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Notes So You Won't Feel Like A Typical Tourist In Cozumel. If you have not decided where to vacation, may I suggest Cozumel. (A Mayan word meaning, land of the swallows ) It is an hour and fifty-minute flight from Houston, so you leave Austin at 8:10 AM and order a Peña Colada on the beach for lunch. If you want to find miles of perfect beaches all to yourself. This is Cozumel. Or if feeling safe everywhere you go interests you, This is Cozumel. Do you love perfect sunsets? This is Cozumel. How about great food. This is Cozumel. Do you want to feel like you are in New Orleans or New York, or any other big city, This is definitely NOT Cozumel. (that is Cancun or Acapulco) Cancun is made for disgruntled postal employees. Island facts: Location: 12 miles off the coast of the Yucatan peninsula (directly across form Playa Del Carmen) in the state of Quintana Roo. (Pronounced quintana row ) Cuba lies only 95 miles to the north and Cancun 30 miles to the Northwest. Air access: Regularly scheduled service by Mexicana, Continental (Also check charter companies. Fun Jet, Sun Country, and Adventure Club) To fly American Airlines, you must fly to Cancun and either; (a) change to AeroCozumel or Air Carribe that flies to Cozumel, or (b) take a cab or shuttle to Playa del Carmen, then take the ferry across. The ferry is the worlds' largest catamaran jet boat with air conditioning and theater seating with a wide screen TV playing M. TV. They also serve refreshments and beer. Flight time: Houston 1 hr. 50, Dallas 2 hr 20, Miami 1 hr 15, and Los Angles 5 hr. Size: Largest Island in Mexico 30 miles long and 15 miles wide. Population: Approx.. 50,000 persons Language: Spanish, some Mayan (Cozumel is a Mayan word) and English is spoken widely Climate: Subtropical, averaging 81 F year-round Elevation: Highest, 40 feet Clothing: Casual everywhere. There is not a restaurant that requests long pants or jackets. Municipal services: Police, fire and emergency services as well as a hospital with 24 hour emergency service and a hyperbolic recompression chamber. History: Cozumel rose from the sea during the Pleistocene era. Its limestone surface is covered with caves and sinkholes and since the limestone readily absorbs rain, runoff rarely effects visibility of the water for diving or snorkeling. Accommodations If you are not sure where to stay, I feel the best place is Villa Las Anclas. (Village of the Anchors) This is best because it is down town where all the action is. Everyone says, I want to stay on the beach and that is true at almost every beach resort, but on this particular Island, that is counter-productive for six reasons: 1. You should never go to the same beach twice in Cozumel unless you will be staying more than seven days. There are five beaches so different, you will want to go to all of them. If you stay on the beach, you will have a tendency to go only to the beach where you are staying. Even the two nicest hotels have their sand brought in and it is not the soft baby powder type you will find on the East Side or at Playa Beach. (a restaurant and beach club) 2. The food in town is great, but the hotel food is only so-so. All of the good restaurants and bars are within walking distance from the condos downtown. 3. If you stay on the beach, whenever you want to do anything, you must drive or taxi. So after your day of diving or fun in the sun, when you park your car at Villa Las Anclas you never need to drive again. Everything is with in a six or seven minute walk. 4. Villa Las Anclas is owned by Claus Reinking. He lives on property. He is a semi-retired executive and keeps the eight condos up to perfection. An abundance of hot water and air conditioning that will freeze you out! There is a double bed upstairs with twins down. You also get something else unusual for Mexico, a kitchen with refrigerator, hot plate, dishes and silver ware. Their number is 011 52 987 21403 or 011 52 987 21955 Fax 011 52 987 25476 5. If you are a diver, the boat picks up on a pier less than two blocks away. 6. It is the safest place on the Island. Transportation If you are going to rent a jeep, rent it at the airport when you arrive. Go to Hertz car rental. With all of the rental agencies, you need to be careful. Occasionally you will be quoted a dollar amount, then pesos are used in the contract. That is not a problem if they use the going rate . (They stuck me for about $80.00 one time with a smaller exchange rate) Make them write the contract in dollars and use your American Express Card. This will cover you if you have a wreck (I think) Then let American Express do the peso conversion. This has always saved me money. Hertz normally has the newest jeeps and you should pay about $50.00 per day at the very most. Be sure to make him show you the car. If you are not satisfied with your car or price the other rental agencies will bid for your