Running in Places

Save perfume ads from magazines. Those smelly magazine inserts may be annoying at home, but they can really come in handy at sea. I've used the ads to freshen the air in my stateroom bathroom. I also like to stick them in the closet and dresser drawers. Kevin Lum, San Francisco, Calif. Punch a hole in your key card. Bring a single-hole punch and lanyard on your next cruise. Once onboard, you can make a hole in your plastic key card and attach the lanyard, allowing you to carry the key around your neck. This is especially useful when your dress or slacks have no pockets. Just be sure to put the hole where it won't interfere with the card's magnetic strip. Sallie Clinard, Las Vegas, Nev. Join the frequent-cruiser program. If you're a new cruiser to a major cruise line such as carnival or Princess, make sure you check out its frequent-cruiser program before going on the cruise. The benefits, which may increase as you take more cruises, are great and are usually free. We've received access to a priority line for nightly shows (instead of standing in line with everyone else), and on one cruise, we returned to our cabin to discover a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries. You might also get exclusive discount son future cruises. Steve Maglich, Rolling Meadows, Ill. Go to the spa when the ship is in port. I've been on many cruises with various lines (Carnival, Costa, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, American Hawaii, and most recently, Princess), and I've learned that the spas usually offer discounts on days that the ship is docked. Rhonda Grabov, Philadelphia, Pa. Use a diaper bag as a day pack. On a recent cruise to Bermuda, I found that a diaper bag is great to carry ashore for the day. The waterproof interior made sure our passports, credit cards, tour books, extra clothes, and beach towels stayed dry while we were near the water. The insulated bottle carrier kept my water bottle cool. The separate pouch usually used for soiled baby clothes held our wet swimsuits. There were pouches and elastic bands for sunscreen, sunglasses, and our camera. Because it had a shoulder strap, it was a lot easier to carry than many beach bags. And the newer styles don't look like "diaper bags" either. Susan Rixman, Louisville, Ky. Pack some candied ginger. Besides being a tasty treat, candied ginger is a preventative or remedy for motion sickness. (Some cruise ships even offer it with after-dinner mints.) We always carry a small supply with us in a resealable plastic bag, whether were on the road, in an airplane, or at sea. Weyman Lew, San Francisco, Calif.

Airfares rise and fall in ways that are impossible to predict--until now, according to a company called Farecast. Its crystal ball is historical airfare data--some 150 billion (and counting) "airfare observations"--that the company uses to deduce whether prices will go up or down on a particular route. Farecast is just one of several websites taking aim at answering the age-old travel question of when you should buy an airline ticket. We tested the sites over the course of several weeks to answer an equally important question: Can they actually do what they promise? Predicting the future Say you're shopping for a flight from Minneapolis to Denver departing in 30 days. After you enter the cities and dates at Farecast, a line graph shows the best prices for that route over the past 60 days, a list of current fares, and a prediction--for example, "There is a high likelihood of major price increases over the next week." Flexible travelers will be especially interested in the site's grid-view option, which displays a range of current fares available for anyone able to shift dates. For now, Farecast only analyzes round-trip domestic flights that last two to eight nights and depart within the next 90 days. The company says it's accurate about three quarters of the time. In a series of tests conducted by The Seattle Times, however, Farecast's predictions were correct only 61 percent of the time--not much to brag about, considering that flipping a coin results in 50 percent accuracy. If you're nervous, you can buy the $10 Fare Guard option. Let's imagine that Farecast indicates that the Minneapolis--Denver fare will drop. You can hold off on booking the trip and buy the protection policy. Farecast will then track prices for a week, e-mailing you the best fares daily. If the company is wrong and the price goes up--and you book a ticket