Cozumel
is Mexico's largest inhabited island, is also one of the country's biggest
paradoxes. Serene, laid-back and somewhat undiscovered by Mexico's 20
million annual visitors, Cozumel rivals many Caribbean island destinations
when it comes to visitor facilities, activities, and stunning beauty.
Cozumel's
appeal lies with its combination of the best of Mexico with the allure
of vacationing on a Caribbean island. This mix makes Cozumel one of Mexico's
most unique destinations, offering a hard-to-find vacation duality.
The jewel
shaped island lies just 19 kms. off of the Yucatan Coast, and measures
29 miles ( 47 kilometers) long and 10 miles (15 kilometers) wide. Its
jungle-clad interior and ivory white beaches are girdled by one of the
most spectacular ensembles of coral reefs in this hemisphere. The island's
limestone shore is surrounded by temperate, crystal clear waters which
range from stunning turquoise to deep indigo.
The climate
on the island is warm year around with an average temperature of 81 F
(27 C). Heavy rains start in June and go on through October. It is a possibility
that rain can fall everyday, but the usual duration of a shower is brief.
Expect high humidity during the rainy season. The humidity levels are
lower November through May, with an occasional cool evening. However,
because it a tropical climate, the weather can change from one day to
the next.
The westward
side of the island is calm, and is ideal for swimming, diving or just
relaxing in the sun. This part of the island is also the most developed
with banks, markets, shops, restaurants and hotels. The eastern side of
the island is more secluded, with very few people living there and little
activity. There are some calm beaches with clear emerald green water.
There are at least 20 live reefs so close to the shore, it makes snorkeling
and diving a must. The island also has it's share of Mayan ruins hidden
in the jungles that can be explored by car, bike or foot.
The area's
diving and snorkeling are legendary. Following a 1961 documentary by Jacques
Cousteau, Cozumel earned a world-wide following of divers who ranked it
one of the top five scuba diving and snorkeling sites on the planet. The
island's surrounding sea is teeming with undersea life, colorful reefs,
and the slumbering hulls of Spanish galleons.
For non-divers,
the island has something for everyone. Sightseeing includes over 35 archaeological
sites (only a few of which are accessible
and worth seeing), and the charming city of San Miguel. The town is a
collection of cafes, restaurants, and attractive boutiques. It encircles
the main plaza, and extends several blocks along the city's breezy seaside
promenade.
Nature
lovers come to Cozumel to see giant see turtles laying their eggs (May
to September) and to observe the island's variety of exotic migratory
bird life. Visitors are only a 40 minute ferry ride from the incredible
Tulum Corridor region of the Yucatan Peninsula, brimming with hidden beaches,
secluded resorts and archaeological treasures.
Large numbers
of daytrippers from Cancun and cruise ship passengers sometimes overtake
the city proper, only to retreat a couple of hours later. This is when
Cozumel really shines, as the island's bountiful man-made and natural
attractions can be leisurely explored.
We flew
into Cozumel on Christmas Day, 1999, aboard
Continental Airlines.
The weather was warm and sunny, about 80°F (27°C) as we got off the plane
and headed across the runway area to the gate. Of course, right
off the bat we were met by a guy who attempted to get us to attend a "welcome
party" at the Reef Club (to get us to buy timeshare). We politely
refused, and boarded the airport taxi on the way to our hotel.
Our Hotel
was the
Coral Princess Club, about 5 minutes drive North of downtown San Miguel,
the only city on the island. The check-in went okay, though the
clerk
didn't speak very good English. The staff at the
Coral Princess Club was very polite throughout our trip, and the bellboy
assisted us to our room. We had a gorgeous ocean view, overlooking
the Caribbean Sea. The furniture in the room was coral-themed (what
else?), and appeared a bit cheesy. The bed was hard and we noticed
that the locks were missing from the bathroom and the connecting door
to the next room. The room was nice, though and much more spacious
than we had expected when we booked it through
Resort Condominiums International
(RCI). The hotel is located on a beautiful stretch of palm-lined
road, with a man-made beach built over rugged coral outcroppings which
were great for snorkeling.
The first
night, Christmas, we ate at our restaurant, El Galeon. Sandra
had some chicken fajitas, covered with cheese, which were very tasty.
I opted for the Christmas Dinner special, which was unimpressive and quite
a rip-off. Overall, El Galeon was decent. The prices
were a bit high (to be expected in a hotel), and the food was decent.
We examined the room service menu and were shocked to find tropical drinks
costing 99 pesos ($11USD)! We went down to the poolside bar and
they were just as much down there! We ended up having a beer at
happy hour one day for 2x1 and a total of $4USD. That means they
were normally charging $4USD for one bottle of beer! Ridiculous.
The next
morning, we set out into town. We were scheduled to meet with our
dive shop,
Dive With
Martin, at the international pier at 10AM. We stopped by
SMART Rentals to rent a VW Convertible. We had seen SMART Rentals
on the internet before our trip and had printed out their webpage to receive
50% off our car rental. It ended up being about $25/day for our
convertible bug. We thought that was a great deal, considering other
agencies were advertising $50/day or more. The only real problem
with the car was a sunshield strip on the top of the windshield that was
really hard for me to see through. I had to scrunch way down in
the car to see where I was going. No big deal, though. One
time we came back from walking around town to find our car missing!
It turned out that we had parked in a no-parking zone and the police had
asked our rental agency to move it. Boy were we relieved.
No, I'm
not going to take you on a minute-by-minute account of our trip.
(I know...darn...) The rest of this area of our site will give you
an overview of our experiences during our stay in Cozumel. Also
check out our Cozumel Links.
Cozumel's
appeal lies with its combination of the best of Mexico with the allure
of vacationing on a Caribbean island. This mix makes Cozumel one of Mexico's
most unique destinations, offering a hard-to-find vacation duality.
ble
and worth seeing), and the charming city of San Miguel. The town is a
collection of cafes, restaurants, and attractive boutiques. It encircles
the main plaza, and extends several blocks along the city's breezy seaside
promenade. 
k
didn't speak very good English. The staff at the
