Cozumel Vacation...

[Robocop]

I have never been to Cozumel however after much reading have decided to try it. My g/f has lined up an all inclusive week long stay with as much food and fun as we can find. The cool part is that we are staying on the "other" unpopulated side of the island where there is only one hotel that is very secluded.

From what I have read it says the ocean is only a few feet from the hotel and the area is very secluded. It also says the hotel is eco friendly and wind powered turbines supply power. There is no electricity on that side of the island and as such no distractions from pure relaxation. The more tourist side is a 20 minute drive so we plan to spend much time there however I am kind of excited about a hotel so isolated.

I plan to take many lights as again the side we are staying on is said to be very dark at night due to no other ambient lighting. Has anyone stayed in Cozumel lately and if so did you feel safe there? I assume since it is such a tourist spot the locals would wish to keep it nice for business but I have never been there.

I found a few photos from a guest here... http://www.tripadvisor.com/ReviewPh...entanas_al_Mar-Cozumel_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

The hotel web site and some other info here http://www.ventanasalmar.biz/info.htm

Has anyone ever visited this hotel and can you let me know if it is as nice as it sounds? If nothing else it should be a great trip and a great place to try out some of my lights (always thinking like a flashaholic) I believe we will be renting a jeep for the week to get around. Any must follow advice would be appreciated as again I am not much of a travel person and kind of green as to the area.

 

[fasuto]

I went to Mexico a few weeks ago. My hotel was in Playa del Carmen.
I stay there for two weeks, one for diving and one for standard tours (mayan pyramids, etc).
I only was in cozumel one short day, diving and a small tour in the island. Nice place for snorkel too.

I would recommend you to go to mainland and see some things there (Chichén Itzá for example and any "cenote").

Also if you have time you can still swim with the biggest fish in earth at Holbox: the shark whale:

 

[fasuto]

I forgot about safety. Not sure in Cozumel, but in Playa del Carmen safety is not as you should desire, but is secure compared with other zones of Mexico. They told us not to go outside the main streets during the night. I think is better to ask there, but we not felt any insecure sensation during our stay there.

Another advice, if yo go shopping try to ask in spanish, they try to give expensive prices for americans soy say better "cuanto" than "how much" and always try to lower the prize after.

Dont forget to taste "tequila reposado" and "chile verde".
Also avoid hotel excursions, locals made the same at a lot cheaper prices.

Other interesting places we like are: Isla Mujeres, Ria Lagartos, Tulum, Santuario Monos Araña, Labna, Uxmal, kobá...
Hope you like it as much as I did.

Sorry, but can't resist to post another image of our trip, this is "cenote angelita"

 

[BenjiBot]

I spent New Year's Eve there in 1999, never detected any threat and there were a fair amount of tourists around. Saying that I did get offered narcotics a few times, but was never overtly intimidated. I think the majority of people staying there for, say, a week or more are there for the diving – which is some of the best in the world. Seriously, Walt Disney plc could not design better diving, it's really recommended if you get the chance.

 

[Robocop]

Well I just found out that the hotel has been changed to the Cozumel Palace as the secluded one was not all inclusive for the travel package.....regardless thanks for the pics and advice. I am sure it will be an adventure and I hope the weather is nice this time of year.

I read today that it rains often this time of year there so I am worried about that. I do hope it will not be so crowded and I leave Friday.

 

[BIGIRON]

Ventanas Al Mar ("Windows to the Sea") hotel looks really nice and away from the tourist area. Too bad that didn't work.

You won't fool anyone by pretending not to be a tourist!!! Just use common sense, smile, treat folks as you would wish to be treated and you'll have a great time. Beautiful country and people.

 

[Robocop]

I am very excited to say the least as this is all inclusive and even includes para-sailing and other water sports in the package.....did I mention all the food I can eat as well??

