Skittl's December 2014 Review- Tres Pelicanos, Suites Bahia, and lots of food.

[scubafanatic]

I have and love the 25 and a600. After diving unbalanced sherwoods on the deeper dives, I was all about the easiest breathing regs. I guess the unbalanced regs are more sturdy for rental use?

unbalanced regs are CHEAP $, and thus, expendable, perfect for cycling through rental fleets, rode hard and put away wet, and scrapped when finally totally beat up/worn out. They are considered by most rental fleets as 'good enough' performance wise and minimize their capital investment in gear, it's a business decision. They are also a bit mechanically simplier, so cheaper to maintain, and some may say a bit more reliable, especially in a high-abuse environment.

 

[chillyinCanada]

And despite how tight you get your weightbelt at the surface, you may very well be able to cynch it tighter yet at depth, which helps prevent slipping. Kudos to the previous posters for chiming in with the weight belt info details.

I'll add some boat etiquette and safety. Don't leave your weight belt on the boat bench. Place it at your feet, but tucked behind your feet do as not to have them drop onto toes and not cause tripping as divers pass each other. Don't wear your weightbelt while walking around the boat. If an errant wave hits the boat (or some such) you could find yourself overboard, quite surprised and your first thought may not be to immediately release your weightbelt and if you get an injury on the way overboard, you may not be able to release them in any event. If you aren't ready to completely gear up, no need to have your weightbelt on either.

 

[Midge907]

I think the moral of the story out of all this is.
1. Get your own BCD or BP/W, I recommend the latter, that way you know the weighting and can choose if you want to use weight integrated pockets, or a weight belt. You will then be more comfortable when you go on your dives, knowing your equipment makes it all better.
2. Get your own regulator set. This way you know that its maintained or not, you can do what ever you want to the mouth piece, you can get a balanced set with a higher quality Octo.
3. Always turn your air on all the way, its always your responsibility.
4. If your uncomfortable doing a regulator exchange, practice it and clearing your mask until its not an issue, it should never be an issue and is one of the most basic skills.

 

[kmurray719]

I think the moral of the story out of all this is.
1. Get your own BCD or BP/W, I recommend the latter, that way you know the weighting and can choose if you want to use weight integrated pockets, or a weight belt. You will then be more comfortable when you go on your dives, knowing your equipment makes it all better.
2. Get your own regulator set. This way you know that its maintained or not, you can do what ever you want to the mouth piece, you can get a balanced set with a higher quality Octo.
3. Always turn your air on all the way, its always your responsibility.
4. If your uncomfortable doing a regulator exchange, practice it and clearing your mask until its not an issue, it should never be an issue and is one of the most basic skills.

43 posts before someone offered "get a backplate and wing" as an answer. I'm not sure if I'm impressed or upset by that

 

[Midge907]

43 posts before someone offered "get a backplate and wing" as an answer. I'm not sure if I'm impressed or upset by that

Well I did say Either, LOL!!!

 

[Skittl1321]

Getting my own equipment is impractical for the amount I dive- it will probably be 2016 before we go out again. I really have not been unhappy with rental equipment, though I do think I might get a mouthpiece before my next trip, and I don't think this equipment was in poor repair- I think I'm overly sensitive to changes.


And I definetly always turn my own air on. The tank was all the way open on the two dives I felt like I had a hard time breathing, and the one time someone else turned my air on, I checked it as soon as he did it and opened it all the way


I haven't dove a BP/W, but I don't think I'd like it. Due to neck issues, I prefer to dive more vertical, and I think they are designed to put you horizontal. My husband dove a rental one a few times (our shop instructors almost all use BP/W so it is very common near us to buy them, therefore they also rent them to let you try them) and he said he didn't notice that much of a difference in it vs a jacket. And I do practice the skills regularly, I took a refresher this summer specifically to give me more time on these things. And if we have another dive trip, I'll do another refresher before it. I don't dive enough to call it good at steady state.

