Cozumel = "hell on earth?!"

[Damselfish]

If something is there, it's because there is demand for it - tourist, local, whichever. By definition it's part of the place as it is now. If you don't like it don't go or don't patronize, but I think it's presumptuous to tell someplace else what businesses they ought to have or not have. I don't generally do McD's or BK either, and I don't even drink coffee, but I have no trouble ignoring places I'm not interested in. (Though actually I sometimes go to fast food places when traveling, either because it's a favorite we don't have near home, or because sometimes they have their own twists on local cuisine which will be a novelty for me. Like saimin noodles at McDs in Hawaii, or McSwarma in Dubai which was actually quite tasty.)

 

[Mawg]

If it wasn't for the diving Coz would be one of the last places on this earth that I'd go back to and that's saying something because I've worked in over 20 countries and visited others.

From the sheer aggressiveness of the counter staff in the shops to the obvious expectation and pressure to receive a fat tip for even shoddy or almost non-existent service. Although this latter can obviously be put down to the American influence. Thank God there aren't too many Americans in Cuba or that place would be ruined too.

Certainly not looking to make any friends around here are you Mike. From your name, cant tell if you're Brazilian or an ex-pat living down there. From your attitude, I'm gonna guess you're not native Brazilian.The Brazilians I know are much better behaved than you. I dont find the " counter staff " in Cozumel to be aggressive at all. Maybe I just know where to shop. And your comment about shoddy or almost non-existent service is pure Bull*****. But then you reveal your true self and purpose here with your comment about Americans and Cuba. It wasn't Americans that ruined Cuba. It was Castro and a whining coward named Che Guevara who made women and children kneel before him so that he could put a bullet in their head. I doubt that you've ever been to Cozumel. Take your pathetic agenda elsewhere.

 

[94GTStang]

Certainly not looking to make any friends around here are you Mike. From your name, cant tell if you're Brazilian or an ex-pat living down there. From your attitude, I'm gonna guess you're not native Brazilian.The Brazilians I know are much better behaved than you. I dont find the " counter staff " in Cozumel to be aggressive at all. Maybe I just know where to shop. And your comment about shoddy or almost non-existent service is pure Bull*****. But then you reveal your true self and purpose here with your comment about Americans and Cuba. It wasn't Americans that ruined Cuba. It was Castro and a whining coward named Che Guevara who made women and children kneel before him so that he could put a bullet in their head. I doubt that you've ever been to Cozumel. Take your pathetic agenda elsewhere.

 

[diverbob]

Well as a one timer to Coz (who got lots of angry reponces to my trip report) I would not consider it hell on earth..far from it. I was not as impressed as many who go but I certainly did not hate it. I could care less about night life so that was not an issue. My big gripes were the poor service in restaurants and I do mean poor, not slow-poor, street hawkers- I detest them and to be honest we did not find what I considered to be a good restaurant, regardless of service. I know everyone has their own opinions of good and bad but I tend to be pretty easy to please and never found one place I cared to go back to. This is not something I can say about Freeport Bahama, Curacao, the Keys,Bonaire or any other place I have traveled. Maybe we just got unlucky but that was our experience. Would I go back? For the diving yes but not for anything above water. One of these days I want to go back to give it a second chance but so far Coz is the only place I have not returned to a second time. Hell on earth- far from it but it's not on my most enjoyed list either.

First time I was there, I thought it was great. I went to a few other places, and went back to Coz again, and it is quickly dropping on my list of favorite places to go. I have been trying to figure out why I dont like it as much as most people do, and the only thing I can come up with is because I love to dive, and after the 2 tank boat dive in the morning, the Coz shore dives suck. Thats the only thing I can come up with.

 

[ggunn]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

One man's meat is another man's poison.

Different strokes for different folks (DSFDF).

Your mileage may vary (YMMV).

...

Need I say more? To paraphrase Frank Zappa, SHUT UP AN' DIVE! ;^)

 

[diverbob]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

One man's meat is another man's poison.

Different strokes for different folks (DSFDF).

Your mileage may vary (YMMV).

...

