We spent the whole day snorkeling in the bay, walking the iguana-laden trails, and just going down the waterway on a raft. IT WAS FUN. When we got hungry, we stopped at one of the many eating places and just ordered food without having to worry about the bill or having money (which is great when you're in swim trunks). If I felt like a beer or a drink, I just went into one of the waterside bars.

I saw loads of fish and took my photo in a cave that we had to snorkel into. My ex-girlfriend got mad because I didn't want to swim with the dolphins (this caused a fight). But I've never wanted to do this, and she wasn't going to cover the extra $150 for it. Anyway, this is a place where there you can encounter the famous "cenotes" and play in a land where the Mayans used to. (I don't think the bars or restaurants were there yet, though!)

There are lots of fish, and if you want, you can "Snuba," though I preferred to snorkel. Be advised, they DO NOT allow you to use your own sunscreen here because it will destroy the environment.

The bus trip was interesting, it was about 1.5 hrs once we got on the right bus. The tour bus picked us up at the resort, then dumped us off at a market, where we were supposed to shop for 45 minutes until they rounded us up and we finally took off. We were a bit annoyed at this part. The bus guide gave us directions in both Spanish and English, and it was fun to hear the long Spanish explanation and then just a few words of English. We wondered if he was telling us all the same things!

Once we got there, we were amazed by the natural beauty of the park. The owners of this park (by the way, it is a privately-owned property) have obviously gone to great means to maintain the grounds. The snorkeling was outstanding, and we saw lots of variety and quantity. There are fun rope swings and other stuff for the little boys in all of us. The nature paths and local flora and fauna were outstanding. We can't say enough about this park. It was well worth the non-inclusive money.

We did the package that included a visit to Tulum, Mayan ruins on a cliff looking over the sea. There was a beautiful view and a very informative tour.

Most of the bigger hotels in Cancun have reps that can organize this. Doing it this way, it’s $45 but includes transport, entry to the park, and lunch, and usually combines the park with a visit to the Tulum ruins, too.

The park is really beautiful, but most of the coral is dead, so that was disappointing for me. Xel-Ha is quite spread out, but some of the areas farther a field can be reached by a small tractor or bicycles. We took some bikes to get to the start point of the lazy river, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The river was really cold, and that was quite refreshing seeing how it was close to 100°F the day we went.

The plan was to cycle to the start of the river, leave the bikes, enter the river, and let the current take you back into the main lagoon. The river was quite slow, though, so most of this time we had be swimming and it’s quite a long way, so unless the river is quicker on a different day, be prepared for this. Equipped with our snorkel gear, we spent a long time here, and some of the areas were quite spooky, with mangrove roots touching your legs and very bold fish that would pull on my belly ring. UGH!

Once back in the main lagoon, you can feed the fish for a dollar. This is also a little creepy, as those fish are very aggressive and swarm around you jumping and, again, pulling on loose jewelry. I did wonder after I’d lost both an ankle chain and toe ring if they had been so trained and some guy was selling my bling by the roadside someplace!?

There are restaurants along the lagoon where the food is included if you do it as a package. There are trails and beaches that you can take very small hikes to, and en route, you will run into the biggest iguanas I have ever seen.

If you look beyond the commercialization of the park, you will learn that it really does do a lot to protect the local environment and encourages environmental awareness .Speaking of which, be sure to bring some kind of chemical-free sunscreen, as you are not allowed to wear the regular kind here, and with the heat of summer, you can’t go without it. They do sell small bottles there, but at $14, you might want to bring your own. Look HERE to check out their website and look at all the different activities.

I believed that we would have too much time on our hands, but I was pleasantly surprised! We had so much to see! The snorkeling was great. The water was not as clear I was expecting, but nevertheless very good. We saw amazing fish everywhere! Well worth the money.