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Trip Report - March 27th
Posted by JennyO on 04/05/02

Casa Del Mar

click for photos/info and SECURED reservations online

We arrive in Cozumel around 9:30 am and the weather is terrific.  That first blast of heat hits your face as soon as one foot is out the plane.  My husband and I are on our 11th trip, and our two sons (age 9 and 5) are on their 3rd.

We get through customs and into the suburban.  The kids jump in the front seat and we head to Casa Del Mar.  Through the waterfront we see changes, and many of the same things from the last trip.  We also see one of our good friends working and make a mental note where he is at.  We are amazed at Punta Langosta.  I was in Coz last May and it was no where near finished.  It's hard to believe how fast they moved on this puppy.

We get to the hotel and check in.  First things first, swimsuits and sunblock.  Then we head to the pool as my husband gets the jeep situated.  The pool is slightly cool and feels great!  Mike gets back with a jeep and we hop in.  We had driven about two blocks when the kids yell that door is open.  I look back and the back gate/door to the jeep is wide open!  We pull over and notice the latch is broke.  We head back to exchange for another vehicle.  Get a tracker and then were off to the east side.  In all our previous trips my husband and I never went to Mezcalitos.  I finally found my way there last May.  So of course it is determined he must experience this place.

Our first stop is Mezcalitos.  The music is playing the wind is rolling.  I order up two margaritas.  The kids hit the hammocks and swing and play.  We hit the margaritas-its hard to choose who has the better ones:  Paradise or Mezcalitos?

Mike takes the kids for a walk so I get to just take in the breeze, drink, and daydream.  aaahhh
Can you hear Jimmy Buffet in the background with the waves crashing in front-oh yeah-thats what I'm talking about!

After some fun pictures, playing and margaritas we decide to head out and body surf.  We pile up in the car and find a spot at(help me, I always forget the name of this area) the public beach, Playa Martin.  The waves are rolling-but fairly gentle.  There are a number of locals enjoying the water.  It is perfect!  

We all literally jump out to run to the ocean.  We put down our beach bag-whip off the tanks and flip flops-and run to the water.  That first jump in feels so awesome!!!  The colors of the water becomes so blue I can't even describe it!  The kids are laughing and jumping and rolling in the water.  The water is completely clear.  

I played in the waves for about an hour, then wandered to my towel and promptly lay down for a "nap".  I guess my husband tried to wake me-but I was very involved in my nap.  I think I slept for about an hour.  The boys and Mike just played and played.  I woke up and realized that I was not dreaming.  I really am laying on warm sand, with real waves crashing, and I really am in Cozumel.  

Once I realized reality was actually fantasy but it is reality (got that?) I went back into the water.  I also decided that my alcohol tolerance was mighty pitiful.  

After the day at the beach we get back to the hotel and swim for a little more in the pool.  Then shower up and head to dinner.  I crave the alfredo sauce at Prima's all year long.  So were off to Prima's for dinner-my choice.  After, we walked around the square, which was pretty tore up and looked at what they were doing.  We have all been up since 2:30 am so we head back to the hotel and go to bed.  

The first day-an incredible start!  It's great because the kids are completely pumped to be back on the island.  They can't wait to get to all the beaches they love in the upcoming week.  I can't wait to get those nacho's I'm craving from about six different places! 

3/30/02
I wake up and grab my gear for diving with Blue Bubble.  My family escorts me to the pier and sends me off with kisses.  Our good friend (and my dads new best friend) Elvis is the DM.  Elvis and I catch up on Dad and his life during the ride to Palancar Caves.  This was a very pretty dive with lots of fun swimthroughs.  Our next dive is Paso Del Cedral (one of my faves).  This dive could have been renamed-the barracuda dive!  Not much in the ocean scares me, except those barracudas.  I have no idea where this fear was developed.  We came around a coral head and there was Grandpappy Baracuda.  This guy was as long as me (I'm 5'0' without fins) and he is about fifteen feet away.  Instead of making my normal wide angle swim away-I hovered where I was.  And it hit me how pretty these things are (minus the teeth).  Very cool.  After this encounter we had barracudas of every size every where.  I found that for the first time I enjoyed watched them.  We found a king crab, ray (2-3 feet) and out swimming around was a good sized nurse shark (we guessed in the 4-5 foot range).  And had a great encounter with the turtles-they are so incredible.

After I return from diving we gear up for lunch and the beach.  I am craving lunch from Playa Azul and the kids want to go back to this one.  We arrive and order our food.  The kids head to the swingset and time seems to move slowly.  The beach is packed with many local families.  Our food is just like I remember it.  The kids swim for a little bit and then we decide to leave.  On the way out we bought popsicles, I recommend the solerno (sp?) brand in Exotica!  YUMMY!