Need I say more? To paraphrase Frank Zappa, SHUT UP AN' DIVE! ;^)

my bad...I thought this board was for people to post their opinions...I'll quit and try to only post facts.

 

[ggunn]

my bad...I thought this board was for people to post their opinions...I'll quit and try to only post facts.

Hey, don't be so thin skinned, OK? Post anything you want.

 

[TheUWPhotographer.com]

I have just returned from Hell and have already booked my next trip back. Must be the devil in me!

Cozumel isn't for everybody. Thank goodness for that! Everybody has their own set of happiness requirements and there are a few that will not be not happy no matter where they go. I would just as soon see those people go someplace else. Nobody wants to be around people who aren't having fun.

I had a couple who I knew join one of my workshops several years ago and all they did was complain. This was their first trip there and it was right after Wilma. The nortes were blowing and this was the coldest February I had ever experienced there. These people were terrible divers and full of opinions about everything. Total PIAs! I told them (in a nice way) if they weren't having fun, they should go home. Thank goodness they did. They wrote a mediocre review for SCC complaining about crummy diving, bad weather, and the dive ops inability to be whatever it was they wanted them to be. They sent the report to Undercurrent professing to be world-travelers and advanced divers. Whatever! I hope that couple never comes back to Cozumel. They certainly won't be with me.

Gordon is absolutely right in what he posted and I don't see what he said as telling anyone that they shouldn't voice their opinions here. We're all smart enough to read between the lines.

I'll be back again in August. Maybe sooner!

Bonnie
I

Cozumel

 

[TCDiver1]

I'm glad i'm easy to impress. I can do 3 or 4 weeks in Coz to one week in most West Pac locations. Leaves more money for my other bad habits .... most of the time.

 

[miketsp]

Certainly not looking to make any friends around here are you Mike. From your name, cant tell if you're Brazilian or an ex-pat living down there. From your attitude, I'm gonna guess you're not native Brazilian.The Brazilians I know are much better behaved than you. I dont find the " counter staff " in Cozumel to be aggressive at all. Maybe I just know where to shop. And your comment about shoddy or almost non-existent service is pure Bull*****. But then you reveal your true self and purpose here with your comment about Americans and Cuba. It wasn't Americans that ruined Cuba. It was Castro and a whining coward named Che Guevara who made women and children kneel before him so that he could put a bullet in their head. I doubt that you've ever been to Cozumel. Take your pathetic agenda elsewhere.

Yes I'm an ex-pat living in Brazil but as I said I've lived in quite a few countries including some where bartering to do shopping is a way of life, but I never came across reactions like we had in some downtown shops in Coz where after browsing in a shop and asking a price to get a ballpark figure, when we started moving on the salesman became really offensive. The implication was that we were wasting his time and by "starting negotiations" we were obliged to continue. There was no misunderstanding because I speak Spanish after working in Spain for 4 years and I participate in regular business calls with other South American nationals. And this happened in more than one shop on more than one trip to Coz.
Maybe I just look rich?
Another example, in the hotels on checkout day the maids would be hovering around in the corridors practically barring the exit of the guests with the cleaning car until they got a confirmation that we'd left something for them on the bedside table...
Also something I never saw elsewhere.

Where did I say that Cuba was ruined or that I supported the regime there?
You need to learn to calm down and read what is written.

Seems like I struck a tender spot with my comment about American tipping practice spoiling certain locations. Have a read through some of the various threads on tipping on this board and you'll find that in many places you don't have to leave a trail of dollar bills behind you to get good service and a friendly attitude.
And the other funny thing is that there are many places where the locals expect tips from the Americans but not from other nationalities and yet they treat the other nationalities well.

I'm also curious, ask your Brazilian friends how much they tip the DMs in Cozumel when they dive there? Last trip I did to Coz exactly 1 year ago I was with a fairly large group of Brazilians and when we came to discuss the subject and I mentioned the normal amounts quoted here on SB as typical they were absolutely unbelieving. I had to pull up SB on the laptop at dinner to show them. Even so, most of them left after a week of diving what the typical American gives per cylinder.