Cozumel Mexico is a pretty popular cruise port. In fact 3 of my last 4 cruises have included at stop at that port.
I will say there is plenty to do just off the pier. There are lots and lots of shops in the terminal area. You can find everything you could want to by with out having to leave that spot.
(photo credit Cruisemapper.com)
But why wouldn’t you want to go explore? We sure wanted too. So the first time we went we decided to take the ferry to “Playa del Carmen”. I had read that it was a very pretty beach and worth checking out. The ferry ride was pretty cool, maybe took about 40 minutes. Here is a tip if you ever want to go. DO NOT buy a round trip ticket. It will cost about the same as getting one -way each way BUT there are two different ferry companies. So when you are ready to head back to Cozumel one companies ferry might be there and if you have the “other guys” ticket you can't get on.
(photo credit www.playadelcarman.com)
We found this beach side restaurant steps away for the ferryboat drop off. And as long as we bought a couple drinks we could sit on their covered beachfront tables as long as we wanted.
That turned into “base” for us, and while my daughter played on the beach, a couple of us would head out to explore the nearby shops and architecture. I was traveling with my mom, mother in law and hubby this cruise.
We definitely enjoyed our day over there. However, things got a little dicey heading back. Poor time management on our part. We did not get on a ferry when we should have and the next one was running late. We got back to Cozumel and to our ship with minutes to spare.
Any relaxing that I did not that beach that day evaporated while praying and freaking out that we were going to miss the boat. NOT a good feeling at all. (I promise I learned my lesson!)
The next time we cruised into the Cozumel port we all agreed to stick a bit closer to the ship. So this time we went to check out Paradise Beach. It had a small $3.00 per person entry fee. It included a large pool and beachfront lounger seating. They did ask that you spend another $10 on food or drink but that was easy to do. They also had a water play area with inflatables (for an extra fee).
I loved the pool area, but I was very disappointed with the beach that day. I think there was a storm that brought in lots of seaweed and muck. There were employees working on cleaning off the beach but the water was a gross muddy brown. Just not appealing at all.
Now I did research on Paradise beach and saw beautiful videos and photos for the beach. So it could have just not been my lucky beach day. I still enjoyed the pool area and would for sure give the place another shot.
This most recent time we cruised over, we did not get off the ship. Since we had been to Cozumel a few times already, we wanted to enjoy the ship with less people on it. Turns out is was a rainy day so many others had the same idea.
Still I liked the port, and I do suggest it as a stop for anyone who has not been.
Here is a video I did reviewing Paradise beach.
(If you want to learn about how I budget and save for my cruises check out www.CruiseWithJosie.com)
PEACE.LOVE&CRUISES to all...
