Villa isolée en bord de mer à Sian Ka'an, Tulum

Sitting on our last morning in the Sian Ka'an, sipping my coffee, soaking up our last moments of ocean breezes. This spot will be difficult to leave. David, Miriam and their daughter, Alejandra, have been marvelous hosts. Fresh juice or smoothies each morning, wonderful meals, tasty margaritas - all made even more enjoyable by the fact that my husband and I did not have to prepare anything or clean up (the one downside of renting houses when we travel, in my opinion).

While there is a TV and DVD player, they weren't turned on even once. Our three kids (13, 11 and 9) read books, played frisbee or paddle ball and swam. We had pretty strong winds and relatively rough surf during our stay, but that just meant having to jump over seaweed to get to cleaner water. So it goes. Once you got just a little bit out, the water was gorgeous.

Day Trips:

-Ruins at Cobà: At Cobà, we hired a guide just inside the entrance who provided a 45 minute tour and explanation of the history of the ruins. We then rented bicycles and rode the 4km to the temple, which you can climb (it's about 112ft) and then biked back to the entrance. From there we had lunch in one of the restaurants, did a little souvenir shopping (I particularly liked the Mayan Co-Op shop on the end) and then headed back towards Tulum stopping on the way at the Gran Cenote for a refreshing dip and some snorkeling. You can visit cenotes closer to Cobà, but we wanted to break up the drive with kids.

-Punta Allen: We drove down and hired a boat (truly, you just drive down, and hire a boat ($150)). We saw dolphins, visited the bird sanctuary, went snorkeling on the reef and swam on the white sand beach (all in about 3-4 hours). We then had a late lunch at a local spot right off the beach about 2 blocks south of the Tourism office.

-Tulum ruins and lunch in Tulum with a little shopping.

-Today, on our way back to Cancun for our flight tomorrow, we have one last tour to see Muyil through Mexico Kan Tours.

All-in-all, a perfect combination of relaxation and exploring in a stunningly beautiful place.

A few notes:

-We were told by a number of friends that we were crazy to drive and even crazier to drive south of Tulum. We have not had a single issue so far.

-We did pay entrance to the park for all 7 days (totaled about $25US). If you want to avoid, don't say anything about staying in the park when you drive through. :)

- We got by on minimal Spanish.

- Lunches @ La Zebra, Burrito Am*r; ice cream @ Origami.

We had an amazing family reunion at Casa Amaviva. Three adult couples and the matriarch whose birthday we were celebrating fit comfortably in this stunning home. David and Miriam and their daughter were delightful and we loved getting to know them as well as the local scene. We lagoon and deep sea fished with guides recommended by David, and had a great time on the sea kayaks. It was nice to be away from everything - but close enough to visit Tulum, Cabo and the Cenotes. Recommend getting a substantial car. It is a remarkable place and we feel very lucky to have been so spoiled. A really great time in a really great place. Could not recommend it more highly.

We enjoyed very much Casa Almaviva. It is a secluded property inside a wonderful Ecological Reserve close enough to Tulum in case you want to get back in touch with civilization.

The house is very comfortable and both the food and the help are outstanding.

We highly recommend to visit Punta Allen and take a boat ride. We saw dolphins, turtles and we snorkled in the coral reef. Last but not least, we swam in a natural pool.

We are very happy to have chosen Casa Almaviva for our family back and we are ready to come back.

Our family of four, including 2 teens, stayed at this wonderful home for a week. Everything in the 5 star reviews and photos was accurate, and then some. Photos simply don't do it justice, and words can't describe how wonderful David's food is. The caretakers are a delightful couple. They quietly make sure that your stay is wonderful, and provide the freshest, most authentic Yucatan meals 3 times per day; fresh fish straight from the ocean, fresh tortillas delivered daily, fresh fruits, all for a total cost that you couldn't eat dinner for only a couple of times at a resort. Spacious bedrooms, including a very private master suite on the second level and a huge outdoor sofa on the roof is perfect for cocktails after a day at the beach and stargazing after dinner. The beach is truly your own. it is cleaned of seaweed every morning and lounge chairs and towels are provided. Over the course of 6 days we saw probably 3 people walk by. Because there is a coral reef about a 1/2 mile out, the surf is very gentle on the beach, making the kayaks easy to navigate. Although there is a very large brand new flat screen TV in the den with Satellite cable, our teenagers did not use it once. There is satellite wifi available for simple tasks, like staying barely connected to the office, making voice over wifi calls, and keeping teens happy. Bluetooth Bose speakers, cards and a few games are also provided and were great for passing some time before or after dinner. Although we had plans to venture out for some activities, we only did so once (taking in a movie and dinner at a very new, cool private outdoor theater concept in Tulum called Zine...highly recommended but book ahead on their Facebook page), because we didn't want to miss one day of relaxation or any of Davids meals! The road to the house is in pretty good shape but would recommend an SUV for a few rough patches and in case there have been recent rains.

Finally, the very friendly and professional property owner is extremely responsive, as you are making your plans, as you are preparing for your trip, and in following up afterwards.

The Casa Almaviva house is truly amazing—a perfect retreat to get away and take a break from the daily grind. If you can image the most perfect, idyllic tropical beach from a movie, this is what it was like—and we had it all to ourselves, not seeing anyone else on the beach for days. The house is beautiful, highly recommend making use of the 3rd floor outdoor lounge for stargazing. The staff made our stay very comfortable and prepared excellent meals tailored to our requests. The drive in through the jungle road was worth it for the privacy and luxury the house provides. It was an unforgettable trip!