business. I suggest a Jeep and not a Volks Wagon. They are a little hot and unreliable. If you do rent something and it breaks down, do not move it or leave. Mexico has Green Angles . They are a fleet of government sponsored trucks with tools, parts and gas. They patrol the main roads in search of tourists having problems. If you decide to rent a moped, as quickly as you can, buy a ticket inside the airport to your hotel. The taxis can take you to the airport, but cannot take you from the airport to your Hotel. When in town, there are twenty or so places to rent a moped, all close to the hotel. One that is close to Villa Los Anclas is Rentador Cozumel. It is on the same street but, you have to walk against the one way traffic. The street is one way going away from town. (south on 5 Ave. Norte) Be very careful with your moped. While they are fun and inexpensive, they are involved in more and more wrecks. And as you know there are rarely wrecks involving mopeds that doesn't leave you in pain and or injury. I highly suggest not renting a moped. If you get pulled over by the police be polite. If they give a ticket they impound your car and you must accompany them to the police station to pay the fine. (In case you don't know over 5 in a jeep, including the driver, is an offense they will take you in for.) Remember when you rent a vehicle, there is only one service station on the Island. It is on the road that goes to the other side of the Island, Benito Juarez at Avenue 30. They are open from 3 PM to Midnight. They take dollars or pesos. Be sure to avoid the 3 PM shift change. THE ISLAND On the main street, (Ave. Rafael Melgar) that runs along side and parallel to the ocean, is a disco. (Scaramouche) On the other side of the street is a restaurant Pepe's Grill. (Which is not bad but the most expensive on the Island) Go east between these two on Calle Adolfo Rosada Salas and you will have a liquor store on the right, then a place to rent mopeds. Just past these is Hotel Suites Elizabeth. The first street you come to is one way to the right (south). Take a right there, and in one and one half blocks you will find the hotel on your left. The hotel sign also has the name of a coffee company the owner of the hotel also owns. East and west streets are Calle's, and north and south streets are called Avenues. When you are going east or west in Cozumel, all the streets are one way in opposite directions. Every intersection when going east or west is a stop sign. So, you must yield whenever you are driving east or west (perpendicular to the ocean) When driving north and south, the traffic must yield to you, but be careful. The locals will try to bluff you into stopping if you do not drive a little aggressive. The only people you have to watch out for is tourists. The Island is 30 miles long (north to south) and 18 miles wide. It is divided down the middle by a road, Avenue Benito Juarez which runs east and west. Find a map and purchase it. The roads are tricky, but fairly logical. Also, look for a book called the Blue Book. It is a good tool with interesting facts. The Island has three sets of ruins, but none are great. If you want some real ruins, take a day trip to Akumal, Tulum, or better yet Chitza Nitza. The ruins and pyramids in Chitza Nitza and Tulum are where they filmed, Against All Odds. Any of the big hotels can set you up for a tour. If you go to the mainland, you may want to swim with the dolphins It is an unbelievable experience. But it is very difficult . You must get to the park early and literally race to be one of the first 12. They only take 12 and not one person more. Even if you bribe them. They are scientist and this study is important to them. Ask any travel agent at the hotels. The tours are the way to go; otherwise you will have to take the ferry and rent a car. A good day trip if you have the time is the National Park of XCaret (Pronounced esh caret ) It means little inlet It has an underground river running through it you ride on inner tubes. XCaret is just south of Play Del Carmen on the mainland. It is an ecological and archeological park that combines water sport and natural and cultural history. You can swim with dolphins or tour fantastic botanical gardens. There are some small Mayan ruins here. The ancient Mayas worshipped and bathed here to purify their minds and bodies before going to the revered Island of Cozumel to pray to the fertility god, Ixchel. Diving The clean, turquoise waters of the Mexican Caribbean are perfect for diving and snorkeling. Cozumel has 20 miles of reef, with clear visibility 200 hundred species of tropical fish. Cozumel is considered the finest dive destination in the Western Hemisphere. With 40 dive shops that operate on the island it is perfect for all levels. Popular sites include reefs along the Palancar Reef, the second longest reef system in the world. The
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