Tulum, Mexico - November 14, 2006

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To celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary, I thought it would be nice to take a vacation somewhere warm and sunny. We had already visited Hawaii back in 2000, so after comparing the costs for a few different destinations, we finally settled on a place called Azulik in the little town of Tulum, Mexico (about 90 minutes south of Cancun).

We have not done much traveling, so we were both very nervous about this first trip outside the USA. I tried to read and learn as much as possible before leaving, but some things did not go as smoothly as they looked on paper. For starters, I did not consider how much of the first and last days would be spent traveling. Combined with airport layovers and a two hour time zone difference, this made for a couple of really long days, and only left us three days to relax and enjoy our vacation. It's all so obvious in hindsight, but it escaped me when I was making the initial plans. Still, five days seemed reasonable for an area we knew very little about. Long enough to get a feel for the area, but not too long if we were miserable.


Day 1: November 13, 2006

We had to get up at 2:30am to make our 6:10am flight out of Portland, Oregon. After a 90 minute stop in Salt Lake City, we finally arrived in Cancun around 3:30pm. As soon as we stepped off the plane, we both encountered major culture shock. We didn't understand the language, couldn't read the signs, and didn't know who to trust. Still, we somehow fumbled our way through the airport, got our bags, and spent the next 45 minutes waiting in the lines at customs and immigration. Despite all my preparations, we accepted the kindness of a few strangers and found ourselves unknowingly caught in sales pitches for timeshares and other endeavors. Once I realized the situation, I said "No Thanks" and walked away, but I felt really stupid for falling prey to their tactics. Finally, we picked up our Dollar rental car, and were on our way.

We managed to find our way out to highway 307, and headed south to Tulum. Driving in Mexico was a whole new experience in itself. Giant speed bumps (topes) seemed to be placed everywhere, with no signs or other markings to warn you. If I hadn't read about them ahead of time, I would have surely launched the car over one or two of these, but thankfully we managed without difficulty. Large half round bumps, at least four inches high, were placed randomly too, and were almost worst than the speed bumps. Out on the highway it seemed like a wild free-for-all. Other drivers would pass on the left and right, and it wasn't uncommon to have multiple cars heading directly at you from the opposing direction. Hundreds of local workers were standing along the sides of the roads waiting for buses or taxi's, and every mile or two we would have several people run across the highway in the dark. Traffic was terrible, the roads were poorly marked, and it was raining heavily. It was a long and stressful drive.

Despite our early plane arrival, we didn't make it to Tulum until 7:30pm, well after dark. Our nerves were frayed and our sense of adventure was completely gone. We both commented we wish we could just get back on the plane and go home. We managed to find the San Francisco market in Tulum, and stopped at the El Point internet cafe to email our daughter back home. Then we made our way down the rustic little road to the ocean and eventually found Azulik. By this hour, there was no one in reception to greet us. We stood there in the dark at least 20 minutes before someone finally showed up to check us in.

I had originally booked the romance cabana #1, but had changed my reservation to cabana #3 a few weeks later. But when Azulik checked us in, they put us in cabana #4. I started to complain at first, but after our long day I just wanted some place to crash for the night. So, they led us off to cabana #4.

Unknown to my wife, I had bought her a new ring for our anniversary. Nothing fancy, just a couple of small hearts, a meaningful symbol in our relationship. I had been nervously packing it in my carry-on luggage, fearing it would set off the airport alarms or be pulled out for inspection in customs. So once we arrived in our cabana, I couldn't wait any longer, and immediately gave it to her in the dark with a hug and a kiss. It wasn't the presentation I had hoped for, but she was thrilled with it.

We wanted to just climb in bed, but hadn't really eaten all day. So we forced ourselves to walk over to the restaurant at Copal. I'm sure my patience was wearing very thin by now, but dinner seemed to take forever and wasn't what I was expecting. More on that later. We ate quickly and headed back to our cabana to get some sleep.

It was dark, but we could still make out the waves and beach below our cabana. So, my wife and I filled up the little soaking tub out on the deck of our cabana, and tried to make the best of our situation. The water was cold, and it was fairly windy, but it was impressive to sit perched above the ocean like that. Still, we were too tired to stay up for long, and quickly headed back in to get some sleep.