---------- Post added December 19th, 2014 at 08:03 AM ----------

Well, since I got some good weight belt tips and we got the "buy your own equipment" out of the way, here is the conclusion of the review.

Restaurants
One thing I was worried about not being at an all inclusive was meals. It turned out that after a big lunch, we were rarely hungry enough to go out for dinner, so many days we just ate one meal.

Rock N Java (Noodle Bar)
After we went to Mega to buy some water, I knew that this was right downstairs. We ordered to-go because there was tile work being done and the sound was horrific.
Kevin and I both got rice bowls and they were HUGE. We easily could have shared one and probably still had leftovers. Kevin got some sort of coconut curry and I got mango cilantro sauce. Both were wonderful. We also ordered a Yucateca sushi roll, and it was not good. The flavors in the roll didn't meld together well and the nori was incredibly fishy tasting.

Del Sur Argentina
The first night we did empanadas for dinner. There were SO many good ones, so we just ordered 6 different ones and split them all. My favorite were caprese, pepperoni jalepeno, and plum bacon. 6 halves were enough for me, and then Kevin ordered 2 more to finish up his dinner. We each then had 2 dessert empanadas. I had the Dulce de Leche and the White Chocolate Blackberry. Those were INCREDIBLE. I could have eaten here every night just to get them again.

We actually did go back late in the trip- and we ran into some friends (Susanita, Alison, her little doggy, Carlos, Alison's mother, and Jefe's mother), who, after talking across the restaurant a few times we ended up joining for dinner. The long tables at the restaurant are great for groups. This time we got hamburgers, and they were very good, large burgers. But again the highlight was dessert, and I got the same ones again.

Zermatt's Bakery
This place is a steal! Incredibly inexpensive, excellent, bakery treats. We went there twice, first picking up 2 things and then 3. They were nice to have in our room after a dive to snack on before lunch. The varieties changed daily, so unfortunately we couldn't get our 'favorite' (a cheese danish) when we went back again. Pasteries were about 8 pesos each.

Burritos Gorditos
Being a major burrito fan, this was HIGH on my list. It was very good, but wasn't much better than a fast food burrito I can get in the USA. On par, but a little more basic than Chipotle. Freebirds wins over it. The highlights here were the tortilla (excellent! As good as Kevin makes homemade) and the habenero salsa they put on the table. The service was also excellent. We ordered one large burrito and it came to the table split in two on seperate plates for us, without asking.

La Perlita
It was Thursday, so we couldn't skip trying the Lion Fish. The cab out there was 50 pesos (we had been told 30, but when we tried to argue with them, the first cabbie just said no way, and walked away, and the second wasn't having it). We figured maybe the rate changed- but then it was only 40 pesos on the way back....
Anyway- we had the lion fish. I do not eat fish. At all. I have spent my life taking tastes of things people tell me "don't taste fishy" only to think they taste way too fishy. But since it was something new, I tried the lion fish. It was the first non-fishy fish I've ever tasted. It was a really wonderful flavor. Between the two dishes we ordered I probably ate a full quarter of a filet (that's a lot for me). We got a plain-ish preperation and a cocunut fried one. The cocunut lion fish was the best! So yummy. I also really liked the rice and vegetables and scalloped potatoes served with it.


Thirsty Cougar
Staying at Suites Bahia, we were right by the Thirsty Cougar so of course we had to try it. (Oh- to add to my room review. The live music on Friday and Saturday could definetly be heard in the room, but if the door, and the bathroom door were shut, the sound wasn't too loud. One night we had an awful smell of cigarette smoke wafting up to our room, but it only happened once.) First, because Jefe always talks about them, we gave the Peanut Butter margarita a try. First off- I don't think something without tequilla can be classified as a margarita. Second- I liked the peanut butter flavor but the chocolate tasted like cheap syrup, so overall, not really a fan. Kevin drank/ate most of it (I don't really do alcohol), and he said that in general, just the volume of the drink made him feel sick. Not too much alcohol, just too much liquid. We didn't get another giant margarita.
But we did return to the Thirsty Cougar another time. This time, Kevin got a more classic (and reasonably sized) margarita, I got a pineapple juice and we shared guacamole. The margarita got great reviews, I really enjoyed my juice (especially after having a poor one earlier that day elsewhere) and the guacamole was very good- and a HUGE portion. Order to share among 4 people.

