Cheapest way to Cozumel

eighties4ever · 07-08-2004

I will be staying at the Bahia Principe in Akumal, and am willing to head up to PDC to get over to Cozumel. Can someone tell me the best/cheapest way to get to Cozumel for a day trip? And what they would recommend doing with that day once they are there? (Snorkeling highlights in particular)

**tommy** · 07-08-2004

Taxi to town...ferry over to Coz...Taxi to Chankanaab Park snorkel there...This is not going to be a cheap day for One person much less two....There are plenty of other things to do for less in and around Playa!

momotarosan · 07-08-2004

the Planacar extends from Cancun to Belize. If I hadn't snorkelled in Puerto Morelos two days ago, I would have believe how spectacular it is without going to Cozumel. Are you sure you need to go to Cozumel to snorkel? You must be able to find shallow but yet awesome reefs between Puerto Morelos and Akumal/Tulum.

eighties4ever · 07-08-2004

No reason I have to go to Coz, just heard it had amazing snorkeling and wanted to get all the best in while I was there. It's helpful to hear from folks who have been all over and can help me determine if it's worth making the extra trips. Thanks!

Mark in STL · 07-08-2004

This is the text from my previous post a few days ago about snorkeling in Yalku Lagoon and Akumal Bay:

We snorkeled Akumal Bay and Yalku Lagoon 2 summers ago, and will be back there in two weeks.
We took a short cab ride there from the Bahia Principe Tulum. You can take a collectivo, but you will have about a 10 minute walk to Akumal Bay, and an even longer walk to Yalku, from where the collectivo stops.
If you take the collectivo, your stop is "Akumal Playa". You then walk east toward Akumal Bay. You pass through a white archway marking the entrance to the village. The Akumal Dive Shop is on your left, and the Lol Ha restaurant would be near the beach on the right.
If you take a cab, it is probably best to tell the driver to take you straight to Yalku. You can then go to Akumal Bay on the way back. Go to Yalku early (9am) before too many people are there. You enter the water down a set of wooden steps. The lagoon is bordered by very rugged and sharp ironshore, so getting in and out without the steps is difficult. We swam to the right, toward the ocean, and saw a stingray, but not a lot of other fish. I later learned that there are more fish to the left. Water toward the ocean got to be about 15 feet deep.
The attendant can call a cab to take you back to Akumal Bay.
At Akumal Bay, you can enter the water and swim left until you reach coral about 100 yards out. The water can get between 15-20 feet deep, so wear a snorkel vest if you don't feel comfortable with that. Swim in a semi-circle clockwise. About half-way you should swim through a huge school of silver fish, with a large barracuda following them. As you continue on the semi-circle, toward the Lol-Ha you will eventually enter an area with less coral and more sea grass. This is where you see the sea turtles.
Others enter the bay from directly in front of the Lol Ha, closer to the Akumal Beach resort.
There is a local guide named Alejandro Beltran that will swim out to the reef with you for about $5 a person if you have your own gear, slightly more if he provides gear. He is a great person, and showed us the best spots in the bay. Ask around on the beach for him, everyone there knows him. Our kids loved swimming with him.

Nerak936 · 07-08-2004

We did a day trip to Cozumel to snorkel in May.

$15 pp round trip for ferry from PdC. $10 cab ride to Dzul-Ha Beach (all the cabs know where it is). Get there early (we took an 8 AM ferry, but 9 AM ferry would probably work too) and you'll have your choice of palapas and a beautiful view. You can rent snorkel gear and life jackets there. Just walk into and water and instant fish. The farther you swim out, the better the fish. Cool coral too. No strong currents there, so good for not-so-strong swimmers. Funky grill and bar there also. Only stipulation is to spend 150 pesos if you hang at a palapa (per little sign nailed to the palapa). We killed that off with a couple of pina coladas and chips/salsa. Also has restrooms and outdoor freshwater shower. Also has lockers ($2, I think) which we didn't bother with. Place seemed safe enough to leave our stuff on the beach. Not too touristy and very peaceful. Some tour groups come by and go out for a while, but the beach area is small and quiet.

Next time we'll probably rent a jeep for the day to see the east coast after snorkeling at Dzul-Ha (which we got to do this year thanks to some friendly people we met at Dzul-Ha who invited us to occupy the two empty seats in one of their jeeps). $50/day for a jeep and easy island to get around. You gotta be a total dope to get lost since there's essentially only one road that loops the island. As long as you save your party drinking for post-Jeep drop-off, you'll be fine.

That's our plan for next year. Chakanaab is cool but too many people and has things (dolphins, etc.) in which we have no interest (and I'd already been there twice).

If you have any questions about this scenerio, drop me a PM.

In any case, have a GREAT time!!!

