The Riviera Maya is the Mecca of diving. There are dive shops in Akumal, Puerto Aventuras, Xpu-Ha, Punta Soliman and Tankah. All offer open water courses (beginners and advanced), certification, night dives, cave dives and lots more. If you don't want to dive, try snorkeling. Either rent equipment or buy your own- I guarantee your first time won't be your last time! Shopping is also a wonderful experience here. Rugs, blankets, pottery and silver are some of the most sought after items. Tennis, golf, horse riding, sailing, deep sea fishing, parasailing and lazy days on the beach are some of the other many popular activities in and around Akumal.

In a word- ruins! The Yucatan peninsular is famous for it's Mayan archeological sites and some of the most well known are located on the Riviera Maya. Coba, Chitchen Itza and Tulum are easy day trips. The Yucatan is also famous for it's cenotes, which are natural, freshwater pools. Cave diving and snorkeling are two popular cenote sports. The beach itself is also a huge attraction. The Caribbean water is almost always calm, warm and blue and the powder, white sand is like wearing slippers! We can't think of a better reason to visit the Riviera Maya!

In Akumal, there is are fabulous folkloric and Flameco dancing floor shows several weekday evenings at the Lol-Ha restaurant. La Buena Vida restaurant often has a band and dancing. Akumal has a stage which occasionally features live music or skits and the ecological center (CEA) offers evening programs. Only 25 mins north of Akumal, Playa Del Carmen offers a wide selection of restaurants, nightclubs and bars. You will find a wonderful array of live and taped music, with most clubs open until the wee hours.

You don't need to go anywhere! You can enjoy a relaxing massage in the privacy of your own villa. Ask your villa manager and he will recommend you a massage therapist who will go directly to your villa.

There are some fabulous restaurants in Akumal and most of them are clustered around the entrance. More great restaurants can be found in Puerto Aventuras, Tulum and Playa Del Carmen. Apart from Mexican cusine, seafood is the speciality of this region, although you can also find Asioan, Italian, French and old standbys like TGIF and Burger King. Not all restaurants take credit cards and those that do only accept Visa and MasterCard. All accept US currency.

I sometimes get just as leery as you do when buying things over the Internet. If you ever have any questions about our legitimacy, please contact us for a list of references. 

Generally, Check In time is 3:00 PM and Check Out time is 11:00 AM.

Yes they are. Perhaps it's best if we allow one of our villa owners to answer this question for you. This particular owner was asked by a prospective renter if it was safe to give us her deposit.

Here is a comment from a reliable source:

"I can vouch for the safety of reserving with Akumal Villas by the net , long distance or fax also. Akumal Villas has been managing and renting villas in Akumal for a long time. They have an excellent reputation and are exceptional hosts. The villas, I've stayed in two of them, are well appointed and comfortably home-like. We did some cooking and enjoyed just hanging out "at home". Don't miss the lagoon in Akumal and at least do some snorkeling. Enjoy!"

Simon Lipstein, Assistant Attorney General Consumer Protection Section 1525 Sherman Street, 5th floor Denver, CO 80203

These questions and more will be answered by clicking on the Akumal Villas Terms & Conditions, which outlines our policy, as well as banking instructions, directions to the villa, terms and conditions and much more.

Please click on the Akumal Villas Hurricane Policy to see what your rights are.

If you would like the cook to prepare a dinner for you, please let the maid or the manager, know at least 24 hours in advance.

All cook services with caretakers are set up onsite.  You can also reserve a Private chef package https://www.akumal-villas.com/pages/Cook-Service

On the day you want the meal, you will need to give them the money to purchase the groceries and payment in advance for preparing the meal, serving and cleaning up. Service fees are $8 to 10 US/ person for lunch or dinner.**

They will serve dinner at 6:30 P.M. After dinner, please drive them, if they need, to the highway and they will walk home to the village from there.

Breakfast will cost $6 US / person.** Food and US$25 per day transportation costs will be extra. Breakfast will be served around 8:30am.

**Most homes have their own cooks and prices may vary slightly. However, the prices given are as accurate as we can ascertain.

We do not do arrival dinners because, often, when guests arrive later than planned, food becomes cold and the cook has to wait, often until late, to be paid for her services. We recommend to guests that they choose from some of excellent restaurants near their home.

For first morning breakfasts, you will need to buy your own groceries on the way to the villa and request the breakfast cook 2 weeks before arrival.

We do not ask the cook/ staff/ managers/ villa owners to front grocery money for reimbursement when guests arrive.

Some sample menus...

MENU #1
Sopa Crema de Aguacate (Cream of Avocado Soup)
Camarones al Mojo de Ajo (Garlic Shrimp)
Frijoles Refritos (Refried Beans)
Chilies Rellenos de Queso y Arroz (Stuffed Peppers with Cheese & Rice)
Pie de Lima (Key Lime Pie)

MENU #2
Sopa de Maiz (Corn Soup)
Enchiladas de Queso, Pollo y Frijoles con Salsa Verde
(Fried corn tortillas stuffed with Chicken, cheese & Rice)
Arroz Verde con Plantanos (Green Rice w/ Plantains)
Salsa Mexicana
Flan de Caramelo (Caramel Flan)

MENU #3
Sopa de Tortilla (Tortilla soup)
Pollo Pibil (Yucatecan Barbeque Chicken)
Chayotes Rellenos (Baked Chayotes stuffed w/ vegetables & cheese)
Tortitas de Papas (Potato pancakes)
Guacamole & Salsa Mexicana con Tostados (Avocado dip & Salsa w/ Chips)
Pastel de Zanahoria (Carrot Cake)

Nothing really. Please understand that this area is very accommodating to tourists and every restaurant knows to purify their fruits and vegetables, so eat up! The Mexicans purify their own food the same way. The fresh fruits and veggies are amazing and so inexpensive. There is a farmers' market in Akumal every Wednesday and Saturday. If you buy fresh fruits and vegetables yourself, it is best to soak them for 20 minutes in purified water with a few iodine drops, which can be bought in any grocery store in the area, before eating them. All the villas will have bottles of purified water for you to use.

