The best of Cozumel and an optional additional road trip to surrounding cities in the Yucatan Peninsula.

Very beginner friendly experience, with details every step of the way. Lots of hidden gems for the adventurous spirit!

Cozumel, Mexico: Without the Resorts

We don't recommend visiting the Cenote on the island, it is only accessible with a somewhat dry tour. If you are going to take a tour there are many tours leaving Cozumel that take you to amazing Cenotes on the mainland. Or do your own day trip or multi-day trip to the mainland like we did! 

While we don't love travelling all-inclusive, a favourite of ours is to grab a day pass for a beach club or boutique hotel. You can spend the day in luxury and enjoy drink service or a trip to the spa.

If it is American food you are looking for, you will have no issues finding it on the west side of the island, near the coast their are numerous beach restaurants available.

If you are looking for fusion food or great seafood, with local produce and unique dishes here are our recommendations:

For traditional Mexican (our favourite) We recommend stopping at any (word?) you see. They will not be hard to find, we had one just outside our AirBnb. They may not speak English in these restaurants, so bring your google translate or brush up on your common meat and produce words. We have never had any issues with our food in Mexico and love supporting local restaurants.

See below for the cenotes that we recommend on the mainland.

There are so many great sights and eats on the mainland, with a quick and easy ferry ride, its a great way to spend the day or a couple of days! Although we recommend doing Tulum as its own trip (See our Best of Tulum Guide), you can go as a far as Tulum stopping at cenotes and beaches along the way.

There are two ferries available: one that carries cars and one only for people. Check out the schedule accordingly and plan your excursion.

If you aren't renting a car, choose to spend the day in Playa del Carmen. With significantly more options for restaurants and bars you can spend a day eating and drinking in the sun. 5th avenue is a 5 mile long strip of restaurants, bars, and shopping. Its a much different experience than Cozumel and will be significantly busier than any place you will find on the island.

There are tons of awesome guided excursions from Cozumel if you'd like to take that route, but if you'd like to plan your own day see below:

If you have a car or are taking a tour you can start heading south down the main highway to a number of incredible places. We recommend checking out one of the numerous cenotes along the highway and in Tulum that we will list below.

We recommend staying in an airbnb or boutique hotel. The beauty of many of the AirBnB's are that they are a bit closer into town and really submerge you into the culture of Cozumel. You will meet many smiling faces and explore the winding streets.

The best beaches are on the east side of the island. Make sure to bring snacks and cash, the restaurants and beach bars on this side won't have machines.

There are tons of great options for activities in Cozumel through guided tours or rentals. Activities include:

Cozumel, Mexico: Without the Resorts

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