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Cozumel Island
Island Guides
Mayan Ruins
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Cozumel Trip Report Trip Report My wife and I & her sister and husband went to Cozumel for a seven-night stay at the Iberostar. This was basically our first time to the island. We were there on a cruise for a day once before, and decided it was worth coming back for an extended period of time. We had a great time.It was hot and humid, but not as bad as we expected. We often go to Florida in summer, so we had an idea of what to expect. We did our homework, as suggested by this chat room, and made reservations for a four-door car with A/C through National. The cost was $212, insurance included. What a deal. We printed the information as proof. We wanted a jeep, but the cost was too high at $350 to $400, plus insurance. When we arrived in Cozumel, National sent a van to pick us up, but when we checked in to get the car they had no four door with A/C. Bummer. “Would you take a Jeep at no extra cost”? YES! No problem! The Jeep was GREAT. Our only mistake on how we did this was that we should have checked in to our resort first. Picture it, four people, all our luggage for seven nights crammed into a little Jeep and to make it worse, it rained just be fore we were there so the road spray got us wet. We took a picture just for fun. We were happy to make it to the Iberostar. Live and learn. Next time we check into the resort and then get the rental. We had no problem purchasing gas. We had heard stories from the chat room that they sometimes will not reset the amount, so you are charged for your gas and the car before you. We got out before they pumped and everything was okay. At check-in, they had drinks waiting for us as we were processing the paperwork, “Miami Vice” oh-boy they were good. The Iberostar was wonderful. We found the staff to be friendly and helpful. They tried to teach us Spanish and were patient when we couldn’t get our message across. We did not find the staff to be tip oriented, however we did tip at the usual places. A couple of bucks here or there don’t make much difference to us, but I’m guessing it’s a large part of their living. The facilities were worth the expense. The rooms were large enough for the two and so was the shower. It was worth going for that alone. We even had a large lizard (24 inch) living under our deck. That was fun. The pool was very large and had a swim up bar. That was also great. They were free with the alcohol, adding as much as desired. We only saw one person that had a little too much to drink. She was very loud! The grounds around the dining area had flamingos and parrots. Beautiful birds, but noisy. This building had no walls and was basically out door. We went expecting swarms of mosquitoes, but I was not bitten at all at the Iberostar. That was an unexpected pleasure. They must spray at night when the guests are asleep. The food was good, but not exceptional. If we only ate Iberostar food for the entire week, it would have gotten old. We ate out only two times, but they were fun. Once at Paradise Café (cheeseburgers were great) and the other at Ernesto’s Fajita Factory. That was also great. The strawberry daiquiris were wonderful. Apparently there are two Ernesto’s. We ate at the down town location. Next time we’ll try the southern location. The beach had many palapas to lie under and watch the boating. There must have been 100 boats at a time out there; all were taking scuba divers to the reefs. The beach was okay to walk, but there was not any worthwhile snorkeling. The dive shop at the Iberostar was expensive so we did not use them. They offered one free scuba tank. When I went to check it out I was told that that means I get one tank to use off shore, but no other equipment. I guess I was expecting to be able to go on a dive with the needed equipment. My inexperience. They did give my wife an introduction to scuba in the pool. She now wants to be certified. They also charged a $10 fee to be “checked out” on a Hobie Cat. I had heard, on this chat room before leaving, that the fee was $30, so I was pleased that it was not higher. On the other hand, this is all-inclusive… There wasn’t mush wind so the sailing was not that great. My wife got a rash and we needed to see a doctor. They came right to the resort with the needed medication. Cleared it up without a problem. $60 There were a couple of “ugly Americans”. I guess you find them everywhere. They couldn’t wait a minute for a drink and got all pissed off. It’s embarrassing to be from the same country as some of these people. Overall, almost guests were polite and friendly and wanted to share their Cozumel experiences. The power went out resort wide, four times. This, for the most part was not a problem, because it was for short periods of time. We did a lot of exploring with the Jeep around town and on the East Side of the island. The East Side was really fun. We stopped several times and caught some waves. We also went to the Paradise Café, as stated above. Cervesas and cheeseburgers! What could better on a beach over looking the beautiful waters? The cheeseburgers were great and I’m glad we stopped and ate there, but I’ve done Paradise. With no electricity on the East Side, it’s no wonder that this place was a little “unique”. Safe and interesting, but next time we’ll check out Coconuts Bar and Grill, just a little north of Paradise. It’s supposed to be fun. Overall we liked the East Side and we will go back on our next trip. Town was also fun. Of course we did the usual shopping. Almost ever day, I might add. Blankets, silver, tee shirts… oh-boy. We went so often that the people started to remember us. We would go back to the same place, just so we can start the bargaining out at a lower price. Don’t laugh, It worked. The people asking us to come in got a little old after a while… “next to nothing’, “almost free”, “come see, lady”. One recommendation, do not shop after consuming too much alcohol. I still can’t remember buying half the stuff we came home with. Of course the ladies went shopping while the guys were making arrangements to dive. Most of the people were very friendly. Others were okay. We did not run in to anyone who we did not like. The diving was EXCELLENT. I can’t say enough. If you go to Cozumel, you need to dive or at least snorkel. We saw 8 turtles, with one estimated to be over two hundred years old. Our dive masters said that in 19 years, he has only seen one that size/age. Eels, octopuses, a four-foot long parrotfish… WOW. Diving will definitely be on our itinerary next time we go… and lots of it. We booked through Eco-divers. Good prices, knowledgeable English speaking, and we felt safe with them leading us. We will use them again. No wet suit was needed at this time of the year. The currents keep thermoclines to a minimum. Actually, there were none. We had the same temp at 120 feet as we did when we were snorkeling. We snorkeled with our wives at Dzul Ha. That was great. Plop your stuff down and snorkel all you want and then come up for a little some thing from the bar. Cervesas and nachos, another great way to spend a beautiful afternoon. The snorkeling was easy. Walk in from shore, swim out 50 yards and you’re in some of the best snorkeling in the world. There were several ‘cattle boats’, where people paid good money just to snorkel. Our Jeep was able to take us to these same places. There was plenty of room so they weren’t all over us. We saw, among other things, two spotted eels. We wanted to purchase some Kahuala to bring back home. We heard that the best prices were at the local supermarket. $10.50 U.S. per bottle. A little girl was bagging for us. Two bottles was no big deal, but I gave her the American coins I received as change. Couldn’t have been 75 cents. Her smile was worth the trip. It’s amazing that what we take for granted can make such a difference to someone else. A little goes a long way. Because this was our first trip we wanted to spend all our time on the island. Next time we will take the ferry over and explore the ruins. We booked through Apple Vacations. They were great. They were at each leg of our traveling and pointed us in the right direction. We will us them again. After thoughts for our next trip… 1. More diving next time. 2. Colombian Wall (90” to abyss). Don’t miss it. 3. Everyone needs to be scuba certified before we head down. 4. Use small dive outfit like “Eco-divers”, not the big cattle company that take 20 or 30 at a time. 5. Night dive at least once. 6. More exploring of the local restaurants. They’re fun. 7. Try to book a direct flight into Cozumel. We went through Cancun. It added several hours each way, not to mention a delayed flight heading home. 8. Rent a Jeep and explore the island. 9. Snorkeling at Dzul Ha was worth while. 10. Stop at Coconuts Bar and Grill on the East Side, Paradise Café was a little disappointing. 11. Take the ferry and go over to the mainland and explore the ruins? Not very expensive. I hope this was helpful. Lodging Reviews
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