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 Cozumel Trip Report
Posted by Syracusan on 12/01/01

Long trip report: Part#1 - mostly details about Plaza Las Glorias +

A quick introduction:  "We" are me, husband Terry, son Brian, and Brian's friend Tom.  Terry & I are mid 40's and Brian is a senior in HS (will be 18 in February).  

     Travel to Coz from upstate NY is a real challenge.... there are no direct flights (I'm so envious of the Texas and Colorado folks with their great deals and direct flights!).... so we fly to Atlanta, then to Cancun, bus to Playa, and ferry to Cozumel.  It sounds much more complicated than it really is.  The Riviera bus was 65 pesos each one way.  Nice A/C and a movie en route.  It's an easy walk (even when dragging tons of luggage) to the ferry pier in PDC from the bus station - 73 pesos each one way for the ferry.  Taxi to Plaza Las Glorias - 40 pesos for the 4 of us.  We left Syracuse at 6:30 AM, we check into our rooms by 4 PM.  Check-in is easy and the staff is very polite and efficient.
     We get 2 rooms at PLG: the boys are in #307 at the southern end of the hotel, we are in #334 at the other end of the building. The boys have a well-kept room with newly remodeled kitchen area and very clean bathroom and 4 single beds with balcony overlooking the restaurant palapa area.  Our room has a king bed and a very nice view of the pier, but the room is pretty shabby.  Our mini-fridge never shuts off (I'm serious; it runs 24/7) and there is nasty sewer smell in the bathroom.  The bed is definitely the hardest bed I've ever been on.  But we don't care, this is Mexico and that's just what you get.... and we love the view from the balcony.  The "front" door opens to the hallway that is open to the street.  It's real noisy and constant traffic.  Just inside the door is a kitchenette area with fridge, a sink and cupboards.  No dishes, no appliances.  All counters are marble. We brought a mini coffee maker (there are rentals available in the mini market on the 1st floor).  When the maid is cleaning the room next door (#335) I peek & see they have a little microwave in their kitchen area.  Next is the bed area, then a ½ wall and step down to the living area (with sofa, 2 chairs and 2 tables), then sliding glass doors to the balcony.  There are 2 closets and a TV; there is a ceiling fan over the bed.  We kept our sliders open the entire week with just the sheer curtains drawn. The AC unit is outrageously loud and rattles, so we turn it off and use the ceiling fan.  The bed and bath area is so far back from the balcony it's totally private.  (not if you are a 1st or 2nd floor guest, but by the 3rd floor you are high enough up to get the privacy).  On the balcony are 2 plastic chairs and a table and a wall-mounted rack for hanging wet clothes.  Between the rack and the balcony rail we have plenty of drying room for all the towels and swimwear.   There is small safe in one closet w/ an electronic combination you set yourself (extra charge of 26 pesos per day).
     On the street level of the hotel, to the north of the lobby is a mini-market, beauty salon, rental lockers and Aqua Safari dive shop.  The mini-market has cold drinks, snacks, postcards, and the hotel beach towel exchange.  It's open 7 AM to 11 PM and the prices aren't bad: a cold soda was 6 or 7 pesos.  In the lobby Budget Car rental and a couple tour operators have tables set up, but they never hassle or beg for business.  Marcos is a permanent fixture in the lobby, too.  I think he is a combo concierge and bell man since he always there and always chitchatting.  He tells us he supports 3 senoritas: his wife, his mother and his sister, so that's why he works all the time.   He even offers to help us buy a piece of land and build a house should we decide to move there.  (add real estate agent to his list of titles)
     The waterfront of the hotel is lovely: pool area and restaurant/bar to the south; sand and palapas and plenty of beach chairs to the north.  The hot tub didn't have clean (nor hot) water in it the entire week, and the hammocks all have huge holes... doesn't bother us... this is Mexico and that's just what you get.  All along the waterfront are small piers with lounge chairs and ladders into the water, but on either side of the big boat pier are the steps into the water (much easier).  At certain times during the day the boats line up one after another picking up divers and it gets real choppy, but in between boats the water is beautiful.  We enjoy the people-watching at the pier - some of the boats are packing in 10 or 12 divers, others pick up just 2 or 4.  Like the people, the boats are all shapes & sizes, too.  Happy hour drinks are 2 for 1 - quite strong for the 42 peso price.  There are dinner specials every night posted in the elevator (like fajita night for $15 per person), but we never eat dinner here.
     Snorkeling from shore at the hotel:  I wasn't expecting much, so we were pleasantly surprised with the variety and color.  We snorkeled as far north as the Barracuda Inn and south past a few private homes.  There are 2 places where people feed the fish from shore along this stretch, so when you swim up you are swarmed by sergeant majors and the piranha-looking ones.  We saw small rays, needle fish, lobster, angel fish, starfish, etc., etc.  Look for the cannons, too.  Try a night snorkel with rented underwater flashlights ($5) at Aqua Safari - it's whole different world!  Snorkel gear and wet suits can also be rented at Aqua Safari ($5/day each.)  
     Across the street:  Out front is the main road, Ave. Rafael Melgar, and directly across is a plaza of shops, an Oriental restaurant, and the Chedraui super market.  LOVE the Chedraui - I'm there at least twice a day every day for some sort of snack or supply or whatever.  Sign says it is open from 8 AM to 22 hours (10 PM), but it seems to vary quite a bit.  Like everyone says, the Chedraui is a combo small town Wal-Mart and grocery store.  You name it, they probably have one in stock. Bananas are 1 peso each, breakfast pastries 2 pesos each (huge croissants!), bakery rolls 1 peso each, under 10 pesos for a fresh deli pack of "string" cheese: we eat breakfast on our balcony every morning with food purchased at the Chedraui the night before.   We also buy lots of our gifts to take home from here: hot sauce for 8 pesos, Kahlua-filled chocolates for 30 pesos, vanilla for 7 pesos.  Check out the cookware if you like enamel ware.  Fresh-cut Christmas trees (@ 300 pesos) arrived one day and almost all were sold by the time we left.  On the outside front wall of the store are the pay phones I'm told are the best way to call home. You buy the phone cards from the service desk in the Chedraui.  Just inside the front door is the ATM we used daily.  Haven't checked my account yet to see what the exchange and charges are, but it was so convenient there.  Walk around the back of Chedraui and there is an enclosed 2 story mall and cinema.  Movies were really cheap: 40 pesos after 6 PM, playing in English with Spanish subtitles.  The cinema is one of the finest Mexican facilities I've ever been in - extremely clean and comfortable.  