within that week--you'll receive a check for the difference between the original quote and what you ended up paying. (If the price goes down, your $10 will, you hope, be made up for in the savings.) Farecast, which is still in beta testing, only predicts what prices will do over seven days, which doesn't resolve the question of whether to book now or wait another month. In December, Farecast correctly foretold that a $165 ticket from Minneapolis to Denver would stay about the same for seven days. But three weeks after the initial search, we saw the fare take a dip, to $149. Learning from history Another site, FareCompare, also mines old airfares to create informative charts. Plug in a departure and arrival city, and three lines will illustrate the highest, lowest, and average prices for flights bought during each of the previous 12 months. A list of the cheapest fares in the coming 12 months will also appear, alongside ratings: Four stars means the price is at or below the lowest historical precedent, and zero stars indicates it's nowhere near a good deal. Actually booking that flight can be difficult. After the 12-month calendar of current fares pops up, you have to click on a month, week, and day to see date-specific fares. Only then does the site search for availability--and often, there aren't any seats at the best price. If the fare does exist, departure times may not be ideal, so you have to start all over again. Itineraries and prices mysteriously disappeared during several of our tests, and extra charges vary depending on the route, making it hard to compare apples to apples. Finally, when it comes time to buy a ticket, you're often sent to partner sites like Orbitz and Travelocity, which tack on service charges. The other players Large travel sites Expedia and Kayak now show the ups and downs of recent fares for a given route. While Farecast's data come from a wide range of resources, Expedia's and Kayak's numbers come solely from searches conducted on each site. For less popular routes, there may be only a handful of previous fares (if any) on which to base a decision. Rather than predicting the future--or telling folks what they could have paid two months ago--some websites are displaying more options as to what's available right now. Travelocity has a flexible date search that finds the best fares for up to three days before and after your chosen dates. Travelocity doesn't guarantee availability at displayed prices, however, which certainly makes the feature a lot less useful. And at first there's no telling what the departure times are. A new site, FlySpy, does far more ambitious flexible-date searches, creating line graphs that display how prices fluctuate as you adjust dates over a 30-day period. For now, however, FlySpy searches only Northwest Airlines flights from Minneapolis to 50 cities. The company plans on expanding, and we look forward to it. For modern travelers, every little bit of information helps. Three rules for smarter searches 1. These days it's rarely in your interest to book more than two months in advance. The exception is for high-season flights and routes with infrequent connections, when buying four or more months ahead may get you a better deal. In low season, it's OK to wait as few as three weeks before departure. 2. No matter how good a fare is at a booking engine, always see if the airline website has a better one. All things being equal, book directly with the airline. 3. Try to get an idea of what fare you're hoping to pay; Farecast and FareCompare reveal the best prices other folks have found. The cheapest seats disappear quickly, so have your exact dates, names of people going, and your credit card handy. Pounce the moment you see a good price available.

Who's traveling Wendy Crawford: A corrections officer in a county jail, she's looking forward to doing 'things together with my daughter, as well as having time apart.' Karen McCleery: "I want to be treated like a queen for the week," says Karen, a nurse at a mental-health facility. "No beds to make, no dinners to cook, no dishes to wash!" Leticia Crawford: Wendy's daughter, 13, likes to hang out with her friends and watch Prison Break with her mom. "I guess you can say it's an appropriate show for us to watch, since my mom works at the county jail!" she says. Nicole McCleery: Karen's daughter, 14, and Leticia became friends as Girl Scouts. Nicole plays softball, and like Leticia, is a member of the school marching band. Where