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April 23-30 Paradisus Trip Report - Day 1

Honeymoon at Paradisus            April 23 to April 30, 2001

Day 1

We left my place around 8:00 AM Monday morning for our 10:30 AM Sun Country Airlines direct flight to Cozumel.  We got to the terminal around 8:30 or 9:00 AM and checked in.  This was our first experience with a Funjet Vacation and our first trip to Cozumel and we were not sure what to expect.  The travel agent told us that Sun Country limits checked luggage to two bags per person not to exceed 44 pounds.  We would be allowed one carry-on, and if a woman had a purse that would be considered a carry-on and she could have no other.  In practice, Sun Country did not weigh any luggage and many passengers had more than one carry-on.  We were told that due to seating problems, we would have to sit across the aisle from each other in row 17.  Before the plane took off, we noted an entire row, three seats on each side that was empty.  My wife and I moved to row 19 and shared three seats.  The flight was unbelievably smooth.  We landed around 11:30 local time.  Thanks to reading the board, I knew what to expect at customs and immigration.  It was a breeze.  After getting through, we found the Lomas Travel representatives that FunJet uses down there.  The Lomas agent signed us up for what was called an “orientation” at 4:30.  They directed nine people from our flight to a Chevy Suburban and we were on our way to Paradisus.  

At Paradisus our baggage was unloaded at stacked near the entrance.  The hotel was beautiful and clean and overlooks the ocean.  We were told that we could leave our luggage at the entrance until we were assigned rooms, but based on advice from this forum, we kept our carry-ons with heavy items and valuables with us.  After a while, they got heavy and we decided that it appeared safe at Paradisus and returned them to the stack. Nothing came up missing.

The Paradisus concierge greeted us with glasses of champagne and told us that our rooms were not ready yet.  She took the group on a short tour of the hotel and explained some of the activities and services available.  We were given wristbands and invited to help ourselves to lunch from the buffet.  After lunch we wandered around a bit.  Soon we saw a bellman who told us that we should check with the front desk, as everyone else who arrived with us already had rooms.  We did so and were told our room was ready, a room with two queen size beds.  We then reminded them that we had requested a non-smoking room.  After a couple minutes of looking, they gave us a non-smoking room. We also mentioned that according to their web site, newlyweds were entitled to a choice of either a complimentary fruit basket or a bottle of wine.  The concierge told us that they would deliver a bottle of champagne to our room, and later in the day it appeared.  Our room was a garden room on the fourth floor.  We had a lot of luggage and there was no elevator.  We tipped the bellman $4.  

Our room in the garden section was a gorgeous non-smoking room with a king-size bed. It also had a small sofa and coffee table, a color TV with remote, a table with four chairs, an in-room safe in the large closet, a hair dryer in the bathroom.  We had a balcony patio with two chairs and a small table, sliding glass doors and a beautiful view of the ocean.  The room was newly remodeled, with tile floors, and new furniture.  It was very large and we couldn’t have asked for more.  A great view!  

We spent some time in the room and got settled in.  I wanted to take a nap, but my wife dragged me to the beach.  We found a couple of lounges, she got some wine from the bar, and we relaxed.  The beach was clean, the water warm and view was great.  We did not swim that day.  The area of beach we went to is close to the pool, and there was a group of people hanging around the pool and the swim up bar.  The one bartender on duty appeared to need help, and service was very slow.  

After relaxing for a while, we went to the room and then changed and went to the “orientation.”  We were told the orientation was at 4:30 and arrived at 4:34 in the game room.  This room had some tables and a couple of pool tables in it.  The pool tables looked nice, but we never played.  The Lomas agent was seated at a table alone. I asked him where everyone was.  It turned out that he was meeting with guests a party at a time. He chided us for being late. He had another appointment scheduled shortly.  I did not appreciate his complaint, as I assumed we would be joining a group presentation a couple of minutes late.  Are we on vacation or are we punching a clock?  

It turned out that he was not there to tell us anything about the hotel, but to inform us of rental cars and tours available through Lomas.  There is a Fiesta rental car agent at the hotel.  Their normal rate for a Jeep is $80 per day, but since we were Lomas customers, he could get us a special rate of $65.  We passed.  He then gave us the prices for a number of tours and side trips available through Lomas.  They were all inflated.  We were on our honeymoon and had already been reading this chat board and had the Can-Do Map.  We planned on renting a car in town and seeing some sites on our own.  We thanked him for the information.  He asked if we had any questions and we said “No”.  He then asked if we had been to Cozumel before, and we said “No”.  The agent seemed affronted that we were new to the island and needed no information from him. He was the most unpleasant person we met in Cozumel and it was a shame it happened within hours of our arrival.

We left him to his next prospects and went to the buffet for dinner.  Food at the buffet both for lunch and for dinner was of good quality, with a lot of choices.  The place overlooks the ocean and is spotless.  Sometimes the food was a little cool, but there was a little grill where you could get something freshly cooked if you wanted it.  We relaxed after dinner at the beach and then on our balcony as we watched the sun set.  My wife went to sleep.  I read all the hotel brochures in the room and joined her.  We were both tired from the wedding and travel.

PS: Haven't gotten any pictures back yet.

April 23-30 Paradisus Trip Report-Day 2

Honeymoon at Paradisus            April 23 to April 30, 2001

Day 2            Tuesday, April 24th

I apologize for the length.  I got carried away.

My intention had been to sleep a lot the first few days.  I had a tentative itinerary that showed us just hanging around the hotel until at least Wednesday.  We are newlyweds after all.  However, since we went to sleep early, we woke early.  Around 8:00 AM I went down to the lobby to make dinner reservations for one of the two better restaurants.  Menus for the restaurants were on display at the Concierge desk, along with weather forecasts and a flyer about a sunset boat cruise from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM every Tuesday for $15 US per person.   I made reservations for 8:00 PM for the Café Paraiso and for the boat cruise.  The flyer said to be in the lobby at 4:00 PM for the ride to the marina, but the concierge told me that 4:30 would be early enough, since the marina is not far.  Payment would have to be made by 2:00 PM or so at the front desk.

