Beach recommendations for Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Falmouth please!

[uchi]

Hi everyone! This will be our second Disney cruise and our first time with the Western Caribbean itinerary. We have a 9 year old and a 4 year old, and are pretty non-adventurous so we are thinking of only going to the beach when we stop at Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Falmouth, and not do any excursions. Could you please recommend hotels with day passes or beach clubs for all of those stops? Or should we just take a taxi and go to a public beach? Is it safe? Help! Thanks so much!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

On our last Fantasy cruise, we booked a cabana at Royal Palm Club in Grand Cayman. You can also just rent chairs and umbrellas, I believe. It was very nice. They had food and drinks, the beach was clean and they had facilities to shower and change. Just a heads up on taxis in Grand Cayman - they are like mini-buses and they pack you in like sardines. They didn't have seat belts on some of the seats (we only got into mini-buses that had seat belts). It was about $10 per person and they drive up and down Seven Mile Beach. If taking those taxis is a concern, you may want to revisit the excursion options. https://royalpalmscayman.com

 

[Kpercyman]

We just went to the free beaches in Cozumel and Grand Cayman. On a side note there was a Cuban restaurant in Cozumel which is amazing. We’ve gone both times we’ve been there and it’s a hole in the wall in town. Easy walk from the pier.

 

[surran12]

In Cozumel we have done Playa Mia and Chaukanab (sp?) and think you really can’t go wrong with either.

 

[bbn1122]

On our last Fantasy cruise, we booked a cabana at Royal Palm Club in Grand Cayman. You can also just rent chairs and umbrellas, I believe. It was very nice. They had food and drinks, the beach was clean and they had facilities to shower and change. Just a heads up on taxis in Grand Cayman - they are like mini-buses and they pack you in like sardines. They didn't have seat belts on some of the seats (we only got into mini-buses that had seat belts). It was about $10 per person and they drive up and down Seven Mile Beach. If taking those taxis is a concern, you may want to revisit the excursion options. https://royalpalmscayman.com

I have been doing beach research for our upcoming and so a recent post on another board mentioned that Royal Palm was closing this fall.

They also mentioned a place called Hemingway’s was sold recently too.

FYI

 

[JimGA]

We just went to the free beaches in Cozumel and Grand Cayman. On a side note there was a Cuban restaurant in Cozumel which is amazing. We’ve gone both times we’ve been there and it’s a hole in the wall in town. Easy walk from the pier.

Hey there, do you recall the name of the restaurant, sounds like I need to check it out. We do not plan on doing anything in Cozumel, except a quick stroll in the Port and buy a few bottles of wine

 

[CamColt]

We have done Paradise Beach in Cozumel a few times and Royal Palm in Grand Cayman once. We enjoy both, find them clean, convenient, and reasonably priced.

 

[ESO]

If you're interested in something other than the beach, check out the Chocolate and Pinata Seaside Workshop in Cozumel. We did this excursion last year (3 generations) and thought it was great. It was really well done and our kids still talk about it. I thought the description sounded a little "meh", but it ended up being one of the highlights of the trip.

 

[uchi]

Thanks so much for your recommendations!

 

[m3gg3m]

Hey there, do you recall the name of the restaurant, sounds like I need to check it out. We do not plan on doing anything in Cozumel, except a quick stroll in the Port and buy a few bottles of wine

I'm curious to know the name of this Cuban restaurant also!

 

[m3gg3m]

On our last Fantasy cruise, we booked a cabana at Royal Palm Club in Grand Cayman. You can also just rent chairs and umbrellas, I believe. It was very nice. They had food and drinks, the beach was clean and they had facilities to shower and change. Just a heads up on taxis in Grand Cayman - they are like mini-buses and they pack you in like sardines. They didn't have seat belts on some of the seats (we only got into mini-buses that had seat belts). It was about $10 per person and they drive up and down Seven Mile Beach. If taking those taxis is a concern, you may want to revisit the excursion options. https://royalpalmscayman.com

For what it's worth, I believe there is a public bus that runs along Seven Mile Beach that costs $2.50 per person.

