Beth & Scott's Trip Report to the Roo May 08

[Beth&Scott]

Beth & Scott’s trip to Mexico May 2008

Background
My first trip report on the roo, yet vacationed the Yucatan many times with Playa del Carmen being “home base" for many of the trips. We visit the Yucatan twice a year with our backpacks and limited vacation budgets staying in affordable accommodations along the way. We shoot for 80-cent tacos and $1.00 beers and we are good to go! This trip was special since it was a celebration of completing my Masters of Counseling degree! My husband, Scott is a die-hard fly fisherman and brings his portable fly rod wherever we go. We reside in Michigan, an hour west of Detroit, so he spends a lot of time fishing up north Michigan or at many of the nearby smaller lakes. Most of his time in Mexico is spent fishing on the shore. However, I love to visit Mexico for the beach, sand, relaxation, shopping and culture! Due to our love of Mexico we thought it more than appropriate to have a Mexico destination wedding. We married in 2005 on the shores of the Caribbean in Cozumel while the sun was settting. Here we are (December 2005) on our wedding day…



Back to the report….
This trip we planned a busy schedule to experience as much as we could in a week! We planned on staying at each destination for two days each
Our plan was to visit:
-Puerto Morelos- and be sure to stop at Jardin Botanico Yaax Che (Botanical Gardens)
-Playa Del Carmen- and to volunteer on wash day at the Peanut Pet Shelter
-Punta Allen- for major relaxation
-Paamul- to experience the beach for the day

But before our arrival to Mexico…we had a 5 over layover in FLL (Fort Lauderdale), so we decided to get out of the airport and take a taxi to the beach for a few hours….boy was it worth it!


First stop in Mexico….Puerto Morelos (never been and loved it!!!) We decided to also come back on our last night and crash before heading home due to the proximity of the airport! (15 minutes away!) We stayed at Posada El Moro, one block from the main square and the beach. It was a steal at $45 a night and included air conditioning, real comfy beds, continental breakfast, wrap around balcony, pool, gardens and a nice sea view!…






We loved Puerto Morelos… it is a small, quiet town filled with laid back very nice people. The beach was almost deserted by day, during the early evenings many people were seen swimming in the warm sea…

[Beth&Scott]

On the streets of Puerto Morelos we saw many locals going about their normal routines, ate at excellent cheap restaurants and noticed Greg is still running for president…







We were sure to stop at Jardin Botanico Yaax Che and we were lucky to see monkeys in the wild! We were told one was 20 years old…




Overall, we had an excellent time at Puerto Morelos and was looking forward to returning for our last night…




Our trip report will continue with upcoming photos of our time in Playa and washday at the Peanut Pet Shelter! Stay Tuned…

[gingele]

GREAT START!!!! Can't wait to read more! You two are adorable, and I love your approach to travel.

Keep it coming, please!!

[shoediva]

Loooove your wedding pics

Great report, ready for more!

[TEX]

Looks like another one of those reports that I hope is updated when I log in. Keep it coming.

[TAPPY]

Love your report !!! We love PM to !!!

[PlayaWithMe2]

I like your "go with the flow" attitude. Good to see you got a photo of "Greg" as he was plastered on every power pole when we were there in March. Popular guy! Can't wait to read more of your report so ......keep it coming!

[PlayaWithMe]

Great stuff where's the rest?

[Tony&Cheri]

Did you happen to eat at Doña Triny when you were in PM (you have a photo of it)? It's the orange building at the first stop sign you reach driving into town (on the square). We love that place. In fact we had lunch there today. Their sopa azteca is wonderful. Whenever we head to Cancun for something, we try to plan lunch there along the way.

~Cheri

[Beth&Scott]

Yes, we ate there on 3 occasions! Once for a snack, once for dinner and another time for breakfast! Excellent and super affordable. 80 cent tacos cannot be beat!! Yummy food...

[Ginger]

Yay! Great report and thanks for the photos.

I like the one of the boy with the dogs...those look like well cared after dogs, good to see.

Did you venture south on the beach at all? We found a wonderful little deserted beach south of Puerto Morelos once, we just travelled through the town all the way, and then just past the big marina and break water. It was a beautiful beach.

Sounds like you had a great time, can't wait to see more!

[lovbuds]

Hey Beth and Scott - finally the long awaited trip report. Love your wedding pictures! You guys travel the same way Gary and I travel ... isn't it great!!! Thanks for sharing your travels with us and can't wait for the next installment.

[lovbuds]

Hey Beth&Scott Gary here, I'm bummed we couldn't get down. How was the fishing Scott? I'm practicing the fly thing for the next time we meet. Great trip report!

[Sharon]

Great TR start!! Waiting for more!!

[bufante]

Good stuff!

Did you guys see the boat south of PM-is it still beached?

[Beth&Scott]

We did not venture South on the beach... next time we will be sure too, sounds cool. We did rent bikes and cruised up and down the streets and got a good feel of the town.
The fishing from shore was not the greatest for Scott in PM or PDC , he had his best luck in PA

[Beth&Scott]

We missed you on this trip LoveBuds (Nancy/Gary)! Perhaps one of these trips we will meet up again!

[stonecold]

It was great meeting you guys on the bar crawl.... hope to see you again in Playa and looking forward to your TR.........

[Beth&Scott]

Next on the agenda…Playa del Carmen… we’ve been here on other occasions and love this town! PDC is a budget travelers paradise with its many choices of nice, reasonably priced accommodations, although due to the growth and popularity of the town, budget hotels under $50 are becoming a rarity. After much research, I found Hotel Jungla Caribe- for $42 USD a night, located on the corner of 5th and 8th- excellent location!


I loved this hotel! I’ve stayed in a handful of hotels in Playa and this ranks top of the list! The hotel lobby is cute and decorated in a Mexican Folk Art design, with its main colors throughout the hotel being a striking red, black and white décor. They offer higher priced rooms and also budget rooms for $42 which come with A/C, TV, a roomy bathroom, ample space for luggage and a balcony w/ chairs on 8th overlooking the sea and 5th! The hotel has a nice jungle like feel with a huge garden atrium. The jaguar restaurant is also located here- we didn’t eat there, but enjoyed a nice glass of pinot grigio for a nightcap one night.


Opening the hotel room door into the open atrium...

More of the hotel



The beach was nearby and the days spent there were lovely…



Scott gets his haircut on every vacation and usually in Playa he gets a $4 haircut from this woman (What a deal!)….yet we couldn’t find her (forgot where she was located)…. (Photo from a 2006 visit)


After no luck finding her, we stumbled across Estetica on the corner of 20th and 4th (I was sure to jot it down for future visits) for $5 another woman did a fine job cutting his hair. However, no matter how he tells them to cut it, they always give him the “Ricky Martin haircut”. He leaves with a pound of gel in his hair!



We love 5th Avenue…especially all the bright colored artwork everywhere!



Here we are…


Nightcap photo from the balcony…


Stay tuned for more….Next up includes details and photos of Dog Washing time at the Peanut Pet Shelter….

[Lovesthesun]

I can't wait to read about your adventures at the Peanut Pet Shelter.
Your photos are beautiful! Thank you for sharing.