Cozumel - Paradise Beach is wonderful!

[Lynda Silk]

Hi,
Just wanted to let everyone know that Paradise Beach in Cozumel is just as great as all the rave reviews I've seen have mentioned! It's just 10 minutes from the International pier (I was sailing on the RCI Enchantment of the Seas) and the taxi only cost $12 (no tipping taxi drivers either in Cozumel!). When you're driving there, you see a lot of very dense bush on the sides of the road and then all of a sudden, it all opens up and you see lots of beautiful palm trees! This is the entrance to Paradise Beach!

The beach is just beautiful; lots of white sand, the water is great, there are lots of lounges with umbrellas and small tables. We arrived at around 11:30am and were able to grab a few water mattresses. The bar and restaurant were very nice too, and the washrooms and changerooms were VERY clean. We ordered tortilla chips, salsa, a hamburger and a spicy chicken wrap and they were delicious! The food portions were quite generous as well! The service was great; it only took around 20 minutes to get our food and the waiter served it to us right on the beach!

There's a trampoline and an inflated iceberg that you can climb in the water. There were also kayaks that you could use. TI would caution you to be careful when you enter the water, especially if you are not close to the iceberg. It's kind of rocky when you first get in and kind of slippery. But once you go 1 or 2 feet in, it's nice and sandy. The entry is much easier if you're right by the iceberg.

And this is all for free! You only pay for food and drinks and T shirts. They also have services such as massages that are $1 per minute. This is a beautiful beach and you just can't beat the price! I think that for 3 adults, we only spent $40! I had booked a shore excursion with RCI to Playa Del Sol, and the entrance fee itself was $37 Canadian for each of us! This fee didn't include food or drinks either!

So if you want a nice beach to visit in Cozumel, make sure you go to Paradise Beach! The fellow that runs it, Tom, is very nice as well and is always making sure everyone is comfortable and has everything they need.

traycie2201, you had posted earlier asking for feedback re Cozumel and Key West, so I just had to tell you about Cozumel! Re Key West, we took the Conch Train and it was great! It was nice and cool and the guide was hilarious! We really enjoyed it and found out all sorts of interesting things about the history of Key West, their historical and more famous homes and saw gorgeous plants, flowers and trees! We actually meant to take the Trolley Tour which allowed you to get off at different stops, but we mistakenly got on the Conch train which doesn't let you off. But in a way, it worked out for us because we kind of enjoyed just staying on the train and out of the heat!

If anyone has any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

 

[traycie2201]

Hi Lynda, great mini report, will definately put that on my list - i take it you felt comfortable doing your own excursion on cozumel ? The Conch train sounds fun, so glad you had a great holiday

Traycie

 

[Lynda Silk]

Hi Traycie!
Yes, we felt very comfortable being on our own in Cozumel even though we were 3 females ranging in age from 43 to 78. The taxis are right outside the pier and are very clearly marked. The taxi driver knew Paradise Beach right away. There's a taxi stand right outside Paradise Beach so going back was not a problem either. We did a little shopping in the stores around Pancho's Backyard ( a Mexican restaurant; we just had a quesadilla and tortilla chips and guacamole; all were delicious!); the taxi ride there from Paradise Beach was $18. They don't barter there but the prices seemed quite reasonable for tshirts and sombreros. We were kind of tired from the heat and the sun (30C) so we didn't really have much energy to barter anyway although I'm sure it's a lot of fun. We headed back to the ship (taxi ride $6) after that.

Key West was a lot prettier than I thought it would be and the tour was very interesting as I mentioned before.

We were travelling with RCI and had a great time but I did find that I preferred DCL. Just little things and of course, there wasn't the "magic" you find on anything Disney! But it was a lovely ship, very organized, great buffet restaurant and the entertainment was very enjoyable! Again if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! Have a wonderful time!

 

[aliwas]

Thanks for the great info We were already leaning toward heading there and this makes me even more excited about it Glad you a had a wonderful time and thanks again for sharing

 

[traycie2201]

You sold it to me, paradise beach is now officialy on the list for us to do, we also planned to visit panchos backyard too. Are you posting a trip report ?? would love to see one. glad you had a wonderful time, i'd been curious about key west it looks lovely but i'd read some posts where people thought it was sleazy so it was nice to hear a good report.

Traycie

 

[Lynda Silk]

Hi Traycie!
I'm probably going to try to post a trip report but I'll probably post it on www.cruise.critic because I was on a Royal Caribbean cruise, not a Disney cruise. When I've done this, I'll let you know!

Yes, I had heard that Key West was a sleezy town too but the tour makes you see a different side to the city. They still have the tacky t shirt shops but the other shops by the pier were quite nice.

Glad to hear you've decided on Paradise Beach for sure! You won't regret it! I've seen so many posts from other people who loved it as well on the Ports of Call board on www.cruisecritic.com and that's why I decided to go there. The fellow that runs it is named Tom and he's so very nice and will do anything to make your time there better.

Take care!

 

[bwbuddy]

Is that the same beach that DCL charges $49 for as the "Cozumel Beach Break"? The Passporter actually calls this one Playa del Sol Beach, but mentiones the water trampolines and climbing iceberg.

 

[Lynda Silk]

No, Paradise Beach is another beach.

I had signed up too for the shore excursion to Playa Del Sol with the cruiseline but then I found out about Paradise Beach. They have all of the same amenities but it's free! You only pay for food, drink and services like hair braiding and massage. When I saw all the rave reviews about Paradise Beach from other posters on www.cruisecritic.com, I promptly cancelled my shore excursion to Playa Del Sol. So instead of paying $84 US for 3 adults to go to the beach, I paid $0 (you have to pay for taxis for either trip). Food and drink I would have had to pay for at either beach.

The beach is fairly new (just opened in the fall of 2003) so that's why they aren't charging an entrance fee right now.

A small thing but I also liked the beach chairs at Paradise Beach better than the ones at Playa Del Sol. The ones at Playa Del Sol were plastic molded chairs that were very close to the ground. They didn't look very comfortable and I thought they might be too "tippy" for my 78 yr old mother to get in and out of. The chairs or lounges at Paradise Beach were the same as the ones you find on the pool deck with the plastic straps. They looked much more comfortable and more stable and easier to get in and out of, and they were!

 

[Jdubbs]

Thank you for the info..Thats what I will do in Coz...Thats why this board is so great.

 

[KAMLEM]

Originally posted by Lynda Silk
and the taxi only cost $12 (no tipping taxi drivers either in Cozumel!).

Why wouldn't you tip the taxi drivers?

 

[Lynda Silk]

They're unionized and the rule is not to tip them. They even post all the fares on a big board by the pier by destination so you know exactly what the fare is. I guess you can tip them if you want, but I know people who live in Cozumel have said that it is not necessary and it is not expected.

Someone told me that people only tip taxi drivers in Canada and the US. and that it's just not done in other places in the world. I was surprised too because I always tip but again, Cozumel residents told me very firmly that it wasn't necessary.

 

[KAMLEM]

I wasn't aware of that. We tipped the driver who took us from the port to Paradise Beach and he was more than happy to accept it. We gave him $20 for a $13 fare. The way back was another story. The guy was driving way too fast and he refused to slow down so I didn't think that he deserved a tip.

 

[Lynda Silk]

I felt funny about not tipping but my friends in Cozumel were quite adamant about it not being the practice. But I'm sure your first driver appreciated the tip!

Our taxi driver on the ride to Paradise Beach was also a maniac driver and didn't crack a smile or say one word on the way there. My mother tried to make a bit of small talk and he just ignored her! Not tipping him didn't feel quite as bad!