Half-Moon Bay is a quiet, private beach area, for those who aren't looking for a "wild" time or Disneyland-esque (or Las Vegas-style) vacations. The condos sit right on the beach and it's a short walk to the Buena Vida Restaurant. The restaurant is reasonably priced and has an extensive menu, so you won't get bored eating there often. Best is that there are many tables and seats right on the beach under the palm trees. The condo was very clean and well-equipped. We didn't usually use the housekeeping service, but it is available daily if you wish. We rented a car to get around, but it wasn't absolutely necessary. Other guests use public transportation with no trouble.

The snorkeling is very good (lots of coral) right in front of the condo. There is also a (paid) lagoon snorkeling area in walking distance - lots of fish. We heard you could see turtles when snorkeling at the public beach nearby, but we never made it over there. Akumal is not real far from Tulum, which also has a lot of restaurants and some nice Mayan ruins. We regretted visiting Chichen Itza. The ruins are impressive, but the gazillion vendors everywhere selling pretty much the same stuff were a total turnoff and detracted greatly from the historic nature of the setting. Stay away!! We also took a tour in Si'an Kaan bio-reserve. It's a beautiful place and relatively unspoiled, but the tour itself was not too impressive. I was happy to support the natural reserve, though. It's important to encourage Latin governments to preserve these important, biologically diverse habitats.