Trip report: Days 1 & 2

Day 1 (Wednesday Nov. 21st)

After a quick snorkel we clean up and walk towards town looking for dinner.  Everything is under construction: going up, coming down, fixing..... It seems to be a never-ending cycle here.  Watch out for the sidewalk holes!  Appears to be a huge mall going up at the pier just beyond the naval base.  Just what the cruise people need...more shopping options.  Eat at Casta Brava on Calle #7.  $50 for the 4 of us with drinks and abundant portions.  

Day 2  (Thursday, Nov 22nd - Thanksgiving Day)
     Breakfast on the balcony, snorkel at the hotel, clean up and taxi into town ($4 for the 4 of us).  The guys want to try diving so we stop at 6 or 8 dive shops to talk about "resort courses".   Interesting how varied the programs are that the shops offer.  They decide on Diving Adventures and make arrangements with Felipe for Saturday training and a Sunday 2 tank dive - $108 per person.  The taxi driver had suggested lunch at Las Palmas so we go in search of it: 4 or 5 blocks in, between Calle 3 & 5, I think.  $17 for the 4 of us includes soup, beans, entrees and drinks.  Mostly locals; no English spoken here.  Back to PLG for more snorkeling, siesta and sunning - this is heaven.  Rent underwater flashlights at Aqua Safari and see some pretty neat stuff: starfish, worms.  Clean up and head to the cinema.  40 peso admission, another 40 for 2 big popcorns and a drink.  No dinner tonight - we are all still full from the huge lunch at Las Palmas.

