I hope to visit Cozumel with my family for what will likely be a once in a lifetime visit, this coming November (next month). The main reason for the trip is to give my kids the chance to snorkel (from shore) and experiance the sea life. I want to stay in a hotel on the water with the best snorkeling right from the hotel. I had researched this with some books from the library had had a couple of good choices (the Presidente Intercontinental sounded the most promising). However, I since found out that the quality of sealife has changed in some areas of Cozumel after the hurricane. Now I am uncertain which locations/hotels would provide the best experiance. I also have the same quesiton for the Mayan Rivera (south of Playa del Carmen and north of Tulum).
2006-10-20 16:05:36 · 5 answers · asked by iwant2snorkelinCzml 1 in Travel ➔ Mexico ➔ Cozumel
My husband and I went to Cozumel when Hurricane Rita hit last year and the snorkelling was still awesome...we snorkelled at three different spots. Snorkelling right off the beach of your hotel is not good due to the waves (you won't see anything). We also took a trip to Xel-ha which was pretty good...best to bring your own mask, cause alot of the masks they rented out were not water tight...you also have to buy a special environmentally safe sunscreen that they sell in the park, because they will not allow you to use your own. But by far, the BEST snorkelling was in a park called Chankanaab...just hop in a taxi and say "Chankanaab" and you will see awesome fish and barracuda and eels!! It is in a reef area and there are snorkel rentals and bathrooms and a restaurant there...not as fancy as Xel-ha of course, but the variety and numbers of fish are great! So, whatever resort you stay at, it is only a short cheap cab ride to Chankanaab...and the front desk of your hotel will probably have brochures of both Xel-ha and Chankanaab for you.
2006-10-25 12:53:01 · answer #1 · answered by Redawg J 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I live on Cozumel right now and yes,the snorkeling has changed since the hurricane 1 year ago.I don't know for sure about which hotel it would be best to snorkel from,but I would choose one on the south side of town,not the north.
The south side is where we have found the best snorkeling,espacially at a little beach bar called Playa Corona.It still has a shallow reef to explore and You will see hundreds of fish!!
The other place we like a lot is near town to south also ,but walking distance from the city,it is called La Palapatita.It has the best drink prices of all the beachclubs we have visited and a nice,calm area to snorkel in ,protected by a wooden dock.
As far as Playa is concerned,I had stayed at the Barcelo Maya beach resort and found it a safe and good place to swimm and snorkel with my the 10 and 11 year old children.
Good Luck!
2006-10-27 05:37:31 · answer #2 · answered by mrsaeb 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Best Snorkeling Cozumel
2016-11-08 05:34:33 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, I just got back from cozumel in june. Did all that you want to do and it is hurt from the hurricane, but they where remodeling everything when i was there so the town was kinda of trashy but it was still a great trip. Me and my wife stayed at the el cozumeleno beach resort.The snorkling equipment is all with the hotel all you have to do is ask for it in the dive shop and they give it to you. They can also set you up with a fishing trip, scuba diving, jet skies, paral sailing, or even a booze cruz at night. You can also get a snorkling trip through the dive shop which i thought was awsome. They take you in a boat to three reefs and you get to see alot of cool things but it is hurt alittle from the hurricane but not bad. My favorite is the sunken ships. The water is 150% visibilty so you can see everything while snorkling. If you dont have your scuba diving license they give a class every morning i think at 9 or 9:30 am. It takes about 2 hours to do and they let you suit up and scuba dive in the pool to get the feel for it and to learn a few things. Then that after noon if you pay i think $65 each they take you out downtown and you walk in the ocean and take a 20ft dive with the instructor. I also did this and man was it worth it. Saw some pretty cool fish and a realy nice reef with lots of brain corel and some other stuff. But the el cozumeleno beach resort is a great place and is about a $5 cab ride to town. The motel is an all inclusive which means all you have to pay is for the motel and they give you a braclet at check in and then you can walk up to the bar and ask for a drink and they make it and give it to you. Hope this helps you;)
2006-10-23 17:35:18 · answer #4 · answered by Lance K 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Check out El Cid la Ceiba... they are just north of the Cruise ship pier... Right between you and the pier is a sunken pier (I heard it was hit by a cruise ship a while back and they had to build a new one...). There is also an airplane in the water there that was used in a Mexican film. You can go right in from the hotel... My fav place on Cozumel. You will still probably take a charter to Palancar reef, but you can see stuff right from El Cid. Check out the tours to Xel-ha and Chichen Itza... If you go by bus sit up front, you DO NOT want to sit by the bathroom, lol.
2006-10-21 10:01:25 · answer #5 · answered by Robb 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