In my mind, I guess I had this image of relaxing ocean sounds to lull me to sleep. Our first night was anything but that. The tide was high and the waves were really crashing in loud against the rocks below. Between the slapping of the water, and the rumble of the waves, I swear I could feel the bed move when some of the larger waves would hit. Despite a long exhausting day, neither of us really got much sleep that night.


Day 2: November 14, 2006

Mornings come early at Azulik. The sun came up around 5:30am shining in our eye's through the glass windows, accompanied by those relentless crashing waves below. My wife managed to turn over and get more sleep, but I was already awake and decided to get up.

This was my first opportunity to see Azulik in the light of day, and it really was an amazing place. The cabana itself was made of native woods with thatched roofs, and a wood deck perched out over the ocean below. It was actually larger than I expected, about 20'x24' with a carved wood tub inside and lots of natural wood furniture. My initial concern over getting cabana 4 instead of number 3 was unwarranted once I realized we had our own private stairs to the beach too. In fact, cabana 4 seemed to sit out closer to the water and the stairs were truly private, so I was very happy we ended up in number 4 afterall. Despite what the sign says, our beach stairs served cabanas 4 and 5, not 5 and 6.

One of the things that initially attracted me to Azulik was the ability to go clothing optional if we wished. But there was no one on the beach yet, and I didn't have the courage to be the first to venture out. So I kind of just stood in the doorway looking out, so I wouldn't have to get dressed. After a few minutes I finally saw someone venture naked onto the beach below, so I grabbed something to drink and sat out in a chair on the deck. As I sat there naked in the warmth of the morning sun, with the fresh ocean air blowing across my body, and the water stretching out before me, I suddenly realized the stress and fears of that first day had been worth it.

After an hour or so, I started to see a few people going swimming, and was eager to try it myself. I grabbed a towel, walked down to the beach, threw the towel on a rock, and went skinny-dipping for the first time. The water was amazingly warm, and I had a blast riding each wave that came in. Of course, I'm a typical middle aged guy with a far from perfect body, so I was a little self-concious about parading around naked. Especially since the few couples I had seen were young, tanned, fit, and beautiful. But no one seemed to notice or care what anyone else looked like. We were all here to relax and enjoy ourselves. Eventually I walked out of the water, grabbed my towel, and headed back to our cabana, where my lovely wife was just waking up.

Oddly enough, Azulik had now become our sanctuary. We had a couple of things planned for the day, but we felt safe in our little cabana. It was well after 10:00am before we built up enough courage to venture out into the unknown again. We ate dinner so late the previous night, we decided to skip breakfast and just proceed with our day.

Our rental car now needed gas badly, so I found the first Pemex gas station just north of Tulum. I had been warned of scams at the gas stations, so I stepped out of the car, told the attendant I wanted 200 peso, made sure he saw my 200 peso bill, and looked to see the pump was zeroed as I handed him the bill. I looked back down at his hand and he was holding a 20 peso bill. This guy should be a magician, I'm still not sure how he pulled that off. But I said, "no sir, I gave you 200" a couple of times. He just nodded his head yes, smiled, and pointed at the gas pump. I watched nervously as each dollar ticked away on the pump. I don't know if he intended to scam me, or if I was just overreacting, but he gave me the full 200 and a few centavos more. In any case, we had gas and were on our way.

Our first stop was the Tulum Ruins, just a short drive up 307. I paid the parking fee, parked the car, and was immediately hounded by a hat salesman the moment I stepped out of the car. I said no thanks, but he dropped his price every 20 seconds, and even stuck the hat on my head. It took persistance, but he eventually walked away. We made our way to the ruins, and once again got tricked into a couple of sales pitches, once from a guy who asked if we needed a map, and another when we asked where the ticket booth was. Eventually we made our way through the zoo of vendors and walked to the ruins. We enjoyed seeing the site, but it only took us an hour or so to tour the site and head back to the shops around the parking lot. We grabbed a quick lunch, and my wife found a little dress to buy.