Trip report: day 3 - Around the island!

Day 3  (Friday, Nov 23rd)
     I had made arrangements over the Internet with Executive car rental for an automatic Geo Tracker for 8 am delivery to the hotel this morning.  $60 included all insurance.  They still haven't shown up by 8:30 and no one answers the phone, so we ask the Budget guy in the lobby if he will match Executive's price.  No problem.  We stock up on fruit, pastries, cookies, chips and drinks at the Chedraui and head south around the island.  
     First stop is at the Paradise Cafe beach - wow, the water is so wild here compared to the west!  It's only 9:30 AM and we have the beach to ourselves.  Lots of crabs and shells.  On to El Mirador to climb on the coral bridge.  Cool.  Lots of sponge on the beach here.  Northward to Chen Rio, but it is all gated with barbed wire.  Just beyond we pull off to the side of the road and walk the beach and climb the ironshore.  Beautiful area.  Next stop Punta Morena: the boys had talked about renting boogie boards, but when we get there they aren't motivated to get wet yet.  There is a raccoon-like critter tied to a table in the bar.  Somebody spills a beer and the "raccoon" is furiously lapping it up. Pretty funny watching him scoop it up. A quick stop at Mexicallitos and the little shops, then back across the island.  
     Detour to San Gervasio ruins: 50 pesos per person admission and a good tip to the parking lot attendant for watching the car & stuff.  Nice place; excellent bathrooms.  Amazing how thick the jungle is!
     On to Dzul Ha to snorkel!  We loved this place on our last visit, but it sure is crowded today and the water isn't as clear or full of life as I remember.  Pack up and head north to La Ceiba to see the sunken airplane. Lots of divers at the site and a huge angelfish.  Pretty neat.
     Back to the hotel to clean up for dinner.  It's happy hour, so we share pina coladas before heading into town.  Find the restaurant we enjoyed last year: El Gerardo's on Ave #10 just north of Juarez.  $27 for drinks and dinners for the 4 of us.  Wander around town for a while shopping and people-watching.

Trip report: Day 4 - I'm sick

Day 4 (Saturday, Nov 24th)
     During the night Montezuma strikes Terry & I.  The boys are fine, so we blame it on the hotel Pina Coladas.  The guys head out to meet Diving Adventures at Caleta, the marina to the south.  Tom chickens out, so just Terry & Brian do the introductory dive from shore.  I'm pretty sick still so I rest all day.  Terry has lunch at the hotel: a club sandwich with fries and a coke for $10.  I'm still not up to going out, so we just order pizza for dinner - the boys are thrilled with Pizza Hut delivered on a scooter (119 pesos for a large w/ 1 topping).  Marcos and the front desk guy are drooling, so we offer them each a piece.  I'm out for the night, but the boys go to the cinema again.  Tomorrow is dive day!

Trip report Day #5 - Dive day!

Day 5 (Sunday, Nov. 25th)
     I'm still quite queasy, but get up and join the guys at the Caleta.  Simone from Diving Adventures goes through some basic instruction with Terry & Brian again and off we go in the little boat.  Tom & I will snorkel above their dive for $10 each.  It's a long ride to our first stop at Columbia Shallow.  There is a turtle, but it dives before we see more than just a glimpse. We start out quite shallow and then deeper and deeper.  Simone spots a huge ray - wow!  The guys are doing great and he takes them through a cave-like area.  The size of the reef is overwhelming to me.  After 20 - 30 minutes we get back in the boat and move on to Planacar Horseshoe.  Just as we stop for the next dive a school of dolphin pass through with a couple of babies.  Neat.  Back in the water - it's a lot deeper here and harder for Tom & I to see much from the surface, but Terry & Brian are really enjoying this.  Simone takes them to 60 feet!  And through another cave!  We brought along an underwater flash camera good to 70 feet and they get some great shots.  Wish I was talented enough to illustrate this post with them!  
     Back to the hotel around 2 PM, and I'm still feeling "off", so we just walk over to Jen Wan Oriental for lunch.  Pretty pricey and quite mediocre: $32 for the 4 of us.  It must have rained hard while we out in the boat - some of the roads are flooded so badly the taxis can't get through.  A little siesta, clean up and into town to play mini-golf.  We brought 6 bookbags for the Chrysalis group that we give to Sally.  What a beautiful place!  Especially enjoy the live birds chirping away in the back corner, adding to the paradise atmosphere.  
     We stroll into the town square for the Sunday night festival, but the boys are bored with people-watching, so they walk back to PLG by themselves.  It's fun to watch everyone turn out for the festival, all dressed up and kids dancing and playing.   It's a beautiful evening, but I'm still feeling bad, so we get a cab back to the hotel.  This driver is very fluent in English and we enjoy hearing about his life and schooling.

