Wonderful trip!

[jms2004]

Just got back from a week at the Del Mar. It was better even than what I expected. The staff are absolutely wonderful and very friendly. We were upgraded to a junior suite  when we got there. It was in the nineties almost every day but cooled down toward the evening. We only had one rainy day. The restaurants we chose were the tropical, the steakhouse, the mediteranean. If you arent picky about the time you eat you can usually eat more than 3 times at the restaurants. At least we did. We went to Xel-Ha, which was my personal favorite thing on the trip. It was just gorgeous for snorkling. We did the full day. Also visited Tulum.The guides were hilarious and really informative. It is amazing how hard the iberostar staff works to keep the grounds so immaculate. I loved the wildlife- lots of pink flamingoes in the lobby. We saw tons of birds and one furry animal that I didnt know what it was. It had brown fur and a long snout. We had tame deer right outside our balcony in rm 1107. You could feed them right out of your hand. Hopefully I can get some pics posted.   Janet

[mexicanbob]

Glad to hear you had such a great time. If that furry animal looked something like a racoon it was possibly a coati-mundi. I saw a few of them when we were there in February.

[staceylc]

It could have been a Mexican Agouti.

[Hitts1]

My family is traveling to the Lindo at the end of June.  We plan on going to Xel-ha for snorkeling/swim with the dolphins.  What kind of transportation arrangements did you make to get to Xel-ha from the hotel?  Should I rent a car for a day?  Or is there a bus/shuttle we could use?

[MarkBinPA]

My family is traveling to the Lindo at the end of June. We plan on going to Xel-ha for snorkeling/swim with the dolphins. What kind of transportation arrangements did you make to get to Xel-ha from the hotel? Should I rent a car for a day? Or is there a bus/shuttle we could use?

There is a shuttle bus that will pick you up at Lindio. 

[Dave]

Does anyone actually know how to pronounce Xel-Ha?  I was thinking it was shoel-ha?

[Raven]

Dave...its pronounced - shell-ha

[Raven]

There is a shuttle bus that will pick you up at Lindio.

Mark could you please tell me a little more about the shuttle bus?  Do you know the cost or the times it departs from the Lindo to Xel-ha?  How do you make arrangements?

[firetz]

Just got back from a week at the Del Mar. It was better even than what I expected. The staff are absolutely wonderful and very friendly. We were upgraded to a junior suite when we got there.

JMS2004 - I will be at the Paraiso Beach this Sunday (YAY!)....I was wondering how did you get upgraded to a junior suite?

Thanks

[CoralReef]

Dave-- what Raven said... and also the emphasis is on the Ha part: shell-HA

[CoralReef]

Hitts1: we are going to buy the package tour to Xel-Ha from one of the tour reps in the lobby-- probably our Funjet/Lomas group if they do a good job. It runs around $75 per person if you do the all-inclusive (gear, drinks, food). There is also a non-AI option.

Unless you have a large party to split the cost of a van, you probably won't save any money by arranging your own transportation. The exceptions would be if you want to go a several destinations on your own schedule and are willing to drive in Mexico-- in which case a rental would be the most convenient and economical option. Or, if you are flexible on times, you could take the collectivo for just a few bucks, then pay your admission at Xel-Ha. That would be the cheapest option, but my hubby isn't that adventurous