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Cozumel Island
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Cozumel Trip Report Trip Report Jan 6-12 - Allegro Resorts Well, I'm back. What and absolutely wonderful trip. Everything I expected and more. One thing I can say for sure is that this site is definitely beneficial as I found most of what is said here to be true. I will do the best I can to report on my trip: Continental Airline We flew from Portland to Houston and from Houston to Cozumel. All flights were on time. On the way home we had to retrieve our luggage in Houston, take it through customs, then check it back in. No big deal this went pretty fast. Travel Agent Go-Go travel. The met us at the airport upon arrival and took us to our hotel after only a 15 wait. Everything went very smoothly. Allegro Resort: Upon arrival, we were met at the reception desk with a glass of rum punch (exactly what we needed after our long flight). We attempted to ask for a room in the 4000-5000 section as recommended but were told the rooms were pre-assigned. We arrived at noon but were told our room would not be available until 2:30. Not a problem, we changed into our suits and headed for the bar for a drink and a bite to eat. The concierge tended to our luggage in the meantime. When the room was ready we were escorted room 1214 (a little ways from everything but no big deal) - second floor, no view. Small room with a vanity, bathtub, king-size bed, a chair, cable TV (HBO & Cinemax although Cinemax was pretty staticy the whole time), balcony with 2 chairs and a hammock. It was also equipped with a safety deposit box in the room. We found this to be very convenient. The rooms are fine, definitely nothing special (although we had no cold water after the 4th day and all but one light bulb was out). One negative thing we found is the noise level. I don't know about the first floor but the noise on the second floor was awful. The first few night were fine - we were not disturbed. By night 4, like clockwork, you could hear a crowd of loud tourist coming from the bar at 1:30am. We could hear every bit of their talking, partying, lovemaking, and then eventually snoring. This was a bit annoying but we made the best of it. The beach at the Al is as awesome as everyone here reported. The snorkeling was good right at the resort.... we saw tons of fish that would eat fruit, bread, etc right out of your hand. Very cool! The food was good not great. One thing we found annoying is that you have to wait in line every morning at 8:00am to make reservations for the Italian and Mexican restaurants. This takes about 30 minutes. If you fail to do this you are stuck with the buffet. The only times you have to choose from is 6, 8, or 10 pm. We ate at the buffet every morning. The made-to-order omelets can't be beat. We hit the snack bar as needed in the afternoon for nachos, burgers, fish -n-chips, veggies, or rice. Caruso's the Italian place is pretty good (warning get 2 appetizers as the portions are very small). I enjoyed the Mexican place with its squid salad, fancy flaming drinks, and delicious desserts. The drinks from the bar were good. You have to ask for the top shelf if that's your preference otherwise you will get the cheap stuff. There was hardly ever a wait at the bar. You will only find Corona if your looking for beer. They had a show every night at 9:00pm. Nothing fancy but some of them where audience participation is required were hilarious. We also enjoyed the Grease show. We ate a Caruso's at night at 10:00 and had a great view while we ate dinner and had drink. Above all the best thing about the resort is the staff. They were all extremely friendly and spoke well with the tourist. Each and every one of them went out of their way to meet our every need. Parasailing $45 for a ½ hour. It was fun getting up in the air and checking out the view but I don't know that is was worth the money. Not the highlights of my trip. We were going to do the jet skis but we heard they were the same price for only a half an hour. Rental Car We went against everyone recommendation and listened to the time-share presentation. Our reward for 45 minutes of our time was a jeep rental for $10 for 24 hours at National (located across the street from the Allegro). (Be careful - after the presentation they tried to tell us we would only get $10 OFF - we argued until we were given what was promised). We received a Jeep with no gas so we ran to town to fill up - no big deal although we were worried we wouldn't find one in time. The East Side If you're looking for a beautiful drive with awesome scenery, this is a must. We took the Jeep around the island and had an absolutely wonderful time. We stopped to swim (nude) on the secluded beaches, have beers at the cantina's (not cheap - about $2.50 a piece), and ate shrimp tacos at one of the restaurants. You will find the east side is a different world all together. Shopping Everyone was right! Shop off the main strip. These people are much more willing to negotiate. I would start at half the asking price and meet in the middle (wish my husband did the same - he was too nice). I had my hair braided in town for $25 (I have long hair) - It was $75 at the resort. It took about 30 minutes and saved me from dealing with my hair the entire trip (a warning - your head WILL tend to burn more with braids - this is the only place I suffered any burning as I had tanned prior to my trip). We bought lots of silver, some t-shirts, shot-glasses, and sarongs. You can get good deals if you are willing to haggle a little bit. We shopped with pesos and USD. We seemed to get a better rate-using USD. A word of advice - carry small change (one's, five's, etc). The vendors will try to tell you they don't have change to get you to spend more. Alcohol - Buy your booze at the Duty Free located at the airport. Kaluha was $12.50 in town and only $9.50 at the airport. Carlos & Charlie's Well, what can I say about this place? It is very rowdy, very loud, and lots of fun. HUGE margaritas! My husband was kind enough to tell the DJ it was my birthday so I was dragged on stage (sober) and was forced to down 2 shots of tequila then dance to the electric slide. Like I said, it was fun but we could only take it for about an hour. Great place for the younger crowd - a little much for those of us in our 30's XelHa / Tulum My husband and I did this tour for $95 a person (This included all your activities -except the dolphins) and all your food and drinks in the restaurants and bars). From Cozumel we took a cab to town, caught the 8:00am ferry to Playa de Carmen, then got on a bus for a 30-minute ride to the Tulum ruins. We have never seen any of the Mayan ruins so we were very impressed with Tulum. It was the only Maya city built on the coast, possibly having housed 2000 people and once functioned as a trade center. It was a very impressive sight with lots to seen. We were disappointed to find that we were not allowed inside MOST of the structures and were not allowed to climb the steps of the castle. We had fun though and even took a time out to swim in a cove located in the ruins. The water and beach were absolutely beautiful. We ventured off on our own and did not stay with the tour guide; I think we had more fun. XelHa National Park is a natural aquarium with interconnected lagoons is home to rare and countless species of tropical fish. This was our first snorkeling trip so were very impressed with the fish we saw, although another couple we talked to found the water to be murky (I didn't noticed) and said that they have seen MUCH better. The park has showers, big lockers for your things, shopping, restaurants, and great drinks. You can also swim with the dolphins there for $60. We just watched and it didn't seem like you did much with the dolphins other than sit in the water with them and were able to touch them. I thought this trip was great fun although the ferry ride back to Cozumel after the long day made me VERY sick to my stomach. Snorkeling We went on a snorkel trip through Dive Palacar and had a wonderful time. We sailed on the catamaran with about 12 other people. They took us to 3 different reefs where we saw 100's of fish, a nurse shark (small - harmless), a couple barracudas, a sea turtle, and a ray. One thing I'd recommend is renting a wet suit, as there are tons of jellyfish. They served soft drinks and cervesa's while snorkeling. Once finished we had lunch and the partying began. The guys cranked up the music and passed around the tequila. We had drinks and danced to YMCA, did the Macarena (sp?), and had a really fun time. This trip cost $39 per person and is a must do. Above all we have a trip to remember. We will definitely go again. This time we'll go with a group! Lodging Reviews
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