ggunn:
Hi, Gordon,
I believe you meant to write "Punta"...sure, you did!
And the sleepy little dive island called Cozumel is a distant memory...
joewr
What to take to Cozumel? And other questions.
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Hi, Gordon,
I believe you meant to write "Punta"...sure, you did!
And the sleepy little dive island called Cozumel is a distant memory...
joewr
joewr:Hi, Gordon,
I believe you meant to write "Punta"...sure, you did!
Um, no, not really. Do you think I should be PUNished? ;^)
ggunn:
haha! Obviously it was a typo, but kinda funny if you kow what "puta" means
I agree with Gordon, it's not hte hurricane that has caused changes...it's the cruise ship industry and economics.
French Quarter is still alive and well...and prospering...just very high up on the $$ scale.
Complaints about anyplace are eminent, so I wouldn't let one bad complaint about Guidos get you down...different strokes for different folks...it's one of my favorites, right up there with Especias and Le Chef...but again, not a daily or even weekly treat anymore due to the budget.
Christi:
No, actually, it wasn't. ;^)
Hi,
Somehow I did not think it was written in error...and let's just let sleeping Pu(n)tas lie! 
As for the French Quarter, I am glad to hear they are still in business...nice people and good food. We love Cocay, too, and I would put it in the same budgetary range as the French Quarter. In the past, I would not have put Guidos there, but it seems that may have changed. Still, their calzones were first rate...
Okay, now a post-Wilma question. At times we would drag our gear to the Fiesta Americana, rent a tank and wts. from the Dive House, and do the shore dive there. It was superb. The max depth was ca. 25 ft--to stay within the "no boat" zone and sealife abounded. Is that still the case or has the Wilma-sand ruined for the time being?
joewr
Somehow I did not think it was written in error...and let's just let sleeping Pu(n)tas lie!
As for the French Quarter, I am glad to hear they are still in business...nice people and good food. We love Cocay, too, and I would put it in the same budgetary range as the French Quarter. In the past, I would not have put Guidos there, but it seems that may have changed. Still, their calzones were first rate...
Okay, now a post-Wilma question. At times we would drag our gear to the Fiesta Americana, rent a tank and wts. from the Dive House, and do the shore dive there. It was superb. The max depth was ca. 25 ft--to stay within the "no boat" zone and sealife abounded. Is that still the case or has the Wilma-sand ruined for the time being?
joewr
OP
underachiever
Contributor
Thanks for all the advice so far. We will check things out own our own a lot too. Just thought it would be great to have the names of some reccomended places so that as we are walking around and recognize a name. And not having been there at all it would help to have an idea of price and location. We do not want to do the all-inclusive so that we can experience the local culture.
We sort of cut our teeth in (as far as diving goes) Key Largo. On our first trip doing to KL we did our checkout dive and our first OW dives. We had ask for suggestions on eating establishments. SOme of the higher end places were suggested by our LDS. Balyhoos, Fish House, Bayside Grill. While the food was good we soon discovered other more reasonable locations on later trips. (hobo's, buzzards roost, chili willies and even the no name pub on no name key. The food, just as good or better.
Just trying to save a little time and money by asking questions about folks experiences. We are choosing to stay at more reasonably priced hotel and by dong so should be able to dive a cenote as well as renting a jeep and explore the other side of the island for a day vs. staying at one of the higher end places.
Anyway. Thanks for all the help and hope to meet some of the great folks on this board. As time gets closer hope to see another scubaboard dinner getting planned. WE will be there April 20-29. DANG!! thats a long time.
We sort of cut our teeth in (as far as diving goes) Key Largo. On our first trip doing to KL we did our checkout dive and our first OW dives. We had ask for suggestions on eating establishments. SOme of the higher end places were suggested by our LDS. Balyhoos, Fish House, Bayside Grill. While the food was good we soon discovered other more reasonable locations on later trips. (hobo's, buzzards roost, chili willies and even the no name pub on no name key. The food, just as good or better.
