01-02-2010
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#1 (permalink) |
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aņejo
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 6,654
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Playa by way of Cozumel: Our December Adventures (& Misadventures)
Friday, December 4th
Ever since flugie told me how easy it was to fly in and out of Cozumel at a long-ago Boston peep meet, I've been wanting to try it. We could avoid long immigration lines and take a quick ferry ride over to the mainland. It could be a little more adventurous. But as it's usually quite a bit more costly to fly into Cozumel than Cancun we've never tried it. So in the heat of the swine flu hysteria last spring we scored some cheap flights from Boston to Cozumel for just $268 each. Our friend Harris (Tallyho) found tickets to Cancun for the unbelievable price of $235, but I didn't mind paying just a little more to try the Cozumel route. Plus maybe we'd stay there for a couple of nights at the end of our trip. We always enjoy our day trips there.... At the last minute we ended up checking a bag and carrying our laptop on with a couple other carry-ons, but still thought we'd hit the ground running in short order- it's small airport, right? We were in row 9 and we'd certainly make the 2 p.m. ferry to Playa after landing a little before 1:30. We resigned ourselves to being on Mexican time when a young girl was wheeled on to the plane and sat next to us for the Dallas to Cozumel flight. Ah, well...what's the rush, anyway? We learned that the girl was travelling as part of a larger group that was due on a flight early the following week. American Airlines has a program that provides flights to wheelchair bound people to go diving. It's a wonderful idea, and it reminded me of an old quadraplegic friend who was able to partake in a similar program in Bonaire several years ago. I remember it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for her. So anyway, after an early arrival we brought up the end of the immigration line, then dashed along to get our checked bag at the luggage carousel when- oh oh, why is that gun-wielding federale standing over our bag? I nudged Brian to just go get it, and he sighed and walked closer. A young man ran up to him and said 'don't take that bag... they want to look in it!' After a brief exchange with the soldier he then told Brian to go ahead and put it through the x-ray machine and then put it on the table to be inspected. The soldier, two baggage inspectors, Brian and I are now hovering over our bag as the inspectors proceed to open up all the space bags we'd carefully stacked our clothes in and folded into these impossibly small bricks. They pull out ziploc bags full of collars and leashes for the pet shelter and give us quizzical looks. They seem satisfied, though, and motion for us to pack it back up. Of course now we have piles of clothing that will never fit back into the bag. We remove our two snorkel bags and stuff the clothing in as best we can and go to set the bag down and wheel it away. Ohhhhh, but first, they say- you must go back and press the button for the light. Brian just says 'okay, but- what do we do if it's red???" They look at each other and laugh, realizing the ridiculousness of their request, I guess, and sent us on our way, but not before Brian complied with their request. Well, thank goodness he got the green light!  Grumbling under our breath we lugged our stuff outside to an open door of a waiting van. Cool! Not so fast, we had to go back inside and buy tickets for the fare. We did, and stuffed ourselves into a back seat. Okay, so we waited, door still open. Please senor- we were certainly the last people in the airport- let's go already! Finally a couple of stragglers who were grabbing drinks at the bar crammed in and off we went. Five minutes later we were climbing over everyone to exit the van at the first stop- the ferry dock- only to see the 2:00 ferry pulling out on it's merry way to Playa del Carmen. Arrgghh. We bought tickets for the 3:00 ferry and wheeled our way across the street, hunkering down at a table at Las Palmeras with our first margaritas in Mexico.  Ahhhhh, now that's better. We'd left our house at the ungodly hour of 3:30 a.m. and the margaritas were soon making our overtired brains a bit punchy- and all we could do was laugh about our day thus far. I had the bright idea of ordering more margaritas to go for the ferry ride, not thinking of how we'd carry them with all of our other things. We managed, though, and were soon on our way across the water. Once on shore we grabbed a tricyclero driver, loaded our bags on and walked along behind. Brian decided to stop at a convenience store and grab a couple of beers. He'd finish the walk up to Playa Palms along the beach while I went with the bags. About a block before the hotel I decided to hop on with the bags which was fine until we went flying down the side street toward the beach- whoo hoo! we careened around the corner and came to a stop out in front of Playa Palms. We were just staying here a night, and moving down to Fisherman's Village for the following week the next morning. I checked in, expecting an oceanview room, but was happy to find out we'd been upgraded to an oceanfront room (the one directly below the webcam).   