We recently made a trip to Mexico to get away from the dull and gloomy weather in Atlanta and get a change of scenery. Like every trip, we prepared a full-fledged itinerary for this trip but didn’t realize that there’s this beautiful island tucked away from the city of Cancun that should have been on our list. It wasn’t until a friend of mine suggested adding this to our itinerary that I started looking up and planning a day trip to Cozumel island. And oh, how I would have regretted not having this be a part of our trip!
So first things first, where is this island? Cozumel island is about a 2-hour drive from Cancun city and is close to the town of Playa del Carmen in Mexico. This island is completely safe for tourists and has a great vibe. It’s a small yet power-packed island with tons of things to do.
Here’s a helpful travel guide for Cozumel island based on my personal experience on how to have the best time here,
Is it worth going to the Cozumel island?
Absolutely yes! Its a small island so you won’t need more than a few hours here so its definitely worth a day trip. There’s a range of activities to do here such as snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming etc. if you’re into water sports. Even if not, you can relax at a nice beach club or just stroll around the island to enjoy the beauty. Either way, you will have a great time here.
Is it worth going to the island?
Yes, its very safe on the island. Its a small island with not much crowd and there’s always police presence. Many people here are tourists so you won’t feel out of place or unsafe.
How to reach the island?
There’s multiple options to get here. Cozumel has its own airport in case you plan on taking a flight. However, a ferry is another great option if you’re living around the area. We spent most of our time in Cancun and decided to make a day trip to this island so we took a cab to Playa del Carmen, which is where you can catch the ferry from. It’s a two-hour drive from Cancun to Playa so if you’re going to be taking this route, plan accordingly to get there in time for your ferry.
How to get the ferry?
There’s mainly two ferry companies that operate from Playa to Cozumel – Winjet and Ultramar. Their schedules are flexible and they run every two hours so you can book according to your plan. Since we planned on making a day trip, we reserved a 10am ferry because that gave us enough time to reach the ferry terminal in Playa from Cancun. The pricing is also flexible and there’s more than one option to choose from. We wanted the best experience so we booked a first class ticket which gave us access to the best and most comfortable seats in the ferry. The entire ride is about 30 minutes.
How to get around the island?
Renting a car, scooter or bike is your best bet if you want to explore the island on your own terms. There’s a lot of tour companies that run group tours as well but if you want to do it at your own speed and according to your own plan, renting a vehicle is the best option. We rented the scooter from the ferry terminal at Playa. One important tip – There’s many renting companies at the ferry terminal in Playa so take your time to explore them all and get quotes from everyone before you settle for one. We made the mistake of going for the first rental company that approached us, only to find out later that there were other cheaper and better options we could have picked. Also, don’t forget to pick the map of the island from the rental company.
Can you bike on the island?
Yes, bicycle rentals are also available on the island through the day. But if you’re going in warm weather and are not used to biking much, I’d suggest not going with this option. That’s because it will be difficult to bicycle during the heat of the day and you can get exhausted easily.
What to carry?
If you’re planning to do water sports, then make sure to carry all the water equipment, water shoes, towel, beach mat etc. unless you plan to head to a beach club that rents out all this. Also carry sunglasses, hat, water bottles, sunscreen and bug spray because its usually quite hot during the day. Carry a scarf if you’re going to be renting a bike or scooter as it can be dusty and carry a rain jacket as the weather can be unpredictable. Also carry motion sickness medicine if you get sea sick easily. There’s plenty of food options on the island so you don’t have to worry about carrying food but you could carry light snacks.
How to pay on the island?
Carry cash in both pesos and dollars. Try to have more pesos to avoid overpaying due to exchange rates. Try to avoid using credit cards, unless in big hotels and restaurants. If you know you’re going to be shopping and eating at local places, carry as much pesos as possible.
What to do in Cozumel island?
There’s a lot of things to explore on this island and you can pick from the many options here. If you want to spend time doing water sports, then you can opt for scuba diving, surfing, snorkeling etc. There’s many beach clubs that offer snorkeling rentals and cabanas at an entry price. Buccanos is one of them so you could try hitting this beach club.
Best beaches and beach clubs to explore?
There’s many beach clubs to check out and all of them are great options. But two of my top recommendations will be – Mr. Sanchos Beach Club and Tortugas Beach Club. Both of these have amazing drinks and a great vibe. In terms of beaches, there’s many public beaches that you could try like Sunset Beach, Playa Palancar and Paradise Beach.
Other places to explore?
We started by just driving around the Cozumel island without a pin on the map because we really wanted to get a good feel of it. We did that for the first 30-60 minutes and trust me, it felt so good. Everything on this island is so beautiful so we just didn’t want to stop. Eventually, we made our way to the spots we had on our itinerary like the Benito Juarez Park and the art streets. We also stopped at the Cozumel sign as you can see below to get a picture. Apparently, this is one of the most Instagrammable spots on the island. Well, I can see why!
Whenever you plan a visit, remember that you’re on a vacation. So take it easy, sit back and relax at a nice beach club and sip on your cocktail. Have lots of fun and enjoy the Caribbean.
Hope this guide was helpful!
For other places to explore in Mexico, refer to the below links,
- 5-day Itinerary for Mexico – Here
- Travel Guide for Chichen Itza – Here
- Mexico travel guide for first time travelers – Here
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