I went back upstairs and pried my wife (Pat) out of bed.  I needed coffee.  We went to the buffet and claimed a table on the porch closest to the beach.  The waiter, although a little grumpy, brought me a fresh pot of coffee, while Pat got food.  When she sat down, I went to get my breakfast.  The buffet included sliced fresh watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple and papaya, along with other fresh unpeeled fruit like bananas, apples, pears and oranges.  There was also cold cereal and yogurt.  The area with hot food included two types of potatoes, breakfast sausage, ham, frijoles, some pork in chile sauce, some chicken, some other items, and some scrambled eggs. I can’t remember all the selections.  I got some fruit and sausage and potatoes and went over the grill and the cook made me a ham & cheese omelet.  While the omelet cooked, I grabbed some items from the selection of fresh baked pastries.  When the omelet was done, I topped half of it with one type of fresh salsa and the other half with another type.  I picked up some fresh OJ on the way to my table.  This was quite a bit more food than I was accustomed to eating for breakfast, but it was good.  I was ready for my nap.

On the way to the room, we stopped at the activity desk to make a reservation for horse back riding.  Jesus told us that there were spots available at 4:00 PM that afternoon, but we had the cruise.  He then told us that we could go at 10:00 AM.  We were not ready to go in one hour, so we finally settled on 8:30 AM tomorrow, Wednesday morning.  We went to the room and Pat insisted that if I were going back to sleep, it would be on the beach.  We got all our things together and checked out a couple of towels on the way to the beach.  

This time we went to a more secluded area.  We went past the area where they are remodeling the Iguana Grill and headed north.  There were many padded lounges, some under or around coconut palm trees and some under palapas.  Some small tables were scattered around.  We settled on a palapa with a table in front of (and a decent distance away) from the ocean villas.  We spread on the sun tan lotion and read for a while.  (We found through experience that this area never got crowded.) It was pretty quite out there, just the waves and the birds. We alternated between reading and just staring at the beautiful view.  You could just barely make out the forms of some buildings across the water on the mainland.  Eventually, I could take it no longer and had to try out my new snorkeling gear.  Pat would not get in the water and I eventually decided to try some more tomorrow.

A little later we took a walk north, past the hotel.  The beach is long and very nice, but it is nicest near the hotel.  Each morning workers clean up seaweed in front of the hotel and take it north in wheelbarrows and dump it somewhere.  We never saw them dump it, but we noted there was a lot more seaweed away from the clean hotel beach.  It was a nice little walk, and in no time at all we were all alone.  We took some pictures.

We then walked south back past our palapa, past our hotel and down to the El Cozumeleno.  It was an impressive looking structure and appeared much larger than the Paradisus.  There is a breakwater between the hotel beaches and I walked to the end. Pat was a little nervous, thinking that she might fall in and stopped halfway.  On the El Cozumeleno side the water was calm and very blue and you could see the bottom.  The other side it was cloudy and you could not see very far in the water.  Interestingly enough, we saw lots of fish in the cloudy water and none in the clear.  We walked back to the beach and noted that it was much smaller than the beach at the Paradisus.  Also much more crowded.  We walked up to look for a rest room and noted that the hotel is very modern looking and very clean.  It has nice pools and a nice looking buffet over the ocean and nice bars.  There were a lot of people everywhere.  For two people who wanted to spend some quality time alone, the Paradisus was a much better choice.  It looked like you would have to go to your room for any privacy at El Cozumeleno.  There were also a lot of people in El Cozumeleno’s little stretch of ocean.  We continued along the beach past the hotel and saw what appeared to be some private residences, and then one real fancy place that looked like an office where some lady was working at a computer.  After a while, the shore got kind of rocky and we turned around and went back to Paradisus.

We relaxed for a while and then went to the buffet for lunch.  There was a small salad bar with a selection of dressings and a tray of guacamole.  There were a number of hot items, some of which looked a lot like items I had seen the night before at dinner.  I tried to avoid items that showed up more than one meal in a row, and sampled new selections that appeared.  I expected to see some traditional Mexican fare, but never did see a taco in the place.  The only enchilada I saw was that night as an appetizer in Café Paraiso.  Instead, the dishes were of a more local (Mayan) flavor.  There were various dishes with chicken, beef, pork or fish in traditional (we were told) Mayan sauces.  They were very tasty, but not something we had eaten before.  There were also selections of items that Americans are accustomed to, like roast turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy, lasagna, rice and the like.  Pat and I sampled various dishes, and I went over to the grill where a young lady made me two tostadas.  One was chicken and the other was supposed to contain chorizo, but it had no chorizo flavor I could find.  The tostadas, I believe, were the only recognizable Mexican dishes I saw.  We ordered drinks from the waiters who brought them to our table.  The buffet was of good quality and variety, and we were always able to find something we could eat and enjoy.

After lunch we went back to the beach and relaxed for a while.  We eventually made our way to the area at the beach where water sports equipment is supplied by another company, whose name I don’t recall.   Available at no cost from 9 – 5 are snorkel equipment, kayaks, and sunbirds (small little sailboats).  There are supposed to be windsurfers, but we were told they did not have any at this time. Free snorkeling lessons are available every day at the beach at 11:00 AM, but we never made it.  Motorized wave runners are available for rent for $50 US per one-half hour.

Eventually, I went back to the room to get money to pay for the cruise.  I had left $2 US for the maid.  She had cleaned the room.  We were told that she would leave three bottles of water every day, and she left only two.  I went to the front desk and paid for the cruise and asked for more water, which was cheerfully provided.

