Vacation - Cozumel Advice

[ggunn]

IMO go with a resort that is "all inclusive" unless you want to eat the local food YUK!

W_T_F_ are you talking about? You're trolling, right?

Cozumel has some of my favorite restaurants; you won't find fresher seafood anywhere.

 

[SteveDiver]

W_T_F are you talking about? You're trolling, right?

Cozumel has some of my favorite restaurants anywhere; you won't find fresher seafood anywhere.

Just a trolling....no... to me Local Cuisine means something different... There are some great restaurants. Local to me means the hole in the wall Ma and Pa shops..

 

[Cozoholic]

and I consider myself a food snob (ie: Olive Garden (worst ever IMO), TGIF's, Macaroni Grill and chain restaurants in general are not my idea of good restaurants...ok, but not great).

You poor pizza deprived sole...oops wrong thread...LOL... this weekend Im going to Girmaldi's in Brooklyn to have some pizza !! CANT WAIT !


ACTUALLY, Olive Garden has good Pasta Fagioli ..Other then that, a waste of money.

When is LaCoco Cay opening?

 

[ggunn]

Just a trolling....no... to me Local Cuisine means something different... There are some great restaurants. Local to me means the hole in the wall Ma and Pa shops..

OK, but have you eaten at La Perlita? El Moro? Both are small, non-touristy, off the beaten track eateries that have great food. I don't know where you ate and what you were expecting, but to class the entire local Cozumel cuisine as bad just because you happened to have had a bad experience or two is tarring with a very broad brush. I would never remotely consider eating on an AI plan on Cozumel.

Another thing - I went to Cozumel many times before I started diving. I love it there, and I submit that it is a whole lot less "trashy" than many places I have been right here in the good ol' US of A.

 

[SteveDiver]

OK, but have you eaten at La Perlita? El Moro? Both are small, non-touristy, off the beaten track eateries that have great food. I don't know where you ate and what you were expecting, but to class the entire local Cozumel cuisine as bad just because you happened to have had a bad experience or two is tarring with a very broad brush. I would never remotely consider eating on an AI plan on Cozumel.

Another thing - I went to Cozumel many times before I started diving. I love it there, and I submit that it is a whole lot less "trashy" than many places I have been right here in the good ol' US of A.

Well...there is a difference between us I do not and will not go into trashy areas nor will I eat in some of the hole in the wall places in Cozumel. Your opinion is greatly apreciated and respected however we are all different and have different tastes, expectations and opinions. When I go out to eat I like to be waited on and catered to. A nice atmosphere that is clean and upscale is also important.

 

[sharky60]

IMO go with a resort that is "all inclusive" unless you want to eat the local food YUK! If you go to www.orbitz.com they have nice packages with hotel descriptions. I will be going back in August and staying at the Presidente..

Boy did you open up a can of worms with this one!! I agree with most everyone else the local food is wonderful! I have so many restaurants that I love down there, I'm thinking about making my next trip a month long just to hit them all!!!!!!!!!!

Now trying to focus on the original question, where to stay is always such a wide open debate. you can go from a very nice low frills place like the Caribe Blue, very inexpensive but quite nice to the El Presidente, the only 5 star resort on the island.

I don't think the Caribe Blue is listed with most charter services like FunJet so you have to book the plane and the hotel seperate. Going through FunJet or MLT or another charter where you get a air/hotel/tranfer package is the best economically. CB is very close to town, within walking distance for sure.

Staying at the El Presidente you will pay as much as you will at most of the All-Inclusive places and still have to buy food. It is a little south of the International pier and would cost around $8(?) for a cab ride to town.

Our usual haunt is the El Cid La Ceiba, located right by the International pier. medium range prices, not AI, good food, good service and most of the rooms have been renovated. The place is turning into a time-share condo type hotel, but until that happens it is a nice place to stay. about a $4 cab ride to town. We've been regular customers there for over 10 years.

For AI I would recommend the Occidental Grand, a very nice property, fairly new. the grounds are beautiful, the food is excellent, service is top notch and the rooms are large and beautiful as well. It is pretty far south so getting to town is an almost $20 one way cab ride, but the good news is being so far south, it is a very short boat ride to the dive sites.

As far as renting Jet skies, I don't think any of the properties I've listed have them, maybe the Grand, but not sure. I would recommend going to one of the day beaches like Playa San Francisco or Playa Sol for that. Maybe someone else could give a recommendation, it's not my thing.

As far as dive site access, all the reef diving is by boat and every dive op will pick you up and return you to your hotel pier. there is some shore diving here and there but the really cool stuff is on the reef.
Dive op recommendations:

www.divewithmartin.com I use Martin and his crew, wonderful dive op with good patient DM's.

www.bluextseadiving.com our buddy Christi from the scuba board, also highly recommended by anyone that has used her

www.bottomtimedivers.net Raul used to work for Blue Bubble and I have dove with him many times. he is excellent at finding critters and a VERY safety minded DM.

the first time you go to Coz it's a little overwhelming picking a place to stay and a dive op, once you get down there and get a feel for the place you may change your original choice, but I'm sure you love the island and the diving as much as the rest of us.

Hope this helps, let us know if you have any other questions...as you can tell you'll get a wide variety of answers.

 

[Giggi]

Well...there is a difference between us I do not and will not go into trashy areas nor will I eat in some of the hole in the wall places in Cozumel. Your opinion is greatly apreciated and respected however we are all different and have different tastes, expectations and opinions. When I go out to eat I like to be waited on and catered to. A nice atmosphere that is clean and upscale is also important.

It sounds like you might be better off on a cruise ship. Personally, I like to see the "trashy" and "hole in the wall" areas. That's oftentimes where you can meet and get to know the real people, who happen to be some of the most hospitable, gracious, helpful, and friendly people I have ever met. It also happens to be where you can usually find the best "home-cooked" food and finest examples of local cuisine.

 

[SteveDiver]

Boy did you open up a can of worms with this one!!

Yes, I know it is interesting on the reactions that one will get when they have a view that is different....

 

[SteveDiver]

It sounds like you might be better off on a cruise ship. Personally, I like to see the "trashy" and "hole in the wall" areas. That's oftentimes where you can meet and get to know the real people, who happen to be some of the most hospitable, gracious, helpful, and friendly people I have ever met. It also happens to be where you can usually find the best "home-cooked" food and finest examples of local cuisine.

Yes you are correct just leave your wallet and jewerly in your room safe.... And if you don't mind being harrassed by street peddlers selling junk and eating in non-air conditioned places then that is the place you need to be.... Like I said to each their own we all have different standards....

 

[ggunn]

Yes you are correct just leave your wallet and jewerly in your room safe....

You're way off base with that one. Even the "trashy" parts of Cozumel are very safe.