scubacoz22
Contributor
I spoke with the owner of Aldora and he said they had minimal damage and are back in operation so dont cancell We are headed out on Aug 14 to dive with Aldora and stay at their Villa Aldora. Kathy in TexasKleppta:
Latest on Cozumel and Hurricane Emily
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scubacoz22
Contributor
We are leaving Aug 14th as planned, and will not cancell our trip. We are flying with American airlines and diving with Aldora. Kathy
Mawg
Contributor
Boomin_Fool:
I got an Email from The Presidente yesterday. They are accepting guests as of Monday 7-25-05. They did sustain some minor damage to the Restaurant out on the water but all in all, the Hotel is fine. I have stayed there 18 times over the last 13 years and will readily vouch for it. I'll be there probably in early Nov. Wouldn't stay anywhere else.
Also, Dont know about the Palace, but , from all I have read, Allegro got clobbered and probably wont open for at least 3 months. Good Luck.
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DivingDoc
We did Palanacar Caves before Emily and Palanacar Bricks/Columbia Shallows after. The viz was down and the seas choppy but this was the first day of diving ops after the storm. The second day after was smooth and easy with great viz. It's amazing what 24 hours will do.
For those wanting hotel recommendations: we'd go with the Barracuda again. Yes, it's a diver's hotel and it's plain (but very clean), but Dive Paradise picks you up from the dock behind the hotel and it's only a 5 minute walk to downtown. We thought the staff was exceptionallly nice to us and accomodating given the situation with Emily.
Convenience is the main seller for this hotel.
We did Palanacar Caves before Emily and Palanacar Bricks/Columbia Shallows after. The viz was down and the seas choppy but this was the first day of diving ops after the storm. The second day after was smooth and easy with great viz. It's amazing what 24 hours will do.
For those wanting hotel recommendations: we'd go with the Barracuda again. Yes, it's a diver's hotel and it's plain (but very clean), but Dive Paradise picks you up from the dock behind the hotel and it's only a 5 minute walk to downtown. We thought the staff was exceptionallly nice to us and accomodating given the situation with Emily.
Convenience is the main seller for this hotel.
Moodiejeff
Contributor
Scuba.ksue:
Christi warned us about you guys!
Before all this mess took place we were going to be there at the same time as you guys. Now it looks as if we will try to head down Aug. 22-29.That's not set in stone though. Garbage just announced a concert here in Chicago for the 25th... Mia may put her foot down and we might have to leave on the 26th. Hmm, actually our last trip was partially postponed by a concert. This is getting out of hand!
Natasha
Contributor
Another update..
July 27, 2005 (10:00 a.m.) - Tourism officials on the island of Cozumel continue to assess the effects of Hurricane Emily.
According to Raul Marrufo, director of the Cozumel Tourism Promotion Board, only parts of the southern area of the island experienced notable damage from the storm, while the majority of the island remains in very good condition.
After further assessment, some hotels and park facilities have closed as a temporary precaution, although electricity has been fully restored to 100 percent of the island, Marrufo said. Shops and restaurants are open, golfers are back on the course and visitors have returned to the beaches to enjoy their vacations.
Transportation:
Airlines are operating as regularly scheduled.
Ferry service to Playa Del Carmen is operating as regularly scheduled. There was no damage to the Downtown Pier.
All main roads have been cleared of debris, however, the main road past the Iberostar Hotel on the southern end of the island is closed as a safety precaution until further assessments are complete.
The Punta Langosta Pier in downtown Cozumel suffered no damage.
The Puerta Maya Pier, located south of downtown, experienced minor damage to the palapas covering the pier entrance, however all retail shops and restaurants are open and doing business as usual.
Hotels and Resorts:
Visitors should obtain the most up-to-date information by calling their hotel or visiting hotel Web sites.
Four hotels are currently closed because they cannot provide the level of service their guests deserve and expect. Those properties include:
Occidental Grand - Currently scheduled to reopen July 30th after completing minor repairs.
Occidental Allegro - Expected to reopen November 1st after completing more substantial repairs.
Iberostar (southernmost hotel on island) - Suffered severe damage and is currently scheduled to reopen November 1st.
Reef Club Cozumel - Suffered damage to palapas and is expected to reopen August 19.
Cruise Ships and Golf Course
Cruise ships returned to the island two days after the storm.
Cruise lines have returned to their regular schedules and are operating at full capacity.
The Cozumel Country Club suffered no damage and is operating as usual.
Downtown Business District:
The downtown area suffered no storm damage.
The wall along the Malecon (Cozumel´s main boulevard downtown) suffered no damage.
