And, Cozumel, Mexico so let’s say we have made this trip twice, it’s a wonderful getaway for solo travelers, couple travelers and family travelers. Upon initially finding out that my husband had booked this first trip through a travel agent to say it made me excited and sick at the same time, well it 100% did! As sweet and amazing as the gesture was Cozumel and Mexico in general had me a little nervous! If I also didn’t tell you that the flight had me terrified, the weather had me terrified and quiet frankly being that far from our home made me sick even to think about. Little did I know it was all about to change and not only would I love this trip but we would repeat it!
Some funny stories and then we will move on
So we always have a few mishaps in our adventures which is what makes them so memorable, some more so than others which is why I want to share a few funny moments with you. Trust me they will make you appreciate this trip more when you make it!
So we start this trip on a non stop flight (thank you husband such a nice plan) however not long into our flight I hear that dreaded noise “ding” now not only have I almost panicked and got off the plane but now I am sure I will not make it back home. First flight and last flight. My husband being so good with this surroundings and direction looks at me and says I see land we should be over water, we’ve turned around. Panic is running high at this moment and I don’t even know what the pilot has to say.
Pilot finally tells us that we have had a sensor go out on the plane, it does have another but if it fails we will lose temps etc. So we have turned around (good job husband again) and we are landing in Florida. So much for the nonstop flight plan and I am already deciding to rent a taxi back to where we started, no way was I boarding another plane if I hit the ground safely.
the first airport and then the real airport
Upon arrival to the airport we are greeted with a whopping $8 of vouchers with which I purchased two bottles of water, I mean why not. We did not end up renting a taxi and I did indeed reboard another plane and continue our trip to Cozumel. Flight proceeds normally until our descent into Cozumel. As we are preparing for landing on a nice smooth downward decline we are greeted with a head jerking tilt straight upward. Well as you know I’m panicking. This time I am sure the pilot himself has decided he isn’t going home and we are all going to die. Turns out another plane was avoiding air traffic control and we were actually going to land safely (hopefully.)
We arrive to an airport in Cozumel, Mexico and heat that feels like 110 no air conditioning and huge dogs and armed gunmen just about everywhere. Let’s just say comfort zone was nowhere to be found again. We checked through, lost no luggage amazingly and then proceeded on to the taxi. I laugh as I think about this now but if I were going to die on this trip, this could have been it.
our taxi travel and final arrival into cozumel, mexico
So I’m not sure they had a speed limit or if we were close to obeying it but what I do know is that our little tuna can could really do some drifting on so many pea gravel it was unreal. The ride was so bad that my husband turns around from the front seat with eyes as big as saucers and reaches and clicks his seatbelt. I bust laughing even now. The guy knew no English so talk was minimal and if he could understand us this was probably the highlight of his day. Comical entertainment to say the least.
We arrive to the hotel (amazingly) but it was gorgeous. We stayed at Allegro Cozumel All Inclusive Resort-if you get a chance do it! I’ve attached a link below.
However again the travel agent booked twin beds for our room. I am thinking maybe we should just take it but not my husband and not after a day like today. His spill of problems of the day and the room fell on deaf ears after finishing and realizing she had zero clue what he had even just said to her. She did not speak English .We were rerouted to a manager, second spill of problems and apparently as my husband tells people “crap (for better words) flows downhill and the manager was at the bottom. We did end up with a very nice room on the other side of the resort, but geez what a beginning to Mexico!
So many more stories which is what made this trip so wonderful. I will touch base on a few more as we go but let’s dive in to why this was such a wonderful trip!
My reasons to say yes! to this trip
So not to mention the absolute pristine waters here with blue sandbars so rich in blue color that you can’t describe them, the white sandy beaches laid out perfectly with tiki umbrellas and tables, the dock that you could sit on the end of for eternity and never tire of the view, the scuba diving you can do and never leave the resort, the amazing bars, the pools, the hot tubs on the beach, the many variety of restaurants that you never leave the resort to eat, the fun bingo nights and those excursions!
