This year I decided to spend Christmas at Cozumel to take advantage of the 6 days I have off.. Nothing personal to the family.. Wish we could had spend time with family but got to take advantage of the time I have off!!! Cozumel is amazing and wish I would have discovered this place sooner..
We stayed at Casa Mexicana located in Downtown Cozumel. The location is great but the look of the room was a little outdated... This place was great and included a breakfast buffet. The buffet included fresh fruit, made to order egg omelet, and an assortment of other food including fresh squeeze orange juice and grapefruit juice...
We arrived at the airport 1 1/2 hours before our flight took off and almost didn't make it. In fact, our luggage didn't make it so for the first day we spent the day looking for swim cloth so that we don't waste our following day. Huge bummer!!! I ended up paying $35 for a swim suite for me and $22 for Jude. This SUCKED especially since we already had these things.
We went to Chankanaab National Park for the second day of our trip. I definitely recommend that this park is skipped. The snorkeling is nice and we saw an octopus which was awesome and the highlight of snorkeling adventure. The cost to enter the Park was $21 for me and $14 for Jude. This did not include snorkeling gear. We had to cough up another $30 for snorkeling gear. This was really annoying for me because I have snorkeling gear in our suite case that didn't make it to Cozumel with me. :(.... This place is geared for those who want to swim with the dolphins. There are too many other snorkeling places and beaches that are free and amazing...
On our third day at Cozumel we decided we needed to rent a car because taxi cab rides can add up and the freedom of having a car is liberating allowing us plenty of opportunity to explore and see the Island. I definitely recommend renting a car. It's very easy to drive in Cozumel and there are so many beaches and places to explore. The freedom is definitely worth the car rental. We spent $50 dollars a day on the car rental. Next time I would definitely set up the car rental at home and have it ready when we arrive to the Airport. It would be cheaper that way and we would probably have a better car.
Our first stop was Corona Beach for snorkeling. We read many reviews recommending this place. The place is very simple and the snorkeling was one of the best. We didn't have to go very deep to see all the sea life and the coral reefs. To go to these places, there are no entry fee but you do have to buy a drink although it's not pushed upon you. After Corona Beach we went to Uva Beach which also had snorkeling. The snorkeling here was o.k. It was nice to see another snorkeling spot but this one could definitely be skipped. After Uva we found ourselves at San Francisco/Paradise Beach. Jude loved this beach because of all the floats out in the water for the kids. I thought it was too crowded and loud. We didn't stay here very long before discovering Mr. Sanchos beach. I liked this beach better. It seem cleaner and also had the beach floats for the kids so Jude loved this beach. I liked this beach as well. The water was super clear...
Money bar had great snorkeling and one of the more popular places recommended by Trip Advisor and locals. The water was pristine clear but we didn’t really see too many reefs. This place is definitely worth checking out. We hung out at money bar for a while before heading to Mr. Sanchez where we ended the day since Jude really enjoyed this place.
Our last full day in Cozumel was spent at two different beaches. This was when we discovered an amazing beach. Palancar beach was by far our favorite. The water was super clear and there are fishes to see near the shore where two small reef/rocks were formed. We saw school of fishes in two areas.
The first beach area we were at seem close because they had the gate down but in fact it was open. Once you drive up to the gate someone will be there to open it. This place had no snorkeling but the beach was beautiful with white sand. I actually liked this beach better then Mr. Sanchez. This beach was also much more quiet. I like quiet.
After spending the majority of the day on these two beaches we continued on to the North side of the Island for a very scenic drive. The waves on the north side of the Island is very strong and swimming is not recommended although there were some area that seem safer to swim in. The north side is a must see and drive. It’s definitely worth checking out.
Cozumel Trip advice:
Rent a car and rent it on-line before the trip to be picked up at the Airport. Taxi cost can add up very quickly so this will limit your ability to explore.
Bring your own snorkel gear to save money. Most places let you rent gear but they charge $12-15. Make sure to bring well-made fins. You can purchase snorkels on line for about $30. Fins are extra. Not too sure how much those are since I didn’t purchase any. I Did learn that it really helps your swimming abilities to have them. The currents can sometimes push you in a direction you don’t intend to go so it helps to have snorkel gear. If you aren’t a strong swimmer, I definitely recommend bring a life jacket. All these are available for rent if you don’t want to invest in these equipment.
Staying close to town has it’s advantages as well.
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