Cozumel, Mexico Port and Shore Excursion Review Pete Peterson My wife and I spent a week in Cozumel about 12 years ago and we have visited it several times on various cruises, so we are very familiar with the island. We love Cozumel for its laid-back atmosphere and beautiful blue water. We ate breakfast early so we could get started as soon as we arrived. Luckily, our ship docked at the Downtown Pier instead of the International Pier, which is a couple miles south. So we were able to walk everywhere without having to take taxis. We had prearranged to charter a boat just for our group with Deep Blue Divers. We had 5 certified divers, 1 snorkeler, and 1 that wanted to learn how to scuba dive. We walked over to the dive shop and after taking care of paperwork, they drove us out to a boat they had rented for us, which was at a marina south of the International Pier. The boat was more than adequate for our group and the captain and crew were wonderful. Our first dive was just for the 5 of us who were certified; we went to Santa Rosa Reef where we made a 105’ dive through coral formations. It was absolutely awesome! Cozumel is one of the premier diving locations in the world with water temperature around 84 degrees and visibility up to 200’ at times, and every time I dive there it just keeps getting better and better. While we were diving, my wife was snorkeling above us. After we completed our dive, the boat headed back to the marina to pick up the lady in our group who did the resort course so she could go diving with us. Unfortunately, she couldn’t clear her ears and was unable to dive, so she just snorkeled with my wife. (The Resort Course but does not count towards any certification; it’s more of an introduction to the sport, but gives people the opportunity to see what scuba diving is all about.) After picker her up, we changed out our tanks and headed to Paradise Reef where we headed down to 45 feet for another incredible dive. After about 50 minutes, we reluctantly surfaced and the captain took us back to the marina. Note: scuba diving in Cozumel will run about $65 for a two-tank dive, while the Resort Course will cost about $75, plus the cost of a one-tank dive, which is another $35. After completing our diving excursion, we were all hungry, so we decided to head to Carlos’ ‘n Charlie’s. During the ride over, we were extremely disappointed to find that our all-time favorite restaurant, Santiago’s, had closed down and been bought by someone else. Don’t know what the food is like now, but this place was the best kept secret in the entire Caribbean. It’s not a very big place and is about 5 blocks off the beaten path, so it’s not crowded and most tourists don’t know it’s there, especially the cruise ship passengers. We can only hope the food is as good as it use to be because Santiago’s was truly the best restaurant I have ever eaten in. Note: I have to add here that the best hamburgers, steaks, seafood, fruits, and vegetables that we have ever had in our lives have all been while in Mexico. We lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico for 9 years and during that time we took an annual vacation in San Carlos, Mexico, which is about 6 hours south of Tucson. We spent 2-3 weeks down there every Summer, so trust me when I say that Mexico has fantastic food and should be savored at every opportunity without worry. Anyway, we walked over to the new Carlos’ ‘n Charlie’s, which is now on the main street a few blocks south of their old location. Anyone who’s ever been to Cancun or Cozumel knows that Carlos’ ‘n Charlie’s is THE place to p-a-r-t-y!!! While this new restaurant/bar is large and very nice, it lacks the ambiance of the old place, which was small, crowded, and dirty but it had a certain flair about it. The party is still there and all the cruise ship passengers still go there to have a few too many drinks and let it all hang out! It does not take long to get into the party spirit in this place. We immediately ordered up 6 Dos Equis and 6 shots of tequila to toast our great day of diving. Nobody really cares about how good the food tastes, because you really don’t go there for the food. But we didn’t have a lot of time, so we only ordered some nachos to hold us over until we got back on the ship. After spending about $100 for three rounds of drinks and the obligatory group photo, we decided it was time to head back to the ship before we missed it. Cozumel is an easy island to get around; there’s only one main road that goes in a circle around the south end of the island and then cuts the island in half. You can rent a car for about $50-$85 per day or the preferred method for cruise ship passengers - motor-scooters for about $25 per day (no helmets or special license required). You can rent cars and scooters right at the International