Hi,

Could you tell me what kind of lodging possibilities are possible in Punta Allen, others than the well documented and pricy fishing resorts ?

MANY PRIVATE CABANAS AROUND THE VILLAGE. PAY $25 - $35 USD JUST GET THERE IN TIME TO SPEND AN HOUR CHECKING OUT OPTIONS. ASK LOCALS. DO NOT STAY AT OR HAVE ANY BUSSINESS DEALINGS WITH SIRENA.

Why do you say "not at Sirena".
After getting a few infos regarding Punta Allen it looked like a fair opportunity.
Did you get some trouble with her lately ?

SIRENA MADE US PAY IN ADVANCE FOR THE WEEKS LODGING AND FISHING, WOULD NOT REFUND ANY MONEY. TOLD US HER FISHING GUIDE (GASPAR) WAS TO SICK TO TAKE US OUT, BUT WE TALKED TO THE MAN THAT GASPAR TOOK OUT THAT DAY WHILE WE WE HAD THE WORST BONE FISHING DAY EVER WITH THE REPLACEMENT GUIDE.THE CABANA SMELLED SO BAD BECAUSE OF THE OPEN SEWER 10 FEET FROM THE KITCHEN, THAT WE JUST FORFIETED OUR MONEY AND STAYED WITH DEL GREKO-ON THE BEACH W/INDOOR SHOWER FOR $5 LESS. THERE ARE LOTS OF NICE CHEAP PLACES LIKE THIS.
MOST OF WHAT HER WEB SITE STATES IS AN OUTRIGHT LIE.PUNTA ALLEN IS A WOUNDERFUL VILLAGE WITH GREAT PEOPLE. SIRENA IS A LIER AND A CHEAT. CINDY

Cindy,

I have talked with sirena several times about staying at her place. I'm suppose to arrive at her place next friday on April 23. Is her place really that bad and when did you stay there. I'm not expecting alot I just want to fish my brains out but my wife needs to relax while I fish. I havent prepaid yet so maybe I shouldnt worry. Sirrena said I could pay after I check in. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Mark

Hi,

I can't tell why Cindy is so upset against Sirena, but all I can tell you is that she managed propose us two different lodging possibilities for a fair prize, and that she tried everything to make us happy. In which she succeeded totally. By the way, Punta Allen is not Playa del Carmen, the road is pretty boring indeed, but there are two good groceries, a lot of good restaurants (wow Cuzan !!!). No this is not the end of the world... more like the beginning of paradise.

I agree that Sirena is a liar. At the last minute we contacted her because we wanted to swim with wild dolphins and knew they had tours down in Punta Allen. The real tour was closed that week (we knew from the travel agent). So we were told to contact Sirena, a crazy American chick. She told us we could have a room for $50 a night and she would arrange to go swimming with dolphins. (We did not want to swim with the penned animals along Riviera Maya.)

Well the room was a filthy dump. You can't flush toilet paper there and the previous guests' used toilet paper was still in the bathroom. And we didn't have towels and we didn't have electricity. The electricity goes on at 6pm, off after midnight and back on at 10 am for a few hours. We were told none of this, until it was too late. We stayed in a sweat box, my boyfriend had a dream he was in a coffin. He opened the door to get some air and in the morning, my entire body was covered in bug bites.

Sirena didn't tell us any of this and when we were notably upset, she said, oh yeah, the electricity is sporadic and acted like it should have been on all along.

AND THE TOUR. She arranged for us to go on a private "swim with dolphins" tour with a guy named Pedro. And we were promised he spoke English. My spanish is 30 years old and very creeky. Well no Pedro, but a guy who spoke no English took us out. When we saw the dolphins, we started to put on our snorkel gear and then he wildly signaled with hand gestures that we couldn't swim with them. He intimated they would bite us and butt us with their noses and kill us. (I know this is not true because I swam with wild dolphins in Kaikora, New Zealand.) We were so disappointed and upset. So we settled on snorkeling on a very depressing reef. The reef was really hit hard by hurricane Wilma. We saw some fish, but not much else.

When we returned to the mainland, we told Sirena that we were very disappointed and she said, "oh yeah, you're not allowed to swim with the dolphins." So what was the point of us going. I guess she wanted to make some money.

Not everyone feels the way I do, but Punta Allen is not for me. The people are really nice, but it was not for me. And also, one of the most expensive meals we ever had. And Sirena, well, I don't like her and I don't like the way she conducts business.