| Cozumel Orientation |
| Getting To Cozumel Through the Cancun Airport |
| Getting To Cozumel By Ferry |
| Getting Around Town |
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POST WILMA UPDATE
April 2006
No question – Wilma was a bad one. It pounded the Island with hurricane force winds for 76-hours. It blew a storm surge off of the ocean first stealing sand and washing out the road on the ocean side and then flooding streets and destroying storefronts on Ave. Raphael Melgar on on the resort side. It knocked down some large trees and stripped others of all their leaves
But the island is coming back. Services were quickly restored after the storm and everywhere you look, reconstruction is going full bore. Most of the hotels, restaurants and other businesses including the dive shops have re-opened. Some of the shallower reefs suffered some damage but those reefs have been weathering hurricanes since time began. Much of the vegetation on the island has recovered and most of the trees have been replaced or replanted.
There is more work to be done for sure. There was a loss of some sand on the beaches, particularly the more southern beaches on the ocean side but the road around the island has been repaired and most of the businesses on that side are back in operation as well.
But in general, our impressions of Cozumel in April 2006 were mostly positive. At this point, anyone that tells you to avoid the island because of damage from Hurricane Wilma either doesn’t know what they are talking about or is not being honest with you.
So make plans to visit Cozumel soon. I know that we'll be back real soon.
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| Cozumel Orientation |
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Tourists from far away places have been coming to Cozumel for a long time. Centuries before the Spanish landed in 1518, during the height of the Maya civilization, Cozumel was an important trading center and a place of pilgrimage. Maya women from the mainland came to worship Ix Chel, the wife of the Sun God Itzamna and the Goddess of Fertility, to whom the island's temples were dedicated. In 1519, Cortez arrived and destroyed many of the Maya temples. By 1570, small pox and other European diseases had reduced the island's population from a pre-Hispanic estimate of 40,000 to no more than 300. By 1600 the island was reportedly abandoned. Legend has it that pirates, including Henry Morgan and Jean Lafitte, used Cozumel as a safe base during the 17th century. In 1848 the island began to be resettled by refugees from the "War of the Castes", a Mayan uprising in the Yucatan against the central Mexican government. By 1970, the population had grown to 10,000.Today, most of Cozumel's 50,000 residents live in the town of San Miguel located on the western side of the island. Much of the town's social and business activity is focused on the central town square or Plaza del Sol. Cedral, a small village on the southern interior of the island, is the only other community on Cozumel. The island is approximately 14 miles wide and 28 miles from north to south and is a part of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo.
While no one is certain when diving began in Cozumel the story goes that the U.S. Navy used the island as a training ground in World War II. American divers stationed in the South Pacific shared stories of the reef's beauty with their French counterparts, and word eventually got to Jacques Cousteau who "discovered" and filmed the island in the late 50's.
Along with the attraction the island holds for divers, Cozumel has become a major stop for Western Caribbean cruise ship tours.
The island is currently served by international flights from Houston via Continental Airlines with the same flight available as a code share with Northwestern, from Charlotte, NC on US Airways. and on American Airlines from Dallas/Ft. Worth and United Airlines from Chicago 3 days per week.
In addition to these standard carriers, there are charter flights from all over the U.S. into the San Miguel airport
For a short while in the winter of 2002/2003, the Yucatan Express a cruise ship/ferry provided service from Tampa to the mainland near Porta Moralis. However, the dredging of the channel into the port was delayed making docking for the ship difficult and unpredictable so the service into Porta Moralis has been suspended.
Now in 2006, a company called The Shuttle LLC has announced plans for a similar venture between Tampa and Progresso. Preliminary reports suggest it will be a larger more comfortable ship than what was used by the Yucatan Express but at this point, I’ll believe it when I see it.
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| Getting To Cozumel Through the Cancun Airport |
Virtually every major North American airline flies into Cancun. You will often find that you can save hundreds of dollars per person by making that your destination and then finding your way over to Cozumel either by AeroCaribe, Mexicana Airline's commuter line, which flies the 43 miles to Cancun 8 times per day or by traveling by land to Playa Del Carmen where you can catch a ferry to Cozumel. Small commuter and charter flights are also available from Aeroferinco and Aero Banana.Despite what others might have told you, there is no ferry service directly from Cancun to Cozumel. The passenger ferry service to Cozumel departs from Playa del Carmen and crosses the 12 miles of the Yucatan Straights to the mainland in 25 to 40-minutes 12-15 times per day from the downtown pier at a cost of $110 pesos or about US$10 each way.
