Hey there,
Looking at a trip to Cozumel in February. Was wondering if anyone had been there and if so, what you thought, enjoyed, would recommend...all the usuals.

Peg

Thanks all! I think we're going to give it a try so I'll be able to give a land vacation report. The trip to Tulum is a long one between the ferry ride and then a long bus ride each way. I'll have to think about whether I want to do that or not. It's pretty cheap to get to that part of MX from CO so I can imagine another trip where we might stay on the mainland and do the ruins then.

Peg

quote:

Originally posted by Tayhudson:
It is a drift dive and was fabulous.

Yes! That's the term that my friend used--drift dive--I couldn't remember it.

quote:

Tulum is supposed to be a nice ruin to visit.

I am pretty sure that Tulum is the ruin that my friend Pea had visited previously and said that the ride from Cozumel to the ruins was long and unpleasant. But that was years ago, so maybe they have a better route now.

I have also only been there for a day on a cruise stop. DH and I are divers and we spent most of the day under water. It is a drift dive and was fabulous. I don't recall it being any more dangerous than any other open water dive. You just have to make sure you have a good local dive guide who knows the area well. However, I was there before one of the last big hurricaines that went through the area and did a lot of damage. I'm not sure what it is like now.

Friends that I know who have been in the area longer loved Isla Mujeres. Tulum is supposed to be a nice ruin to visit.

Dawn

It's been about 15 years since I have been to Cozumel. I loved the town center and people were very gracious.

My trip to Cozumel was also a one-day cruise stop. We did a snorkeling excursion, and I remember not liking it for two reasons. The snorkeling in Grand Cayman just the day before had been so spectacular there was no comparison. And our guide was very controlling. He kept herding us along, not allowing anyone to swim even a few feet away to check out something he wasn't showing us.

However, I also recall a pretty fun night of dancing and drinking at Carlos and Charlie's -- I was a lot younger then.

I was there within the past 5 years via a cruise that hit Grand Cayman, Costa Maya and Cozumel. I liked Grand Cayman, but didn't care much for the two Mexican stops. Both were blazing hot and humid...then again, we were there in May and you are going in February, so that may take care of that issue.

Pea had been to Cozumel previously and had done the excursion to most famous ruins that are doable from there. She said something negative about it but I can't remember exactly what. I think it was that she said the boat that takes you there is like the boat version of a vomit comet (rough ride) and that it was a LONG excursion. We did Chacchoben ruins while we were down in Costa Maya. They were pretty cool, but that would be too far to go from Cozumel, I'd guess.

There is apparently one of the best reefs or undersea cliffs in the world just offshore from Cozumel but I didn't get the impression it was something you could see from the surface by snorkelling. It is apparently not for the faint of heart (the friend who told me about it is a scuba enthusiast). He said something about floating with the current...that's the "cool" thing to do...but that you have to know what you're doing...and that the current can take you a long way.

There is some bar there at the cruise pier where a lot of people go and get drunk. Not my cup of tea but folks say it is fun.

We took a 1/2 day snorkel expedition while there that was okay. It was a large catamaran (what I call a cattle car cat because it's more of a party barge than the nice, smaller catamarans I've been on for snorkel trips). We were taken to a snorkel stop and then taken to this company's beach where we could swim, sun, etc., and buy their expensive hamburgers & cervasas. I would have enjoyed it more had there been shade but there was no place to get out of the sun except at one of the dining tables that had an umbrella over it.

I almost passed out from the heat in both Cozumel and Costa Maya, so I can't say they are high on my list of places to revisit. LOL