Cozumel June 6-11 then 12, 2026
In May Michael and I read about the diving in Cozumel. We began making plans for a quick five day trip to check it out. Located off Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, Cozumel is best known for its coral reefs, drift diving, and clear Caribbean waters. We invited our friends, Kerry and Dude, to join us again. In short order, Presidente Intercontinental Cozumel Resort and Spa was selected for our stay.
Despite being one of the oldest luxury resorts on Cozumel, Presidente does not feel dated. The mature palm trees, established gardens, and lower building heights give it a sense of permanence that many newer Caribbean resorts lack. It feels cared for rather than brand new. The total room count is 212. Michael judged it to be less than 40% occupancy. This is always to our liking, and worked perfectly for a short stay to dive and relax.
At check in, we were surprised with room upgrades to an outdoor shower suite with a ground floor deck facing the sea. This was a great area to unwind and talk about the day or read or watch the aqua blue waves roll in and out.
Diving in Cozumel
Michael found Cozumel to be the busiest dive destination he has yet experienced. He and Dude used Scuba Du Diving and Water Sports, the resort’s onsite operator. Most of their dives were by boat, with only one shore dive during the week. Scuba Du handled everything from tanks and weights to boat logistics, allowing them to focus on diving. The divemasters were personable, attentive, and kept the experience running smoothly. During surface intervals, fresh fruit appeared each day. One morning the crew even anchored at a deserted beach and served pineapple, watermelon, and chocolate cake.
Most dives took place among massive coral formations, some with overhead structures rising 20 to 30 feet from the sea floor. Swimming alongside them felt like moving through underwater caverns. Drift diving was new for both Michael and Dude. The current does the work, carrying them over the reef at a pace that is part thrill and part blur. The sea life passes by faster than they could take it all in.
Sea Life
Among the highlights were the largest turtle Michael has seen to date. Also sighted were spiny lobsters, nurse sharks, manta rays, squid, and starfish. Dude brought new camera equipment he recently received. He captured great shots that allowed Kerry and me to experience some of the world they had been exploring below the surface.
Snorkeling is another water option at the resort. There are lots of colorful sea life in the sandy areas in front of the beach. Some of the types of fish that are more prevalent here are parrot fish, blue tang, sergeant major, bandit butterfly and peacock flounder. I don’t dive or snorkel, so being able to walk into the water and see them so clearly was a great experience. I can’t say I liked when they nibbled at my ankles, but they were still entertaining to watch.
Life on the Beach
When Michael and Dude dive, Kerry and I found June actually is a great time for us to be above the sea. Both the property and the staff feel relaxed. We had no issues with finding a beach palapa, lounge chairs by or even in the pool. With fewer guests, pool and beachside service is quick. This is critical when receiving an iced cold drink. Melting ice cubes is never preferred! The laid back atmosphere lends well to meeting any possible reading or napping goals one might bring with them to the Island.
Spa Anyone?
Another plus was how easy reservations were to make at the spa without competing with holiday crowds. The Ikal Spa, located on property is small with only four treatment rooms. However, the staff seemed to keep guests flowing through without feeling rushed. The black circular infinity pool we walked past at reception was a soothing way to enter the experience. The outdoor area, which we had the use of for 48 hours, had a whirlpool, warm pool and a cold plunge. There is also a sauna and steam room complete with eucalyptus in the locker area. It is all very nicely situated under a huge palapa.
The Serenity Room, where guests wait for treatments, is minimally decorated with comfortable seating areas, beautiful green plants and that quiet undertone of chill music. Mix in the island scents, and it is an instant feeling of relaxing luxury. I chose an 80 minute hot stones massage with an Island Spice aroma treatment. I can’t really remember how it went, since I am sure I slept through most of it, but I assume it was good.
Dinner by the Sea
Reservations at any of the two upscale dinner restaurants, Faro Blanco Restaurante or Alfredo Di Roma Trattoria, are easily available. The wine and food offerings are varied enough we easily returned a couple times and found something new to enjoy. Both are appointed in such a way, I felt transported to another place as a result. Restaurante Le Cap, a smaller Mediterranean option on the water’s edge, was a nice spot for a light lunch or fresh catch dinner, with an atmosphere suited to both lively conversation and quiet evenings watching the boats.
The Restaurante Caribeño, also on the water’s edge, is a large open air palapa with a bar in the middle and three levels of tables in the round. In the morning, the buffet is 40’ long and filled with stations of fresh fruit, plates of cheeses, waffles, pancakes, fried plantains, bacon, sausages, chorizo, scrambled eggs, tacos of any kind, omelettes made to order, chips, guacamole, pico de gallo, habanero sauces and moles.
