If you are in Playa del Carmen or Cancun you miss out on a visit to Cozumel. The island reserves the best snorkeling and diving opportunities along the Riviera Maya, with an astounding display of colorful coral and a parade of tropical fish and sea creatures. It’s located just opposite PDC and it takes no more than 40 mins to get there by ferry.
Yesterday we had a wonderful getaway from our temporary base in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. I would like to share with you some of the photos we took and tips that can make your day easier.
How to Get to Cozumel
There are 2 ferry companies in Playa del Carmen which operate to Cozumel: Mexico Waterjets and Ultramar. The boats depart every hour, make sure to check the schedule before you go, because it changes depending on the day of the week. You can buy tickets online or at the pier before the departure.
I suggest you come at least 15 mins before the ferry leaves. If you go to the island for one day, try to go earlier to have a chance to do more things. We left Playa del Carmen at 10 am. The price of the one way ticket is 163 pesos ($12). The boats are very comfortable, with AC, TV, Wifi and toilets on board. As is typical in Mexico, at the start of the journey tour operators will come around and explain the various tours they offer. Prices did seem quite reasonable and comparable to what I’ve seen at other places, so I don’t think there are any rip offs taking place here.
If we had to choose, we’d say the Ultramar boats are slightly more modern and comfortable, but you can’t really go wrong with either of them. It’s a basic service that only lasts 40 minutes, so it’s not going to make any big difference either way. We really enjoyed our trip to the island and back.
Where to Rent a Scooter/Car in Cozumel
There are a lot of shops offering cars and scooters for rent. The prices are almost the same everywhere. You can rent a vehicle starting from $25 per day. We rented our brand new scooter from HTL and were very happy about. The shop looks serious and almost all the vehicle they have are new and in a good condition. We paid $30 (including third party insurance $5) for our Honda Dio 110. It was powerful enough, very comfortable and spent just a little bit of fuel for all the trip. I would recommend you to rent your vehicle from these guys, it was really a good experience for us.
What to Do in Cozumel
As you arrive you will meet a lot of vendors at the port trying to sell you different tours, renting out cars and bikes. So if you didn’t do any research beforehand, you can just compare prices and opt for one of several offers. If you don’t trust these people you can just follow our plan and spend one amazing day on the island. 🙂
Cozumel is largely uninhabited except for the bustling port city of San Miguel. You can easily take a walk around downtown (not much to see here except for souvenir shops), then hop on a scooter or a car and have a picturesque trip around the island. The coast road is fantastic for those who decide to go on this route which takes you half way around the island. You will love the cool breeze and refreshing perfume of the ocean and trees combined. Prepare for a day long session of aroma therapy for free. 🙂
The nice thing about the coast road of Cozumel is that there are actually two roads. The narrower one sits closer to the coast and is supposedly reserved for use by bicycles. However it is in practice used mostly by scooters, and we also encountered cars and jeeps on the same road. The speed limit on this road is 30km/h, but it’s not enforced. Nevertheless, I suggest you stick to that speed because it’s perfect for driving and soaking up your surroundings at the same time. Drive faster than that and you’ll find it hard to talk to your pillion rider and you’ll also have to keep fully focused on the road rather than the beaches or trees around. The wider road is used by faster moving traffic and has a speed limit of 80km/h. You can switch between the two roads at various points along the route.
While driving around Cozumel you might have several stops for a meal, drink or a swim. Our first stop was at the Money Bar. It’s a famous place for snorkeling. We had our lunch (the food is quite good and not very expensive) and then sunbathed and snorkeled there. This place is very convenient: you can borrow snorkeling gear for free, use the shower and bathrooms, changing rooms, sun chairs and get refreshing drinks from the bar. The water in the sea is crystal clear! As soon as you take a dip you’ll see a lot of fish even without wearing a mask. We loved the place!
Have a good lunch, snorkel, take a shower and continue your trip! You will have a lot more of opportunities to stop: there are quite a number of bars and restaurants ahead and breathtaking beaches with amazingly transparent water of an unbelievable color. We were awed by the views!
The whole trip from Cozumel downtown around the island and back is around 68 km. It took us a few hours to accomplish it. It’s more than enough for one day. Full of positive emotions and a beautiful experience to treasure we headed back to Playa del Carmen at 6 pm.
I think that’s all that I wanted to tell you. If you have questions or comments just leave them below, I will be very happy to get a feedback from you! Have a good trip to Cozumel!
Fun trip! I loved the snorkeling in Cozymel! I wasn’t open water certified at the time, but I’m hoping to get back soon.
Hi, When you went snorkeling by the restaurant, did you have a safe nearby to put your belongings?thanks!
Hi Azra, yes, there were lockers where we put our stuff 🙂
Thanks going to try it this week
Welcome 🙂
Hi Alyona, thank you for sharing your experience. This was very helpful 🙂
You are welcome Luisa! 🙂
Hey Alyona! Sounds amazing- I’ll be headed there in a couple of weeks! You said you rented scooters? Are there plenty of places to leave your scooters when you want to go to a bar or swimming?