they're going and why Wendy and Karen became friends five years ago, after their daughters joined the same Girl Scout troop in Port Charlotte, Fla. When the foursome went on a Girl Scout trip to Key West, they realized they were good travel companions. Now that Leticia and Nicole are teenagers, they all sought a vacation that gave the girls some independence--while giving the single moms a chance to relax. While none of them has been on a cruise, everyone likes the idea of having a safe, semi-independent environment for the girls, with plenty of activities on the ship and in port. The women eagerly signed up when the office where Wendy works organized a sailing in the Western Caribbean. The Carnival Miracle is a 2,124-passenger ship with plenty to do. There's a Gothic-castle-themed disco named Dr. Frankenstein's Lab; three restaurants, including an upscale steak house called Nick & Nora's; Frankie & Johnnie's jazz club; and a Broadway-style theater. How can we help? First-time jitters: "None of us really know what to expect on a cruise," says Wendy. "We'd appreciate any tips to make the most of our trip." Seasickness: "I'm concerned about it," says Karen. "A friend of mine got seasick on a ship once." The right excursions: "On our cruise, we don't want to do anything we can do at home in Florida," says Wendy. That means they'll pass on hanging out at the beach. Instead, the foursome wants history, culture, and adventure. But which of the cruise excursions are worth the money? Packing: "What kind of clothes should we bring?" asks Nicole. She's particularly concerned about the two formal dinners, because she's not into wearing dresses. Souvenirs: Wendy asks about "shopping hotspots." Making friends: Leticia, who likes to go to dances, is curious about the ship's teen program. Getting ready Because they're single moms, Wendy and Karen should complete a notarized form stating that each child's father knows she is being taken out of the country. In order to curb possible kidnappings by parents, border authorities are extra cautious about children traveling with one parent. Ships like the Miracle are so big and stable that it's unlikely anybody will get seasick. To play it safe, we recommend a trip to the drugstore to pick up Bonine and Dramamine, as well as Sea-bands--wristbands that cost around $10 and combat seasickness by pushing on pressure points. What's great about the latter is that there are no side effects (Dramamine can cause drowsiness). After check-in at the cruise port in Tampa, luggage is taken away, to be delivered to the cabins around dinnertime. We make sure the women hold on to anything they might want during the interim (such as their swimsuits, so they can hang out by the pool). Casual clothing like sneakers and T-shirts is fine for breakfast, lunch, and most activities, though shorts, jeans, and sneakers aren't allowed during the sit-down formal dinner. There's no need to wear a dress to the formal dinners, though; dressy black pants and a nice top will do. Or the women could opt for the casual, no-reservations buffet, where shorts and flip-flops are always fine. On board the ship A roster of activities--such as trivia contests, variety shows, piano sing-alongs, comedian performances, even men's hairy-chest competitions--is distributed every morning. The activities are all free, though it's always a good idea to arrive 20 minutes early to get seats. "I think the towel-folding and other demonstrations sound interesting," says Karen. Nicole, who aspires to be a chef, should look out for the food-oriented presentations, including the programs in which passengers make their own pizza and ice cream. "Cool," she says. "We can eat our creations!" There'll probably be plenty of other kids to hang out with; more children and teens sail on Carnival ships than on any other cruise line. The ship's Club 02 teen program hosts nightly dances as well as waterslide races, scavenger hunts, and other games. Because teens tend to make friends and form groups quickly, we urge the girls to join the group soon after boarding. Many teen activities last until the wee hours of the night, so the mothers will want to discuss curfews beforehand. Cruises are cashless environments: Everything passengers buy is charged directly to their accounts by way of a stateroom key card. The moms aren't sure if they should allow Nicole and Leticia charging privileges. If they do, we strongly advise ground rules, perhaps telling the girls