Four Hidden Spots in Cozumel, Mexico

Cozumel is an island on the eastern side of the Yucatan Peninsula and brings to life the beauty of crystal blue water beaches while steeped in the rich culture of the ancient Mayans. There are many tours that will take you around the island where you can experience snorkeling, scuba diving, eating, drinking, and beach going.

Here are a few lesser known spots that will be sure to make for great memories.

1) The Mayan Cacao Company

Not only is this some of the best chocolate in Cozumel but they also put on quite a show. The guides teach you all about the importance of cacao for the ancient Mayans with a full demonstration of chocolate making the Mayan way. It’s the most touristy spot on this list but it’s well worth the stop. You can taste all their chocolate flavors along with amazing chocolate tortillas and hot chocolate treats.

2) Caves and Cenotes (pronounced seh-no-tays)

The caves were formed over 65,000 years ago when a meteorite hit the Yucatan Peninsula, sadly killed the dinosaurs, and formed sinkholes, swimming pools, and even underground rivers. These are stunning feats of geology to explore. There are even tours where you can eat lunch and do tequila tastings inside the caves!

3) Regalo de Dios Tequila Factory

Speaking of tequila, I know you’re thinking the last time you had tequila you swore it would be your last. Regalo de Dios will change your mind after one sip. The guides at the factory will teach you how tequila is made, share the different styles of tequila, and explain how to identify high quality liquor that won’t make you feel horrible the next morning. That’s followed by a tasting of their different ages and flavors. The Respado is a must try!

4) Playa San Martin

Playa San Martin is off the eastern coast of the island which is lesser known and a bit further away from the touristy beaches by the port. As a Floridian, I’m an expert in all things beaches and this one is like none other. There’s a little restaurant across the street that serves nachos and Coronas. The sand is made of finely ground conch shells making it cool to the touch even when it is hot and sunny. This beach is easily a place you could spend all day and finish feeling totally relaxed.

Those are some of our favorite spots in Cozumel. If any of these interest you, I can help get you there! All you have to do is contact me.

7 Reasons Why a Cruise is the Ultimate Vacation

Pretty bold title, eh? I considered toning it down a bit but I didn’t feel that reflected the truth. You see, as I outlined in my last post, I was a bit leery of the whole cruising thing. Then I went on one, and another, and another (you get the idea) and I truly believe they are the ultimate vacation for me and my family and can be for you as well. Why? Let’s take a look!

1) Destination Sampling
Cruises can take you all over the world! In addition to the Caribbean you can also go to the Mexican Riviera, Panama Canal, Europe, Australia and New Zealand...shall I continue?

You often have most of the day at a location, so they amount you can do in each port is really quite exhaustive. For example, we had one day in Florence this past summer and we were able to see:

1. The Leaning Tower of Pisa

2. The David (and everything else the museum had to offer)

3. Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (The Duomo)

4. Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence - the burial site of many renaissance contributors such as Michelangelo and Galileo

We also did some shopping, ate at an incredible restaurant and just wandered the streets.

Now imagine doing this for 4-5 different cities...simply incredible!

2) Cost per night
Considering a cruise includes food, lodging, entertainment AND transportation between locations, it is very difficult to beat the cost per night. A real-time search of a Norwegian 7-day Caribbean cruise in September for a family of 4 resulted in a cost $342 per night TOTAL for a balcony room ($86 per person). This specific cruise also includes specialty dining on 3 nights and unlimited beverage package!! I mean, seriously, where can you get a deal like that.

3) Shows and entertainment
The shows and entertainment on some of these ships is seriously world class. In fact, many ships have full fledged broadway shows (think Grease, Mama Mia and Hairspray). Many also feature comedians you may have seen on comedy central, incredible musical talent and world class dancers from around the world.

In addition to the shows there are tons of activities to do throughout the day with something for everyone. You can play trivia, learn how to salsa dance, do a family scavenger hunt, join a dance party, and more.

4) Wake up in a new city
One of the coolest things about a cruise is that you explore a location during the day, and, while you are enjoying everything the ship has to offer and getting a good night’s rest, the ship is “cruising” ahead. This means you get to wake up every morning to a completely different city or even country!!

5) Food
The food on these ships is not only amazing, but it is plentiful! Hungry for breakfast? Try a sit down in the dining room or load up at the main cafe. Having lunch on the ship? Try one of the sandwich or pub options. Need a snack? Grab a soft serve or something from 24-hour pizza place! At dinner you can order as much as you want from any section of the menu. Love crab cakes? Get a few of the appetizer plates in addition to your dinner. One night our table couldn’t decide which desserts to get so we got them all!

6) Drink Package
A number of cruise lines, including Norwegian and Celebrity, offer up an unlimited drink package as a perk for booking a room. This is awesome for a couple of reasons:

1. You don’t need to worry about paying as you go and “accidently” rack up a pretty large stateroom bill.

2. You can try new things! Always wanted to try a Bahama Mama...in the Bahamas? Go for it! Never had a mudslide? Make it your afternoon (or in my father-in-law’s case, late morning) drink of choice!

7) Spa
As if all of the above wasn’t enough, pretty much every cruise ship out there has a spa that offers numerous services from massage to facials to acupuncture to hair cuts. These bring the cruise experience to a whole new level of luxury and relaxation.

Oh, and the spa area also typically includes a full gym. I mention this in passing because many people think exercise and vacation are two words that should not be used in the same sentence. However, for those that do enjoy a little balance (or just want to make room for the three desserts you plan to get at dinner), the gyms are very nice and offer a number of classes.

