Mexico is a possible option for us this year around Christmas. We are not interested in an all inclusive as my husband loves to cook. Between Cozumel and the playa del carmen, which would you recommend for great snorkeling, site seeing, (we will have a jeep) but not so crowded.

We visited Cancun 25 years ago and returned 10 years ago. We were not impressed with all the hotels and development.

My reason for trying to find a large complex is we will have two 15 year olds with us and they will want some sort of action at the beach/pool. I realize the resorts would be the better choice for that but are there any with a condo option.

Thanks

For snorkeling / diving you'll want to go to Cozumel. Have you all thought about Belize?

I second Cozumel. Many things to do all on one little island. Check on the hurricane aftermath on Belize.

hi ydoc, i would recommend neither. cozumel is quite crowded/busy and the snorkeling is not as good as it was, due to damage to the chankannab
park during hurricane wilma. no site-seeing unless you ferry to mainland. if you do want to go there look at www.cozumelmycozumel.com
pdc is much more laid back than cancun or coz. there is not much beach snorkeling there. known for duty free shopping. easy access to all the site-seeing and "things to do".
i think you should look in the akumal area. (20 minutes south of pdc) a small town and has a much more 'mexican feel' to it. here's a link to a list of lots of condos. the top half of the first page is ai's but just scroll down. http://www.locogringo.com/dynamic/lo...l&type=any
in addition to the beach snorkeling in the area is yal-ku lagooon - with loads of huge fish. go on clear calm day. some fun restaurants. closer still to tulum ruins.
if you stay near any of above except coz you might consider spending a day at xel-ha or x-caret, eco-marine parks. xel-ha is smaller and has fewer things happening. the teens might prefer x-caret. you can look at both of these on the locogringo site. (fyi -don't buy on-line tickets in case the weather is bad on your prechosen day)
> for dh: best grocery is sorianna in pdc. south end of town on hwy 307 [the main/only] road from cancun to pdc and on south to belize. has liquor dept. suggest he bring all spices/seasonings with in checked luggage. pain in a$$ to buy whole container of anything for 2tsps.

on a totally different note you might consider turks and caicos - provo. (airport code pls) grace bay beach is gorgeous and most of the resorts are BeachFront condo style. the resorts have restaurants, pools, excursions available but the accomodations are all condo with balcony/porch. in particular you might look at royal west indies, ocean club or ocean club west or the sands. all moderately priced and used to families. there are 2 good spots to snorkel off the beach or the reef is a short boat ride out. also lots of boat trips to nearby snorkel oppoutunities. provo has loads of great restaurants if hubby wants a break. provo does not really have site-seeing except the conch farm or much shopping. it is very relaxed and all about the beach and tourquoise water. and is the ideal mix for your dh and teens.
>good grocery stores on island. but you are allowed to bring a cooler of food if you choose (not allowed to mexico). we took steaks, a chicken & chix pieces, butter, pre-made apps to bake off + precooked shrimp and cocktail sauce, fruit juice mixes, freshly frozen lobster (we're from maine), and homemade choc chip cookie dough.

of note if you plan to travel during xmas/new years - many places require 1 or even 2 week stay.

Cozumel for certain. We've been going down every year for about 15 years and it just gets better and better. The snorkeling right in front of the Coral Princess Resort is amazing!

Thank you all for your comments.

Virginia, we have been to Turks. I think we were disappointed as we were thinking it would be more like Cayman....Great snorkeling off the beach in many areas, etc. and easy driving to many things. We had been going down to Cayman for over twenty years but in our opinion, when you begin to have traffic jams, it's time to move on.

I felt the Turks and Caicos was not a very interesting island. Too much development.. construction and to see anything, it seemed we had to hire a fairly expensive boat excursion.

I should clear something up, we have been to Cancun, Cozumel and PDC
twenty three years ago. There were just a handful of hotels on Cancun and Cozumel.

I was back in Cancun ten years ago and couldn't believe all the build up. I guess it's going to happen anywhere that's within a few hours of the U.S.

What I remember of PDC was mostly shopping which isn't what we really want to do. And the last time we were in Cozumel...twenty three years ago, we stayed at the El Presendente which had a wonderful beach but I didn't think the hotel was all that much.

What we really want is what St. John, BVI and what Cayman was twenty some odd years ago. My husband is a great cook so we tend to like to stay at condo's but aren't familiar with the condo resorts in Mexico.

We love to snorkel but the teenagers and my husband might take up diving once again. Siteseeing would be great... We were at Chizinitza.(spelling) twenty three years ago and back ten years ago. It was so sad to see so much damage to the ruins. I hope they have restored what damage I saw back then. Is Tulum worth going to after Chiz?


Thanks once again!

ydoc; Its a bit difficult to get the best of all you've asked for in one place -- and keep two 15 year olds happy. If its not built up -- then chances are you "won't think much" of the hotels. There's not much in the Caribbean or Mexico that is the same as it was 23 years ago.

