Reportedly, "A Sunday for All" was a big success yesterday. One lane of Melgar was closed, starting at 9am, allowing families and vendors to stroll the street safe from speeding vehicles. There has long been talk of making Melgar pedestrian only, like 5th Ave in Playa, but this Sundays event is the closest it has ever come. We guess this will continue every Sunday until further notice.
We are hearing all sorts of rumors about Caleta, the marina south of town next to the El Presidente Hotel. The whole area is being remodeled at great expense, and only a handful of the owners of the 220 boats that use the marina have signed a new agreement to lease space. If all the owners don't sign then there is some vague Plan B to turn the area into a Swim with the Dolphins park. That could all be moot anyway, as now we hear a tale that the El Pres will take over the marina, kick everyone out, expand the hotel to encompass the marina and only park high end yachts there. It's always something on the island!
It was not enough that the mayor of Cozumel is thinking of imposing a curfew for minors on the island. Now island officials are stepping up surveillance at schools, looking for vandals and kids involved in gang activities. Police officers will now be just dropping in at schools and making spot checks of students, looking for drugs, weapons and other illegal substances.Cozumel's Port Captain is calling for Norte season to end in about 2 weeks. That is good news indeed as the island has experienced some of the coldest, windiest weather in years this winter...and the port has been closed to small craft too many times to count. It just so happens that the end of Norte season coincides with the first day of Spring. So does the Port Captain KNOW the season is ending, or is he just looking at the calendar?Plans for the 3rd ferry company on Cozumel seem to be coming together in almost record time. The word is that, while 3 boats are being built, the new company, "Island of Peace," will lease 3 ships just to get up and running by the end of April. The new low rate that will be matched, or bettered, by the other 2 ferry companies, is 50 pesos each way. The City will reportedly own 5% of the new company. We can only hope this all comes off as planned, as it will boost tourism to the island as well as break up the outrageously high prices being charged by the current ferry duopoly.
A new federal report just out has found that Cancun Cops are short and fat! This comes mainly from hours of sitting around in patrol cars doing nothing...as well as a yummy diet consisting mostly of tacos, cakes and junk food. We would bet that quantities of beer are also involved. We are assured by Cozumel's chief of police that all of the island's officers are in tip top condition...no fatties here thank you very much!
And speaking of Fat...Cozumel still ranks Number 1 in the state as far as having an overweight population. A private initiative has been launched on the island aimed at overweight women 25 years and older. Called "Renew Thyself", it consists of a month-long regime of sports activities and diet. The goal is to teach women good nutrition and how to prepare balanced meals for the family. Prizes consisting of a shopping spree, a gym membership, spa makeover and a dental cleaning will be awarded to Cozumel's Biggest Losers!
Cozumel's first ever Lion Fish Tournament was a big success with a total of 279 fish being removed from island waters. The winner for the most fish captured, Gilmer Azueta Nunez, caught 115 fish and also scored the largest Lion Fish caught at 32.5 inches. Event sponsors say the response was so good they plan to hold another tournament in a few months.Cozumel has become one of only a few cities in Mexico to have more than one airport. The new runway, located 12K south of town, is geared toward serving the private pilot crowd from the US. Reportedly, there will be no customs officer at the airport, but there will be a Federal Police officer paid for by the Mexican owner of the property.We had no idea that Cozumel Priests had so much power. The story kinda goes that Padre Castillo Castillo called the cops when his handy man, Yam Uc, refused to do some masonry work, saying it was too much for one man to do. Yam Uc then began shouting obscenities at the Padre. Yam Uc was arrested, found to be sober and fined 250 pesos for swearing at a priest. What about just 10 Hail Marys and 4 Our Fathers?The Cozumel City Council plans to file a protest with the Cruise Association of Florida (FCCA) over the pamphlets we mentioned a few days ago. Unfortunately, this directing cruisers to only certain stores that give a kickback to the cruise line, has been going on forever and is not likely to stop now.We have heard on the streets that cold and windy weather canceled yesterday's planned Lion Fishing Tournament at Punta Longosta. Hopes are that the toruney may happen today as the winds have dropped.We had always thought of Passion Island as a little part of Cozumel, and one of those places that cruisers went for beach and booze packages. Now we have found out that someone owns the concession to use the island and they need to pay federal taxes for the use of the beach. Some 2 million pesos are past due and the concession owners now have 45 days to pay it or negotiate a new rate. We always wonder how debts get this out of control? How long has the island's manager been not paying? Will the island be seized for non-payment and condos built? We will try to keep an eye on this little island oddity!Video cameras are reportedly being installed at key spots around Cozumel for 24x7 recording of island shenanigans...also to prevent crime. The first cameras are going in around Punta Longosta mall. The mayor hopes these cameras will keep the island even safer than it already is. We think that it's just another case of Big Hermano watching.
