H'Islander

Well, this report will be a disappointment -

I could not find a reasonable charter in the area so I gave fishing a miss, which means I still have all those fancy-schmancey bright colored plugs. Most charters were in the $160 range and that was for a spot on a "Mexican sea-faring canoe" with a 60 hp outboard. - YIKES!!!!

The area that I was in was WAY to touristy - I'll never go back to the Cancun/Playa Del Carmen area. Whatta rat race outside of the resort. All the Mexican retailers and service providers in that area treat tourists like money bulges from our pockets. Don't get me wrong - I couldn't find nicer people (for the most part) anywhere else in the world - the smiles were genuine and the greetings earnest, but their skewed perception that tourists who visit that area are anything other than bargain-travel hunters on a low-budget vacation is puzzling. Let's face it, although the people there are warm and friendly, the amenities are sparse and poorly appointed - on the upside - although sparse, etc...the resort hotel facilities are spotlessly clean.

The resorts in that area are crammed together like sardines in a can, all sharing the same beach and all NOT trying to compete. Meaning if you've been to one, you've been to them all.

A word of warning - All inclusive does not mean ALL....Let me explain -
Last year, for the same amount of money, I went to Jamaica to a Sandals resort - Tips were a huge NO-NO for the staff, if they were caught receiving a tip they could be discharged. I offered the odd tip and was refused overtly and then told to make it more (very) discrete if I really felt that I wanted to tip - But the real difference was the activities were all included - snorkeling trips by boat, hobie cats, kayaks, scuba trips, free or reduced-fee access to some local attractions, and the grounds were sprawling - pathways, game rooms (billiards, ping-pong, borad games, etc..) there was an outside chess board that was about 50 feet square with 2-3 foot tall pieces in the middle of a garden that you could play - there were small coral reefs along the edges of the swimming areas that were loaded with barracuda, reef fishes, urchins, crabs, carribean lobster, gars, etc... - the list goes on 'n on....

The Riu resorts inc - (pronounced re-oo) charged for everything other than meals (which were fabulous and diverse) and beverages (which were only OK, not very well made and were of well-drink quailty). The resorts, other than the 2 palace resorts which were off limits to us low-lifers, are about 300-500 feet wide (beachfront) and about 2000 feet in length (deep, or distance to the main road). When you think about it - that's not much area for a few hundred guests. The beaches were devasted by Hurricane Wilma but the resorts didn't mention that - There was no beach to speak of as it had been errodded back to the lounge-chair area and there was a treacherous 4 to 5 foot shear drop off instead of an easy grade - the beach was about 10 to 20 feet wide depending on tide so it was only for walking along or entering/exiting the surf. There were many Palm tree stumps still holding ground just under the surface of the water, revealing themselves as the waves receeded making the area a little dicey getting in and out or to those using water toys.

Simple watersports activities like plastic kayaks, 1 hobie and about 6 boogie boards of failing health were free for use if you read and signed a seperate contract and promised to buy new equipment in the event that their rickety stuff broke. I wasn't going to bite at that worm. Scuba trips, snorkeling equipment and boat rides were all extra.

It's the nickle and dime approach in that area - Cozumel was right in front of the resort - For the two of us, taxi's to and from the ferry pier would be $12 RT, The ferry would be $42 RT, Taxi's on Cozumel would have been $32 RT, entrance to the swimming area with reef access would have been $32, Lunch would have been about $20 - This includes the near-mandatory $1 per person, per service, per trip tipping.

All in all it would have been about $140 usd to take a ferry to the beach in Cozumel...Or in effect, $140 to go swim to a reef from shore to see a fish.

Oh well, I'll leave the rest of my observations for the appropriate web-sites - suffice to say that Mexico is nice, but either expensive or boring.

JayR

Sorry to hear it was not up to your expectations. In spite of that, I hope you both still had a great time.

You at least were not here for the sub-zero temps last week. Brrrrr.... nearly froze myself to the door on the garage after getting out of the hot tub Thursday morning. Went to close the door and my wet hand got stuck like a tongue to a metal pole. Fortunately, it let go after 10 seconds or so..... I was think Mexico sounded real good at that point....

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CaptDom

H'islander, sorry to hear you didn't care for the area. I own property south of where you were near the Belize border, and I love the area. Cancun to Playa Del Carmen has gotten huge, and very heavily populated in just the last 10 years. I was going there in the early 80's with my family when there were only a handful of resorts on the beach in Cancun, nothing around the lagoon or south til you hit Tulum. The airport used to be big enough for about 4 jets to alnd comfotably and unload. The airport is massive now, and the city itself is even bigger and more populated than many American cities. Playa Del Carmen was discovered in the early 90's, and has grown from a sleepy fishing village with a bit of shopping to a huge complex with many resorts right on top of one another. The souvenirs and such have declined along with the "local" feel, much as any place cheap vacations for Americans are readily available with such nice weather almost year round. They have beat it up quite a bit lets leave it at that.

