Playa Palancar or Paradise Beach

[CRUISING71]

Which beach is better? We are not into all inclusive, but would like to relax on the beach.

 

Which beach is closer to the port?

[JohninDC]

I have not been to Playa Palancar - yet. :(

 

Paradise Beach is a 10-15 minute, $15 (for up to 4) taxi ride. $2 for lounge chair rentals, $10 per person food and drink minimum (it's not hard to spend that), extra fee for water toys. HUGE pool, nice changing area, good food and drinks.

 

Good luck! :)

[maldenmusic]

I've not been to Paradise but have been to Palancar several times and can highly recommend it. $20 cab ride each way-it is the furthest beach on the SW side of the island. I've NEVER seen a crowd, maybe no more than 40 people at a time. No charge to use beach but we always eat a fantastic huge lunch with several margaritas and our bill is around $40 including tip for 2 of us. I'm sure you don't have to buy anythng but they probably appreciate it if you at least ordered drinks. Not much to do there exactly excpet enjoy the solitude :D

[SAS21]

I've not been to Paradise but have been to Palancar several times and can highly recommend it. $20 cab ride each way-it is the furthest beach on the SW side of the island. I've NEVER seen a crowd, maybe no more than 40 people at a time. No charge to use beach but we always eat a fantastic huge lunch with several margaritas and our bill is around $40 including tip for 2 of us. I'm sure you don't have to buy anythng but they probably appreciate it if you at least ordered drinks. Not much to do there exactly excpet enjoy the solitude :D

 

Are there Umbrella's & loungers? Do you have to reserve a spot?

[maldenmusic]

You don't have to reserve anything-just show up. We go there at least 1-2 times a year and have never been disappointed. No charge to use the beach or the loungers. Plenty of tables with umbrellas right on the beach or you can also sit a few feet back from the beach under the palm trees.

[c-leg5]

I've not been to Paradise but have been to Palancar several times and can highly recommend it. $20 cab ride each way-it is the furthest beach on the SW side of the island. I've NEVER seen a crowd, maybe no more than 40 people at a time. No charge to use beach but we always eat a fantastic huge lunch with several margaritas and our bill is around $40 including tip for 2 of us. I'm sure you don't have to buy anythng but they probably appreciate it if you at least ordered drinks. Not much to do there exactly excpet enjoy the solitude :D

 

We have been to Palancar several times but we have always had a taxi for the day and have visited other places on the same day. How difficult is it to get a taxi back when you are ready?

[CRUISING71]

C-Leg..

 

I am bumping this threat up...because I am planning to go to Playa, and wondering the same thing.

 

Thanks,

Tibbie

[maldenmusic]

We have been to Palancar several times but we have always had a taxi for the day and have visited other places on the same day. How difficult is it to get a taxi back when you are ready?

Taxis have always been waiting there when we are ready to leave. Also, you can let the wait staff at the beach know a little while before you are ready to leave and they will call for you if in doubt.

[2-laner]

I'll put another vote in for Playa. My reason for liking it (haven't been to Paradise but was just at Nachi in January) was that it had a more secluded feel to it. No water toys and only a couple dozen people there. Could walk up the beach quite a ways and still see no people on nearby beaches. Also, I really did not eat and drink enough to make the AI price worth it. A few drinks and some dip & chips and I was good for the time I was at Playa.

[CRUISING71]

Thanks...Playa for us too.

[maldenmusic]

A couple more Palancar pics. It is definitely secluded and you won't see crowds here. Nachi is supposed to be limited to only 100 guests a day but I've never even seen close to 100 people on Palancar.

[misstiffany]

Another vote for Palancar, even though I've never been to Paradise beach. It is very secluded and the taxi ride is pricey (and a bit long), but it's free to get in and the food/drinks are very reasonably priced. The staff is attentive, but not pushy. I was a bit worried about getting a taxi back, but there was at least three or four waiting when we were ready to go.

 

I had thought about trying out Paradise on my upcoming cruise, but that place looks crowded and the food menu...not so great.

[banditoo]

Has anyone snorkeled at Palancar? If so, was it right from the beach or did you need an excursion to get out to the reef?

[must2cruz]

Palancar is great. $20.00 cab, each way. No charge to get to the beach. We were there on 2/14. It looked like people were renting snorkle equipment there. The waiters were not pushy. We only bought sodas. Not many people there, very private. We will go there again the next time we are in Cozumel. I was concerned about getting a cab back but it was no problem. Several were waiting. If there aren't any waiting they will call one for you. :cool:

[lavalcruiser]

We will be in Cozumel at the end of the month, and are 6 adults. Can we get a cab for 20$ for the 6 of us to go to Palancar ?

