the webcam on the Lol Ha restaurant just for something to do. We took time for a photo op with a seaweed message in front of the new (not yet open) Secrets resort next door.

When we got to the camera, Bob “borrowed” a rake from one of the seaweed crew and wrote our names in the sand. Our sweet daughter-in-law just happened to check the webcam a short while later and texted us that she saw our message! (Thanks to jkirk on Locogringo for these webcam captures!)

During the afternoon, dark clouds formed over Akumal. They were looking so ominous that I suggested we should go back to our room BEFORE the downpour began.

Back at the room a short nap seemed like a good idea because sitting in a lounge chair all morning had been so strenuous. ;) By the time we got up, the skies were once again clear and not a drop of rain had fallen.

Not wanting to change back into swimsuits so late in the afternoon, I suggested that we walk back to Akumal...this time to wander through town and maybe do a little shopping.

I texted my daughter-in-law before we left and told her that we would be in front of the webcam in about 15 minutes. She was watching for us and was able to capture our photo on the computer.

Our foray into town was not long. Once we left the waterfront, the heat and humidity jumped tremendously and I quickly reached my “melting point.”  The humidity HAD to be at least 120%...or maybe more. We looked through several shops, but there was nothing that interested me enough to endure the misery that I was feeling.  

Back at our room we took our second shower of the day, cleaned up and dressed for dinner at the gourmet restaurant. (Guys must wear long pants.) The plan was to get there a bit early and put our names on a list, but when we arrived at 5:45 pm they said…”come on in.” It was a little strange…and awkward…to be the only people in the restaurant, but eventually others started to show up. The food was good, but the portions were small. Small enough, in fact, that once we finished Bob suggested that he wanted to go to the snack bar and order a pizza. This was eaten sitting on the beach in the dark (by choice.)

Although I don’t have a photo, we saw one of the neatest sights while sitting on the beach. A flock of white birds flew by. Not sure where they were headed in the dark, but seeing them against the black sky was awesome.

With our early morning start to the day…and another early day planned for the next morning, we headed back to our room and had lights out before 10 p.m. I loved the way the resort looked at night with all of the new lighting.

Akumal Day 2 - Thursday, October 8

When I woke up it was cloudy and the sky was just beginning to get light. 

I threw on some clothes, grabbed some towels and headed down to the beach to grab a chair. Yes…before the sun was up, people were out on the beach claiming their spots. I don’t like the idea of being a “chair hog” (CHOG for short!) but knew if I didn’t stake out a spot we would not have any shade.

I used my chair clips to secure our towels to a couple of chairs in a palapa in front of the snack bar. (It is always nice to be close to food and drinks!) And as an added bonus, I was treated to one of the most beautiful sunrises we were to have all week. Slowly the dark clouds turned a brilliant orange...

And eventually the sun made its way above the horizon.

Once the sun was up, I went back to the room to find Bob awake. We changed into swimsuits and were on the beach by 7 a.m. The snack bar which used to just serve pizza, burgers, hot dogs, nachos, etc. is now open 24 hrs. a day and has a pretty decent breakfast available. It was so convenient to eat breakfast there and we enjoyed scrambled eggs, bacon and several different kinds of fresh fruit. We both took large, insulated mugs and I filled mine with ice and then grapefruit juice to enjoy the rest of the morning.

After breakfast we walked down the beach towards Akumal and went into the water near where the boats are anchored. Within the first 30 seconds we saw our first turtle!! We snorkeled for about an hour and saw a couple more turtles during that time.

During the morning I alternated between laying in my lounge chair and floating in the water on my noodle. (Yes…I packed a noodle in my luggage!) 

Bob is a paramedic and had just finished a very long stint on call. Sitting on the beach doing nothing was just what he needed. Besides enjoying the beautiful water, we both had fun people watching!

The resort offers lessons several times a day for stand up paddle boarding (SUP) and Bob decided that was something he should try. I walked over with him to watch and take pictures. I also got pressed into service to video a British couple that were in the class.

For most of the people in the class, it was a disaster. No one could stay up on the boards…or manage to go in the same direction. 

After being warned twice to not wear sunglasses, the British lady fell off her board and lost her prescription sunglasses. She and her husband searched for a long time, but no luck. Bob ended up being the star pupil in the bunch and fell in love with the sport.

After lunch at the snack bar, Bob went out for a second session of SUP and this time the group did much better and went WAAAAYYYY out. I was happy to just float around on my noodle.

Afterwards we both dozed off in our chairs and awoke to find the cloudy skies had cleared and the sky was bright blue! The weather forecast that we had been following was very dismal, with rain forecast for every day we were to be in Mexico so this was a welcome surprise. During the afternoons, there was various entertainment on the beach and by the pool. That day it was the One Man Band!