Since we would be leaving to get ready for the cruise around 4:00 PM, we decided to see what type of snacks were available at the Iguana Snack Bar.  They had nachos, BBQ pork ribs, French fries, and hot dogs and hamburgers grilled to order.  I had a burger with guacamole and Pat had nachos.  We got drinks from the bar.  The burger was great.  

We went down to the lobby at 4:30 and were the last from Paradisus for the cruise.  The hotel includes taxi fare in the price.  They pay the taxi driver and send you on your way.  When you come back, there is an armada of taxis waiting.  They take you to the hotel and the hotel pays them.  We thought the cruise would be people from various hotels, but it was only Paradisus guests.  The Puerto Abrigo (marina) was pretty run down, and the boat was some type of old schooner or something.  Drinks were passed out liberally, and I eventually learned that this was what is referred to as a “booze cruise.”  I had a Coke and Pat had a Pina Colada.  Many cruisers had quite a bit more, and within an hour, people were pretty lubricated.  There was a small band on the boat, a guitar player and a drummer.  They started playing reggae music, then Santana and eventually some other selections.  I couldn’t see them from where we were sitting on the upper deck.  I thought they were playing recorded music at first, but it was so good I had to investigate.  They were very good!  We went south down the coast to a dock where we saw three huge cruise ships.  We then turned around and on the way back we stopped for a couple of minutes at the dock by downtown.  It was dark and town was all lit up and it looked like a pretty lively place.  We made it back to the port and the hotel without incident.  I spent most of the cruise practicing with my new video camera, taking pictures of the scenery and Pat.  She later told me that I should have socialized and taped some of the other passengers partying, but I told her this was our honeymoon and I wanted to concentrate on her.  (I think she liked that.)  The best part of the cruise, for me, was the band. Not that I didn’t like the rest. It was worthwhile and I would recommend it.  We made it back to the hotel and changed for dinner.

Our reservation was for 8:00 PM.  For this restaurant, men are required to wear long pants, closed shoes, and a shirt with a collar.  Women are not allowed to wear shorts or flip-flops.  We arrived promptly at 8:00 and gave the host our reservation ticket.  The restaurant is round, on kind of a pond.  It has windows and is enclosed, unlike the buffet.  In the center is a large, nicely appointed tropical fish tank with a lot of fish.  There are tables radiating out from the tank like spokes on a wheel, and then there are tables by the window.  It is dark and there are lanterns on the tables.  There was a piano player.

We were each provided with a “Welcome Drink.”  The drink was not the same every night.  The first night it appeared to be a small tequila sunrise, I might be mistaken.  I don’t drink alcohol, so Pat drank hers and mine.  We were given menus and a few minutes.  The waiter came and took our orders for the entire meal.  First we had appetizers. I had a chicken enchilada and Pat had mushrooms stuffed with seafood.  They were very small. Next came salads.  We had a choice of two each time, and they were always different.  Small, but interesting.  Next was soup.  There were always different soups.  The same soups would appear in this restaurant and the buffet.  The names of the soups were always different.  Some I had heard of, and some I had not.  They were consistently delicious.  After the soup came the entrée.  Pat had chicken in some kind of sauce with vegetables and potatoes.  She said it was good, but sorry, we don’t remember any more details.  I had a pastry shaped like a large mushroom that had the top cut off, and was hollowed out.  This was then filled with a mixture of seafood in a cheesy cream sauce.  It included shrimp, crab, fish, and also squid and octopus. It was a unique presentation for me.  The taste was not bad, but not great either. I don’t really like squid or octopus, but ate what I could.  We had two choices for dessert. Pat had one and I had the other and we shared.  I don’t remember what they were, but the deserts were always good.  During dinner Pat had several glasses of wine and I had aqua mineral (club soda).  We were offered after dinner coffee and/or drinks but declined.  

We watched other tables to see what tipping practice in this AI resort would be.  We saw no one else tip and we saw no one looking for tips.  We didn’t leave one.  

On the way to the room, we browsed on the plaza at the wares local vendors are allowed to display on certain nights at the hotel.  We did not purchase anything.  When we got to the room it was about 9:30 and Pat was asleep in minutes.  I played with the TV.  We got channel 4 (a hotel and Cozumel promo tape) periodically.  I think that someone had to rewind it and often forgot.  We got the Disney and Discovery channels, HBO Cinemax and two local Spanish language channels.  We also had CNN and another channel that was listed as TNT but whose content varied.  I watched the promo tape for a while and cleaned up.  The water to the room stopped working around 10:30.  I did not call the desk, but went to sleep.  (The water was back on in the morning.)  

Before I went to sleep, I put out the door hanger for the free coffee service.  I know someone on the chat board recently complained about a $10 surcharge for room service, but this is a free in-room morning coffee service that is offered, and we were never charged.

I know this is too long. I will cut down for day three.

April 23-30 Paradisus Trip Report - Day 3

Honeymoon at Paradisus            April 23 to April 30, 2001

Day 3            Wednesday, April 25th

So much for sleeping late.  The waiter with the free coffee service knocked on the door at 8:00 AM.  I gave him $1 US and brought the tray to the room.  It contained a pot of hot coffee with two cups and condiments.  There were also two glasses of OJ and three or four fresh pastries.  We indulged and got ready.

