Known by the Maya as the home of the Goddess of Fertility, Ixchel, Cozumel has long been viewed as a place of romance and love. Honeymooners can enjoy the white-sand beaches and crystal-clear blue waters, while adventure-seekers can dive, golf, explore ancient Maya ruins, take ATV or horseback riding tours through the island's dense jungle, and discover Cozumel underwater, with its world-famous kaleidoscope reefs and vibrant marine life.
Aside from divers, Cozumel has long drawn on the cruise ships for its tourist dollars and a new cruise pier will only help in this regard. But the island is developing into a full fledged tourist destination with the addition of the 18-hole golf course at the Cozumel Country Club and the planned commercial and residential expansion that is to surround it.
DIVING AND WATER SPORTS
Since Jacques Cousteau launched Cozumel onto the scuba scene in the early 1960s, it's been a perennial favorite for North American bubble blowers. A continuous flowing current keeps the reefs healthy and the visibility consistently more than 100 feet. It also means that drift diving is the usual mode of operation for dive companies. Practiced captains drop divers over well-known spots and then pick them up at the end of the dive, sometimes as far as a mile away.
DINING AND SHOPPING
Outside of the hotels, San Miguel – Cozumel's only town – is almost the only place to find a restaurant, bar, banks or shopping. It's also where you'll find the Museo de la Isla de Cozumel, which occupies the building that was Cozumel's original hotel.
The shops along waterfront Avenida Rafael Melgar bustles with cruisers when the ships port in – sometimes 2-3 at a time. Plaza Del Sol, the town's main square, boarders Melgar and is a popular spot for strolling, hanging out and people-watching, especially on Sunday evenings when all of the locals seem to be out, soaking up the atmosphere.
ECO-ADVENTURE
The island's other big attraction is Chankanaab Park, a combination beach club, eco-park and wildlife reserve. Here you can snorkel offshore, walk through gardens or swim with dolphins.
HISTORY
The Maya used to make annual pilgrimages to Cozumel to worship Ixchel, the goddess of fertility. Despite their best efforts, however, their numbers dwindled. In the 1500s, Spain conquered Mexico and the ensuing settlers mixed with the Maya people. Their descendants are known as mestizos. In 1821, Mexico achieved independence.
Cozumel was uninhabited for many years before it gain prominence as a transshipment point for chicle, the rubbery basis for chewing gum, which was harvested from Mexico's sapodilla trees at the turn of the 20th century.
Jacques Cousteau's 1961 documentary about the prolific reefs just offshore vaulted Cozumel in the public conscience and soon after, divers began making their pilgrimages, making it a mecca for the scuba set.
DON'T MISS
– Drift diving anywhere, anytime, any place
– Swaying to impromptu Sunday-night serenades in Cozumel's central plaza
– Haggling over handmade silver in the marketplace