Casa Cuzimil
We went here to take advantage of the 70 peso comida del dia. It was soup and a main dish. It was advertised as coming with a hibiscus tea, but we never got any. The lime soup alone was worth the price of the plate. I could have eaten that by the gallon! There were multiple choices for the main dish. I got a roasted (?) chicken and Kevin got chicken mole. This is where I have to break one of my food rules, since I'm in another country- but the chicken comes on the bone. Since I'm clearly a toddler, I asked Kevin to cut it off for me, and I was able to ignore the poor bird who died for me and just eat the meat, which was very very well prepared. My dish also had a side of vegetables, rice, and refried beans. The beans were refried black beans which I have never had, and have since made at home- they were excellent. Kevin's dish didn't have the vegetables (and maybe not the rice), but he did have beans. He said the mole was very good, but he liked my chicken better.

Casa Denis
I clearly didn't take good notes, because I have no recollection of what we ate here. I remember it cost a bit more than I thought it should for lunch but it was a nice people watching spot. I think Kevin got Panuchos.

Casa de mojito
Kevin had a cuban sandwich and I had an order of fried plantains (patacones/tostones- I don't remember what they called them on the menu). I'm not sure Kevin gave me a review of the cuban, but he ate it all. I, sadly, did not like the plantains. They were way too salty and I didn't care for any of the dipping sauces. This is a first for me. Kevin got a mojito that I had a taste of and it was excellent- very pepperminty, which was unusual to me- are they usually spearmint? I got a pineapple juice and it was also excellent. We ate early, so it was not smokey, but being a cigar bar that kept us from going in for a few days.

La mission
We skipped this one a few times because it was so LOUD. But when we finally went over there it was nice and quiet. Again, poor notes and I don't remember what we ate. No complaints, but also a bit expensive for what it is.

El Coffee Cozumel
This is right by Suites Bahia, and after walking to the hamburger place at Las Anclas and realizing there was no way we could even share a hamburger we stopped here. Kevin got some sort of coffee thing and I got a root beer float. We shared a cheesecake (which probably meant we got more calories than the hamburger would have been). Excellent and well priced. The ice cream in the float was really interesting, almost tasted like egg nog. This was so good that when Kevin went diving the last day and I stayed in town, I went back for another float!

Panchos Backyard
We had a coupon for a free margarita, and when we sat down the waiter took it and left. We didn't get a chance to tell him just one, and he came back, as I was afraid of, with two. However, we only planned on ordering one meal; so we had to pay for one of them. Whatever, it's only money. Anyhow- we shared fajitas, which were very good. We also had a plate of guacamole which was very small for the price. I had about a quarter of my margarita and Kevin had his and the rest of mine. They were clearly fresh made individually, as Kevin said his was not very good, and mine was better. They had live entertainment with a xylophone player. Not too bad.

Guidos
People we met on the plane raved about Guidos so we figured we needed to stop in. Kevin got the lasagna and I got the spaghetti with meat sauce. The spaghetti was fabulous- rich and buttery. I don't eat pasta out much, because it seems silly to pay for something that costs a dollar to make, but this was really worth going out. We also got the garlic bread, which is a bit surprisingly a flat bread, much like a pita. It tasted very nice. This restaurant is a bit pricey, so it was a treat. This is where I had the horrible pineapple juice. I really should have sent it back, it just tasted so off. But instead I drank half of it and ordered another drink.

Chocolateria Isla Bella
Right by Suites Bahia, we walked by multiple times each day, so finally decided to stop in. They make handcrafted chocolate truffles in a huge variety of flavors. The chocolates were pricey- 25 pesos per truffle, but that is in line with what this sort of treat costs in the US (I just don't get them). What I got was very yummy. Despite not liking coffee, I got had a tester of the coffee filling and decided to get that because it was so good. I also got a salted caramel that had a nice flavor but I didn't care for the texture. It was a nice little treat.


