dctosun

Message: Hi there... just perusing the boards and already have gotten lots of great info. I'm considering a romantic trip to cozumel in early to mid-jan. -- we are late 20s/early 30s like snorkeling, beaches, sightseeing ruins... wouldn't mind hearing good music but don't need crazy party nightlife.

i'm wondering...
1.) are all-inclusives worth it? I have a pretty good package (5 nights, $730 each with air at the Reef Club anyone know of it?) But neither of us are BIG drinkers (might have a glass of wine or a margarita ). fiesta americana, inter-continentental are also mentioned through the package organizer.

2.) we won't be renting a car so... how easy/safe is it to walk/cab into town? do people pretty much eat/stay at the hotels? would it be easy for us to venture out?

3.) any other general tips -- areas good to stay in? best snorkeling/beaches? MUST-SEEs or must avoids?

very grateful for any tips,

jfa (from d.c.)

LanSluder

In my opinion, Coz is totally overrun with cruise ships and daytrippers from them. There often are six or eight or more megaships in port at one time. It's ruined the island.

--Lan Sluder

Suzie2

I am with you Lan. We started going to Cozumel when there were only a couple of hotels and no potable water. San Francisco Beach was nothing more than a dream and a deserted unopen bar. Even 10 years ago it was getting too crowded. It is much worse now. Isla Mujeres hasn't gotten too bad yet and is much less crowded.
You can get by with cabs on Cozumel or rent a scooter. Regarding All inclusives..they are a matter of choice. I don't use them because you miss a lot by not getting out and investigating. People feel obligated to just eat at their hotel. Eating from street vendors is not the best idea but there are lots of options for restaurants.

Diana

Unfortunately, this last trip in May to Cozumel will be our last after 10 years of going once or twice a year.

The other posters are right. The island has been nearly ruined by the lack of careful planning and allowing way too many cruise ships into port.

Just a couple of years ago, we were thinking of building on the island, but now we've selected another spot. I'm so glad we didn't.

In a relatively short time, they've destroyed paradise. I rarely suggest it to friends or relatives any longer.

I would not recommend a scooter if you do go. I've personally seen a fatal accident and multiple serious accidents involving scooters.

dctosun

wow, thanks all... hmm... so where DO you go now for a more unspoiled vaca.? i'm a bit overwhelmed with options right now! where are you building diana? again i'm looking to keep the price below $1,000 per person (so time may be important since getting somewhere further from d.c. may prove cost-prohibitive... any help would be appreciated!!!)

j

Diana

Look at Playa del Carmen, Isla Mujeres, Tulum, Puerto Aventuras or Akumal.
All of those will put you in the vicinity to do the things you would like to and you can find accommodations in the range you are looking for.
It will be easier to get to the ruins from PDC and IM than the other two.
Check out locogringo.com for an idea of the area and reasonable prices on places to stay
(We are building on Nevis.)

dctosun

sorry for all the questions... and thanks for your help... if i stayed in playa del carmen or isla mujeres... where do i fly to? still cozumel? how do i get there? i'm still looking to avoid renting a car. thanks!

Diana

Fly into Cancun and take the ferry across to IM or the bus/taxi to PDC.
Both are easy and not too expensive.

TC

Oh please! Cozumel has not been RUINED by cruise ships. Yes, they are there and yes, there are lots of daytrippers from the ships on the main street of town at certain times. Luckily very few venture out of the cruise ship "corral" (shopping area) that has been especially built for their pleasure. They drop lots of cash (great for the economy) and then hop back aboard their floating hotels (so as not to miss the pre-paid foodfest). But if you love the island and its people (and have been going there for 10+ years) you know where to go to get away from all that glitter. I can't believe anyone would recommend the shoulder-to-shoulder over-population of the whole Playa coast with Euro-glitz to the local beauty of the people and town of San Miguel. Just wait, the cruise ships will all be in Playa at the new pier in a little while if local officials have there way and then you will be wishing you'd built that house in peaceful Cozumel.

Dctosun: (1)Cozumel is the perfect place for your romantic trip. I personally, don't recommend ALs as there are so many wonderful restaurants in Cozumel and its so much fun to meet locals in them. (2) You won't need a car as taxis are inexpensive and easy and walking anywhere in Cozumel is very safe. (3) The Reef Club is o.k. Its a bit out of town and geared to divers. I"m not crazy about the Fiesta Americana, but its o.k. and the IC is very nice, but again a bit out of town. Its probably the best of the three.

Send me an email ([email protected]) and I'll send you my "What To Do In Cozumel" info sheet. We've been going to Cozumel for over 12 years and love it more every year. I put this together for friends and family who join us and they love the place too.

Don't give up so easily.

Diana

TC. I have been in love with Cozumel and its people for years, and I do know exactly where to go to get away from the hordes of cruiseshippers, but I stand by what I said. I don't like being chased away from 75% of the things I like to do and see or have to hide at the resort so as not to be run over by the "floaters." It's not like there are just a few of them. 9, 10, 12, or even more ships pull up and disgorge THOUSANDS of people onto little Cozumel.

They've essentially invaded all of the cool little beaches and get trucked in by the hundreds. Don't even get me started on Chankanaab! What a nightmare for a place that used to be an enjoyable day trip.

There are too many other places in the world that I can go to that are not overrun by the hordes and losing their character so I don't have to witness the "Carnage of Greed" that allowing too many cruise ships to dock at once in Cozumel is causing.