A car ferry between Cozumel and Puerto Morales makes the 3-4 hour round trip 3 times daily departing from the International Cruise Ship Pier near La Ceiba Hotel. The charge for a standard car is approximately $65 plus $5 per passenger. There is another car ferry service from Calica, just south of Playa del Carmen that costs $5 per passenger and $67 per vehicle for the 2-hour trip
While not overly large, transfers in the Cancun airport can be confusing for any traveler, especially on the first visit. When you arrive in Cancun, an agent will meet your plane and lead everyone to the "Immigration" room. This is where you will present your passport (or other proof of citizenship) and the immigration form you should have received at your home airport or on the plane. You need to fill out both the top and bottom sections of the form and sign in two places on the back. The immigration agent will give you back the bottom portion of the form, which you will need to present at the airline ticket counter upon your departure from Mexico.
After you go through immigration, turn left and you will come to the baggage claim area. Carousels aren't marked too well but there are only three of them so it shouldn't be too hard to find your luggage. Baggage handlers are not allowed in the baggage claim area but rental carts are available for US $1.Once you get your bags, you have to go through "customs". If you didn't receive a "customs declaration" form on the plane, there is usually someone near to the carousels giving them out. As a tourist, you are allowed to bring in all of your own personal articles plus $300 worth of gifts duty free. Unless you're bringing in more than $300 in gifts, find the section of the form that says "Nothing to declare" and simply sign that. As long as your total is less than $300, you don't have to list the items you are bringing in. Once you get to the customs desk, an agent will take your form and ask you to push a button at the bottom of a green and red stop light. If the light turns green, just walk on through. If it turns red, agents will want to look in your bags. If it does turn red, it doesn't mean they think you have more than $300 worth of gifts. It's a random sampling. In all likelihood, the search will be minimal. If it turns out you are bringing in more than $300 worth of gifts and did not declare it, you are subject to a fine.
Travel Tip: If your international flight's first entry into Mexico is Cozumel, the immigration and customs procedures will be the same as described above for Cancun.
There used to be a check-in desk for the Mexicana commuter from Cancun to Cozumel in the same building on the left just before the exit but the last time we went through the Cancun airport, the check-in desk for AeroCaribe was in a different building. However, it won't hurt to take a quick look along the left wall as you are walking out of the arrival terminal for an AeroCaribe desk. You never know in Mexico when they might decide to put it back.
If you have a lot of luggage, you'll probably want to hire a porter. He'll be glad to lead you to the check-in counter in the other terminal but if you're going it alone, walk out of the building and turn right. The departure gates are in the first building you reach. Walk past the long line of ticket counters, turn right and you should see the counter. If you can't find it, look for Aero (pronounce "arrow") Cozumel (also known as "AeroCaribe" or "MexicanaIntra") to Cozumel. You should go right to this desk and even if there is no agent there when you arrive, wait, as there are at least eight flights per day and the schedules are a little irregular. If they have room and you are there in time, they may put you on an earlier flight than the one you are booked on. Make sure you tell the gate agent you are in transit and the flight number of your international flight because otherwise, he will try to charge you a domestic departure tax. Travelers that are just passing through Cancun on their way to other Mexican destinations do not have to pay the tax. If you are in transit and the agent insists on charging you the departure tax, tell him you want a receipt. You can then get a refund from Mexicana with the receipt and proof that you were in transit.Once through security, you enter a room looking out over the tarmac. The sound system in this room is pretty horrible but listen to announcements for the word "Cozumel". Don't worry if you don't know exactly what is going on because no one else (not even the Mexicans) does either. Somehow, you will hear the announcement and board your plane for the 15-minute flight to Cozumel. Food and drink services in the AeroCaribe departure room are minimal so if you have the time and desire, you will find a better selection and quality in the main terminal area before you pass through the departure gate security.
Travel Tip: To call Cozumel from Cancun, dial, 01 987 and then the local Cozumel seven-digit number beginning with 872.
International and domestic flights arriving in Cozumel have separate baggage claim carousels but the gates are side by side. Once you've claimed your baggage and cleared customs (if your first point of entry into Mexico is Cozumel) you will need to buy a transit ticket for transport to your hotel or house. This will be the most expensive cab ride of your trip but the concession for the transport from the airport excludes taxis from picking up there. Once you buy your ticket, walk outside where you will be herded like cattle into groups going to the same hotels or areas of town. Eventually you will be loaded into a Chevy Suburban for the ride. The only ways around the expensive ride from the airport is to either have a friend pick you up or to walk off of the airport property where you can pick up a taxi that has just dropped someone off at the airport. |
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| Getting To Cozumel by Ferry |
| But there is another way to reach Cozumel from Cancun that will take a little longer but is cheaper and in some ways less stressful. And that way is the ferry that runs between Playa Del Carmen and Cozumel. Of course, the first thing you have to do after collecting your bags and getting through customs is to find your way to the ferry pier in Playa.