OKieJan · 07-08-2004

Karen,

Thanks for the reply to the previous poster's question -- that is exactly what we want to do in August, so now I know!!!! I've copied your post into my Playa info and supplies stuff.
Jan

Nerak936 · 07-08-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by OKieJan

Karen,

Thanks for the reply to the previous poster's question -- that is exactly what we want to do in August, so now I know!!!! I've copied your post into my Playa info and supplies stuff.
Jan

Jan:

Glad I could help! I know there's excellent snorkeling in the Playa area, but for David and me, the whole deal of taking the ferry over and back and spending the day on Cozumel itself is fun (it's where we spent our first week-long vacation together). If you want more details on our trip this past May, do a search for "Nerak 936 Trip Report" in All-Inclusive section. The one marked Days 3-4 has the details of our day on Cozumel, and you'll see why we want to rent a jeep next time. (If you want a good sleeping pill, read the whole report!)

Any questions, PM me.

FrankRN · 07-09-2004

The cheapest way to Cozumel would have to be ... THE BACK STROKE

Sorry folks, I couldn't resist.

OK, OK ... so I COULD have resisted if I had tried

Not helpful, but at least I was on topic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by eighties4ever

I will be staying at the Bahia Principe in Akumal, and am willing to head up to PDC to get over to Cozumel. Can someone tell me the best/cheapest way to get to Cozumel for a day trip? And what they would recommend doing with that day once they are there? (Snorkeling highlights in particular)

FrankRN · 07-09-2004

I'll try to be helpful.

One of the best tours I have ever taken in the PDC area (other than with Anna who tops the list) has to have been the Dune Buggy Tour on Cozumel. You can get more info here:

http://www.travelnotes.cc/cozumel/tours/dunebuggy.php

Our wedding party took this tour in 2002 and it was a blast. Highlights included a great dune buggy ride through uncharted cozumel (ok, maybe it's charted, but it is off the beaten path). Mayan Ruins, cook out on a deserted, pristine beach, snorkeling, and all the beer you could drink (soft drinks too).

Nerak936 · 07-09-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrankRN

The cheapest way to Cozumel would have to be ... THE BACK STROKE

Sorry folks, I couldn't resist.

OK, OK ... so I COULD have resisted if I had tried

Not helpful, but at least I was on topic.

Maybe it's our Boston area humor, but when I first read the start of this thread, my first impulse was to post:

"How strong a swimmer are you???"

**Bumper** · 07-09-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nerak936

Maybe it's our Boston area humor, but when I first read the start of this thread, my first impulse was to post:

"How strong a swimmer are you???"

Doesn't that depend if you've got a tea bag to use as a PFD?? (Little Boston humour there...okay...very little!)

Michael · 07-09-2004

I was going to post the same thing when I saw the title for the thread.

The other cheap option could be to kayak, but as that may involve rental fees for most visitors. Swimming really is the cheapest option.

FrankRN · 07-09-2004

Bumper -- I think Nerak936 would agree that in Boston, we'll take all the humor we can get. Nothing like a nice Friday afternoon commute out of Boston to make one humorless.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bumper

(Little Boston humour there...okay...very little!)

highdark · 07-09-2004

We just came back last night and followed Nerak936's advice to snorkel at Dzul-Ha in Cozumel - THANKS! It was great! - Cute place with the best food we had the whole trip (we stayed at an AI and the food is rather bland), and the snorkeling was awesome! We stayed out for a couple of hours till our faces hurt from the masks! We also rented mopeds and drove all around the island - it took forever! It was a scary thing getting a moped and immediately heading out into heavy traffic in town when none of us ever rode one before, but we came back in one piece... As for the ferrys, it seems like the prices change as you get closer to the pier. The people at the booths up by 5th were charging more.

07-08-2004	#1 (permalink)
eighties4ever sandflea Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 2	Cheapest way to Cozumel I will be staying at the Bahia Principe in Akumal, and am willing to head up to PDC to get over to Cozumel. Can someone tell me the best/cheapest way to get to Cozumel for a day trip? And what they would recommend doing with that day once they are there? (Snorkeling highlights in particular)

07-08-2004	#5 (permalink)
Mark in STL into ruins Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 78	snorkeling Cozumel versus Akumal This is the text from my previous post a few days ago about snorkeling in Yalku Lagoon and Akumal Bay: We snorkeled Akumal Bay and Yalku Lagoon 2 summers ago, and will be back there in two weeks. We took a short cab ride there from the Bahia Principe Tulum. You can take a collectivo, but you will have about a 10 minute walk to Akumal Bay, and an even longer walk to Yalku, from where the collectivo stops. If you take the collectivo, your stop is "Akumal Playa". You then walk east toward Akumal Bay. You pass through a white archway marking the entrance to the village. The Akumal Dive Shop is on your left, and the Lol Ha restaurant would be near the beach on the right. If you take a cab, it is probably best to tell the driver to take you straight to Yalku. You can then go to Akumal Bay on the way back. Go to Yalku early (9am) before too many people are there. You enter the water down a set of wooden steps. The lagoon is bordered by very rugged and sharp ironshore, so getting in and out without the steps is difficult. We swam to the right, toward the ocean, and saw a stingray, but not a lot of other fish. I later learned that there are more fish to the left. Water toward the ocean got to be about 15 feet deep. The attendant can call a cab to take you back to Akumal Bay. At Akumal Bay, you can enter the water and swim left until you reach coral about 100 yards out. The water can get between 15-20 feet deep, so wear a snorkel vest if you don't feel comfortable with that. Swim in a semi-circle clockwise. About half-way you should swim through a huge school of silver fish, with a large barracuda following them. As you continue on the semi-circle, toward the Lol-Ha you will eventually enter an area with less coral and more sea grass. This is where you see the sea turtles. Others enter the bay from directly in front of the Lol Ha, closer to the Akumal Beach resort. There is a local guide named Alejandro Beltran that will swim out to the reef with you for about $5 a person if you have your own gear, slightly more if he provides gear. He is a great person, and showed us the best spots in the bay. Ask around on the beach for him, everyone there knows him. Our kids loved swimming with him. <!-- / message -->