Hey Ryan, Thanks! I don’t remember having any problem with parking a scooter. There are many places where you can leave it. It’s not a problem 🙂
Taking the Ultamar ferry from Playa Del Carmen, how far is the Money Bar beach club? In PDC now and wanted to take ultramar ferry but don’t want to travel on scooter. Any suggestions on what beach to travel to for crystal clear water close to where the ferry docks.
Hi Deb, the Money Bar is quite far from the ferry terminal. You’ll need some vehicle. You can take a taxi too.
Is it pretty safe to rent a scooter? safe to drive around? how much would a taxi cost to the Money Bar? Thanks
Hi Lauren, yes it is safe to rent and to drive a scooter. I am sorry, but I don’t know how much a taxi would cost.
Thanks for sharing your day in Cozumel with us. I am going to Akumal in October and was thinking of spending a day in Cozumel. I had a few transportation questions that you may be able to answer… we will be renting a car and was wondering if parking is a problem in Playa Del Carmen where we would catch the ferry. And on the Cozumel side, we may rent a car, but renting a bike to ride around the island might be fun. Do you know if there is anyplace near the ferry dock to rent bikes? And do you think it would be safe to ride along the road, or would there just be too many cars/scooters to make it a fun ride? We may go the scooter route if it’s safer, as I imagine it would be easier to park than a car. Any info would be most appreciated.
Hi Lori, we rented a bike in Cozumel and we really enjoyed it. I think it’s much more interesting and pretty safe. There are a few places to rent a bike in Cozumel, and they are quite close to the Ferry terminal. As for a parking space in Playa, I don’t think it’s easy to find a place to park right near the ferry terminal, but I can be mistaken, check more about it please.
HI Alyona, what do you recommend we pack for our Cozumel trip? We’ll be staying at PDC and going there for 1 day like you describe in your blog. Very nice written and super helpful! Thanks!
Hi Ignacio! Thank you ? I would recommend taking a snorkel with goggles (unless you are going to stop at the ‘money bar beach’ where you can rent the equipment) and maybe a change of shorts and a tshirt, as you might want to shower and change to clean and dry clothes. Otherwise you can find anything on the island. Have a good trip!
Where is the best place to rent an open air vehicle or scooter?
Also, any lagoon/beaches you would recommend? Does not have to be for snorkeling.
Great blog!
The place we rented our scooter from was in the town, right near the port. Unfortunately I don’t remember the name of the place. We turned left toward the church in the town and just walked around and found that nice place. Sorry can’t help with the name.
Thank you so much for writing this blog. I’d been visiting frequently to get tips while planning my trip to Mexico and we just left Playa two week ago. We rented a scooter in Cozumel and zipped off to Money Bar and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The snorkeling was phenomenal and we left relaxed and happy. Great recommendation 🙂
Hi Katisha, thanks a lot for letting me know that my recommendations helped you! I am glad you enjoyed your trip! 🙂
Do you have any other restaurant recommendations other then the Money Bar?
Correction: We are at Money Bar right now and came here because we read on this blog that rental for snorkeling and lockers were free but they are not. Tiger beach is right next to it they are ones doing rentals at $20 us for full gear only and $5 us for lockers. Rentals close at 5 pm but Beach Club at 10 pm.
Sae a much bette place to snokel and eat on the way to Punta Sur which is called Playancar beach club and their rentals are cheaper and they have a beautiful beach. Money Bar don’t really habe a beach.
Hi Dominique, thank you very much for the information! Since I wrote this post 3 years ago, some thing could have changed. Much appreciated!
Hi Alyona, which beaches are the most beautiful in Cozumel? I’ve heard some are beautiful white sand with clear water and others have rocks. Thoughts?
Hi Todd! Unfortunately, I can’t answer this question as I visited Cozumel for one day only as I described in this post. So, I don’t think I can really say which beach is the most beautiful in Cozumel. Sorry about that!
Ok no worries, thanks! I was there for just 3 days so I decided to just chill at my resort. It was a man-made beach, which allowed snorkeling right off the beach
We leave for Playa del Carmen next week. I like the idea of driving around the island (reminds me of Guam) but I’m wondering about renting a car. I’ve read some really negative things about Americans wanting to rent a car and the place requiring $5,000+ holds on your credit card and when you return they try to scam you to keep the money. I know the blog said you rented a scooter but … any problems that you know of for renting a car? Alternatively, if we rented scooters 1) are they difficult to drive and 2) do they have the little plastic seats for kids? I know this is a lot but you never know unless you ask, right? =)
Hello, Her! I am not sure if my response is still relevant, but we rented a car in Playa del Carmen and didn’t have any problems. I don’t remember the amount of the deposit we paid, but it wasn’t $5,000 for sure! You can check this post of mine where I briefly mention our car renting experience in Playa del Carmen. As regards to renting a scooter, the only experience of riding a scooter we had in Mexico was in Cozumel and, again, we didn’t have any problems with renting and with riding it.
I will be traveling to PDC next week and Cozumel over the weekend. I don’t swim or drive, so will it be safe to walk on the beach and are there enough things to see in Cozumel to keep me busy for one day.
Hello Neelam, apologies for the delayed reply! The beaches in Cozumel are spread around. You can walk in the main town of the island, stay in some cafe, walk along the sea, but I don’t think you can walk to some beach where you can actually swim. You need transport for that.