Showing posts with label accomodation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label accomodation. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Friday, December 23, 2011

Price quotes

It took a month to get all the info I requested via email, but now I have all the quotes needed to organize my next trip to Mexico.

Xibalba Dive Center replied quickly to my enquiry with an acceptable offer: 20 cave dives at 85 USD/dive when doing two a day or 110 USD when only doing one (including guide, transport & doubles filled with nitrox, but excluding cenote entrance fees).

Xibalba Dive Center

Xibalba now also has its own hotel, but it being priced over my budget as solo traveler, I tried, tried and tried again to contact Villa Matisse in order to check room availability & prices. Not getting any response whatsoever, I reluctantly googled my way through virtual space to some other decent looking guesthouses, the more affordable and well rated of which would cost me 70 USD/night when staying for at least 3 weeks... a bit too rich for my wallet.

Posada Luna del Sur

After several attempts getting connected to Villa Matisse, I finally managed to talk to SeƱora Lourdes, who promised to write me back, which she did several days later, with a pretty good deal: 2500 Pesos per week incl. breakfast, when staying for nearly a month. Currently, that's only about 140 EUR or 180 USD/week. Thereby bringing me back on track to realize my fifth trip to Tulum. That is, if I can still book an affordable flight from Munich to Cancun.

Villa Matisse

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Planning

After having sent out several inquiries into cyberspace, today I already got the first replies from Villa Matisse and Xibalba dive center. I know both from my last stay in Tulum and they're each my first choice for respectively homelike accomodation and professional dive support.

Whereas February is already fully booked, the good news is that Señora Lourdes still has a studio available for me in March & April, at 150$/week - almost twice as much as 2 years ago, but still a lot cheaper than staying at the beach or elsewhere in town.

Robbie's wife Aneke also sent me a relatively good deal price-wise regarding cave diving: 20 cave dives at 75$/dive, in stead of the listed 120$/dive. That's excluding cenote entrance fees at about 10$/dive, 15$/stage and 7$/tank for nitrox 32.

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Back in Tulum

The journey from Copenhagen to Tulum took about 24 hours for my body. My mind however is still lagging behind somewhere over the Atlantic.


I'm staying at Villa Matisse, a 3 stories house with 6 rental rooms in Tulum pueblo. At 350 USD/month it's an economic and homey solution compared to the beach resorts. I've got a private bathroom with hot water and there's a common area with kitchenette.


Tulum hasn't changed much over the last two years. A new bus station, some new restaurants, but nothing drastic. The beach, just a short 35 Pesos taxi ride away, is vast and seemingly endless. And though windswept this time of the year, it's still a great place to hang out.


Today I plan on checking out some dive centers, as it won't take long before the need to submerge will just be irresistible.

Saturday, April 10, 2004

Aktun dive center

Located at the entrance of town, on the crossroad leading to the beach, the center, Coba and Playa Del Carmen, Aktun dive center & hotel El Meson are indeed very conveniently placed for cave diving the nearby cenotes - most of them less than a 15' ride away.


The fan rooms are basic but decent enough, though not very charming and rather noisy due to the heavy traffic driving by all day and night.


Besides Gunnar Wagner, the owner and IANTD instructor-trainer, there are two full-time instructors at the moment and one driver-handyman. Plus the hotel management and staff. And they have two jeeps, two suburban vans, two compressors, lots of tech gear for rent and several UW scooters for people in a hurry.

I used to work here as a dive guide & instructor, so this will always be a special place for me...