Playa Palencar- Cozumel, Mexico- December 30, 2020- 9 out of 10!!

 

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.

-          Size of beach

o   Length of shoreline- 1 mile

o   Distance from water to sand- at least a quarter mile

-          Sand type: White

-          Water Appearance: Blue

-          Cleanliness: Very Clean

o   Is there trash in the water: NO

o   Are trash cans available: YES

o   Are trash cans emptied regularly: YES

-          Water Temperature: warm

-          Shade availability

o   Seating- Yes

o   Resting- Yes

o   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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El Cielito- Cozumel, Mexico- December 30, 2020- 9.5 out of 10

 

El Cielito: WOW!!!

This has to be one of the most beautiful locations in the world. They named this location, "El Cielito" correctly. This is not a beach; this is a region of the waters just off of Cozumel. But I just had to include it because it is just so beautiful! I have a thesaurus but the only word that comes to mind is beautiful. 

The only way to get here is by boat from Cozumel and it costs between $50 to $100 per person. There is an actual shoreline visible from el cielito but deep, kelp forests ring el cielito on all sides making it very difficult to reach without a boat. 

I began with snorkeling. First, I snorkeled in a place with extremely deep water. My group and I saw what appeared to be a 6 foot barracuda, tons of reef fish of different colors, and tons of jellyfish. Then, we went to a location called "El Cielo." "El Cielo" deserves a post of its own because it is equally as beautiful as "El Cielito" but it is around 10 feet deep. The water is diaphanous, cerulean, and staggeringly beautiful. And there are dozens of giant starfish and a few stingrays.

Then, I arrived at "El Cielito." Honestly, this has to be one of the most stunning locations I have seen. Simply dumbfounding. The water is completely translucent. Salsa music is playing on all the boats in the area, the current is weak, and the beautiful people by whom you are surrounded make your experience feel like heaven. The captain of the boat gave free drinks and food but I didn't eat too much.

Small Issues:

You have to either charter a boat to get out here or take a tour from Cozumel. So it is not easy to access. Also, it is not a beach, so you can't just laze around. Eventually, you will have to leave with your boat. However, these are issues inherent in "El Cielito's" location in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. 

The only real problem was that small jellyfish or medusas were all over Cozumel. They were everywhere in the regular beaches and deep sea snorkeling. I got stung a few times as well. "El Cielito" had the fewest medusas by far but there were still one or two. Interestingly, I saw a few fish eating the jellyfish, which was its own entertainment. 

Overall:

My wife and I were in Mexico for around 10 days. Five in Isla Mujeres and five in Cozumel. Isla Mujeres was by far better for beaches but this trip to "El Cielito" made everything equal. This region of the sea was among the most staggeringly beautiful I have ever seen. It is a once in a lifetime location and of all the places I have ever been, only Turks and Caicos has better water. The only reasons I cannot give this place a 10 out of 10 are: (1) there is no sand and you have to take a boat to get out there, which means you are at the mercy of the captain, (2) there were a few jellyfish here though far fewer than in anywhere else in Cozumel. 

I highly recommend this place. Second most beautiful water ever!! As of January 2021.

-          CRITERIA

-          Size of beach

o   Length of shoreline- N/A

o   Distance from water to sand- N/A

-          Sand type: White

-          Water Appearance: Sky Blue

-          Cleanliness: Very Clean

-          Water Temperature; Warm

-          Shade availability: None

-          Safety: Moderately dangerous

-          Available Activities: Swimming, drinking, and snacking. Lots of beautiful people.

-          Level of Calm:   Swimming great- no surfing possible light waves

-          Animals: Loads of fish, stingrays, a few jellyfish

-          Plant Life/ Other: Kelp forest

-          Access: You have to take a boat there

-          Price: $100 USD

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Playa Centro/ Playa Norte, Isla Mujeres- Mexico's Caribbean islands- 8.5

 

Overall Beach Vibe

8.5. 

