Following is information on Akumal - weather, passports, maps, directions, and survival information. Some Akumal lodging options and contact information appears at the bottom of this page.
Meetings will begin on the evening of Saturday January 5 and end on the evening of Tuesday January 8. Please schedule your arrival for no later than January 5 in the early afternoon and your departure for no earlier than January 9. You are responsible for making your own housing, travel, and dinner arrangements. Breakfast and lunch will be catered for attendees, but not for families.
Weather: The average January high is 81 degrees. The average low is 67.
Passport: For information on how to obtain a passport, click here.
Maps: For maps of the Cancun-Akumal area, click here. For a map of Akumal lodging locations, click here.
Directions from Cancun Airport to Akumal:
A taxi costs about $65 and takes about 1 hour to reach Akumal. Some taxis will try to charge you more, so you need to negotiate.
You can rent a car at the airport, but you should make reservations before you arrive. Most of the major chains have agencies at the Cancun airport. Akumal is about 90 kilometers (54 miles) southwest of the Cancun airport. Take 307 South from the airport - you will be on this almost the entire way. Following the signs for Tulum (though Tulum is beyond Akumal), you will pass Playa del Carmen and Xcaret. The exit for Akumal is about 25 kilometers after Xcaret. Following signs to Playa Akumal or Club Akumal, you will turn left from the highway, though you are supposed to first take a right in order to take a left, similar to a New Jersey jug handle. Continue on this narrow and winding road for a few miles to the end of this road, if you are staying near Casa Zorros (the house for meetings).
Receipts: For reimbursements, please be sure to save all receipts. We can only reimburse expenses for which you have receipts.
Water: There are large tanks of purified water in most condo rooms.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch is provided for all attendees at Casa Zorros (not for families). Dinner is on your own. There are several nearby restaurants (e.g., Que Onda, La Lunita, La Buena Vida, Bahia Principe resort).
Supermarkets: There is a small, pricey food market in Akumal near the arch - Super Chomak Grocery. There is a large inexpensive supermarket in Playa del Carmen, called San Francisco. Playa del Carmen is about 30 kilometers north of Akumal on 307. Take the right exit to Playa del Carmen, left at the store called 'The One,' and it is 6 blocks down on the right. There is also a new supermarket at the entrance of Playa del Carmen, called Chedrawi. There is a Walmart with a supermarket in Cancun.
Exchange Rate: You can use U.S. currency at most locations. For a currency exchange rate calculator, click here.
ATM: There is an ATM at the Bahia Principe resort just south of Akumal on 307, but it is often out of service. Bring cash, as credit cards are not accepted at many places.
PCs, Printers and Copiers: There are no available computers, printers, or copiers in Akumal. The nearest copy center is about 30 minutes away (in Playa del Carmen or Tulum) and you might need to return a couple hours later to retrieve the copies.
Internet Access: Ask if your room has phones with phone jacks for Internet access. Phones were out of service for the entire Akumal 3 at La Sirena y La Iguana.
Phone Costs: At La Sirena y La Iguana Condos, phone rates were $4.00 per minute to the United States, and $1.50 per minute for long distance within Mexico.
Washing Clothes: There is a laundromat in Akumal (near the arch) where you can drop off your laundry and pick it up about 24 hours later.
Map of Lodging: Meetings will again be in Casa Zorros. For a map of Akumal lodging locations, click here.
Some Lodging Options: You will be responsible for making all lodging arrangements and payments. Please note that inclusion on this list of lodging options does not constitute an endorsement. Most lodging has no elevators, so if you do not want an upper level, please make this clear, though the views of the ocean are beautiful from the upper levels. Following are some lodging options:
Caribbean Fantasy
P.O. Box 7606
Loveland, CO 80537-0606
Phone: 800-523-6618 (970-663-2299)
Fax: 970-669-0707
www.caribbfan.com
caribbfan@aol.com
Cristal Azul
011-52-98487-59145
dosfloras@prodigy.net.mx
Hacienda de la Tortuga and La Mirage (includes La Lunita Restaurant)
011-52-98487-59068
htortuga@prodigy.net.mx
http://www.haciendatortuga.com/
http://www.locogringo.com/akumal/tortuga.htm
La Bahia
800-523-6618 (Caribbean Fantasy handles all reservations)
caribbfan@aol.com
http://www.caribbfan.com
011-52-987-59129 (Not for reservations)
nan@caribe.net.mx
La Sirena y La Iguana
011-52-98487-59077 (or 59081 or 59127 or 59183)
laiguana@cancun.com.mx
http://www.cancun.com.mx/condosuites/
Luna Azul
011-52-98487-59135 (or 59169)
moonlight@luna-azul.com
www.luna-azul.com
Playa Blanca
011-52-98487-59084 (59085)
Toll-free: 888-309-7181 (Stacy Fontana)
turquesa@caribe.net.mx
www.costaturquesa.com
Playa Caribe
011-52-98487-59084 (59085)
Toll-free: 888-309-7181 (Stacy Fontana)
turquesa@caribe.net.mx
www.playacaribe.com
Que Onda Hotel (and restaurant)
011-52-98487-59101
Villas Flamingo
Toll-free: 800-351-1622
clubakumal@aol.com
www.hotelakumalcaribe.com
Vista del Mar
Toll-free in U.S.: 877-425-8625
Mexico: 011-52-98487-59060 (59058)
akumal@roadrunner.com
www.mexico-vacation.com
Turtle Bay Vacations
relax@turtlebayvacations.com
011- 52- 98487-59137 Telephone/Fax
Travel Services of Akumal
http://www.akumaltravel.com/