Sunrise on the east side of Cozumel



The following summarizes my recent trip to Cozumel from 22-29 July 2001. The things I wanted to do are listed below followed by a tentative plan on when I would do things. It became apparent very early that even the best plans are just that...a plan and that flexibility is essential since things change. In this case, things changed for the better largely due to Angela from Hacienda San Miguel (HSM). After the tentative plan I detail what really happened.

List of things to do

1) 4-5 days of diving including a night dive

2) Snorkeling at Dzul-ha and Caleta

3) Check out the various beach clubs (Mr Sanchos, Dzul-ha, Playa Azul, Nachi-cocom, etc)

4) Tulum/Cancun day trip (ferry/bus)

5) East side trip

6) Check out various hotels

7) Dairy Queen cone (vanilla) while watching sunset

8) Turtles

9) Sunday night main square party

10) Some shopping. Walk around the square and buy one of the paintings

11) Stand in front of the Cozumel web cam at 6:30 PM local time

12) Shore dive at La Ceiba plane wreck or Papa Hogs for sea horses

13) Mini-golf

Initial schedule

Day 1: Sunday. Get rental car at airport and check into HSM. Drive my buddy over to Sol Cabanas del Caribe (SCdC). Go lounge by the pool while he checks in. Snorkel north of Coleta. Drive down to Mr Sanchos and relax a while. Return to town, get supplies at Chedraui, eat dinner. Ice cream while watching sunset. Enjoy the Sunday night party on the square. Walk around the square and purchase a small painting..

Day 2: Monday. Diving. Snorkeling at Dzul-ha. Go to Nachi Cocum . Back in town in time for another vanilla cone at sunset. Turtle release on east side

Day 3: Tuesday. Diving. Drive around the island looking at a few hotels but most of the afternoon along east side. Get a brownie from Playa Azul and sit by the pool at SCdC. Turtle egg collecting.

Day 4: Wednesday. Catch ferry to PDC then bus to Tulum. Snorkel at Tulum. Cancun Excursion. Back in Coz by 7 PM. Go to bed early.

Day 5: Thursday. Diving Mini-golf at 7 PM.

Day 6: Friday. Diving/night dive. Cozumel web cam at 6:30 PM. Back to relax pool side and listen to ocean waves gently breaking on the shore. Record on tape for future listening at home.

Day 7: Saturday. Diving. Check out 2-3 more hotels and another trip to the east side. Dinner then ice cream at sunset.

Last day: Sunday. Museum for breakfast. Sob sob. Last day in Coz. I had so many things to do and the time just flew by. Quick pack job then go lounge by the pool.
 

What really happened
 

Sunday, 22 Jul 2001



I drove up to a hotel near Denver airport on Saturday. Left the truck there and got on a shuttle to the airport around 5:20 AM Sunday. The flight on Allegro (Apple Vacations) was uneventful and we arrived in Cozumel around 12:30 PM. This is the terminal from the outside. The folks are going to customs where they check your paperwork, stamp it as required, then you go through to pick up your bags. Step away from the baggage carousel and show the person your declaration then press the button. Green light is good. Red light means they search your bags. To the Avis counter to get the Tracker which I rented for the week since I needed to get to the east side frequently. If you take a Suburban to your hotel, this is what they look like. Also note the nice canopy that keeps the hot sun off of you as you wait for the Suburban to your hotel.

Cozumel Terminal: After departing plane Cozumel Terminal: Front with Suburbans

 

I drove my buddy Kevin up to Sol Cabanas del Caribe (SCdC) then back to Hacienda San Miguel (HSM) to check-in. Angela was there and after taking care of the paperwork I was escorted to La Rosa. I had stayed in this same room in April. It is set up with the large bed, main bath and TV upstairs and the kitchen, dining table, half-bath and "bunk bed" downstairs. This is more like home than a hotel and the staff is great. After changing from travel clothes to action clothes I went back up to SCdC to see if Kevin wanted to take a ride around. He wanted to lounge by the pool so I am off to check into the two dive shops for this trip: Papa Hogs and Pascuals. Both have been highly recommended for years and I am finally going to try them. Pick up Angela at HSM for her assistance and we are off. After doing the paperwork at Papa Hogs (where we met Diane Noelle, Jim Forte and Katie), off to the east side to check out the turtle hatchery. Lots of nests with some having additional chicken wire around them. I surmise that the chicken wire is to retain soon to hatch turtles. And I was right. No one is around to ask when turtles are released. Back to the west side.
 

