2000: Bahia Principe Tulum


Suzy at Tulum	Russ at Tulum

Xel-Ha (Pronounced Shell Ha)	The gang after snorkeling at Xel-Ha

Corgi siting in Playa del Carmen (Elaine owns a black-headed tri Corgi)	Husband siting in Playa del Carmen (Drinking beer at a bar along the beach)

Steve, is that a bow or Corgi ears on your head?	The resort at night

TULUM
Tulum was one of the last cities to be built and inhabited by the Mayans. The city thrived mainly from the 15th to the 16th century. It was originally called Zama which means "Dawn" and is related to its location, which lies on the extreme eastern side of the Yucatan Peninsula, directly facing the sunrise. It is a walled city, reflecting the turbulent political situation of the time. The enormous wall, which defends its three landward sides, has only five small and narrow entrances. There are more than fifty buildings within the wall, most of which were temples dedicated to religious ceremonies, while others served as living quarters for the lords and priests. They were all constructed following a pattern: the major buildings lie in the center and from there, two roads branch out heading north and south, along which most of the platforms are aligned. On top of these were wood houses with thatched roofs, which have not withstood the effects of time. Commoners did not live within Tulum itself, but rather in the surrounding countryside. The only times they entered the city was to assist at religious ceremonies or attend matters with the lords who held a government office. Tulum was a richly decorated city in which all the temples were painted. Some of them boasted murals not only on the inside but on the outside as well. The facades were adorned with sculptures and stucco reliefs. The site was abandoned about 450 years ago.

Wonderful resort. Best all-inclusive food to-date. Tulum interesting, but nothing compared to Chichen Itza. Xel-Ha water park nice, but not enough time to explore all of it (namely, the inland streams and cenotes (sink holes)). Playa del Carmen ... not worth the shopping experience (everything overpriced). Advice to travelers: Skip Tulum and go to Chichen Itza instead. Spend a day at Xel-Ha. Go to Playa del Carmen, not to shop, but to take the ferry out to Cozumel Island. When you get to Cozumel Island, take a taxi to Chankanaab Park. Forget the taxi service outside the gate of Bahia Principe ... hop on the bus instead (approximately 16 pesos (9.5 pesos per U.S. dollar)). You get more pesos for your dollar at the resort than at the airport (different than what we were told). If going to the pool, go early (around 7 a.m.) and leave your towels and some sun lotion on the lounge chairs you want ... then go to breakfast.

Make dining arrangements at the 3 restaurants early; otherwise, you might not make it into one of the restaurants and will have to eat in the buffet dining room. There are three restaurants: Mediterranean, Italian, and Mexican. Italian, I thought, was the best, followed by the Mediterranean. The beef dishes were chewy ... as all Mexican beef appears to be. Room accommodations were nice, but nothing spectacular.

For some reason, between the hours of 12 midnight and 5 a.m. the water was turned off to the rooms ... no explanation given, but not a problem.

Memorable Moments: When disembarking from the plane in Mexico, the pilot asked that the passengers allow those going to Cozumel to disembark first. Oz and Margie high-tailed it out the door ... so we were left wondering, "are they going to Cozumel?" Elaine in the photo shop, without her glasses, pointing at photos of people no one knew and saying, "Look, there's Oz and Margie!" Others, I'm sure, but can't recall them right now.

Would I go back? YES!


The pool as viewed from the beach	The pool as viewed from the main resort building

Suzy and Elaine (no, I was not topless!)	The view from our room

The view from the Mediterranean Restaurant	The Tulum seashore