Questions and Comments about Paradise Beach!

[CINDYSUE]

Tom,

 

Last September you were gone when the 38 Crazy Texas Women were in Coz. Two of us will be back on November 2nd. Please tell me you will be there for us to meet. Also, I had a friend come to see you last January who said your wife has a silver jewelry shop down the beach. Is she still doing that?

 

I have another friend, Kathleen, who will be there tomorrow I think!

 

Glad you were okay after the storm. Is there anything you need??? What about the kids???? We brought stuff last time and would be happy to get some stuff for them again.

 

Thanks for being such a great help on this thread.

[ScubaMare]

We were on a dive trip with them in June and Chellie knew that one of the divers was celebrating a birthday so she had Hostess-type cupcakes for everyone and we sang the birthday song. It was his 50th and he was thrilled that she remembered that he said it was his birthday. We also had fruit, cookies, water, and soda during our surface intervals. No beer since we were diving.

 

Arturo was our divemaster and he was, as usual, fabulous! We did have to wait on some people that were scheduled to dive with us that day but that certainly wasn't ERD's fault and the people we were waiting on were so thankful that we waited.

[Brooklyn-Larry]

I'll be in Cozumel on Tues 10/11 docking at 7am, Do some shopping then plan to hit the beach and drink a bunch. I have been to Chankanab and Playa Mia, but never have done Paradise. I'm reading good things about it and we like to have good service (and tip well for it). I'm traveling with 30 people. Of the 30 people 14 are adults (all drinkers) and 16 kids from 10 up to 16.

 

If we drink a bunch is it better (more cost effective) to just go to Playa Mia with their open bar? I'm not at all cheap, but don't want to cost my friends a bunch of money.

 

Also is there a way to reserve a section of chairs at Paradise, so we can all sit together? Don't need 30 chairs but 20 would probably be needed.

 

Thanks!

[mcbor]

It was great to meet you last week (can't believe it has already been one week). My daughters and I had a great time at Paradise Beach - eating, drinking, kayaking, and just lounging around. Hope your wife liked the cocoa butter. Hope to visit again sometime soon. Thanks

[bruce-r]

I just have to make a comment here about Eagle Ray Divers...

 

We booked directly with Eagle Ray Divers the first time and it ended up being just my DH and I for a 2-tank dive. We loved it. Arturo was fabulous! Couldn't wait to go back. (No water, fruit, cookies were offered to us though)

 

Second time we went back, we booked with them directly again and got to the marina on time, but sat around for about 45 minutes for what? we didn't know... until additional divers showed up. THEN we took off. Again, no water, fruit, cookies offered and if you dive, you know the importance of this little step.

 

Third time we booked through them, we sat for an hour and a half......

I have to ask you why did you go out with them a third time when you clearly didn't have a good time on your second trip? There are at least 50 other dive operators on Cozumel, surely one of them would have been a better choice for you.

[MEGADAN]

We have just 2 more weeks before we hit Paradise Beach on 9/2. We have 18 in our group. Several are return guests and some are new to PB. I'm sure they won't be dissapointed.

We are so excited that I made my our Ceviche last week, too bad it didn't compare.

PB TOM, see ya on 9/2!!

P.S- does Chai(?) still work there. He was awesome last August. We had him twice that week due to Hurricane Frances.

[MattOsprey]

Great review. Do you have any other suggestions for things to do at reasonable prices, in Cozumel and Grand Cayman?

My husband and I will be there in November.

(that seems like an eternity)

 

Thanks,

Cindy

Hi,

In Cozumel we went to Chakanaab and swam with Dolphins. Not cheap but would reccommend it.

As for Grand Cayman, the best thing I have ever done was go to Stingray City. It is brilliant!!! Great snorkelling with the fish and stingrays in an idylic location.

Can't wait to go back. Can't remember the price, sorry.

[tequilamockingbird]

For the record I believe Paradise Beach charges $8 for the bracelets. Chairs/Umbrellas are no charge. We are looking forward to our visit this November! YEAH! :D

[runner15km]

From their website.

"The $5 usd per day per person fee allows you to use the beach floats, kayaks, trampoline, rock climbing iceberg and snorkeling gear. The $5 usd / person fee is good for the whole day and covers all of the toys mentioned". The beach is free!

