We stayed Feb 1 - 3 in a 2 bedroom, 2 bath unit #11 and found it through VRBO.com for $175 a night. It is on the third floor, but there are at least four flights worth of steps to get there. The view from the top floor is beautiful and we enjoyed it from both the living room and the balcony which had a lounger, hammock, and table and chairs.

There was no A/C in this unit and because the onsite coordinator was in Mexico City, the owner had been unable to let her know we were coming and it was warm and stuffy when we arrived. Wonderful Hector from the office opened it up (the lock box key was missing), and the maid scurried in to do a quick pre-prep.

After the air out, the fans and breeze kept us comfortable, but at a different time of year it could be too warm. There was excellent flow through ventilation and full screening. The king size bed was fine, and the kitchen was large.

Following the owner's advice, we picked up groceries in Playa del Carmen as we drove south on 307. The area is utterly safe. You will want a car.

The location was great for our visit to the seaside ruins at Tulum; we found them not crowded on a Sunday (typically no cruise ships are in on Saturday or Sunday.) We shared their grill with some wonderful folks from Minnnesota to do our steaks the first night.

The Yal-Kul lagoon a short walk from the condo is an amazing estuary filled with gorgeous fish. We paid $7 each to enter through the park at the best place. There are pretty gardens with statues and paths to numerous entry points. There are only tiny wavelets and no current to cope with as you snorkel through narrow channels in the decaying limestone, swim around little mangrove islands, and pull out on rocks for a rest and some sun. Whenever you want, you can put your feet down on a convenient rock. There is no coral here; the fish feed on mosses on the rocks. The water is super clear and at times shimmers from the mix of fresh and salt water.

La Sirena is on Half Moon Bay and you can easily walk on the largely rock bottom most of the distance out to snorkel the reef that shelters the bay. Here there were a large variety of good size corals, fans, etc. and a variety of fish. Because the waves and currents are light, I used water shoes rather than fins to go out.

We wished for more time in this area, never got to snorkel a cenote or visit Coba, the jungle ruins.

We stayed at La Sirena Iguana condo #7 on the third floor Feb 25, 2007 for about a week. Great view of the bay, but no air conditioning, just ceiling fans. We were told the ocean breezes would be cool enough, but it wasn't - really hot and humid in the condo - uncomfortable even with the fans. The large living room windows face south, so you get direct sun; we had to close the drapes to keep the room cooler. Lots of ants in the unit, more than other places we stayed in Mexico. The road leading from the highway to the condo was full of potholes - have to drive slow for about 15 min. Also, they were re-doing the highway at Akumal, making the left hand turn into Akumal really confusing and dangerous (and scary!) esp at night. Hopefully the highway will be better soon. Just a handful of restaurants nearby. A small supermarket nearby (got charged $2.50 for one muffin!). Not a very convenient place to stay. Would not stay here again. But we loved our Mexico experience, nontheless.

Perfect! A first floor condo on Half Moon Bay, steps from the exquisite Yakul lagoon, around the corner from Akumal, with a fully equipped kitchen, comfortable beds, a snorkeling beach outside the door and a crystal clean lap pool to boot. Perfect for honeymooners, families, active elders, you name it.

Hard core travelers, we are not easy to impress, but we love this place for abandoning stress. It's got everything that Cancun has, minus the drunken teens. All kinds of snorkeling, plenty of good authentic food, a couple of priceless shops for souvenir hunting, and about a thousand different varieties of hibiscus, and a day trip to some of the best ruins on the peninsula, including Ek Balam, Chichen Itza, and Coba.

Probably any condo in the complex will make you happy, but #3, which you can rent via akumalrental.com is primo and the owner (no friend or relation) is a peach. Two bedrooms, two baths, right on the beach, with a full kitchen that saves you money if you like to cook. Fantastic!!!

I actually wrote the last review, and tried to upload these photos with no luck last time. I will see if it works this time. These are views from the 3rd floor, the bedrooms also have views of the ocean (as the condos are almost on the tip of the bay so you can see water in both directions. even from the master shower. Really clean and those living room windows? they are open about 6 feet in the center! And for what ever reason you can get a two bedroom here for about the price of a one bedroom at other condos in the area.