Cozumel - Must see/do
 

Hello!<BR><BR>A friend and I will be visiting Cozumel soon. I'm very excited and have been reading up as much information as possible, but I'm getting a little confused. That's where you come in! For any of you that have been to Cozumenl could you please answer a few questions?<BR><BR>* We like to snorkel - which places are 'don't miss'. Do you have any recommendations for a snorkel tour operator?<BR><BR>* I know that the cruise ships tend to be there almost every day -- are there fewer on the weekends?<BR><BR>* Is there an ATM at the airport?<BR><BR>* I keep reading that the east side of the island is a must-do. Which part in particular should we make sure to see?<BR><BR>* Do people still bring gifts for the kids? (pencils, candy, etc.)<BR><BR>* I'm going to be looking for some silver jewely - not too expensive, but still decent. Any recommendations?<BR><BR>* My friend really wants to see some ruins, and as we are going to be there during her birthday we need to make sure we do. Any recommendations? How far would it be from where we are staying?<BR><BR>* How far is x-caret from where we are staying?<BR><BR>Thank you so much!

Hi Neen, I have posted my &quot;Things to See and Do in Cozumel&quot; here before and you can probably still find it if you do a search using my email screen name in the Latin American board. If not, send me an email at [email protected] and I will forward it directly to you. To answer some of your questions:<BR><BR>I think Dzul-Ha is one of the best snorkeling sights on the island. Its not too far south out of town and any taxi driver can take you there. If you want a tour - try the one from the dive shop at the Occidental Hotel. It goes to some reefs farther out than the usual Zorro and others from the center of town.<BR><BR>The cruise ships are in town every day. It used to be slower on weekends, but now there seems to always be at least 3-4 ships at port.<BR><BR>Not sure if there is an ATM at the arrival terminal at the airport. I don't think so. There is one at the grocery - Ched Rui.<BR><BR>I think Coconuts is the best place on the other side of the island. Its really just a pretty drive with long stretches of beach that aren't good for swimming - too much undertow. Its a good place to go on days that are windy in town.<BR><BR>No, do not brings gifts for children. The country is not that poor.<BR><BR>I always buy my silver at Los Cinco Sole at the north end of main street because they don't haggle for prices. Just a tagged item with a discount for cash. The quality is excellent. The other quality place is The Silver Emporium - a large modern glass building on north end of main street - they have a huge selection and quite original designs. It is high quality merchandise as well. Expect to negotiate about 15% off the tagged price there.<BR><BR>There is only one set of ruins on the island of Cozumel. It is small. Worth the effort to see, but not spectacular. A good choice might be to take the ferry across to Playa del Carmen and a tour to Tulum. It is a beautiful ruin on the ocean. Otherwise, set up a flight to the big ruins in Chichen Itza. I think it cost about $100 per person for the flight and tour from Cozumel.<BR><BR>Xcaret is on the mainland near Playa del Carmen. You would need to take the ferry there.<BR><BR>Hope this helps.

In general,I agree with the comments by TC. I visit Cozumel often--and am currently in Cozumel. I would add the following:<BR>Cruise ships: Yesterday (Sunday), no ships were in Cozumel. Today, Monday, only 3 are here. (this info. is pretty reliable since I am staying in the home of a guide who takes tourists from the ships)<BR>Other side of the island: My favorite place for a local experience on the other side is Chen Rio. Good, fresh seafood, beer, mixed drinks as well as a really nice beach.<BR>ATMS--also not sure about the airport but ATMS are everywhere including the one mentioned at Chedraui. (another tip--pay for anything at Chedraui with dollars since they will give you change in Pesos at the always high exchange rate--todays is 10.80. Normally, I would always advise to get your cash from the ATMs for the best exchange) <BR>

Hi Robert; I wonder if its the war and travel uncertainty that is affecting cruise ship travel? When we were there the month of February, there were ships in every single day - including Sunday, which used to be the only day of rest. I had heard that cruise travel was off one particular week in Feb. when the whole east coast was snowed in and travelers couldn't get to Miami to depart on their ships. What a mess. It would be nice to have only the rush in mid-week like years ago. It was always so nice and quiet except for Wed. and Thurs. Now its busy every day, but that's good for people like your friend. I'm jealous that you are there now and I am NOT. All the best.<BR>

Thanks for the comments, TC. From what I understand, the bookings are off a bit with the cruise lines due to the war, etc., but the number of arrivals per day do normally slow down a bit from this time of year through summer since this if the &quot;off season&quot;. I, too, long for the &quot;good old days&quot; in Cozumel with fewer ships and tourists but guess it is good for my friend and the local economy in general!