Pier. Compare these prices against a $20 roundtrip taxi ride to town. But you’ll get the best prices if you reserve ahead of time. If you rent a car, the town of San Miguel is north of the International Pier. But if you head south, the road will take you to Chankanaab National Park. Snorkeling and scuba diving are very nice in the park. I had the best hamburger at the little restaurant. There’s also a wildlife refuge you can walk through. Further south is San Francisco Beach, where there are millions of conch shells on the sea bottom. There’s also a restaurant and bar. You can walk south of the restaurant if you want to find some privacy for topless sunbathing. A little further south, there are some all-inclusive resorts; some of which are very nice. The main road heads east towards the Atlantic Ocean. Once there, you can take a dirt road south to the Punta Celarain Lighthouse. There’s no charge to climb up, but there is usually someone there to convince you otherwise. Yes, it’s a scam, but it’s a great view and we didn’t mind haggling him down to a dollar. On the road down to the lighthouse, there are some beautiful hidden beaches, which are great places to skinny dip in the ocean. Unlike the western side of the island, which has calm sea, the ocean is a beautiful blue with white waves, making it a wonderful place to explore and take pictures. Heading north up the road, you’ll find the occasional restaurant/bar. I highly recommend stopping at all of them as they are usually quite a treat and most are pretty nice with great scenery, as you can see by this picture. We even got to pet a live iguana at the Naked Iguana Restaurant. Eventually, the main road will turn westward. However, there is another dirt road that heads north towards another lighthouse. One time we saw a sign for a bar ¼ mile up the road, so we ventured up the dirt road and came across a quaint little place. It was a big thatched-roof building with no sides. There was a sign on the post that said, “Air Conditioned.” We parked the car and went in to find Credence Clearwater Revival playing on the 8-track tape player. We sat on the beach, drank a couple of Dos Equis, enjoyed the magnificent view of the beautiful blue water, listened to the waves crashing, and talked with the owner for a while. We had wonderfully relaxing time. There are some Mayan ruins near Cerveza, but they are relatively small compared to the ones on the mainland and the entry fee is a bit overpriced. This brings me to shore excursions. I’m not a big proponent of shore excursions, as we’d rather explore on our own than pay the high prices for prearranged trips that are usually very crowded. For example, all the cruise ships offer trips to places like Tulum, which is a wonderful Mayan temple on the coast. However, they make it seem like it’s an easy and quick trip – it’s not. It takes about 8 hours to make the roundtrip of which only about 1-1/2 hours are actually at the site, the rest of the time is spent getting there and back. I’ve heard from many people who have done this tour and regretted it, so it’s not one I would recommend. A word here about alcohol: It’s generally cheaper than it is in the States, but you have to shop around. The highest prices are at the pier; the lowest prices are at the airport. However, when you board the ship, if you’re carrying any alcohol, they will confiscate the bottle and return it to you on the last night of the cruise. So, here’s a little secret; first, always carry a backpack with you. Second, buy a one liter bottle of water and drink it while you’re walking around town. Third, buy a one liter bottle of clear alcohol (I prefer tequila). Fourth, pour the alcohol in the empty water bottle and carry it out in plain site when you walk onboard. No one will question your bottle of “water”. By the way, just for informational purposes, I’ll offer you advice I got from an old Mexican bartender; the only difference between gold tequila and white tequila is caramel coloring! And there’s not much difference between the advertised brands and the local stuff except the price. But if you want a really good smooth tequila, make sure it says ‘reposado’ on the bottle, which means it’s aged, or ‘anejo’, which means aged even more. Two of my personal favorites are Don Julio and Tres Generaciones (Three Generations), but there are several others. They are wonderfully smooth and mellow, but pricey. If you’re looking for a nice gift for someone, these have my highest recommendation. Don Julio cost us $32 at the pier, whereas back home it runs $48. I can offer much more information about Cozumel, but overall it is very safe and is one of our favorite islands in the Caribbean. The Mexican people are friendly and helpful, especially if you at least try to speak some of their language with them.