Bonus reasons: Different cruise lines offer different experiences
Ok, I realize I said “7 Reason” but I wanted to throw this one in because it brings us full circle. Because there are so many cruise lines out there these days, you can choose the type of ship experience you want and find the right cruise line/ship to match (that is where I can help!). Are you a retired couple looking for a bit more of a pampered, quiet experience? Go for an Aqua Class suite on the Celebrity Edge. Are you a family of 4 looking for an all around great, affordable cruise with fun for every age? The Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas would be a great choice. Organizing a 40th birthday party for you and 20 of your closest friends? One of the new Carnival ships would be perfect.

To sum up, with a can’t-beat cost per night, world class shows, entertainment and dining, included drink packages (on some ships), relaxing spa options and the opportunity to find a ship that matches your vacation desires, a cruise truly is the ULTIMATE vacation!

My Previously Held Cruise Concerns - Debunked!

I need to start this post off with a confession. It is true that I am a bit obsessed with learning as much as possible about the cruising industry (just ask my wife who humors me quite often). It is also a fact that I truly enjoy helping people plan incredible cruise vacations. However, it is also true that up until 3 years ago I had so many concerns when it came to cruising that I wouldn’t even consider it when people brought it up to me as a viable vacation option. Why? Let me count the ways…

For starters, I grew up in Vermont and, for the better part of my life, was completely clueless about the ocean. In fact, most of my oceanic knowledge came in the form of movies such as Jaws and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

In contrast, when my wife was a kid, “cruise” and “vacation” were basically synonyms. That is just how it goes when you are raised in south Florida and have 2 major ports of call within 1 hour of your house. Family vacations? Cruise. Milestone birthdays? Cruise. Sure there would be a day-trip to Disney tucked in there somewhere, but cruises were definitely the vacation of choice.

Fast-forward 15 or so years and it was now time for my wife and I to decide what our family vacations would look like. My wife’s family naturally gravitated toward the idea of cruising while I (tried to) offer up land based options, like the chilly coast of Maine in the summer! When I would rattle off my list of cruise concerns they would look at me like I was the one with eight arms! Well, given the fact that I am writing this blog, you can probably figure out who won that battle.

When I reluctantly agreed to go on our first family cruise a few years back, it didn’t take long for me to realize that all of my concerns were completely misguided! In fact, most were the complete opposite of what I thought.

Because I don’t want anyone to make the same mistakes I did, below are some of the truths I learned that completed debunked my previously held concerns.

Swimming in the Caribbean is amazing
So, I thought I didn’t like swimming in oceans. The real deal is that I don’t like swimming where I can’t see through to the bottom. Solution: swim in the Caribbean where the water is the most brilliant blue I have ever seen. In fact, one of my new favorite places on earth is a beach in Cozumel were the sand is made entirely of ground conch shell (cool to the touch) and water amazingly clear. Oh, and it turns out Jaws and the massive Kraken are things of science fiction! Who knew?

The food on cruise ships is really good
With so many people to feed, I figured the food would be adequate. It turns out I was just flat out wrong. Not only are there an extensive number of dining options but the food is really REALLY good! The only real concern is whether or not you will fit in to your clothes by the end of the trip!

Cruises offer great value
For the record I tend to lean more on the frugal side so I think a lot of things are expensive. However, after doing some cost comparison, cruises tend to run 30%-40% cheaper than land-based options! Why? Well, lodging AND meals AND transportation between ports AND entertainment are all included in the cruise cost. Sure, there are various levels of cruising that can increase cost (e.g. staying in a suite vs an oceanview room), but on the whole, cruises are extremely economical.

Cruises are NOT overcrowded
There are some ships out there that hold over 5,000 people. However, aside from a few situations that require the entire population on board to do the same thing (e.g. muster drill, disembarkation), these ships are so big that people are able to spread out. If the sound of 5,000 people still makes you a bit claustrophobic, then you may want to consider a “smaller” ship (in the ballpark of 3,000 people). We recently went on a ship with just over 3,000 people on board and there were times it felt like we were on a private charter!

There is SO much to do on cruise ships
My concern that the only thing to do would be hang out at a pool (which isn’t the worst thing in the world) turned out to be way off base. Ships these days have incredible broadway-style shows, interactive kids camps and a plethora of activities (think ice skating, bumper cars, rock walls, laser tag and go karts...yes...go karts). For the health conscious, most ships have running tracks and beautiful fitness centers and spas.

You rarely, if at all, feel any sort of rocking of the boat
Although I typically don’t get seasick, the potential of doing so was concerning. What I learned is that cruise ships are so large these days and fitted with stabilizing technologies that it is extremely rare to feel any sort of motion. However, if you are very sensitive to motion sickness, might I suggest non-drowsy dramamine. My mother-in-law tends to get sea-sick on smaller boats and she will occasionally take this as a precaution if there are slightly rough seas. In the 16 years I have known her, she hasn’t been sick once...and they are on cruise ships a total of about 50 days a year!

In summary, all of my preconceived notions of why I wouldn’t like cruising turned out to be just that, preconceived notions. The truth of the matter is that cruises are all-inclusive resorts with wonderful food, great entertainment and numerous activities all at a very reasonable cost. For these reasons (and a whole lot more that will be addressed in future posts) I am a total cruise convert. And to think I put up such a fight. Man am I glad I lost that battle!