they're limited to a certain amount each day. Karen and Wendy can periodically ask for a printout of their accounts. Ports and excursions Exploring independently often costs less than organized ship excursions. In Grand Cayman, the foursome can take a walk to George Town for upscale boutiques. In Cozumel, there are good jewelry stores in a huge building right by the pier. Haggling is a must. As for organized day trips, a tubing adventure through caves in Belize costs $79 through Carnival. There's no requirement to book excursions through the ship, though. Belize Cruise Shore Excursions, an independent tour group, sells a slightly shorter version for $60 (belizecruiseexcursions.com). "That leaves us time for shopping," says Wendy. Of the ship's excursions, a few stand out as likely favorites. The Stingray City trip in Grand Cayman ($74) includes a tour of the island and the chance to get in the water with actual rays. In Mexico, they might prefer the Chacchoben Mayan Ruins program ($69), which visits impressive pyramids in a secluded jungle, to the Tulúm trip ($79). The group is most fascinated by an all-day, Mayan Jungle Explorer tour ($109) with biking, snorkeling, and zip lining. "What a day that'll be!" exclaims Wendy. Bon voyage! Just some of the answers that experts have given during weekly chats at our website, BudgetTravelOnline.com . . . Costa Rica: "Forget the malaria concerns. You have a much better chance of being eaten by a polar bear." -- Rob Hodel, cofounder of Tico Travel Mount Kilimanjaro: "Find yourself a lunar calendar and plan to hit the summit on or around full moon. You'll not regret it." -- 2Afrika president Kenneth R. Hieber Las Vegas: "Pirates can serve as the ring bearers and even give the bride away." -- John Bigley and Paris Permenter, authors of The Destination Wedding Workbook, on getting married at Treasure Island Cell Phones: "Your standard Verizon phone is a paperweight overseas." -- Ken Grunski, CEO of Telestial, on the limitations of some U.S.-based cell phones in Ireland Buy any good souvenirs? "I like to buy things native to the area," says Wendy. "At some of the souvenir shops, there was stuff made in the U.S. Why would I want that?" Instead, she purchased a stone Mayan calendar and Mexican blanket at a market near the Chacchoben Ruins in Costa Maya, as well as an elephant figurine while in Belize. "The blanket is draped across our couch right now," she says. Was the food delicious? "Food was available 24/7, and I loved absolutely every minute of it," says Karen. "The highlight was the Chocolate Buffet, when they set up an area with chocolate cakes, ice-cream sundaes, pudding, mousse, pie--you name it." Wendy couldn't agree more: "I'm kind of loud and kept on saying, 'Oh my God! Oh my God! Where do I start?' The crew was laughing at what a kick I was getting out of the whole setup." How was your trip? Hands down, Mayan Jungle Explorer was the women's favorite excursion. Wendy paid extra to get a video of the zip lining because she "didn't think people would believe" her otherwise. "The one problem we had was that if Carnival said the excursions would take four hours, it actually wound up being more like six once you added in travel time and waiting for other passengers," says Wendy. "As a result, we didn't have time for much shopping. I complained about it to Carnival." Because the other excursions ate up so much of their time, the group decided to skip any organized activities in Belize. "We wandered around and found some markets," says Wendy. "It felt good exploring on our own. The girls got their hair braided." How did you like cruising? "We had an absolute blast!" says Wendy. "The staff was wonderful. Whenever we came back to our room, everything was tidied up and towels were magically refolded. I grew so used to things that on the day we got home, I told Leticia that we should just call room service for dinner." Would you do anything differently? "It was a very busy week," says Karen. "I wouldn't have minded staying in a port for a few days to relax." Did the girls have fun? "There was so much to do on the ship that you never saw kids bored," says Wendy. "The girls loved that they had all that freedom, and I loved that there was no place they could get into trouble. They went to the dances, and days would pass by when we only saw each other during the meals." Parting gift As a memento, we sent the group Carnival's book showing how to fold towels into cute animals and shapes.