Thank you both for the information! It is very much appreciated :) We leave tomorrow in the wee hours - can't wait.<BR><BR>Sneen

Just opened this thread for fun. My how Cozumel has changed. I have been there 5 or 6 times but not in the last 10 years. I started going when they didn't even have potable water. San Miguel was a nice little inexpensive tourist area to buy little trinkets. San Francisco beach was still a dream. Cruise ships were an occassional thing. I have often thought about seeing it again. Do you think I will be disappointed? Is it really as busy as it sounds? It was such a nice place to get away. Snorkeling used to be done right from the beach with rays and beautiful tropical fish everywhere. Can you still do that?<BR>I really would like to get back down that way. Are there other options nearby on the mainland that wouldn't be quite a busy?<BR>

Well Suzie, I think a lot has changed since you were there. Is it worth a visit? I sure think so. We go every winter and stay a month. I would stay the entire winter if I could. The water is still an amazing color of blue, the fish are still glorious, you can still snorkel right from shore, and the people are still warm and welcoming and wonderful. Its true, there are cruise ships every day now, and Main Street has a stop light and the police car has a siren and they're building a helipad for tours, a bowling alley and there's a digital movie theater. But the people who live in Cozumel love all the new conveniences and the income from tourism keeps beggers off the street. But on Sunday night the locals still come out on the main square of San Miguel with their children for the church bake sale or the school fund raiser to dance to a local band, eat home cooked goodies, laugh and mingle with friends, family and yes, even the occasional gringo tourist.<BR><BR>As for the mainland, there is nowhere to compare with your Cozumel of bygone days. The entire coast is resort row. If you want that undiscovered atmosphere, I suggest Roatan, Honduras. We spent a week there on the beach of West Bay and it was the kind of low key heaven you describe. The snorkeling from shore was amazing. The restaurants were small and very local and we only saw one ship all week - one of the sailing ships. Give it a try. But don't forsake Cozumel. It may not be the way you left it, but its still a great place to visit.

Hello Suzie,<BR>Cozumel has changed A LOT! (Expecially over just the last 2 or 3 years.)<BR>They now have a large mall, another large cruise ship pier, and (horrors!) they have moved Carlos and Charlie&quot;s from downtown to the mall.<BR>We go every year for two weeks, but spend an additional few days in Playa del Carmen, Akumal, Isla Mujeres or the Tankah/Tulum area.<BR>If you are looking for the Coz of days gone by, I'd suggest you check into Akumal, Puerto Morelos or Isla Mujeres.<BR>There are plenty of uncrowed pristine beaches, funky bars and hotels, and some great snorkeling - particularly in Akumal. <BR>We had planned to buy in Cozumel, but the growth there in the last few years has changed our mind.<BR>We still love it, but the hordes of cruise ship passengers that come every day now have really changed the pace and atmosphere of the island.<BR>Check out locogringo.com to see more about the areas I mentioned. <BR>(They are all an easy cab ride or bus trip or ferry ride from Cancun.)

Hi Diane, Have you read the articles about a possible cruise ship pier on the mainland near Xcaret? Seems there is a big push from landowners there to get the cruise trade away from Cozumel and into the Playa corridor. I read about it in the NY Times last fall. In fact, I took a copy of the article to friends in Cozumel this winter. As far as I'm concerned, that would be great - but not too good for the Cozumel economy. Anyway, you might want to investigate before you invest. Anyone else read this??

My mistake - the story was in the LA Times, not the NY Times. Here is a link.<BR><BR>http://csf.colorado.edu/mail/elan/2003/msg00077.html

Thanks TC. Ohhhh, depressing.<BR>It's just a matter of time before the entire area is &quot;Cancun-ized.&quot;<BR>I would love to see the cruise ship traffic to Cozumel drop back to what it was a few years ago, but I hate to see it happen at the expense of the Mexican Caribbean coast.<BR>I guess I need to start looking for hidden gems elsewhere - but it's probably only a few years away before the developers gobble everything up!<BR>

Enjoyed reading the comments of Diana and TC but am also saddened about the fast pace of the tourism development on Cozumel. I just returned and have to say that it doesn't impact me as much as some since I stay with a Mexican family who live far away from the tourist attractions and we rarely venture to any of these areas. We mostly eat in really local restaurants, go to the fine beaches on the east side and spend the weekends at their little cottage in the Cedral area of the island. I find that the tourist rarely venture far from the main street!<BR>If looking for a still unchanged island, you might want to go check out Isla Holbox, which is on the northern tip of the Yucatan. Development is coming but for now, it is pretty much untouched by tourism--except for the Mexicans who know about it! (you can locate quite a bit of information if you do an internet search)<BR>Having said all this, I still plan to retire to Cozumel in the future. I believe the cruise ship arrivals have pretty much peaked and will begin moving to other places on the mainland--such as the new one being proposed at Calica (near Playa) as a joint venture with Carnival Cruises (who I primarily credit with the problems Cozumel is having).