The island of Cozumel is the largest island in the Mexican Caribbean, and lies about 10 kilometers off the coast of the Riviera Maya. The main town, San Miguel, is a short 40-minute ferry ride across from Playa del Carmen, and ferries run just about once per hour. Cozumel also features its own international airport (CZM), which can mean direct flights from almost all the main U.S. hub airports in case you don’t want to have to worry with Cancun’s airport.
Cozumel’s first main engine of tourist growth was the fantastic scuba diving and snorkeling to be found off the south and west coast of the island. Then in the 199os a large pier was built to accommodate cruise liners looking for a Western Caribbean alternative route. Now Cozumel is in line to become the most popular cruise port in the entire Caribbean, with up to 15 liners a day each disgorging up to 3,000 passengers looking for fun, interesting, or relaxing things to do. Thus the list of activities and shops is much longer than the list of hotels or restaurants on the island, simply because relatively few tourists actually spend the night there! And the overall experience of Cozumel is quite different than any other destination in Quintana Roo state, primarily due to the day-time presence of so many international tourists. If you choose to spend time on Cozumel island, you will be mightily rewarded, because there are quite a few very enjoyable places.
First things first: the water is crystal clear, and the moment you submerge yourself in it, you’ll see straight to the bottom. And that bottom might actually be pretty far off! Even if you have never dived or snorkeled in your life, you’re going to want to put on a mask, snorkel and fins and jump in! Almost all the resorts where you’re likely to stay will have water access—it’s one of the reasons they exist in the first place.
Second, the island is a lot bigger than you might first imagine, so it’s important to know ahead of time how much running around you’re going to want to be doing, so you’ll know which resort you’ll want to choose and whether you’ll want to rent a car (or bike or scooter), or just take lots of (relatively expensive) taxis. You may also decide that you don’t want to leave the island (most don’t), so if you plan to do at least a day trip to Playa del Carmen or another place on the mainland, that might also affect your choice of resorts or locations.
Third, most of the best places are located on that west side of the island and the reason that the water is so clear is that there are relatively few beaches. Most of the coastline is coral fringing reef, where the coral comes right up to the shoreline. Therefore you’ll want to choose your resort carefully if having sand between the toes is paramount.
Fourth, one big advantage of Cozumel for weddings is that the sun sets over the water, unlike most of Cancun and the Riviera Maya. If you HAVE to have your wedding photos have both the water and the sunset in the background, please keep this little fact in mind! (see Dirty Little Secrets article)
Fifth, there is hardly any nightlife in Cozumel. (remember that the tourists all get on the boat in the evening and go away!). That nightlife is a quick ferry ride away in Playa del Carmen, but the bad news is that you can’t get back home early in the morning, unless you literally stay out all night and come back on the first ferry at 6:00 a.m.! (yes, it happens!)
Sixth, you’ll have to decide how you feel about interacting with tons of international tourists while on the island. For instance, my personal preference is to avoid them as much as possible and spend more time on the north shore, north of San Miguel village. The three main docks for the cruise ships are all located varying distances south of the town. Except for seeing the ships pass by in the early mornings and around sunset, you might otherwise never know that there were so many people running around! On the other hand, if you’re looking for more of the comforts of home, more of the places like Starbucks and Krispy Kreme (and Hooters, no less) are located either in town or on the main road to the south. There are other resorts even farther south than the three docks, so you can definitely enjoy that part of the island—just keep in mind that it’s a relatively significant distance into town and to anywhere else, for that matter.
Seventh, it’s worth reading about the ancient Maya history of Cozumel island. The San Gervasio ruins in the geographic center of the island were originally built to honor the Maya goddess of fertility Ixchel. It was a time-honored tradition for pilgrims (especially women) to cross from Xcaret inlet to Cozumel island at least once in their lives to pay homage to the goddess. This tradition has much more recently been re-created with a once-a-year “travesia” by people in canoes (third weekend in May) who row from Xcaret theme park to the island, pay their homage, and then row back again in the same day! It’s a huge physical challenge that requires a lot of pre-training, and it’s a very interesting way for modern Mayans and others to honor their heritage.
Eighth, there are very few locations where you can actually accomplish a buyout of a boutique hotel for your group (exception is Ventanas al Mar). The hotels are generally too big and there are relatively few private villas to be found. Therefore if completely privacy for your group is needed for the entire trip, you might want to consider another destination. (exception with Isla de Pasion at least for the ceremony and reception).
Ninth, there are no native artisan traditions on the island, so anything and everything you might see in a store there is brought from somewhere else (including China), so just be warned.
Lastly, consider at least visiting the relatively wild east side of the island, where it faces directly to the Caribbean Sea. This side is hardly developed except for a few rustic restaurants, and while the surf can be extremely rough, there are quite a few very nice and almost-deserted beaches.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
HOTELS:
RESTAURANTS:
ACTIVITIES:
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Money Bar Beach Club/Restaurant
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Scuba Tony
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Salsa and salsa cooking/dance classes at Hotel Cozumel and Resort
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Best Buy tours (San Gervasio, local Mayan community, tequila tasting, snorkeling)
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Photo Tour