Playa Palencar is Cozumel's best beach and is probably the best I have seen in Mexico. Let's begin with the beach: the waters are blue, the sand is white, there is ready seating, bathrooms, and food and drinks abound. Jellyfish plagued the beaches of Cozumel for my entire stay Playa Palencar, El Cielo, and El Cielito had the fewest jellyfish. There were still some, but far fewer than any of the other beaches. Just the presence of these medusas reduces the enjoyment, taking it down to maximum 9. But then, wild peacocks approached my wife and me trying to eat our nachos. The sheer beauty of these peacocks, pelicans, and cotimundi randomly wandering around this beach raises its level.
A statement about Cozumel versus Isla Mujeres: up until I visited el Cielito, I found Cozumel's beaches disappointing. Part of this has to do with where I stayed; all of the beaches near the main port are full of rocks and the one beach that was not, was full of stinging medusas. Up until the day I visited el Cielo, el Cielito, and Playa Palencar, I would have excluded Cozumel from this blog just as I excluded every beach in Florida that I visited.
Our experience:
My wife and I came straight to this beach by boat from El Cielito. Rather than driving to the beach, we gave the captain of the boat an extra five bucks to drop us off at the best beach on the island. So we actually reached the beach by boat. It's really the same water as in el cielito with a few more medusas, but a shoreline, wild peacocks and cotimundi. I would definitely return. These jellyfish didn't sting or bother me while I was swimming.
In every beach, I take a long swim, I lounge around for a few hours, and admire the scenery. Here, I could do everything I wanted. Seating costs money and you are strongly encouraged to order food and drinks, but that is everywhere in Mexico. All in all, it was my favorite Mexican beach. If it were closer to where I stayed, I would have gone every day.
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Size of beach
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Length of shoreline- 1 mile
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Distance from water to sand- at least a quarter mile
- Sand type: White
- Water Appearance: Blue
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Cleanliness: Very Clean
o Is there trash in the water: NO
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Are trash cans available: YES
o Are trash cans emptied regularly: YES
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Water Temperature: warm
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Shade availability
o
Seating- Yes
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Resting- Yes
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Coconut trees are they full of coconuts that
can fall on people’s heads: NO
- Safety: Safe but Jellyfish
- Available Activities: Swimming distances, Free diving, Snorkeling, Scuba
- Level of Calm- reasonably calm
- Animals: Peacocks, pelicans, fish, small jellyfish, raccoons, cotimundi
- Plant Life/ Other- no seaweed
- Access: Difficult- Private beach, you can drive there, you can take a boat
- Price- Free, but you have to buy drinks
- Land Pests- none
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