07-09-2004	#10 (permalink)
FrankRN añejo Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Boston, MA USA Posts: 1,910	So now that I have been obnoxious ... I'll try to be helpful. One of the best tours I have ever taken in the PDC area (other than with Anna who tops the list) has to have been the Dune Buggy Tour on Cozumel. You can get more info here: http://www.travelnotes.cc/cozumel/tours/dunebuggy.php Our wedding party took this tour in 2002 and it was a blast. Highlights included a great dune buggy ride through uncharted cozumel (ok, maybe it's charted, but it is off the beaten path). Mayan Ruins, cook out on a deserted, pristine beach, snorkeling, and all the beer you could drink (soft drinks too).

07-08-2004	#2 (permalink)
tommy Moderator Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Austin Tx Posts: 12,216	Taxi to town...ferry over to Coz...Taxi to Chankanaab Park snorkel there...This is not going to be a cheap day for One person much less two....There are plenty of other things to do for less in and around Playa!

07-08-2004	#3 (permalink)
momotarosan very sparkly Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 34	the Planacar extends from Cancun to Belize. If I hadn't snorkelled in Puerto Morelos two days ago, I would have believe how spectacular it is without going to Cozumel. Are you sure you need to go to Cozumel to snorkel? You must be able to find shallow but yet awesome reefs between Puerto Morelos and Akumal/Tulum.

07-08-2004	#4 (permalink)
eighties4ever sandflea Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 2	No reason I have to go to Coz, just heard it had amazing snorkeling and wanted to get all the best in while I was there. It's helpful to hear from folks who have been all over and can help me determine if it's worth making the extra trips. Thanks!

07-08-2004	#6 (permalink)
Nerak936 Cat-Lovin Nerak Bead Lady Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 18,638	We did a day trip to Cozumel to snorkel in May. $15 pp round trip for ferry from PdC. $10 cab ride to Dzul-Ha Beach (all the cabs know where it is). Get there early (we took an 8 AM ferry, but 9 AM ferry would probably work too) and you'll have your choice of palapas and a beautiful view. You can rent snorkel gear and life jackets there. Just walk into and water and instant fish. The farther you swim out, the better the fish. Cool coral too. No strong currents there, so good for not-so-strong swimmers. Funky grill and bar there also. Only stipulation is to spend 150 pesos if you hang at a palapa (per little sign nailed to the palapa). We killed that off with a couple of pina coladas and chips/salsa. Also has restrooms and outdoor freshwater shower. Also has lockers ($2, I think) which we didn't bother with. Place seemed safe enough to leave our stuff on the beach. Not too touristy and very peaceful. Some tour groups come by and go out for a while, but the beach area is small and quiet. Next time we'll probably rent a jeep for the day to see the east coast after snorkeling at Dzul-Ha (which we got to do this year thanks to some friendly people we met at Dzul-Ha who invited us to occupy the two empty seats in one of their jeeps). $50/day for a jeep and easy island to get around. You gotta be a total dope to get lost since there's essentially only one road that loops the island. As long as you save your party drinking for post-Jeep drop-off, you'll be fine. That's our plan for next year. Chakanaab is cool but too many people and has things (dolphins, etc.) in which we have no interest (and I'd already been there twice). If you have any questions about this scenerio, drop me a PM. In any case, have a GREAT time!!!

07-08-2004	#7 (permalink)
OKieJan lost on fifth Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Tulsa Posts: 12	Karen, Thanks for the reply to the previous poster's question -- that is exactly what we want to do in August, so now I know!!!! I've copied your post into my Playa info and supplies stuff. Jan

07-09-2004	#13 (permalink)
Michael añejo Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Silicon Valley, California Posts: 4,162	I was going to post the same thing when I saw the title for the thread. The other cheap option could be to kayak, but as that may involve rental fees for most visitors. Swimming really is the cheapest option.

07-09-2004	#15 (permalink)
highdark into ruins Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 63	We just came back last night and followed Nerak936's advice to snorkel at Dzul-Ha in Cozumel - THANKS! It was great! - Cute place with the best food we had the whole trip (we stayed at an AI and the food is rather bland), and the snorkeling was awesome! We stayed out for a couple of hours till our faces hurt from the masks! We also rented mopeds and drove all around the island - it took forever! It was a scary thing getting a moped and immediately heading out into heavy traffic in town when none of us ever rode one before, but we came back in one piece... As for the ferrys, it seems like the prices change as you get closer to the pier. The people at the booths up by 5th were charging more.

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