Cozumel is
Mexico’s largest island. It is situated in the beautiful azure waters of the
Caribbean Sea. The island measures 28 miles long by 10 miles wide and is 12 miles off of the coast of the
Yucatán Peninsula. The climate is sub-tropical and is only unpleasant during hurricane season.
Cozumel is 50 minutes from
Playa del Carmen by ferry, which in turn is 1 hour to
Cancún by bus or car. You can fly from Cozumel to Cancún in a nice prop-plane for as little as $30 through Aero Caribe.
Cozumel is primarily inhabited by
Mayan descent peoples. You will also find many “foreigners” taking up roots in Cozumel, from
Canada, the
US and other locations.
There is only one city; it is known as
San Miguel. It is located on the western side of the island. You can see the lights of Playa del Carmen at night. The city has a population of around 90,000 people and is well known for being crime free (*see note). There are 2 cruise ship docks near the center of town and 4 more just south of town. You can often see 5 to 10 cruse ships off coast or docked on any given day. There are several shops, restaurants and modern malls near the ship docks. It is wise to avoid this area while a ship is docked, because it can be very crowded with “
tourists”.
Cozumel is known for being one of the top diving locations in the world. The water visibility is 100 to 200 feet and the marine life is abundant. There are over 50 dive companies to choose from and most hotels have their own dive programs/packages. You can choose from around 150 dive locations; from hard corals to vast forests of soft corals. You can swim with
dolphins,
sharks,
eels and
manatees, to name a few.
There is somewhere around 100 hotels on the island. You can choose from luxurious to economy to cheap. A nice hotel will not cost you an arm and a leg and often will throw in many bonuses like free meals or dives.
Getting around Cozumel is easy but can be expensive. Taxis charge a set rate per location, which is to say that if you need a ride from downtown to your hotel, they will have a predetermined rate for you. The taxis do not have meters. The rates are fairly steep. One trip in a cab could easily purchase a large meal for 2. The best way to get around Cozumel is to rent a car or a
scooter. You will find that the streets are covered with scooters. Be sure to get insurance, because if you wreck the bike or car, you will have to buy it before you can get off the island.
The eastern side of the island is known as the ‘
Wild Side’. There are a few restaurants and bars scattered along the far side of the island that are well worth the visit (especially Coconuts). The wild side has amazingly beautiful white beaches with large surf. Be warned, the
undertow in this area is severe.
For the most part the people of Cozumel are warm and welcoming and will always give you a smile. The people are very communal and conservative. Feel free to drink and dance, but for god’s sake keep your shirt on. Once you prove yourself to be the obnoxious tourist, you will no longer get the smiles.
* There are a few scams in the tourist areas that you will need to recognize while traveling in Cozumel. You will often be approached by Time-Share salesmen and/or package deals that might include car rentals, boat rides, dives and hotel stays. The majority of these are not good deals and they all have some sort of catch. I was offered 3 dives and a car rental for $40, which in my opinion was to good to be true.