Paradise Beach Review 8/20/04

[exoticislandgirl]

I'm sorry, but Paradise Beach was anything but paradise :( . I thought, by the reviews on this board that it was a beautiful area--and when we got there and saw the area, we were VERY disappointed. We couldn't walk into the water without hurting our feet, and there was LOTS of rock formations and seaweed in the water. It was shallow very far out then got deeper the further you went. Those black rock formations could not just be formed suddenly from weather conditions, that is the condition of the beach. Now if you are just looking for an affordable place to hang out with the free snorkeling and kayaking (which by the way was fun), and a friendly and clean area, then this is a great way to entertain yourself, however, if you are looking for white sand and clear water, do your research and find maybe a private beach (one you pay a little money for) or try Passion Island Excursion (which is BEAUTIFUL). This was beige sand and rocky ocean bottom--I am disappointed that I took the recommedations from these boards! But we did make the best of it, and had a great time together anyway.

[spikera]

Sorry I have to disagree with you on this!! We had a wonderful time, beach was clean, bathrooms extra clean and the water was crystal clear. Yes there were some rocks and weeds every now and then,, but maybe the caribbean isn't what you are looking for...!!!

[exoticislandgirl]

This water was NOT crystal clear!! I am a lover of the islands and the Carribbean. I have been to a crystal clear beach in Cozumel on Passion Island. THAT was beautiful WHITE sandy beach and CRYSTAL clear water. :) There was NO rocky bottoms going out into the water. I also have also been to the public beach at Playa Del Carmen. THAT was even beautiful--beautiful beach and beautiful waters. Paradise Beach is a great beach to go to when you are on a budget, but not somewhere to go if you want a romantic time to stand in the water with your spouse/significant other, swim around, etc. It was uncomafortable on the feet and not pretty to look at!! But this is my opinion, and you have yours, but I will definately pick a private beach or private excursion the next time I go to Cozumel so that I know what I'm getting and will be happy when I get there.

[cruisinqt]

I've NEVER heard anyone promise smooth white sandy beaches at Cozumel. Cozumel isn't known for having white sand on it's beaches. It is known for it's snorkeling, partying at Carlos & Charlies, and a relaxing day at the beach. If someone goes to Cozumel expecting smooth white sand, they will probably be disappointed.:( Paradise Beach is a place to relax, swim, play with water toys, and have fun on the beach without paying too much. It's a bargain and that's what many CCers are looking for.

 

Don't you have to take a boat out to Passion Island? When I checked out that excursion I am almost certain there was a ride out to the island, making it separate from Cozumel. It was just a little too pricey for our tastes. I think that is why it has white sandy beaches where as Cozumel does not, because it is separate from Cozumel. I don't think you will find smooth white sandy beaches anywhere in Cozumel.

 

As for the water conditions, well that can change from day to day. One person may have cloudy muddy water one day, and the other person may have crystal clear water the next day. Water conditions change constantly. So it is possible you both are accurate in your description of the water on the day that you visited Paradise Beach. Someone could go to the highly praised Passion Island or any other beach that has been highly recommended and come upon murky waters that day. It all depends on the winds and ocean currents.

 

If you want white sandy beaches and are willing to pay for it, go to Passion Island, If you are looking for a bargain and just want to relax under the warm caribbean sun and maybe play a few water sports for real cheap, then go to Paradise Beach. Both are good, it's just according to what you want.

[Cozumel_Tom]

Let me paste my post from a few days ago:

 

OK folks, let's be logical....if there is an onshore wind, which happens every once in a while, that means that the wind will create waves, and those waves will break on shore, which will stir up the sand. Throw in some seaweed that has been blown in on the wind and PRESTO! The normally clear, turquoise water that you've read about in older posts, will be less than picture perfect.

Let's put it this way; if I visited your hometown on a day during a sanitation workers strike, should I go back home thinking that Anyville, USA constantly had garbage piled up in the streets? Cruisers just get a snapshot for a few hours of any particular port. Weather is not static. Normally, the west side of the island (our side) is protected by the prevalent eastern winds, but sometimes the wind changes, and beach conditions change for ALL the western shore, not just us!

 

exoticislansgirl...obviously we had waves the day you visited us, just as it's obvious that we didn't have waves when spikera and the girls paid us a visit. Conditions change with the weather. Even Passion Island is not crystal clear every day of the year, NO beach in Cozumel is.

We have areas that are rocky, and other areas that are sandy. When the water is cloudy, you can't see the rocks and you'll end up stepping on them. Normally our water is crystal-clear (like the day spikera visited) and you can easily see what kind of bottom lies in front of you.

What do you mean by "Those black rock formations could not just be formed suddenly from weather conditions"? Did I or anyone else ever state that? I don't get it. Anyway, hope this explanation helps!

[Tluvs2talk]

I went to Paradise Beach last January with 5 other people and loved it!! The people werer friendly and the food and drinks were GREAT!!! We are going back again this January and can't wait to go back tp Paradise Beach. The day we were there the water was nice and clear.

