Cozumel

Cozumel is a much better fit for us than the parts of the Mayan Riviera (Tulum and Playa del Carmen) we passed on the way here. At the same time, it is probably our least favorite spot we have been on this trip, but that is a high bar since we have LOVED everywhere else we have been in the Yucatan peninsula. From what we have seen of Cozumel it has a great beachy vibe with lots to do and countless beaches to explore. Since we had to leave our car in Playa del Carmen, we have felt a bit captive in our resort for most of our stay so haven’t been able to see as many beaches or sights as we would have liked, but we still had a very nice and relaxing time. The main stress point for me was the price of food at the resort restaurants. I didn’t think an all-inclusive would be a great fit for us since we aren’t big drinkers, but if we stay in a resort again I will need to factor the price of meals into that calculation in the future. The sticker shock from going from typical Mexican prices ($5-10 mains, or tacos for $1) to Cozumel resort prices ($15-20 mains) was really difficult to swallow. Even the drinks were at least $5 for a small amount of juice or water. We ended up shelling out for the expensive all-you-can-eat breakfasts (which were fantastic) so that we could then skip lunch and hold out until dinner.

While we did appreciate the luxury of the resort, Zach and I also just feel totally out of place. We don’t know what to do, how to tip, what language to speak, etc. We also felt like we had left Mexico and were suddenly in a mini slice of America. Prices were quoted to us in US dollars first, English was the primary language, and luxuries from home that had been absent everywhere else on our trip (such as toilets that flush paper, ever present a/c, and powerful water pressure) were the norm.

What I did love about the Intercontinental Presidente Cozumel was the snorkeling right on the property. I got in a good amount of snorkeling there with Zach and Diane, where we saw a surprising amount and diversity of fish. It is so fun just to jump in the water and see stuff whenever you want! The water is perfectly clear, and for most of the time there was no seaweed in sight. It only started to come in later in the day, and even then it wasn’t bad. We got to see a lot before the seaweed (and the tiny jellyfish that seemed to accompany it) scared Diane out of the water.

I stayed in for a bit and noticed a strange fish, the shape and size of an American football. It had ribbon-like fins along the side and I could not wrap my brain around what I was looking at. Then it turned and I saw its eye and tentacles. “Squid!!!” I yelled to Zach, who jumped in and got some pictures. It may be a cuttlefish, we are still trying to determine, but it was so so cool!! It was beautifully colorful, and soon its mate swam up and they swam away together as a pair.

Cuttlefish or squid?

We booked a snorkeling tour for Zach, Diane, and me (Melina opted to hang back and watch TV in the room all day). The tour left from the resort and there were only five tourist on the boat with us, which was nice. But it is odd to me that on just about every snorkeling trip I’ve ever been on there is one person who can’t swim, and this was no exception. There are floaties, so it is definitely doable, but the person always seems so nervous that I have to wonder if it is even worth it without taking a few swim lessons first…?

We stopped at two reefs and two beaches. The first reef was Columbia, where we saw lots of fish and a sea turtle! The next was a beach called El Cielo, which was lined with gorgeous white sand and dotted with huge sea stars! Each was bigger than a dinner plate- maybe about the size of a serving platter- and at least six inches thick. We also saw some tiny flounder here that were really weird and fun to watch.

We then took a quick break at a sandy beach that our guides said used to be empty, but when we were there was clogged with party boats. People were everywhere, blasting music and drinking beers. It was NOT our scene, but the highlight was the enormous sting rays weaving through the groups of inebriated tourists! Our family was the only one that had our snorkels so we kept our heads in the water and ogled them (the rays, not the tourists) as they glided by. Most of the other groups there were completely unaware of the rays, which seems crazy because some were maybe 6 feet in diameter!

The final reef was La Francesa, which had more gorgeous fish and the grand finale: a nurse shark hiding in the reef below us! It was too far away to get a good picture, but we got a kick out of the sighting. Zach was pretty proud that when our guide said, “look, a shark!” his first instinct was to swim towards it rather than to panic and swim away. I guess he’s becoming more comfortable as a snorkeler…or more tolerant of dangerous animals?