Before we head to the east side we stop at minigolf.  At Playa Azul, Mike ran into a DM we know and asked him what to get for a plugged ear.  Were not sure what pharmacy to use.  I run into minigolf and introduce myself to Sally.  It was so nice that she remembered me.  She gaves us great directions to a pharmacy and we picked up what we needed.  

On the east side the waves are just pounding.  Today the waves have almost taken over a number of beach areas.  I mean the water was washing up so high there was not dry sand to lay on.  We stop at the local public beach (Playa Martin?).  They had the red flags up and two "life guards" patrolling the area.  There were a number of local families playing in the water and hanging on the beach.  We sat back and watched how they were playing in the waves.  Then Mike got into the water to check the waves, current and so on.  We give the kids some extra reminders about water safety-and were back in business!  The waves were great.  We only needed to walk out a few feet to body surf.  The kids played in the wash and sand most of the time.  We stayed here until late afternoon.  What more can I say about spending hours on the beach in cozumel?  It takes care of every mental need a person might have, life is so together during these afernoons!

We drive back to the hotel, and unfortunately come across the aftermath of a horrible car accident.  It happened a little past Playa Palancar, before San Fransisco.  All that was left was an Executive jeep that had obviously gone head on with another vehicle.  I noticed the airbag was deployed on the passenger side, but the drivers side had a busted windshield.  This thing was in such bad shape.  The police were waiting to get the car towed.  Seeing this makes your stomach drop.  We knew that someones vacation had ended in a terrible way.  Our thoughts and prayers went to whomever was involved.

Back at the hotel we change and head into town to see our friend.  We give some gifts to Erik.  Then we head to minigolf.  I had brought some Peeps for Sally.  Those are the marshmellow birds in colored sugar-placed within Easter baskets that never get eaten and then get rock hard.  She laughed and shared them.  The kids will be forever grateful to her since they had been going crazy looking at them.  We also gave sunshine her snacks.  Side note:  This morning my five year old asked if he could go back and see that nice dog, Sunshine.

Mike and I were overwhelmed at how beautiful this course is.  The trees and water and music and atmosphere was terrific.  It is such a piece of paradise!  We enjoyed our game (forget the tracking of scores), but I do need to brag that I made a hole in one on hole #1...yessss!

Erik showed up with his son and walked along with us as we played.  It gave us time to catch up.

We finish the game, have Sally take a few family pictures, and then grab dinner.  I think we stopped at good old BurgerKing.  It was late by now, 8:30'ish so it was really convenient.  Back at the hotel we all crash pretty quick.  Another exciting and relaxing day in paradise-can't beat that!

April 1
There's a snowstorm in Minnesota today-and were in Mexico!!  Na-na-na-na!!!

We wake up to another day of gorgeous blue skies. First stop is at breakfast for more plates of waffles.  Then we spend time at the "breakfast pool" before getting our beach gear together.  We load up the kids in the tracker and head to the Pemex.  After filling up we find a little corner store we have been using since 1995.  I stock up on the essentials-and grab more of those yummy Solerno popsicles.   We try to slurp those puppies down since they melt very quickly.  

Our first stop is the Nachi-Cocom beach club.  We had never stopped here before and thought we should check it out.  We pulled in and it kinda smelled (sewerish).  The club had a very nice pool and many tables with places to kick back.  I'm sure its a nice place to hang at, but it just did not click with us.  We decided to head back to Mr. Sanchos.  We get back to our spot on their beach and order pop and a bucket-o-beers.  The next several hours are spent with the usual.  Looking at the most beautiful water ever.  Then roasting yourself-rottisere style until litely baked.  Then marinating yourself in cool salt water until body temp returns to normal.  Of course you cannot miss basting the taste buds with an ice cold Dos Equis.  And this ritual went on for about four hours.  The kids ran around and played.  Tyler continued to snorkel around the volleyball nets-in the middle of the volleyball games!  Nick continued snorkeling right where the water washed up ashore.  I never could figure out what he was looking at during all that time.  All I imagine he could see was...sand.

We ordered the sampler plate and an order of flour tortillas.  The sampler was great-this beach has really good ribs in case your looking for some.  Those tortillas saved my five year old from starving.  He has grown to be incrediblly picky-but likes eating plain flour tortillas.  He basically lived on them for the week.  

