{"id":482,"date":"2008-01-29T09:22:41","date_gmt":"2008-01-29T15:22:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2008\/01\/cozumel-a-predictably-perfect-mexico-vacation\/"},"modified":"2016-12-17T22:44:13","modified_gmt":"2016-12-18T04:44:13","slug":"cozumel-a-predictably-perfect-mexico-vacation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2008\/01\/cozumel-a-predictably-perfect-mexico-vacation\/","title":{"rendered":"Cozumel: A predictably perfect Mexico vacation"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Ted Alan Stedman<\/em><\/p>\n

Embrace uncertainty and avoid the predictable is a tenet of travel<\/a><\/strong> I usually abide by. Usually, that is, because each year I willfully veer off-course for Cozumel<\/a><\/strong>, where tourmaline-coloredwaters, paper-white beaches, superlative diving and spicy Mexican culture reliably satiate my Caribbean<\/a><\/strong> affliction.<\/p>\n

In many ways it’s all about the water in "Coz," and you can take it from an authority. In 1962 Jacques Cousteau declared this Mexico<\/strong><\/a> jewel one of the world’s top diving areas because of its nearly unlimited visibility and brilliant coral. Diving’s since become the island’s soul. More than 20 miles of coral reefs, over 40 dive sites, around 500 fish species and bath-like water temperatures lure some 80,000 divers annually.<\/p>\n

Impulsive types like me love that diving logistics are no problema in Cozumel.Most resorts have their own dive shop or arrange dives. Since my ’01 diving introduction here, I hang my flippers at the Wyndham Cozumel Resort and Spa<\/a><\/strong>. The best dive sites take all of 5 minutes to reach from the resort’s dive shop and pier.<\/p>\n

But dive-centric as it is, Cozumel isn’t a one-trick pony. I might carouse the island’s sole town, bustling San Miguel<\/strong>, searching for the best fish tacos and margaritas. Or stroll Chankanaab National Park<\/strong>, the world’s only inland coral reef.<\/p>\n

My favorite terra firma adventure? Revving up a rental scooter and cruising the remote windswept eastern beaches, then making the rounds to renew my seasonal acquaintances at the handful of cheery shoreside cantinas where everybody knows my name.<\/p>\n

Come to think of it, predictability is not all that bad.<\/p>\n

Here are a few of my photos:<\/p>\n