How To Enjoy Your First Trip To Cozumel

It's usually a good idea to take a break every now and again. There’s no better way to unwind than to go on vacation. There are several places or destinations from which to pick. However, if you’re considering a trip to the Caribbean, Cozumel should be your first choice. It’s one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean Sea, located along the Mexican peninsula coast.

There’s a myriad of things to do in Cozumel. But, if you want the finest Cozumel experience, you must plan ahead of time. Planning ahead of time will guarantee that you don't miss out on the best that the island has to offer. That said, here’s how you can make your first trip to Cozumel a success.

1) Create A Travel Plan

Making a plan is essential since it simplifies everything. It gives your life structure and makes it easier to make informed decisions. Your plan should detail all the activities you want to do and the sites you want to visit. It should also include information on lodging, travel expenditures, and additional funds for items such as food and souvenirs.

Having a strategy in place helps you to create an accurate budget. This allows you to save enough money before the day comes. Before going there, give yourself time to research and become acquainted with the location. And may be book your fast ferry to Cozumel to ensure that you get the best deal. You may even hire a tour guide familiar with Cozumel to assist you. Also, don’t forget to create a comprehensive travel checklist to prepare for the trip.

2) Visit At The Right Time

Because Cozumel lies in the Caribbean, the weather is often pleasant all year. Cozumel's tropical weather makes it an ideal holiday location. However, due to seasonal variations, there are certain periods of the year when it is best to visit. Consider planning a trip to Cozumel between December and June, outside hurricane season.

3) Try Scuba Diving

Scuba diving probably isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. However, if you’re visiting Cozumel, you should probably include this on your bucket list. Stunning reefs surround the island. Most of these reefs are protected by the Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park. As a result, you can be confident that these reefs are properly conserved and in excellent shape.

Diving is a fun activity that you can do all year. The diving experience will introduce you to various sea species, such as green turtles, seahorses, reef sharks, and nurse sharks. If it's your first-time diving, fret not. There's a good chance that you’ll be satisfied with your first diving experience.

4) Arrange Accommodation

In Cozumel, there are several accommodation options. There are also several Airbnb options available. If you book ahead of time, you may get some good discounts. Booking in advance will also provide you with peace of mind. Nonetheless, finding a location near the city center and close to the waterfront is recommended. This is perfect since you'll be close to most tourist hotspots.

5) Go To The Beach



Your visit to Cozumel will be incomplete unless you visit at least one of the beaches. The island has both public and private beaches. One standout location is Paradise Beach which is found on the west coast. This is a terrific spot to visit because it’s part of the Paradise beach club, which includes a variety of additional facilities. You may swim in the pool, visit the water park, or dine at their restaurant.

6) Walk The City Centre

When you arrive in Cozumel, take a stroll around the city center. It’s very easy to navigate because it’s quite small. Because of its proximity to the ferry dock, Benito Suarez Park is a popular tourist hotspot. Tourists come here to take photographs and enjoy the scenery. Also, don't forget to walk down 5Ta Avenida Norte. It's dotted with stores, cafés, and restaurants.

7) Visit Mayan Ruins

Consider visiting the Mayan ruins on the island if you love sightseeing. Despite their small size, they can demonstrate the island's historical significance. The ruins of the San Gervasio complex in Cozumel are nowhere near the size of sites like Chichen Itza. However, it does provide a fascinating perspective on Mayan culture, daily life, and religion.

8) Visit Food Spots

If you consider yourself a "foodie," Cozumel is the place to be. Food, in some ways, represents a people's culture. Sampling the food in Cozumel will be a cultural experience through their cuisines, recipes, spices, cooking methods, and so forth. You may ask your local guide about the best restaurants on the island.

Conclusion

If you're considering visiting Cozumel, start planning your vacation as soon as possible. This will help you to generate an accurate budget. It gives you time to book accommodations, buy tickets, and make other arrangements that may result in big savings. Also, undertake as much research as possible to minimize unanticipated surprises. That way, you'll have a good idea of what you want to do when you arrive.

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Maldives: Planning that Beauty of a Winter Beach Destination

Sun-kissed white sandy beaches, azure or emerald waters, gorgeously warm shallow waters with rich coral reefs and marine life, fresh seafood on offer, a festive atmosphere and a totally relaxed environment is how I would describe the tropical island paradise of Maldives. Add to it over water lagoon suites, beach villas, swaying coconut palms, romantic dinners, some of the best spa centers, umbrella drinks, sensational sunsets and lots of beach and water sports, and you have a beauty of a winter beach destination.



A lot of people usually associate Maldives with honeymoons. While it is indeed a fabulous honeymoon destination, I think Maldives is also a great destination for a romantic holiday, holiday with family and kids or even for a backpacker. You just have to look in the right direction. And of course you have to like beach holidays.



