Female traveling from Atlanta, carry on luggage only

[gopbroek]

Do you consider these safer than the freestanding ATMs found on the island and as safe as the ones found inside of banks?

About the same as the machines in Mega or Chedraui. I would never use a third party machine on a street corner

 

[ccannon707]

Check with your bank about what the fees will be using their ATM card at a Mexican Bank. I only use ATMs that are attached to banks. +1 on toiletries being easy to find - Mega especially seems to be very well stocked.

 

[nwflyboy]

Note about sunscreen: I believe it is a regular (and reasonable) request to avoid using most commercial brand/common sunscreens and instead opt for the reef-friendly options. Last time we were there, we picked up some locally produced, high-SPF, reef-friendly sunscreen. Worked well, wasn't exorbitantly priced and (if labels are to be believed) helps keep some $ in the local economy. Found it at one of the big stores (Mega/etc.).

Ah, found it: KiinSun brand SPF 50 broad spectrum, UVA UVB, organic, bio-degradable, reef-friendly, made in Q Roo, fully buzzword-compliant. Even smells like the tropics. Next trip, I'm stocking up.

 

[Sue Sue]

My advice is to pay with US$ at the ticket counter in the airport for the shuttle and worry about getting pesos after you get settled into your hotel. Pay the cab in US$ to get to the ATM from your hotel (I use the bank owned ones in the Palacio Municipale - I am sure I mangled that spelling) and get pesos. The scene in the airport is nuts enough without having to deal with it there, the shuttle tickets will be at or near the official exchange rate, and one cab ride paid in $US won't hurt that much.

Oh, and if you haven't seen this yet, do not get sidelined by people trying to "help" you as you come out of Customs; they are trying to steer you to their tables to snare you into timeshare presentations. Go straight to the ticket window, get your shuttle ticket, and go straight out to the loading area. They will start trying to talk to you about "free" rental vehicles, but nothing is free.

Thanks Gordon, I will be editing the "Arrival and Departing the Cozumel Airport" Sticky in the very near future. I am going to add your advice on just using USD to purchase the shuttle ticket as well as USD for the cab ride to the hotel. For those who travel to Cozumel often another idea is to acquire enough Peso before you leave to cover the Shuttle or start up expenses for the next trip. Also, thanks for the reminder regarding the Timeshare Salespersons. If a timeshare is not part of the trip plan then it is good to know how to avoid the chaos. TIP: MOST LIKELY, the only folks offering assistance after exiting customs are Timeshare reps. If you are interested in ONLY a Shuttle ticket, just make a Right Diagonal beeline to the Ticket Booth once you have passed through the Magic Sliding Glass Doors. There a salesperson will ask you where you are going. She will tell you how much, take your money, and give you a ticket. She will not have any other questions such as "How long you are staying" or "What plans do you have"....If you get those questions, you are at a Time Share Booth. Upon leaving the Ticket counter, be aware that the Timeshare reps will still approach you..POLITELY ignore them and just keep walking until you are outside with the Shuttle Van Drivers.

Double S

 

[cvchief]

I always buy the blue Hawaiian Tropic at mega. Supposed to be reef safe and in a pump bottle. Works well.

 

[mediumone]

I always buy the blue Hawaiian Tropic at mega. Supposed to be reef safe and in a pump bottle. Works well.

Read the ingredients. If you can pronounce them, there is a good chance that it is a biodegradable product. If the list reminds you of your high school chemistry class.......... Just because the label says biodegradable, don't make it so. Bought some at a dive shop in Playa that was supposed to be biodegradable. Yeah, right, like paint thinner is.