Mexico 2023 - the return

 

After 3 years of not being able to take our winter getaway we were very excited to return to what now feels like home! Lots of people ask us, “why not go somewhere else for a change?” We’ve thought about it and we did go to the Big Island of Hawaii one winter and we will probably go other places in the future. But like I said, “it feels like home.” Not just that though. The benefit of going back to a place you love and have been before is that you don’t waste time wondering what to do or where to go. We now have our favorite places to eat, our favorite beaches, and our favorite things to do.

This time we decided to book three small local hotels. Two turned out not so great and one was fabulous! The first one we had actually stayed at before so I didn’t check into it as much as I maybe should have. Unknown to me, a new nightclub had been started up two doors down. If not for that, it’s a great little place close to the bus, all the shops and restaurants and the ferry.

After four nights there on the mainland we took the ferry and went to Cozumel for four nights. We have learned by now that you take gravol before the ferry ride to avoid any risk of feeling queasy in case the winds come up.

Our hotel on Cozumel was really nice! We booked this one specifically because we knew what a great breakfast buffet they had. It was the buffet included in a hotel we stayed at before, but we had to walk a few blocks to get to. The rooms did not disappoint either. Not super fancy but large, clean and of course a king-size bed.

 Of course we have all our favorite places and beaches on Cozumel by now, but we found some new hidden treasures this time too! One little authentic Mexican restaurant, Casa Cuzamil, just a block from our hotel was so good that we ended up going there three times!

 We also found a new beach, Playa Chen Rio that looked like it could be a great place to play in the waves, but we were already on our way back to our hotel. We had spent the day at a beach club at the point in the road where it turns to come back to town if you drive around the island. That beach club, which is really nice too is Playa Punta Moreno. They have a really nice restaurant, bar, lounge chairs and hammocks by the beach and white sandy beaches. The only downside is that there is a fair bit of coral as you walk into the water so you need to be careful.

 No trip to Cozumel is complete without a visit to the Mission restaurant and tequila factory and the 4-course meal there never disappoints. Don’t make eye contact with the men playing music though unless you want them to come stand right beside you and play to you. And then of course you are expected to tip them. The other place that is a must is the Money Bar. This is the most “westernized” Mexican food (in a very delicious way) restaurant we have found. Anything you order is amazing from burgers to tacos. The Money bar is a safe roped-off area to learn to snorkel although this time while we were there a big storm came in suddenly and the wind started blowing so hard the lifeguards were whistling and waving for everyone to get out of the water. It was the first time in Mexico we actually really enjoyed a hot cup of tea.

 

Another first for us on Cozumel was the Chankanaab park (pictured on the left) . I’m sure it isn’t always this way but the day we were there it was really quiet and again would be a great place to learn to snorkel or just relax for a day.

For the last three days of our trip we were back in Playa Del Carmen right on 5^th Avenue. Again, we had stayed right across the street from this hotel twice before and in fact that had been one of our favorite hotels, so I never thought to check into this one too much. Now I know why our favorite one shut down. A nightclub cropped up right beside it. The music (if you can call it that) starts around 10:30 PM and pounds – quite literally your heart vibrates in your chest – until 2:00 AM.

 Despite that and the lack of sleep we still did have an enjoyable time just hanging out at one of the local beaches. Walking 5^th avenue and exploring new corners of the town. One evening we found street vendors set up in a square nearby our hotel and found out we can get fresh churros and street tacos there so we went back twice.

 Our experience with the two not-so-great hotels has left a bit of a bad taste in our mouths though so I think we are ready for an all-inclusive next time or at least something a little more upscale.