Akumal - Casa Azul Riviera

Many of my friends have often asked to join in one of my future travel adventures. Finally I decided it was time to act on their wishes. How was I going to find a place that would please everyone in a group of seven? I wanted somewhere we could have a swimming pool that never closed, be as loud as we wanted and finally have some privacy and security to retreat to if things started getting weird.

After weeks of searching the Net, I came to a decision that was actually easier than I had envisioned. We would be going to Casa Zorro in Akumal, Mexico. A 4,000+ square foot private rental villa overlooking a lagoon on the Riviera Mayan portion of the Yucatan Peninsula. The house seemed to offer everything we would need to meet the wishes of seven unique individuals. A swimming pool, party patio, jungle landscape, lagoon access, 11 beds, maid service, a chef, if needed, and finally, an exotic Mayan three story design. All this for an incredibly low price of about $60 per night for each of us.

Akumal is locagted approximately one hour south of Cancun in the heart of the Mayan Riviera. Since we would be arriving an night and not wanting to have to man the unfamiliar darkened roads in a rental car, I decided we should spend the first evening in Playa Del Carmen at a beach side lodging called the Blue Beach Hotel. We caught a 40 minute ride to Playa from the airport and arrived around 10:00 pm.

Our first meal was entertaining as we laughed at the guitar player who was kind enough to longingly play our lame requests. Then it was over to a beach bar, where the reality really started setting in. The moon was almost full, the water was warm and the dance beats were starting to sound soothingly chaotic.

Eventually some of us decided to walk back to our rooms and change into our bathing suits for a late night swim. The problem was that once in the water , some of us decided to go a bit more au natural. Heading back to the shore, I noticed to my horror that my suit had somehow come untied from a boat anchor line and must have floated away. "Holy shit!" I began thinking, wading back to the shore, looking for something to cover up with. Eventually I realized the only cover I had was the cup of my hand for my privates. What made the situation worse was once rising from the water I could see three security guards in the distance laughing. What a way to start, I thought to myself as I then was forced into running back to the room naked.

The next morning, we were off in two rental cars, loaded down with mass quantities of beer, tequilla, rum and a few groceries. The excitement level was peaking as we headed into Akumal village, in search of Casa Zorro. A little over a mile later, we had made it. All I could think was that this place was the bomb. Casa Zorro is located on the Yalku Lagoon and has a private palapa patio alond side. Between the lagoon and the house sat a visually appealing jungle setting I was hoping for. There was an elevated swimming pool with a palapa style patio along side. This aera had hammocks as well as various tables for entertaining.

We scattered out of the car like little children on an Easter egg hunt to see the inside. The interior had a hard time competing the exterior surrounding, although the furnishings seemed just right to make our stay comfortable.

Skipping a beachside BBQ south of Akumal, we chose to stay poolside and soak up our personal tropical mansion. Later in the evening we headed over to La Buena Vida and ate dinner on the waterfront. The bar/restaurant featured swinging barstools as well as some treehouse
style drinking areas. Back to the househad us partying in the pool until 3 am. The next day we spent a great deal of time around the house just doing alot of swimming, sunning and drinking. That night we strolled less than a block for a meal at a small place called Que Onda and watched as a storm began to roll in. When we got back to Casa Zorro, we headed onto the rooftop observation deck and compared lightening bolts like they were fireworks. Caribbean thunder storms can be extremely intense at times. It was an awesome natural electrical display, and a great way to end a day.

The following morning, driving around 130 kph, we were on our way south to the Mayan ruins in Tulum. We stopped for an authentic breakfast at a roadside patio that didn't even have a menu. Just tell the cook what you wanted, and they did it. On to the ruins before 11 am, and it was already sizzling. After paying our way in, a trail took us down a long road until we were met with the visual treasure. These ruins were constructed as early as the 6th century and were first documented by an American in 1842. The stone structures and the turquoise water backdrop over the cliffs, made for a breathtaking scene. But even more breathtaking was the heat index, which appeared to be hovering around 120 degrees.

Leaving Tulum, we journeyed back up the coastline until we reached Akumal and finally back to our slice of paradise. More swimming, napping and drinking preceded by a candle-lit meal at a restaurant called El Pescador. We were amused, realizing some of our lurid stories and tales were either annoying or frightening a group of fiftysomethings sitting next to us.

The final full day was the ultimate stress buster. An hour long snorkling adventure was followed by a lazy afternoon on Half Moon Bay, parked under a palapa shade covering the coolest sand I have ever set foot on. While snorkling back from the coral reef, I was even lucky enough to witness a sea turtle munching on some sea grass. Finally at 5: 30 pm we decided to head back to the villa to clean up before our 7 pm dinner was going to be served at Casa Zorro. The dinner was prepaerd by the caretaker and was a culinary delight: Shrimp and chicken fajitas joined by some local wines. The meal was great, and our group didn't even have to do the dishes.

The house had delivered and I was relieved. The surrounding area offered so manyideas and things to do, that I know I will be back. Prices were extremely reasonable and the beers never seemed higher than $2. Akumal should be considered a great place if you are traveling alone, as a couple or even as a large group. Although the forecast looked grim, Madre Nature had shocked us by providing sun each and every day of the adventure. The large group travel experience appeared to have been a success. Each of us walked away with something positive to say.