First was a stop at Allegro. Seems really nice. Sculptured bushes, neat landscaping, two pools, lots of nice beach area, recliners and shade things. Now time for a few beach clubs. First stop is Nachi-Cocom. Lots of palapas with places to relax or soak up the sun. This view is of the Nachi Cocom Beach. Next stop was Mr Sanchos. Here I am relaxing. Angela took the pic (Note her drink to my right. Now many of you wonder what Angela looks like. She is a lovely woman and here she is. Can you find her? Took a picture of the sunset which was not great due to clouds, but who cares. I am in Cozumel, it is warm, the beach is nice, water warm and clear.
 

Nachi Cocom
Nachi Cocom

Ommmmmmmmmmmmmm
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Back to town to clean up then off to the Sunday night party in the square. This is a great event to watch. Folks come out to dance and eat food and just have a great time. You will see kids playing and lots of vendors making pictures with spray cans. I wander over to DQ to get my standard vanilla ice cream. Darn, no cones that I like so I get it in a cup. Just is not the same. Waddle back to the square and see Kevin. We drive down to the Chedraui across from Plaza Las Glorias to get stuff then back to our respective hotels.
 

First day was full and I did beaucoup. Now time to get my dive gear ready for the dives Monday morning. Then relax a while before sleeping.
 

Monday, 23 July 2001



Prepare my yummy breakfast in my room then drive down to Papa Hogs for my first day of diving. First dive at Columbia Deep. Saw Loggerhead and Hawksbill turtles. What was interesting is that both were stationary so another diver was able to photograph them easily. Short surface interval at Nachi Cocom. Second dive was at Las Palmas. We spent 20 minutes swimming into the current, which was heading south instead of the typical north. At about 20 minutes, I was pondering what I would say about Papa Hogs. Swimming into the current sucks air and not even sea horses to make the dive great. Then the DM stops and he has found a seahorse! It was dark with silver or gold rings around it. It was wrapped around some black or dark green finger coral ?). I am not sure that I could have found it. My first one ever while diving. After everyone sees it the DM found another one just a few feet away. This one is orange. So we turn around and go with the current.
 

After getting back to HSM, I drive over to see if Kevin wants to do anything. We decided to drive over to the east side to take in the sights there. First stop is Mezcalitos (northernmost facility). This is a view looking north. Driving south we stop at Punta Morena. Here are the beaches looking north and south. I believe that you can rent surfboards and boogie boards here. A unique creature that you might see is a coati. It has a tail that must be almost 2 feet long.
 

Next stop is Coconuts. Coconuts is on a bluff overlooking the ocean. Here is the main building and this is looking south. There are two parking areas at Coconuts: one at the south end and another at the north that is near a vacant and unfinished three story building.
 

Heading south our next stop is Chen Rio. There are two parking lots: north and south. The swimming area is frequented by people having a good time. This area was being used safely even when the waves around were creating hazardous swimming condition.
 

 Resuming our casual journey south, we come to Playa Bonita. The beach area here seems even nicer than Chen Rio...having less seaweed (I did see people cleaning up seaweed)
 

 El Mirador is a very nice place to stop. If you look closely you will see the open hole making this an arch formation. If you walk on the top, be sure to have decent shoes. Here Kevin looks over another formation. I dared him to jump but I suspect he just ignored me.
 

 Our final stop on this scenic tour of the eastside is Paradise Cafe. One thing I like about this area is the blowhole that is located just north of the beach area. Depending upon the wave action, this can be quite dramatic.
 

 We headed west where we made stops at Nachi Cocom and Mr Sanchos. Final stop for the afternoon was at Dzul-Ha where we snorkeled.
 

 That night I had my standard DQ vanilla ice cream while watching the sunset and found an internet cafe to check email. Another primo day comes to an end.
 