 

[dcassetta]

Cozumel:
Nachi Cocum ( my favorite) Very quiet and relaxed. Nice beach and pool with plenty of loungers and shade, food and all drinks (alcohol too) included. Okay off-beach snorkeling (fee if you do not have your own). No water park. About $60 per person, kids are less http://www.cozumelnachicocom.com/

Mr. Sanchos (my second favorite) Fun and active. Nice beach and pool area, not as shady near the beach as Nachi Cocum. Food and all drinks included. Ocean floating park for an additional $12 per person. Add-ons like jet skis, parasailing and horseback riding are available. Okay off-beach snorkeling (fee if you do not have your own) About $55 per person, kids are less.http://www.mrsanchos.com/

Playa Mia (excellent reviews from friends) Fun and active, not as shady near beach as Nachi Cocum. Food and all drinks included. Pools, fresh-water water park and slides and an ocean floating park included. Also, non-motorized boats like kayaks and water bikes. Add-ons like jet skis and parasailing. Okay off-beach snorkeling (fee if you do not have your own) About $60 person, including all the kids. https://www.playamia.com/

 

[Rachfamilyof5]

Cozumel:
Nachi Cocum ( my favorite) Very quiet and relaxed. Nice beach and pool with plenty of loungers and shade, food and all drinks (alcohol too) included. Okay off-beach snorkeling (fee if you do not have your own). No water park. About $60 per person, kids are less http://www.cozumelnachicocom.com/

Mr. Sanchos (my second favorite) Fun and active. Nice beach and pool area, not as shady near the beach as Nachi Cocum. Food and all drinks included. Ocean floating park for an additional $12 per person. Add-ons like jet skis, parasailing and horseback riding are available. Okay off-beach snorkeling (fee if you do not have your own) About $55 per person, kids are less.http://www.mrsanchos.com/

Playa Mia (excellent reviews from friends) Fun and active, not as shady near beach as Nachi Cocum. Food and all drinks included. Pools, fresh-water water park and slides and an ocean floating park included. Also, non-motorized boats like kayaks and water bikes. Add-ons like jet skis and parasailing. Okay off-beach snorkeling (fee if you do not have your own) About $60 person, including all the kids. https://www.playamia.com/

I second nachi Cocum! One of our favorite beach days. Water is gorgeous! Quiet, relaxed. Good service. I went with 3 small kids and we had a great day

 

[Tasmen]

Consider this a third for Nachi Cocum. Every time we go to Cozumel, that is where we book. It is lovely.

In Falmouth, we went got a day pass to Hilton Rose Hall. It was so nice. They have a lazy river and a water slide that was nice. And the beach? Beautiful. The service? Amazing.

 

[TortoiseTaughtUs]

In Falmouth, we went got a day pass to Hilton Rose Hall. It was so nice. They have a lazy river and a water slide that was nice. And the beach? Beautiful. The service? Amazing.

From which company did you purchase the day passes? Did you hail a taxi or arrange transportation ahead of time?

I'm worried I won't be able to find something good to do on Falmouth day. Excursions like Dunn's River Falls are too active and far away from the port to work for us, and most people here seem to be uneasy at the thought of doing much else there. (I also think we'd be more comfortable doing a non-DCL excursion in hopes of avoiding a hurry-up-and-wait cattle drive-type situation, or being held hostage in a gift shop.)

Best-case scenario, I'd be able to find something like Nachi Cocum (which I've already booked) at every port; the Eastern itinerary would actually be better for us given that we're looking for a more relaxed beach-and-pool kind of experience, but we're locked into this particular sailing (4/13/19) because of my nephews' school vacation.

 

[dcassetta]

I have not been here personally, but friends have done a day pass at Royalton White Sands near Falmouth, and enjoyed it. Within the secure port area, there is a big Margaritaville with a pool, restaurant and bars.

 

[Tasmen]

From which company did you purchase the day passes? Did you hail a taxi or arrange transportation ahead of time?

We booked through Resort for a day. The day pass came with transport from within the port. We, and a bunch of others, were brought to that resort and the Hyatt by bus and then picked up later in the day by the same bus driver.

 

[mevelandry]

For Grand Cayman: Royal Palms. Looooved it there.

I've done Chankanaab in Cozumel. It was great for snorkeling but it was not my favorite beach.

 

[TortoiseTaughtUs]

For Grand Cayman: Royal Palms. Looooved it there.

Is Royal Palms explicitly family-friendly? I know that children aren't allowed in the pool and several of the YouTube videos I've seen show very few of them on the beach.

 

[lklgoodman]

A week or two ago several people on here reported that the Royal Palms was closing. We also went to Chankanaab in Cozumel and enjoyed it.