At 8:30 or so, I’m not sure, we reported to the activity center for our horse ride.  There was one other couple waiting, and a caballero named Wilbur.  He escorted us across the street to where a few horses were tethered.  He disappeared as he brought another horse or two.  He asked about our riding ability, and we found that my wife had never ridden before.  Wilbur helped her up and led her horse by a tether.  I followed with my video camera, then the other couple followed.  We went down the road a ways, then down a path through the brush to the ocean.  It was a beautiful day!  The hotel brochure had recommended bug spray, which we used, but we saw few flies or any other bugs.  We rode along the beach for a while and saw no other people.  I picked on my wife for being led.  I told her that horse was trained to follow in a line and was not going anywhere and she didn’t need the tether.  Against her better judgement, she allowed Wilbur to let go of the rope.  Nothing bad happened.  On the way back, Wilbur took pictures of us with our cameras.  The total time was under 45 minutes, but was plenty, especially for Pat.  The other couple took off.  I looked for Wilbur and gave him $4.  He had provided extra attention to the new rider. We had read on this board that horseback rides were limited to one per guest per stay, but never got that idea from the hotel.  As a matter of fact, the service appeared underutilized.  

We returned to the hotel, made reservations for tonight’s dinner at La Iguana Grill, and went to breakfast.  Our waiter was very cheerful, and I left him $1.  The people at the next table looked at me like I was crazy.  As a matter of fact I only saw one other table leave a tip in any restaurant the whole time I was there (at Paradisus).

We grabbed some plain pastries for the fish.  We then got our stuff and hit the beach.  We claimed some lounges in the same secluded area as yesterday and joined a group of people in the shallow water in front of the buffet.  They were feeding bread to the fish, and the fish were hungry.  They were large, silver colored angelfish, hundreds of them! It was pretty cool! Pat, however, did not enjoy all those fish rubbing against her legs, and panicked, giving them all our pastry in seconds.  We went back to our lounges.  We read for a while and then I talked her into trying to snorkel.

The water was not clear.  There were some healthy waves and apparently there was a strong underwater current.  The beach is nice and sandy, but under the water are a few large rock formations that could not be seen because of the cloudy water.  We tripped over them repeatedly and had a difficult time negotiating with our flippers on.  There was a lot of sand and stuff in the turbulent water and we couldn’t see anything, and after a while we gave up and went back to lay down.  After a while, a European couple arrived and chose a spot in front of us and a little to our left.  They were our closest neighbors on the beach, but were not too close.  In a few minutes, the lady removed her top and sunbathed topless.  We alternated between reading and enjoying the view (of the ocean).  

I still wanted to get in the water, and talked Pat into getting a kayak with me. We talked to the man who was checking out the equipment about the cloudy water and the lousy snorkeling conditions. (We needed to confirm it was not just us.)  He said there was a strong undertow or undercurrent and the water was indeed not good and maybe it would clear up in about a week.  We took an underwater camera and some bread.  The kayak was a lot of fun, and we were out there for a while.  Being out there gave us an opportunity to get a better view of the hotel and surrounding area from out on the ocean.  It was a very pretty picture.

After a while we went back and relaxed some more.  The sky had been getting darker.  It started sprinkling, then it began to pour.  We left all our stuff under our palapa and went to the buffet for lunch.  We sat closest to the beach, and eventually the pouring rain made it through the thatched roof and began to leak onto our table.  We changed tables, and then Pat ran through the rain to the palapa and got our stuff.  We went to our room and took a nap.  The rest of the day remained overcast and it rained off and on.  The water at the beach did not invite swimming or anything else.  Pat taught me how to play dominos.

Dinner was at 8:00 PM.  The Iguana Grill is being remodeled, so the hotel reserved a group of tables normally used by the buffet.  These tables are closest to the beach, with cloth tablecloths and napkins, a menu and waiter service.  There is no dress code.  Pat had white wine and I drank soda.  She ordered a shish-ka-bob with steak and shrimp wrapped in bacon.  I ordered grilled barracuda.  The waiter had very poor skills, and it might have been his first day in the hospitality industry.  It was the worst service we had at Paradisus.  It took forever to get our salad and then our soup.  Both were tasty, however.  When our entrees arrived, Pat’s was cold and undercooked.  Her baked potato was also cold.   I don’t remember eating barracuda before.  There were scales and skin and a lot of bones.  Perhaps it is the nature of the fish.  It was a lot of work to get edible fish from what was put on my plate.  However, it was hot and delicious!  I ate it all.  The waiter took our desert order.  We saw him in the buffet and it looked like he was getting the dessert.  However, the next time we saw him, he was cleaning tables.  We waited a while, and eventually left with no dessert. (During the course of our dinner we noted other Iguana Grill diners kill time by bringing food to their tables from the buffet by themselves.  We never ate at the Iguana Grill again.  We also noted that the menu was the same every day.)

We went to the show room, where the show “Rhythm” was in progress.  Shows usually started at 9:30 PM.  We sat in the front row.  Employees we had seen throughout the hotel were performing in the show!  It turned out that these were multi-talented people.  They danced to old and new hit music, and had great fun with YMCA by the Village People.  Madonna songs and Brittany Spears were also featured. They were not Hollywood actors or Broadway dancers, but you could tell they had practiced for hours and their timing and coordination were impeccable.  I heard that these shows include a lot of audience participation.  I insisted we left before we were dragged onstage from our front row seats.  We went to the buffet and had some dessert, then went to the room.  It was around 10:00 PM and we are going to town tomorrow to rent a car and see some sights!  

Next Report: San Miguel!

April 23-30 Paradisus Trip Report - Day 4

Honeymoon at Paradisus            April 23 to April 30, 2001

Day 4            Thursday, April 26th

I planned on getting up, renting the car, and driving around the island.  I think it might have rained in the morning (It certainly rained later in the day.).  Pat had different ideas.  She wanted to shop!  We ate a late breakfast at the buffet.  It was good, as usual.  We then took a taxi into town.  We made sure of the fare ($4 USD) before the taxi left the hotel.  The driver did not drive too fast, and did not try to talk.  We did ask about cruise ships in town and he told us there were none that day. This turned out to be a mixed blessing.  The driver dropped us off close to the ferry pier.  We tipped him $1 although he didn't seem to expect it.  We took a few pictures around the divers' monument and the flag.  Then we headed north, cruising the shops.