Not a restaurant
On our 'no fly' day, we realized that our flight actually didn't leave until 2:30, the next day, so we could get another 2 tanks in, and still have our 24 hours. Kevin chose to go diving, I decided to take the day off and get a massage.

Barefoot in Cozumel
I had read about Sally online, and when we realized our plans would allow Kevin some diving, I emailed and was able to get a somewhat last minute appointment (2 days ahead of time). I had the ashiatsu massage, which she does with her feet. It was really excellent. She was able to get a lot of pressure without the pain associated with poky elbows. Sadly, the massage didn't seem to have lasting effects for me; but it was a great hour of relaxation. She also emailed me stretches based on the problem areas she noticed. She does the massages out of her house, in a villa very easy to find, just 5 blocks up from Suites Bahia.

Originaly the plan for the day was to go to Money Bar and snorkel, but with high winds, we decided that wouldn't be much fun when Kevin got back from diving, so we never made it down to Money Bar. And I never got my chicken nachos



Final Thoughts
What an incredible trip! We added up all the costs of diving, hotel, eating, and taxis and it turned out this cost within a hundred dollars or so of staying at an all inclusive. We aren't big drinkers (Kevin had a beer with most dinners and that was it.) though, so if we had been, staying in town would have been a lot more expensive, we also ate fewer meals and snacks than we did at the AI. The peso was also very favorable this trip. However, we decided we enjoyed staying in town so much, so our next trip we will likely do the same. Since we go in December I really didn't miss having a pool, but I do think if we went at a hotter time that would be something I'd want...

 

[ReefHound]

Skittle, what camera setup was Kevin using? Those are some nice turtle shots.

 

[Skittl1321]

It is a Canon S110 powershot. Cost about $250, but amazon had it for $150 recently. It is in a housing made by Polaroid, about $150 from b&h photo. He shoots in raw mode which helps a bit sincehe doesn't have a red filter. The camera flash also works underwater with a diffuser but I think he only uses that for close shots like the lionfish. Huge upgrade over the waterproof Pentax we took last year! But pretty affordable.

Its also a decent topside camera, though Kevin is a DSLR snob.

 

[kmarks]

Because I was asked to, here are a few additional details/corrections, mostly of the restaurants:

Rock N Java (Noodle Bar)
We each got the small size of the rice/noodle bowl, but there was nothing small about it. I got coconut rice with peanut sauce, chicken, broccoli, and bell peppers. It was really good, as was Jessi's mango cilantro bowl. Because I wasn't quite awake yet or something, I misunderstood the menu to mean that you got to choose one vegetable and had settled on broccoli. The woman thought I was nuts to only want one vegetable, and I scrambled quickly to add something else on that would work with coconut and peanut sauce. If I ordered again, I'd probably get a lot more veggies, but it was still great as it was. We each ate about half of the rice bowls for lunch the first day, then finished them for dinner two days later. The microwave we had in a room did a great job of reheating them and they reheated well without getting dry and crunchy like rice tends to do.

Del Sur Parrilla Argentina
This was a great first choice for dinner. We wandered around town for a bit after lunch and Jessi noted that it was on the list of places she wanted to try because the empanadas receive rave reviews. We went back a little after 6 and walked past at first because the place was completely dead inside and we weren't sure if they were actually open. We went back and, as Jessi said, ordered 6 empanadas to share. We chose Chicken; Pepperoni Jalapeno; Cheese and Onion; Del Sur: Cheese, bacon, plum; Caprese: Cheese, Tomato, Basil; and Gaucha: Queso-Chorizo. I'm a huge fan of chorizo and loved that one, and after we had finished the first six, I ordered two more for myself: another Gaucho and a Spinach. My dessert choices were Membrillo (Quince, a fruit I had never had before) and Manzana Canela (Apple Cinnamon). Both were really good, and I ordered the Manzana Canela again, along with Chocolate Banana which was also very tasty, when we made our return trip later in the week.

