Update of El Cozumeleno from Funjet Traveler, Tom: Part 2

Last week we shared some of the pictures and feedback that we received from from Funjet traveler Tom (Kiel, Wisconsin). Here is the second half of his pictures and comments regarding his stay at the El Cozumeleno, Cozumel.

"Even though Cozumel was hit by hurricanes, the island is B-E-A-Utiful! We saw only saw damage to the trees in the rural areas. We couldn’t have asked for a better hotel or been treated any better by the locals. The trip was amazing. I’d go back in a heartbeat!"

"Here is one of the views from our room. If you look closely, you can see my bar stools at the pool’s swim up bar! My personal favorite was the one on the far left...don't ask me why.

The hotel had 2 whirlpools, a game room, an enlarged chess set (try moving those chess pieces around after a couple Strawberry Daiquiris) and a mini golf course. We were honestly never bored."

"The restaurants at the hotel were great! This is a picture of El Cocal restaurant which had a great buffet and an beautiful oceanview! They always had so much food to choose from, it was hard to decide. I was a big fan of their bacon at breakfast, I would put as much on my plate as I could and no one ever batted an eye. Oh sweet bacon, I will remember you always."

"We really enjoyed Cozumel. One day, we rented bicycles from the hotel (for free) and biked to the marina. On another day, we went on a snorkeling tour and saw a World War II battleship in the ocean that is helping to create a new reef. Then, I went parasailing! The view of the island was unbelievable up there and I would recommend that activity to anyone.

The snorkeling & the parasailing excursions both left from the hotel’s pier. It was so convenient that there was no excuse for us not to take advantage of all the fun activities.

We went to the town of San Miguel 3 times during our vacation because a cab ride from El Cozumeleno was only $5 each way. There were some really cool shops & bars to go into and the night we went into Carlos & Charlies we happened to see the making of a “Girls gone Wild” video! (We were spectators not participants...thanks to an enthusiastic veto from my female friends.)

I stayed in close contact with my family by going to an internet café in San Miguel and writing them emails – the internet cafes are everywhere! Plus, an hour of internet time is only $1.00. Not too shabby."

"Every Friday, Monday & Wednesday nights the hotel had a themed party where they put on a show and had a huge (and I mean huge) buffet dinner. On the Mexican themed night, they got me to up on stage and had me spin around in a circle wearing a sombrero, passing it from person to person until the music stopped. I came in 2nd place and won a snorkeling tour.

Overall I couldn't have hoped for a better trip. My friends and I had just come off of a long stretch of putting in some really long hours at work and were in desperate need of a relaxing vacation. I can't say enough good things about our trip and hope this information will help other travlers plan their perfect Mexican vacation as well.

Warm Regards,

Tom (Kiel, Wisconsin)

Great news about Cancun's beach restoration project

The following article was originally printed by the Seattle Post Intelligencer on Tuesday, April 18th, 2006.

Cancun beaches fully restored after storms
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CANCUN, Mexico -- The government declared this resort city's famous beaches officially restored Tuesday, almost exactly six months after Hurricane Wilma tore through the area and swept away long swaths of sand.

Click here to read the entire article...

"Cancun is back"

The following article was originally printed by The Miami Herald on Thursday, April 13th, 2006.

Tourists, beaches back in Cancún
El Universal Jueves 13 de abril de 2006 Miami Herald, página 1

Nearly six months after Hurricane Wilma ravaged the resort city, it seems Cancún is back in action.

Tom Latack was disappointed to see only rocks between his hotel and the ocean when he arrived in Cancún on March 30. A day later, he was soaking up the sun on a 40-yard-wide strip of fresh white sand.

"They´re really moving fast," Latack, a 49-year-old Whirlpool Corp. engineer from Baroda, Michigan, says as he looks out on turquoise-colored waves lapping against the beach.
Almost six months after Hurricane Wilma knocked out all but two of the 145 hotels that account for more than 70 percent of the resort´s US$2.94 billion economy, Cancún is back.

Click here to read the entire article...

Update of El Cozumeleno from Funjet Traveler, Tom: Part 1

Over the past few months Funjet Vacations has been encouraging travelers to share their stories and vacations with us to possibly be posted on this blog. We have been thrilled with the response and will continue to post your stories and pictures here for others to read. Here are some photos we recently received from one of our guests. We hope you will find this update helpful when you are planning your next trip into Cozumel. The following photos were taken at the El Cozumeleno by Funjet Vacations traveler, Tom.

“Hi, I’m Tom from Kiel, Wisconsin. Over the week of March 10th through March 17th my friends and I stayed at the El Cozumeleno in Cozumel. I had heard in the news that Cozumel was hit pretty hard during the hurricane season and had some concerns before going on my trip. However, if all of those reports were true, then they did a heck of a job cleaning things up! I didn’t see any damage to our hotel and wanted to share pictures from my vacation with other people looking into traveling to Cozumel.”

"Here is a picture of me (pictured right) lounging by the pool, soaking up some rays. My niece is an elementary school teacher and she asked me to bring “Flat Stanley” (pictured left) along for one of her students. In their classroom, they track where Stanley goes on and from what I hear, he sure does get around the world! Don’t worry, I didn’t let him have any of my Margarita, after all, Stanley is under age…and made of paper."

"The pools at the hotel were really nice & rarely crowded; and as an added bonus, once you finished your drink, the bartenders were right there asking if you needed another one! Everyone at the hotel was so nice and they really treated you like you were a member of the family! My favorite staff member was Juan. He kept the drinks flowing!"

"Every morning the hotel offered free scuba lessons in one of their pools. The hotel even had its very own scuba shop, complete with dive packages! First I need to work on my snorkeling technique, then I’ll move to scuba diving!"

"The beach at the hotel was a soft white powder. At the end of our stay, they were putting in even more of it, making it better than ever. We took advantage of their snorkel equipment that you could rent out (for free) and went snorkeling right off the hotel’s beach. We saw lots coral & fish-it was amazing!" -Tom (Kiel, Wisconsin)

Many thanks Tom for sharing all of your wonderful feedback and pictures from your vacation! Please check back next week for Part 2 of Tom's vacation pictures and stories.

Photo update of the Cozumel Country Club Golf Course

Fifteen minutes from the international pier and 10 minutes from Cozumel airport, this par-72 course is great for golfers of all skill levels. Surrounded by thick mangroves, rich jungle, and native wild life (including wild pigs, lizards, iguanas, turtles and yes, even crocodiles), the Cozumel Country Club Golf Course is laid out to give privacy to each and every golfer; in fact, there are only three places amidst 72 holes, over 60 bunkers and extensive water traps where you can even see other golfers.

Funjet representative Zephne DuPlessis was at the course yesterday (Monday, April 10th, 2006) and is pleased to share some photos from her day with you here.







The Cozumel Country Club golf course is easily accessible for island resort guests as well as cruise ship passengers- if you’re looking for a relaxing day of golf during your trip to Cozumel, this course is well worth your time.

Photo update of Gran Caribe Real's new beach

The following photos were taken of the beach fronting New Cancun's Gran Caribe Real on Tuesday, April 4th, 2006.