I am traveling to the Oasis Palm with a group of eight adults next week and I have a few questions: 1. We are booked in a superior room in the Oasis Palm Beach. I've seen some conflicting information
I am traveling to the Oasis Palm with a group of eight adults next week and I have a few questions:
1. We are booked in a superior room in the Oasis Palm Beach. I've seen some conflicting information about this. Do all superior rooms come with balconies?
2. We are looking for a fun snorkeling excursion. Our group has been to Xcaret and Xel Ha in the past. Are there any other worthwhile snorkeling trips?
3. We would also like to go on a "booze cruise" "party boat"? Any recommendations?
4. We would like to go off resort for supper at least a couple nights. Are there any great local restaurants someone can recommend?
Any other suggestions or advice would be much appreciated.
It's been a several yrs ago but we did a really fun booze cruise/snorkleling trip to Isle Mujeres. I think there was no alcohol on the way there. We ate lunch @ a location, then may have gotten back on & snorkeled then shopped, forgot the order. On the way back the booze was flowing. Great group of employees & guests. Sorry but not sure of the company. Not expensive.
Our concierge told us places the locales went for a nice dinner & cheap eats. We took the city bus from our hotel. Ask the employees for advice for the less touristy stuff.
Take the tour through the mangroves on water scooters. It goes out to the reef where you get off to snorkle and then another ride back on the scooters. It is a FUN afternoon/ An excellent restaurant is La Habichuela in Cancun city. Another is Rolandi in one of the malls.
Around Cancun and Cozumel, hurricane Wilma in 2005 broke up coral and sea fans to a degree that's was still heartbreaking when I was there a few years ago, in the shallows where you will snorkel-- but still, snorkling off Cozumel is glorious, and if you can go deeper, it is one of the great destination dive spots for experienced divers anywhere in the world. We went to the pretty if touristy park of Chankanab, and I snorkeled out around the dolphin enclosure, getting into quite deep water but with the security of the construction at hand, and with a lot of big fish under the piers. Wilder than Xel-ha! But the best place for undamaged underwater scenery was off Tulum, a couple of hours south, off a beach with the loveliest sand I've ever seen. You will need to go out by boat and it is pretty flat, but there were beautiful sea fans, waving back and forth. Wear a bright ball or little flag on your snorkel in case you get far from the boat. There are very many special diving-snorkel day tours from Cozumel, very professional, though it is frustrating to see the divers roll off and go deep while you are taken to the shallows. Stay on the west side... this won't worry you as a snorkeler, but on the east side of Cozumel, strong riptides and currents brush the wild beaches and comb the undersea cliffs-- experienced divers have disappeared into the flow and never been seen again... perhaps they ended up in Cuba... I can speak to tours from Cozumel, but there must be snorkel tours from almost anywhere including your hotel. Read up divers' resources, find where you want to go and ask about amenities-- safety, not just fun!
I own a beachfront vacation home in Chelem, on the north coast (Gulf) outiside of Merida, about 3.5 hours from Cancun. My suggestion would be to visit the underwater art installation The Silent Evolucion, off the coast of Cancun, just a little bit south. You can dive it or snorkle it, and book it through most hotels in Cancun. It was installed about 3 years ago, and has been added to each year since. It is very moving and will leave a lasting impression. You can google it, or see if this link works http://www.underwatersculpture.com/pages/gallery/evolucion-silenciosa.html
La Habichuela (The Stringbean) is in the old part of town, behind the stores and is wonderful and has great prices. Some of the best food, and there is a cute courtyard in front of it.
Snorkeling: take the Isla Mujeres snorkeling trip. It's actually a trip to the island for the day, and snorkeling is included for those who want to. There is also a bike ride around the island that is a lot of fun.
For great skorkeling and scuba diving, Cozumel is undoubtedly the best place in the area. Also, there's Garrafon in Isla Mujeres (owned by the same company that developed and maintains Xcaret, Xel-Ha and two other similar parks) it's worth the trip. On the Riviera Maya, there's Akumal (37 km or 22 Mi from Playa del Carmen) with the Yalku lagoon that connects with the sea, and Xpu-Ha where a small reef teeming with tropical fish is only at a stone-throw from the beach. The MUSA underwater museum in Cancun is a different aproach to sculpture and to artificial reefs in the world. Finally, there's Puerto Morelos (halfway between Cancun and Playa, with a considerable larger reef than Xpu-Ha), only 600 yards from the beach. Hire a rental boat with a guide to take you to the best spots of the underwater national park.
Great restaurants in Cancun? Lots of them. Let me name a few that you cannot miss (all with an excellent and consistent quality) -- 1. La Troje, 2. Puerto Madero (Argentinian), 3. Il Cenacolo, La Dolce Vita, and Casa Rolandi (Italian), 4. La Habichuela (the one on the hotel zone has a better view and ambiance than the one in town). I could go on and on, but I think these are good reccomendations for now... Enjoy!
You could go to Tripadvisor and read comments from people who have stayed at the Oasis Palm. Perhaps there will be balcony information for you.
I would go to Cozumel and do an introductory Dive....yes scuba! I am not certified, but I did that last time I was there and absolutely loved it. It was with La Ceiba.