Zermatt's Bakery
Like Jessi said, this place is a steal. We knew to go in search of it, but happened to stumble upon it (like so many other great places we had on our recommended list) during our first walk around town. We stopped in twice during the week and picked up four pastries and a cookie for the whopping total of 33 pesos. They have prices listed next to most items, but after you put them on your tray and bring them to the counter, it seems like you get charged whatever the guy feels like saying, though it was definitely in the ball park. I'm not sure anybody there spoke English, but you don't need a lot of Spanish to understand what "diez y siete pesos" means.

Burritos Gorditos
I actually really liked Burritos Gorditos. I don't think Jessi disliked it, but she is very particular about her burritos, especially her tortillas, and perhaps I've spoiled her. The staff was very friendly, our order came up quickly and was cut in half and put on two different plates for us, and it was very good. The burrito was pressed after rolling, so it has a crisp, browned exterior, and we were given a bunch of sauces, including a really good habanero salsa. It was very spicy, but had a great flavor, too.

La Perlita
La perlita was a bit of a pain to get to since we had to take a cab and the cab drivers told us different rates than we had been told earlier in the day. Again, when we got there, there wasn't a soul in the restaurant except the people working there. Our cab driver didn't have change for a 200 peso note and the restaurant wouldn't make change for some reason, but they did give him 50 pesos and then added that to our bill. We ordered the unpronounceable coconut preparation and the "a la plancha" for the lion fish because I wanted to try it in its most natural form, too. Both were very good. The mango salsa that came with the coconut one was sweet without being too sweet and perfectly complemented the fish. We also got free bread served with the meal, which was a plus.

Thirsty Cougar
After lion fish, we got a cab to take us back to town and drop us off at the Thirsty Cougar. It was 10 pesos cheaper to go back to town for some reason, but I gave the driver 100 and only asked for 50 in change. He pulled out one of the biggest wads of both dollars and pesos I had ever seen, leaving me to wonder why the other driver didn't have change. As Jessi said, the PB "margarita" wasn't overly strong, but perhaps coupled with the large dinner, it was a lot of liquid and made me feel a little sick. Jessi didn't drink much of it, leaving the responsibility to me. We had the same server both times we went to TC and he was very friendly and attentive, more so the second time when the restaurant wasn't as crowded because of the cooler weather. He did give us a hard time for paying for lion fish. The classic lime margarita I had on our return trip the last night was very good, and a decent size.

Casa Cuzamil
The comida del día was quite good, especially considering the price. We were a little confused about not getting the hibiscus tea that was listed on the menu as being part of it, but we didn't say anything about it, either. We had a table on the roof, in the corner where we could look out over the city, but it's not really that great of a view. The mole chicken was very good, and I sopped up all of the extra sauce with the tortillas they brought with the meal, but I did think the roasted chicken was better. We ordered the dark meat, which was a leg/thigh quarter and a wing, so we g0t a lot. It was well cooked, neither dry nor greasy. Jessi would be happy to get their lime soup every day, and I wouldn't complain.

Casa Denis
I did indeed have panuchos here. They were very good, but I always wonder if there is a better way to eat them and the kitchen/wait staff laugh at the gringo picking up a topped fried tortilla to shove it into his mouth like a small pizza. Jessi got queso fundito, which was a mellow white cheese that was pretty good until it cooled and became a little rubbery. After we ordered, they put paper place mats in front of us that mentioned that "Casa Denis has no menu and one isn't needed." We thought that was odd since we had just ordered off the menu. I think this may have been where we ordered guacamole that never materialized. Jessi got a pineapple licuado (shake) that she thought was only ok, and I got a very good horchata, which I've been trying to replicate since coming home. We also each got a soup to start.

