1rst time to Cozumel and Yucatan

[jontay]

Hello everyone,

57 yr. old male, traveling solo. First time headed to Cozumel, Yucatan and south along the coast (mid Jan/2018 for approx. 2 weeks). Had a few questions:

1) WEATHER: what can I expect for typical weather (night and day) for this time of year?

2) CLOTHING: was going to bring a pair of jeans, swim shorts, hat, tennis shoes, some t-shirts, beach sandals and a very light light jacket.

3) PERSONAL: I'm fair skinned so I will be bringing lotion of course. sunglasses, needed medicines, personal hygiene stuff, etc. anything I'm forgetting. (yes, I have my passport)?

4) ELECTRONICS: I'll have my cell phone with me....is electric in Mexico 120v/60hz. (in other words...does our stuff plug in down there?)?
Is there sell phone service back to USA or is that between me and my provider (Verizon)?

5) DIVING: I most likely will be traveling alone so what do you guys recommend for my personal belongings while diving (wallet, passport, phone, etc.) ?

6) MONEY $: should I exchange for some peso's before leaving the states? I figure on traveling with small US $ also as most international places like this and helps for bartering, etc.
Does anyone recommend buying some type of "travel credit card" that has a predetermined amount issued to the card so if it is lost it would only be for this amount?

7) WATER & FOOD: of course, I've heard the horror stories about the water and plan on drinking a lot of bottled water. What about beverages (soft drinks, alcohol, etc.)...anything to worry about there? Any foods to definitely avoid that commonly cause digestive issues due to the water, etc.?

8) HEALTH / MEDICAL: my insurance says I'm covered but the $ reimbursement figures might be a little different compared to USA costs. Any hospitals, doctors, etc. that I should avoid, etc.?

Everyone please feel free to chime in with any suggestions.....especially if I haven't covered it.

Thanks.

Jontay

 

[ggunn]

There are plenty of threads in here about the money. I use a bank owned ATM card on the island to access my account in the States to withdraw pesos. Do NOT use the standalone "cashola" ATMs on the sidewalks in town.

I don't drink water out of the tap but soft drinks, beer, and ice are all fine. There have been some accounts of bad experiences with mixed drinks at resorts (there are threads in here about that as well), but I don't have any firsthand info on that.

You might mine this forum a bit; there are lots of the questions you posted in here already.

 

[Dogbowl]

I’m just going to say a few things. For many people, going to a foreign country for the first time will cause illness. Some will get digestive troubles, others the flu or cold. Many others will be fine. I suppose it depends on your state of health and immune system. My first time in Coz many years ago I got Montezuma’s revenge bad. Stayed in bed for 6 days! Second time, I got the worse flu in my life. This last time, I was perfectly healthy. I guess my system is used to the country now lol!

But I now take precautions. I only drink bottled water and brush my teeth with bottled water. I don’t eat raw food (eg. ceviche) on the first few days so my stomach can get used to the area’s food. Cooked food is always safest anyway. I also don’t drink alcohol very much as that irritates the stomach and intestines, making it more susceptible to digestive problems. That’s how I do it and it works for me. YMMV

 

[mcohen1021]

1) WEATHER: what can I expect for typical weather (night and day) for this time of year?

2) CLOTHING: was going to bring a pair of jeans, swim shorts, hat, tennis shoes, some t-shirts, beach sandals and a very light light jacket.

I would take a light jacket, jeans and a long sleeve tshirt or 2 for topside on boat and shore.

3) PERSONAL: I'm fair skinned so I will be bringing lotion of course. sunglasses, needed medicines, personal hygiene stuff, etc. anything I'm forgetting. (yes, I have my passport)?

Dramamine if you get motion sickness, imodium in case you get the runs, zirtec for allergies and possibly some afrin.

4) ELECTRONICS: I'll have my cell phone with me....is electric in Mexico 120v/60hz. (in other words...does our stuff plug in down there?)?

Is there sell phone service back to USA or is that between me and my provider (Verizon)?

Electric is the same as US. For phone service, I use whatsapp or FB messenger. It's free.

5) DIVING: I most likely will be traveling alone so what do you guys recommend for my personal belongings while diving (wallet, passport, phone, etc.) ?

In room safe. If not, use safe at your front desk.

6) MONEY $: should I exchange for some peso's before leaving the states? I figure on traveling with small US $ also as most international places like this and helps for bartering, etc.

Does anyone recommend buying some type of "travel credit card" that has a predetermined amount issued to the card so if it is lost it would only be for this amount?

Many say its beneficial, I have never converted currency. Mexico is cheap.

7) WATER & FOOD: of course, I've heard the horror stories about the water and plan on drinking a lot of bottled water. What about beverages (soft drinks, alcohol, etc.)...anything to worry about there? Any foods to definitely avoid that commonly cause digestive issues due to the water, etc.?


Use the tap for showering only... Nothing else - not even brushing your teeth. All restaurants serve purified water/ice. If you really want bottled water it is also available.