All shops and restaurants are operating as usual.
East Side Bars and Restaurants:
Mescalitos sustained minor damages and should reopen shortly.
Coconuts was completely destroyed and will likely be rebuilt.
Beaches and Reefs:
West side beaches are open and in good condition and vacationers are back on the beach and enjoying the ocean.
Most beaches were not affected in terms of shoreline. In fact, some have more sand and have actually widened (mainly in Punta Sur).
Some areas of the east side beaches are temporarily closed.
Reefs around the island are in good shape and look as pristine as ever. The storm has cleansed the reefs of algae in some areas.
Divers resumed activity immediately following the storm. Numerous snorkeling and dive boats are on the water and operating as usual.
Most beach clubs are open, although some have sustained palapa damage.
Parks and Museums:
There was no damage to The Museum of the Island of Cozumel.
San Gervasio Archeological Site
Electricity was restored and the park reopened on July 22.
At least 90 percent of the ruins are accessible.
Some paths are obstructed but should be 100 percent accessible by July 27.
One ruin had part of the ceiling collapse, which will be restored by the archeological foundation.
Punta Sur Ecological Park
The park is closed and expected to reopen for visitors in October 2005.
The Lighthouse and Navigational Museum survived the storm.
The lagoon area and beaches in Punta Sur are well preserved and in good shape.
Chankanaab National Park
The park is closed for minor clean-up and will reopen for visitors on July 27.
More than 160 individuals are working to restore the park.
Some paths were damaged in the Botanical Gardens and the main palapa at the entrance to the park was damaged.
The Dolphin Discovery remains open to accommodate guests with existing reservations.
The lagoon, beach and reefs at Chankanaab are all in good condition.
July 27, 2005 (10:00 a.m.) - Tourism officials on the island of Cozumel continue to assess the effects of Hurricane Emily.
According to Raul Marrufo, director of the Cozumel Tourism Promotion Board, only parts of the southern area of the island experienced notable damage from the storm, while the majority of the island remains in very good condition.
After further assessment, some hotels and park facilities have closed as a temporary precaution, although electricity has been fully restored to 100 percent of the island, Marrufo said. Shops and restaurants are open, golfers are back on the course and visitors have returned to the beaches to enjoy their vacations.
Transportation:
Airlines are operating as regularly scheduled.
Ferry service to Playa Del Carmen is operating as regularly scheduled. There was no damage to the Downtown Pier.
All main roads have been cleared of debris, however, the main road past the Iberostar Hotel on the southern end of the island is closed as a safety precaution until further assessments are complete.
The Punta Langosta Pier in downtown Cozumel suffered no damage.
The Puerta Maya Pier, located south of downtown, experienced minor damage to the palapas covering the pier entrance, however all retail shops and restaurants are open and doing business as usual.
Hotels and Resorts:
Visitors should obtain the most up-to-date information by calling their hotel or visiting hotel Web sites.
Four hotels are currently closed because they cannot provide the level of service their guests deserve and expect. Those properties include:
Occidental Grand - Currently scheduled to reopen July 30th after completing minor repairs.
Occidental Allegro - Expected to reopen November 1st after completing more substantial repairs.
Iberostar (southernmost hotel on island) - Suffered severe damage and is currently scheduled to reopen November 1st.
Reef Club Cozumel - Suffered damage to palapas and is expected to reopen August 19.
Cruise Ships and Golf Course
Cruise ships returned to the island two days after the storm.
Cruise lines have returned to their regular schedules and are operating at full capacity.
The Cozumel Country Club suffered no damage and is operating as usual.
Downtown Business District:
The downtown area suffered no storm damage.
The wall along the Malecon (Cozumel´s main boulevard downtown) suffered no damage.
All shops and restaurants are operating as usual.
East Side Bars and Restaurants:
Mescalitos sustained minor damages and should reopen shortly.
Coconuts was completely destroyed and will likely be rebuilt.
Beaches and Reefs:
West side beaches are open and in good condition and vacationers are back on the beach and enjoying the ocean.
Most beaches were not affected in terms of shoreline. In fact, some have more sand and have actually widened (mainly in Punta Sur).
Some areas of the east side beaches are temporarily closed.
Reefs around the island are in good shape and look as pristine as ever. The storm has cleansed the reefs of algae in some areas.
Divers resumed activity immediately following the storm. Numerous snorkeling and dive boats are on the water and operating as usual.
Most beach clubs are open, although some have sustained palapa damage.
Parks and Museums:
There was no damage to The Museum of the Island of Cozumel.