 

 

Teri

[dbc3804]

My daughter Kristin and I just got back today from our Mariner cruise. We were at Paradise Beach on Friday the 20th and loved it. Everything was exactly what we expected from reading the posts here. I'll admit, I never got near the water. Kristin did swim a bit and did not come back with any complaints. I had read that there were some sections with rocks and some seaweed here and there. My only dissapointment was not getting to meet Tom. I did ask but was told Tom was out cruising the premises.

 

The food was excellent and and the portions were large. I gave our waiter on the beach a very large tip because of the excellent service. I did hear several different people talking about how much they liked the sand at PB over the beaches on either side. It was soft and clean.

 

I'll admit that I spent most of my time lying in the shade drinking beer and watching the girls. When I wasn't there I was in a hammock. With the beer consumption, I did visit the men's room and thought it was very clean and well maintained.

 

Overall, we got exactly what we expected based on messages read on this forum. I would not hesitate to go back again on my next visit to Cozumel.

 

Danny

[sea_u_onboard]

We have been to Coz 4 times now and I have to say I've seen it on it's good days and it's bad days. The condition of the beach is dependent on the weather conditions perceeding your visit. I can almost assure you that if you would have went to any of the beaches they would have looked pretty much the same. I didn't let it ruin my day.

[exoticislandgirl]

I guess it all depends on what you are comparing it to. I was trying to find the closest beach to what I experienced at Passion Island (which by the way was cut off from the mainland in 1988 by a hurricane, which makes it a beautiful private beach) so PB Tom, it was a part of Cozumel until the hurricane. I have heard that there are other really great beaches like that in Chankanaab Bay or where people go to visit the Mayan ruins, also Playa San Francisco (which frodos.com discribes as a "Powdery white sand beach". Has anyone been there? Anyway, I wanted to get the next best thing to Passion Island, and based on the posts from this board, it seemed like this would be it by all descriptions. No one mentioned that on some days it's rocky, and some days not, etc., may have seaweed, etc. As a matter a fact, I've never seen any posts about Passion Island being some days rocky and some days not, all the posts on this pirvate escape have all been good. I have seen a few posts on this sight about the other beaches in Cozumel, including PB being not so great, though. Let me know anyone who has been to other beaches and is comparing this beach (PB) to the others, and how it ranks against them.

[solita]

There is no other beach on Cozumel like Passion Island. Okay, okay, I work out there but that is the truth. I've said it many times before and will keep on saying it...vision a cresent moon shaped slice of heaven and there you have Passion Island. The sand is absolute pure white and the water is 200 shades of aqua. And if you don't want to see people, just venture down the beach a couple hundred feet and presto...your own private piece of Passion! Yes, even we had a bit of seaweek last week but thank goodness that didn't last more than a day. Pesky winds! But for water clarity, no one can come close. Yesterday, some of my guests saw a huge school of angel fish, a couple of barracuda, and a small school of rays...all without the aid of snorkle gear!

[solita]

please let me know when you will be back to Cozumel and I will make sure to get you back to Passion Island!

[DollyCruise]

Seaweed in the sea?

 

Shocking!

 

Dolly

[Cozumel_Tom]

Tluvs2talk...thanx for the post, glad you had a great day with us, and hope to see you again soon!

 

dbc3804...thanx very much for the nice review! Unfortunately I could'nt get to the beach that day, cause some friends and I were going off to the other side of the Yucatan Peninsula to swim with the manta rays and whale sharks! Awesome experience! Hope to see you again...your hammock is waiting!

 

sea u onboard...thanx for trying to explain this as well!

 

exoticislandgirl...I am so gonna enjoy my vacation! Anyway...I thought I explained about water clarity in my last post, but it obviously wasn't a "clear" enough explanation. Maybe if you read it again.

 

OK...quotes from your latest post:

"so PB Tom, it was a part of Cozumel until the hurricane." ummm...did I ever state that it wasn't?

"also Playa San Francisco (which frodos.com discribes as a "Powdery white sand beach". Has anyone been there?" Yup, a large part of San Fran beach is now actually Paradise Beach! The owner split up the once long San Fransisco Beach into 4 smaller pieces years ago, and we now own the biggest piece. So I guess you've been there too!

"No one mentioned that on some days it's rocky, and some days not," yeah....the rocks don't move, that's why no one's mentioned it! Are you implying that I said that in my previous post? Please re-read it...slowly. Hope you find all that you want on your next vacation :):)!!

 

Solita...can I come to Passion Island on my day off?

 

DollyCruise...:)

[cruisinqt]

Hey Tom, I didn't know that Paradise Beach was once San Francisco Beach! I had heard about that beach but could never find it. Now I have...He-He!!:D

 

Someone actually said San. Fran. beach had "powdery white sand?" :confused: I don't think I would rely on the info. at frodos.com if that is what they said ExoticIslandGirl. Obviously, PB does not have white sand. Neither does Chankanaab, I've been there and it's very similar to PB. Except there are steps going into the water there and it's more of a snorkeling spot. So Chankanaab is not probably not what you are looking for either.

