gottago2mexico

Folks seem to be doing just that.

After an all-time record 22.7 million visitors to Mexico in 2011, tourist arrivals are up another 5.3% this year.

April is a great time of year in the Bahamas. August thru October can be humid and cloudy, but of course if you're from a hot and humid place, being on the water in the Bahamas would be a nice escape. November is also usually ideal.

Thanks, I am really looking forward to this experience.

Did you enjoy the swim?

The dolphin activities are always a great experience, especially if you've never done it before. We'd done it several times before in other locations, but it was the first time for my mother in law and she loved it. Lots of fun vacation photos of her with the dolphins, showed all her friends back home.

We will be in Freeport and have signed up for The Dolphin Close Encounter

excursion. I am just wondering if we will need water shoes. None of us have them, but I really don't want to risk injury to our feet.

Any info is appreciated.

We did this barefoot and had no issues. It's on an underwater platform which is smooth.

Costa Maya is very safe. The things you're seeing on the news are right along the U.S. Mexico border. Costa Maya is nearly 2,000 miles south of that area, almost on the Belize border. Parts of Canada are closer to the area that you're seeing on the news than Costa Maya is. No worries, have a great time!

I have heard a lot of places in Mexico only allow Bio degradable suntan lotion. Does anyone know what brands are allowed I have heard "Natures gate" and "kiss my face" are these ok. does anyone know what brand I should bring?

Nature's Gate and Smartshield should not be used.

Smartshield contains Octinoxate, Octisalate, Avobenzone, Octocrylene, Padimate, and Propylparaben - all shown to be harmful to coral reefs and contribute to disease and bleaching.

Nature's Gate Aquablock contains Octinoxate, Oxybenzone, both shown in recent studies to contribute to coral reef bleaching and disease. The other Nature's Gate products are worse, Aquablock is the best one for reefs, but there are definitely better choices.

Kiss My Face does contain one ingredient that is not reef-friendly, but it's a minor ingredient, so it's pretty good.

MexiTan, Caribbean Sol, UV Natural, Soleo Organics, and Luvea Neutrals are solid choices.

Your sunblock should not be used if it contains any of the following ingredients or is not specifically labelled as biodegradable.

PABA

Octocrylene

Octinoxate

Oxybenzone

4-methylbenzylidene

Butylparaben

Benzophenone

Butyl-Methoxydi-benzoylmethane

Hexyldecanol

Dimethyl Capramide

Cetyl Dimethicone

Methylparaben

Polyethylene

Propylparaben

Butylcarbamate

Hope this helps, have a great time!

The beach is much wider and nicer down toward the Westin. Even in high season, there's never a problem getting a spot on the beach. It's huge! We were just down at the Westin the other day and there were only a few people on the beach - we practically had it all to ourselves. Royal Palms gets pretty crowded because it's close to town, and it's narrow compared to other areas of the beach.