Brian came along the beach with our beer and we changed into shorts. Harris should already be here- she and her boyfriend Paul flew in earlier today and were sharing a condo just around the corner at Plantation House with her 82-year old mother, Peg, and her 80-year old aunt from Colorado, Barb. More on them later- they would add lots of color to our trip. Right now we had to go find our good friends from Iowa, Mary (Mave) and Paul, who we'd met on one of our very first trips to Playa. They were staying in a condo right next door. Right next door was right! Their patio was just on the other side of the bushes at the edge of Playa Palms grounds. We surprised them through the bushes and, with hugs all around, caught up with lots of news and stories, and met Mary's brother Jack, her sister Fay and her husband Doug, who were all sharing the condo for a couple of weeks. What a beautiful place. I did not take many pictures this first day, but Shammy just posted a link to this condo in another thread. Mary & the resident cat  Paul and Jack  The sun started setting and, needing more beer we decided to walk up the street with Mary and Paul and check out the Beer Bucket. We knew Harris planned to run back up to the Cancun airport to pick up her aunt, so didn't think she'd be around until later. As we walked toward the Bucket we ran into Rocky just heading out. We did an about face and joined him at El Bar for a happy hour that turned into a few. Several beers and lots of laughs later Brian and I bid the others good night and set out for pizza. We wandered up to Mandarina's and took a few slices back to the hotel. I wolfed down a piece and woke up the next morning with one bite out of the second piece sitting on the bedside table. I do remember waking up in the night, thinking that the club next door was really loud- what was that anyway? Sounded like Gregorian chants or something, I exclaimed to Brian. Realizing that the sound was coming from our own tv we laughed like silly fools and soon fell back asleep. Yep- classic first day of vacation.
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My last few trip reports- Around the Roo in 16 Days The Alux & the Shaman Rollin' on the Riviera Playa by Way of Coz Bringing Ixchel Home- our Mexican puppy adoption! Last edited by caramba; 01-02-2010 at 07:45 PM.. |
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01-03-2010
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#2 (permalink) |
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reposado
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Jackson, MI USA
Posts: 1,264
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Nice report so far! Loving the photos from Playa Palms.
 Very smart of you to search out a deal flying into Cozumel. Funny, when we went to Cozumel, we flew into Cancun, could not find a good deal...either way your comin' the ferry ride makes it more exciting! 
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01-03-2010
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#5 (permalink) |
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aņejo
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 6,654
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Saturday, December 5th
I woke up early despite the first-night fog surrounding my brain. Luckily I usually set a slower pace once the initial excitement of being on vacation passes. I brewed some coffee and decided that every coffeemaker in Mexico is absurdly slow. I let Brian sleep in as I sat outside and checked email.    Brian finally awoke and we walked down the beach for breakfast at Playa Maya. Everything was great, from Brian's omelet to my chilaquiles to the coffee and fresh orange juice. And look at that big mountain of bacon! It was a beautiful morning- sunny and warm.     After breakfast we walked back up the beach and found Paul sitting out on the patio next door. After we visited for a while we went next door to gather our things. Continental Car Rental was supposed to meet us out front about 10:30. Harris, her Paul, Peg and aunt Barbara stopped by before we left, with a long story of Barb's cancelled flight from Denver due to snow in Houston, no less, although Barb ended up getting down to Cancun earlier than anticipated, and actually made it down to Playa on her own before Harris left for the airport to pick her up. She and Peg were standing there grinning ear to ear, in their uniform for the whole of their trip- long sleeves and pants, hiking boots, and big, floppy hats. They were so cute. Enough small talk for now, though- we were meeting the car rental guy out front. So we walked out to the street and waited. And waited. Oh sure, it sounded like a good deal on the internet... Finally the Playa Palms reservationist called for us and we were assured someone would be right over. Harris and entourage had joined us by now and we killed the time by asking the security guard at the El Taj condos across the street if we could peek at their pool area. It was in a beautiful garden setting, with a couple of four poster carved beds for lounging and an adjoining iridescent-tiled jacuzzi. We walked back out on the street and soon enough a driver stopped and brought us up to Continental on Calle 28 (between 5th & 10th). After another half hour of waiting around we were off- in our somewhat beater of a Tsuru. We were supposed to receive a free upgrade to a mid-size car if we booked a compact, but wouldn't you know- they had none available today. But we could come back and switch it out tomorrow morning, no problem. The manager was a bit short-staffed and frazzled, it seemed, so off we went to check in at Fisherman's.      