XCALAK Hotel Tierra Maya"We weren't looking to move, but I began dreaming about this place. One night, I asked my husband, 'Honey, could you live the rest of your life in the Caribbean?' He replied, 'Is a four-pound robin fat?' " And that, roughly speaking, is how Kim and David Calkins began their journey from 20 years of innkeeping in Texas to running the Hotel Tierra Maya outside Xcalak (pronounced shka-lak) at the southern tip of Costa Maya. A six-hour drive from Cancun, Xcalak has remained virtually untouched by the booming development further north. Along the town's main drag, there's a restaurant and a small grocery store with a pay phone, but no banks or ATMs. Kim and David bought their place two years ago, inheriting a loyal group of guests who return year after year for the excellent fly-fishing, diving, and snorkeling in the area. The Calkins weren't about to change a winning formula. They made some improvements (doubling the restaurant to 40 seats to accommodate visitors from nearby resorts, replacing all the mattresses, etc.), but otherwise, the six rooms are the same, simply done with sunny yellow walls, terra-cotta-tile floors, ceiling fans, and balconies that overlook the Caribbean. The Calkins loan out bikes and kayaks at no charge, sell snorkel gear, and will happily arrange guided fishing trips. (A four-hour excursion costs $160 for two and includes a boat, guide, bait, tackle, and refreshments.) But Tierra Maya is also ideally situated for anyone who just wants to lie low. It's stocked with a supply of well-worn paperbacks and old copies of National Geographic, which guests can thumb through while loung-ing on chairs scattered around the lawn or on the thin band of beach just beyond the grass. As Kim says, "A lot of people don't want to be in the corridor," meaning the popular and sometimes crowded stretch from Cancun to Tulum. "Even when we're full, it's real quiet here." 800/216-1902, tierramaya.net, from $80, includes breakfast. MAHAHUAL Balamku Inn on the BeachThe rough-hewn fishing village of Mahahual has a split personality: Beach bars buzz with activity when a cruise ship is docked in the small port, but otherwise, its sandy streets are quiet and tourist-free. While kayaking the short distance from Balamku to a nearby reef for an afternoon of snorkeling, consider the vagaries of life: You wouldn't be here now if, in 2000, a road-tripping Canadian couple hadn't missed the exit for Punta Allen. That's how Alan Knight and Carol Tumber ended up in Mahahual for the night. (Alan thought it might be pronounced "ma-ha-ha.") The next morning, they met someone with beachfront land for sale and made an offer on the spot, despite the fact that they'd only been dating for about a year. Balamku opened in 2003, and Carol calls it "a small, totally ecological retreat," pointing out that even the soaps and shampoos are biodegradable. There are two individual whitewashed palapas and a trio of two-story palapas (with a suite on each floor) for a total of eight rooms. They're all decorated with Mexican artwork--paintings, sculptures, and masks--and most have wireless Internet access. A breakfast of fruit, eggs, pancakes, and Chiapas coffee is served in the bright dining room. The hotel doesn't do dinners, but two restaurants highly recommended by Alan and Carol are less than a five-minute walk away. 011-52/1-983-839-5332, balamku.com, from $75, includes breakfast. SIAN KA'AN BIOSPHERE CESiaKDriving down a dirt road in the 1.3-million-acre nature reserve called Sian Ka'an, visitors might not understand why the park has a Mayan name that means "where the sky is born." The thickly wooded biosphere is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and home to over 300 bird species, 100 types of mammals, and nearly two dozen archaeological sites. Among sea grape plants, geiger trees, and coconut palms, CESiaK (short for Centro Ecológico de Sian Ka'an) is on the high point of a narrow strip of land. After guests climb to the tiny crow's-nest level of the main building and look out over the vast expanse of Caribbean to the east, the Campechen Lagoon to the west, and the biosphere to the south, with a great swath of sky overhead, the name Sian Ka'an finally makes sense. Rooms at CESiaK are rustic--really no more than large tents, with screened windows, set on raised wooden platforms. Each has a porch (hammock included) with views of either the sea or the lagoon. The rooms aren't wired for electricity, but they are equipped with candles and battery-powered hurricane lamps. Shared bathrooms are next to the main building, where Mexican meals are served in a cheerful dining room. But the most comfortable spot is the main building's terrace, where guests can look out over the beach and admire the stealth-fighter cormorants and the more lumbering, cargo-plane pelicans on their takeoffs and landings. Though that's entertainment enough for many, other daytime activities can be arranged through the hotel--everything from fly-fishing in the reserve's saltwater lagoons to kayaking and bird-watching tours. 