Downtown Cozumel

Sunday after our dive & a little afternoon siesta, we decided to head to downtown. I was a little leery to venture down there after seeing all the cruise ships flying in on Friday, but was pleasantly surprised to find it relatively quiet.

The boardwalk along the waterfront was decorated with all these great sculptures. I'm not sure if they were permanent or part of the Carnival celebration.

There was a giant stage set up for the festivities & many of the bars were advertising parties.

Many of the shops were closed on Sunday, which made the area feel almost deserted at times.

I loved finding little courtyard shops that housed inner quiet areas.

We walked for a few minutes & then stopped at the first street bar we found.

H had been wanting to eat dinner at this restaurant on Saturday, but I was too tired & didn't want to battle the Valentine's Day crowds. Luckily, La Veranda was open on Sunday & we were hungry by 4:30.

It's got a quaint little bar area inside with a few table, but we came to enjoy the tranquil courtyard.

For almost 2 hours, we were the only people in this quite paradise- enjoying the trees, birds, breeze and excellent service.

It was like taking a step back in time & that you were a million miles away from the crazy bustle of downtown Cozumel. We ordered a bottle of wine & started out with the shrimp scampi.

I loved their beautiful, detailed menus.

We moved onto a Cesar salad, prepared table-side. It was quite entertaining to watch it being made from scratch.

We both had Lobster flambe, which was again cooked table side to continue the entertainment.

As the sun set, the courtyard was transformed into a candlelit, cozy restaurant.

We really enjoyed our dinner & would highly recommend this place to anybody looking to get away from the All-inclusive buffets for a night.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: I think I'll consider a weekend getaway to Mexico every February! ;)