Checking in early we were able to request (and receive) a nice corner 2nd floor studio on the north side.        We spent the afternoon settling in and managed to fit in a siesta before heading back to town for the Bad Boys peep meet. Thinking we might end up having a few drinks that night we left the car and started off on foot but ended up hitching a ride with the employee van just leaving. We got dropped off by the Paseo del Carmen and stopped along our way at La Bodeguito del Medio for a couple of mojitos.  A little blurry but I love how they have the bar totally lined up with glasses of fresh mint just waiting to be muddled.  Mojitos soon ended up being my drink of choice this trip and I would be hard pressed to find another mojito that topped the drinks here. We tore ourselves away, though, not wanting to be late for my own peep meet, and turned toward the beach. We got to Bad Boys just past 5 and got help from the waiters putting several tables together on the beach. The music was already in full swing and the band sounded good, but we wanted to be able to hear each other talk. We ordered beers and were soon joined by Judy & Bob (judith labrozzi)- a very nice couple.  Not long afterward, I recognized Jack (Jacko) & Linda strolling down the beach. It was great to finally meet them and I have to say that Jack is even nicer in person than he is on the forum- if that is possible! I loved getting to talk with him a bit, and by the end of the peep meet we vowed to (try) get together for dinner later in our stay. Before I knew it, we were overrun by more peeps- everyone seemed to come at once. Cooper (kccooper) came with his wife Kristen and daughter Ridgely- a really great family- and Judy Blue Eyes and Transit stopped by for a little while. Mary, Paul and Jack, Harris and Paul, Cliff (Trekker) also .... the table was really filling up. It was great to see Michael show up, who we hadn't seen here in a few years, and, last but not least, I was introduced to Steve (snappysammy). I have to tell you that he is a real sweetheart, and very funny.  Linda & Kristen  Cooper, sitting next to Mave  Eventually the crowd thinned down and Brian and I decided to walk up to Carboncitos with Harris and Paul, where we were joined by Michael. We saw Michele on the way out and chatted with her for a minute. At Carboncitos we ordered a cheese crisp and salsa tray (ohhhh, my first taste of pumpkin seed salsa- yum!) and all ordered tacos al pastor. Everything was delicious including the mojitos- we'd have to stop back for more of those... Later we walked back to the edge of Playacar where Michael had parked, hitched a ride with him back to Fisherman's, and collapsed into bed. |
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01-03-2010
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#7 (permalink) |
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aņejo
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: on an island in the sea.....
Posts: 7,993
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Awesome start, Anne
I've been waiting for this I bet the margaritas on Cozumel while you were waiting for the ferry were much better (and cheaper) than anything at Coconuts while waiting for the bus Can't wait for more! |
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01-03-2010
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#10 (permalink) |
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aņejo
 Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: South Shore of Baahhstun, Massachusetts
Posts: 23,238
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Loving this TR, Anne!!! More! More!!
Gotta say... I could just picture you and Brian trying to cram all your stuff back into the suitcase at Cozumel airport after the search! I use those special packing bags to bring our bed pillows, and it's no easy feat to get them small. Can't imagine trying to do that in a public place!  Great to see pics of Mary and Paul!! |
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01-03-2010
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#12 (permalink) | |
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beachaholic
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Iowa
Posts: 481
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Quote:
Mave |
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01-03-2010
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aņejo
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 6,654
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(And we were glad to be taking pictures of Mary & Paul, too! )Quote:
 Next installment coming up shortly- thanks for reading!
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01-03-2010
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#14 (permalink) |
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aņejo
 Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 30,959
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Loving your report, Anne and so happy we finally got the chance to meet you and Brian, and Mave and Paul, and Harris and Paul and a number of other peeps at these peep meets.........still trying to catch up so I can get some of my pics posted sometime soon!
