RE: Arriving in Tulum, Mexico 🌵 The Good, The Non Existent Bad, And The Ugly!
Indeed, there is a huge problem with this seagrass om the northeast cost of Mexico.
I was in Playa del Carmen two days ago and it seems to be even worse there. After a few days in the sun this stuff smells like rotten eggs and is, as far as I know, even harmful in higher concentrations. You can even smell it hundreds of meters in the city in the pedestrian precinct.
Thus, the beaches in Playa del Carmen were nearly empty. Therefore, I went straight to Cozumel.
Alternatively, you can also go to Bacalar. There is a beautiful lake and (, due to not being connected to the ocean,) without any seagrass.
Still, you should visit the Ruins of Tulum. They are nowadays massively touristic but still like 'out of this world' and worth a visit.
If you got more time to travel and want to see clean white sand beaches you should go south to Belize.
Greets from Cozumel!
A friend sent me a pic of the beach today and it's looking a little better now. Hopeful that things are starting to look up. Thanks for the tips. The lake sounds interesting and the ruins are definitely on the list to visit. We also have our eye on Isla Mujers as we've heard the waters there are still stunning. Hmmmm...Belize hey? I could certainly float down that way for a bit. How's Cozumel looking at the moment?
You can give Playa del Carmen a try, but I'm pretty sure that the situation hasn't really changed within the last days.
Uhm, I came from Belize, so I haven't been to Isla Mujeres so far. So no information about that.
Belize is clean, but it focusses more on diving/snorkling than "beach tourists" - like the typical islands Caye Caulker or San Pedro. Still, you can go swimming there, but there are surely also some smaller, lonely islands where you might even have a beach for your own. ;)
Cozumel is at least partly free of seegrass, as far as I could see (and smell!). I will see more in the next days when I go diving. I guess, I can give you an update then. ;)
Ah Belize sounds like bliss. I'll definitely keep it in mind. And yes please do keep me posted. There's nothing quite like first hand information 🙏
Hi!
So Cozumel is free of seegrass as far as I could see (and hear from others). As mentioned, I went there for diving and didn't go to the bigger beaches on the other side of the island.
When I returned to Playa del Carmen, the situation was more or less unchanged. They seem to clean it up after a few days, but the beach refills with the grass within hours. A few (expensive?) hotels clean their small part of the beach, as far as I heard. Still, there is nothing to do against the smell. So, in my opinion, still not worth going there.
Pictures from yesterday (public beach):
Wow 😮 looks even crazier than here. Thanks so much for the update. I've been thinking of you. I'm glad to hear that Cozumel is still looking good. We had friends visit Isla Mujeres and they confirmed it's clear there too. We've just booked a month there after Tulum. Hope we like it 🤗 Enjoy your time in Cozumel!
I did, indeed! Just heading to Cuba now. Enjoy your travel ... 😉
Oh, and before i forget: Belize is beautiful, but one of the more expensive countries in Central America (nearly as expensive as Costa Rica).
Ah nice! Cuba looks awesome.
Ok good to know. We're definitely trying to live a little cheaper these days, so I'll keep that in mind.
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