Late in the afternoon, we went back to the room to shower and get ready for dinner. ABBWR has four different ala carte restaurants, none of which take advance reservations. We decided to eat at the Japanese restaurant and were able to be seated right at 6 p.m. when they opened. The restaurant looks out over a small bamboo garden and with the quiet music playing it was a relaxing and delicious meal.

Following dinner we spent some time near the bar area just watching the waves washing into shore. There were a large number of smokers staying at the resort so we decided to retire to our room rather enduring the smoke. It turned out to be a perfect time to fill the Jacuzzi and enjoy our balcony before turning in early once again.

  

Akumal Day 1 - Wednesday, October 7

Our travel day started early...I mean REALLY early. Like 3:00 am early so that I would be ready for the 4:00 am hotel shuttle to the airport. I anticipated being the only ones up at such an hour, but I was wrong. Several pilots and airline crew shared the ride with us. 

And we certainly weren't alone at the airport. The line to check in was insane..but at least it moved steadily. The airline gods must have been smiling on us, because BOTH of us were granted TSA precheck…which bestowed upon us the privilege of bypassing the second long line at security. 

The bagels I had packed helped fill the time (and our tummies) as we waited to board the plane. In an effort to clean out the fridge before we left, I threw in a couple of kiwis which Bob added to his breakfast menu.

A couple of weeks prior, I had gone online and chosen our seats for the flight. Bob suggested getting the window and center seat so we could see the ocean and the jungle as we approached Cancun airport. But when we got to our row, another couple were already sitting in our seats! A stewardess noticed my confusion and asked to see their tickets. Sure enough…they should have been sitting in the aisle seats. They made no effort to move or even say “sorry” so rather than make a scene, we sat in the aisle seats across from each other.

By the time we took off a little after 6:00 am there was a pink glow on the horizon which eventually gave way to a beautiful sunrise. The nice lady in the seat next to me was kind enough to use my iPhone to snap a photo. Since I can’t seem to take a decent picture with the phone I was most grateful!

As we approached Cancun, I had her taking multiple photos when I saw the beautiful ocean below.

From experience, we knew that the leftover food I had packed for our lunch on the flight needed to be dumped once we landed. The last time we flew into Mexico, a police canine zeroed in on Bob and he was held at gun point because he tried to smuggle in a lunch meat sandwich. I don’t think they would have actually shot him over some braunsweiger, but it was scary. (Although probably exciting for the dog who would much rather have a slab of meat than the drugs he was trained to sniff!)

This time everything went smoothly, but slowly, as we made our way through customs. Outside the airport, we found our shuttle right away and were delighted to find out that the six other people who were sharing the ride were all going to Akumal. That meant no extra stops on the way!

Our destination was the Akumal Bay Beach & Wellness Resort (ABBWR) which is actually a re-incarnation of the Akumal Beach Resort (ABR) that we had first visited in 2007 and then again in 2011. The former place was often referred to as a 2 star resort on a 5 star beach and that was a pretty accurate assessment. Most people came to the resort because of the beautiful beach and reef located right off shore where one could snorkel with the turtles. (The word "Akumal" means "place of the turtles".) 

After selling off part of their property to Secrets Resorts, ABR went about renovating the remaining property late last year to make it more upscale. Our visit was a bit of a last minute decision when I found what I considered an incredible deal through Apple Vacations. The Secrets resort next door is scheduled to open on November 1 and I figured this might be our last chance to enjoy the snorkeling before hundreds more people invade the beach.

Getting to the resort so early (around noon) was nice, but unfortunately our room wasn't going to be ready until 3:00. I questioned the girl who was checking us in about which room we had been assigned. I had emailed the resort and specifically asked for a room on the 2nd or 3rd floor in building three. She gave me a sly smile and said..."You have a room in Building 3 that is VERY high up." In other words...we had been upgraded to a penthouse room. 

Normally getting a free upgrade would be something that I would get excited about, but not this time. I knew from all of my research, that the sitting area on the roof of the penthouse rooms was not covered and was way too hot to use during the day. And...because of the rain forecasted I wanted the balcony to have some protection from inclement weather.

I pleaded my case to the manager but all he would tell me was "maybe." By arriving mid-week, there weren't many people checking out so the type of room I was requesting was in short supply.

With 3 hours to kill until we could get into our room, we had lunch at the buffet and then changed into our swimsuits for some beach time. We lucked out and found the one palapa on the beach that was unoccupied and plopped down into the two lounge chairs. By the time we got two (virgin) pina coladas, it felt like the vacation had begun!