The latest affront to Cozumel comes from the cruise industry, where a booklet warning cruisers of the dangers to be found on the island has been seized. Apparently, cruise ship guides hand these out to tourists before they arrive on the island and "steer" them to certain shops and restaurants. The stores pay big kickbacks to the cruise lines for being on the list of approved places to shop. The booklet warns of the "criminal element" on the island that preys on the tourists. It also advises: Do not stray away from the main tourist areas, do not wear any jewelry that might attract attention, be careful to secure belongings in pockets, purses and handbags and do not carry valuables with you such as cameras or credit cards. If the island is this dangerous then why did they come on the cruise in the first place?
Every one seems to want to move into town these days...including the island's raccoon population. One of these little guys was rumored to be living in one of the inland neighborhoods. The Ecology Department investigated and rescued the dwarf raccoon from a life of living on the mean streets of Cozumel. He was returned to the wild near Passion Island...where he will probably do better. In other wild life action, a pelican was reported to have eaten the tail of a stingray...we think he was taken care of too, the pelican not the singray. Way to go Eco Guys!Cozumel's Director of Tourism has solved the problem of low/slow tourism on the island. He says that more Spring Breakers are the key to the islands future! The current crop of island tourists are way too old and a younger more late night crowd is needed. Why didn't someone think of this before...wait they already have...they call it Cancun!
We now have learned that there are 3 exposed cenotes along the road to Caletita that will have to have bridges built over them. We are still puzzled as to how these were not discovered during the required environmental check of the land, as this is such a low lying area the water table would naturally be closer to the surface. So for now the road work remains suspended until a work around plan can be devised. However, the work on the actual car ferry pier continues.
Some 5 months ago a bevy of illegal one armed bandits were rounded up on Cozumel. Well they are back again! Authorities slapped the clausarado sticker on 20 of them but reportedly just left them in the shops they were found in. Because of the sticker no one can play the slot machines or move them...the sticker rules! Shop owners argue that they have no idea who put them in their stores, except that it is some mysterious individual from off island. This has got to be one of our fave excuses for anything!
Phone lines to police and emergency services across Q. Roo were jammed last night when a fiery object was seen to blaze across the sky, followed by a loud explosion. The sound and light show was even seen on Cozumel where it was thought to be a plane crash, a transformer exploding or some act of terrorism. Turns out it was just the space shuttle Endeavor streaking in for a landing in Florida. There has not been such a spectacular aerial show over Mexico as this since the shuttle Atlantis in 2001, and that time the military was called out over concern that it was a plane crash.
