Dining in Mexico aka....Help me settle an argument

[Divedoggie]

I would be hard pressed to spend $1000 on meals in Coz in a week. Lobster every night?
A really good dinner for two at Casa Denis is less than $40.00.
ggun's advice on comparing it to the States is ...well...good advise. Your habits for eating in the States, and the prices you pay will be about the same.

 

[Jim Baldwin]

We eat a lot of our meals at restaurants back on 30th through 70th street. Excellent food and very good prices. You will find that this is where many of the residents of Cozumel eat. At one of the taco places across from San Franciso on 30th four of us had six to eight taco apiece plus two cokes each and the bill including the tip was $20.00.

When friends come down and want to eat a particular place we certainly go there. We have eaten at a couple of places where the bill was about a $100.00 per couple.

We also stock up at Chedauri with groceries when we get down there. We usually eat lunch at the house and plan on eating dinner out. We usually go by the bakery early in the afternoon or early in the morning and pick up fresh pasteries for breakfast.

Question for all you folks who have been to cozumel before... I've got an argument going on with the girlfriend about how much money we're actually going to need for our trip when it comes to meals. I've been reading the board and collecting restaurant recommendations etc... We're staying in a condo with a full kitchen too. The plan is to make a trip to the supermarket and buy items for breakfast and snacks. plus beer and liquor for relaxing in the evenings. I would imagine that a majority of our lunches and dinners will be out on the town. We both like to eat and drink. We will be there for 8 days and 7 nights.

Now here's the argument... I think that 1000.00 dollars is going to be MORE then enough money to cover food and drink for the two of us with a ton left over. The girlfriend thinks that it won't be enough.

So all you folks who have been there before how much does a regular week of dining, drinking and fun cost you?

 

[JC Fedorczyk]

Thanks for all the great replies. Another question that I have is do you folks usually pay in American Dollars or go over there already armed with pesos?

 

[Lisa0825]

I usually start out with dollars, and then most places give you change in pesos, plus the ATMs give pesos too. I've been told you get better deals when you pay in pesos, but I never really checked into it myself.

 

[ggunn]

Thanks for all the great replies. Another question that I have is do you folks usually pay in American Dollars or go over there already armed with pesos?

Makes no diff; either spend just as well on Cozumel. Most places it makes little or no difference in how much you pay.

You'll usually get a little better deal from taxis if you pay in pesos. Don't try to give them any large bills; if you try to pay for a 35 peso ride with a 100 peso note, they will usually say that they don't have change. It may be a bit of a scam.

When you catch a cab, before you get in, tell the cabbie where you want to go and ask how much. If all you have is a "large" bill, show it to him.

 

[scubajim]

1000 is more than enough as long as you don't go to expensive places. If you need more cash you can always get it at the Chedraui Supermarket with a ATM card

 

[5615mike]

Its very hard to say since we dont know how much your going to drink and what your drinking. If you drink only several beers a night and drink local beer then your fine. If your into the top shelf liquor with frozen drinks your tab is going to be like it is in the states. I go Coz twice a year but we dont drink since were diving 2 or 3 dives a day. If you search out advice on rest. off the main drag your going to be much better off. If you eat at the tourist locales, your going to not have as much for drinking. As an example, twice a week my wife and I go to Primas for dinner. Its her favorite spot. We both get 1/2 pound lobster tail with homemade pasta, veggies homemade rolls. $220 pesos each. You can also consider spliting entres and getting a desert. If you would like a rest list of all walks of life rest. then send me an IM. Glad to send it to you. Have fun

 

[Mantasea]

$1000.00 is plenty for dinner for the week for 2 unless you eat too much or tip heavy. Try Costa Brava for cheap home cooking. Save Prima Pasta for a really good evening dinner. Guido's is also reasonable $ for evenings as well as The Mission.

 

[Jupiter31]

More than enough -

"The" girlfriend is wrong you will eat very well with that budget, even w/planning breakfasts and most drinks in your room

In fact, there are many typical Mexican places serving a full lunch for $5-6 (or less) per person - ask your divemaster for reccomendations - many of these places are not open for dinner.

 

[divemoreworkless]

Your budget of $1000 for food and drink for a week is probably close to what you may need, but then again if your girlfriend thinks you need to take more cash, do it. As said by fellow divers above, however, don't forget taxi rides to and from your hotel, bottled water, if your hotel/condo does not provide drinking water, and of course depending on how many alcoholic beverages you consume, this will quickly consume your food/drink budget.

My buddy and I always take extra cash with us to Cozumel since we found that some of our fav eateries do not take credit cards.