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TRIP REPORT: Isis, Pepita, Coconuts, Palancar

edd
Danbury, Connecticut
Level Contributor
353 posts
5 reviews
12 helpful votes
TRIP REPORT: Isis, Pepita, Coconuts, Palancar

Arrived Saturday @ noon, had to leave Monday at noon.

ISIS RENTAL: They picked us up at airport and all the rave reviews I've read on here are very accurate. Use caution driving in town! Manual-shift VW bug was great, but I had to drive with my shoes off because pedals were close together.

HOTEL PEPITA: a great value and just as described on other reports here. Next time I may try Mary Carmen Hotel.

COCONUTS: Possibly the highlight of the short visit. This place is EXACTLY what I was hoping to see when I decided to stop in Cozumel for a few days.

SUNDAY PROBLEMS: Was VERY disappointed to find Playa Palancar (and most other beaches) CLOSED on SUNDAY! I had been looking forward to going there for MONTHS. From info on here, I was not interested in going to Playa Mia, but I was able to walk up to it and look at it. It was as I figured; even though it was closed, I could tell it had a strip-mall feel to it that did not interest me much. It was VERY different from the wonderful Playa Del Sol that was there 11 years ago and had a private island feel to it! Finally went to Alberto which was the only open place I could find. Nice place & good food.

PLAYA PALANCAR: WOW!!!, just as great as I hoped that it would be. Free admission. Great beach, and like Coconuts, I absolutely LOVED the grounds. I had read that snorkeling was available, but was shocked that it was only $30 for either 1(?) or 1.5(?) hours. The place was so beautiful that we decided it was worth bringing our friends back from Cancun later in the week (but we never got around to it). This would have been the highlight to the trip, but we only had a few hours there.

OTHER HIGHLIGHT: While driving the main road through the jungle to East Coast, an armadillo ran across the street in front of us - that was exciting.

GAS STATION PROBLEM: Pulled into the gas station with a half tank. Had to return the rental car with 3/4 tank. Tried to request that amount and thought we were in agreement. The attendant said to turn the key to the on position, started filling, then said turn the key off, and then filled it all the way up. Wish I knew how large the gas tank was so that I could have done the calculations myself and not spend over $30 USD for a "quarter tank". Oh well, I've got to blame myself for that.

LAST POINT: I learned that I've been pronouncing Cozumel wrong all these years. The "o" is pronounced like the "o" in close, not like the "o" in closet.

olive branch, ms
Level Contributor
1,854 posts
2 reviews
38 helpful votes
1. Re: TRIP REPORT: Isis, Pepita, Coconuts, Palancar

Margarita at Rentadora Isis is wonderful and is the only person I will rent from. Glad to hear that you approved of her. I have recommending her for some time now.

Playa Palancar is the best and only beach club that I visit on the island. The ambiance there is unmatched anywhere else on the island. And their food is pretty good too. If you were unable to take the snorkel tour from there, then you missed the real gem of your trip. Be sure to return to the island (during the week or on Saturday) and take that snorkel tour out to Palancar Reef. I think it is the best snorkel tour on the island and you can't beat the price...

Alberto's does have excellent food and the view from Coconuts can't be beat. I enjoy listening to the rock music while watching the surf. Next time you go to Coconuts you have to try the fish tacos...

You also got suckered into the oldest scam on the island. The gas station scam is also the easiest scam to avoid. ANY time you stop at ANY gas station on the island you need to stop short of the gas pump and either have your passenger verify that the pump has been reset to zero, or you need to exit the car and verify that the pump has been reset to zero, BEFORE you allow the nozzle to be inserted into your gas tank. Otherwise you are at the mercy of whoever stuck the nozzle into your tank. Don't feel to bad because I also got caught by that scam on my very first trip to the island years ago. Once bitten twice shy...

I'm glad you had a good trip...

Cozumel, Mexico
Level Contributor
59,056 posts
169 reviews
139 helpful votes
2. Re: TRIP REPORT: Isis, Pepita, Coconuts, Palancar

Glad to hear of the good experiences at ISIS and the Pepita. I tried Mary Carmen once years ago--and returned to the Pepita on the other visits. But everyone has their own favorites.