[JohninDC]

We will be in Cozumel at the end of the month, and are 6 adults. Can we get a cab for 20$ for the 6 of us to go to Palancar ?

 

Cabs in Coz are priced for up to 4 passengers; for a van taxi for 6 of you expect to pay $5-6 per person. Good luck! :)

[maldenmusic]

Has anyone snorkeled at Palancar? If so, was it right from the beach or did you need an excursion to get out to the reef?

I think that Palancar has a website and a Facebook page that would probably give you more info about snorkeling. I would google them to see what you can learn because I"ve never done anything there except lay in a beach chair and drink mango margaritas :D

[lavalcruiser]

Cabs in Coz are priced for up to 4 passengers; for a van taxi for 6 of you expect to pay $5-6 per person. Good luck! :)

 

Thank your for your fast reply :)

[2-laner]

Has anyone snorkeled at Palancar? If so, was it right from the beach or did you need an excursion to get out to the reef?

 

 

We snorkeled. There was a place on location that offered a boat ride out to the reef. We got there about 10AM and signed up immediately. They said if we wanted to go now, they could take us. We put our things in a locker (locked lockers), signed the papers, paid, received our snorkeling equipment and made our way out to the boat. My sister, 2 daughters and myself were the only ones going this trip, so we had our own personal excursion. Our guide was very good about explaining how to use the gear and what to do in the water. He stayed with us the whole time and tried to point out fish, etc. It took about 15 minutes to get out to the reef and we spent almost an hour in the water. We probably could have stayed longer, but, my daughter swallowed some sea water and was getting green around the gills. Our guide had noticed and came out to get me to let me know.

 

When we made it back to shore, they insisted that we keep our snorkeling gear to use for the rest of the day. My other daughter loved that and made extensive use of hers for shore snorkeling. She said it was mostly sand, shells and maybe a small fish here and there. But she didn't care, she had a blast. The reef is a fair distance out from the shore, so the boat out to it is a must unless you are a strong swimmer.

[Bug'sMom]

2-laner how was the snorkeling at the reef?

 

 

Kathy

[2-laner]

2-laner how was the snorkeling at the reef?

 

 

Kathy

 

 

I thought it was pretty good. My sister who was with us had done more snorkeling then me and she said this one was now her favorite so far. The clouds had moved in on us halfway through, so the visibility was down. But, we still had a blast and would like to do it again the next time we are there.

[Snorkel2Much]

I've been to both places several times and prefer Palancar because the diving/snorkeling is top-notch. I will note that the beach loungers at Palancar are either hard wood or hard plastic. (I hope they've upgraded since my last visit). The only cushioning is either your beach towel or your own "junk-in-the-trunk". The waters edge at Palancar can be a bit "gravelly" with broken shell in many places, but gets much better a few feet in from shore. It is definitely not a "party scene" or loud and crazy like Paradise can get at times. Each place has their own attractive features, depends on what kind of experience you want that day.

[maldenmusic]

I've been to both places several times and prefer Palancar because the diving/snorkeling is top-notch. I will note that the beach loungers at Palancar are either hard wood or hard plastic. (I hope they've upgraded since my last visit). The only cushioning is either your beach towel or your own "junk-in-the-trunk". The waters edge at Palancar can be a bit "gravelly" with broken shell in many places, but gets much better a few feet in from shore. It is definitely not a "party scene" or loud and crazy like Paradise can get at times. Each place has their own attractive features, depends on what kind of experience you want that day.

When we were at Palancar in May 2011, they had some nice cushions you could ask for to put on your chair. And yes, the entrance can have some broken conch shells so I usually wear water shoes. But other than that, I have nothing negative to say. This is where we return to each time we are in Coz.

[xcell]

since it sounds like a cash place - how much cash would you suggest to bring..

 

so far ive calculated

 

$20-30 X 2 = $40-60 for taxi (group of 4 adults 2 kids)

$60 for food and drinks

 

how much was it for snorkelling?

 

I wonder where I would put the cash???

[2-laner]

since it sounds like a cash place - how much cash would you suggest to bring..

 

so far ive calculated

 

$20-30 X 2 = $40-60 for taxi (group of 4 adults 2 kids)

$60 for food and drinks

 

how much was it for snorkelling?

 

I wonder where I would put the cash???

 

 

Snorkeling is going to be about $40 apiece. You can go online to Playa Palancar's website and they have a contact email address for Dalila Divers. That is the name of the diving outfit on location at Playa.