From the ruins we headed a little further north to Hidden Worlds underground cenotes. The groups before and after us had 10 or more people in them, but somehow my wife and I ended up by ourselves. We expected them to cancel or delay our visit, but we got a wonderful guide named Jesus ("hey-soos"). The 15 minute drive down the bumpy roads in the back of their home built jungle mobile was an exciting adventure on it's own. We must have laughed all the way to the cenote. Jesus led us down into the Tak Be Ha cenote and gave us a few instructions before we climbed into the water after him. We had snorkeled once many years before, but it was much more difficult than we had remembered to get used to breathing through the snorkel tube. I eventually got the hang of it about halfway around the first cenote, but my wife struggled through almost all of the tour. Jesus was a wonderfully patient guide, and made every effort to help and comfort us. He truly wanted us to see the amazing sights below the water and enjoy our visit. Things would have been a lot different if we had been in a larger group. From there we climbed out of the first cenote, back into the jungle mobile, and a short drive to Hilario's well cenote. This cenote was smaller and more confined, but the formations were even more beautiful. Then it was a short drive back to the office. The Hidden Worlds tour was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. And, Jesus was an amazing guide with more patience and understanding than anyone I have ever met. It was clear he truly enjoyed the work he did.

From there we headed back to Tulum, stopped to email our daughter back home, and picked up a few snacks at the San Francisco market. We cleaned up and changed into dry clothes, then drove down to Zahra's for dinner. Then it was back to Azulik where we relaxed for the evening, and had fun trying out the swinging bed in our cabana.


Day 3: November 15, 2006

I started my day sitting naked out on the deck again, watching the sunrise. Then my wife and I went down to the ocean to go swimming. My wife wasn't comfortable going nude on the beach yet, but we both enjoyed swimming in the warm ocean. Unfortunately, when we went to clean up we realized the water wasn't working in our cabana. I stuck out the room service flag and left a note at the reception desk (no one was there), but no one ever showed up. We eventually cleaned up the best we could using cupfuls of bottled water, then walked over to Copal for breakfast. No one ever made any mention of the water situation, but thankfully it was working again when we got back that evening.

This day was devoted to Xel-Ha and swimming with the dolphins, so it was another trip back up 307 to the Xel-Ha park. We checked in with our prepaid tickets, then proceeded immediately to the dophin area. They told us to put our things in a locker, then we had to meet for an orientation video before getting life vests for swimming with the dolphins. We chose the underwater fantasy option and it was truly an amazing experience. The dolphins were so gentle and playful, despite having to go through this same routine multiple times every day. Their skin felt almost exactly like a wet rubber inner tube. It was a once in a lifetime experience we'll always remember.

After the dolphin swim, we were led to a small cabana where they showed us the video of our visit, and compiled the pictures they had taken. Unfortunately the packages were extremely overpriced ($200 for everything), considering we had already paid $250 to swim with the dolphins, in addition to our entrance fees. Still, we wanted some pictures, so we purchased the most basic option of 8 pictures on a CD for $80.

From there we stopped at the first restaurant we found in the park and grabbed a quick lunch. We had purchased the all-inclusive tickets, so all we had to do was show our arm bands. We also grabbed a couple of coconut ice cream cones before heading off to go snorkeling.

We went to pick up the snorkel-equipment, but they wanted some kind of identification before they would give the equipment out. I gave them my passport, not realizing they would be keeping it until we brought the equipment back. Otherwise I would have left something a little less valuable. In any case, we grabbed our equipment and walked up to the floating bridge to go snorkeling. After learning to snorkel again at Hidden Worlds the day before, we felt confident and eager to see lots of fish. The park was now very busy, and there were people everywhere, but we found a less crowded area off to the side. Unfortunately, we kept getting water in our snorkel tubes, not a good boost for my wife's confidence. At first I thought it was the waves splashing into the tubes, but after watching my wife snorkel a few times, I realized that wasn't the case. After a little detective work, I discovered the snorkels leaked water where the soft mouth piece joined the rigid plastic tube. Both of our tubes would fill with water after only three or four breaths under water. So, the cheap snorkel gear Xel-Ha provided quickly ended our snorkeling adventure without seeing a single fish. I tried just using the mask and holding my breath a few times, but it had lost it's appeal by now.