8) HEALTH / MEDICAL: my insurance says I'm covered but the $ reimbursement figures might be a little different compared to USA costs. Any hospitals, doctors, etc. that I should avoid, etc.?

No experience with this, but I do recommend dive insurance via DAN.

If you want my restaurant list, PM me. I pray you're not going all inclusive. Restaurants are too good to do AI on Cozumel.

 

[Streydog]

It will be warmer than you think it will be but temperatures in the 60's feels cooler in high humidity.

Make sure you notify your bank of your travel plans, If I don't let BA know about a week of my trip they will lock my account until I reach out to them.

Most things you forget to pack are available in Mexico, I think sunscreen is pretty expensive though.

Check with Verizon, if your plan doesn't include Mexico you can pay a little extra to get service while you are there.

Have a pen available on the plane to fill out the immigration form, flight attendants never have a pen available unless you are sitting up front. Make sure you pay attention to dates: Day-Month-Year. You have to fill out the bottom portion of the card too. Once you go through immigration they will tear off the bottom section of the form and give it back to you. I keep this in my passport, you will need to turn this in on your departure.

Unless you have Global Entry, download and use the Mobile Passport ap for your return. It won't get you out of the airport any sooner if you have checked baggage but it is free.

In the touristy areas and the airport just smile and say "No Gracias" to all the venders.

 

[jontay]

Thanks for all the messages. Greatly appreciated!!
Jontay

 

[judydivescoz]

I have had experience with medical coverage in Cozumel. Be prepared to pay by cash or credit card for any medical need. Your insurance may reimburse you the cost once you get back home but doctors and hospitals in Cozumel will not process your claim. The exception will be DAN coverage if you need a trip to the chamber. I was hospitalized for 5 days a few years ago, I had to pay the entire bill when I was discharged.

 

[npole]

When you travel in a foreign country, subscribe a medical insurance, it's very cheap (in the range of $50) and you could save big money (just in case), that's additional to the DAN that any diver should have IMO.

Cozumel is no different than other Caribbean places, there's many foreigners and it's very active, do not expect to find a remote not populated area, it's not like Playa Del Carmen, but there's everything you need and you'll find many people, cars going around no stop, Hard Rock cafe's and all that stuff.

Jeans and t-shirts are okay.. you may need a parka or a jacket to get cover when the Norte (north wind) hits, the temperature in the evening/night can decrease to 19°.

You can have your belongs (passport, wallet, etc.) with you on the boat inside a dry proof bag, I do it always, never had problems.

The food is exceptional, not just good.. it's VERY good (I'm Italian, I'm used to eat good food), but it's not cheap. If you want to eat good stuff, be prepared to pay for it.

Overall.. you don't need to play anything really, it's a very safe place, with good people, all the commodities, and everything you used to have at your home, the only thing you need it's: money.

 

[JamesBon92007]

5) DIVING: I most likely will be traveling alone so what do you guys recommend for my personal belongings while diving (wallet, passport, phone, etc.) ?

What are your plans for diving? There isn't much shore diving so you can just keep your wallet etc. in your hotel or VRBO or in your gear bag on the boat. If you stay at a place such as Scuba Club you won't need to take any money or ID or anything on the boat. It you plan to dive several days with the same op you can always tip on the last day.

The food in San Miguel, like others have said, is excellent. Just be sure and squeeze some limon verde (lime) on your tacos--it kills the germs Just kidding. Supposedly ALL the restaurants use bottled/filtered water on Cozumel and just about any place you stay will provide bottled drinking water. The people who live there don't drink the water either. There are so many great places to eat that it's ridiculous to eat only at a resort. Be advised that if you see a lot of Gringos at the restaurant it is also likely that vendors and musicians will approach you. If there is a bad restaurant in San Miguel I have not heard of it yet. San Miguel/Cozumel is one of the nicest places I've ever been.

Don't buy anything from the shops while the cruise ship people are in town. The prices go down when they leave. Some restaurants are suspected of charging cruise ship people more but in any case I'm guessing they are responsible for the recent increases in restaurant prices.

We froze our butts off last month on Isla Mujeres so I'd bring a light jacket or something but normally all you need is shorts and a T-shirt.

Like someone else said, notify your bank that you will be in Mexico in case you want to withdraw pesos from an ATM. I generally use the Banamex at MEGA or Chedraui (main, big stores on the island) but apparently there are better choices of banks/ATM machines. Most restaurants will accept credit cards but I prefer to pay with pesos.

As suggested, do a search of recent threads--there are LOTS of discussions about Cozumel.

 

[npole]

Talking about ATM's.. many of hem provide US dollars only, search for the ones that deliver mexican pesos, and try to pay in pesos whenever it's possible (yes, avoid to use the credit card for small expenses, the transaction fees may "kill" you), you gonna save 10-15% due to their questionable exchange rate when converting the bills from pesos to USD.