COZUMEL on a Budget

The jewel-shaped island lies just 12 miles off the Yucatan Coast, and measures just 28 miles long and 10 miles wide. The entire island lies a mere 8 feet above sea level. With its dense growths of lush vegetation, the island is fringed with miles of white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters which range from stunning turquoise to aquamarine, to deep indigo. Click HERE for more!

Following a 1961 documentary by Jacques Cousteau, Cozumel earned a world-wide following of divers who rank it one of the top five dive sites on the planet. Much of Cozumel's coastline is fringed by coral reefs, the sea teeming with undersea life, colorful reefs, and the slumbering hulls of Spanish galleons. The second largest coral reef in the world starts at Cozumel (the exotic black coral, Palancar reef.) Padi Nasds, Naui, Ymca, SSI and Cmas facilities as well as certification and courses are available.

The island's attractions include over 35 archaeological sites and the town of San Migel (population 50,000) is a hodgepodge of cafés, restaurants, and attractive boutiques.

And now, for the fun! Experience the many wonderful restaurants from quaint and authentic eateries to fine dining - you'll find it all in Cozumel, including the ever so popular Carlos 'n' Charlie's. Click This to get you into the mood! Imagine having a dude squirt a stream of wine from a bota 12' across the room onto your tongue - I think you get the idea..

But first, LET'S FIND A PLACE TO CRASH
If you are on a budget, let's face it, all you really NEED in a room is a place to sleep. Something secure, quiet, cool, and clean with a good shower. Everything else is available on the Island - especially if you don't want to spend a bundle. So.. my recommendation is to find a downtown hotel and go to the expensive hotels to get all of the other goodies. Which you can do; by law all beach front hotels must allow access to the beach, which means that there are virtually no private properties on the ocean. More amenities later on..

Lets start with a Map of the island. Leave this on your desktop!
San Miguel de Cozumel is the only large town on the island. From here you can get anywhere. I highly recommend renting a motor bike for the duration or at least for a few days; in the long run it won't cost much more than the taxi's you will probably use, you will have total mobility, and can explore ruin's, the windward side of the island, etc.

Click HERE for a general overview and hotel prices
Here is another Hotel List that I could find.

Budget Lodging!
Below are a few of the excellent smaller Hotels with everything you need and pleasant folks at the desk. Prices reflect High season - Low season subtract about $10. For reference, here is a large MAP of San Miguel. The best thing to do is to get on the phone and call some of the below to see what is available
We will start with the Mary-Carmen. This is a favorite of mine. Close to the beach and all the amenities of the town such as Restaurants, Discos, etc. etc.
Cost: $45 US per night for 2. Phone: 0-11-52-987 2-05-81
Suites Elizabeth. Also nice.. Downtown:
Cost $50 for 2. Phone: 0-11-52-987 2-03-30
I've stayed at both of the above. If these aren't available try these:
AQUILAR: Cost $40 for 2. Phone: 0-11-52-987 2-03-07
PEPITA: Very basic! Good Reviews however. Cost up to $40 for 2. Phone: 0-11-52-987-2-00-98

For a Pittance More!
This is nice! Alfonso Viladiu's Villas. His web site sez it all. He is a local artist, and I highly recommend this one! My #1 pick if available
Price is $250 a week! except for Christmas/New Years. Email him, or Phone: 011-52-987-23309 to get the price and availability.

What to do during the daylight hours!
Just south of El Presidente is Chankanaab National Undersea Park. This is a great place to snorkel and get a great introduction into the magnificent sea life around Cozumel. If not this trip, at some point I'm betting that you will want to come back and get certified to Scuba Dive and really get into it. If you check things out between here and San Miguel, you can spot some dudes who will take you under the sea, whether you are certified or not. Caution! Make sure they give you a through lesson on how to operate the equipment, and make sure you feel confident about it, or you may be returned to the States in a bag.

The island, although very small has some excellent sight-seeing opportunites. Here are some pics of my past adventures you can check out. Jump on the moto (remember this?) and check it out. The western beaches are very cool - big time surf and secluded.

One of my favorite pastimes is "Hotel Surfing". North of San Miguel are a string of hotels which offer different types of beaches, and interesting events, foods, etc. Nice place to catch some rays and swim in a very calm shallow ocean. Make sure you catch the marimbas in the palapa at the El Presidente.
There are numerous ruins on the island which might be worth checking out if you so desire.

Food and Nightlife
Great food abounds all over the island. Good restaurants may be found in all of the Hotels, all along Rafael Malgar (the main road) and obscure little off the way spots. Be cautious of smaller spots, do not eat lettuce or anything that might be washed with unpurified water. You will have no problems with any of the better restaurants. Street vendors might best be avoided, altho some of the open street cafes that barbeque chicken and braise meats with flame are some of my favorites and are generally safe.
If you do get a dose of Montezumas Revenge, rush to the pharmacia and get some "Buscapina Sulfato", or forgeting this, point to your stomach and grimace. They will catch on and most likely give you the above. The universal sulfa drug! Nothing works as fast or well, including the usual US pharmaceuticals. Believe Me!!
And now for a comment on my favorite. SEAFOOD! It's all good and caught that day. One of my favorite afternoon snacks is "ceveche", which is a seafood cocktail made of bits of all sorts of goodies from the sea. Ask your waiter to explain what things are if you cannot figure all of the exotic names. (for instance: Pulpo is Octupuss, a favorite item in ceveche!) The quickest way to get a good response is to preface your question with Que es esto? - what is this? - or if you want an spanish name for something Como se Dice? (Komo say Deesay) - how do you say this? en engles? (een eenglays) - you can figure this one. These are the most valuable set of words I learned in my travels in Mexico...!
The idea is this: we are visitors in their country and they really dig it if you are interested in their culture; and nine times out of ten will bend over backwards to help you with anything you want to know, if you treat them with a dose of respect!

About the Nightlife. There is something for everyone. Disco's - Still big-time in Mexico! - and where the locals hangout whether it's super crowded or not. Great Hot spots like Carlos & Charlie's - food and fun! Wander around and you will find that the evenings entertainment is just around the corner. Pick up one of those small tourist giveaway booklets and check it out. You can find just about everything in those little books...

If you want to check out the local population of Cozumel, go to the plaza on Sunday evenings. Outdoor dancing with the local band - traditional, btw - young and old mixing.

Last but not least, what about MONEY? I recommend that you transfer US dollars to pesos. Preferably at one of the Bancos - but a real pain - Open 10-2 and long lines to get the best exchange rates. If you can find a credit card money machine, the best rates should be available here also, and you most likely will get pesos also.
Use pesos, not credit cards or cash whenever possible, restaurants, etc. have terrible exchange rates. The locals dig it also. Important! Carry some American Express travelers checks (only! and in $20 denominations) in case of emergency. They are good anywhere so if you don't need them you can always use them back in the states.
If you have large amounts of pesos on departure, you should be able to convert them at the aeropuerto, either in Cozumel or the US, but be prepared to take a major bath... These guys will skin you!
And, for Gods sake bring no contraband back with you. They will catch you!!