[Cozumel_Tom]

Thanx to everyone who answered questions for me and who took time to post reviews. I appreciate the time and effort, glad most of you had a great time here! As to the negative reviews, I apologize. Unfortunately there's not much I can do about about the weather, the seaweed, the flies, pooping birds or the cell phone companies phone lines that we use to process credit cards. :(

 

We were WAY more crowded than usual immediately after the hurricane as we were one of the few clubs open and of course got the overflow. The situation now (4 weeks later) is back to normal. Cozumel fly population is back down to acceptable levels and all beach clubs are virtually seaweed-free. :)

 

KOBE...Mario Mizrahi is the artist's name, he's originally from Mexico City and has worked in many cities in Mexico and also in Europe, mainly Paris and Madrid. He is planning on constructing a website and hopes to have it up and running this year. Remind me in a few months and if it's ready I'll post his IP!

 

zydeco...big thank you for the pics!

 

corky14...I emailed you a few days ago!

 

CINDYSUE...Yup, we still have the shop.

Hopefully I'll be there on Nov. 2nd, I won't be on vacation BUT, I might be on "Paternity Leave"! :D

 

mcbor...the Body Shop stuff is almost used up...she'll be using your stuff soon, thanx again!

 

MEGADAN...Chi (pronounced Chai) DOES still work here! He'll be ready with your ceviche...hasta la vista!

[Cozumel_Tom]

OOps! We changed it to $8USD everywhere on the website EXCEPT the F.A.Q, section...apologies. Price changed about 2 months ago....

[CindyLyn]

I read on another thread that some beaches you can not hunt shells-- Can you do so on Paradise Beach?

[hlsess]

people were doing so at Paradise and it seemed it was not a problem!!

[Cozumel_Tom]

If we see people taking shells or ANYTHING out of the ocean we explain to them that we lie within the boundries of the marine park and that it is prohibited to remove anything from the water. Unfortunately, we can't catch everyone and the ones we do catch sometimes get really bent out of shape, yelling at us and behaving worse than kids.

 

With the passing of the hurricane, lots shells and starfish got washed on and closer to shore and as a result, were very easy to find. All the shells we "confiscate" are placed in a kayak and relocated outside the swim boundries into deeper water.

 

Things have returned to normal, not many "busts" going down now, though I did have to explain to one guy coming out of the water that the starfish he was holding was indeed alive and not "a cool shell"!

 

Please don't take anything out of the water, many conch and starfish died due to Hurricane Emily, let's give the survivors a chance...gracias!

[Billys9319]

It was great meeting you on Friday Tom. I did see quit a few people "try" to take shells out of the water but your staff was on top of it! One person even mentioned to me that the shell they were carrying had a crab in it :eek:!

 

Overall we had a great time, beach and bathrooms were clean, drinks and nacho's were yummy! The 11 yo we had with us kept talking about the Iceberg, trampoline all night!

 

Bill

[Cozumel_Tom]

It was a pleasure meeting y'all as well! Glad to hear that the staff is doing a good job of policing and that you had a great time here with us....hasta la vista! :)

[SunFunCruiser]

Just curious. Why can you take shells out the water in Florida but not in Cozumel?

I can see if they are still living.

If they are dead, why not? I see venders selling them in the shops too.

[polyfan]

We had a great time on Saturday. It was nice meeting you. We would definitely recommend Paradise Beach.

[sea_u_onboard]

Since it looks like you are following this thread Tom I'm going to pop in here real quick and do a mini review. I promise I will do a full review when things settle down (can anyone say 2006?)

 

We had a great time. We had a group of 7. We ate and drank and eat some more. The food was great and the tab only came to $54 after about 4 hours of fun and sun. Everyone was full and happy. My son, Jeromy enjoyed his massage and I have the pictures to prove it. Of course for him to get the original image is going to cost him - his girlfriend hasn't seen it - YET!

 

It was a pleasure to meet Tom - everyone in our group was impressed with the beach - since the storm had only blown in a few weeks before. Yes the water was full of seaweed - but what can you expect after such a big storm. At the end of the dock it was very clear and there were men cleaning the beach all the time. All in all, very clean and worth the visit. If we return again we would go back in a heartbeat.

 

Thanks for eveything Tom. I'm glad everything turned out OK with Katie. Boy did that have disaster written all over it.

 

I hope everyone enjoyed their goodies.

