I had not been to Cozumel for quite a few years so when this cruise aboard the Celebrity Infinity came up, we booked it!
When we arrived, the weather was glorious. I could not have asked for a better morning. Unfortunately, Barbara woke up with a bad back and she thought it was better to not bounce around in a jeep for 4 hours, so she stayed behind.
I went down to the meeting place, the El CID HOTEL, and after navigating a maze of jewelry stores, trinket shops and multiple duty free liquor stores, I finally found the hotel.
WOW, the hotel had a spectacular location with a view to match!
At 8:30 I left the view and went to the hotel entrance where I found a man named Jorge and he was wearing a shirt with a logo for the tour company that I was looking for. As it turned out, he would be my guide!
We walked to the area where the jeeps were "pooled" together, he asked if I would mind having a "topless" Jeep with a manual transmission. I said of course to the topless inquiry but was curious about the transmission question.
Well, Jorge explained that he would like me to drive while we were in the city limits of San Miguel, due to conflict the tour company was having with "THOSE BANDIT TAXI HOMBRES"🤔! I admit it was fun driving through town in a 6 speed jeep for awhile!
The tour was designed for me to create the itinerary, but Jorge strongly suggested we stop at the Tequila plantation to see how the process worked and of course taste the nectar of the Agave Tequilana!
Before we arrived Jorge had me pull over so he good drive, I wonder why?
After the tasting, we proceeded to cross the island from the western side, where the ship is docked, to the eastern or windward side where the coastline is rocky and secluded.
It was a beautiful drive as we headed towards the southern tip of the island and we stopped several times to enjoy the view and get out to where the sea had been eating away at the soft stone of the shore.
The surf created several "tide pools" in the rocks for multiple varieties of litter critters to live and play in the turbulent water.
At this southern most tip of the island is the Punta Sur Eco Park. This is a nationally protected park that has beautiful beaches, that are off limits to swimmers. It also has some small but interesting Mayan ruins
....and a fantastic lagoon teeming with wildlife. It also has multiple viewing platforms with a view of the entire island!
Salt water crocodile are prevalent in this area as well as on most of the island!
We drove by the lighthouse that is in the park and then headed back to the southwestern part of the island where most of the swim and dive beaches are as well as the majority of the hotels and resorts.
The Intercontinental Resort, Fiesta Americana and several smaller chains and local properties are available and they all provide comfortable accommodations for any budget.
We stopped for lunch and snorkeling at a Day Resort called Playa Uvas. The lunch was both tasty and HUGE!
It is on one of the stunning beaches in a string of them in this area. This one is better for diving rather than swimming due to it's rocky entrance.
For swimming, I suggest either Paradise Beach or Mr. Sanchos Resort. The both have pools, beaches, activities and food/drinks. All inclusive choices are available in both spots and they are a short taxi ride from the pier as well. I neglected to mention that the entire north half of the island is a military installation and therefore off limits to development or tourism.
If you do not stop here as a cruise port, you can fly onto the island or take a ferry from the mainland but no matter how you arrive, San Miguel de Cozumel is a safe and pleasant, if maybe a little quieter, alternative to the mega resorts on the mainland!
Write a comment