zumel - Thinking of doing private car for 4 Hours

[LuvtoPlan]

Thinking of doing private care for 4 hours. Have variety of ages in group from 8 mo. to 75 yrs. old. Any suggestions what we could do for the 4 hours? Not really interested in the Mayan Ruins. A short beach trip would be nice since the water looks so beautiful. Nice shopping area, like to hear a little of the history or local stuff and place to have drinks and light lunch/snack would be good as well.

 

[harrisb1964]

You definitely want to leave the port area as far as shopping .When you walk into port you will walk through a covered area with a number of shops. In that area vendors will stand outside and harass you trying to lure you in their shops. Very annoying!
We did the Mayan ruins, but the tour took us around the whole island. When we reached the backside of the island we drove by several beautiful beaches with very few people on them. Our tour guide said a lot of people will unknowingly stop and swim at these beaches not knowing the undertow is very strong and dangerous there. ( There are no warning signs there). As we continued around the island he pointed out beaches that were safer.(I would ask the locals where the safest beach would be.) We swam at a beach club, and the water was calm and clear. One tip: the ocean floor is covered with big rocks. I would bring water shoes to avoid stubbed toes. The backside of the island was almost uninhabited because that's where the hurricanes came on to the island. In fact it seemed most of the city of Cozumel is crammed around the port area. I honestly never found anywhere to shop, because everywhere in the city near the port were little shops where vendors were aggressively trying to sell you junk. I recommend a trip around the island with a guide or driver sharing the history. Also, if you can locate a safe beach I think you would enjoy that. We went in Feb. and it was in the 80's and sunny. The water felt great.

 

[bheuett]

Thinking of doing private care for 4 hours. Have variety of ages in group from 8 mo. to 75 yrs. old. Any suggestions what we could do for the 4 hours? Not really interested in the Mayan Ruins. A short beach trip would be nice since the water looks so beautiful. Nice shopping area, like to hear a little of the history or local stuff and place to have drinks and light lunch/snack would be good as well.

We rented a jeep for $75 from a private renter on on the island for all day. All we needed to do was make sure it had the same amount of fuel in it on return. We drove it all over the back side of the island where it was quite. Perfect adventure

 

[runskyhy]

I don't have any recommendations for beach stops, but we've been to Cozumel four times on cruises and we usually hire a driver through Tours Plaza for 4-6 hours while on the island to shuttle us around. They even help us plan our day there, making recommendations based on what we want to do or try. We usually ask them to show us around the interesting sights on the island, which include the statues along the main strip, north of town, and some sights in town. (And our drivers have always been happy to stop wherever we want and take souvenir photos for us. They are really great about it.) Afterwards, we goto the (pre-reserved) the chocolate making demonstration at Kaokao Chocolate Factory in town. It lasts about an hour, and they give the history of chocolate making in Mexico and everyone takes turn making chocolate. There is a gift shop there but no pressure to buy (although I've never been able to resist.) Afterwards, we usually stop somewhere for tacos (and beverages) along the eastern side of the island and then head back to the pier. Since we don't try to rush, all of that can take about 4 hours. Hope you have a great time on your vacation!