Clear blue water, lush green forests, and plenty of sunshine added up to a fabulous vacation. Today I’m sharing What To Do In Cozumel in partnership with Princess Cruises. When planning your excursions on any cruise, the options can be somewhat overwhelming. When we were looking at the choices for what to do in Cozumel, I narrowed the options down to the ones that might also allow us a glimpse into the everyday life in that area.
I was a guest of Princess Cruises for this amazing trip and my sister Jenny joined me for the week. As soon as we saw the “Jeep and Snorkel Excursion” on the list of excursions, we knew this was going to be a winner. Driving a jeep around the island, stopping to go snorkeling, and then an afternoon on the beach? What’s not to love about this plan?
Oh, and before I get too far into this post, in the spirit of full disclosure, the working title for this post was “A Jeep, A Hammock, and my Tequila Family in Cozumel.” When you throw in an impromptu tequila tasting and a guy named Miguel keeps you laughing all day, you might start feeling like family too.
We met up with my friend Aimee and her boyfriend Miguel for our day in Cozumel. We designated him our lucky driver for the excursion and he did a fabulous job of it. As we were gathering that morning, we learned that the water was too rough for snorkeling. Honestly, I was a little bummed, because this would’ve been my first time snorkeling. But, we could see the waves and the odds were good we wouldn’t have been able to see anything in the water even if we had attempted it.
As it turns out, I have no regrets about not being about to try snorkeling because truly, the day was absolutely perfect. We drove a bit around the island and through some little neighborhoods before stopping at a local church and wandering through an open market where we managed to find a wee bit of tequila to sample. (FYI the good stuff tastes nothing like what we have access to off the shelf in the grocery store. Who knew? I actually like the good stuff.) Then it was more of that gorgeous drive with the mangrove forests that cover the island on our left and the ocean on our right.
We arrived at Punta Morena where they had lunch waiting for us (and it was delicious) and then we spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach. The reefs were beautiful, the sand was bright and clean, and there was an abundance of hammocks and lounge chairs as well as plenty of shaded areas near the water for those who wanted it. (That made my day because this girl cannot spend an entire day or even a full hour baking in the sun.) It was wonderfully relaxing and I wouldn’t change a thing about our day.
If you’re ever on a Western Caribbean cruise and a Jeep excursion in Cozumel is an option, I highly recommend it. If you’re lucky enough to find yourself near Punta Morena? Even better.
This is a great time to visit the Caribbean as 90% of Caribbean ports are fully open for business – including restaurants, shops, beaches, and activities. For perspective, the Caribbean is an extraordinarily immense region that stretches for over one million square miles. As a result, the vast majority of the islands were not in the paths of the August and September hurricanes. Most of the region’s ports incurred minimal or no damage and continue to be in operation.
Princess Cruises and its parent company Carnival Corporation are working to provide extensive relief to those affected by Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, and Hurricane Maria as part of Carnival Corporation’s pledge to provide up to $10 million dollars in hurricane relief.
Disclosure: I’ve partnered with Princess Cruises to share my travels with you. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. For more information about Princess Cruises and/or to book a cruise visit their website at www.princess.com.
Holly N @ Spend With Pennies says
That looks heavenly… and it looks like exactly what I need in my life right now!
Aimee says
UGH, can we go back??? I’m sure Miguel would be happy to drive us around again, haha!!! Your photos are amazing 🙂
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
What a dreamy trip to a paradise! I think my Hubby and I need to add Cozumel to our travel list!
Jessica Orika says
Everything looks so great. I wish to just sneak off to someplace like this and unwind.
Jean Brackett says
Such a beautiful place, can’t believe I waited so long to read this. Now I wish I could spend our holiday at this place!
Nauti Side says
I enjoyed your blog. It has great content and useful information. I’ve been to Cozumel twice and would love to go again.