Sorry about the gas problem. So far, never had one in Cozumel. It is best to return the car with gas at the same level if possible--it helps Margarita. But, in case you just cant, she will charge you very fairly for the gas you used, unlike many rental companies.

edd
Danbury, Connecticut
Level Contributor
353 posts
5 reviews
12 helpful votes
3. Re: TRIP REPORT: Isis, Pepita, Coconuts, Palancar

I'm affraid you're right msdiver. Thanks for the info.

Truth is, I was expecting to pump the gas myself. After he said [paraphrasing here] "whoops, I filled it all the way". He said something like 360 Pesos and I thought that was too much. But those VW bugs are odd, so I figured it just had a big tank and the attendent's only indiscretion was to intentionally overfill the tank. The price would make sense for a 20-gallon tank.

As I drove of, I told my buddy "Well, I think we're getting screwed here, but I don't know the size of the tank, or the price of gas, or how to say 3/4 in Spanish, so we just have to take it"

Margarita was great and went over many details (driving right-of-ways, parking, etc.), but never mentioned to use caution when getting gas. Again, I just assumed I would fill it myself so it never once concerned me until it was too late.

I thought I did the responsible thing by reading several car rental posts. I read over and over again how great Isis is, but I don't remember seeing anything on gas scams (besides someone having gas stolen from their tank overnight).

All renters will have to get gas, so I wish people would make more of an effort to encourage readers here to be aware of:

(1)common gas station fraud tecchniques

(2)the size of their rental tank &

(3)the price of gas.

If I remember correctly, gas price was not easy or even possible to find.

bemidji minnesota
Level Contributor
11,648 posts
20 reviews
64 helpful votes
4. Re: TRIP REPORT: Isis, Pepita, Coconuts, Palancar

Out of curiosity, how much is a gallon (or liter or___?) going for on Cozumel right now? Gracias.

edd
Danbury, Connecticut
Level Contributor
353 posts
5 reviews
12 helpful votes
5. Re: TRIP REPORT: Isis, Pepita, Coconuts, Palancar

Sorry, after I thought I was overcharged, I looked for a price, but they hide(?) it quite well so I was not able to find a price.

Cozumel, Mexico
Destination Expert
for Cozumel
Level Contributor
8,772 posts
37 reviews
38 helpful votes
6. Re: TRIP REPORT: Isis, Pepita, Coconuts, Palancar

It's priced per liter.

Compared to $4/gallon a few months ago, I thought it was reasonable for the driving we did. We puttered around in a VW last week and made three trips around the island for about $100 pesos.

I watch the guys to make sure the lever is turned off and then on. I've never had a problem with them not resetting the gas pump. The new electronic ones are easier to watch.

Cozumel, Mexico
Level Contributor
59,056 posts
169 reviews
139 helpful votes
7. Re: TRIP REPORT: Isis, Pepita, Coconuts, Palancar

I think I never thought to post a Pemex warning because I have never had a problem there. As Mark said, I do watch to see the pump is reset--and I usually ask for a specific amount such as 200 pesos. If it wont hold the 200, then I just pay the amount shown on the pump.

mn
Level Contributor
187 posts
1 review
6 helpful votes
8. Re: TRIP REPORT: Isis, Pepita, Coconuts, Palancar

Okay - slighly off topic, but why would the gas attendant give you too much gas and charge for it? What would he/she gain? Are they paid on commission or something? I would expect hourly, so I just don't get why they would jerk you around with a fuel scam? Unless it's always the owners doing the pumping? Sorry - i'm a bit naive when it comes to scandals. Especially on vacation!

edd
Danbury, Connecticut
Level Contributor
353 posts
5 reviews
12 helpful votes
9. Re: TRIP REPORT: Isis, Pepita, Coconuts, Palancar

Great question, but I have no idea.

But a scam at the gas pump was the last thing on my mind when I was trying my best to convey "3/4". He really acted like he eventualy understood exactly what I meant. He was quite animated about me turning the key off. I thought that was a bit wierd. Then when he said "whoops, it's full" it started smelling fishy. When he asked for $30-something, it really stunk!

'Funny' thing is, if I was aware of a possible scam, I would have actually been EXCITED about getting gas! You know? THEN, it would have had a Wild West gun fight feel when I pulled in and fought my best to not get scamed.

10. Re: TRIP REPORT: Isis, Pepita, Coconuts, Palancar

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