Fixing the cenote/sink hole at Caletita has turned into a big deal. As we mentioned, you can't just pack it with slag and hope for the best. The city does not have access to the adjacent land and can't build the road around, so the best plan so far is to build a bridge over it. Even that is loaded with problems as the bridge will have to support the weight of very heavy trucks and lots of them. This may turn into one of those cans of worms that should never have been gotten into in the first place.Cozumel is still one of the safest places to be in Mexico! The official report is that Cozumel has the lowest crime rate in Quintana Roo with only 2%. Cancun, on the other hand, has the highest crime rate in the state with 60%. The most popular crimes on Cozumel are theft, in all its many forms, wrongful damage, accidents and fights. Accidents and fights occur every day, but are most popular on the weekend when the consumption of alcohol can almost become an Olympic Sport!Cozumel will be hosting the first ever Lion Fish Tournament Feb 28th. The event will be open to certified divers and will feature cash prizes for the most lion fish caught and the largest lion fish caught. It sounds like all the "fishing" will be in the area north of the Punta Longosta pier. Divers will not be allowed to use traps, will not be given any implements to catch the fish and will not be allowed to catch other fish. All injuries are the responsibility of the diver and the marine parks department is not to blame for any mishaps. The largest prize, $8000 pesos, goes to the team, or individual, catching the most lion fish. Another $4000 to the individual catching the largest fish. There are also assorted runner up prizes including a lovely gift basket from PAMA, a watch and dinners at Kinta and Olive.
The Director of Ecology, Adrian Angulo Romero, has scored a new, official jeep known as the "Green Patrol". The jeep will be cruising the island making sure that the natural resources of Cozumel are being preserved. It looks like it also has cool emergency flashing lights so the crew of the "Green Patrol" can speed safely to any ecological emergency!Cozumel's Director of Tourism says everything is a go to set up a tourist complaint booth somewhere downtown. He would like to see it in the Plaza of the Sun, but that is not firm. His plan is that staff members would all be bilingual, and any tourist who had a complaint about anything could drop in and get help...instantly! Even Cruisers would be able to lodge a complaint and then follow up via internet. Our take on this is "it's about time!"
Benito Juarez Park has long been the social center of the city...especially on Sunday when families congregate to listen to the music, lovers stroll looking for a dark corner and kids just run amok. In an effort to expand the space and make it even more family friendly the city is planning close the north bound lane of Melgar on Sunday evening, from 8pm to 1am, and make it pedestrian only. The start date for this is reportedly Feb. 28th, so watch out for traffic jams in the area. We are not sure if the cars that are parked in the street, at the soon coming new parking meters, will be forced to move, towed away or just left to add ambiance to the scene.Cozumel cops were busy during the last 12 hours of Carnaval, arresting almost 100 persons. As usual booze, in varying quantities, was the cause of most of those arrests. There were a total of 218 persons arrested during the 4 parade nights of Carnaval. Here are some of our faves:
Work on the road connecting the new car ferry pier at Caletita to 30th street has been suspended. A few days ago, heavy equipment punched through the rock and into the underground aquifer. The construction company thought it best to fill in the hole with rubble, but that is a no-no! If you plug up an underground river then it will just flow someplace else and that may not be a good thing. So now this becomes an environmental issue and matters must be examined, blame laid and fines levied. No word on when construction will resume.
The last parade of Carnaval on Cozumel resulted in a hot time at Sr. Frogs on Melgar. Fireworks from one of the floats (reportedly one carrying Cozumel politicos) ignited the grass front of Sr. Frogs and caused a spectacular blaze. Parade goers had to flee as the burning palapa grass fell onto the sidewalk. Reportedly, no one was injured but the parade was halted for nearly an hour till fire fighting equipment could get to the scene. This fire video is pretty cool so Check it out!
And so it begins....Less than a month has gone by since the Playa Beach Recovery ended, and already more than half the beach has vanished! The hardest hit area is north of the ferry pier. The workers at the Porto Real Hotel are concerned that within a few days they will have no beach left to set up chaises and umbrellas for the tourists. The beach is reportedly losing 2-3 meters of sand a day!
The crew of the ship involved in the death by para-sail have been charged with manslaughter. This incident has prompted a call for inspections of all sea going services that cater to tourists. Details are still being worked out, but initially the captain of each vessel will be responsible for checking out his own ship and the condition of all equipment. As to para-sailing, all rigging will need to be replaced every 2 years, or sooner if it shows wear. The end result will be official inspections and permits that will all cost money, but hopefully save lives and prevent negative press. We are kind of surprised that this type of inspection was not already SOP.