Because it is an open air structure, the cat birds feel the buffet is also available to them. The resort has employed a falconer to walk slowly around the inner perimeter of the building in the mornings. With his beaked and hooded companion on his shoulder, their job is to deter the birds from selecting any of the artfully arranged food. An occasional wave of his hand or a whistle, and the smaller birds scatter, often with high shrills of complaint.
We often played cards here before dinner, anticipated the sunsets, and listened to the music of a local artist. A refreshing cocktail with chips and salsa all made for a good way to transition from the day into evening.
A Day in the Life
Our mornings started at Restaurante Caribeño. Michael and Dude ate a light breakfast before heading off on the dive boat. Kerry and I arrived later, and while we drank our coffee or tea and enjoyed our first meal of the day, we made our loosely held plan for the day. The welcoming, accommodating staff never hurried us as we decided whether to first find loungers on the beach or at the pool. These are the decisions of a well designed Caribbean trip.
The evenings in mid June are balmy with a constant breeze off the sea. Because of Tropical Depression Cristina and related storms, only one evening did we have a true sunset, but it was spectacular. We continued our Bonaire initiated tradition of each of us naming one blessing from the day as we watched the sun leave the sky. Inevitably, one of us will comment with “another great day by the sea”.
At dinner we again used question cards for discussions (back to Bonaire) that were sometimes deep (What is one moment from your childhood that you can still feel?) or sometimes funny (If you were ever arrested, what would family and friends assume it was for?). Both provide conversation immediately and also that we can build on in the future.
We were introduced to Pinochle while in Bonaire, and Kerry and Dude have patiently been teaching us since. The two of us won’t be competing in Las Vegas anytime soon, but it’s a great way to spend a few, or several, hours, especially near the sound of the Caribbean. The trade winds made the game even more challenging by attempting to blow our cards into the sea.
Bonus Day
Thursday was our Bonus Day. Tropical Depression Cristina, and a few of her friends, had joined us for the trip and made a mess of the weather, so we extended. It was still raining and could have been considered a washout by some travelers, but we found it relaxing in its own way. The collective mood of the resort was even slower and quieter than usual, and we all found another level of relaxation. Guests not diving or snorkeling lingered this morning over coffee and made extra trips back to the buffet for another plate of breakfast.
Michael and I came over to the palapa early (or its island equivalent, 7:30 a.m.) for coffee and found a table adjacent to the dive boat dock. Even in the rain, it’s a paradise rush hour. Divers of every age and size are waiting to board one of many incoming vessels. As one filled, it quickly departed while another came in for more waiting underwater adventurers.
Kerry and Dude joined us shortly thereafter, and we watched a Carnival cruise liner arrive, disappearing and reappearing in the rain like a ghost. During a break in the heavy downpour, it made its way through the small dive boats hurrying to get their occupants to the dive sites.
Magnificent Frigatebirds
Two Magnificent Frigatebirds perched above the dive boat dock, preening and fluffing their feathers in the quieter morning weather after the night of rain. Magnificent Frigatebirds are large seabirds with long, hooked beaks and deeply forked tails. They are often seen soaring on thermals with barely a wingbeat. With wingspans reaching more than seven feet, they spend much of their lives soaring above the sea, rarely landing except to nest. Watching them circle effortlessly over the water felt like a fitting image for Cozumel itself. Unhurried, graceful, and completely at home near the sea.
When Less is More
The rest of the Bonus Day was spent doing even less of anything we had done all week. It was fabulous. In the evening we strolled to the north side of the property and watched the cruise ships leave for another port of call. Over dinner we played a few more games of Pinochle (I’m quite certain Kerry and I were the overall winners), and enjoyed the quiet of the evening. Cristina still kept the sunset and stars hidden, but the sea serenaded us with her gently rolling waves and the lights reflected brightly on the water.
Leaving Day
Friday, Leaving Day, started the same as the previous mornings. Breakfast in the palapa, and then, because of late check out, more time by the pool with a book or a last dip in the sea. By the time we had our bags packed, Cristina was finally breaking up and becoming only a weather memory. Even as an uninvited companion, she had given us something we hadn’t planned for. An extra day spent the way we’d spent the rest of the trip. Long breakfasts, conversations under a palapa during a rainstorm, sunsets, card games, and good friends. Another reminder that some of life’s best days don’t require a schedule packed with activity. Sometimes another great day by the sea is enough.
Until Next Time,
Catherine