Pat & I had the same idea.  We would not buy too much until we knew what was available, and the general price ranges.  We saw stores selling all kinds of souvenirs, T- shirts and such.  We went past a movie theatre and the museum, to Cinco Soles.  This store had the largest selection of merchandise we saw that day.  We priced some items including tequila and kahlua, t-shirts, and chess sets.  We used the free rest room and checked out the menu at Pancho's Back Yard.  It was a nice menu with reasonable prices, but we were not hungry.  We then reversed our course and headed back.  At the plaza we started wandering around checking out the different shops.  Since there were no ships in town, the shop keepers had time on their hands.  Some would follow us around, hardly allowing us to browse or feel comfortable.  We left stores like this.  Others would offer prices or answer questions only when prompted.  We liked this approach.  And at many others, they really tried their best to drag us inside and interest us in their wares.  It was our feeling that we could have relaxed a little more if these people had other customers on which to share their attention.  We did purchase a gold colored metal plate with some fancy designs and painting on it for $20 USD.  It said "Cozumel" on the top and "Mexico" on the bottom.  It is very nice and well worth the money.  The starting price was $35.  We then wandered around a bit, and it really started pouring.  It became a challenge fighting off the vendors and staying dry.  It should also be noted that the Paradisus wrist band is well known.  We got used to people addressing us as "Hey Paradisus, you want to rent a car for $10?"  "Hey Paradisus, let me give you a map!"  I also believe that the fact you are a guest at Paradisus tells them that the starting price can be pretty high.  

Around 1:00 PM we ran across the Smart Car rental place and rented a car.  The rain had let up for a while.  We pulled out the coupon we had printed from the internet and found that the discount is dependent on how many days you rent for.  If you rent for one day, the discount is 30%, if you rent for two it is 40%, and if you rent for three or more, it is 50%.  We wanted a VW convertible, but were told that they didn't have any.  They had what appeared to be a bug with the top cut off and a leather or canvas cover held in place by snaps or something.  This would give us the feeling of a convertible at $5 more per day than the regular bug.  This car was green and pretty beat up.  The man also showed us a nice, shiny red beetle with only 31,000 km on it.  We took the red bug, and it turned out to be a nice car. The weather never got hot while we were in Cozumel and it rained a lot.  Without any prompting, the clerk filled out an extensive form noting the condition of the car, all the dents and scratches, etc, which were few.  We guaranteed it with our Visa card and declined all insurance.  The price for three days was $20 per day plus tax, for a total of $66.  This compares to the $80 and then discounted $65 per day quoted at the hotel. We got the keys, left the car there, and continued shopping.  From then on, whenever anyone wanted to rent us a car, we could show the keys. We paid in cash when we dropped off the car.

We found an ATM close to Smart Car and got some Pesos.  We got 1500 Pesos.  The rate quoted was 9.44 per dollar.  No fees were disclosed.  When I got home, the amount shown on my bank statement was a little more than $164.  We soon bought a special commemorative bottle of Kahlua from a liquor store for 108 Pesos, compared to the $11.95 or $12.95 at Cinco Soles.  It was cheaper that way.  (We later found it even cheaper at Chadreau.) We wandered around and found ourselves at Cozumel Mini Golf.  We were not ready to play, but went up to take a look.  When we climbed the stairs we found no one playing.  The owner, Scott, was very gracious and explained that it was early and it had rained a lot.  He invited us to look around and see the birds and the new baby turtles.  The place was very nice.  We took some photos and made a note to come back.  About ten minutes after we left, it started pouring again.  We tried to shop a little, and then gave up and drove back to the hotel.  The day would remain wet.

When we got back to the hotel it was too late for lunch at the buffet, so we went to the Iguana Snack Bar.  Pat had nachos and fruit and I had a hamburger with a lot of guacamole.  It was soooo good!  We then wandered around the hotel, and found the exercise room.  It was not Bally's but is a lot better than most hotel exercise rooms.  There were exercise bikes, treadmills, stairmasters, free weights and some other equipment.   A couple of people were actually in there exercising!  There was also a steam room, but it was not in use.  We passed the kids club, but did not go in to check it out, preferring to avoid it.  People were avoiding the rain by doing some arts and crafts under cover on the plaza.  We relaxed and killed time until dinner.

We dined at Café Paraiso.  The food was good and the service excellent.  I had fish with a cheese filling.  It came in four portions around a center of rice, alternating with chayote squash, zucchini and carrots.  We don't remember what Pat had.  We really enjoyed dinner and left a few dollars on the table.  Once again, we did not see anyone else tip, and no one appeared to be looking for tips.  

After dinner we browsed on the vendor displays on the plaza and went to the theatre to see the Mexican show at 9:30.  The show had started at 9:00 and we missed about ten or fifteen minutes.  The show was a review of dances native to various Mexican states.  The dancing, the music, and the costumes were very impressive.  When the show was over and all the performers came out for the final curtsy, we saw that we missed the Mayan portion of the show, with dancers wearing animal heads and loin clothes.  I wish we had paid attention and made it there on time.  

We left the show around ten thirty and found that the rain had driven the vendors under cover.  Pat wanted a temporary tattoo, but thought $20 USD was too much.  I bought her a silver bracelet with dolphins and colored stones for $10 USD.  We browsed a little more and called it a day.

Next:  We finally explore the island.

I'm trying to do the pictures. Working on it.