San Gervasio Archeological Site
Electricity was restored and the park reopened on July 22.
At least 90 percent of the ruins are accessible.
Some paths are obstructed but should be 100 percent accessible by July 27.
One ruin had part of the ceiling collapse, which will be restored by the archeological foundation.
Punta Sur Ecological Park
The park is closed and expected to reopen for visitors in October 2005.
The Lighthouse and Navigational Museum survived the storm.
The lagoon area and beaches in Punta Sur are well preserved and in good shape.
Chankanaab National Park
The park is closed for minor clean-up and will reopen for visitors on July 27.
More than 160 individuals are working to restore the park.
Some paths were damaged in the Botanical Gardens and the main palapa at the entrance to the park was damaged.
The Dolphin Discovery remains open to accommodate guests with existing reservations.
The lagoon, beach and reefs at Chankanaab are all in good condition.
Just got back in from Cozumel. The news of it's demise was greatly exaggerated. I thought it was fine from Villa Blanca North. I didn't go any south of that. Downtown is fine, it would be hard to tell there was a hurricane there at all. My brother dove a lot and might post with some news of the diving.
Oh and my 10 year old daughter and I went diving for the first time and got certified while we were there. My niece got certifed as well. Guess we are hooked now
Oh and my 10 year old daughter and I went diving for the first time and got certified while we were there. My niece got certifed as well. Guess we are hooked now
Hooked4Life
Guest
Glad to hear. We are there next Friday.
We are there next Friday.Between 07/24 and 07/28/05, I dove Santa Rosa, Tormentos, Paradisio, Palancar Gardens, Caves and Bricks, Columbia Shallows, San Francisico and Villa Blanca. There appeared to be minimal damage on the deeper dives 60+. Visible sponge and finger coral damage down to 40'. Villa Blanca in my opinion is devasted (20' -25'). I was told the shallow reefs take more damage. All reefs are sand dusted, like a light snow, which dimishes the discernerable color even more than the normal diffusion. Visiblity was getting better each day some were reefs better than others but all were in the 70' -100' range. Lots of fresh water at Columbia effecting water color from surface but the vis was good below 30'. Turtles everywhere and other exciting marine life was abundant including manta rays, black tip sharks, big permit, grouper, amber jack, octopi (at night) and snappers (the specific species was unknown to me or our DM) and a first for me schools of 8" to 10" squid. The squids' color changes were very enjoyable as they pased over different colors of sea floor.
As for hotel closures, it appeared from the vantage point of the water that there was not any hotels open south of the Fiesta Americana. The further south we went the damage was worse. Any hotel toward the south end of the island with grass or palapa roofs appeared to be damaged badly. There was some work occurring on either the Iberostar or the Occidental but there wasn't any activity at the others.
If you can get accomodations closer to downtown then I urge you to go. They need the money to rebuild and it was still fantastic diving and more than worth the extra airfare we had to pay to get there and despite the inconvenience of flying into Cancun and dealing with the ferry. Most all of the resturaunts are open and happy to serve you.
I dove with Christi's outfit and all was wonderful as usual. I finally convinced one of my daughters to get certified on this trip because my brother Jarrett (who posts as well) and his daughter were getting certified. Now on our next trip we almost have enough to charter the boat by ourselves, Christi (if you are reading this).
One suggestion for all who are going. DO NOT rely on the merchants to accept credit cards. Even if they post the stickers on the door they may not take your credit card. When they do accept the cards they may add 10% or more. Bring plenty cash or travelers checks but definitely go!
As for hotel closures, it appeared from the vantage point of the water that there was not any hotels open south of the Fiesta Americana. The further south we went the damage was worse. Any hotel toward the south end of the island with grass or palapa roofs appeared to be damaged badly. There was some work occurring on either the Iberostar or the Occidental but there wasn't any activity at the others.
If you can get accomodations closer to downtown then I urge you to go. They need the money to rebuild and it was still fantastic diving and more than worth the extra airfare we had to pay to get there and despite the inconvenience of flying into Cancun and dealing with the ferry. Most all of the resturaunts are open and happy to serve you.
I dove with Christi's outfit and all was wonderful as usual. I finally convinced one of my daughters to get certified on this trip because my brother Jarrett (who posts as well) and his daughter were getting certified. Now on our next trip we almost have enough to charter the boat by ourselves, Christi (if you are reading this).
One suggestion for all who are going. DO NOT rely on the merchants to accept credit cards. Even if they post the stickers on the door they may not take your credit card. When they do accept the cards they may add 10% or more. Bring plenty cash or travelers checks but definitely go!
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