Don't Stop Having Fun
Author:
Steve Blount If you still haven't found the perfect recipe for a terrific time in Cozumel, there are a lot more ingredients to choose from.
Cozumel's Museo de la Isla de Cozumel has an interesting collection of Mayan and European artifacts and a restaurant that serves an excellent traditional Mexican breakfast. Be sure to reserve a table. It's also the best place to watch Carnaval, the Cozumeleño version of the pre-Lenten festival held during the week before Ash Wednesday. The big splash is on Saturday night; there's a ball with traditional dancers.
On almost every Sunday night, families turn out in the central plaza - children neatly dressed and everyone in a social mood - for music and bunuelos, lightly fried flour crisps dusted with cinnamon and sugar.
While most of the hotels have a beach, many visitors find the beach clubs a nice change of pace and scenery. There are several near the main hotel zone south of San Miguel. The daily charge is typically $5 or $10 and you can use a palapa and a chair, eat at the restaurant, have drinks delivered while you sun, and rent snorkel gear. Playa Sol is popular, with gift shacks, a little zoo, a good swimming beach and restaurant, but it can get crowded when cruise ships arrive.
Farther afield, horseback riding from a ranchero on the east side of the island is a great way to see some of the smaller Mayan ruins. The horses aren't thoroughbreds, but they're well suited to the demands of the island climate and do just fine on the beaches. Some of the interior tracks - even the road up the northeast side of the island - are hard to drive even in a Jeep, and horses make the exploration a lot easier.
For those who prefer to get their rough on the golf course, the Cozumel Country Club has a new 18-hole course by Jack Nicklaus, and built to the tune of $200 million. Nicklaus has apparently become a fan of the island, staying in the Presidential Suite at the El Cozumeleño when he's in town. The course is across the street from Paradisus Cozumel and El Cozumeleño hotels.
Posted online 04/01/01.
[ Comment, Edit or Article Submission ]
