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The sun-drenched beaches and beautiful coral reefs of Isla Cozumel appeared off our starboard bow as the Veendam made landfall off the coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, some 330 nautical miles northwest of Grand Cayman.

Once a shrine to the Mayan moon goddess known as Exchel, this pretty island was visited by Spanish conquistadores en route to Mexico in 1519, and then forgotten until French ocenographer Jacques Cousteau arrived in 1959. Cousteau explored and then told the world about the beautiful Palancar coral reefs at the southern end of the island, which is the fifth longest reef in the world and one of the best preserved places anywhere for scuba diving and snorkeling.

As a result, Cozumel was never developed into a mainstream tourist destination like nearby Cancun, and was able to preserve more of its original flora, history, cuisine, and culture. In fact, the island has just one tiny city in San Miguel, offers many unspoiled beaches like Playa Palancar and Playa Caletita, and boasts several Mayan ruins including Aguada Grande and San Gervasio. In addition, just across the channel, there are the much better preserved ruins of Tulum, which can be reached by taxi or tour bus from Playa del Carmen after a short ferry ride from San Miguel.  

The Mayan civilization was one of the most advanced cultures of the pre-Colombian Period, and it flourished on the Yucantan Peninsula where it built several great cities including Chichen-Itza, Uxmal and Tulum.  While less well preserved than Chichen-Itza and Uxmal, Tulum is perched on a cliff overlooking the Caribbean Sea and easily has the most beautiful location. 

Built in honour of the sun, the city has some 56 temples, shrines and platforms, many with carvings featuring the solstices, equinoxes and movements of the sun. The principal buildings include The Castle (a tower overlooking the Caribbean Sea used to safely guide Mayan boats through the dangerous reefs surrounding Tulum), the Temple of the Frescoes (an outstanding collection of Toltec wall paintings), and the Temple of the Wind (a small sanctuary overlooking the bay built in honour of Ehecatl, god of the wind).

While it took us the better part of a day to see Tulum, many of our shipmates remained in Cozumel where they went snorkeling, swam with dolphins, or simply browsed the many shops near the pier that offer local handicrafts including silver jewelry, colourful blankets, ceramics, pottery and Mayan artifacts.

As we boarded our tender to return to the Veendam, we felt regret that our time on this island paradise had been so short. But like the Mayans who had worshipped their gods on beautiful Isla Cozumel centuries before us, we had made a pilgrimage, seen what the island had to offer, and were now returning home. And like the ancient Mayans, we hoped the beauty and mystery of this marvelous, unspoiled island would bring us back again one day soon.

As the Veendam dropped her hook into the pretty turquoise waters of Grand Cayman’s West Bay, the bright Caribbean sun began peaking through the early morning clouds.  After a day at sea cruising from Tampa to the Western Caribbean, we had finally arrived in our first port of call and we were anxious to get ashore.

The largest of the Cayman Islands, Grand Cayman is famous for its crystal-clear waters, beautiful beaches, amazing marine life, and fabulous diving and snorkeling. It’s also one of the most relaxing ports in the Caribbean because there’s virtually none of the annoying panhandling, petty crime or aggressive street vendors found in a few of the larger islands like Jamaica.

The downside is that the Caymans haven’t been blessed with any of the gorgeous mountains, lush valleys and beautiful rivers found on most Caribbean islands. In fact, the islands are relatively flat, dusty and colourless except for the daily intrigue that takes place in the 500 or so private banks located in the capital of George Town.

There’s still a few interesting things to see on the island including turtle farms, botanic gardens, and the village of Hell where tourists line up at the tiny post office to get their letters and cards postmarked from Hell. But most of the island’s beauty can be found on or below the water, which is incredibly pristine because there are virtually no rivers or streams to darken the coastal waters with soil run-off.

As a result, most of the cruise ship excursions involve activities like snorkeling off a reef, scuba diving to one of several old wrecked ships, getting a close up look at the local marine life from the comfort of a mini-submarine, or just lying on the sand at Seven Mile Beach.  There’s also a wonderful underwater option called “Snuba Diving,” which involves walking on the ocean bottom some 15 ft below the surface in divers helmets connected to an air hose. Snuba is a great way for people comfortable with snorkeling, but not yet certified for scuba diving, to explore the undersea world.

And then there’s one of my favourite excursions of all time, the “Stingray City Boat and Snorkel Tour” – which I’ve now done twice. This excursion, which you can buy on the ship or privately right at the dock, takes you to a shallow sandbar inside the reef in North Sound where you get in the water with guides and help them feed the stingrays. As you walk in about 4 to 5 ft. of water, the friendly stingrays swim by, gently brushing up against anyone who offers to feed them. The tour concludes with some time for snorkeling at a nearby section of the reef.

However, if you want to skip the stingrays, there are lots of great places for snorkeling that are much closer to where the ship’s tenders drop passengers in George Town. For example, it’s just a $4 taxi drive (per person) out to Seven Mile Beach or Smith Cove. But if you don’t want to stray far from downtown, you can just walk a few minutes south to Paradise Restaurant where there’s snorkel gear for rent and plenty of colourful fish swimming nearby. After just a few minutes in the water, we had already spotted a turtle, a stingray, some parrot fish, and several large tarpon.

After an hour of snorkeling, we changed into our shorts and walked into town for lunch on the waterfront terrace at Guy Harvey’s where we met my old friend Captain Adam Morgan, and my niece, Frances. The restaurant provides a beautiful view of the southern end of West Bay where the cruise ships anchor, and it serves some of the best curried Mahi Mahi in Cayman. When not working, Captain Morgan told me he likes to hang out here and drink rum, or snorkel at either Governor’s Beach or Rum Point.

Guy Harvey’s is also right next to some of the best retail stores in George Town, so we concluded our afternoon by strolling along the waterfront in search of some bargain-priced jewelry, rum cake and souvenirs. We found some great items, but our favourite was an adorable silver stingray necklace, which we felt summed up what our day in Grand Cayman had been all about: discovering the fabulous marine life and spectacular beauty offered by this underworld jewel of the Caribbean.