011-52/984-871-2499, cesiak.org, from $70. TULUM Don Diego de la SelvaTwo-and-a-half miles from the beach, a few blocks south of the town of Tulum, and a short way down an unpaved road, is an unexpected enclave. Opened in 2005, Don Diego de la Selva is owned by Charles Galligani and Stephane Palmieri, life partners who decided, after Stephane's 40th birthday, to leave their native France for the Yucatán. They built their guesthouse with eight rooms; two larger palapas were added in December. In terms of design, they're somewhere between minimal and just plain plain (few decorative touches, no TV, no minibar, no clock radio); yet each room gets plenty of light, six of the 10 rooms have air-conditioning, and all have ceiling fans. The hotel's amenities, including a pretty, blue-tiled pool set among papaya and banana trees, are complemented by the sophisticated dinner-party atmosphere created by Charles and Stephane, who are warm and inclusive hosts. Dinner is a communal affair, and whether it's French or Mexican or something else varies with the chef's mood. One of the best reasons to stay at Don Diego de la Selva is the hotel's proximity to the shops and restaurants in town, since that affords the opportunity to interact with locals. As Stephane says, "If you spend all of your time at the beach, you miss one of Mexico's most beautiful resources: its people." 011-52/1-984-114-9744, dtulum.com, from $65, includes breakfast. Amansala's Casa MagnaIn the mid-1970s, at the southern end of Tulum, Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar built one 14,000-square-foot house for himself and one (rumor has it) for the then-future Mexican president Carlos Salinas. The buildings were abandoned after Escobar died in 1993, and nature--in the form of hurricanes and vegetation--began to reclaim them. They caught the eye of Melissa Perlman, one of the owners of the Amansala resort up the beach. "I would pass the houses daily on my morning walks and finally just started investigating," she says. "It seemed a shame to have the dark, eroding villas on this bright, beautiful beach." One can only guess what Escobar would think of Casa Magna now. A generous amount of concrete was used in the construction of the houses, which gives them a hint of a bunker flavor. Perlman offset that by using vibrant orange and pink fabrics in the chic lounging areas. The 20 guest rooms are enormous and sparsely furnished: Beds are draped with mosquito netting, padded concrete banquettes are softened with colorful throw pillows, and decorative mosaics liven up the bathrooms. Many Casa Magna guests choose to participate in the Bikini Boot Camp program, a combination of exercise, yoga, and massage that became popular at the original Amansala property. It's no surprise then that the restaurant emphasizes healthy choices such as grilled fish and fresh fruit. Though Casa Magna has been given a new life, history still hangs in the air. Eddie Yee, who works at both hotels, is always happy to point out the site of the former swimming pool (it has over time filled with sand and vegetation) and the entrance to a secret tunnel that used to connect the houses. Asked if he thinks there are bodies buried here, Yee replies with a laugh, "I'm sure there are." 011-52/1-984-100-0805, amansala.com, from $185. Shambala Petit HotelEmbrace simplicity, counseled the Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu, and that idea is at the heart of the Shambala Petit Hotel, a no-frills yet bewitching spot at the southern end of Tulum. The philosopher most in evidence here, however, is Buddha, who is quoted on a sign hanging on the hotel's outside wall. The quote ends with WE MAKE THE WORLD, and that peaceful, world-unto-itself beauty of the Shambala helps it stand out from the string of touristy hotels along the coastline. There is the warm welcome by owner Roberto Hernandez; the carefully maintained beach, with its impossibly soft, white sand; and the small, delightful details such as the tassels and mother-of-pearl ornaments hanging from the white beach umbrellas, and the splashes of orange in the form of throw pillows, beach towels, and pole-mounted flags throughout the property. When people imagine a thatched-roof, swinging-hammock, beach-bum vacation in Tulum, this is the place they dream of, whether they know it or not. The Zen simplicity extends to the casitas, meaning guests get a bed and a ceiling fan, and not much else. The casitas are not decorated at all, but even the world's greatest interior designer couldn't compete with what's right outside the doors. Eight of the ten rooms have private baths, lit only by candlelight. Breakfast is included in the room price; there are numerous restaurants for lunch and dinner within walking distance. Shambala offers yoga classes, meditation classes, and Spanish lessons for those who can drag themselves from one of the comfortable beach mattresses. Tulum doesn't have the nightlife of Playa del Carmen or Cancun, but for those who linger on the beach past sunset to the time when stars appear overhead, embracing simplicity seems like the best advice in the world. 