Non-diving fun stuff?

[jbark]

Hi all,

So my dive buddy and I were booked into Coz in May last year and that got scuttled. So we just rebooked for late June. We plan to dive each morning and wanted to know what other fun stuff we might find to do in the afternoons.

I have been to coz two other times on cruise stop (gasp in horror now if you must) so I know about snorkeling options and a couple good restaurants. Not really worried about finding food and drink that is pretty easy.

He would like to rent a car and go exploring and/or hiking but I do not know what is available there. He also wants to hit the mayan ruins along the way.

Any thoughts on non-diving or non-snorkeling fun that we can have?

Cheers!
Jerry

 

[jonhall]

I'll jump in first. You can do a SB search using the search box at the top of the page and find quite a few threads with some good suggestions.

Here's a link for hiking: I haven't done any myself in Coz, but hope to later this year. I'll do a little more research as I doubt we will rent a car, so need to see what's close to where we're staying.

Hiking Trails in Cozumel

I think exploring the island for other fun is somewhat limited, IMO. From a tourist standpoint, hitting the main sites might include: San Gervasio Mayan Ruins, Tequila Tour, Cozumel Museum, and Mayan Bee Sanctuary. These would be short visits and you could probably cover all of them in a day depending on their hours. The Beach Parks - Punta Sur and Chankanaab - have different things to do such as zip lining. There are also resorts/hotels with all-inclusive day passes and tours by ATV/Jeep, etc. One of the most fun things I did (it might have been the tequila giving me the memory) was the Pirate Ship Dinner Cruise in the evening. Fun and a good meal.

A ferry ride to Playa del Carmen and tour or taxi ride from there might provide more opportunities for fun: larger ruins and some fun eco parks can be found along the coast.

Whatever you do, be sure to report back.

 

[ggunn]

Something my group does on every Cozumel visit is spend a leisurely day touring the east ("wild") side of the island. We used to rent or borrow a van to make the trek, but I really got tired of being the daddy while the party was going on in the back. We found that hiring a taxi van for the day was actually cheaper than renting a van, and I get to have a few beers and sit in the back. I think we paid $15-20 per person the last time, and the driver took us to all our favorite spots (Mescalito's, Senor Iguana's, Punta Morena, Coconuts, Chen Rio, El Mirador, Rasta's) without rushing us. I didn't have to deal with a rental agency, pickup and dropoff, insurance, and all that stuff; the driver picked us up at our hotel at 10AM or so and dropped us off around sunset.

It is extremely easy to set up; we travel to and from dinner in taxi vans, and when we find a driver we like, we make the deal. We have done this maybe 10 times now, and we never had a driver turn us down or ask an exorbitant fee.

 

[living4experiences]

I go to Cozumel just to dive and the limited topside activities don't appeal to me. I enjoy the island life of just chillin' after diving. With many venues and activities still closed because of COVID and no cruise ships keeping businesses open, my suggestion would be to research your desired activities and have a backup plan. I agree with @ggunn; just hire a taxi to take you around for the day. It's hassle free. Enjoy your vacation!

 

[jbark]

Thanks Jon for the link, I had scrolled back 10 pages or so and found a few ideas but that link definitely has some stuff worth considering.

GGunn, I love your suggestion to simply hire a taxi. I am hesitant to go driving around in a foreign place. Not worried about getting lost, more something going wrong and then things go out of control?? So a taxi for roughly the price of a car rental is an easy choice to make for me at least.

Tequila tour is now on the agenda, too!

Cheers!
Jerry

 

[ReefHound]

Taking a taxi shuttle east side is safer and lets the driver in your group drink with the rest but I've always found it at least twice the cost of a rental car. We rent from ISIS for $35-50/day insurance included and I've never got a taxi quote under $100. And figure in $20-30 more buying him lunch and tipping. For groups over 4 where you need two rentals or a not-so-common van it might be different.

 

[ggunn]

Taking a taxi shuttle east side is safer and lets the driver in your group drink with the rest but I've always found it at least twice the cost of a rental car. We rent from ISIS for $35-50/day insurance included and I've never got a taxi quote under $100. And figure in $20-30 more buying him lunch and tipping. For groups over 4 where you need two rentals or a not-so-common van it might be different.

Yeah, I was going to mention that. There is indeed an economy of scale for a larger group and a larger vehicle is more expensive to rent. For an eight or twelve passenger van with insurance and gasoline the price is pretty much a wash.

We offered to buy the driver lunch the first time we went around the island this way, but he told us that the restaurants over there feed the drivers for free. That also could be because we are a large group, of course.

 

[vimaldude]

Something my group does on every Cozumel visit is spend a leisurely day touring the east ("wild") side of the island. We used to rent or borrow a van to make the trek, but I really got tired of being the daddy while the party was going on in the back. We found that hiring a taxi van for the day was actually cheaper than renting a van, and I get to have a few beers and sit in the back. I think we paid $15-20 per person the last time, and the driver took us to all our favorite spots (Mescalito's, Senor Iguana's, Punta Morena, Coconuts, Chen Rio, El Mirador, Rasta's) without rushing us. I didn't have to deal with a rental agency, pickup and dropoff, insurance, and all that stuff; the driver picked us up at our hotel at 10AM or so and dropped us off around sunset.

It is extremely easy to set up; we travel to and from dinner in taxi vans, and when we find a driver we like, we make the deal. We have done this maybe 10 times now, and we never had a driver turn us down or ask an exorbitant fee.

We are planning on renting a car but if we can find a taxi for 1/2 day, then it would be super.
Can you tell me which company or driver did you hire for the day?

 

[ggunn]

We are planning on renting a car but if we can find a taxi for 1/2 day, then it would be super.
Can you tell me which company or driver did you hire for the day?

We typically have a group of 8-10 and we go to/from dinner most nights in a taxi van that we flag on the street. When we get one we like we ask him about taking us around the island; we have yet to encounter a driver who didn't immediately agree to doing it.