Tuesday, 24 July 2001



 This is a special diving day set up by Angela with Pascual's. We are to dive Barracuda and San Juan reefs to the north. These are not frequented nearly as much as places like Santa Rosa due to more demanding (potentially dangerous) conditions. We get to the drop off point for Barracuda and down we go. Upon getting to the wall, I note that the current is not as strong as the last time I was here. But still reasonably strong. The plant life here is noticeably more pristine that other dive sites...obviously less diver damage. Upon surfacing the first thing we noticed were the swells. Since we had drifted quite a long ways to the north, we were now exposed to the prevailing winds. Second thing was no boat. Not to worry though. The boat captain had positioned himself to the north so he would have better visibility (sun basically behind him compared to our position). The boat captain spotted us fairly quickly despite the swells. On the way back I noticed the beautiful color of the water. This pic should show you one reason why Cozumel is such a nice destination.
 

We went to Playa Azul for our surface interval. Since that was right next to Kevin's hotel, I stopped by to see if he was doing anything. Just relaxing in his room but he did come out to talk to Angela and myself. We had hoped to get brownies at Playa Azul but we were too early. so back to the boat for our second dive at San Juan. San Juan is a bit closer to town so the surface conditions were much more benign than Barracuda. The current at San Juan was much stronger than Barracuda. There was one area where the soft coral/plant life resembled a carpet in basic appearance. Overall, both dives were very nice and Pascual's did a good job of keeping us safe (not drifting off to Cuba).
 

 After the dives, I went to the east side again. No joy on the tortugas. However I could tell that they were hatching. I did find the jacuzzi though. Since the waves were fairly high, it would have been dangerous to be sitting in it. Here is a view while the waves are calm. Now look at the difference when that area is awash in a large wave. One last pic after a large wave.
 

 On the way back I stopped to get gas. It was 5.23 pesos per liter. This is about $2.16 US per gallon.
 

 Later that evening I was successful in posing in front of the webcam as it took its last picture of the day.
 

Wednesday, 25 July 2001



 This was my down day from diving. The plan was to take an early ferry to Playa Del Carmen (PDC) then the bus to Tulum. After that, a bus to Cancun for a quick look at the area (my first). Caught the 8:00 AM ferry (146 pesos RT) which left at 8:04 AM. Arrived in PDC at 08:37 AM. Walked over to the bus terminal where I went to the ticket counter to get my 28 pesos ticket to Tulum. The Riviera bus is labelled "Chetumal." Left at about 9:15 AM with busses leaving about every 30 minutes or less. The bus stopped right at an intersection that was outside the secondary entrance to Tulum at 10:05 AM. Walked about two blocks west. There is a building with shops, places to eat and restrooms.
 

Outside of that is a kiosk that sells 15 peso tickets for the tram that will take you to the entrance or you can walk. Buy your 35 peso entry ticket at a small kiosk that is to the left of this line of folks. After you get inside this is the view of Tulum that you will see. This is the plaque giving an overview of Tulum. The following hopefully is a correct listing of buildings but I might have made a mistake. I will have to go back to do it over again :) Operating hours 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

To simplify the typing required I am just going to list the pictures:
 

Building
Plaque
Pinturas Temple  plaque
Castillo plaque
Casa Cenote plaque
Miniatures plaque
Torreon plaque
Viento plaque
View from Viento

 

After leaving Tulum at 11:30 AM, I walked out to the shops looking for gifts but found nothing I wanted. Then a 20 pesos taxi ride leaving at 11:45 AM to the Tulum bus station. Missed the 12:00 noon Riviera bus (it left 10 minutes early) so I had to take the Mayab bus to Cancun. It seems to stop for anyone along the road. They pay the driver based upon where they are going. I got tired of the stops so when the Mayab bus pulled into the PDC bus stop at 12:50 PM (where I was this morning), I got off and walked over to the Cancun ticket counter. This ticket was 32 pesos. The busses from PDC to Cancun leave about every 10 minutes.
 