Even though it had been four years since our last visit to Akumal, the first two people I encountered when I got in the water were fellow guests back in 2011! A VERY small world indeed! We had a nice chat and they filled me in on all of the changes to the resort.

At 3:00 we went back to the lobby and found out that my wish had been granted...a room on the third floor of building three. Yay! We have stayed on the third floor of this building for each of our visits and like that it is on the quieter end of the beach but yet still right next to the buffet. Here is what the buildings look like now...

And here is what they looked like on back in 2007...

And again in 2011...

A splash pool had been added in front of the buildings in the recent remodel.

Each room had a large jacuzzi tub on the balcony.

From the balcony, we had a beautiful view of the ocean...

For comparison, here is the same exact view in 2007:

From the other side of the room we looked out over the jungle.

After getting unpacked, we roamed around the south end of the resort, checking out the new spa area with a vortex whirlpool, saunas and even a cenote-fed shower. On the beach several people were gathered around a turtle nest watching as a baby was beginning to hatch. After watching for sometime, it was obvious that the process was not going to be quick so we gave up and went back to the room to shower and dress for dinner.

The buffet dining room is not air-conditioned so we chose to sit at a table outdoors where we could get some air. Towards the end of our meal, we noticed a crowd gathering around the turtle nest that we had seen earlier. By the time we got there, we just missed seeing the turtles hatch and scurry through the sand to begin their new life in the ocean. Although we had missed the turtles, we had the pleasure of seeing Marianne (on staff at the resort) who was there watching! We exchanged hugs and chatted briefly. 

After sitting on the beach watching the night sky, (Bob saw a shooting star!) we went back to the room. It had been a very long day. We were both exhausted and didn't waste anytime getting to bed.

Heading North to Get South

It was 1:00 pm by the time we finished up the last of the items on the "get ready to go list" and hit the road for Minneapolis. The weather was wonderful...temps in the low 70's but the air still had that feel of fall. A perfect day to open the sun roof and enjoy the white puffy clouds. Not much for fall foliage yet, except for the sumac which was a deep red color.

Getting to the Twin Cities by 4:00 helped us avoid the major rush hour traffic. Check-in at the hotel went smoothly…unlike our last trip where our reservation had mistakenly been made for the previous month. Our hotel was next to the Mall of America and also close to our destination for the evening...IKEA. I love wandering through IKEA, but become overwhelmed with the massive amount of merchandise with the funny-sounding Swedish names. Some of the items were so unique that we would have to stop and ponder just what they actually were. My big purchase of the evening was a nylon backpack that folds up into a small pouch. With my IKEA Friends card the price was a whopping $3.99.

Having dinner at the IKEA restaurant was a first for us, but most likely something we will do again. We both chose "veggie balls" which were served atop a cauliflower/sweet potato sauce with a side dish of...more vegetables. Altogether a meal we both enjoyed...and especially my vegetable loving husband. However some of the nutritional benefit may have been negated when we grabbed large, warm cinnamon rolls from the snack bar by the exit! 

After working all but 12 hours of the previous 4 days, Bob was really dragging. With a very short night ahead, lights out was at 8:00 pm. 

South of the Border Birthday Trip

Bob and I both celebrate fall birthdays...exactly three weeks apart...and this is one of those "big" years. You know...when your age ends in a ZERO. Normally our birthdays don't command too much attention, but starting a new decade just seemed like something that deserved a little more fanfare.

The Hawaiian cruise that was going to be our big "hoop-la" has been shoved to spring...and even now our plans are in limbo. (A long story for another post.) A driving trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota was also discussed, but I just couldn't muster up much excitement. 

So...about a month ago I was piddling around on the computer and decided to check prices for an all-inclusive vacation to Mexico. And not just anywhere in Mexico...but to Akumal...home of the world's most beautiful beach, sea turtles and cenotes! Our first trip to this wonderful place was in 2007 and trip #2 was in 2011. Why not continue the "four-year-plan" and return in 2015?? 

Alumal Beach sunrise 2007

After watching the prices fluctuate for a few days, we finally settled on a package deal that included non-stop flights from Minneapolis to Cancun plus transportation from the airport to the resort. The dates we chose not only gave us the best price for a week at the resort, but also only required that Bob use two vacation days to get a total of NINE days off work! (Sometimes his weird paramedic schedule does work to our advantage!) Woo hoo!

The days have gone by quickly since we made the reservations and fortunately there wasn't much in the way of extra planning that needed to be done. Most days will be spent lounging on the beach or swimming with the turtles and stingrays...neither of which requires any advance preparation. Bob has also booked a cenote dive and we are in the process of arranging a tour for the two of us to another nearby cenote. Other than that...who knows. Contrary to most of our travels, this trip will be more flexible and just evolve as we go. 

Stay tuned!