We did day excursions on horseback to a tequila distillery and some of the Mayan Ruins. This was interesting. It was not quiet the travel we expected but the trip in itself was wonderful and pretty exciting actually. We did a day excursion on a scooter rental across the island and ate at a Bob Marley Bar on the beach (this is just things you can’t do at home) and worth every minute of crazy! Scooters come to find out can hold approximately 6 people, a dog, a pig and groceries. No, just kidding but close really. How they manage on the pea gravel there is beyond me!
If you ever get the chance and you never leave the resort say YES to this trip! I can only hope your memories would be as amazing and funny as mine.
travel tips- my personal thoughts
- Passports- Don’t forget those!
- Pack Light- it is the beach after all and cute sundresses well they do the job!
- Money- when you go into town be sure not to carry too much cash, and be mindful of people bumping into you. It is easy to be pickpocketed here.
- Know a little Spanish. I did not, thankfully my husband knew enough but this could 100% be helpful.
- If you scuba dive and do a boat dive be mindful that they are quick and guided to be done on a certain timeframe. I promise you will see amazing things but be prepared to arrive and literally jump off the boat into the water.
- Allegro does have a private beach but peddlers do pop out of the wooded beachline trying to sell you items, just walk up to the resort and they will leave you alone. This happened while my husband was on a dive and I’m not going to lie it scared me a little.
- Be aware that topless is common there, so if you take kids just be prepared for all scenarios.
- Take water wherever you go but only drink water from the resort itself. It is common for them to reseal bottles off the resorts and then sell them again (this will make you sick so be mindful and prepared)
- Geckos are EVERYWHERE! Just a note. We had several funny encounters with them but they are literally everywhere here. Even rooms sometimes.
- Make friends! We have made some of the best friends while traveling. Remember they are traveling too chances are you will have things in common!
things to do
You will have so many things you will want to do while you are here, just choose wisely and do top priority things first so that if weather becomes an issue or anything else comes up you don’t miss out!
- Mayan Ruins-top of the list. They are pretty amazing.
- Visit the Town. While this at the time didn’t hit me as a favorite thinking about it now it was pretty awesome seeing the architecture and malls along with the cruise ships porting. Do be prepared for the taxi ride again though.
- Rent a Scooter! Scooter the Island for yourself if you are able. There is absolutely nothing as amazing as driving wind in your hair down the coastline of Mexico.
- Scuba Dive or at least snorkel. You will love them both. A wide variety of fish species and reefs here. I did particularly enjoy this,
- Spend days on the beach. I have never regretted this. They will bring you drinks all day long and you can do absolutely nothing. Enjoy that!
- Beach Parks, they have several they are worth the trip.
- Palancar Reef
- Horse tour, Mayan Bee Sanctuary.
We will stop with these but please look into making an itinerary for this trip. It is so important not to miss out on your top list items!
Places to stay & eat
- Allegro Cozumel All Inclusive Resort- remember this link is posted above! I highly recommend this one!
- Coral Princess Hotel & Dive Resort
- Hotel Playa Azul
- Cozumel Palace- All Inclusive
- The Westin
I do want to make you aware that if you are traveling as a family many resorts are adult only so be careful. My top 5 choices here are all family friendly. Links here are rather lengthy but totally worth the check out if you are going!
final thoughts on this trip for you
Remember this may seem stressful at first especially if you have never flown out of the US, but it is so worth it. The Kids Pirate Ship pool area and the daycare included on site at Allegro will offer you a chance to unwind even if you are traveling with children. Your breakfast buffet and nightly dinners will keep you coming back for more!
I highly recommend this trip and absolutely recommend you take videos, pictures and even more pictures! Soak up the sun here and when you have storms realize the true power of nature without mountains protecting the area. The entire experience both trips were so super memorable from the bad to the best! I hope you can enjoy this too! I will try to post a free itinerary on my page soon for you!
XOXO- Shanna