 

[Robocop]

Holy smoke what a great time I had in Cozumel....amazing weather and even better water activities. I did all the usual stuff like snorkeling and swimming with the dolphins however the all inclusive hotel simply blew me away. The staff was great and the food even better.

The only problem I had was in the areas away from the tourist spots. The other side of the island is much more deserted and less crowded so I decided to visit there one night for dinner at a small local place to eat. I had maybe 6 shrimp with a glass of water while my g/f had a fish taco and water....the total was 52 dollars american money....

What a rip off and the staff seemed to be very good at doing this scam. Right after I ordered my dinner I noticed a local Police arrive and began laughing it up with one of the staff. When I asked for the check he was happy to bring it to me however made sure I noticed the mexican officer standing nearby.....no way to even protest the cost so I decided to pay and head back to the better side of the island seeing as the officer was obviously part of the scam.

Regardless the trip overall was amazing and I will try to return some day. I will say the worst part of the trip was the air travel. I never had any idea the lines were so long with security such a hassle these days. On the way home it was very hard for me to return to my own country as I had to go through so much crap with customs as well as security check points. I must have showed my ID and passport to 5 different people. I hate the feeling of being helpless however today travellers are at the mercy of the airlines it seems.

 

[TigerhawkT3]

Please tell me you tried the tequila there! :rock:

 

[Robocop]

T3 sorry I do not drink so the Tequila was not sampled by me....however my g/f did have several Margaritas at the areas around our hotel and swore they were the best she ever had.

Funny story while we were there....One night at the resort the hotel was having various outside shows for the guests. One was a fire twirling type thing and the audience was huge (maybe 200 people) The staff began searching the crowd for guests to participate in a seperate contest for a prize. They picked out several people to compete and yes I was one of them. To my suprise the contest was arm wrestling....I once made much money at this so I jumped at the chance.

I was doing great and beat the first 3 men when one guys arm suddenly made a huge "pop" noise. His arm broke and he jumped from the table and walked away in pain. Well I did feel horrible for him and decided to go check on him. I walked towrds him and paid no attention to a canal joining the outside pools. Yep you guessed it I fell right in the pool and looked like an idiot. The crowd laughed like crazy (all 200 of them) and must have surely thought I was some drunk tourist....I was actually the only sober one there.

I was so embarassed that I just gave up on the rest of the contest and was relieved to learn the top prize was a huge bottle of Tequila. Even if I would have won I would have never used the tequila anyway. The classy thing was the hotel took care of the injured guest and arranged for him to be treated. He did have to leave the next day and was given a total refund....regardless I did feel bad that his vacation was ruined.

 

[AlexGT]

Don't forget to take a good and powerful underwater light and camera, the region has cenotes and underground water caves where you swim inside, and if you bring a good flashlight you will enjoy the experience a whole lot more.

Regarding safety, just stay on the lit parts where tourists usually hang around and you will be fine, another suggestion is don't look like a tourist!

Don't forget to try cochinita pibil, it's a pork meat dinner very good, there is a restarurant in nearby Cancun called La chiquita del caribe, not very known to tourists and the food is awesome, be careful with local wildlife, cocodriles and venomous serpents can be found in the trails and lakes, bring water resistant bug spray and a good hat, this time of year is very hot and humid. bring several pairs of shoes and use sandals when you go swimming, some corals and rocks are very sharp.

Hope you have a great time,

AlexGT

 

[PEU]

I did my PADI Scuba certification at Cozumel many years ago, its one of the best, if not the best, places to scuba dive in the world.
Cozumel is also a very relaxed place, but if you like to night party, there is a lot too

If you have time, instead of snorkeling, look for a PADI certifier there and do the course, its around 5days and you will enjoy it the rest of your life. I rented equipment and certified at Deep Blue Cozumel, very nice people!

Have a good time!


Pablo
[edit] oops, you already returned, well keep the advise for next time there

 

[BIGIRON]

Glad you enjoyed it. Sorry about the ripoff, but it happens anywhere. Some you can avoid, some you can't.