From there we walked through the park and took the jungle train up to ride the inner tubes down the "river". We opted to hang on to the snorkel gear for now, in case we wanted to brave snorkeling again along the way. We started out in a thick grove of mangrove trees, which soon opened into a larger river. It was slow moving, but we had a lot of fun. At one point along the way, I was feeling rather squeezed into the little inner tube, so I stopped at a little dock to see if I could change positions. Unfortunately, I forgot my snorkel gear was attached to my vest when I unclipped it, and the snorkel sank to the bottom of the 8 to 10 foot deep river. My heart sank as I remembered my passport being held hostage back at the equipment rental office. So, I borrowed my wife's mask, and proceded to spend the next 5-10 minutes diving to the bottom to retrieve my mask and snorkel. I haven't swam like that in many years, but I managed to grab it on the second dive. Huge relief.

When we finished tubing down the river, it was nearly dinner time so we grabbed another meal at Xel-Ha since it was already paid for with the all-inclusive arm band. Then we headed back to Azulik and just relaxed around the cabana the rest of the evening.


Day 4: November 16, 2006

I woke up around 4:30am to lights flashing outside our cabana. At first I thought it was just someone with a flashlight walking around, but I soon realized it was a very impressive lightning storm off in the distance. I never heard any thunder over the sounds of the ocean below us, but it was still a lot of fun to watch.

We had originally planned to make the drive out to the Coba ruins this day, but with our vacation quickly coming to an end, we decided just to stay at Azulik. My wife was now feeling more comfortable going nude around the cabana, so we both went down for a morning skinny-dip in the ocean. It was a fun and playful time for the both of us. She must have enjoyed herself, because she asked me to go swimming again later in the afternoon too.

We walked to the Maya Spa twice to arrange two 90 minute relaxing massages in our cabana, but no one ever showed up at the reception desk. So, I eventually just left a note at the desk telling them which cabana we were in and which services we wanted. About a half hour later, a gentleman came by to confirm a time and have me sign a receipt. We made one last trip into town to email our daughter and grab some drinks, then we headed back to Azulik for our massage.

We have had a few massages over the years, and this one was certainly worth the wait. We opened our cabana doors, and they set up the two tables in the doorways. It was strange at first to have the therapist standing there telling me to take my clothes off, but I was naked and laying on that table in no time. Usually when I get a massage they are either too rough, or only massage a few areas like my back and arms. This massage was perfect, with just the right amount of pressure, and covered all areas from head to toe. With the sounds of the ocean as our background music, it was truly one of the best massages I have ever had. When the massage was over, the therapists snuck out quietly and left us relaxing there on the tables. I'm not sure how long we laid there before we got up and realized they were gone. A very peaceful ending.

After the massage we relaxed a little, then cleaned up before heading off to eat our final dinner at Zamas. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing in our cabana and having fun on the swinging bed. Our final night at Azulik was a cold one. We had to close the doors and pull the blanket out of the closet. A little unexpected considering how warm it had been the other days.


Day 5: November 17, 2006

Faster than we could have imagined, it was time to head home. We started our day going skinny-dipping in the ocean one last time, then layed on our deck sunbathing the rest of the morning. We used the orange room service flag, and had breakfast out on our deck looking over the ocean. It was a nice farewell that came too quickly. We left tips for the massage therapists and the maids, then checked out of Azulik and headed back to the airport.

With a little local driving experience and the light of day, the trip back to Cancun went much faster and easier. While we were both pleased the trip was uneventful, it would have been nice to spend that extra hour or two on the beach instead of in the airport. But better to be prepared. The only problem we had was finding the exit to the airport. They had a big sign showing a cloverleaf interchange, but that apparently did not exist. We ended up driving past the exit and having to turn around and come back from the other direction. There was road construction going on, so I'm not sure if that played a part, but it was a tricky series of turns to find the road leading to the airport. After that it was smooth sailing returning the car, getting our tickets, checking our baggage, and shopping for souveniers in the airport. What seemed so scary just a few days before now felt comfortable and relaxing.

The two hour wait in the airport seemed to go quickly, and our plane left Cancun at 3:30pm. We had another 2 hour layover in Salt Lake City, before finally landing back in Portland around 10:30pm. By the time we got our bags, picked up our car, and drove home it was well past midnight when we finally walked in the door. Another very long day. As soon as my wife and I climbed into bed, the very first thing we said to each other was how quiet it was without the ocean in the background.


