Beaches on Coz

[Texas Diver]

My wife and I might go to Coz sometime next Spring. It will be our first trip there. Of course we want to dive, but my wife is also interested in spending some time on the beach. She is used to a beach like seven mile beach on Grand Cayman.

Can anyone recommend a resort on Coz that also have a very nice beach?

thanks,

[mrnelson]

Most of the "newer" resorts on the west side have "man made beaches". But, none really have sand all the way down to the water. They have retaining walls to keep the sand home. The really natural beaches (somewhat few) are on the remote south/ west areas, which are also the closest to Palancar Reef and the best diving. Take a look at the map of Cozumel done by Can-Do travel guides. It should be available at your local dive shop. Or the web site is www.cancunmap.com.

It has a good description of the resorts, and beaches.

I once went to some of these remote beaches, and the best I found was an old plantation on the extreme south end. It was called at that time "Palancar Beach". I think it is now the site of a resort called Playa Palancar. No waves here, but a very nice beach with huge palm trees. You might want to check it out.

Mark Nelson

[Tim Ingersoll]

Playa Palancar and San Francisco Beach are two of my favorites on the populated side. Palancar is definitely a pretty deserted beach but there is a bar and so forth. San Francisco is a little more developed and closer to downtown. You can also check out Punta Sur and the east side beaches. Be careful with the swimming on the east side - the rip tide can be dramatic.

[5615mike]

If you want nice beaches, my experience is that El Presidente has an outstanding beach. Resort is the nicest on the island but they charge accordingly. South of town which is a 50-60 peso taxi ride each way for two. The beaches are or were groomed every night and there are loads of nice permanent grass umbrellas and chairs. Great Bar service as well. Since your diving, they also have a nice beach to dive from. Great little night dive as well. She could snorkel as well. Pres will not disappoint. Go the extra mile and get a "Reef Room" rather than staying in the high rise. Ground floor and you walk right out to the grounds leading to the beach. As someone else pointed out on the board, be careful in the bathrooms. Marble floors are VERY slick when wet. Don't find that out the hard way.

Have a great trip.

[awap]

But they will not be the same as 7-mile. And the more southerly the resort, the nicer the sand. Reef Club is on the north end of the southerly resorts and the sand is rather coarse (lots of shell). To its south are Occidental Allegro, Occidental Grand, & Iberostar. Their sandy beachs are more pleasant coral sand. The Grands beach was washed away in a storm last year, so the Allegro and Iberostar are probably your best bets. Allegro is supported by Dive Palancan which is a good but somewhat conservative op. I've never heard anything good about Dressler Divers at the Iberostar.

[sngatlanta]

I agree with everyone here on this one. There is only one Seven Mile Beach. The sand as stated is much coarser on Cozumel and the resorts have most all used the iron shore to build a retaining wall to build-a-beach. These are nice though if the main objective is to get in some r&r or hammock time. Take the trip south to the beaches listed above and you’ll not only find nice beaches but get a chance to see the island. Sadly many people go to Cozumel and never leave their resort and miss-out on the rest the island has to offer. You and your wife will not be disappointed if you just don’t look for Seven Mile Beach. Now I’m thinking, Cayman? Turks and Cacios? Cozumel? Where to go, where to go. What a dilemma we have for the love of diving.

[Tim Ingersoll]

I would take Grace Bay Beach on Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos over Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman any day of the week. The beach is the same but the hordes of touristas all covered in oil aren't as numerous in the TCI. I saw some pretty scary sights in GC!

[HammerNoMore]

Tim Ingersoll once bubbled...
I would take Grace Bay Beach on Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos over Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman any day of the week. The beach is the same but the hordes of touristas all covered in oil aren't as numerous in the TCI. I saw some pretty scary sights in GC!

I'd probably take Chen Rio on Coz on a quiet day over any of them .

[sngatlanta]

Never, I repeat never visit Seven Mile Beach during the peak season. This is not the destination of the beautiful people from Miami Beach now is it? We like to go here and stay as far to the west end as we can and still be on seven mile during the off-season. No crowds.

Ah, Chen Rio. Didn't mention that one now did we.

[ggunn]

Chen Rio is very nice. So is the Naked Turtle.. I mean Playa Bonita. The hammocks at Bob's Marley Bar are a favorite spot of mine, specificially the one on the right right after you go down the steps. I have Tshirts up at Mescalito's (I hooked the ring 5 times last time I was there) and Coconuts, and I always spend some time out on the rocks at El Mirador.

Heavy sigh...