011-52/1-984-807-3894, shambalapetithotel.com, from $110 (with private bath), includes breakfast. AKUMAL Posada Que OndaEven though it's now thickly settled, Akumal, Mayan for "Place of the Turtle," still has room for turtles, which return each spring to lay eggs in nests along the very beaches where they were hatched. It's the oldest resort town in this part of Mexico--a former coconut plantation with an extraordinary coastline that was rediscovered by a diving club in 1958. Akumal has maintained the easygoing style that first attracted those divers to its waters. It has also been popular with families because its shallow, sandy bays could have been designed with kids in mind. The same could be said of the Posada Que Onda: Half of the hotel's pool, for instance, has a built-in shelf that kids can play on. (Adults use it, too, sitting in water from the waist down under the blazing sun.) Posada Que Onda is not on a beach--the closest, Half Moon Bay, is a 10-minute walk away--but it's just 50 yards from excellent swimming in Yalku lagoon. Guests can borrow the hotel's snorkel equipment and bikes at no charge. Large rooms have cool, white-tiled floors and are adorned with local art and artifacts. Especially spacious is a bi-level suite with two terraces; the upper terrace provides a view of the lagoon and the Caribbean. Kids love the restaurant, too, because it features homemade pastas. 011-52/984-875-9101, queondaakumal.com, from $70. PLAYA DEL CARMEN Hotel BásicoIn recent years, Playa del Carmen has become increasingly popular with style-conscious travelers, and the Hotel Básico is designed to appeal to those weaned on Philippe Starck. It's owned by Mexico City--based Grupo Habita, which has the sleek Deseo (a short walk away) in its portfolio, as well as Habita and Condesa DF in the country's capital. In the Básico, interior designer Héctor Galván created a hotel full of exuberant and witty touches, though the place never feels over-designed. There are allusions to Mexican daily life (the soaring lobby is open to the street and doubles as a coffee shop), industry (the drapes are rubber strips), and natural assets (most notably in the references to the sea throughout the hotel). The latter might sound like a recipe for kitsch, but the execution is fresh. The rooftop lounge evokes the upper deck of a ship, two smokestacks included--it'd be a stunning space, even if it didn't afford lovely views of the Caribbean, and the two minipools are perfect for margarita-sipping. Galván fashioned 15 rooms in which a white-linened bed is not only the featured furniture in the room, it's practically the only furniture in the room. Fortunately, the bed turns out to be a kind of Swiss Army knife: There are drawers, a shelf for towels, and storage beneath for stools, a minibar, bottled water, flippers, and a beach ball. Básico gets the basics right, too: air-conditioning, flat-screen TV, DVD player, CD player, and free Wi-Fi. The hotel is not beachfront, but guests get free passes to a beach club, a 10-minute walk away, where there are lounge chairs and umbrellas. Básico is for adults only, which is just as well: It could be difficult to explain to kids why there's a Polaroid camera chained to each bed. 011-52/984-879-4448, hotelbasico.com, from $168. A few tips about getting around Some of the hotels closest to Cancun will arrange airport transfers. Expect to pay about $50 each way for Playa del Carmen and $125 for Tulum. But it's far more convenient to rent your own wheels, especially if you plan to explore nearby towns and ruins. There's plenty of free on-street parking in Playa del Carmen; everywhere else you'll be able to park at the hotels themselves. When booking a car, be sure to choose one that can handle the punishing dirt roads. Highway 307 is the main artery that connects the towns of the Riviera Maya and Costa Maya. It runs south along the coast from Cancun to Tulum, swings inland to skirt the Sian Ka'an Biosphere, and continues all the way to the border of Belize. Often one-lane each way without a shoulder, the road leaves little margin for error. Allow more time than the distances suggest, because construction, accidents, or slow vehicles may lengthen the trip. So could the string of potholes passing for dirt roads that connect some hotels to the highway. A 10-mile drive on the worst of these can take 45 minutes. Be on the lookout for speed bumps, called topes, which are found frequently in towns. Get gas whenever there's an opportunity--stations are few and far between. Finally, avoid driving at night. Road conditions, pedestrians, animals, and lack of lighting make it hazardous.