Trip report Day 6 - a day in town

Day 6 (Monday, Nov. 26th)
     Breakfast on the balcony again.  This heaven for me: watching the sun rise over the water and the boats coming and going.  Terry & I walk into town, the boys aren't motivated to do anything yet today so they stay behind.  
     Terry buys a bunch of Cuban cigars from Mr. Cigar on Salas.  He has been sampling their cigars all week and making friends with the shopkeeper.  Kind of a cute story here:  on our first time to Mr. Cigar I see photos of a dog with a tag "Douglas", so I ask where Douglas is.  The young man in the shop assumes we know the owner and his dog (because I know the dog's name) and immediately changes his tone and prices for us since we are obviously friends of his boss.  Luckily, Douglas & the owner are in Mexico City for the month "on vacation", so we continue to patronize this shop and get what Terry thinks are good prices and good quality.  
     Next stop is the traditional market on Salas & 25th.  That's an experience!  No wonder so many people get sick here - check out the fly-covered meat and entrails and fish.  Totally gross.  Even whole pig heads hanging from hooks.  Lots of little vendor shops selling spices, trinkets and clothes.  This is truly where the locals shop - no hustling or hawking going on.  
     We stroll back to Diving Adventures to settle up with Felipe and Simone and enjoy just hanging out chatting with them for a while.  Nice guys - I'm glad we chose to go with them. Simone shows us a book of his underwater photography and we pick out fish and creatures we have seen.  
     Deciding we want to find seafood for lunch,  we head out in search of La Conchita del Caribe on Ave 65.  Walking the back streets and seeing the locals in their homes is both startling and interesting.  Certainly makes me appreciate what we have back home.  We pass a quaint luncheria, Los Chilangos, where lunch is only 35 pesos and the home looks as clean as a whistle, but we have our minds set on seafood, so we continue on.  At La Conchita I have breaded conch for 70 pesos and Terry has grilled garlic shrimp for 100.  It's quite good.  
     Back to the hotel to snorkel again: this time we see a lobster and small rays.  Beautiful sunset tonight.  We are still full from the big lunch, so the boys order pizza again for dinner.  They spent the entire day in the hotel room watching TV.  Good grief.  Oh well, it's their vacation too.

Trip report Day 7 - travel home :- (

Day 7 (Tuesday, Nov. 27th)
     We put all our leftover pastries from the week in little ziplock baggies and snorkel north to the Barracuda pier.  The sergeant majors and grunts swarm us for food.  There is a rainbow over the water - it must be raining in Playa del Carmen.  
     Check out at 11 (very easy - no catches or hassles or hidden charges), catch the noon ferry to PDC and a taxi to the airport.  We had planned to take the bus, but found a taxi driver who beat the price.  High security at the airport: all the carry-ons are emptied and searched.  The only thing we can't carry on are Brian's spare batteries for his MP3 player.  The batteries in the player are OK, but not the extras.... go figure.  Everything electronic has to be turned on and shown it's function - my Palm Pilot, Brian's calculator and MP3.   The new section of the airport is really nice!  Great bathrooms and good food places.  Our flight is in the old section (under construction as it has been for both times we've been here) and the jackhammers are so loud we can't hear the announcements.   EZ flights home, no problems with immigration.
       
     A huge "Thank-you" to everyone on this board who gave us great advice and ideas.  The Can-do map was invaluable as both a street guide and tourist info.

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