The Food

With the initial stress and messed up body clocks, we didn't eat out as often as I thought we might. My first chicken dinner at Copal was unimpressive, but my wife really enjoyed the coconut shrimp dish she ordered. My wife had a fish omelette the next morning at Copal, and I had pancakes. Both were quite enjoyable. We shared a "sampler" dish for lunch at the Xel-ha restaurant and we found it to be very tasty and enjoyable. So much so that I ordered the same thing for dinner. Unfortunately, the dinner version was soggy, some of the items were missing, and it was just a mess. My wife ordered a fruit salad at Xel-Ha, and got a lettuce salad instead. It was covered with so much coarse salt she couldn't even eat it. At Zahra I had beef fajitas and pina coladas, which were both very good. The final night at Zamas, we both ordered a seafood pasta dish. It was colorful with lots of variety, but lacked any real seasoning and was rather bland. I ordered an omelette from Azulik room service the final day which was fairly tasty and enjoyable.

My favorite dish of the trip was easily the beef fajitas at Zahra, followed by the lunch time sampler dish at Xel-Ha. My wife's favorite was the shrimp in coconut milk she ordered the first night at Copal. All of the other meals were just average.


Final Thoughts and Gripes

Azulik is definitely an amazing place to stay, but it's very expensive for what you get. Especially when most of the problems we had could have been fixed in an hour with less than $40 worth of parts. The cleaning people see it every day, so it's not like they aren't aware of it. Considering the prices have increased even further since we made our reservations, I doubt I would stay there again.

Putting toilet paper into the wastebasket next to the toilet took some getting used to, but I understand that is common for the area. But the worst part is our toilet did not have a toilet seat and rarely flushed correctly. There is no vent on the toilet drain, so the toilet plugged up frequently, with no plunger available to get it going again. When it did flush it would syphon all the water out of the bowl.

Neither the bathtub inside or the soaking tub outside had warm water at any point during our stay. So bathing was a cold adventure to say the least. We made the best of it since we were essentially camping, and still had fun. But if Azulik is plumbed for warm water, they could at least heat it up a little. I saw a few water heaters disguised around the cabanas, but it didn't appear any of them had been fired up in quite some time.

Even if we had warm water available, we wouldn't have been able to take a bath since the tub stopper was broken. Essentially the large wooden tub just became a sit down cold shower.

The staff did a great job of cleaning our room each day, changing our bedding, lighting the candles along the paths, etc. But it was difficult to find anyone at the reception areas when a problem did come up (plugged up toilet, water not working, etc.).

My initial concerns about the cabanas being so close together were unwarranted. We rarely saw our neighbors, and everyone mostly kept to themselves. The sounds of the ocean masked any voices or "private" sounds, in fact we often had trouble hearing each other in our own cabana. :) Overall, there were very few people around. I never saw more than one or two couples on the beach at any one time. Most of the time it was completely empty. The cabanas are essentially glass houses, with "stick" shades to partially cover the windows. So you are basically on display for anyone who cares to look in. But we never found it to be a problem, even though the main path goes right next to the cabanas. If anyone was looking in, we didn't notice or care.

My primary gripe at other areas were the numerous people trying to sell you on a time share of some sort. I thought I would be wise enough to avoid these folks, but it seemed even the smallest gesture of kindness would eventually turn into a sales pitch.

The biggest problem at the Cancun airport were people looking for tips. People would come up, grab your bags from your hands, and take off without asking. We're hanging on saying "no thank you", and yet they still expected a tip for that "service". I even had people in the bathrooms dispensing the paper towels and holding out their hands for a tip. Thank you, but I'd prefer to get my own paper towels. Maybe it's just a cultural thing, but I found it all to be rather excessive.

Tulum is a beautiful area with lots to see and do. It's a wonderfully quiet place to relax and soak up the sun. I wish we had been able to spend more time in the area seeing more sights and relaxing more. Unfortunately, from our home in the Pacific Northwest, the journey there is a long and stressful one. So, I'm not sure if we'll ever make it to Tulum again. But we had a great time and hope we can do it again some day...