Your villa will provide you with purified water to drink, cook, and brush your teeth with, etc. It will come in normal sized water bottles and a 20 liter blue jug in the kitchen, called a garrofone in Spanish.

Please do not brush your teeth or drink the tap water and don’t let shower water get in your mouth.

Ice can be eaten. It is made from purified water. The Mexicans and Mayans can’t even drink the tap water so therefore they will make ice out of purified water. Also, if you order a glass of ice water at a restaurant, they will give you purified water as they would not drink tap water either.

We have a small but very good grocery store in Akumal called "Super Chomak". It's open from 7AM to 9PM seven days a week. You can get everything you need there including soft drinks, liquors, dairy products, things for breakfast and lunch, steaks, chicken, shrimp, lobster tails, pastas, produce, deli items, drug store items, etc. Also across the street there is another minisuper "El Pueblito" All alcohol sales stop at 2 pm on Sundays!

Stop on your way from the Cancun Airport to your villa in Playa del Carmen either at Soriana or City Club at Centro Maya, just as you leave Playa on the right side or go across th e road to Sams club. For Walmart you will need to turn left on Avenida Constituyentes and turn right on 30th it will be on your left side just as you pass MEGA Comercial which is another big supermarket. Accepts US currency. If you pay with US you will receive change in pesos.

We always recommend renting a car because it means you will have so much more freedom whilst here. If you don't want to rent a car, Akumal Villas can arrange an Airport Transport to your villa. Taxis are very expensive and public transport is not very reliable. You can rent a car or hire an airport transfer by going to www.akumal-vacation-villas.com We would be glad to help you with this!

Car seats are not required in Mexico so if your child needs to ride in their own car seat it would best to bring one from home or the car rental company may have one to rent.

Yes, it is possible to hire a driver with transportation for the week but it can be expensive. Taxis run 24/7 and are very easy to come by. There is a taxi stand in Akumal. You can also walk out to the main highway and catch a collective which are 10-14 passenger vans that function as a bus system. They are extremely reasonably priced and run daily from Playa del Carmen and Tulum until 9:00 PM.

A new highway from Cancun to Tulum is complete so the drive is now very safe. The worst danger is when you turn left off of the highway into whatever town you are going to - if possible, pull over to the right and let cars go by first, then make your left turn. Many Mexicans consider a left turn signal to mean, "it's all clear, go ahead and pass me". You might use an arm signal along with your turn signal to play it safe.

Please visit our Car Rentals and ask for availability and quote, as prices change depending on the season.

Yes, https://sittersofthecaribbean.com/

All villas are equipped with washers and dryers however they are for the maid's use only. She will wash your sheets and towels as part of the service. However you may ask her to do your personal laundry. We suggest a tip of $6US per load. She will wash, dry and fold you clothes. Please do not give her delicates of Dry-Clean Only clothes. We have a laundry service both in Akumal and Puerto Aventuras..

You might want to bring Dramamine if you get air sick or sea sick. You might want to bring Chamomile tea or some kind of pills in case you get a funny tummy but that’s it. You do not need any shots or bring any outlandish medications.

We recommend that you exchange some pesos at the airport.

There are tons of banks and money exchanges in Playa del Carmen (but only worry about exchanging there if you are in Playa shopping or hanging out).There is three banks and several money exchanges in Tulum as well.

Don't forget ATMs. They are convenient, the exchange rate is good and you don't have to carry US cash. The downside is that they frequently run out of money, especially in Akumal, and you will have to pay the fees.

You are correct. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 requires that by January 1, 2008, travelers to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico and Canada have a passport or other secure, accepted document to enter or re-enter the United States.

In order to facilitate the implementation of this requirement, the Administration is proposing to complete it in phases following a proposed timeline, which will be published in the Federal Register in the near future. This is a change from prior travel requirements and will affect all United States citizens entering the United States from countries within the Western Hemisphere who do not currently possess valid passports.

This new requirement will also affect certain foreign nationals who currently are not required to present a passport to travel to the United States. Most Canadian citizens, citizens of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, and to a lesser degree, Mexican citizens will be affected by the implementation of this requirement.

For more information go to U.S. Department of State New Requirements for Travelers, to renew your passport.

This is paradise and you've probably booked this vacation to get away from the constant ringing of telephones! The villas are generally not provided with phones but if having a telephone is a must, you can bring down your cell phone and ask your service provider for international service. All villas are provided with a contact number so that friends and relatives can leave a message for you in case of an emergency.

When staying at one of the villas, we normally suggest 5% of your rental cost. From that, 3% goes to the maid and 2% is for the caretaker. Of course, this is only a suggestion. Please give whatever amount you deem appropriate. Tipping in restaurants is the same here as it is in the States. The overall tip is about 15 - 20% of the total bill. Please remember that the prices are in pesos.

The electrical voltage here is the same as the U.S 110 volts, 60 cycles A.C so if you are traveling from the U.S an adaptor is not needed. If travelling from other parts of the world an adaptor may be needed.