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This 24-mile-long island is a former fishing settlement that got its first traffic lights a couple of years ago, but it still has no high-rise buildings and the entire windward coast with its unspoiled, white-sand beaches remains electricity-free. A little piece of 'paradise' in the Caribbean Sea! Ask our Mexico Specialist to arrange your travel to Cozumel!
About Cozumel Cozumel, gem of the Mexican Caribbean, is located twelve miles off the southern coast of the Yucatan just across from Playa del Carmen and nearby Akumal. Cozumel is a destination for people seeking a relaxing, laid back vacation that includes the island's world renowned diving or snorkeling in its fabled coral reefs. Cozumel's limestone shore is surrounded by temperate, crystal clear waters which range from stunning turquoise to deep indigo. Take a short trip on the Ferry to the mainland for a day of shopping, dining and sightseeing. Snorkelers and divers will not want to miss the famous cenotes of the spectacular Dos Ojos Cave System. Cozumel's west coast is where you'll find the majority of the island's development. The town of San Miguel, the airport and the hotels are all located on the western side of the island. Fortunately, massive resort development is paralyzed by a lack of potable water and a desire to protect the island's delicate ecosystem. This helps keep island life simple and is hands down, the favorite for people seeking a serene Caribbean island vacation. Accommodations Built in the 1960s, the venerable 253-room PRESIDENTE INTER-CONTINENTAL COZUMEL was inspired by the acclaimed Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta, who pioneered the use of sharp angles and color-splashed planes. The Modernist hotel hasn't changed much since it was built and it's still the best on the island, set on a golden beach. CONDUMEL One of Cozumel's top values is the CONDUMEL. Its 10 one bedroom beachside condo units have seventies-style sunken living rooms and louvered doors and way more space than your average hotel suite. Added value: daily maid service! PLAYA
AZUL Smart guests at PLAYA AZUL choose to stay in the new 31-room Mediterrean-style addition. The suites here are generic but have plenty of space, expansive sea views and easy access to the pool. SCUBA
CLUB COZUMEL Divers looking for comfortable quarters near a spectacular dive site need search no further than the SCUBA CLUB COZMEL. The white stucco diving resort is pretty bare-bones but it does have a pool. Packages include unlimited diving right off the hotel's dock. Activities Above the Water THE BEACH West Coast While the handful of beaches on the developed side of the island tend to be rocky, they have the best snorkeling and diving. The following are where to go, from north to south: PLAYA SAN JUAN Fronting the Playa Azul Hotel, this is one of the few placid coves of sand on the leeward side. It has a great beach, but it's best to avoid it when it's crowded with locals Sundays and holidays. CHANKANAB NATIONAL PARK The beach here is nothing to speak of, but for snorkelers, Chankanaab is a dream and steps carved in the coral allow easy access to the fish-filled waters. PLAYA SAN FRANCISCO This is a perfect beach setting, but since it's near two open-air restaurants it's sometimes noisy with party-goers. PUNTA SUR There's a $10 admission charge to enter this newly-created national park which encompasses Punta Celarain at the tip of the island where you can climb to the top of the old lighthouse museum for great panoramic views. East Coast You'll need a car to reach Cozumel's finest beach along the eastern (windward) side of the island. You can stake out a deserted stretch and it will remain blissfully unpopulated for the day (but beware of strong tides off the lifeguard-free sands!) Scattered huts serve cold beer and fish tacos. The best of these beach bars, from north to south, along Avenida Rafael E. Melgar are: MEZCALITO'S
BAR & GRILL First cafe on the approach from San Miguel. Hammocks line the shore. Horses are for rent. PLAYA
MORENA A prime spot for surfing lessons. Shacks for the 'brave' to overnight in for $10 a day. PLAYA
BONITA A quiet wateringhole on a tranquil cove. CHEN RIO A seafood restaurant on a protected beach. The top spot for swimming. PARADISE
CAFE All Bob Marley music, all the time. DINING Del Museo On the first floor, the Museo de la Isla de Cozumel documents the history of the island and its settlers but on the second floor of this pink, Spanish colonial museum, there's an inexpensive cafe with priceless views of the ferry dock and the malecon. The Matuleno eggs, smothered in ham, cheese and salsa are the ultimate eye-opener. (Breakfast for two is $13.) Los
Girasole This cheery cafe serves traditional Mexican breakfast dishes.The Girasole special, fried eggs over chilaquiles is the most popular. The cafe's name means "the sunflowers", which is why there are yellow blossoms, real and painted, everywhere. (Breakfast for two is $12.) Zermatt
