Thanks for the offer, were you happy with the cabanas? Was it worth it to rent a car & was it easy to find and get around (with out speaking spanish?)

Thank you

Did you eat at the restaurant at Copal? If so, how was the food and service?

I'll try to answer as best I can! We were very pleased with our "partial seaview" cabana. It was so much more than we expected, with its concrete rather than sand floor, upper level bathroom with privacy curtain, cute tile shower and sink, and cozy mosquito net bed. I'm more of a "camping" type person so this was luxury for me. My wife is NOT a camper, and she was still pleased with all the features of the cabana, especially the view and sound of the ocean, and the sunrise in our window every morning. The rain blew in through the stick walls one night, but only the floor was wet. The staff servicing the room were thorough and thoughtful, a rairity at any locaction. The room cleaning supervisor and I met one afternoon by chance and I could see her checklist was well organized. Keeping in mind we were on vacation in a grass hut on the beach helped keep our expectations in check with our reality, and we had a great time! We spoke with a couple who moved from their cabana site ( I forget which one) down the road to Copal and were much happier with their new location at Copal.

As far as car rentals go, we had hoped not to rent at all, but ended up with a jeep for a day to go to Coba, as we planned to travel at our own speed. It was a real adventure and we had a great day. We rented via the front desk at Copal and got the most ragged jeep we had seen all week, but we felt all the more at home for it. For our regular jaunts around the area, we walked, attempted to hitch a ride when possible, and took a couple of cabs. It was always easy and inexpensive to get around. Spanish was never a barrier. We spoke our best phrase book gringo lingo and always got a friendly laugh from whoever we were speaking to. We were even offered some helpful new phrases from various people along the way. The people in and around Tulum were helpful, friendly, courteous, and had a great sense of humour.

The restaurant at Copal was a great option when we felt like staying "home" for the night. The food we tried there was quite good, especially the steak kabobs. Just add a Negro Modello beer and you have the perfect meal. For breakfast, a fruit crepe or oatmeal and honey shake was a great day starter. We were even able to get some coffee to go just after sunrise so we could wakeup on the beachfront. Overall, however, the restaurant was the area that needed to be improved. They were understaffed when large groups came in, and had some other inconsistancies that could use correction. I have read that a new manager is working on these issues. But if you want to hang out on the bar swings and sip your Reposto Tequilla, you can't help but have a big smile.

I hope this was helpful! See you in Mexico, hopefully at sunrise on the beach!

Hi James72...just a few questions. We plan to return to Azulik/Copal in early May. Previous Copal reviews mention the beach bar being closed. Is that true? Also a concern now is the spa services and the reservation system at the spa. Were your spa treatments on time to a reasonable level? We'd plan to see Sian Ka'an this time, and understand there are two tours..a 1/2 day, and a full day. Which did you choose, and can you tell us about the tour and the prices? Thanks for your help, and also, if anyone else has any info they'd like to share, please do!

I stayed in Playa del Carmen for 3 weeks in 2005 and 4 weeks in 2003 and spent a lot of days on the beach at and North of Cabanas Copal. How did last years hurricanes affect the area? Is the beach still clothing optional?

Jim

jimjab@aol.com

Hello TheWindyCity; yes the beach bar was closed, (maybe problems with the water supply?) but the day we spent on the beach the staff from the restaurant made a couple of trips down to bring drinks. I was disapointed initally, but after a couple of trips to the various spots around the hotel zone and in town, and some time swinging in the restaurant, I was happy again!

We didn't use the spa as much as we would have liked, but what we did schedule was on time and very enjoyable. I can't recomend booking from home, however, as the package we pre-paid was impossable to arrange on site. We got credits for all the pre-paid package and used them all at the spa so it worked out great! We did a Temzecal and a couple of different massage treatments and enjoyed them all, if you can say a Temzecal is enjoyable...My wife has her own Reki and Reflexology office and she was very pleased with the spa treatments, so that must be a strong endorsment!

We took the full day tour of Sian Ka'an. Our guide, Vanessa, was pleasant and very knowledgeable and made the trip alot of fun. The tour is not phisical in any way, which was a bit dissapointing, but just being in such a unique and interesting environment made up for it. I don't remember the price, but at the time I remember it was in line with any tour type activity we have done anywhere. I would recomend paying in cash (either currancy) because like many places they charge a higher rate of exchange for credit cards. Also, bringing a mask and snorkel, using biodegradable sun screen, taking a tip for the boat driver and tour guide all seemed like a good idea. The meal at the lodge at the end of the tour was one of the best we had all trip (I still dream of Mole!). Next time I'd like to rent the kayaks and get a really upclose look around, now that I have some idea of the place and its inhabitants.

To L.A....With regards to hurricane damage, I had not been in the area before, but people mentioned that most of the damage was farther north. I noticed that at Copal their website stated that they had some damage and remodeled their restaurant. The beach at Copal is fantastic. Apparently the hurricane widened that stretch of beach, lucky for them! And yes the beach is clothing optional, which from a practical point of view makes it much easier to keep your swimsuit dry.

Ya got me on the Mole' , James. Sian Ka'an sounds like a great tour for photos too, I'd imagine.

Hopefully, Copal's Tun Tun Bar is merely undergoing improvement. It's too ideal to close, both locationally and revenue-wise. We had great lunches while enjoying the fantastic view.

Thanks for the reply.

Just returned from Copal, third time there. Try and book the 27, 28 ,29 rooms, they are on the end and have more privacy. Always love it here but there are some problems and they are indeed at a cross roads of getting worse or hopefully improving. Book the sea views, they are worth every penny but make sure you have the same room for your entire stay. When i arrived I was told yes I had the seaview king for 7 nights but not the same room and i would have to move all the time...I refused and it was sorted out. It seems the 7 night holiday minimum is asked for when booking ahead but I saw people arriving and asking to stay for a night here and there and they were given a room which probably explains why I was being asked to move. The front desk there had not reserved specific rooms for their incoming guests. The beach bar was not open (permit problems) though someone did come and take orders. The pool was not filled and for some reason they were building a deck over the xmas week which still was not finished after xmas day! Hopefully it will be finished when you arrive. I was there in low season and everything was open and wonderful....it was very disappointing to be paying more and have less service, not be able to eat at the beach bar or even sit! The spa manager has left since low season and the new staff have little experience and speak terrible English. Don't bother booking anything online, for some reason they have no record. The postings are correct, massages are good but they did get the times mixed up and were a no show one time and they screwed up the temescal. The temescal used to have honey and plants and great tea afterwards and be very spiritual....its way too hot now and is run differently...shame.......the food has always been bad and nothing has changed.....portions are smalI, food sometimes cold.... miss the breakfast potatoes which used to be hot and buttery...they have been replaced with potato salad for some reason and they can never get the omelete order right. Always asked for no peppers and got them most of the time. Love Gabriel in the restaurant, don't care for the others...the service is bad. I agree with the comments re the front desk. They don't care. I took two battery lanterns and I read with a head lamp. It was perfect. Food at Zahra has gone down hill also. Zamas better than most, always opt for the pizza and you can't go wrong. Their pillows are hard by the way so I always take my own. Rent a car. Visit the cenotes, my favorite is hidden worlds, visit the lagoon at Akumal, shop in Playa del carmen for a day and drive into town for better food.........rent the car from the u.s....its cheaper.......note tips are included at most restaurants......zamas is cash only.........everyone takes u.s dollars at a rate of 10.5 even at restaurants.....definitely don't have food in your cabana.....you will get visitors.......