Like other reviewers, we had been intrigued with Cocos Island for quite a while. They have a very poor online presence and the tripadvisor reviews were old. I am writing this one in hopes that it may help others understand how we got there and what to expect if you go any time in the near future. We had a fun day with the neighbor, Bikini Beach Club, doing all sorts of water sports. They mention time spent on the "beach" which we thought was Cocos Island beach. What they meant was their shore chairs near their boat ramp in Merizo. It is a cute place to wait for your next water activity, but not the white sandy beach we had imagined.... My husband was determined to get to Cocos Island. After our very active day at BBC, we walked over to the abandoned looking ticket stand of Cocos Island Resort. No times of ferry departure were posted, a price of $40.00 per adult indicated a round trip. My husband made enough noise, that an employee eventually came out of a door (the ticket window never opened). This kind gentleman told us all we needed to know: The ferry left to the island at 9AM for staff, 10AM, 11AM, 12PM, 1PM, 2PM (give or take 30 to 45 minutes) The return trips start at around 11AM until 3PM... There are brochures, but they are out of date. They were out of English ones at the boarding location. This helps set your mentality for the rest of the day. Be prepared to be on "Island Time". If you can't adjust to being easy going and relaxed, this may not be the experience for you. Early the next morning, we drove the long way from Tamuning via Jeff's Pirates Cove for a really, really good $8.00 breakfast. We loved it there so much, we lingered and missed the 9AM staff boat that we were hoping to take. We arrived at Cocos Island Resort parking lot (very ample and across the street) at about 9:45. Another group was there already talking to an employee standing under the arch entryway to their boat dock. We waited a few minutes and put our name on the list. It was explained to us that we would pay for everything on Cocos Island at the ticket kiosk ... including ferry. After a bus from the hotels arrived, our ferry departed around 10:45. It was a lovely ride of about 10-15 minutes. Upon docking, we hiked to the welcome center. At this place we stood in line again (it reminded me of customs) to pay for our activities. You are encouraged to pay for everything at once, but we chose to only purchase chair rental at $5 each. We also were required to indicate our planned departure time so it could be put on the chart. There are many water sports to participate in like jet skiing, but we did not opt for that. We didn't opt for the lockers either. We hiked down to the beach cabana where we collected our chairs. The young man helped us set them up and sprinkled some sand from a bucket in my palm so I could look for star sand. There were also floats, snorkel gear, etc available. Around the corner, you could get snack foods like hamburgers, fries, soft drinks, and beer. HOWEVER, all money transactions are done at the welcome center. At lunch time, we checked out the buffet. It looked good, but we were tired of Chamorro BBQ so we hiked to the welcome center and purchased tickets for burgers, fries, drinks.... They were well prepared and generous. (Bringing your own food is not allowed.) I enjoyed my day sun bathing, bird watching, and snorkeling. I never left the dock side of the island. Hundreds of birds were roosting in the area and it smelled like it. I was OK with that. The snorkeling was not exciting. The water was shallow and more for cooling off and floating than anything else. It felt very safe and would be excellent for children. My husband, who is a hiker, set off on the nature trails to see what he could see. He saw spotted monitor lizards and a rail. He quickly hiked to the desolate rocky shore on the other side. He never passed another person on his hikes. He had no trouble doing all the trails. He wanted to hike around the island on the shore, but decided it was too rocky. Considering the rocks here it was a wise decision. He stopped in at the pool and said it was refreshing. The resort is in a surreal state. It was once top notch. And now, only a little of it's former glory remains for casual beach goers. Once people could sleep here but two windy typhoons and depleted resources have ended that. Now, one must vacate on the last boat or before. We knew what to expect so we were not disappointed. For us, it was a very good day. 2 round trip boat rides- $80, 2 beach chairs- $10, 2 hamburger lunches- $40…