Bakery A not-too-much-to-look-at store front bakery making rich, buttery pastries. You can sit at the table by the window or take a bag of sugared elephant ears to eat by the water. (Breakfast for 2 is $5.) LUNCH La Choza
(choza is Mayan for "hut") Mexican comfort food (try the sublime tortilla soup) giant margaritas and all the chips and guacamole you can eat. The design is basic, but has painted cement floors and heavy wooden tables and chairs under a soaring thatched roof. (Lunch for 2 is $20.) Prima Pizza and calzones may not immediately come to mind when you envision lunch in Mexico but if it's as good as this (and inexpensive), why not? And a slice goes perfectly with a pitcher of sangria! (BE PREPARED: Prima's rooftop cafe has plastic chairs and Christmas lights year 'round!) (Pizza for 2 is $25.) DINNER La Cabana
del Pescador Lobsters are the only thing on the menu, sold by the pound and cooked to order, while the rest of the food, rice, potatoes and vegetables is free. The restaurant has a jungle setting with leafy roofs and rickety bamboo walkways. (Dinner for 2 is $60.) El Capi
Navagante Restaurant The fluorescent-lit, nautical-themed El Capri doesn't have much in the way of design but the fish is caught off Cozumel's shores the same day it's served. All it needs is a squeeze of lime. (Dinner for 2 is $45.) El
Caribeno Here, you can request a waterfront table at the open-air restaurant and order the red snapper or you can 'pass' on the meal and go for 'happy hour' with 2-for-1 drinks, including the Cozumel made with orange juice, bananas, lime juice and Xtabentun, an anise-flavored Yucatecan aphrodisiac. (Dinner for 2 is $75.) La
Veranda Has a Martini menu, bananas flambe and a chichi selection that includes mahimahi in lobster sauce, even jerk chicken. You can eat in the West Indies-style cottage or in a delightful garden with palm trees and wrought-iron tables. (Dinner for 2 is $60.) SHOPPING For basic souvenirs such as striped serapes, carved wooden toys, silver earrings or onyx chess sets, go to Avda Benito Juarex which traverses the island. At open-air stalls along the route you'll find similar merchandise to the shops in San Miguel at much lower prices, but be ready to haggle. If shopping indoors, you can try these options: Los Cinco
Solas In the early 1900s, this building was a warehouse where dried resin from the chicozapote tree (chewing gum's main ingredient) was stored. Today it's filled with stalls where you can buy custom-painted dinnerware, hand-blown glassware, Day of the Dead memorabilia, high-quality silver jewelry and embroidered clothing. Artesanias
Pech The insider's source for hand-painted Talavera pottery, including sinks! Manati This is a boutique attached to an Italian restaurant. It sells simple, island painting sand handbags in the shape of orange and lime wedges. Jose Chan On the porch of his blue-and-yellow house in the center of town, Chan has been weaving hammocks on a wooden loom for as long as anyone can remember. If he's not outside working on one of his multicolored creations, he's probably home anyway, so you should try knocking on the door. His hammocks come in one size and are $25, less than half the price of similar ones sold at local stores. Naturalia An airy cafe and bookstore that stocks candles, locally-produced all-natural soaps, mountain flower honey, organic jelly and incense. Underwater Activities The reefs off Cozumel are some of the top diving sites in the world, inhabited by bright sergeant majors and shimmering parrot fish. Outfitters include: Flash's
Adventure Eagle Ray
Divers Yucatech
Expedition Takes explorers diving through rivers in underground caverns and into ancient cenotes (sacred wells rumored to have been used for Mayan virgin sacrifices). A two-day course includes lessons and five dives. Because life is more laid-back and subdued in Cozumel than on the mainland, there are fewer night spots. However, there are great discos and places serving up a variety of music. Discos & More Mexican Fiestas Sunday-Night Concerts El
Caribeno Tequila Scaramouche Joe's Lobster Pub Restaurant & Reggae Bar Salsa and reggae are the main attractions at this busy bar where reggae salsa fusion bands perform nightly and everyone dances until 2 a.m. The whole town gathers from 7 to 10 p.m. for free performances by local musicians in the central plaza of San Miguel. MEXICAN FIESTASAt the Melia Mayan you can enjoy a traditional Mexican Fiesta, complete with costumed dancers performing to traditional Mexican instrumental music and songs. Fiestas usually include a huge Mexican buffet, open bar and the complete show and are held at 6:30 on Thursday nights. The Plaza Las Glorias has one at 7pm on Mondays and the Fiesta Americana hotel has one from 6 to 11pm on Thursdays.Another attraction worth checking out is the Mayan night on Mondays at 7pm, also at the Melia Mayan. |
Cancun
& The Riviera Maya and Cozumel Vacations are also available from
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