You are right about one thing, the problem is expanding to the coast, and soon I'll have to find somewhere else to go, and I will when the time comes. For now, I'm crossing Cozumel off my list until they wise up. We were in Akumal, PDC, and Isla Mujeres in addition to Cozumel this year. None of those places came anywhere near to being as jam packed and overcrowded as Cozumel.

In my opinion, it is misleading to say they don't leave the shopping areas. They are now going all over the island to places they have never previously been occupying on "excursions." We only were able to get away from them at Cocounts and Rasta's and our hotel. (And the #*&%$ idiots were trying to get into the resort so they could "look at it!!!!&quot

I don't want to spend my vacation finding out how many cruise ships are going to be in town and planning my activities to flee from the crowds.

I can't even get away from them on dives as they bring in cattle boats of them off the ships.

NO THANKS!

Ally

I HIGHLY recommend Isla Mujeres for a romantic vacation. Small Island, VERY easy to get around, no rental car needed AT ALL. But you can rent a golf cart for $35-$40 for 24 hours to explore the island which is so beautiful!
The most BEAUTIFUL beach, and you can probably do MORE than 5 days on your budget. Do you have Fun Jet Vacations, Apple Vacations or MLT from your area? They can get great airfares for you. No need for AI, (there is only one on the isalnd anyway)as there are dozens of excellent and inexpensive restaurants. Check out Isla at www.islamujeres.net.

Ally

Oh, sorry..the web site is
www.isla-mujeres.net

TC

Diana, You are, of course, entitled to your opinion, but I just can't agree. We spend a month in Cozumel every February and honestly, other than having the main street sidewalks overcrowded during the day when ships are in, its just never a bother. Last February there were never more than 4 ships in on any given day while we were there and everyone on the island complain about cruise trade being way down after 911, The War, The Recession, The Stock Market Crash, The Cruise Ship Virus Horrors, etc etc etc.

We go to little local beaches and there is literally no one there except on sunday's when the locals are out.

We eat in local restaurants and restaurants on the main square and they are never crowded. I've never had to wait for a table.

My husband and his buddies dive with Pepe's Scuba in small boats and they don't encounter anyone. We've never been overrun by snorklers either - even on the reefs where they dump the cruise people. We see them, but we just swim away. You are right about Chankanaab - but I've never gone there even when the town was empty. So I guess that doesn't bother me. The "beach clubs" are populated with cruise ship people - like San Francisco, Playa Corona, etc. but we don't go there either - never have.

The only place I find the boat people to be a pain is in the Internet Cafes when I want to check my email. Even then they can be avoided if you just go in the evenings.

I'm just saying that they don't take over 75% of the island by any means. If you don't shop during the day, don't drive down the water-front street, don't try to check your email at noon, don't snorkel at Chankanaab, don't beach at San Francisco, the rest of the island is a joy. There is lots more to Cozumel than these few things.

I'm sorry you've fallen out of love with it, but I can't imagine a winter without Cozumel.

Kristi

TC, we are headed to PDC tomorrow and one of the things I thought we would do is Chankanaab and I'm distressed to hear it is so bad. If we don't go there to snorkel, where should we go?

TC

Kristi, There's nothing wrong with Chancanaab. Its quite pretty. You just may have a few extra people around. If you want fewer people, try Dzul Ha. Its a little beach bar south of town with great snorkeling right in front. Again, there may be a few cruise people there, but we just ignore them and drift with the current.

Kristi

TC, we found a 8 person boat tour for $20 pp at the pier and went to Chankanaab, Dzulha and Paradise reef and thought it was great. We could have done it from the shore at all of the places but it was just as cheap to go on the boat and we hit several spots. There were 2 cruise ships docked but I didn't really notice a huge volume of people, just a few down by the shopping near the docks.

Can you answer a question for me? It appeared that there were two ferries from PDC and that we were on the slower one (Ultramar). Can anyone take the faster ferry (started with an M) and is it the same price ($18US RT)?

TC

I think you can take either ferry, but honestly - I've never taken the ferry to PDC so can't speak from experience. I'm sure others can.

Thanks for the report on Cozumel. Its nice to hear that your experience was enjoyable - even with cruise ships docked.

maggiet12

Just came back from Cozumel. It was our first time there. We stayed at the Presidente Intercontinental and loved it. The service was awesome. Taxi to town was $7 each way. I didn't really care for the town of Cozumel (I prefer more quaint). We stopped at a beach for lunch on a snorkel trip that seemed not to be a cruise ship destination (Nach Cocom). Was very nice. You might want to rent a car from the hotel for a day to see some sights. The taxi ride to the beach was $14 each way (even thought it was the same distance to town). If you go to Cozumel fly directly to the island. The ferry ride can be nasty (we got sick). I prefer Playa del Carmen and Isla Mujeres. We have stayed an NaBalam on IM. The Blue Parrot in PDC(in town) looked nice. It is right on the beach and in town. Have fun!

Catsam

Hi, new to this site. I need some advice please. My sister and I are going mid-May to Mexico. She is set on an all-inclusive so this is a given. We will want to snorkel, relax on the beach and do some exploring and shopping. We are wanting more of a quiet area, nothing wild. She is recently divorced and I am doing this trip to cheer her up so I want it to be veeery nice. Any suggestions on what part of Mexico and where to stay would be great...thanks.

beachdreams

I wanted to give another vote for Cozumel. I love the place, cruise ships and all. I also would like to vote for Presidente Intercontinental. That is where we typically stay everytime we visit. I can not answer the AI question here because the only AI I have stayed at in Mexico is Royal Hideaway and I can attest that is is fabulous. I prefer to dine on my own though.