To start with, we Indians get visa on arrival at Maldives, which I think is a great perk for the Indian Passport as Maldives is one of those destinations that is close to India and you can fly to for cheap from most destinations across the country. Air India, Jet Airways and the other local airlines offer some fabulous deals from time to time. Which means that, if you plan well, you can reach Male without even making a dent in your pocket.



Now, comes the accommodation bit, which is tricky in Maldives. The thing with Maldives is that most islands are privately owned and belong to a hotel group. These could be boutique resorts, four star hotels, five star properties and even uber luxury hotels. These properties can be further split into honeymoon, party, family, etc. The One and Only, Four Seasons, Taj Group of Hotels, the all-inclusive Club Med, Accor hotels and many more hospitality brands have properties here. Each one of them are located away from Male, the capital of Maldives and the city where your international flight lands.



Most of these private islands can only be reached by private boat or sea plane charters organized by the hotel that you have booked into. Either the price of this transfer is bundled into your overall price or you have to pay an additional fee. This can be a significant amount and hence it would be good to keep good track of it. Sea plane rides are ideal if you are interested in an aerial view of the islands, the coral reefs and the emerald waters. But, again, they will cost you an additional fee. But, they are totally worth it, especially if you are celebrating something.



The islands that are not privately owned by hotel groups, but by the government itself is where locals live. Here, you can find the budget-friendly guest houses and homestays. It is easier to find such places in Male city, but what I have noticed is that if you have some time at hand, you can find yourself a cheap place to stay in Maldives, like a room in a shack on a nice, quiet and small island. There are government run boats that sail from Male at pre-defined times to other smaller islands. The cost of travel in these boats is real low, but seats get filled up really fast. But, this way, you can spend that amazing budget beach holiday in Maldives.



Depending on your budget and occasion, you can choose your choice of accommodation – super luxury, middle range or homestays. Most hotel properties run discounts and offers from time to time, especially during the rains, just after the rains and right after the peak year end holiday season. Without doubt, the Christmas-New Year season would be the busiest and you can expect prices to be on the higher side at that time. But, irrespective of time of year, if you can afford to plan in advance, you can land a sweet deal with the hotels. After all, the hotels are the priciest bit when you holiday in Maldives. Do remember to explore the cost-value benefits of all-inclusive versus bed and breakfast as usually drinks and meals at these hotels can be a bit pricey.



As islands of Maldives are located far from each other, a beach holiday in Maldives is typically restricted to that island alone where you are staying. But, usually, you can indulge in all kinds of things at that very island – be it watersports, beach sports, underwater activities, kayaking, scuba diving, fishing, swimming or simply sunbathing on the beach while reading your favorite book. And if you are staying on an island with locals, then you can also experience their local customs and culture.



So, go on and plan that beauty of a beach holiday in Maldives and remember that an amazing destination like Maldives is not necessarily expensive to experience and explore.

Packing Tips – Don’t forget to carry your swim wear, beach wear, sunglasses, sunscreen lotion, flip flops and some nice clothes for those gala evenings.

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Koh Rong’s Long Beach: One of the best beaches I have visited

New York times puts it in the ‘Top 5 Beaches in the world’ list. I do not hesitate to say that it is one of the top beaches that I have been to. It has a long beach stretch, lovely waters safe for swimming, it is remote and hence very few people turn up here and it is in absolute pristine condition. This beach is the Long Beach of Koh Rong Island in South Cambodia.


This beach is so long that even if there are 150 people (which is generally a high number for this beach), you have enough beach area to ensure that the other people look like small dots in your vision. The hard beach floor, but soft on the foot, ensures that walking on it barefoot is like walking in heaven. The white sands are very pleasing to the eye and the shallow turquoise waters are perfect for swimming and floating. If you like to get a tan while reading your favorite book and not be bothered by anyone, then this is the place you have to be at. Since no local lives on this side of the island, there is no tourist infrastructure here and that means that you cannot get anything to eat or drink. Hence, if you do plan to spend the day here, it is advisable to carry enough water and food to survive the day. It would also be a good idea to carry a with you.


To reach the long beach, there are 2 options. One, you can do the 45 minute slightly adventurous hike from the bungalows on Koh Rong Island. This hike crosses tropical forests and then follows a steep decline that leads into the beach. The second option is to take the boat from the Koh Rong boat jetty to the Long Beach. A typical charge per person for such a trip is USD 4. Since the long beach waters are pretty shallow, the boat will drop anchor quite far away and you will have to wade through waist deep water to reach the beach.


Since the beach is a west facing beach, one of its best views is during sunset. Try not to miss it. The Long  beach here, like most of the beaches on Koh Rong Island is notorious for its sand flies, whose bites can be very irritating. Ensure that you spray yourself liberally with insect repellant that has a high DEET percentage. This is one place you should not miss on your next holiday to Cambodia. More so if you like tropical beach holidays.