After a bit, Mike takes the boys out to the water trampoline and gives me the OK to take a nap.  It's been a tough day-refer to the above noted process! I doze off since a mother should always grab these opportunities.  The boys get back and we decide to leave around 3:30'ish.  The afternoon between 3:30 and 4:30 always has this great shimmer across the water.  I love to take pictures during this time, you get great shading and some neat set ups.  One afternoon, Tyler had walked down the beach at Playa Palancar and found a swing.  I walked up behind him, he was sitting on this swing with no one around.  He's staring at ocean and looked really content.  I took a picture of him from behind.  It was great picture of a young boys shadow on a swing, with this shimmer across the water, almost like a black and white photo.  I digress!

After leaving the beach we decide to go swimming again at the hotel.  I change my mind and decide to go shopping.  The boys are splashing away and I go get some tshirts, vanilla, hot sauce, and so on.  Each time were here I get one evening to stroll through the waterfront, at my pace.  I head back to the hotel around 7:30 and take a guess that my family will be hungry.  I quick swing by BurgerKing for some kids meals and get back to the pool.  

As soon as they see Mom-their hungry!  We all enjoy burgers by the stars.  The kids hop from the hottub to the pool.  It's hard to believe they still have the energy to keep going.

Finally, we drag them back to the room where they promptly hit the bed and fall asleep.  Another terrific day on the island.

April 2, Our last full day...
We get up for our last full day on the island.  Again, the weather looks terrific.  My husband is diving this morning.  Our nine year old is really pumped because he is going on the dive boat with him.  That means, I get an entire morning alone with my five year old.  We all walk to the pier and throw some bread to the fishes by the pier.  In a few minutes we see La Nina, our Blue Bubble boat.  Tyler is all grins about being in the boat.  The guys load up and I take a few pictures as they pull away.  I grab the warm little hand of my youngest, and we head back.  

Nick wanted to get breakfast at Chedraui, he loves their bakery!  We get to the store, and by now he know the ropes.  He grabs a platter and tongs and picks up what he needs!  We get back to the hotel and finish our rolls, then slip into the pool.  The water is just perfect.  I enjoy a daquiri and relish in the memories of the past week.  After a couple of hours Nick and I head into our room to get our beach bag ready.  Mike and Tyler get back from the dive-they both had a great time.  We head down to the pool to wait for our friends to arrive.  Erik, Margarita and their son Brandon are going to spend the day with us.  They show up and we head out for lunch.

We stop at Playa Palancar for fajitas and nachos.  This beach always make wonderful food-we highly recommend!  Were not here to long, the kids play a little bit.  Their son Brandon (3 1/2 yrs) keeps picking the flowers that have carefully planted-and bringing them to me, how sweet!

We get back on the road and head to the Play Martin beach-one of our faves!  We park ourselves on the soft sand and run for the water.  All of us are having a blast playing in the water.  We ride and roll in the waves.  Bury the kids in sand.  Make sand castles.  Talk about life.  Admire the water and stare at it forever.  It was a terrific day our families spent together.  It was the perfect ending to our trip.  This couple and their son are very special to my family.  My kids take care of Brandon like he's a little brother.  The kids play with Erik like he's an uncle.  And Margarita and I both laugh as our husbands play like they are still little kids.  All of sudden...it's 5:00 pm.  What happened to the day?  We decide to meet with each other later tonight to say our final goodbyes.  

We get back to the hotel and shower.  There are a few errands we need to run before leaving in the morning.  We say goodbye to Blue Bubble, find Elvis and Letty's new shop (which coincidently was Erik's mothers shop, before she sold it to our other friends).  Then we head to the square to pick up a few final gifts.  The kids enjoy all the sights.  We meet with Erik and Margarita, they had brought us goodbye gifts, it was very touching.  It was fun to see them, but difficult to say goodbye.  

We walk to the man that sells hot dogs and hamburgers, wish I could remember the street.  He's been there for years, outside the diamond stores, right down from the old Carlos-n-Charlies.  We order up dinner, hot dogs w/bacon and cheeseburgers.  This hits the spot.  We then head back to the hotel.  The kids ask to go swimming one last time, its about 8:30 pm.  What the heck!  We grab our suits and towel and head down to the pool.  It really was a nice way to top off the trip. Finally, about 10 pm we drag their tired little bodies to bed.  This has been a lot of fun-to bad it's over!

April 3
We check in at the airport.  I'm suprised with all the changes since my trip last May.  It is a nice change.  We get boarded and it's always a mixed bag when that plane leaves.  You feel like you've left something-it's a bit sad.  But yet-looking forward to your own home and bed again.  I notice the kids go through their own moments of pondering about the trip.  They wave goodbye to "vacation" as the plane climbs.  And in a few minutes the island is behind us-and were to high to see the water again.  Then the pilot informs us its snowing, overcast and very grey in Minneapolis.  Ohhh..kaaay.

It was another fantastic journey to the island.  Once again-we found the magic and surrendered to it.

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