Just go! This is a gem. Yes, you might be a little apprehensive about leaving the Hotel Zone and…read moreventuring out, but this is worth it. We ended up here twice during our trip. Our first trip was during an evening where things were quite lively. Live music was playing from the stage. There was dancing, families everywhere and many street vendors. There are also a number of food court restaurants near the palapas. The ones we visited, all were outstanding and the food was extremely reasonable (ok, cheap), but bring your pesos. My daughter got three huge empanadas for 95 pesos (less than $5.50 US). I got 4 street style pastor tacos for roughly $4.50 US. We also bought esquites both times for $2 for a small cup. Well worth it. On the second visit, it was late afternoon/early evening. The vibe wasn't as festive, but still busy and lively. The HZ buses drop you off nearby and the walk is very short and extremely safe. On our second visit, we walked from Mercado 28 and it was still very safe.

Hot! Bring ya hand fan!!! Tons of locals and their families flock to here on Sunday nights!!!! This…read moreis their go to spot! You want to find good local food, desserts, arts and crafts, vendors with local goods, local bars, and best prices in town, go here! Arrange uber in and out or taxi! It gets busy we rode the bus like some crazies, it was fun but packed and had ac but no private ride. Tacos, tortas, pizza, turkey legs, marquisette, crepes SnoCones, bags, clothes, art, massage stands. It's a one stop shop- socks, jewelry, kitchen dishes, souvenirs yes! I don't know if you would find a parking spot so I say uber. It starts around sundown and their out there until 11pm at least. It was so hot no winds and lots of people packed in there. Not much seating or benches, tables they had were occupied and people wasn't moving anytime soon. It depends time of year I'm sure as well, but like I said it's more locals here you will see O tourists unless they did their research hahaha

Isla de Pasion is a secluded island off of Cozumel and is such a beautiful beach that is not to be…read moremissed. There are many ways to get there -- by ferry, by private boat/catamaran, or car. On Thursday, my husband and I rented a jeep and drove to the fishing pier at Laguna Ciega. Note: You will need a jeep to get to Laguna Ciega. I would not recommend walking. Once you leave downtown and start driving for a while, you will end up in front of a dirt road, where the road becomes bumpy and requires off-road driving. A regular car will not be able to handle the dips, which are pretty major. Depending on the weather there could also be muddy water. The dirt road is wide enough for one car, so be mindful of cars that could come from the opposite direction. Despite the off-road driving, we still arrived within 30 minutes. Cozumel is not a large island. We parked our rental car and got on a boat with a local who offered to take us across to la Isla de Pasion for 100 pesos per person each way. We agreed that we would pay him half of total when he gets us to la Isla de Pasion, and then the other half when he takes us back to Laguna Ciega. The boat ride was quick and took about 5-10 minutes. Isla de Pasion was incredible. The water was clear and the waves were super gentle. There is a beach club on site; however, my husband and I settled down in our own little section of the beach. We stayed for about 3 hours, swimming, and having a picnic with food and beers that we brought. As we were leaving around 1:30pm, we noticed there were a lot more people on Isla de Pasion. Definitely get to the island EARLY so you can enjoy it when it is less crowded.

We visited this beautiful island on a Carnival excursion with the Twister speedboat as our mode of…read moretransportation. The good: Eduardo y Eduardo were our captains on the boat and it was an amazing time. Aida was our go to person on the island and she was very kind and accommodating. The island is GORGEOUS- clear water, surprisingly no fish, white sand, nice chairs, hammocks, and swings at the cash bar. The drinks from the cash bar were fabulous- I had fresh coconut water and a delicious mojito. The not-so-good: the food was just plain bad and there was very little selection. The included drinks were either a rum punch, tequila punch, or beer. The punches were heavy on sugar but had very little alcohol. The inflatable was in need of much repair. Snorkeling is listed in the description but when we asked we were told there are no reefs on the island and they don't have snorkeling. The worst part for me was the timing- we knew we were only scheduled to be there until 1:30 but we were only at the island from about 9:30-11:45 before we were corralled back to the boats. I'd do it again- but would have liked to know these details going in.