I left PDC at 1:19 PM and arrived at the Cancun bus station at 2:28 PM. There were lots of city busses around but since I did not know their route I took a 70 pesos taxi to my destination. After taking a taxi back to the Cancun bus terminal, I left for PDC at 4:24 PM, arriving in PDC at 5:32. Had to take the slow ferry at 6:00 PM and arrived in Cozumel one hour later....in time to take sunset pics.
 

Thursday, 26 July 2001



 Another diving day with Dive Paradise to Palancar Bricks and Villablanca.
 

Standard trip to check on the turtles...no joy.
 

Chatters meeting and a round of mini-golf. Again I was unable to even make par.
 

Friday, 27 July 2001


Woke up early to go to the east side. I took the sunrise pic at the beginning of this report. Also noted fresh turtle tracks where eggs were layed the night before. Or this set of tracks.
 

 This was a special day. Kevin, Angela and I got a day pass to Allegro. Started the day with breakfast then got Kevin set up with the Intro to Scuba session while Angela and I relaxed while waiting for Pascuals to pick us up.
 

 Dives were at Palancar Caves and Paso de Cedral. Saw my first free-swimming nurse shark and two large puffers.
 

After returning we had lunch then relaxed while reading a book on the beach. Then I took a sailing lesson on a Hobie Cat while Angela relaxed on the pontoon. Then I was set free with Angela bravely going along. Fortunately we lived. I then took a kayak out while Angela and the sailing instructor demonstrated tipping the Hobie Cat over and righting it.
 

Saturday, 28 July 2001



My last day of diving. Don't have the dives recorded. The highlight of the entire trip was the turtle release. This shows the turtles just beginning to break surface. Here there are more. This is beaucoup babies. Here they are going into the water after a wave had moved them around.
 

Sunday, 28 July 2001



Nothing really special today. Packed. Looked for the International Jeans store but could not find it. Bought a seahorse (onyz) and some onyz coasters. Really fast guy shopping! Turned the car back in, got my seat assignment and got home in time to get Bear out of the kennel.
 

Lodging Review

I stayed at Hacienda San Miguel (HSM) for the third time since Nov 2000 during the week of 22-29 July 2001. Initially I was in La Rosa. It is a two-story unit with bedroom, TV and full bath upstairs and bunkbed, kitchen, dining room and half-bath downstairs. Rooms are airconditioned. Several days I stayed in Alhalia (spelling?) which is another large unit near the entrance. (The change of rooms was to accommodate a request I had)
 

HSM is supposedly a hotel but it feels more like home than any other place I have stayed in Cozumel. I like being able to grab a cold coke out of the fridge...pouring it into a large glass full of ice. Then relax in bed and read or watch a little TV before going to bed.
 

Floor is tile typical of places in Cozumel so wet dive gear is no problem. Both units had balconies. Shampoo, rinse and hand lotion is provided so eventually I will remember that and not bring my own. In the morning, you can have coffee, orange juice and nice breads/pastries brought to you for breakfast. I prefer to make my own breakfast to start the day. Normal kitchen items are there.
 

If you go to their website you will see the water fountain in the entrance. The middle area is well landscaped and a pleasure to walk though.

HSM has become my first choice for my trips to Cozumel for several reasons:

1) Excellent value for a reasonable price

2) Kitchen facilities for my cold classic cokes and breakfast.

3) Good location within walking distance of the downtown area

4) Quiet

5) Excellent staff

No doubt I am missing other reasons to stay there. But I will mention one factor that made my recent trip a great one. Angela was able to set up a special dive trip that is usually hard to arrange with some dive shops...especially if you are not a regular. She joined us on that trip and another that we started from Allegro, where we were doing lots of neat stuff. As a single traveler, sometimes doing things is not as much fun alone. Angela joined me on a few occasions and her company was very welcome. She is a great diver and a fun person to spend time with.
 

Do I recommend HSM? That depends. If you must have a pool and beach right outside your door, it is not the place for you. If you want quality lodging at a good price so you can spend your money on diving, rental car, etc, then it is worth considering. However, it is not a place you should stay when I want to go to Cozumel. Try another hotel in that case :)
 

And thus ends another Ron Lee vacation. My idea of a great vacation is one that requires that you go back to work to relax/recuperate. I was successful.

With that we bid you farewell until next time.