jodisu

We just returned from our trip, and I would highly recommend Coki Beach. The taxi was about $16 per person, round trip. The ride was only 15 minutes or so. The taxi driver will hook you up with their person on the beach who is the one who will get you whatever you need - chairs, umbrella, drinks, food, snorkel equipment, Benadryl... whatever. On that note, if you are introduced to someone as the person who will do that, do stick with that person. That's their job to take care of you, and they will make sure you get back to the taxi on time. Look for Big Sonny and Ryan, great guys.

Coki has restrooms which are very clean, drinks, food available (Try the fresh whole red snapper!!), and amazing snorkeling off to one side along with a couple of little shops. There's snorkel equipment available to rent as well.

The water is incredibly clear, very little current or waves as it is in a cove. There's some coral and rock off to one side which makes for great snorkeling, especially if you get a dog biscuit to feed the fish. Saw an iguana on the beach, which was pretty cool as well. We'd go back to this beach every time we were on the island. Loved it!

We just returned from our cruise and took Cosol's Tour as well. It was by FAR the best tour of the whole trip!

Our guide was Baptiste, and he was incredible! Can't say enough good things about all of these folks. Our stops were the same except that we did not get to do the waterfall as access to it isn't possible since the storms and flooding on Christmas Eve. Also didn't get the warm bread and cheese, but stopped instead at Claudia's house for fresh cheese sandwiches that were amazing.

We were not at all worried about getting back on time, as they are highly professional and know what they are doing. That said, they do maximize every minute of your time and will use the entire day, which we LOVED!

The beach has AMAZING snorkeling, best of the entire trip. They have snorkeling equipment available if you didn't bring your own. That said, this beach is very rocky. Do take some water shoes or be prepared to tip toe out until it's deep enough to swim. I would've loved to snorkel longer, but also wouldn't give up a single minute of this trip. Can't say enough. You should DEFINITELY do this tour.

We've just returned from our cruise and full day excursion with Big Beard's Buck Island for snorkeling. This was definitely one of the top two excursions we did for the week, and I would highly recommend it.

Big Beard's boats are in very good shape and are somewhat easy to get on and off, in and out of the water. Don't let that concern you. The swells were pretty rough as it was very windy. But the crew did an excellent job navigating and managing the boat.

We went to one beach to practice snorkeling, and honestly, there's nothing to see there. I could've done without that stop. But, that's just me. Then on to Buck Island. It was a beautiful ride.

In Buck Island, the current was not bad, but the waves were pretty rough. For that reason, you can't get super close to the reef. The water is about 20 feet deep, and the reef is very much alive. There were tons of fish, lots of different varieties and colors. We were there snorkeling for a little over an hour.

I could've stayed longer and explored more, but for those who aren't very good swimmers, they were pretty worn out. I'd definitely go back to Buck Island in January, but would personally like to find a way to stay there longer. I wouldn't recommend it in January if you aren't a strong swimmer and in somewhat decent shape.

Our tour then went to another beach for a cookout, fun and delicious. We were all starving by then. Festive drinks and good food rounded out a fantastic day.

We just returned from our cruise this weekend and did Miguel's Prickly Pear Island Holiday Adventure. I am SO GLAD I read reviews and knew what to expect on this before we went!

It was a beautiful day, and the island is gorgeous. PLEASE know that you are going to be picked up from behind an abandoned hotel! Don't freak out. The taxi drivers will know where to drop you. The hotel is abandoned, but there is a gate that they unlock with a path that takes you right to a gorgeous little cove / beach. You can see Prickly Pear Island from this cove. They'll bring over a boat to take you to the island about 10am.

On the island there is a finger of sand, and it is surrounded by some shallow reefs. There is a shaded area with picnic tables and a bar. There is a bathroom / changing room. The sand is nice and only has some rocks and shells. I didn't need water shoes, but had to watch where I was stepping. They have snorkeling equipment available and you can snorkel around the island. The current is pretty strong, and the water is not deep. In several places, it was really too shallow to snorkel. The drinks were fantastic (open bar), and the lunch was really really great.

We had a great time chatting with Miguel's family and relaxing on the island. We were taken back to the beach around 3pm and made it back to the ship by 4ish.

This is great for a relaxing beach day with good local food and drinks. If you are looking to snorkel, I might not choose this one first though. It was just too shallow with too much current. But, that might have just been due to weather and tides the day we were there.

Thanks so much for sharing your pics! It really made choosing a tour MUCH easier to get a chance to actually see what you did. Can't wait to book Cosol now! Thanks!