You did ask "between Cozumel and Playa del Carmen" but if you are now looking for someplace different, two places come to mind -- Holbox, Mexico and Roatan, Honduras. We stayed for a week in a wonderful house on Roatan a few years ago. Granted, there are other resorts on the same beach and a couple days a week there were cruise ships coming by, but the snorkeling and diving from the shore was amazing. The house, St. Mac's Villa, was in a private complex with several other small houses - West Bay Village. We had to take a water taxi to get to town. It was pretty laid back. http://www.westbayvillage.com/


Isla Holbox is what Playa was some years back. Small beach resorts and not much else but blue water.
http://www.mexicoboutiquehotels.com/xaloc/index.html

There are a few islands in the Grenadines that are completely quiet and laid back, but I think your 15 year olds will be bored to tears.

Honestly, with two teens, I'd stick to Cozumel. Take a house or a condo near town so the kids can have some fun both in and out of the water. The Coral Princess is about a mile north of town, has a great dive shop on site, amazing snorkeling from the beach, activities, restaurants and the two bedroom unit comes with a kitchen.

TC

Thank you for the information

Roatan looks to be what we actually might want. The teens are big on snorkeling but I think we have them convinced to take diving lessons at home and do their check out dives either on vacation or right before the trip.

I looked at your villa rental suggestions. Did you feel like you were vacationing with five other homes or was it fairly private?

I like the fact there are other people nearby for safety factors but are the other villas too close?

Thanks again

The other houses are quite close but we never felt overwhelmed. It was a bit like your own small community. We had a lovely communal bar-b-que one night and got to know the other guests. As it turned out, one couple were semi permanant owners and he worked at the local dive shop, so the guys all got along famously. St. Mac's is set right on the front of the property and has an amazing sea view. It has a great large front lanai with hammocks that feel quite private. No pool however, only beach. Also not much "action" for the teens. Its a long trek into town from West Bay Beach by boat or car.

Ydoc, if you are planning on having brand new divers along, do consider the nature of the dive area. Roatan is a bit more challenging than other areas of the Caribbean for beginners. You would definately want to work with a very, very good dive shop. I would suggestion on Roatan that you might want to consider St. Anthony's Caye. I will honestly say that we were not impressed with the quality of the dive operations on West Bay. Our guys are both Master level divers so can take care of each other -- but I wouldn't have wanted newbies on some of the dive they did. For new divers, I would really consider Cozumel. Its great. We have a condo there and it has a wonderful dive shop on site -- Pepe's Scuba. The dive masters are particularly good with new divers.

TC

Thanks for the heads-up on the Roatan dive shops. I have been to islands where we saw unspeakable thinks with local dive shops.

Cozumel might be a good choice although when my husband and I went diving down there years ago, because of the drift diving, we ended up past our intended pick-up spot which became somewhat daunting for a few moments.

Thank you for all your feedback!

With beginners on the dives, you really have to be very careful which dive shop you use and the mix of divers on the boat. There are lots of drift dives in Cozumel and some dives with heavy current. There are also lots of great dives for beginners. You want to make sure your kids are with a dedicated dive master who knows how to work with newbies.

TC

I looked into the Coral Princess and the photos seem to show the 2 and three bedrooms as having somewhat small living spaces.

Can you recommend another condo resort with larger units and a nice pool?

Thanks

The living spaces on the "hotel" side are somewhat small. The living spaces on the "timeshare" side are huge. It would be difficult to get in on the timeshare side for Christmas though. From the 3 bedroom page of At Home Cozumel,
http://www.cozumel.tc/rental-homes-l...oom-homes.html have a look at Las Brisas condos, Na-Ha Condos or the house Villa Maya. Both of the condos are pretty new (Na-Ha is brand new), they are both on the same stretch of reef as the Coral Princess. You could easily walk down to the Coral Princess to use the dive shop. The house, Villa Maya, is literally right next door the the Coral Princess. They share the same sandy beach area. People who stay there use the pool, restaurants and all other facilities at the CP. The house was completely rebuilt last year after Hurrican Wilma.

Ooops...sorry, Villa Maya is on the 5 bedroom page. Looks like it is available for Dec 21-28 though.

thanks so much

By the looks of things, we might be late on trying to make reservations from Dec. 26th - Jan. 4th

I'll keep looking.

You might try giving At Home Cozumel a phone call. The first time we went to Cozumel, Andrew was able to get us a place during high season at the last minute because he had someone who needed to cancel.

TC

Will do!

You have been very helpful

No problem, Ydoc. I hope it works out for you. We spend every February in Cozumel and have for about 15 years. Obviously, we love it there. I'm always happy to help others enjoy our favorite island. If Cozumel works out for you and you want <i>My Favorite Things to See and Do List</i> for the island, just let me know.

TC.....my husband and I will be on Cozumel for a week in early December. I would love to have your &quot;favorites&quot; list. Could you e-mail it to
marthagreen317 at cox dot net? Thanks so much.

Sent two emails to you Martha.