In a hands across the sea gesture, the island of Cozumel has donated a fire truck to Isla Mujeres. Just last week 15 homes went up in flames on Isla and citizens could only stand by and watch them burn to the ground...there was no fire fighting equipment on the island! During an emotional presentation ceremony, the mayor of Isla said that this will be the first time that a fire truck siren has been heard on the island.Cozumel Police were fairly happy following the first night of Carnaval. Only 60 persons were arrested Saturday night and the most common reason was "drunken brawls!" Twenty of those arrested were minors, 4 were elderly women and the rest were men. We have no idea what the old ladies were doing to get in trouble. Actually those totals are not very good as only 90 persons were arrested for drunk driving in all of January .
We had no idea, but are not surprised, that a flotilla of hookers are trolling for tourists at Puerta Maya pier. There are at least 2 competing groups working the area. Since prostitution is not officially condoned, police do make the occasional arrest or break up the odd claiming match between working girls when they both make a grab for the same Juan!
We have never experienced it, but Carnaval time on Cozumel is also "War of the Eggs" time. Kids run amok throwing eggs on everyone...especially each other! About 60 high school kids were arrested last week after neighbors called the cops on them, but not before hundreds of eggs were thrown and quite the mess was made. The upside to the melee was that more than a dozen intact eggs were confiscated and they will be used to feed Cozumeleņos currently in jail. We think the original egg war tradition called for the use of eggs filled with confettie, but for some reason real fresh eggs have become much more popular. 
Carnaval on Cozumel is heating up with the first Grand Parade Saturday, Feb 13th. The parade is scheduled to began at 6pm at 17th and Melgar, and make its usual way north along the water and then back. This year the best spot to view it may be from the new park in front of the Palacio. We like this location as you get to see all of the parade and then head off to dinner and beat the post parade rush. This year there are parades scheduled only Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday nights, with Fat Tuesday being the Mother of All Parade Nights. Cozumeleņos love a good party so the after parade music, dancing and drinking will probably go on till dawn! For more times and events check out the
Official Carnaval Website.
Plaza Del Sol, the biggest White Elephant on Cozumel, is up for sale. This is the newly rebuilt building at the back of the plaza that has very few tenants and is losing money on a daily basis. There is lots more to the story than that, but it is all very confusing and would be long in the telling. Suffice it to say that the latest plan is to sell each of the 2 levels of the building for 80,000 pesos a level. This would all go to paying down the city's debt and Cozumel has lots of debt!
How much is a dead Lion Fish worth? Well, we came across a vague story about some "foundation" willing to pay up to 1000 pesos for each fish. Really?? That works out to about $70usd each and if the story is true we can just imagine the mad scramble to hunt the elusive Lion Fish. There really could be GOLD in them thar waters!
More that 160 pounds of pot went up in flames yesterday! The burning was a joint effort by the Cozumel and Playa Del Carmen armed forces. The marijuana was all that was left of what had been seized during 2009. We had word that the smoker was very well attended. We did hear a rumor that after the pot was consumed, a nearby taco cart had its best sales day ever, but who is to say if that was true or not?
We told you some time ago about the buzz to make the action film, Cancun, in Cancun with Taylor Lautner, star of Twilight. The film is going to have a corrupt mayor, gun toting gang members, viscous drug lords, Cuban smugglers, action heroes and the kidnapping of college coeds! Sounds good to us. Well, Cancun businessmen are already up in arms and want to put a stop to the making of the film. They are concerned that the film would affect the good image of Cancun and damage international tourism. They say they will do whatever it takes to stop the film from being made. Summit Films says that the movie is fiction, not based on actual cases and "any resemblance to reality is purely coincidental."