Just trying to save a little time and money by asking questions about folks experiences. We are choosing to stay at more reasonably priced hotel and by dong so should be able to dive a cenote as well as renting a jeep and explore the other side of the island for a day vs. staying at one of the higher end places.
Anyway. Thanks for all the help and hope to meet some of the great folks on this board. As time gets closer hope to see another scubaboard dinner getting planned. WE will be there April 20-29. DANG!! thats a long time.
loudives
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No BS just answers:
Non polarized 2 prong adapters. .49 at Ace--file the larger prong if you have to.
Sidewalk from Villablanca to town is for the most part wide, clean, and mostly new since Wilma. About a 20 min walk to town Plaza 2 kliks. Great for jogging. Street lights all the way and new trees are low so lots of light. Once in town watch for uneven sidewalks away from the main road. Many shop owners have tiled in front causing uneven places as well as poles, driveways, and even stairs right in the middle of the sidewalk.
Tip as you would anywhere for good service. TIP THE MAID, probably does the most work and gets least tips.
Bring singles!!!! Also you can exchange larger US bills at many locations (hole in the wall places)as well as banks. Do not bring bills of any kind that are marked up. Many places will not take them. Jan exchange rate was between 10.2-10.5 peso to the dollar. It varies from place to place and sometimes hour to hour. Best to exchange at an exchange place or bank and use peso. Many stores and restaurants will give you a rate of 8-8.5 if you use dollars. You loose .25-.30 per dollar.
Safest place in the Caribbean or Mexico is COZUMEL. Just don't be flashy. I feel safer there than at a local mall at home!
Non polarized 2 prong adapters. .49 at Ace--file the larger prong if you have to.
Sidewalk from Villablanca to town is for the most part wide, clean, and mostly new since Wilma. About a 20 min walk to town Plaza 2 kliks. Great for jogging. Street lights all the way and new trees are low so lots of light. Once in town watch for uneven sidewalks away from the main road. Many shop owners have tiled in front causing uneven places as well as poles, driveways, and even stairs right in the middle of the sidewalk.
Tip as you would anywhere for good service. TIP THE MAID, probably does the most work and gets least tips.
Bring singles!!!! Also you can exchange larger US bills at many locations (hole in the wall places)as well as banks. Do not bring bills of any kind that are marked up. Many places will not take them. Jan exchange rate was between 10.2-10.5 peso to the dollar. It varies from place to place and sometimes hour to hour. Best to exchange at an exchange place or bank and use peso. Many stores and restaurants will give you a rate of 8-8.5 if you use dollars. You loose .25-.30 per dollar.
Safest place in the Caribbean or Mexico is COZUMEL. Just don't be flashy. I feel safer there than at a local mall at home!
loudives:
Thanks for the clarification to my post on this. I've never actually tried walking from Villa Blanca to town at night because I'm usually in bed by 7 or 8 p.m. I'm really boring on a holiday.
But to add to your comment about the marked up bills...I've also stopped bringing travellers cheques. I have serial killer handwriting and that includes my signature (I used to have a job where I signed my name a zillion times a day so it morphed into a scrawl). One day at the grocery store I tried to pay with a travellers cheque which the clerk didn't feel sufficiently matched my ID. So I went to the bank. They sent me to American Express, which had sold the traveller's cheques. Who said they too couldn't approve the cashing of the traveller's cheque. So I had to take it back to Canada to straighten it out where they are perfectly familiar with my signature. Now it's just straight cash for me. Lots and lots of it.
I use traveler's cheques for dive and hotel bills. Those are large expenses where credit cards are not the best solution, and that much cash is too much to carry around. They know me at the hotel and dive shop, so my atrocious handwriting is not a prob.
Yep Gordon, the travellers cheques work where they know you or know where you live. Not so well where they don't (like grocery stores, as I learned). We probably looked like people doing a drug buy or something given how much cash (in relatively small bills) we carried down on this last trip....
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