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Koh Rong Backpackers: Hostel on the Sea!!

Have you stayed in a property that is located on sea? Recently, I got the chance to stay at one such property when I went to the Koh Rong Island in South Cambodia. The place is called Koh Rong Backpackers and it is a hostel with dorm beds and shared bathrooms. I think it is also one of the first few hostels to be located on sea. It’s location is one of its trump cards, apart from the fact that is run by an expat and the people running the day-to-day operations are also expats. I stayed at this place for 3 nights and 4 days and the below review is based on that experience of mine.


1) The Koh Rong Backpackers with its dorm beds is one of the cheapest on the island. It costs $7 per bed.

2) The place has 40 beds, comes with shared bathrooms that are really clean, free wi fi and safety lockers.

3) The place has electricity during the day and the evening. Power gets turned off at around midnight. Electricity supply can be sporadic as it is powered by generators. But, this is the case with the rest of the island.

4) The best attribute about this place are the people running this place. The are all expats who love the island and have hence decided to stay here for as long as they can. They are very welcoming, great people to talk to and ensure that all your questions and needs are addressed.

5) The other good thing about this place is its restaurant. They serve great breakfast and fantastic Mexican food due to an in-house Mexican cook. Their burritos and fajitas are very yummy.

6) The place plays some great music that attracts a lot of people. If you like good music, you will enjoy this place. If music bothers you, you will not like this place as music plays from 10:30 AM to 11:30 PM.


7) Like other hostels, this place is great to meet fellow travelers. You can meet them in your dorm room, at the restaurant down below or near any of the hammocks that surround the dorm and provide an ocean view.

8) Since this place is located on the sea, it neither gets hot or cold. Temperatures stay comfortable all through the day. The walls in the rooms have openings all over and hence there is very good air circulation.

9) The dorm beds come with mosquito nets, but I hardly saw more than a couple of mosquitos. May be, the mosquitos don’t like to fly over the sea.

10) If you can sleep with the waves rolling from under you, this is a fabulous place. If the sound of the waves can bother you, this might not be the right place for you.

11) The sunrise from the hostel is one of the best on the island as you can just slouch in the hammock outside your dorm room and watch it. Even the view of the red and the yellow moon is lovely from the balcony.

12) The place can do with some plug points inside the dorm. Right now, all the plug points are located downstairs at the restaurant.

13) Wi-Fi is good as long as electricity is there. They have a backup battery to power the wi fi and emergency lights, but sometimes the battery dies out too.

14) The hostel is located close to both the dive shops on the island, is within walking distance of the village and the village market, the other bungalows and their restaurants and the boat jetty. This makes it easy for you to move around from place to place.

I would definitely recommend this place to all kinds of travelers. Personally, I would love to return here. The people, its location, its environment, the Mexican food and its value for money make it a hot favorite.

P.S. Koh Rong Island is very beautiful. Even if you don’t like this hostel for whatever reason, you will still like the island.

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Beware of the Sand Flies of Koh Rong

Sand Flies!! What are they? I knew nothing about them before I entered Cambodia. Now and unfortunately after getting bitten by them, I seem to know quite a bit about them. I think it would be better if other tourists become aware of them before they head to the beaches of Cambodia.

The sand flies are found on the pristine and more secluded beaches of Cambodia and can be seen in huge numbers at the Otres Beach in Sihanoukville and most of the beaches on Koh Rong and Koh Kong. These sand flies are very small white creatures that suck blood from us just like a mosquito and the beauty is that no one notices them when they bite you. You become aware of the bites when you wake up to a bad itch the next morning. The best way to not get bitten is by spraying yourself liberally (head to toe) with the highest DEET insect repellant. In most of the cases this works.

If you do get bitten, don’t scratch for whatever reason. It will only infect the wounds. The sand flies of Cambodia carry a lot of toxins and release it into our body while biting. While for many people, the sand fly bites remain as itchy sores, for some unlucky ones like me, the body develops a reaction to it and the wound swells and becomes red. If you have this, then you need to visit a doctor, get yourself inspected. In all probability, the doctor will clean your wounds, give you a dose of anti-histamines, a course of antibiotics and an ointment to dry your wounds quickly.

The sand fly bites stay longer than a mosquito bite. If you are lucky, it will stay only for a week. If not, 10 to 15 days. According to wikipedia, only the female sand flies bite you as they need our blood to synthesize their eggs.

Keep in mind that the beaches of Koh Rong and Koh Kong have some of the best and cleanest beaches in the world. Hence, the sand fly should not stop you from going there. You should just stay prepared. Spray yourself nicely with insect repellant and enjoy the tropical sun on these beautiful islands of Koh Rong, Koh Rong Samolem and Koh Kong.

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