As awesome as it was to see these amazing sea creatures on a tour, it was definitely more rewarding to snorkel on our own at our own pace during this trip. I’ll need to remember that for future traveling. I am also starting to wonder if there are any snorkeling destinations left with the vibrantly colored corals I remember seeing in Hawaii when I was a kid. The changes I’ve seen in just the last 30 or so years are significant and depressing.

I was determined to snorkel around the hotel before breakfast on our last day, so I got out before 7am (shocking that the rest of the family didn’t want to join me) and walked out to the beach. As soon as I put my head in the water I saw a barracuda looking right at me. I decided that snorkeling by myself with no one there to hear me scream was a bad idea, and immediately got out of the water.

Melina decided to join me after breakfast to snorkel and look for the cuttlefish/squid pair. They didn’t make an appearance, but Melina did enjoy seeing all the colorful fish and the schools that teemed around a sunken structure off the reef.

Meanwhile, Zach and Diane learned that the hotel has a trained hawk to keep birds away. They met both the hawk and it’s trainer. I think this is super cool but also sad because it explains why there are so few birds here. I’ve seen a few tiny bananquits, but the only others have been the great tailed grackles that are everywhere in Mexico. I’m pretty sure they are the birds the trained hawk is there to scare, but they don’t seem at all phased. I even got to see the grackles swarming a large (wild) black hawk and chasing him away from their trees. They are gutsy!

On our last full day in Cozumel (and Mexico) Diane and I borrowed bikes from the hotel and rode into town on the bike lane. It was about 8km and was an easy ride, but HOT. We cooled off afterwards with bubble tea in the town square, and wound our way through the stalls filled with the same cheap junk over and over.

Eventually Zach and Melina took a cab into town to meet us and we all walked the streets, on a mission for Melina. At one of our earlier stops on the trip she had seen an ice cream treat that she remembers having back when she was 5? years old in Portugal: the Pela Pop. It is a banana-shaped yellow ice cream popsicle covered in a gelatin “peel.” Despite the fact that she maintains she does not like bananas, Melina has been dreaming about this dessert for the past 8 years and was determined to find it. We only had to hit a few corner shops when we found it. Melina says we have now fulfilled her every dream in life.

Back at the hotel, we had to say one last sad goodbye…to Zach’s stash of seashells. He left tons at Celestun, but had high hopes to ship a box of his favorites from Cozumel. Unfortunately, DHL was not ok with shipping seashells, so he had to leave more behind and pick only a handful (including one large and perfect conch) to bring back in our carry-on luggage without getting arrested by the Mexican authorities. So after he painstakingly selected the best of the best, he asked us, “who wants to go help me write ‘Mexico’ in the sand with the other shells while I cry?”

Diane and I went to dinner early to take advantage of happy hour. The deal was 2 for one, and so we both got mango daquiris; hers a virgin and mine a double. Then we enjoyed a final dinner at the gorgeous seaside restaurant. We have taught Melina how to calculate a tip and charge the bill to our room, and so she has loved “paying” for our meals this way. She says she is using the money she got from her “parent lottery.” We love this.

We are all so sad to be going home. It is especially painful that we don’t have our sweet Zellie waiting for us. Not to mention the news we have been trying to ignore while on vacation. Even Melina has come back around in the last two days and is bummed to leave. The girls have come up with a great way to think about it: “we aren’t leaving Mexico, we are going to see Georgia!” That definitely helps.

As I write this we are waiting in the Orlando airport, at the end of a 6 hour layover before we board our flight to Baltimore. We have explored every shop, been through security four times between terminals, and taken goofy pictures at every opportunity. We are anxious to be done with our return flights, but would honestly turn around in a heartbeat and go back to Mexico. Hopefully we will return someday!