[Cozumel_Tom]

SunFunCruiser...The Marine Park Zone starts at Puerta Maya (Paradise Reef)and continues all the way to and around the southern end of the island, about 8 miles or so up the coast on the other side. Here's the best I could find with a quick search. The marine park area is shaded in dark blue: http://www.tmroth.com/cgi-bin/gallery/gallery.cgi?func=show&file=36-cozland-4-16.jpg&Category=2&Page=3

 

You cannot take shells or anything actually out of this area. Empty shells make great homes for crabs, fishies etc. I'm sure the vendors get their shells outside the marine park area....

 

polyfan...nice meeting you as well, glad you had a great day with us :)

 

sea u onboard...I was wondering when I'd see ya on the board! :D

It was nice to finally meet you guys and thanx so much for the treats! Just figured out that the little stuffed lamb ya got for Luka actually bleats when you squeeze it! :D Forgot to give Caro her swag when she was over on Sunday and Sally just got back from NYC (more massage courses!) yesterday so her chocolate is still safe in my fridge.

 

Thanx for the great review, too bad you couldnt wait a little longer to visit as the seaweed and flies have decided to abandon Cozumel for the most part!

 

Katie is safe and sound...her parents must have been freaking! :eek: I can't believe a 5 year old could swim that far! Anyway, thanx again, looking forward to your review and pics...hasta la vista!

[SunFunCruiser]

Thanks for the explanation PBT!

[outnlftfld]

Tom, ya'll being locals and all, I was wondering if you could give me some advice. I am cruising in late Jan/early Feb. Only 9 hrs in port. Plan to do the Royal Dolphin Swim, and am looking for something fun/active to do with the rest of the day. I can't seem to find anything that won't either preclude being able to do the Dolphin Swim or that would get me back in time to catch my ship! I think we dock at 8am and depart at 5pm. I was thinking about the Dolphin Swim at either 10am or 2pm and filling in the rest of the time with something else. What do you recommend??

[Cozumel_Tom]

Well, water activities rule here on the island, so I would recommend diving, snuba, snorkeling or hanging out at a beach!

 

I assume you are doing the dolphin swim at Chankanaab Park. If so, there are 3 dive shops on the premises where you can either SNUBA or take a exploratory dive course (assuming you're not already certified). bruce-r or ScubaMare (forgot which)recommend the dive shop in the middle...hopefully he/she will add to this thread with more info.

 

SNUBA is a good way to get that underwater experience without having to lug those tanks around on your back. The tanks float above you on a raft and the air lines extend down to you, 20-25 ft down. Chankanaab has this as well as other operators on the island. http://www.snuba.com/

 

Snorkeling is good from shore at Chankanaab, though there is a fair amount of coral bleaching (dead coral) due to the thousands of people going through there weekly. Still lots of colorful fish though...

The best reefs will be found by taking a tour that includes Palancar and Columbia reefs towards the south end of the island. Two popular outfits on this board with lots of great reviews are Mayan Paradise Tours and Eagle Ray Divers. Here's one of their websites...can't find the other:( http://www.eagleraydivers.com/Snorkel.htm

 

If ya just feel like being a slug after the Dolphin Swim and you don't want to hang out at the Park's smallish beach, there are many beach clubs just 5-15 minutes away by cab...here's a list to get you started: http://www.cozumelinsider.com/Beaches

Here's an interactive map with pics. Nachi Cocom should be beside Mr. Sancho's though on the map.... http://cozumelmexico.net/Cozumel-Beaches.html

 

The beaches I'm refering to are between Palm Beach and Palancar Beach. Lots of reviews on this board as well.

 

Another option would be to rent a vehicle (NOT a moped though) and beach hop around the island. The east side is a must see ....ooops! sorry! gotta go...the phone guy is here and I need to get off the internet lol!! I'll catch up with ya later!

[Cahira]

Just a quick question, how close is a great location for snorkling? My hubby will hang at PB while dd and I take advantage of the water :D

 

Recommendations?

 

Thanks!

[Cozumel_Tom]

A great and actually the best shore snorkel IMO is at Dzul-Ha located about 1.5 miles from Puerta Maya (which I assume the Sensation will be docking at) in the direction of the beach. Once you've had your fill of snorkeling, you can grab another cab and hook up with hubby later on...have a great vacation! :)