CASITA COBA : ROMANTIC PLAYA DEL CARMEN, MEXICO

After a weeklong road trip, we arrived at Casita Coba and know straight away we were about to start yet another great Mexican adventure. From the big kitchen to prepare lunches, to the balcony over looking the pool and the very short walk to the beach, this is one very magical place. It was the best way to finish our holiday and would never have been achieved without Casita Coba.
The place was very clean and modern yet still has the feel of chilled and relaxed.
The kitchen is well kitted out for cooking and enjoyed our feasts on the balcony. We found some really good fresh vegetables from the local store and fresh fish, which we cooked on the BBQ. There are so many restaurants to choice from while walking down 5th Ave; one of our highlights was on the last day at the Blue Lobster!
The beach is right there and you even walk passed an old ruin to get to it, the water was never too cold and it the sun got too much you could just go back to the pool and continue relaxing in the shade by the pool area which was well looked after.
We had our own car and did a day trip to Tulum which is just down the road and a must see Mayan ruin, the Grand Cenote is located 15mins from Tulum and is such a magical place to swim in.

5th Ave is but a short walk down the road where all the restaurants, shops, bars, clubs and beach bars are.

Thank you so much Gail, we all enjoyed ourselves to the fullest and right till the end. It was so hard for us to leave.
Hope to come back soon.

If you want to compare the place to a hotel - it ticks all the boxes - the place is clean, organized, conveniently located, the A/C works really well, and has great amenities.

But there's more to Casita Coba than that - I think the site understates how cool the place is and the amenities:

- The tree just outside the front of the unit is suuuuper cool to look at and provides great shade and "atmosphere".
- Xaman Ha is essentially two doors down. Wow!
- There is a tennis court a couple hundred feet away and the unit includes rackets and balls.
- The beach is really close by and the unit includes chairs and umbrellas.
- The security guards were very nice and did a good job too. When we changed rental cars twice (two out of three broke down, don't rent a Jeep Patriot), they followed us to the unit to make sure it was us that just drove onto the property.
- The Chedraui (grocery store) is nearby and offers a stress-free and inexpensive way to get all your food. It was so nice to be able to grill a homecooked meal on the patio a couple of nights.
- The restaurant right next to the guard shack is fantastic! Not a bad item on the menu and it had a waterfall and cool birds on perches. Between that place and Chez Celine, we ate like gourmands.
- There is a place in the shopping center behind that restaurant that offers a fantastic massage for 2 people for just $45.
- The coolest sounding birds gently wake you up each morning!

We could not have imagined a better place to stay, it was perfect. I just sent an email to Gail, thanking her for putting her place on Home Away!

I stayed at Casita Coba earlier this month with my husband and three daughters (ages 11, 9 and 9). We began our vacation planning looking for hotels, only to be disappointed by the high prices we would have to pay to accommodate a family of five. It was then that I turned to homeaway.com and found Casita Coba.

What a God send! Casita Coba is everything the web site says it is -- beautifully decorated, immaculately kept, walking distance from a very quiet part of the beach and from the bus station, taxi station and tons of restaurants. With all that nearby, you might get the impression that the condo is in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the town, but it is actually nestled away on a quiet cul-de-sac of sorts.

Though I have spent some time in Mexico, my family had not, and we felt completely safe and comfortable walking everywhere from the condo. The only time we took cabs was on our way home from Wal-Mart. The neighbors we met were all very friendly -- a European family with young children was staying below us, and we met another couple of families (ironically from our home town) around the pool. For the most part, the residents were extremely quiet and kept to themselves -- an apparent mixture of people from Europe, Mexico and the United States.

The condo was a perfect solution for my family of five because my children are all girls, small enough to share a king size bed. We simply could not beat the price -- and get that much space -- at a hotel.

Of course, condo living in a foreign country is not for everyone, especially in a place known for its all-inclusive hotels where you do not have to lift a finger to do anything. At Casita Coba, you will have to navigate your way to restaurants and the grocery store, as well as exchange and deal with money. If you want to go to Mexico and feel like you're still in America, this option would not be for you. But we were there to take in the sights and experiences of the region and preferred to spend our vacation budget on tours, rather than accommodations and personal service.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would do it again and again!