First trip to Mexico

[kidsdream]

I am heading down on Thursday with a buddy for my first trip to dive the Cenotes. I have been reading reports and watching videos for the last few months, but I would appreciate some thoughts on caves we should try to hit near Playa.

Also any recommendations on restaurants, brothels and the like would be appreciated as well.

Jeff

[FW]

Not much near Playa. Choc Mool, and Taj Mahal are both nice, and not too far. There are also Cenote Chickin-Ha, and Pon-de Rosa, not much farther.

[Attchoum]

hi

It all depend if we are talking about cavern or cave???
for caverne forest just name them.
for cave, don't miss minautoro!!

restaurant depend of your style and taste, most of the time, the best food is in the small restaurant that look terrible from the outside. go to el fugon, hc monterey and other place like that. dont spend too mutch time on the 5 avenue, restaurant are expensive and not that good...

if you need any help, I live in Playa

[phillip1]

If you can definitely dive Jailhouse to the Saxbe tunnel and also Cenote Cristal to Chac's Room and Chan-Hol and .. too many to list
One cave that is a bit "off" the beaten path but is truly epic IMHO is Cenote Regina.
I dont know Playa though and I think all theses are closer to Tulum but only like 50K from Playa and well worth it.

[FW]

Yep, Minotauro is very nice. You may need a map, or a guide, though.

[limeyx]

Yep, Minotauro is very nice. You may need a map, or a guide, though.

Could try to ask fo a map at ZG (next door to Minotauro) Fred did a very nice survey and map recently and I bet someone there will have a copy one could look at. Beautiful cave.

Chac Mool for me was an awesome cavern area, but the cave kind of meh (unless I suppose you want to see the Ginormous Formation)

[LCF]

It really would help to know what it is you want to do, whether that's cavern tours or cave diving, alone or with a guide.

I would highly recommend a guide on your first trip, because the logstics of Mexican caves can be formidable. It's not just FINDING the cave area (which can be a challenge on its own) but obtaining keys and knowing who to pay is often not at all obvious. You'll save a lot of frustration by either going with people who are familiar with the area, or paying someone for assistance.

As already stated, most of the caves start about 20 minutes south of PDC, with Minotauro, Taj Maha and Cenote Eden (Ponderosa) being among the northernmost. Nils at Dive Aventuras also has a VERY nice stick map of Minotaura, and I believe he also guides. I thought Minotauro was great fun. Taj has great halocline effects and some very large underground spaces, but isn't generally as decorated as other places (with a few exceptional rooms).

CaveBuddy95 on this board is a guide, and a delightful person as well. I don't know if he picks up in PDC, but you could certainly ask him. (He's one of my dive buddies.)

As far as restaurants go, we ate at Yaxche (very good food, kind of expensive) and Ajua (very good food and not expensive, great margaritas and FREE WIFI!). We liked Ajua enough that we went there several nights running.

[CaveBuddy95]

Thanks Lynne ;)
And yes, a bit of cave would do me good! After a whole week non-stop of cavern guiding, I could do with a bit of 'real' overhead. :)
Today was last day of a big group and we all went to Dream Gate. Even Jarrod and JP were with us! :) And of course I had to be caught red handed demonstrating a hand version of the helicopter turn when JJ came just behind me... Oh well, not GUE yet but I'm probably flagged :)

So Jeff, be my guest if you want some great diving. Drop me a line.

Cheers

[wargasm]

for food in playa, El Fogon is great (best arrachera plate down there). I usually eat lunch in Tulum which has some great places.

for caves outland, regina, and dos pisos are great (but they are all good).


Dave

[Me]

Here's one of the other items on your list. LOL Hear tell some of the groups hit this spot post-dive. :rollguy

http://intheroo.com/view/chilly-willys

[kidsdream]

Thanks for all the info.

Truly every type of info is available at CDF. First dives tomorrow. Patrick with ProTec is our guide.


