Off the beaten path in Roatan, Belize and Cozumel...HELP!!

[oreoero]

We are sailing the Grand on 1/27 and are hoping to find some shopping/dining & drinks away from the main tourist drags in Cozumel, Beliz & Roatan. Can anyone give tips on where these places, if they exist, are, and how to tell a cabbie where we want to go? For shopping, we are hoping to find some tucked away places for antiques, Talavera, and unique items, rather than the ubiquitous goods proffered in every port. Thanks in advance.

[DD]

In Belize, I like to go with a company called Coral Breeze. Google them for their website. The owner lives in Southern PA or Northern Maryland. They're great to deal with.

 

In Roatan, you're pretty much going to get a canned experience no matter what you book. It's a very controlled created environment. Consider it basically just a beach day where you are isolated from the real Honduras. That's not necessarily a bad thing.

 

In Cozumel, I'm not really sure there is an "off the beaten track" area. I like Pancho's Backyard for a nice meal and margaritas. If you come off the ship with the ocean at your back, it's to the left down anywhere from 3-6 long blocks (depending on which pier or if you tender in). While it's still in the tourist zone, it tends to be a little quieter and feels a little less touristy.

[spongerob]

You can find more info if you check the Ports of Call pages for these ports. Here are the links:

 

Cozumel

 

Belize

 

Roatan

 

You'll find lots of ideas. Also, check out MercedMike's cruise reviews, link provided.

[WeBeGone]

We took an all day excursion through the ship to the Mayan ruins at Xuantunich, near the Guatamalan border. It included lunch and the whole day was fabulous. We ran into some folks who had hired a taxi to bring them to the ruins, but at almost 2 hrs from the pier, I was glad we went with a ship's tour "just in case". There's nothing to do in Belize City itself.

[Tarheelbelle]

The small town area in Roatan was good for shopping in the small shops and grocery stores. I did a hike in the hills and very definitely did not have a "canned" experience. It was excellent.

You might search on Cozumel Insider website for more info. Lately there have been small cooking classes offered in Coz which are interesting.

[coltahonas]

We reserved a VW bug from a lady named Margarita at "Isis Autos & Motos" in Cozumel for only $35 per day plus gas (approx. $6 to go around the island) including insurance. She also has jeeps etc. There's only one road, so it was easy not to get lost... we just went beach hopping! What a great way to see the island in a leisurely way. Here's her website: http://www.islacozumel.net/services/isis/index.htm

 

As for Belize, we booked the "Reef and Rays" tour through the cruise ship for $89. I know Coral Breeze is a company that offers a similar tour, but I didn't find that much of a price difference (only $20 difference per person), so I booked with the ship as their 65 foot catamaran picked us up right off the ship, thus reducing wasted time.

I got to swim in the ocean with stingrays! It was sooooo cool and I felt safe the entire time. Much better than the Caymans if you ask me (ie- because in Belize they're not in captivity and there were less people/crowding)

 

As for Roatan, I pre-booked with Victor Bodden Tours (victorbodden@yahoo.com) and he had an english speaking driver and van waiting for us outside the port gates. We did an AMAZING zipline tour that he arranged (22 ziplines with 6 bridges) for $45. Much better than the 7 ziplines offered by the ship. The driver was at our beck-and-call, so we went around the island at our own pace, stopping to see interesting things (like the Iguana Farm... definitely worth the $5 entrance fee).