The Cozumel impound yard is awash in a sea of rusting bikes. So many bikes that there is some disagreement on exactly how many there really are...between 550 and 675! The bikes end up in the yard because the owners committed traffic violations or the bikes had just been abandoned. Cozumeleņos had until the end of January to retrieve their impounded bike but most apparently did not...either because the fine was more than the bike was worth, or because they did not have proof of ownership. Proof of ownership can be tough to prove in any country. We have always wondered why these bikes are not just put up for sale...after that the rusted hulks could be sold for scrap.
With law suits for violations of environmental law still pending, the beaches of Playa Del Carmen are mostly reopened. That means the dredging of the Cozumel Sand Bank is near its end. We have heard reports that reef damage has occurred in Cancun and Playa...but we kind of figured that would happen no matter what. We have also heard from locals that most of the sharks that lived in the waters around Playa have departed for less tumultuous seas. Those dive ops who specialized in "Swim with the Sharks" dives may have to turn to the now sand covered reefs as the only diving left. We have no word yet of how the sea turtles held up during the dredging miasma.
We just received some photos of the beach repair in Playa Del Carmen. These were taken yesterday and show the area just to the south of the ferry pier. Looks like a lot of sand has been added to that beach!
Thanks to David, our ace reporter and photog, for the update.This weeks death by para-sailing will probably go down as an accident caused by negligence. Reports are that the deceased was very intoxicated at the time of the incident...so the crew of the boat is to blame for allowing him to para-sail drunk. Also, the fall was from over 250 feet...way higher then initially reported. The captain and crewman of the boat are currently facing manslaughter charges. No matter how this shakes out we guarantee that Cozumel's para-sail business will take a hit.
Coming soon to a downtown Cozumel street....Parking Meters! The plan is to install the meters along Melgar from the airport road to the stop light at 11th. Some will also run along part of 5th ave. The company to do the install will be named by the end of the month. No one knows if the meters will take coins or a credit card and no one knows what they will charge. But the city is excited as they can finally start making money off street parking. And, if your meter expires then they send for the wrecker to haul your car to the impound and that is at least a 400 peso hit!
A tourist off the Carnival Inspiration was killed yesterday in a para-sailing accident. Joseph Job, age 40, fell from a height of about 20 meters into the water near the Aqua Safari pier. There may have been a problem with faulty equipment, as he reportedly slipped from the safety harness. The captain of the para-sail boat El Coyote was arrested until cause can be determined.We have reported that Cozumel is looking for a 3rd ferry company to break the duopoly held by the Mexico and Ultramar ferries. Even though not much has happened, there is already lots of sword rattling going on. The existing companies are threatening to leave the newly remolded, downtown pier and take their business to Punta Longosta, where they can dock for free. They are also threatening a wonderful price war, dropping the ticket price to 25 pesos per crossing! That could be a very good thing! However once they send the upstart ferry company packing then they would, of course, jack those prices up again! Good luck to the new company who ever you are!Island Water Department workers had an exciting morning when they found a 6 foot plus crocodile in the waste treatment plant. They captured the reptile and nicknamed him "Tripod" since he only had 3 legs. He will be released into a more suitable environment. Between 2008 and 2009 the Department of Ecology has captured 79 crocodiles. In addition to waste treatment plants, crocs are also known to frequent construction sites, hotel pools or any place they can get warm.The Yucatan is experiencing it's worst outbreak of Dengue fever in decades.
In the first 3 weeks of the year, there have been 112 cases reported...49 of which are the serious bleeding type. During the same time period last year only 29 cases were reported. Most effected are young people, and for some reason men are more susceptible than women.