Jeff

[tj]

Thanks for all the info.
Truly every type of info is available at CDF. First dives tomorrow. Patrick with ProTec is our guide.
Jeff

Jeff, I want to see pictures! :)

tj

[CaveBuddy95]

You're gonna have fun with Patrick. He is very knowledgeable and passionates about the caves here. A fun guy too.
Looking forward to a detailed trip report :)

[steve maiden]

First the most important...for food in Tulum,please dont lose El Camello,south Tulum,the best Ceviche and fish in the city and probably in all the area.
For diving,the cave of The Pit,chan hol,tux kupaxa,xunan ha,sac actun

[gasdiver]

I'm trying to talk my wife (o/w diver) and daughter (also o/w) into a trip to area. They are mostly interested in the beach, but restaurants and shops within walking distance are a must. I'm only interested in the cave diving and would prefer not to rent a car. Any suggestions on where to stay?

[CaveBuddy95]

Best choice would be Puerto Aventuras. Good set of hotels (all inclusive) with their own reef dive shop and for the cave diving just contact me when you are here. It would be a pleasure to take you around.

Cheers

[gasdiver]

Jason, can you recomend som nice hotels in Puerto Aventuras. I don't need 5 star resorts, but something nice and clean with a pool.

[CaveBuddy95]

Withing PA you have Omni Hotel (http://www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel/PuertoAventuras.aspx), Catalunia Riviera Maya (http://www.hoteles-catalonia.com/en/our_hotels/caribbean/mexico/riviera_maya/puerto_aventuras/hotel_catalonia_riviera_maya/) or Dreams hotel (http://reservaciones.dreamsresorts.com.mx/Partners/Reservations/hotels/list.aspx?asoc=dream&idioma=esp&destino=13&gclid=CLbK37iUq6YCFRtqgwodj0CPmg). All great hotels with 'all inclusive' packages.

Hope this helps. :)

[LCF]

Don't discount renting a condo for a stay in PA, either. That's what we do. You can get a 2 bdrm condo that's not right on the center area or the beach for $150 a night, or with beach access in the $200 to $250 range. And having a kitchen cuts costs significantly.

Take Jason up on his offer for guiding -- he's a hoot!

[Attchoum]

I prefer the ambiance and the style of Playa del Carmen, but at the end, I guess it's a matter of choice. Playa is a big town whit lot of choice for anything you can look for.

Jason, you live in puerto, is there a beach?? I don't know any close to the city.

[kidsdream]

We stayed at Hotel LunaSol http://www.lunasolhotel.com/English/hotel.htm and couldn't have been happier. Not 5 star, but very nice. The rooms had a balcony (nice to smoke a cigar or dry out gear) and a flat screen TV.

The pool area is quite nice and has a full kitchen open to all if you want to cook. The only issue at all was that the pool wasn't heated, so depending when you are traveling that might be an issue.

The location was great, located on 4th it was just a few blocks to the main shopping/restaurant/tourist drag including the beach and there were a bunch of more "local" places surrounding the place. The hotel has off street parking if you have a rental (we didn't have one). We were diving with Pro Tec which is also located on 4th (which I didn't realize when I booked the hotel). So every morning we just walked a couple of blocks (opposite direction of the beach) and we were at the dive shop - even on the first/last day we just rolled our dive bags down 4th to handle our gear.

Cost was something like $70 night for two.

There are a lot of other options in Playa, but this worked for us and would have been suitable for my wife if she had known that I even went to Mexico to go diving.


Jason, can you recomend som nice hotels in Puerto Aventuras. I don't need 5 star resorts, but something nice and clean with a pool.

[CaveBuddy95]

I prefer the ambiance and the style of Playa del Carmen, but at the end, I guess it's a matter of choice. Playa is a big town whit lot of choice for anything you can look for.

Jason, you live in puerto, is there a beach?? I don't know any close to the city.

Hi there, what took you so long..??? :) :) :)
Yep, there is a nice beach in PA, nothing like Playa. So if you are looking for beach clubs with techno music all day, Playa is your place. If you like more quiet, come to Puerto, you'll love it!


Lynne is right, condo can be a great option and even if at first it looks more pricey considering you have a fully equiped flat with kitchen, it cuts down your bill. As eating out here, is not that cheap!

[gasdiver]

Thanks for the tips Jason, I'll check out the hotels you suggested.