heading to Cozumel late Feb

[Jason McK]

Hi, First trip to Cozumel in late February. Booked Blue Angel as our accomidations.
Wondering if there are any don't miss dive sights, resturants or even none dive related things you would recommend

Thanks
Jason

 

[Skittl1321]

Eat at Del Sur Argentina. In our week there it was so good we went twice. We also loved Casa Cuzimil and their comida del dia. What a bargain. Every dive sight is fantastic. So we just go where the boat takes us!

 

[cvchief]

Eat at Del Sur Argentina. In our week there it was so good we went twice.

You know I am pretty much DONE with Del Sur. We used to go regularly. Last trip I only went because I had my mom along and that was THE place she wanted to go, but now she is done too. In July (as has been the habit for more than a year now), service was SLOW which seems to be the new normal there. They used to bring bread to the table to go with the chimichurri. Now I guess you eat it off your finger. One of my 2 empanadas tasted old and stale. So like I said, just done with them.

In our week there it was so good we went twice. We also loved Casa Cuzimil and their comida del dia.What a bargain.

I do really like them. Really nice people and good food cheap. On my list, I think you should REALLY try:

El Moro good food and a LOVELY family that has been on Coz for a long time.
Kinta or Kondessa: Both restaurants by the same guy. Mexican fusion. Fancy, high end, beautiful plates at reasonable prices.
La Choza Just always a steady choice. Great fancy cheese sauce and orange margs. They do fresh fish really well.
Guidos has also become a steady go to choice. Good fish.

Every dive sight is fantastic. So we just go where the boat takes us!

Totally agree. I really don't think there is a MUST see. Everyone is great in its own way.

 

[DjDiverDan]

My personal favorite Dive Sites: Palancar Bricks/Palancar Caves - Amazing coral structures, lots of sea life, some great swim-throughs, including a swim-thru near the beginning of Palancar Bricks that takes you down to about 85-90 feet and exits right over the wall; Columbia Deep; Columbia Shallows - a shallow dive, but beautiful, teeming with life; Tormentos - the current can take you on a wild, thrilling ride. There really aren't any bad dive sites on Cozumel - trust your DMs, they'll know which sites are going to be good on a given day.

Favorite restaurants: Higher-end places for great fine dining experiences - La Cocay, Kinta, Kondesa. Mid-range places, more touristy, but very good food - Guido's, New Especias [Italian Cuisine], Casa Mission (I love the gardens), Del Sur Argentine Empanadas - you can have a great light dinner here with just a few savory empanadas and a few dessert empanadas, Pancho's Backyard; MUST GO TO Local places - El Moro - a back-in-the-hoods hole in the wall that is just a ton of fun on weekend nights, party atmosphere with excellent food, also my go-to place for Sunday lunch when it has Cochinita Pibil, a real Yucatan treat, Pescaderia San Carlos (open only for lunch, I think it closes around 4:00 or 5:00), another hole in the wall place frequented mostly by locals, excellent fresh seafood, La Perlita (open lunch and dinner, has 2-for-1 Lionfish special on Thursday afternoon - must try the coconut crusted Lionfish!), Casa Cuzamil (sentamental favorite, this is the sucessor to Sabores, for many years a favorite Loncheria, now closed), Cha Cha's Kitchen, a loncheria with amazing cakes.

 

[Skittl1321]

You know I am pretty much DONE with Del Sur. We used to go regularly. Last trip I only went because I had my mom along and that was THE place she wanted to go, but now she is done too. In July (as has been the habit for more than a year now), service was SLOW which seems to be the new normal there. They used to bring bread to the table to go with the chimichurri. Now I guess you eat it off your finger. One of my 2 empanadas tasted old and stale. So like I said, just done with them.

That's so disappointing to hear. We loved them so much. Bummer.
I do think the chimichurri we only used on the empanadas though.

We also liked Burritos Gorditas a lot; but it isn't too different from stuff you can get in the states. The staff there was super friendly. Actually- lots of places we liked were like that. Very good, but not so different that it becomes an absolute must for us- and there are so many places to try.

 

[cvchief]

We also liked Burritos Gorditas a lot; but it isn't too different from stuff you can get in the states. The staff there was super friendly. Actually- lots of places we liked were like that. Very good, but not so different that it becomes an absolute must for us- and there are so many places to try.

Yea that is a terrific place for a quick lunch. The owner is always cooking. Try the apple dessert burrito. JUST like mom's apple pie!

 

[Dan G]

Any dive site that starts with the words, "Palancar" or "Colombia" and you'll be quite satisfied.

If you like 'local' restaurants, walk east from town and when you get to 30th or 40th (?) ave., you'll be on one of the main strips. That road has some great places to eat.

 

[cvchief]

Any dive site that starts with the words, "Palancar" or "Colombia" and you'll be quite satisfied.

If you like 'local' restaurants, walk east from town and when you get to 30th or 40th (?) ave., you'll be on one of the main strips. That road has some great places to eat.

30th. Yea. Ate at the 'shoe' place for something different. That was good.

 

[divingjd]

Dive sites will depend on a lot of things, including weather and currents, which dive operation you are using, and the other divers on your boat. My dive buddies and I really like Maracaibo Shallows, but many dive ops won't go that far south. It's also pretty exposed, so the wind can prevent going there. We also like Punta Sur, but again, it's a long way south and very weather-dependent. Both of the Columbia sites (Deep and Shallow) are excellent. Palancar Bricks and Palancar Caves are good, but all of the Palancar sites can be crowded with other divers. Of the shallower sites, I like Dalila, Paso del Cedral, Punta Tunich, and Casa Blanca. If you are ready for strong current and can find a dive op to go there, Barracuda (way up north) is spectacular. It is often a challenging dive and very weather-dependent. Diving with Aldora is a good way to get to these sites.

We always go to Del Sur, but we know the service will be slow, and often less than perfect. A friend never gets the meal she orders, but always likes what she gets. We always find the food really good. If it weren't, the service might keep us away. I can understand why cvchief says he's done with it. Kinta is really good if you want a more upscale experience. Guido's has great atmosphere and pretty good food. Casa Mission is very touristy. The food was fairly good, but nothing special. The setting is very nice, but there were lots of large, noisy groups there (actually, we might have been guilty of being a large, noisy group ourselves). We used to like Casa Denis a lot, but the food has been inconsistent lately and having to put up with the street performers is annoying. La Perlita has some good dishes (the lionfish ceviche is excellent), but we have found much of the food disappointing lately and the service poor. I highly recommend El Pique for tacos and Los Otates for tacos and pozole. These are pretty basic taquerias where you get great food for very little money. They don't look like much, but don't let that hold you back.

We often go late in February. You should be aware that is the season for nortes, weather patterns that bring the winds out of the north (prevailing winds are out of the east) that can close the harbor and prevent diving. Aldora usually offers diving on the east side on those days.


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