These beaches are awesome. The sand and beach are beautiful. I give the entire experience an 8.5/9 out of 10. The beach is a 10 minute walk from most hotels and airbnbs on the island. If you are staying on the South side of the island, then it is 20 mins by golf cart. Playa Centro and Playa Norte are really the same beach and they are 5 mins walk from each other. The sand is white, the water is calm, there are no dangerous currents within the buoys and as you can see from the video, this beach is beautiful. If you and your family want an intimate beach, then this one fits the bill.

Small Issues:

There are multiple vendors walking past you on the beach selling all manner of things. None are pushy, which is different than other places, but after a while it detracts from the calm. You have to rent benches rather than having them provided for free. 

Pluses:

Your things are safe and Isla Mujeres is almost Japan-level safe. There are always people approaching you offering drinks and food and if you stay there all day, that is a plus. There are bathrooms very close and- notable for Mexico- use of the bathrooms is free. You don't have to buy anything; you don't have to speak Spanish but it helps; and you can still enjoy this beach. The buoys really are helpful especially if you are traveling with kids. If you want to swim laps, you can simply parallel the buoys. 

Final Verdict:

Playa Centro and Playa Norte are worth the flight. These beaches are fully fledged Caribbean beaches with all of the attendant beauty you would expect. The beauty of the sand and surf is on par with that of Antigua, Barbados, and Grenada. I am a Trini and I love Trinidad but the transparency of the water is far and away above anything in Trinidad, Tobago, or "down the islands." There is something of a "wow factor" missing from this beach that is present in Antigua and definitely Providenciales and compared those islands, Isla Mujeres as a whole is just beneath. However, these two beaches are the Fourth best I have seen in Mexico and top tier in the world. If I had not visited Antigua, Grenada, or Turks, I would have given this beach a 9.5. However.... Nonetheless, these beaches are beautiful and well worth the trip to Isla Mujeres. 8.5.

 If you enjoy beaches in general, Isla Mujeres provides a better experience than Cozumel. It is a very small island so unless you stay on the South end of the island, you are never more than 10 minutes from a 

Size of beach: Approximately 1 mile of shoreline. 200 meters from the sand to the water. Hotels and restaurants have set up chairs, tables, and benches on which visitors can rest.

Sand Type: White

Water Appearance: Aquamarine/ blue

Cleanliness: Very clean. Although restaurants are selling food and drinks, staff is always patrolling the beach cleaning it

Shade Availability: The restaurants provide large parasols under which you can sit but you have to rent them. About $5 or $100 pesos for 3 hours. 

Safety: Very safe. Lifeguards around. There are two levels of precautions for swimmers. Around 20 yards into the water there are buoys roped together warning swimmers to go past at their own risk. Then around 50 yards further into the ocean, there is a large, floating buoy warning swimmers not to pass at all.

Activities: Relaxing only. No jet skis, etc. This is a calm beach without surf. People are selling alcohol and food regularly. No one is playing sports on the sand but there is ample opportunity to do so.

Level of Calm: It depends. If Playa Norte is rough, Playa Centro will be calm as it would be on the leeward side of the island and vice-versa.

Animals: Pelicans diving for fish and seagulls. NO pests. 

Plant Life: The hotels or the government itself have roped off the beginning of where seaweed begins. For the first 20 yards, there is no seaweed growing at all and the water is a beautiful aquamarine/ sky blue. Then the water becomes darker: reflecting what looks to be a mini-kelp forest extending into the deeper sea. It is actually fun to swim through the kelp forest because there are numerous fish hanging out and eating the growing seaweed.

Access availability: Extremely easy. Getting to Isla Mujeres from Cancun requires taking the ferry; however, if you stay anywhere near the ferry, all of the most beautiful beaches are a 10 minute walk from your hotel.

Price: Free. Isla Mujeres does this correctly. The beach is free but the restaurants and hotels set up chairs and benches for you to rent and you should do so. The first reason is that it makes your experience way more comfortable and gives you the option of lazing around. The second, is that the hotels are paying to maintain the beach and it only costs $5 to have benches and a parasol all day.