There other ways to make the trip but the easiest and most economical is the Express Bus that runs between the Cancun Airport and the Playa Del Carmen bus terminal, which is about a block and a half from the Playa ferry pier. After you get through immigration and customs look for a counter that says either Riviera Bus or Express Bus to Playa Del Carmen. Tickets are N$65 pesos or US $7.50. If by chance you can't find the counter, go outside and look for a white bus with blue waves and fish along the bottom and "Riviera" on both sides and just buy a ticket from the driver. Buses depart the Cancun airport almost hourly on the half hour beginning at 10:30am until 9:30pm. The return buses leave Playa Del Carmen almost hourly, usually at the top of the hour but with a few exceptions. .If you're traveling in a group of least 4, it's a little more expensive but not out of the ball park to take a shared taxi van to Playa Del Carmen. Pick up your ticket at the transportation desk inside the terminal. You will be put into a Chevy Suburban or VW minibus for the 40 to 45 minute drive down the coast to Playa. The driver will let you off about a block from the ferry pier. The one-way price for this is roughly US$65 for your group or about what the one-way commuter flight for one would cost.
Once you arrive in Playa Del Carmen, you can either hire a porter who will carry your luggage to the ferry pier on a tricycle or if you're traveling light, just walk towards the shore and turn right and you'll see the ticket booths for the ferry about a block away. Once you decide on how to get to Playa, you will find that ferries depart virtually every hour for the 35-45 minute trip across the straight. Don't be too concerned about whether you're getting on a "fast boat" or one of the older ferries but if you're on one of the older boats, try to sit upstairs in the open air. One-way cost is about $8.00. You will arrive downtown in the middle of San Miquel and find a taxi line at the end of the pier. If you reach the pier in Playa just in time to see a ferry pulling out, don't get too uptight. Remember that you are on vacation and have a beer or a snack at Sr. Frogs and wait for the next one.
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| Getting Around Town |
| When driving in Cozumel, keep in mind that except for divided boulevards, most streets in town are one way. Look for a sign on the side of a building at the corner for which direction to take. The other way you can tell which way you should be driving is by the direction the stop signs are facing. Most of the streets perpendicular to the waterfront will have stop signs on every corner. Except for the divided boulevards, the streets that are perpendicular to the waterfront are called "Calles." Those north of the center of town all have even numbers. Those south have odd numbers.
One exception to the numbering system is Ave. Adolpho Salas, which is one block south of the square and happens to have several of the better restaurants in town. Another is Ave. Bonito Juarez, which runs from the central square east all the way to the other side of the island. .The streets that run parallel to the waterfront are called "Avenidas" and are numbered in multiples of 5. The main drag is Ave. R. Melgar but the next street is 5th, the next is 10th, etc. Ave. 30 (aka Ave. Pedro Joaquin Coldwell) and Ave. 65 are divided boulevards.
No parking zones are marked with red painted curbs. There are some areas with restricted parking in the downtown area for certain hours of the day so just be aware of that if you are looking for parking and happen to see a whole block with no cars parked on it. While convenient, you really don't need to rent a car for the whole week. Except for the ride from the airport to the house, cabs are very cheap in Cozumel. Point to point in town should be less than two dollars. There are a few cab stops in the downtown area (one is right at the end of the ferry pier) but usually, all you have to do is hold your arm out and a cab will stop. Sometimes they will blow their horn or blink their lights as a way of asking if you are interested. Cab fares are supposed to be standard but if they think you are off a cruise ship, they will charge a lot more with the exception of the US$7-$10 per person ride in an Aviomar Suburban from the airport to your hotel or house and the N$90 pesos (roughly $10) for two persons ride back to the airport, taxis tend to be very reasonable. While no meters are used, fares are regulated. Although it's not always expected, a 10% tip is appropriate. Telephone 87 20041 to have a taxi dispatched to your location for an additional fee of N$5 pesos. While the cab drivers will take dollars, (and most of the prices below are listed in dollars) it will be easier if you pay in pesos in as close to exact change as possible. It is hard to believe how often the driver will tell you he has no change when trying to use even a small bill. Approximate fares (in dollars) are:
Point to point in town - $1.50 to $2.00
Town to north or south hotels - $3.00 to $4.00
Chankanaab Park to town - $10.00
Town to Playa Corona - $9.00
You can hire a taxi for longer terms for N$150 pesos or roughly $16 an hour. The published fare for a 3-hour tour of the island by cab is N$510 pesos or roughly $55 but with some negotiations, you can hire a cab to stay with you for half a day for $35 to $40.
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