we are lloking to take a trip to cozumel in jan. and was wondering what the weather is like as well as nice places to stay - we have looked at the grand occidental and the cozumel palace - any suggestions? We are interested in diving as well as exploring the island any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
mlewin

I strongly recommend Cozumel Palace. I took 6 family members there in July 2006. I'm a member of Palace Resorts and I can honestly tell you that it is the best all-inclusive resort on the island. And the food is wonderful at the resort, even though i strongly suggest that you sample some of the local restaurants too. Aqua Safari is the on-site dive operation and they did a wonderful job for me. If you decide to rent a vehicle, don't rent it from the resort. Take a walk to the shopping district and rent a jeep there. Much cheaper way to rent a vehicle.

If you do rent a vehicle, I'd suggest driving to Palancar Reef divers and diving from there instead of leaving from the resort. The boat takes about 30-40 minutes to reach the reef, if you leave from the resort. But if you leave from Palancar Reef Divers, the reef is a short 5 minute boat ride. You may also want to take a dive on the eastern shore. The dive operator there claims to have found an old spanish galleon wreck that was recently uncovered by hurricane Wilma. That would be an interesting dive.

Be sure to visit the eastern side of the island by jeep and stop in at Coconuts Bar and Chen Rio. If you like tacos and fish then try the fish tacos at Coconuts Bar. They are wonderful!!! The eastern beaches are pretty much deserted during the week, but become quite crowded on Saturday and Sunday when all the locals seem to flock to the eastern shore. Its very scenic and beautiful. Enjoy your trip and be sure to post a trip report when you return.

There are numerous places to stay on Cozumel. Occidental is a bit out of the way, but if you are staying at an all inclusive, you probably want to be that far south. However, there are numerous places closer to town that are not all inclusives that you may want to investigate. There are so many good restuarants in town that you are missing what the island is all about if you stay at an AI.

My wife and I own an ocean front condo on Cozumel that we rent out if you decide not to go AI. Google "Nah Ha 602" or check out the website on in our bio here.