I don't think you'd feel any more sealed up in one of the lower rooms at LaC than you would being in cabana 2 where the lower level doesn't have the palapa roof...I'm guessing that's where you might sleep and your daughter upstairs. But...

Posada del Sol has an up/down room and they are next to LaC.

La Zebra has a 2 bed cabana that towards the back of their property.

Ocho has some 2 beds rooms. Only one is beachfront.

La Luna has a couple of options but about $100 more than you want to spend.

Hemingway and Tita Tulum have rooms that should work for you.

Hi Pepper,

Thank you for your replies! The Tulum dot info website looks great. I can't wait to do further research on their site.

I think that you may be right about Cabanas la Conchita's lower rooms being fine. I guess I am still try to recreate the little 'cabana with a thatched roof' memory of the area from twenty years ago. It sure has changed a lot. Each time I make it down it seems very different. I have been (up all night..) trying to look up each of the hotels on the beach to find one that works for us. We really do not need two rooms, just an extra bed would be great.

Several that you mentioned are out of our price range: Ocho, Posada del Sol and Le Zebra.

I will look at Hemingway and Tita.

A couple that I have found that are looking interesting but I am trying to find more information on (I will look them up on Tulum dot info!) are:

Posada Le Mar

Cabanas Punta Piedro

Tierra del Sol

Playa Azul

Do you have any thoughts on these proterties?

I am also interested in the place in Sian Kaan.

Thank you for your help!!

I haven't stayed in all or any of those places. I know that Tita and Hemingway would be the best picks for you. Then look at Tierras del Sol (people love them). Then look at Dos Ceibas. Then look at Jade.

Xamach Dos in Sian Kaan would be great for you too.

Of what I know about Playa Azul is that it's overpriced for what it is (have you seen the pix?). Punta Piedra is kinda dirty. And Posada Lamar doesn't have screens (I know someone who was covered in bites after sleeping one night).

Thank for weeding out the bad ones! I get right on looking up your suggestions. Thank you so much for your help!!

Pepper!

You know us so well!! You have really narrowed down the playing field.

I love Xamas Dos!! Have you been there? It sounds like the good old days. Except the trash. I would how that would effect us..??

I also really, really like Tita and Tierras del Sol!

Do you have any thoughts on those three?

I would love to get your input on my plans so far!

I am thinking that we would like to go Valladolid from the airport. I think just one night-? Have dinner, go to the market in the morning and then would we have time to to to Ek Balam and a cenote on the way to stay by Chichen Itsa? I was not sure how much time to allow for these. Spend a night by Chichen Itsa and go in the morning. Then drive to Tulum.? Or go the other way and stay a night in Akumal? Hoping to find out the drive time to Tulum so that I can decide. If we go to Tulum maybe spend a few nights before heading down to Xamach Dos? I am not really sure how to arrange all that. Any suggestions?

Thank you for your help! It is sure fun to cnnect with you again! I really appreciate all your great advice.

If I had to pick from Xamach Dos, Tita or TDS, I'd probably pick TDS because I love the beach down that way the best.

The beach is fine; it's great - where Tita is...but if you get just a smidge persnickity, TDS's beach is better.

While I haven't stayed at Xamach, people I know have and have loved it. But for my personal taste, some of the seagrass in the water might bug me. And...it IS far removed and the eating choices might be slim at times - like you eat fresh caught fish...great!! But what if it's barracuda - too oily and too much of a meat-y texture for me. I'm mostly veg, so that's a toughie for me.

Enough about me...

Your plan sounds great. Ek Balam is a nice small site. And there's a cenote nearby - there were signs in the parking lot when we were there. It's also listed on the Chichen Itza map at cancunmap.com. There's an interesting jungle place in Ek Balam called Genesis (or something). You should look for it.

It's about 1.5 - 2 hours to Valladolid from Tulum and then another 30 minutes to Chichen. Ek Balam is about 30 in the other direction form Valladolid.

We did only half of Chichen and all of Ek Balam in one day driving from Tulum. It's such a loooong day. It's good that you will spend the night near there.

You'll have to arrange all the reservations yourself and have a plan. That's the hard part! Having a concrete plan that includes deposits for hotels, etc.

Personally, I'd skip Akumal. Most like it; I don't care for it. Too many suburb-type people staying in condos, etc.

Here:

http://www.genesisretreat.com/

Doesn't it look lovely?

Thank you for being so forth coming! I did not know about the sea grass at Xamach Dos. I think that that would bother me, too. I do not eat fish at all so I would porbably have to make do with what ever it was served with. I do still like the idea of its remote-ness.

I will look harder at Tita and TdS. Just from the picutres of the cabanas I like TdS better. It is great to know that they have a better beach!

I had looked at the website for the Genesis Retreat. It looked very interesting but made me feel as if I should stay longer to take advantage of its cultural programs. I did not know where Ek Balam is. I had thought that it was on the way to Chichen Itsa. Maybe it will work out that we can stay at Genesis, too.

I feel the same way about Akumal, too. I think that it might be nice with very small children. My daughter and I stayed there a night or two when we were traveling around down there, just the two of us by bus, about five years ago. She liked snorkeling in the lagoon. She felt much safer there. She actually found a rock or something and just perched there for most of the time making friends with the fish.

So, when is you next trip down to Tulum and what do you have planned?

I'll send you a message...