For the second half of our visit to Cozumel, we stayed at Iberostar Waves Cozumel. The open-air lobby was abuzz with guests donning their favorite soccer team jerseys, which were ALL Mexico, of course, as the team was playing England that night in a FIFA World Cup elimination game. We were checked in swiftly, and as we walked to find our rooms, we admired the lush green grounds and a flamingo habitat along the way.

Iberostar lobby © Tracey Cullen

Iberostar Grounds and huts © Tracey Cullen

This resort is unique in that it is not your typical high-rise hotel. Instead, the rooms are housed in colorful yellow and red bungalow-style buildings, each with eight rooms — four upstairs and four on the first floor. Each room has a little deck or patio with chairs and a hammock, making it easy to sit back and enjoy the surroundings. And the surroundings are great if you, like me, enjoy wildlife. There are little lizards, peacocks and plenty of cute coatis roaming about.

Colorful bungalows © Tracey Cullen

Beautiful Flamingo pond and walkway © Tracey Cullen

Iberostar sign at beach © Tracey Cullen

One thing I loved was the resort’s sustainability practices. There is a no-disposable-plastic policy, so instead of plastic water bottles, guests are supplied with two glass bottles in their rooms. Throughout the resort there are water-filling stations and ice machines. There are no plastic straws, and bins are scattered around the walkways for guests to return reusable plastic cups they may have wandered away from the bar with.

Another thing I loved was the “recycle” bins for pool toys. I always bring an inflatable pool float on vacation, and when we’re ready to leave, it usually gets thrown out if we can’t find someone who wants it. These bins allow guests to leave unwanted pool toys for others to reuse. I wish every resort had this!

Donation boxes for pool floats and toys © Tracey Cullen

Lunch was served at a buffet near the pools, with a great selection for everyone. We enjoyed Mexican night at the main buffet; and since the big game was on, the resort even set up a separate buffet at the theater, where the game was playing on a large screen, so guests didn’t have to miss any of the action. We watched part of the game and were really hoping for a big win for Mexico, but it just wasn’t in the cards. I must say, even after the loss, there were no hard feelings — just a round of applause for the winning team, England. After all, how can you be upset when you’re on vacation in paradise?

The resort is popular with divers because it has diving facilities on site. We did not dive, but I’ve heard it offers some of the best diving in the world! The pier was also a popular spot for snorkeling, as the water was crystal-clear and fish congregated around the pier. It was fun to hear families with small children experiencing the joy of snorkeling for the first time. We heard shouts of, “Look at this HUGE fish!” and “This is AMAZING!” from some little boys who were clearly having the adventure of their lives.

Cozumel Beach © Tracey Cullen

When we had our fill of the ocean, we spent time at the pool. Throughout the day there were games for guests to play and win prizes, which were handed out at the nightly shows. Our favorite was the rock show, featuring all our favorite songs from back in the day.

Rock Show © Tracey Cullen

Rock Show acrobat 2 © Tracey Cullen

When we wanted to relax with a drink, we found the lobby bar to be a nice gathering spot. The concierge team was also incredibly helpful. They would approach us just to ask if we were enjoying our stay or if there was anything we wanted to do around the island — always in a friendly way and never making us feel pressured.

We did want to rent a car for one day to explore the island, and they helped us arrange it. We drove around the wild side of Cozumel, stopped at a roadside shack for a fresh coconut, visited Hacienda Antigua, where they demonstrated how they make chocolate from freshly roasted cocoa beans and explained how tequila is made. And, of course, there were free tequila samples!

Fun rental car © Tracey Cullen

Roasting cocoa beans © Tracey Cullen

Chocolate tasting © Tracey Cullen

Tequila tasting © Tracey Cullen

Tequila Tasting tour © Tracey Cullen

On our last night we had dinner at the Smoke House. I was skeptical about a Texas-style smokehouse in Mexico, but I must say I was pleasantly surprised! The food was served family-style, so everyone got to taste pulled pork, smoked sausage, chicken and brisket, along with coleslaw, baked beans and some amazing creamed corn. And when we ran out of something, all we had to do was ask, and they brought more!

The Smoke House BBQ © Tracey Cullen

For dessert, the peach cobbler and chocolate cake were the perfect ending to our dinner — and to a fun trip to Cozumel.

The Smoke House peach cobbler © Tracey Cullen

The Smoke House dessert © Tracey Cullen

— Tracey Cullen, art director