I’ve been wanting to wrap this thread up with some general observations for about a week now but I’ve been so damn busy (lazy).
Hotel:
Casa Mexicana is an awesome place to stay. breakfast buffet every morning (plus you can order from the kitchen - free), perfect location a few blocks south of the square on the waterfront, what impressed me the most is they are always cleaning. It is spotles at all times. My only complaint is the lack of a real pool. There is a wading pool but due to the time of the year I didn’t even bother getting in. It doesn’t recieve much sunlight in winter and was too cold for me. I would stay here again in a heartbeat but I think I like a hotel that has a pool and access to the ocean a bit better. Depends on the time of year I guess. You will not find a cleaner hotel on the island... that I can guarantee!
Dive OP:
Blue XT~Sea OK, what else can I say about Christi and her crew? The attention to detail, diver experience and general needs and wants is superb.The service is second to none... I am a customer for life (ha ha Christi, you’re stuck with us!) Absolutely wonderful time diving and just hanging out with them. We now feel part of the “family”. Christi went above and beyond making sure my engagement plans worked out perfectly. We will always be eternally grateful to her for making sure this was a perfect trip. Pedro & Javier are awesome divemasters and Mago is uncanny with his many skills including, but not limited too, captaining a boat.
Food:
With Mesa 17 closed and Especias still in the construction phase we got a chance to try some new places and some old favorites...
El Moro - Excellent food, a bit out of the way but definitely worth it.
La Cocay - I can’t express how much the exquisite attention to detail they gave to Mia’s “engagement cake” meant to us. Food was also out of this world! Had an iffy meal there a few trips back but will put this at the top of my list for next time.
Guido’s - Still solid, used to be our favorite and is still near the top in our minds.
Prima’s - Best damn (warmwater) Lobter tail I’ve ever had!
Casa Denis - A definite lunch stop for us (twice this trip) Mayan Pork Tacos!!!
Camillo’s - Shrimp and Fish Tacos are the best!
El Foco - Really good tacos, nice location right near the square.
Los Gavilanes (sp?) - Good food, attentive owner & open late.... just behind the square (they moved locations, used to be The Grill)
El Pique - Yum! Tacos Al Pastor! Mia was less than overwhelmed though. She’s not fond of pork or the chewiness of arrachera beef.
Diving:
Some sites you would be hard pressed to see the damage (mostly the deep sites), other sites looked pretty bad. San Juan looked horrible for a stretch with nothing but broken finger corals for a looong way. Some of the southern shallower sites were just blanketed in sand. Others like Chankanab Bolones had LARGE boulders of Coral broken off but didn’t detract from the beauty in any way, in fact the coral will just keep growing where they lie. Far southern and northern sites like Chun Chacab & Barracuda looked untouched. Colombia looked fine to me as well. Most of what I saw of Palancar looked good, Santa Rosa has a bit of sand but will heal evetntually.
Your results will vary from reef to reef but the damage wasn’t severe enough to stop me from coming. There are plenty of healthy reefs to keep everyone happy. Make sure to try to hit the far Southern sites if weather will allow. On the bright side there are new swimthroughs, old anchors uncovered, and more things yet to be discovered.
And yes, the fish are all still there!
Met a great group of people... Andrew, Mike & Elise, Geryl & Lydia, John & Gary, Johnoly & crew, Coz Sally, Ron Brandt, etc. (I know I left off a few... sorry, it’s late). Was good to dive with Valerie & Debbie for 2 years in a row (& meet Ellen too).
Oh yeah... one more time. Thanks goes to Wildcard for letting me use his battery charger!
I’ll eventually turn this into a trip report (cut & paste, cut & paste, cut & paste)... I’ll most likely post it on D2D and provide a link... eventually.