April 23 -30 Paradisus Trip Report - Day 5

Honeymoon at Paradisus            April 23 to April 30, 2001

Day 5            Friday, April 27th

The hotel’s free coffee in-room delivery service knocked on the door at 6:45 AM.  It was another rainy day, and it looked like we might never explore the island.  On the drive back to the hotel last night, I noted that the road from town seemed to flood.  We lounged around, drinking coffee and later having breakfast, and eventually the rain slowed.  We headed toward town until we got to a low, flooded area that was completely blocked by stalled cars.  It started raining again.  We backed up and went on a little side road by the beach, and drove to the end, finding out that the only way out was the way we went in.  We went back to the hotel and waited awhile.  I had enough relaxation and needed to get out.  Eventually, we got through the largest pond in the road, only to find that the road in San Miguel was pretty much the same.  The roads are at or below ground level and there is no way for them to drain.  The VW is pretty good with the high profile.  Those little Nissan cabs were stalled all over the place.

Once we got past San Miguel, the drive was easier.  The roads south of town are elevated and drain better.  We stopped at a place called San Francisco Beach and looked around.  It was raining again and pretty deserted.  It was nice, but there was no one there and we left.  We then found the road to El Cedral, stopping at a little shop to get some sodas.  The shop had gifts and such and some cold drinks.  It was pretty quiet.  We then saw an enclosed truck with the back door open and saw a bunch of men sleeping in hammocks suspended from the ceiling.  There must have been at six or eight of them.  Maybe they were on break from setting up the carnival for that weekend.  This was a poor depressing place.  We saw what might be a small ruin, the church, and some homes.  On the way out we passed a bull ring being constructed.  I can’t imagine going there again.  



We passed Chankanaab and the Iberostar and I believe an entrance to Palancar Reef.  The entrance road to the reef had a closed chain link gate with a padlock.  I wanted to stop at the famous Dzul-Ha, but must have missed the sign (if there is one) or turn off.  We came to Punta Sur ecological preserve.  It must have been around 1:00 PM.  The entrance prices had been recently changed.  It now costs $15 USD or 150 Pesos to get in.  We had decided by then to start disposing of Pesos, since it appeared most businesses prefer dollars and we didn’t want to take any Pesos home.  The 10 to 1 exchange rate turned out to be pretty common, mostly because it is easy to compute.

Every employee we met asked if we spoke Spanish, and it seemed they preferred to speak in their native tongue.  There were enough gringos that all narration was done in both languages.  Shortly past the entrance, we had to park our car.  We were told to hurry up, the vehicle we would be riding to the light house was ready to go, and it would be 25 minutes for the next.  We carried a lot of stuff, snorkel equipment, snacks, towels, and cameras.  When we got to the vehicle there were three men and a bunch of tools spread underneath it.  While we waited for them to complete whatever it was they were doing, we listened to an employee share some information about the park, viewed some displays, used the clean rest rooms and noted the gift shop for later.  We saw a beautiful peacock spreading his plumes and saw a couple of strange animals that were identified as being half raccoon and half badger.  Eventually we left, Pat and I and one other couple.  A tour guide told us that it was very slow that day, including us there was a total of only 23 visitors to the park.  The vehicle is like a large pick up truck with a wooden frame over the seats.  There are stairs to the top of the wooden frame, leading to seats on top.  From the upper seat you can theoretically see over some of the thick brush.  The wooden frame appeared to have been locally fashioned, and Pat was afraid we would 1) be tossed from the top going around a sharp curve, or 2) crushed when it collapsed.  She refused to go up there, not considering what would happen if it collapsed on top of us.  Anyway, it was a pretty long ride on this vehicle to the light house.  We stopped on the way as the guide and driver showed us some nurse sharks swimming just off shore.  When we got to the light house we were told that we could climb to the top of the light house. If we did we would have to sign a release of liability and would also miss the next vehicle leaving for the beach and tour of the marsh/inland sea.  We took the vehicle, a pickup truck with seats in rows, like an open-air bus, on one level.  It was another long unpaved road till the end of the line.  We were told that the boat would leave in ten minutes.  Later, the employees, who kept in touch by radio, said they were going to wait for one more group before the boat left, so we waited on the beach for the next group.



This is a beautiful beach, miles and miles of clean, white sand and blue water.



The guide confirmed that the proximity to the reefs and the marsh, the coral formations underwater, the lack of boat traffic and the protected status make this a prime spot to snorkel.  There was no one on the beach relaxing or swimming or doing anything other than waiting for either the boat ride or the shuttle out.  It was after 2:00 PM by this time and the park closes between 4 and 5, so we did not snorkel either.  (Remember, it has been raining and is not hot.)  We took the boat ride to the marsh.  We saw a lot of birds and a few crocodiles.  The guide were very informative.  We were out there about an hour.  This was a very nice ride, the guides were in no hurry, and obviously very proud of their preserve.  It must have been a lot of work to put in these roads and it appeared the park itself is relatively new and not that popular.  However, it seemed to drag on, and it was after three by the time we got off the boat.  We waited on the beach for the shuttle,. I am still sorry we did not snorkel.  When we got to the lighthouse, Pat looked at the displays set up in the large room while I dashed to the top.  The view is spectacular, you can see for miles and you can see over all the brush lining the side of the roads we had been traveling.  I can’t believe I forgot a camera!  I saw the shuttle coming and hurried down the stairs.  By the time we got out of the park it was after four.  If you go there, go early.

We drove out past the Jamaican businesses and up the east side of the island.  It was not a real nice day, but I looked for people on the beach.  I spotted one young lady coming out of the ocean wearing only her birthday suit.  I tried to slow down, but Pat insisted I keep my eyes on the road.  

We stopped at Chen Rio’s for lunch.  Lobster meal for two, 350 Pesos.  Six lobster tails with fries and salad and avocado and soda and I never saw Pat like a meal more!  Delicious! Feet in the sand, looking at the ocean, people watching.  We left pretty satisfied.  There had been a young couple at the table next to us, drinking beer and eating shrimp cocktails.  We passed them on the road, and I still marvel at someone who can drink that much and then take his girlfriend for a scooter ride wearing only a speedo!  I am not that brave.