Cozumel is making a bid to bird watchers, hoping to extend the tourist base of the island. Officials say that the ecosystem of Cozumel is one of the least "disturbed" in the Caribbean. At certain times of the year flamingos, herons and other migratory birds pay the island a visit. The birding is particularly good at Punta Celerain (formerly Punta Sur) where tours are conducted. Only 10 persons at a time are allowed on the up close and personal bird tours. Visitors also get to also study crocodiles in their natural environment....we guess the crocs are studying the tourists too!The latest Lion Fish count stands at 1500 confirmed killed and possibly another 600 unconfirmed caught. As noted we have no idea if the catching of the Lion Fish is having any impact on the species or not.Mexican scientists have declared Cozumel, and indeed all of the Yucatan, to be an earthquake free zone. Certainly good news, as lots of hotels and condos are many stories tall. Of course, the island still has those pesky hurricanes to worry about...but at least you can see them coming.
As mentioned yesterday, the private yacht Octopus has a submarine on board. Paul and Bill wanted to use it in Cozumel's Marine Park and asked for permission some time ago. They even offered to donate a boat to the Park. The millionaires' request was turned down and no reason was given. Cozumeleņos worry that this may send the wrong signal to other rich folk who want to come to the island and throw money around. If the richest of the rich can't have their way then they may just take their toys and go elsewhere.
Our Jet Blue flight from Orlando to Cancun was great. We arrived in Terminal 2...no crowd. There were thermal scanners set up at Immigration, and everyone HAD to fill out a form...you could write anything on it, but you had to write something down. One lady failed to hand in a form, and she was stopped until she had completed one.
The ticket counter for the bus to Playa is now outside, right where the buses depart at Terminal 2 (the old terminal). The entire east end of Terminal 2 is now sealed off to entry (exit only), and there are no vendors there anymore. We were also accosted to buy a timeshare, take a taxi, or book a shuttle a minimum of 10 times (far more than in the past), which may be a sign of slow times.
The bus departed at 3:39 pm and only had about 7 people on board. We were not sure if they had added a bus or not, but we were very happy with the quick connection.
The new highway through/over Puerto Morelos is going to be nice when completed. You will be able to pass over PM and not slow down at all. As for now, you still have to take the side road.
We had about an hour to wait for the next ferry at Playa, so we enjoyed Happy Hour Negra Modelo and Limonada on the beach. The 6pm Mexico Boat was packed and slow leaving the pier. The new ferry pier on Cozumel was nice, and Glo said they had the "best bathrooms ever" - still clean and new with toilet seats intact!
A taxi whisked us to the condo and only over-charged us 10 pesos. Our penthouse was spotlessly clean as always, and one of our Cozumel amigos had left us a bag of limes at the door...It was Margarita Time!
We did dinner at Thai Noodle Bar just 2 blocks from our place. The food was better than we remembered, and they had taken the prices back to their original lower ones. The small bowl was $6 and the large was $9. Ernesto was a great host as always.
Saturday we picked up the rental car from Avis (we got a free upgrade to an automatic) and then went to meet Mom at the Coz airport. This was her second visit in 7 years. Big delay in the airport, as one, solitary guy was off-loading 5 pieces of luggage at a time and then running around to x-ray them in the scanner...only in Mexico!
We grabbed a bite at Pancho's Backyard. We had never been there for lunch (usually a big cruiser hang then) and it was really good. The Chicken Nachos were named by us the new "best on the island."
We settled Mom in at the Melia and then made the Mega run...$80 for a week's worth of breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and lots of Marg fixings!
We were surprised to find that the internet often worked at the Melia this trip.
Also we were delighted to find that the beach at the Melia was wider than we have seen it in the last 9 years! Also there were no submerged rocks any more - it is only a sandy entrance into the water! The water was a mixed bag of clear and cloudy, and still affected by the silt from the northern mangrove swamp. Word was that the Melia was only 20% occupied.
Over at the El Cozumeleno, they are building a sand bag wall to save their beach. The water entrance is far more rocky than we remember it, too.
Dinner that night was at Kinta.
We were able to get an indoor table, but some folks were turned away...advice is to make a reservation! We got a couple of the snapper dishes and were disappointed. While the sauce was great, the fish was on the mushy side. Glory's veggie "Chiladas" were great, and she said it was one of her best meals on the island!