Casa de mojito
No arguments about the quality of the mojito here. Freshly made, minty, limey, rummy, and well balanced, I wouldn't hesitate to say it was one of the best (probably the best) I've ever had. The cubano was very good, but may have been lacking the roasted pork loin I'm used to it coming with, or maybe there just wasn't much. The tostones were a disappointing miss. They were dry and neither of us really liked the three sauces they were served with, though one had a decent BBQish flavor. The other two were a way too mild one and a habanero one that was fruity and spicy, but very thin. The staff, once again, was very welcoming and friendly. We were especially amused to see an Iowa license plate above the door as part of the rather eclectic decor.

La mission
When we finally went to La Mission, it was nice and quiet inside. For some reason the server made a point of the bathrooms being conveniently located to our table. Jessi ordered chicken burritos, I think, and I ordered chicken tacos. The server made sure that he heard me right, then when our food came out, I ended up with beef burritos. I was hungry and didn't really care, so I didn't ask him to come back and exchange it. They were pretty good, though. I'm pretty sure this is where a tortilla soup was included. It was decent, but didn't stack up to the lime soup at Casa Cuzamil.

El Coffee Cozumel
I had a mocha blanca (white mocha), which was very good. The cherry cheesecake was also very good, but I wouldn't recommend eating a slice by yourself. It was very big, and was a bit of a struggle between the two of us, despite not actually eating dinner. It's a smallish coffee shop with a warm, inviting interior, and was packed full of locals while we were there. There were too women behind the counter and a server who was running back and forth covering every table, but doing a good job of it.

Panchos Backyard
The xylophone music was a nice touch, but I was unsure if we were expected to tip them since we got sat right in front of them. The chicken fajitas were very good and came with small, but fresh tasting tortillas. Like Jessi said, the margaritas must be made fresh and individually because there was a big difference between mine and hers. Mine tasted very cloyingly sugary, but not actually that sweet, while hers was pretty decent. Since she is hardly a drinker at all, I drank all but about two sips of hers as well as mine. I will say this about them: they were strong.

Guidos
The music here was an interesting choice to say the least. We were treated to The Fellowship of the Ring and several recent Disney movies, which made no sense in Mexico or at an Italian restaurant. The food was very good, though Jessi's pineapple juice was a little weird. I had the lasagna, which seems to be made from very thin, fresh noodles, not the thick wavy ones that you get in the box at the grocery store. The only downside was that I was remembering it for the rest of the day, and it was more like Chef Boyardee at that point. :tmi2:
Chocolateria Isla Bella
Being right next door, we did pass by this place often and finally decided to stop in on our last day. The truffles were good, decently priced, and pretty. I thought the ganache was a little too runny at room temperature, though, so I refrigerated my second one. The mango chile actually had large chunks of mango and some sort of not too spicy pepper in it. The two women working in the shop, obvious American transplants, were very excited to have us taste the different ganaches they had made before we bought anything.

Two places that Jessi left off were the ice cream cart on the main square and the ice cream shop across from Mega. Both could best be described as "meh, a little over priced."

As far as diving, I was very happy with Tres Pelícanos. Steve, Servando, and Jorge were very hands off once they decided we were unlikely to kill ourselves without direct supervision, but with only a few exceptions (terrible vis one day and when Servando took off after the couple that had fallen behind), they were always nearby if needed. They were also very easy to get along with on the surface, friendly, chatty, and provided us with fresh fruit, cakes, and water every day. The equipment we rented, a hot topic of debate in this thread, was overall very good. My BC didn't have functional pockets because the velcro had been torn off and I would have liked to see options for attaching the octo and console to the BC instead of cramming the hose into the strap or leaving it dangling, respectively. I had no problems with the regulator, and nobody even batted an eye when I took the SPG off to replace it with my AI transmitter (I know, I'm going to die because I don't have a brass and glass SPG...whatever). Prices for rental and dives were very competitive, and they either took us to Caleta and back each day, or paid for the taxi from/to their shop, which was nice.

Last but not least, despite what Jessi says above, I'm not a DSLR snob. I just happen to know that DSLRs are far better than your point and shoot, I don't care how many Xes the zoom has.