Car Rental Questions for Cozumel

[ajhcruiser]

Hi. We're planning on renting two cars for our April visit to the island (Granduer). Is there anything I need to beware of? Is it a pretty safe thing to do? What's a good reputal company easy, to access from the pier? Will we need reservations? We rented jeeps when we were there 9 years ago and had a blast exploring the island but I'm a little concerned about safety since I've been reading some of the threads. I'd like to hear from someone who's been there this year. Thanks for your help.

[solita]

Executive Car Rental is number 1!

[wkwthme]

We used CP Rentals in July 2004 http://www.islacozumel.net/services/2000/ or email cp-rentals@islacozumel.net. We printed out the webpage, got the price listed without a problem and had a very new VW bug for the week. They are not US VW's but ours ran like a charm and was very clean.

[Carey on Cozumel]

It's very safe to rent a car and drive. Just keep your seat belts fastened especially when you're going through the checkpoint between the cruiseship piers and the southern beaches.

 

Tips: You will often get a better deal on a rental car if you reserve something at the downtown office and then take a taxi down to pick it up. Often but not always. Type in car rental Cozumel in the google search engine and you can start comparing prices. Also check the rates for mega companies like Hertz, Avis, Executive and Alamo -- Check the in town as well as the cruiseship pier location prices.

 

Check your car over very VERY carefully and mark every last teeny weeney little ding and scratch you see on the card they give you. Some people take digital photos. I thought that was a cool idea.

 

Use your credit card to secure the car but pay in cash at the end. If you use a credit card, you will pay a rather large surcharge. I believe it's something like 11% for this part of Mexico.

 

If you're renting a car, you'll get the most bounce to the ounce if you use it to tour the far south beaches and the other side of the island, all places its very expensive to reach via cab. You can also catch the San Gervasio ruins and the Tequila Musuem easily and inexpensively if you have a car.

[terryde]

You mention a tequila museum - where is it?

[Carey on Cozumel]

I haven't been there yet myself but it's on the cross island road, the one that slicing across the middle of the island from the wild side by the bar Mezcalitos and ends up in downtown San Miguel. In the general vicinity of the San Gervasio ruins so both could be taken in in one trip. It's a 45 minute tour and you get to sample a lot of kinds of tequila. $18/person. Perhaps someone else has more explicit instructions on how to find it. But it's going to be hard to miss, I suspect.

[ajhcruiser]

Thanks for all your help. Cary, I think I saw your picture on a Cozumel website I have bookmarked!:) Since we'll need two cars, I think I'll reserve in advance.

[solita]

The hacienda tequila museum is on the same side of the street (left) as San Gervasio, right before you get to the ruins on your way from town. Hard to miss all the agave plants that look like giant aloes that are growing in front of it.