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| El Mirador http://cozumelmexico.net/El_Mirador_Cozumel.html |
It began with Sarah saying she had 6 days off in a row, which hadn't happened since January. This girl needed a relaxing vacation. I hopped on the internet and began to explore our options. I thought of Vegas first, but the cheap flight times were terrible; and by the time you add in food, shows, alcohol and a rental car, Vegas would have become a very expensive trip.
I kept exploring and came upon http://www.cheapcaribbean.com/. They were having amazing last minute-deals. I booked our trip just 6 days in advance! The beauty of an all-inclusive Cozumel vacation was that it is 2 hours and 45 minutes by plane from DFW...and we needed to pack just 2 swim suits, 2 nice outfits, a few pairs of shorts, flops sandals, and water shoes.
I chose the Sunscape Sabor Resort http://www.sunscaperesorts.com/sabor/ , and it was great!
What I loved about this place was its size. It is a small resort with 2- and 3-story, white-washed buildings with raised walkways. The cost was $740 per person including round-trip airfare, nonstop from DFW for 4 nights and 5 days. The flight got us there at 4pm and departed at 5pm, so no early morning hassles!
The only down side for some is that you have to go to the lobby for free internet. If you wanted internet anywhere outside of the lobby or in your room, you paid $39.99 for 7 days per device (e.g. if you registered on your cell phone, you only get internet on your cell phone; it does not work on your laptop as well). I sat in the lobby to use my internet, and my daughter paid her money for the in room wifi.
The daytime view from our room was spectacular..
..and the evening view of the sunset from our balcony was amazing.
Breakfast at the Portofino Buffet was really great, with a huge selection of fresh fruit, made-to-order omelets, and yummy breakfast tostadas. There were also Mimosas and Bloody Mary cocktails available to order or to make yourself at a table near where you refill your drinks. And as you can see, the view can't be beat.
Sarah and I tried all the restaurants. What I loved was how none of the places required a reservation.
Two of the restaurants, El Patio and Seaside Grill, had waiter service in the evening, and so they requested you wear nicer clothes (aka not swimsuits or coverups). The food at El Patio was great - I highly recommend the melted cheese prepared tableside, the soups, and the crab tostadas.
Our favorite restaurant was The Market Grill. It was an adults-only buffet located on the far south side of Sun Scape Sabor. This buffet was shared with the Secrets Resort next door. We loved the fresh-prepared fish dishes, the lack of children-lol-, and the view.
When we weren't eating, we were at our favorite Tortuga Beach Bar, complete with swings for seats. It was so much fun meeting people around the bar. My only advice was that the music was up a bit too loud for all of us to carry on fun conversations - We were all yelling, which was a bit frustrating. The bartenders were so patient and kind. Even though it is all inclusive, I brought plenty of one-dollar bills to tip well!
Other things I appreciated were the number of palapa umbrellas for shade and tables to set your things upon and there were plenty of towels, AND according to their "house rules" they maintain a "no saving lounge chairs" policy. Their rules state if you leave your stuff unattended for more than 30 minutes, it will be taken to lost and found. I really appreciate this, because I have always been a "hater" of those who get up at 6:00am and snag the best chairs and then don't use them for hours.
Many people stayed by the two beautiful pools, but I preferred the beach.
There was free snorkel gear, free kayaks, and free catamarans for use at the resort. They were all in good condition and the guys checking out the stuff were helpful. I wish they would have had stand-up-paddle (SUP) boards. The snorkeling was okay, the water was pretty shallow and rocky so swim shoes were a must. However there were excursions that left from a nearby dock for about $60 pp which would take you on a boat to 4 coral reefs. We didn't go because the afternoon weather was a bit stormy the day we wanted to go. The gym at the resort was good with cardio machines and weights. There were also Spa services which I did not use.
The first excursion we took was discovered during my Cozumel research on Trip Advisor. I am always a sucker for unusual cultural things to do so the Temazcal Steam Lodge fit this bill. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g150809-d1597293-Reviews-Temazcal_Mayan_Steam_Lodge-Cozumel_Yucatan_Peninsula.html
The official website is http://temazcalcozumel.com/
The cost was $80 pp plus $15.00 each way for the 20 minute taxi ride into town from our resort. It was well worth every penny. We were picked up downtown at 8:30 am and were dropped off downtown at 2:30. We were driven down a really rutted road into the jungle to the steam lodge.