Can't wait for more! |
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01-03-2010
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#15 (permalink) |
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aņejo
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 6,654
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Sunday, December 6th
One person who didn't make it to the peep meet last night was our friend Linda. Back home, over the past several years, we have gotten friendly with a woman named Linda at our favorite nearby watering hole, the Panda Wok. Knowing Linda's personality would suit Playa very well we have, over many a Mai Tai, drawn maps, written down websites, and told many stories to her about the area. After seeing Linda there a couple of weeks before our trip (and probably gloating just a little) we received an email saying "I'm booked!" We'd recommended Playa Palms & Linda booked for 5 nights starting on the 5th. She'd walked down the beach that first night but somehow missed us all at Bad Boys. I woke up pretty early again on Sunday and was pleasantly surprised we had a good (fast) coffeemaker in our unit this year. Guess they're not ALL on Mexican time... I sat watching the sunrise then when Brian got up we brought some coffee down to the lobby area to check our email (WiFi was only available there).      We'd been told a rep from Continental could come down and pick us up at Fisherman's to make the rental car upgrade/switch, but, as that seemed a little ludicrous based on our experience thus far we drove up to the car rental office. Juan Jose, who we'd been assured would make the switch for us this morning, simply shrugged and said he knew nothing of this upgrade and as there was nothing else available today we could certainly stop back in the morning and speak with the manager, who would surely have us a better car to switch to then. What the hell, we were not likely going very far today anyway, so we took off to check in on Linda at Playa Palms. We drove down and parked on Constituyentes near the beach and walked along the water til we found Linda at her oceanview room at Playa Palms. We walked next door to introduce her to Mary, Paul & crew, and then walked over to the Antigua Suite with her to see Harris, Paul, Peg & Barb. We thought we should take Linda on a walking tour of our favorite spots around town, so we went off, stopping first at Hot Baking on Calle Corazon for some of the Eggs Benedict I've heard about for ages. The Hollandaise sauce was very good, but the English muffins were barely toasted. Brian's omelet was good, but not as good as Playa Maya's. The chaya/orange juice was really good, though... We had fun walking around pointing out our favorite landmarks, then stopped at the Tequila Barrel for a beer. We dropped Linda back off at Playa Palms to hang out and went next door to bring Mary and Paul on a Mega run. Gotta love an overflowing mound of pork chops just sitting in a huge open pile in the meat department. Must have been piled 5 feet tall. We didn't get anything too adventurous- stocked up on tomatoes, peppers, avocados, some ceviche, other snacks and coconut yogurt, mostly, and grabbed a roast chicken and some yummy scalloped potatoes for lunch. Brian scooped up some other dish that was labeled 'chamorro rostizado' that we were never quite sure of the translation...? Anyone? Not sure what the mystery meat was, but maybe pork... Anyway, this was a pretty boring day. We went back to hang out at Fisherman's and eat our roast chicken and mystery meat. We were to meet up with the others at Manne's Biergarten later for prime rib night. We hung out for the rest of the afternoon and sat awhile in the lobby/pool area surfing the net and checking email for awhile, until we realized they were setting up for a "Mexican welcome party" at the the resort, complete with a buffet, raffles, vendors, and a guy standing outside saying 'hey, you want some Cuban cigars??' Time to go. We headed out and parked at la Cucaracha parking lot (yes, la Cucaracha) on 10th. We walked over to Manne's where we found Harris, Paul, Peg & Barb drinking margaritas and just finishing prime rib dinners all around. The restaurant was full and Mary, Paul, Fay, Doug, Jack and Linda all came and joined us on the street as we waited for a table to open up. We ended up taking over Harris & Paul's, and an adjoining table as they left... It was a busy night and service was understandably slow, but we didn't mind once we were served some excellent margaritas. I heard a familiar voice on the sidewalk and looked up to see Steve (snappysammy) who sat and entertained us for awhile as we waited... Mary & Brian  me & Paul   Jack & Linda  The prime rib was well worth waiting for and we eventually left and headed up 5th to walk off our dinner. We veered into Posada Freud for a nightcap with Mary & Paul. I love this little spot almost hidden right on 5th- it's a tiny bar in a prime people watching location- the perfect spot to start off your night or to end it. All the bartenders we've met here beginning with Carlos & Jose a few years back and now with Miguel- know how to make a perfect margarita.     Home to bed with thoughts of day trips tomorrow... or maybe not. Last edited by caramba; 01-03-2010 at 08:05 PM.. |
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Keep it up!
