HEY RAIDER

[blacker]

We booked the horseback ride when we were down in 2001..... I found the Bonita Loma to be less than ideal in a few areas.

Being a 6' 5" western boy from ranch country Alberta, I found the horses here to be about 3/4 the size of a good cutting horse (my feet were almost dragging !).  When we went, we were not able to cut loose on our own, just go as in a trail ride; single-file.   

We were very disappointed, as my wife always had had a fantasy of galloping along the beach with her hair flying in the breeze.

Do they still have the donkey polo game after lunch ?

From your report, it sounds like some things have changed for the better !

[raider]

well the first year we did it in 2004 i chose a beginner horse and he was just a medium sized horse and that horsed just buried his nose into the butt of the horse in front of him, this year i asked to be an intermidiate rider and got a "full size" beautiful arabian looking horse named pepe. Pepe would actually listen to me so i galloped several times on the way to the beach. Both times people were given the opportunity to gallop or run a full sprint along the beach. There was no donkey polo game after lunch though that sounds like it could be fun! Both times the guides were really friendly and quite funny. One funny thing happened to my buddy they told us when the horses get to the beach they enjoy rolling around in the sand and they may try to attempt this while your still on them, while we were waiting for everyone else to get saddled up to go back, my buddies horse took a dive and he got out just in time, its pretty easy to dismount its just he was sandwiched in by another horse so had to do a fancy tuck and roll maneuver(sp?) gave him a little excitment

[hlsess]

Are you serious -that it takes an hour and a half to get there- to Xelha? I told my kids and they went no thanks can we do something else- I've read about the fat cat catamaran trip- any other suggestions- that aren't too far
away- they love to snorkel.

[raider]

i am sorry to hear you guys dont like the hour and a half drive, xel ha is really something special. But i can understand not wanting to waste anytime driving around mexico. I have not had a snorkeling excursion that was close i have done three and they all have a decent amount of travel time(close to an hour for the others) One was the mayan adventure which takes you to three places to snorkel so throughout the day you are probably in a van for 3 hours. The other was cozumel and that took a little time to wait on the ferry and what not. Now the drive to xelha is a little long but they pick you up around 7:45 and arrive around 10am you then leave xelha at 5pm and arrive at the resort at about 6:30 on bear in mind we had to stop at about three other resorts along the way, if you chose a different mode of transportation and drive direct it may only be 45 minutes. And we were so tired we sleep the whole way back, there was so much to do. Whatever you decide you have many options for some nice snorkeling enjoy whichever you chose!!

[CoralReef]

Yep, it takes a while to get to Xel-Ha. The road is good, but it's not like a U.S. Interstate highway, and Xel-Ha is pretty far down the coast. The stoplights in Playa del Carmen slow you down, too. I think it took us about an hour to get there, but you can't count on it being less than what raider said.

Xel-Ha is so fabulous. It is totally worth the time investment, IMO. Cozumel is also great, but that's even more travel time.

The half-day snorkel trip to Paradise Reef (Maroma Beach) takes you just a couple of miles south of the Iberostar Paraiso complex. 15 minutes travel time, tops. It was enjoyable (although not in the Xel-Ha league). I read that the reef there was damaged by Wilma, but it's probably still a fun trip. There are also boat trips directly from the resort.

[raider]

i have seen those boats but thought they were just for scuba, so you can snorkel thru iberostar right off the beach there? have you or anyone you have spoken with done that? thanks in advance!

[CoralReef]

I haven't done it, but I've talked to people who did. They said it was fun if you were looking just for snorkeling, not a "booze cruise" type of excursion. I think you book through the dive shop.

[Jude]

We did the snorkel cruise from the resort in 2003.  You book through the Dive Shop.  They don't go out on red flag days.  They take you to a reef not too far away.  Not the greatest but you certainly get the "taste" of a snorkel adventure.  When we went we all had to follow one of the staff, we snorkelled for about 45 minutes.  Xel-Ha is better for seeing variety of fish, etc but does involve a whole day and the cost is greater, so if time and money are an issue the resort excursion is probably the way to go.

[hlsess]

Thanks so much- WE'll think about it- we have until march- justw anted to weigh the options. Anyone knwo about the fat cat catamaran snorkel trip? We did one like that in St. Maarten one time.

[hlsess]

I read on another board that if you take a cab to Xelha it may be quicker- anyone think this is true?? I really want o go and think we may go this route- they said it was around $50 from the Del Mar.

[CoralReef]

It depends on the tour operator's vehicle and how many bookings they get from your resort. When we went, the entire bus was filled with people from the Iberostar Paraiso complex. So we did not stop at any other resorts. I doubt if we would have gotten there any faster in a cab. But if the bus would stop at other resorts, then yes, a cab would be faster.

Personally, I like to see other resorts and am always disappointed to miss the chance! But since minimal travel time is important to you, then it sounds like the cab money would be well spent in your case.

If you haven't been to Mexico before, you may want to warn your kids about Mexican time. Most of the resort staff and tour operators are very efficient because they are used to dealing with people from the U.S. and Canada. But in general, things tend to happen at a more relaxed pace in Mexico. If your kids expect everything to run on a tight schedule and happen as quickly as possible, they're going to go nuts down there.

[MikeOKC]

Mexican Time = Island Time.  Things happen when they happen.  Strict time schedules must be abandoned when on vacation.

MikeOKC

[hlsess]

My kids will be fine- we are going there to have fun and relax but the shorter the ride the better for everyone. I don't love riding for a long time either so the money will be well spend- I think they will love Xelha and I think it'll be nice to have a change of pace from the del Mar-!!!