SIGHTSEEING IN COZUMEL (Courtesy of the Travel Channel)
Cozumel isn’t as flashy as its neighbor Cancun. And that’s part of its charm. Mexico’s largest island (33 mi/53 km long and 8 mi/13 km wide) offers a pleasant mix of activities. You can shop and dine in San Miguel, a traditional Mexican town built around a large plaza. You can head for the beach to lounge and swim, while the more adventurous can explore Maya ruins or dive around the reefs.
Most cruise-ship passengers don’t venture far outside San Miguel, the island’s only city, which has about 60,000 people. The town’s plaza, Plaza del Sol, is surrounded by dozens of shops and sidewalk cafes. You could easily spend a few hours browsing through the stores, sipping a cold drink beneath the bright orange blooms of the poinciana trees and people watching. The side streets off the plaza are closed to auto traffic and packed with more shops and eateries. To see a bit of the waterfront, stroll along San Miguel’s main street (Avenida Melgar, also known as the malecon), which runs north and south for 14 blocks. You can walk it in half an hour.
If you are interested in learning some local history, visit the Museo de la Isla de Cozumel, which has exhibits detailing the island’s natural environment, the history of the Maya and the arrival of the Spaniards. (Open daily 10 am-5 pm; admission about US$3—around US$7 during high season; on the malecon between Calle 4 and Calle 6.)
At the Parque Arqueologica, an archeological park a few blocks inland from the cruise-ship piers south of town, you can take a walk-through tour of the history of Mexico. Each region of the country is represented, with artifacts depicting the Aztec, Toltec and Maya civilizations. Weavers and potters demonstrate the crafts of ancient times under thatched-roof palapas. (Open Monday-Saturday 8 am-5 pm; admission about US$3.)
Outside of San Miguel, there’s almost no development but plenty of opportunities to experience solitude. Cozumel’s one highway is a narrow paved road that runs south from San Miguel and circles the southern tip of the island before turning north along the eastern shore. At a point opposite San Miguel, the road turns west and crosses the island back into San Miguel.
Maya Ruins—Cozumel’s ruins aren’t much to look
at compared with those at Tulum, Coba and Chichen Itza on the mainland. But
if archaeology is your interest or if you’re just up for a jungle adventure,
you may want to see them anyway. The best-preserved ruins are at San
Gervasio, which is about 7 mi/11 km northeast of San Miguel in the midst
of dense jungle. You can reach this small grouping of temples by taking an
unpaved side road off Carretera Transversal. Knowledgeable guides wait at
the entrance and charge about US$12 an hour for a tour. (Open daily 9 am-5
pm; admission US$4.)
Someone may try to take you to El Cedral, the site of some Maya ruins in the southern part of the island. Unless you’re intensely interested in Maya culture, don’t spend your time there: The ruins are poorly preserved, the gift shops are numerous and the spider monkey on a chain will break your heart.