However, there are still many nice places where hotels have bought huge stretches of land, and keep it very private and enclosed. There are a few adult only, high end places you can go with great food and great drinks, further south along the highway, like Secrets, or one of the Spa palaces, that ctaer to your every whim, and the accomodations are world class. We have not built on our land yet, but will in time. We stay at the Secrets Capri property for around 1400 each with airfare. We eat like kings, are not bothered by any of the vendors, have a good 1-1.5 miles in either direction with no other hotels. No kids running around, and the rooms are all suites with jacuzzi baths and huge king beds, etc. The other places I mentioned are similar with very similar service approaches. Nothing I have heard about the Riu facilities has been good, and alot of the other hotels are in the same category, they stink.


We are very close to Ascension Bay and Punta Allen, which is a 3 plus hour ride from the airport, but has world class fishing. The Siaan Kaan biosphere is over 2.3 million acres, encompassing a huge flats area and many reefs and small cays along the shore just along the Chetumal area into Belize. There are not too many places on earth like it where all commercial fishing is banned, and both countries take great pride and care in preserving it. Flats boats with a guide runs 250 for the day. I fished 3 days in a row in 2005, for 900 with tip, and caught over 200 baby tarpon to 40 pounds, over 50 bones to 9 pounds, small snappers and snook till I couldn't count, and even had a few shots at permit. When the wind is calm, you can get out to the reefs where huge Cuberas and cudas roam. In the late spring and summer months, the marlin fishing doesn't get any better, along with big sharks and Mahi. Puerto Adventuras has a huge sportfish fleet if you are there at the right times can get on a well provisioned and outfitted boat with top crew for pretty short money as well.

Don't give up on the Yucatan yet, with a little research and planning you could go to a world class all inclusive(way better than any Sandals I've been to, and cheaper) like Secrets or one of the Mayan Spa resorts, and have plenty of opportunities to fish and snorkel. Xel Ha at 50 bucks for all inclusive snorkeling park is well worth it, you can eat and drink all day, with all snorkeling gear provided and lockers/towel service to boot. If you stay at Xpu Ha Palace and Spa, they have an amazing inshore reef system and cenotes right on property. They are all mostly well south of Playa Del Carmen. Like you said, the people are the friendliest around, and are also pretty adept at handling American tourists. it is their only industry there.

And the Punta Allen/Ascension Bay fishery is a place no one should miss who loves to fish.....

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CAPT. DOM PETRARCA
COASTAL CHARTERS SPORTFISHING
NEWPORT, RI (401)-862-0358
www.coastalcharterssportfishing.com

Bryan A.

Sorry for your dissapointment but thanks for the heads up of that area.

I don't like resorts anyway and you're report just confirms my dislikes.
If you guys are looking for great vacations, I would recomment a bare boat charter. I have done it a few times and it is awsome. The best one was my honeymoon in the British Virgin Islands. If you don't know what bareboating is , basically they give you the keys to the boat of your choice and say bring it back in a week. On my honeymoon it was just the two of us so we got a small 34' Trawler. But we have gone as big a 50' with multiple couples.

Maybe a NB$ field trip?

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2003 Parker 2530 "El Mar".......click the pic
1973 Seacraft 20SF

CaptDom

Bryan, who do you use for bare boat charters? I was looking into a boat for me, my wifde, and 2 other couples, something in the 40-50 foot range, preferably a cat. I have 50 ton masters, my buddy has a 50 ton w/ sail endorsement as well. I was looking at the Moorings program, but since you mentioned where we are looking to go( BVI area or Nevis) I would love to hear your experiences including pricing, where and when you went, what to expect in terms of boats and provisioning, etc.. Thanks in advance....

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CAPT. DOM PETRARCA
COASTAL CHARTERS SPORTFISHING
NEWPORT, RI (401)-862-0358
www.coastalcharterssportfishing.com

A.O.K. Tackle

Kev...
Sorry it wasn't all you were hoping for.
Now...back to pluggage

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Steve

Get Out There,
and Fish!



www.aoktackle.com

ReelCrazySportfishing

Welcome back Kev

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H'Islander

Great info Dom - I'll def keep it up front for next year or possibly '09 ($ dependant)

- My biggest problem is cash flow. I never chased the dollar at work, meaning I had options to move to other areas in the factory for larger raises but the team that I have working for me is awesome and they have had their share of managers using them as stepping stones for their own benefit rather than taking a keen interest in developing the area into a process that makes Japan nervous (that's my braggin rights exercised) while still protecting a living wage for our guys - in retrospect, I should have wrenched the company for more money, which I now must do, but I sleep well at night and when the schit hits the fan my team and i stand together and defend our jobs with the data and with gret pride.

Wow - I gotta get offa my soapbox...sorry.....

Anyways - Sounds to me like you're somewhere near Costa Maya or majahaul (sp?) - and those ARE very beautiful areas. Belize is absolutely awesome - I'd never seen crystal clear, blue, sweetwater in a river before. We hiked one of the forest rivers and the insects, animals and plants were like a walk through a discovery channel episode. Breath-taking -

One day I'll be a little richer and a lot smarter - It's all good - It was the people that saved this vacation from being a bust. I still recall the open smiles and genuine interest in my comfort to the best of their abilities.

Oh...and one last thing - I love non-american beaches......BOOBS!!!!!

JayR

Beach Pics!!!!! I want beach pics!!!!

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RI Popper

Hey Kevin, Welcome back Sorry you didn't have a better time down there. Just think spring is right around the corner .

Armand

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