Now things kind of run together, as they so often do with any Cozumel visit. We did a few projects at our condo. Glory traded out massages with Sally. We sat in the sun a few days and did a lot of reading and eating. We did a great East Side tour, though.
Senor Iguana's for lunch. It was our first time to try this spot, and we did miss having our toes in the sand, a la Mezcalito's (we ate inside the restaurant to save Mom the steep climb down the stairs to the beach). Burgers, while smallish, were fine...50 pesos. They did a very nice salad for Glory. Watch the bill, though....they are still tacking on the IVA tax. The waiter immediately removed it when I pointed out the error! The place was very busy with cruisers, and if they all paid the tax (and I'm sure they did) then Sr Iguana's did a nice job of adding to their bottom line!
From there we drove down to the beach with the Arches. Glory started chatting with a black coral salesman and of course he made us a deal!
Black Coral for everyone for Christmas this year! We finished out our crawl at Palancar Beach. The waiters were happy to see us, in spite of our only ordering drinks.
The Palancar peacocks performed very colorful mating rituals for us!
We ended the afternoon watching a fantastic sunset from the now closed Pyrates Bar. Note that if you open a car door or window at sunset you will be swarmed by mosquitoes!
La Choza for lobster...210 pesos per meal and it was pretty good. Veggie fajitas were spot on, as usual. Not a big crowd in the house.
Casa Denis, where we met up with Scuba Tony, Encarna, and the gang from Casa Amor. My Pork Pibil was pretty salty, veggie fajitas were greasy, and the chicken was on the dry side. The only thing to say about the free margs was that they were free. The restaurant was busy.
Mission Grill on 30th...We went on a very hot night. The grilled mero was excellent and well priced at 80 pesos. Everything else was perfect. Big surprise was the great Marg...tres fuerte! A good showing of locals in the house.
Sorrisi for pizza and salads. The pizza was great and the evening would have been perfect, except the waiter who wanted to bring us a bottle of water (charge) instead of a glass of water (no charge). The restaurant was pretty empty while we were there. The Gelato shop across the street is spacious and open and the gelato is tasty...we hit it three nights in a row. Currently you can dine al fresco at the Gelato Shop and order off the Sorrisi menu. Their waiters will walk the food across the street. You can NOT currently order gelato to be delivered to your table in Sorrisi...go figure!
We liked it so much we went back to the Thai Noodle House. Another big crowd with Tommy and Sarah from Villas Zaz Tun and John and Jackie from Casa Amor. Coz I Can David sat in as well. If you have a crowd you might want to make reservations here, as this is a very small venue.
Our last night we took Mom to another of her favorite spots, Pancho's Backyard. She thinks this is one of the most colorful restaurants on the island...food is good, too! Glory loves the Banana and Walnut-Stuffed Chili Rellenos. The shrimp and fish were very well prepared. Note: you cannot smoke at indoor tables at La Choza or Mission Grill (open-air restaurants), but there is not a problem smoking at Pancho's.
As soon as I pulled out a cigar the waiter was there to light it up for me! Also you get a 20% discount on meals at Pancho's if you are local.
An odd thing occurred with our Avis rental car. Half way through the week we got a call from Avis telling us they needed to come pick up our car for critical servicing for our safety. They could not be more specific, but did offer us any car in their fleet. As long as it was automatic, anything was fine with us. The replacement was a big red Dodge with a full tank of gas. There was no mention made, or charge for, the half tank of gas we had already used in the car we turned in. We never did find out why they needed the first car back in such a rush. Maybe this was some kind of customer reward program.
Side notes...they were taking "empty" water bottles away from passengers as they boarded flights out of Cancun. They took Mom's knitting needles as she departed Cozumel. Maybe Mexican TSA knows something American TSA does not! While you cannot go to Cozumel banks and get pesos for dollars, you can get pesos at Playa Banks...go figure!