We passed San Gervaiso (sp) ruins.  I wanted to stop, but it was late and the place closes at 4:00 PM.  We will try to come back tomorrow.  Somehow, we ended up driving directly to Golfito.  

It was just getting dark.  Once again, there was no one else there.  I kind of expected to see a big party.  I asked Scott if I was parked legally, and he assured me I was.  He also told me I should have parked in his free lot.  I didn’t know they had a parking lot! I bought a very good-looking Cozumel Putting Course t-shirt, picked out a couple of CDs and we played the course. I forgot to put on the shirt, but managed to beat Pat pretty handily.  She didn’t care. She got a hole-in-one.  Another group of people started playing while we were halfway through, but they were the only other people we saw. It must have been too early.

A little more shopping, back to Café Paraiso for a late (lite) dinner, and out for the count.

April 23=30 Paradisus Trip Report - Day 6

I was waiting for more photos, but recent photos on this site make mine pale in comparison.  So, no photos.

Honeymoon at Paradisus            April 23 to April 30, 2001

Day 6            Saturday, April 28th

We planned on going to the ruins at San Gervasio today.  We gave up on ideas of taking the ferry to the mainland, or much of anything else.  Only a couple of more days left on Cozumel.  Once again, it was a case of making plans for a reasonable amount of activities and doing less.  We don’t mind; that is what vacations are for.  This time we can blame a lot of it on the rain, four days in a row.

We had breakfast and hit the beach for a while.  Laying on our lounges, we saw another couple arrive and go out to snorkel.  These people knew what they were doing, cruising for long periods of time without coming up for air.  Our first attempts had been pretty poor, with leaking masks and mouths full of salt water.  When they took a break I went over and talked to them.  They are from Denver. They stay at Paradisus fairly regularly, and love it.  We discussed my problems learning to snorkel, good places to snorkel, and the practice of tipping at the AI resort.  They highly recommend Chankanaab, a place we passed up in favor of Punta Sur.  

Soap Box

First the tipping. I worked my way through college as a waiter in hotels and restaurants and I know how important tips can be.  I saw a lot of discussion about tipping on this chat board, even at AI resorts where it is supposedly included.  The travel agent who sold us our package told us to bring a bunch of singles, to guarantee good service.  So many people stress that you must tip all these employees.  I tipped the bell man, the maid, and the guy who brought coffee in the morning.  They all appeared to appreciate it.  I left a couple of tips in restaurants at the hotel and it appeared that with only one exception, no one else was doing it.  The waiters and other restaurant employees were not looking for tips and did not appear to expect them.  (Since we had very little contact with the bars I can not comment on them.)  The couple from Denver told us that tipping is not expected and you do not have to do it.  They stayed at this hotel a number of times and certain employees always manage to remember them.  They also said that they tend to eat in the same restaurant, the buffet, every day, and sit in the same area.  Therefore, they see the same waiters quite often and develop friendships with them.  This couple would give certain favorite waiters a few dollars just before going home, as a going-away gift for good service.  This made good sense to me.  We, however, had kept to ourselves, had no pattern and had developed no such bonds. We tipped the maid every day, and the amount of tip, $1 or $2 seemed to have no impact on service.  Later that day, Saturday, I finally met the maid.  I had a nice short conversation with her, and it seemed to make a big difference!  She did a fantastic job on the room that day, and I can only assume that the social encounter was at least as important to her as a dollar or two.

End of Soap Box

Next the snorkeling.  Essentially, I was not doing anything wrong.  I learned to walk backwards with my fins on, then turn to dive in.  This prevented me from tripping over my own feet.  I made my mask tighter. My skill improved and pretty soon, I was having a gas and getting cocky.  I saw tons of fish: schools of what I was told were angelfish and barracudas, hundreds of them, right off shore.  I went near rocks and saw larger fish hanging around the smaller ones.  I saw a lot of colorful fish I cannot identify.  The people from Denver came out again and said they saw lobster and rays.  This is right off the Paradisus beach.  There were a lot of people out there that day and they were all seeing a lot of fish and having a great time.  Conditions were far better than any other day of our stay.  I became fascinated with this one fish I saw motionless on the floor of the ocean.  He appeared to be covered with barnacles and algae and stuff and blended into the ocean floor really well.  I remember seeing this type of fish in an aquarium or Sea World or a book or somewhere and was real proud of myself for spotting him.  I went and got my underwater camera and took photos.  I wanted to get a stick and poke at him and see what he would do, or kick him with my fins to make him move, but I resisted.  The man from Denver later told me that this is a scorpion fish and scorpion fish secrete poisons and do not like to be disturbed and that it was a good thing for me that I left it alone.  I stayed in the water a long time.  Pat did not come in the water today, just laid around reading.  Eventually, we left for lunch.  I wanted to see the ruins.  

We parked the car last night in the guest lot between two Fiesta rental cars.  (Fiesta is the company with the car rental office at the hotel.) Our car was in front of a sign that claimed the hotel was not responsible for loss or damage to cars parked in its lot.  Anyway, our car had a flat tire.  It had a jack, but not a lug wrench.  We borrowed a  wrench from hotel maintenance and changed the flat.  The tire did not appear damaged. We parked away from the Fiesta cars after that and had no more problems. Coincidence?  On Sunday when we got gas, we put air in the tire, and it held.  It appears that someone had just let the air out.

It was too late for the ruins, so we went to San Miguel shopping again.  We hit the main drag south of the pier this time, plus the plaza and Cinco Soles.  We were returning the car tomorrow and wanted to buy gifts and souvenirs while we could haul them to the hotel.  I believe this buying spree was a highlight for Pat.  We bought a chess set at Cinco Soles.  We tried to use the 10% off coupon in the blue book we got at the hotel, but were told that the coupon did not apply to chess sets.  (The coupon stated that the discount did not apply to liquor.)  On the good side, Cinco Soles was the only store that computed the price in pesos at the rate of 9.5 per dollar, rather than 10.  We got t-shirts, jewelry and other gifts.  The shopping around for the last couple of days really paid off.  Prices really varied, with our homework resulting in substantial savings.