The first step in the relaxation process was to lay in hammocks and learn about the Mayan calendar, beliefs and customs. I thought it was very interesting and very calming.
Next we were taken to a fire ring and the 4 elements of nature were saluted and we were blessed.
Then we walked down the path and entered the steam hut.
Inside the hut was amazing.
Hot rocks were placed in the fire circle and then the roof hole and the doorway were sealed with blankets...the room was perfectly dark. [At first, it was a little unnerving to be in a perfectly dark room in the middle of a jungle with a stranger...but I figured a bunch of people on Trip Advisor lived to rate this attraction-lol.]. First the guide poured herb water on the rocks and stirred the rocks with branches of herbs. The smell was incredible.
The guide takes you through 4 levels of thinking, or 4 windows of life as he referred to it. Each level lasts for about 30 minutes. and each level gets progressively hotter as more stones are added to the pit. The levels are designed to give you time to reflect on your life....the parts that you have lived and the parts that you are awaiting. The best message we got was: "Don't spend your whole life looking forward to tomorrow and what you needs to be done. Every so often, you must look back and be proud of all the things you have accomplished and how hard you have worked to get where you are now." It was a great message for both Sarah and me.
Sarah's favorite level was the third level, which included a drum circle. She got to play a bongo as a perfect counter point to the guide's djembe! ...I managed to just keep the beat with, what Sarah tells me is a guiro (pronounced wee-roh), "a percussion instrument made of wood with a serrated surface that makes a rasping sound when scraped with a stick, commonly found in Latino music," but I had no idea what to do with it lol.
After 2 hours of sweating it was time to exit the lodge and head to the natural cenote (fresh water pond). The pond is stained an amber color due to the fruits that fall in and rot. The cold water was a refreshing way to end the session. There was a well-secured ladder to help you out of the cenote.
Our last day in Cozumel was spent with a great taxi driver named Taz. I hired him through a Trip Advisor highly rated company cozumeltoursbycab.com
His personal email is
(cozmitaz@hotmail.com)
I paid him $150.00 for 5 hours of touring (plus I gave him a tip for good service), which included pick up at 10am from the hotel and drop off at the airport at 3pm. Taz has regular places he takes people who want an island tour, like a tequila tasting and a Mexican chocolate factory, but I had definite places I wanted to go and he was glad to take us there. He was a great driver with a wonderful sense of humor and good English language skills, but loved when we practiced our Spanish skills on him and actively encouraged us to speak as much as we could in Spanish.
Our first stop was the Punta Sur light house http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g150809-d154081-Reviews-Punta_Celerain_Lighthouse-Cozumel_Yucatan_Peninsula.html It is located at the far south end of the island. It has a small museum at its base.
It is $14.00 pp to enter this park.
After climbing 133 steps the view was spectacular
The wild south east side was truly wild that day with high winds kicking up big waves and ocean spray. It was a blow the hat off your head kind of day.
After seeing the lighthouse we went back up the road and met a docent who took us across a board walk and showed us the re-planting of mangrove trees lost to the hurricane. We also saw a crocodile. The view of the inland wetlands from the wooden tower was great.
The guide also showed us a termite nest in a tree. He and the cab driver told us that people will eat termites, they are a good source of protein.. We didn't believe them, so they ate a termite, and then Sarah and I did too. They were both shocked we did this!
After a drive and a few stops up the beautiful but very wild waters of the east side of the island our next stop was the Mayan ruins of San Gervasio
The cost was $9.50 per person, but it was strange because you paid $5.00 pp at the first local cash register booth and then $4.50 at the Mexico national cash register booth. We hired a guide for $18.00 for 45-50 minutes - a bit over priced - but without the guide this site of fertility worship would have simply been a pile of rocks. They have self-guided signs, but it was better to hear it orally and be able to ask questions.
Our last stop was the cemetery. When I requested this, our driver, Taz said we could go there but he wouldn't go in..lol http://www.yelp.com/biz/primer-cementerio-de-cozumel-san-Miguel
I loved that the crypts were painted in Caribbean colors
The children's section was more solemn.
I always love to visit cemeteries. You can tell so much about a culture by the graveyards.
Our trip ended with a smooth flight home. We had so much fun sunning, drinking, eating, singing karaoke, meeting new people, swimming, sight seeing, and enjoying the Mexican/Mayan culture.
If you read this, I hope this inspires you to travel to Cozumel!
Happy Travels - Jackie (and Sarah)
