Fabulous Fortieth

I celebrated my 40th birthday this year (sigh)! I must admit, it was a tough pill to swallow! But, I wasn't going to allow that little (ahem...big) number faze me. So...I got even with the BIG 4-0 and celebrated fabulously in Cozumel, with my family and great friends. Definitely the best birthday gift I've ever received!

Feliz Cumpleanos

We stayed at an all-inclusive resort, The Occidental Grand Cozumel. It is a beautiful resort on the southern end of the island, just 20 minutes from the airport. This resort is actually surrounded by a tropical mangrove, giving it an amazingly lush, jungle setting. The property is beautifully landscaped, and well maintained. There are free roaming tropical wildlife. We spotted iguana, javelinas, snakes, crabs, and various birds. It was March, so the weather was warm during the day and cool at night. It did rain a few times, but it passed quickly. 

fountain along the pathway

crab next to the pathway

very interesting bud hanging from a tree

pathway between the villas

There are 6 restaurants, 4 bars, 3 swimming pools (including an adults only oasis), a fitness center, supervised kids club with activities, day and night time entertainment, and a spa on the property.

adult pool area

adult pool

bridge path from the main pool to the adult pool area

We stayed in a "Deluxe" room, which was the cheapest option. The room was a comfortable size and nicely decorated. We had our own private patio. There was a mini-fridge that was restocked daily with bottled water and sodas. The bathroom was large, with a separate shower and bathtub.

our villa

wild javelina outside our patio

 Our friends stayed in the Royal Club, which houses the suites. The Royal Club has its own concierge, a restaurant, and a private pool and spa area.
Despite all the "pro's" the resort has to offer, we did find a few "cons". It was spring break and they were overbooked. Our friends traveling with us, were told their reservation could not be found in the system. After an hour of haggling, we got it worked out (thus the Royal Club upgrade). Apparently we weren't the only ones with issues at check-in, because I spotted a few angry guests at the front desk throughout our stay. The commode in our room would not flush. We called maintenance several times to have the issue fixed. A toilet that does not flush + tropical humidity=disgusting!! There were, what appeared to be, rolling black out periods. The electricity went off daily at different time intervals. We ate breakfast in the dark the first day! A major "con" for us was no swim-up bar, and no wait staff for the pool and beach, which meant long lines at the very small pool bar. Would I choose this resort again?? Maybe? We will most likely try another resort next time.

The restaurants were good. We did not eat at all of them. A few of them have dress codes that include pants for the men, dresses/skirts for the women and closed toe shoes for everyone. That was kind of an inconvenience! We're on vacation, the last thing we want to do is dress up to go eat! Breakfast is served buffet style in the La Posada restaurant. We ate lunch at the Beach Club & Bar which is near the pool/beach area. It is also buffet style and they grill burgers (very delicious, juicy burgers) and one other meat option daily. There is a small bar in the main pool area. Each day they feature a "drink of the day". Our personal favorite was the "Scooby Doo". All of the fruity cocktails are made with fresh fruit!!  If you tip them, they will make your cocktails extra strong! Be careful, or you will be the drunk girl barfing in front of everyone at the pool! I may or may not know that from experience?! I'll let you be the judge of that!
There is a long bridge that takes you from the main resort area over to the pool/beach area. If you look closely, about half way across the bridge and to your right, there is an alligator and her hatchling in the water. The kids loved that!!

bridge from the adult pool to the main pool and beach area

The beach is located directly next to the main pool. There is covered seating available, although it is somewhat limited. I had to get up at 6am every morning and walk over to the beach to save us some chairs. If you would like a shaded lounger on the beach, take note or you won't get one! See my previous post titled "reserved".

grass umbrellas on the beach

the view from my chair

beach seating and lifeguard shack

The water is absolutely gorgeous! Very calm, crystal clear water!

Ahhhh!!

The sand is white and powdery! There are shells everywhere!! Here is our collection of favorites!

me in my happy place

Lucas

Daddy & Lucas

burying Kash

Rozi

Kash

There is a little cart set up on the beach where you can pick a pottery item and paint it right there on the beach. This was so relaxing and fun!! You paint it, and then they fire it in their kiln overnight. It is ready for you to pick up the next day. Our cost was around $10-$15 a person, but varies depending on the size.

our creations

We ventured into the downtown square a couple nights. It was about a 10 minute taxi ride from the resort. There are little shops and vendors set-up to purchase souvenirs, etc...We found a small tequila shop, Plaza Confetti, that offered us lots of free samples! It was excellent tequila. They had the most beautiful unique hand painted tequila bottles and shot glasses. We chose the Casa Corfadia 100% Agave Reposado Tequila and these 2 shot glasses.

There are many restaurants and bars downtown. We especially enjoyed The Thirsty Cougar ! They have the biggest frozen cocktails I have ever seen! Yummy too!! We had dinner at Casa Mission. It was delicious but, the margaritas were so strong we could not drink them! For dessert, we had the "sexy coffee". 

our sexy coffee mix master

Our favorite "find" of the trip was definitely Alberto's Beach Bar ! It's about a 15 minute walk, by beach, to the south of the resort. This restaurant is literally on the beach. Talk about fresh seafood! As you are sitting at your beach front table, their boat pulls ashore loaded with freshly caught seafood that they serve to your liking! We had the shrimp ceviche, fajitas, and quesadillas...all fabulous! Our cocktail of choice was the "Dirty Monkey". They should call it the mind eraser because I don't remember much after I drank mine! Alberto's is absolutely a must while in Cozumel!

Our family is in love with this tropical paradise! My only regret is that we did not do the 3 reef snorkel tour. I will definitely be looking into it for our December cruise stop! We look forward to visiting again!