We finally made it to the world famous Chadreau.  It was a lot like a Wal Mart.  We didn’t see any souvenirs there, but stuff you would buy if you lived around there or were not staying at an AI resort.  We bought a bottle of Rompope for a lot less that it would have cost in town.  I really wanted a Diet 7-up or Sprite or caffeine free Diet Coke or something similar, but was out of luck.  The closest I got was a Squirt Lite.  It was OK.  Some of the farmacias down town sell Sprite Lite.  In any event, prices were real good at Chadreau and we gave the bag boy our change.

We had dinner at the hotel buffet. I was getting tired of the fancy restaurant and felt like relaxing.  BBQ night.  The hotel really tries, but the food could not compare to a good Texas BBQ.  They were grilling flank steaks and pork chops to order.  Dinner was OK.

Since there are no ice machines at the hotel, we brought the ice bucket down to dinner to get ice for the champagne Pat didn’t drink the other night.  We had been told we could get ice from the bartender. Without being asked, a waiter took the bucket, filled it with ice, brought it back, and disappeared.  We went to the room and reflected on the short amount of time left before we would have to leave.  We sat on the balcony and watched a couple of cruise ships head away from the island.

April 23-30 Paradisus Final Trip Report

Honeymoon at Paradisus            April 23 to April 30, 2001

Days 7      & 8      Sunday, April 29th and Monday, April 30th

We planned on going to the beach Sunday morning, to relax and get some sun before we turn in the car.  Fortunately, there was another downpour.  We had a late breakfast and headed toward town around 11:00 AM.  The roads were pretty flooded again.  We needed to fill the tank and when we got near San Miguel we thought that heading a little inland would get us a little higher and the streets would not be as flooded.  We learned that there are peaks and valleys in San Miguel, and being higher up does not mean the streets will not be flooded. They were.

At the Pemex station, we made sure that the attendant zeroed out the pump.  The tank was more than ½ full, but it cost 515 pesos to fill up.  Pemex is not as cheap as it used to be.  The attendant also put air in the flat tire.  The tire held the air.  When we got near the SmartCar location, we did not find a close parking space.  We parked a little more than a block away.  After hearing some of the horror stories on this chat site about confrontations with car rental agencies, I was quite anxious.  The rental agent walked to the car, drove it back and parked it in the yellow.  He gave it a cursory review, we paid, and we were off!  $66 including tax for three days.  We like SmartCar and will not hesitate to rent from them again.  

Just before turning in the car, we went to an ATM that dispensed dollars.  We got $200 to use for paying for the car and for some shopping.  Pat used her card from Bank One.  She later said that Bank One charged her a $4 fee and the Mexican bank about $1.25 or $1.50, making the cost of getting her $200 about $5.50.  When we earlier got 1500 pesos from a different machine, the exchange rate was 9.44 and it cost us a little more than $164, meaning that total transaction fees on that transaction were about $5 also.

After turning in the car, Pat finished up her shopping.  Prices varied widely and she wanted a picture frame she saw at a good price at a certain store, but it took forever to find that store.  Finally, success and our shopping was completed.  Sunday morning and afternoon had been relatively calm in San Miguel.  I wanted to stay for the Festival, but Pat wanted to go sun bathe and relax at the hotel for our last full day.  It was her honeymoon so…..

We took a cab back to the Paradisus.  It was sunny and warm.  We had lunch and headed for the beach.  As soon as we got there, the clouds returned and the weather became threatening.  Back to the room until dinner.  I was getting tired of the Café Paraiso, but Pat had seen other couples getting photos in the restaurant and she wanted some of us.  It was romantic. It was a slow evening at the restaurant.  One of the waiters took our picture.  I was tired of fish, and ordered chicken.  Pat ordered fish.  It turned out to be the best meal we had at that restaurant.  I ate her dinner and mine.  

After dinner, we went back to the room and started packing. The next morning we got up early and hit the beach.  We actually got some sun before we left.  It figures it would be sunny the day we leave!  Our flight was at 12:30 and the Lomas Travel guy told us to be ready to leave the hotel at 10:30. We were at the airport and checked in by 11:00 and sat and sat.  The plane left about an hour late.  It was right after the U.S. daylight savings time change and not everyone had been notified of the change in flight time and they didn’t want to leave anyone behind.  The flight home was OK.  

Some final thoughts:

The weather was not what we expected.  I spent time in the tanning booth before going, and we brought a lot of sun tan lotion and aloe for burnt skin.  It was unnecessary.  I didn’t expect to have to carry all that stuff home again, but I did.  I don’t think it ever broke 80 degrees the whole eight days we were there.  (On the other hand, it was better than months of 100 degree Texas heat.)

We had read mixed reviews about the Paradisus.  We had a good experience there.  The room was great and the staff was very helpful.  The food got a little old, but would get boring after eight days anywhere.  The beach is great and there are many activities for those who want to use them.  We would not hesitate to recommend the Paradisus. It was  good for us as a first taste of Cozumel, a base from which to explore other options for the future.

Considering the all-inclusive format of our vacation, dealing with pesos was not worth the hassle.  We think using pesos would only really pay off if you were using the grocery store and eating out all the time, which we were not.  

We appreciate all we learned in this chat forum.  We want to go back. Next time we will not go AI.  We want to be able to experience many different restaurants and not have to schedule our activities around our reservation times at the hotel restaurant.  Considering the difference in prices, we can probably have a comparable vacation for a lot less money.  

I want to do more snorkeling and maybe start learning how to dive.  Pat is not so interested.  Is the honeymoon over?