My Background

Nachi Cocom. In Spanish it means, coolest place on earth. Okay, that may not be completely accurate, but it should be. This place is easily at the top of my list of places I have been that completely rock. Cleveland is obviously a close second.

Nachi is a beach club on Cozumel, Mexico. Stacey and I discovered this place on our first cruise together and have been back two times since. It really has everything I require to make a place unforgettable. First, it is a beach club so it has, you guessed, a beach. Second, cold beer. Third, warm weather. And finally, good food.

The first time our well qualified taxi driver turned down the "road" to Nachi I was a little skeptical. As we crossed what appeared to be a dried up swamp surrounded by grass and dunes I thought we had made a mistake. It just didn't look like much. Dirt and gravel road/driveway, same in the parking lot, and maybe two other cars in said lot. I got that feeling that we were walking into a bad horror movie where the unknowing white tourists were walking into a south of the border version of Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

We made our way from the car to the entrance we were greeted by a woman who seemed surprised to see us. We later found out that it was because we were, thanks to my wonderful wife's need to be punctual, earlier than the average tourists. After we checked in in the dining area we were led to our palapa. I know it's just a straw umbrella but, when in rome. This is when the beauty of Nachi hit me. Without another soul within a mile or so of us we had a clear view of the Caribbean in front of us, a collections of palm tree hammocks to our right, a dock with wave runners and parasailing and the like to our left, and a pool/hot tub/bar/dining room behind us. Under our new palapa, now I'm just saying it cuz it's fun, we were surrounded by happy things.

After being given a good minute to take all of this in the good people at Nachi upped the ante. "Would you like a drink sir?" I forgot to mention tht Nachi is all you can eat and drink for $50. It's 10 in the morning, I'm on the beach, in Mexico, with only 5 hours left to enjoy this place. "We will have 2 Dos Equis and 2 shots of Tequila." Bring it.

This service continued in this manner, minus the added Tequila shots, for the next 4 hours and 58 minutes. The beers slowly turn into whatever mixed drink the gentlemen at the bar can think up. So, now look at my background and imagine yourself under one of those straw umbrellas without having to worry about picking up the kids, meeting a deadline, making a meeting, or driving in traffic and enjoying your favorite cold beverage. Add in a stroll in the surf, dip in the pool, a few drinks at the swim up bar, enjoying the hot tub, and mexican food so good it would make Gandhi smack his mama. That is Nachi Cocom.

I could go into details about the remainder of our day but it, and the other two days we spent there all pretty much ended the same. Me in the hot tub drinking some fruity drink with entirely too much alcohol in it. Stacey serving drinks behind the bar and speaking her best drunk spanish. At some point we realize that we had better leave or miss our cruise ship and have to mortgage the house for a plane ticket home. Some times we make the ship easy, other times not so easy.

I know it sounds like a big drunk fest. But, I could take in a day at Nachi Cocom without a drop to drink and never want to leave. There is something about the sound of the ocean that makes the world seem different. It makes everything slower, quieter, calmer. No wonder people use those recordings to fall asleep to. But the scenery is too beautiful for sleep. The sky is that color of blue that Crayola hasn't been able to match. The breeze has that warm salty taste to it. The sand slips between your toes like it was put there to specifically massage YOUR feet. And, because it's on the backside of the island, the cruise shipless horizon calls you to that place where you are both afraid to go to and can't wait to find. That is Nachi Cocom. My background. My favorite place.