In three days, I shall be on the beach…ahhh.
We are staying at the Occidental Grand Cozumel, an all-inclusive resort - I’ve read a few reviews on-line, but would appreciate Doper comments. Also, what’s the best activity/area to experience? It will likely be raining, but 10+ degrees cooler than the Hell we’re enjoying in Dallas, so I can’t complain - although the weather may limit boating excursions, I guess.
Do you SCUBA or snorkel? If so, you’re in one of the best places to enjoy it. Renting a jeep and touring the island is also fun. You can visit some of the more remote beaches and beach bars that way. Stay away from moped rentals. When I worked for NCL we had 3-4 people get hurt every week on those. Don’t worry about getting lost…it’s hard to do with only three roads.
If you’re there on a Friday, see if the fish-fry is still happening at the lighthouse at the north end of the island. Lotsa fun! Also, the downtown museum is worth a visit. Dinner at Las Palmas was always good. Last, but not least, there’s Carlos 'n Charlies!
Have a margarita and some ceviche for me.
SNUBA! Half hour class and you dive with the tank floating on the surface! Same regulator and weight belt and all. Restricts your depth to about 20 feet, but the water clarity and live coral and fishies are fabulous.
You simply MUST eat at The Manatee! Best food on the island. Open from 2pm to 10pm. Coupla blocks off the main path, but not too far. Look it up. Eat there as often as you can afford. The chef is Italian, but he has expertise in many cuisines. Try the oriental salad for starters. To die for!
And the Manatee has some really cool ambiance; you will chill completely out–which is the point of vacation, is it not?
We stayed at the Coral Princess: very nice place, good dining, etc. You can arrange a snorkelling trip right there. It’s likely you can arrange one from your hotel. I’d recommend taking the deal where they drive you out on a boat to several different snorkelling venues. The current can be quite strong, and it’s very nice to be able to drift along with it, looking at the corals and fishies, and be able to climb back into the boat without having to swim upstream to get back to the dock or whatever. I’m a very strong swimmer, and it was rather challenging to swim against that current.
Yes, rent a jeep or tracker, and do the loop around the island, stopping at the various little beach shacks for ceviche and cervesas.
Take a half a day and check out the Mayan ruins park on Cozumel. You walk around on paths through the jungle and come across these (smallish) pyramids with iguanas hanging out all over them. You could take a longer day and go to the mainland to see the major pyramids, too, although we didn’t do that: we were too busy relaxing.
Go to Chankanaab State Park… It will be the best $10 you ever spent!
I’ve only been there once, so I’m no expert (and actually, I stayed in Playa del Carmen, which has quick ferry service to Cozumel). It’s beautiful, and the diving and snorkeling are awesome.
Rent mopeds. There are quite a few places that offer them, and we had a blast tooling around the Island on those, and there are TONS of completely empty beaches on the south side. There’s nothing quite like having a tropical beach all to yourself.
And hey, why not take the ferry over and check out Playa del Carmen? The ferry is quite cheap and is a neat ride. The town is small and much less touristy, there are some cool ruins nearby, and wonderful restaurants. Blow it a kiss for me. 
Thanks for the great suggestions, y’all! I hope the forecasted rain doesn’t prevent us from visiting all the cool places nearby. So, no-one has yet answered the most important question: where do I go to shop for jewelry, artifacts and souvenirs?
Blonde Have FUN!
Don’t let the rain bother you…it usually rains for about an hour and then stops around this time of year…the only bad thing about that is you pretty much have to go inside when it’s raining as the wind whips the sand up… My recommendation is to swim with the dolphins if you like that sort of thing…I will always remember that! Also, if you can, try getting down to the Tulum area…not as touristy and the tourists you meet are all very interesting…many are European.
Also, Blonde you don’t happen to post on another board under the name Blonde Heat do you?
No, I don’t - by the way, I’ve been asked if you and I are the same person. Guess this proves them wrong. 
I absolutely plan to swim with the dolphins…
I LOVE Cozumel. I’d move there, if I could. A few warnings, though:
Be really careful about sunburn- it’ll sneak up on you. When I went, I spent the month beforehand tanning at a tan club, and I didn’t regret it. I met a couple that were at the hotel for their honeymoon, and the bride had sunned herself the first day they were there- as a result, she got badly sunburnt, and couldn’t enjoy the rest of the week.
You probably won’t have to worry about mosquitos- I never saw a single one… until we went to the ruins. We literally couldn’t stop walking; there was a swarm of the little bloodsuckers following us everywhere, as the ruins are actually in the interior jungle. Take bug spray!
Rent a jeep, bug, or moped. It’s only a seventeen-mile round trip on the three main roads they’ve got there, but it’s worth it.
If you see a brownish streak of water flowing along the beach near the north end of the strip, don’t swim. It’s from the sewage treatment plant. I understand that it’s rare for the currents to bring it there, though. :eek:
A word of warning- EVERYONE will try to sell you timeshare. Only listen to them if they’ll give you free stuff, like car rental.
No, Blonde, you’re secretly my sock…didn’t you get the memo?
Geesh, I mean really, you are way too nice to be mistaken for me.
I second the ‘snorkel at Chakaanaab’ statement. Loads of fun and well worth the ten bucks it cost me (about six years ago.)
My hubby and I visited Cozumel and Playa del Carmen on our cruise two years ago. The Mayan ruins at Tulum (on the mainland) were wonderful, if scorchingly hot in June. There is a beach there - take a swim suit so you can cool off if you have extra time.
We bought some very nice stuff, (reasonable prices and excellent quality) in the gift shop at Chancanab State Park. We found some great silver and garnet jewelry there. You can also find some good stuff downtown as well, but you have to be careful. If you like to cook/bake, don’t forget to take home a bottle of vanilla.
Wait a minute, didn’t Cecil…or maybe it was someone else ont his board determine that a lot of times the ‘vanilla’ those folks sell smells like vanilla…kind of tastes like it, but can be harmful.
I swear I read this and I’m not delusional.
Really.
Off to find it!
Well, it’s not Cecil’s word, but it is the FDA’s! Apparently although they grow vanilla in Mexico, they often cut it with tonka bean extract which can be poisonous.
Oh my!! Well, I may be missing out on a good buzz but I’ll pass on the vanilla. Thanks, BottledBlondJeanie.