 

I would go to the individual websites of the different beaches and see if they have pictures. That might help you since you could see for yourself what the beach looks like. Paradise Beach has a website with tons of pictures of their beach.:) If they have a website I'm sure the other beaches do too. You could do a search on the internet for the websites of the beaches you are interested in. Cozumelinsider.com should list all of the available beaches in the Cozumel area on their website. You could take that list of beaches and try to find their websites.

 

Or you could do a search of the beaches you are interested in here at CC on their search engine. The search feature here at CC has been a lot of help to me. :D I am doubtful that you will find a "powdery white beach with clear tuquoise water" anywhere else other than Passion island. But good luck anyways. I just can't help asking though, if Passion Island is so great, why are you looking elsewhere? If you've already found nervana, why look for something else? Solita may have given you the best advice so far. It is obvious you are absolutely nuts about Passion Island and it may be that nothing else will ever measure up to it. So your best bet may be to just keep going to Passion Island. I am sure Solita will take good care of you there. Just my honest opinion.:)

[TexEm]

I tried to read everything I could about Paradise Beach on this board and any website I could find before we went to Cozumel off the Caribbean Princess in July. I understood pretty clearly that the beach had some rocky areas (some people suggested wearing water shoes), that at times there was seaweed (anyone who's lived near any beach understands that--that's why so many great hotels in the islands have beach "sweepers"--people who remove all the seaweed from the beach itself), that it wasn't a fine white powdery sand. The major things I also understood was that the staff were great (I do not work for PB, BTW), the food was at least good if not great, there were plenty of lounge chairs and shade, and all the equipment could be used for free (okay, a deposit for snorkel stuff.)

 

exoticislandgirl--I'm really sorry you didn't understand all of that beforehand. Sounds like you just wanted to try something different, after your first great beach experience on Cozumel. Sometimes you just need to go with the same place time after time (we've always loved Sapphire Beach on St. Thomas, and usually go there when on the island), even though it may cost more.

 

We never made it to PB in July--that day the weather just didn't cooperate, we came off a fishing charter, missed the storm that hit Cozumel, but the island was pretty wet when we got back. My SILs and nieces made it, though, met Tom, dropped off some supplies for the schoolkids, had some drinks, etc., and had a great time, even given the weather.

 

I know it's Tom's job to market PB, but if you read these boards enough, you can see he (and Sally, too--) really are marketing Cozumel and trying to help cc posters and the locals on Cozumel as well. I remember when Tom was getting all these posts about people bringing him twizzlers, soup, etc., and he brought up the fact that he appreciated what people were bringing him, but a group called Crysalis needed some help with school supplies, and that the island had been flooded recently and people really needed some help with that instead. So is it just his job? Or Sally's? Or Solita's? I think these people really care and are just trying to help.

 

Tom--you deserve that vacation!!! Get some rest, come back renewed. A lot of us really appreciate you and your help on these boards.

 

Mary

[jeffnamy]

well said my friend, we were there in early February. Your place was the highlight of our cruise. The place was beautiful. The service was great. And the prices reasonable. We will be back this coming February and as far as i am concerned we are going to spend the day with you and the night at Calos and Charlies. Need us to bring you anything?

[justmeDi]

There is no other beach on Cozumel like Passion Island. Okay, okay, I work out there but that is the truth. I've said it many times before and will keep on saying it...vision a cresent moon shaped slice of heaven and there you have Passion Island. The sand is absolute pure white and the water is 200 shades of aqua. And if you don't want to see people, just venture down the beach a couple hundred feet and presto...your own private piece of Passion! Yes, even we had a bit of seaweek last week but thank goodness that didn't last more than a day. Pesky winds! But for water clarity, no one can come close. Yesterday, some of my guests saw a huge school of angel fish, a couple of barracuda, and a small school of rays...all without the aid of snorkle gear!

How does one get to Passion Island? What are the facilities there?? Is it through a tour company? If so, which one...I'd like to get more information about it if possible. thank you, Di

[cruisingchic]

Hi Paradise Beach Tom

 

I have a question for you. We were in Cozumel in January this year. We hired a car and drove around a bit, then pulled into Paradise Beach, Mr Sanchos and San Francisco but we ended up spending the day at either PB or Mr Sanchos. I can't for the life of me remember which one it was now!:mad: All I know is there were 2 parrots just inside the arched entrance way after you drove down a Palm tree lined road.

 

Well we had the most wonderful day there. Had lunch, a massage, played in the clear blue water, minus seaweed! Bought some nice silver jewelry etc. Didn't want to leave.

 

Will be returning to Cozumel this Jan, but this time will catch a taxi to the beach. So I need to know where we were!:rolleyes: Can't wait to be there,

 

hasta pronto mis amigos!

[Cozumel_Tom]

Cruisinqt, Tex em, jeffnamy...thanx very much for your comments! I leave on Sunday, and I'll see you back on the boards in early Oct...adios amigos!

 

justmeDi...you have to book it through your cruise line. The tour is not offered independently...hope this help, have a great vacation!

 

cruisingchic...that sounds like us! Palm trees, massage, parrots...yup! See you in the new year!