The East Side

[jennbill]

Who has gone around to the east side of the island? What's the best way to get there? Any good beach bars/restaurants? Plenty of time to go there and get back the port area to shop and hit a bar or two?

[johnbob7]

Who has gone around to the east side of the island? What's the best way to get there? Any good beach bars/restaurants? Plenty of time to go there and get back the port area to shop and hit a bar or two?

 

Just did this less than two weeks ago. Had a great time. Rented a car at the pier (we used Avis, prebooked, and yes you do want to take the full coverage insurance just to CYA.)

 

Actually drove to Kakoa chocolate factory in town for their tour first. Tour was great, took about an hour or so, counting shopping their chocolate. Then drove to San Gervaiso ruins, toured those (lots of walking) for about 1 1/2 hrs.

 

Then headed to east side. Lunched at Coconuts, had beer, enjoyed view, then drove down to other end of east side and stopped at the Reggae Bar for another beer and another great view. Very relaxing and laid back, nice to avoid crowds, and the views of the Atlantic waves crashing are fabulous.

 

Then continued round the island and back up the west side to the pier. total drive time for the circuit is probably about an hour, and other than our snaking through the town side streets to find the chocolate factory, the rest of the drive is painless. Outside of town it is wide open road (although you do want to watch the posted speed limits.

 

bobj

[KroozFoolz]

If you don't want to rent/drive yourself, good options are "hire a driver for a day" or the Cozumel Bar Hop Bus Tour. You can find threads with info on these here on the Cozumel port board.

[CENTEX CRUISER]

We just negotiated a cab for the two of us, $60 for three hours..We went to Punta Moreno, I believe, and hung out for a while, and drove the coastal road. It really is beautiful there.A couple of pics.

 

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/43/sany2247.jpg/

 

 

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/16/sany2245.jpg/

[ThorHiney]

Yup, Cozumel is beautiful and the road make a nice loop around the coast. Great way to see several sites as well experience the east side's beaches. Very scenic, but dont plan to swim, water is pretty rough. On the plus side, the waves are beautiful.

 

Do not be afraid to rent a car in Cozumel. DO take the insurance just to prevent any issues should you have a mishap. But the roads are safe and easy to drive unlike Jamaica and some of the other stops.

[BSQ]

We rented a car from ISIS and I just drive on over. It was nice to get away from the crowds.

 

We spent a relaxing afternoon at Chen Rio - good food and service and the beach does have a semi protected are for swimming - but swim at your own risk since the currents are deceiving

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[maldenmusic]

Last year Alberto from Hiring a driver for a day drove us all around the island. The east side was uncrowded but not really good for swimming. It is beautiful and relaxing. A few bars and places to eat over there. We enjoyed stopping at the Bob Marley place.

[c-leg5]

Who has gone around to the east side of the island? What's the best way to get there? Any good beach bars/restaurants? Plenty of time to go there and get back the port area to shop and hit a bar or two?

 

We have toured round the east side several times while visiting Cozumel on land and cruise vacations. We have travelled both on the bar hop and hired "a driver for the day", for customized tours. Plenty of information on both options via the search feature on this forum. Both companies have excellent reputations and provide a very enjoyable day in different ways.

 

The following link provides an interactive map which will tell you about some of the beaches and bars, some of the information has been recently updated, some a little older. http://cozumelmexico.net/Cozumel-Beaches.html

 

Not sure if you are only interested in bars but the area around the Celarain lighthouse at Punta Sur is well worth a visit. We stopped there briefly on one of our early tours with a private driver and I would like to return for a longer time in the future.

[decobrit]

Who has gone around to the east side of the island? What's the best way to get there? Any good beach bars/restaurants? Plenty of time to go there and get back the port area to shop and hit a bar or two?

We've visited Cozumel many times.

We were there in March & went on the Cozumel Bar Hop....it's a blast, you meet up with the tour in downtown San Miguel & then travel on their bus visiting several different bars where you get a free shot at each place then you can buy drinks & eats as you wish. The tour guides are very knowledgeable & really tell you a lot of stuff about the island as you go from place to place plus they are really fun. Highly recommend this if you've "been there done that" as we have.

Ann & George

[Laughing Angel]

We hired a driver for the day. We were in a van with five adults and four kids. Took a quick tour around town, then on to the ruins at San Gervasio, then a leisurely drive (with many stops for refreshments and photo ops) along the east side of the island. We ended up at Paradise Beach for a while before heading downtown for some souvenir shopping, then back to the ship. Took a little over 5 hours and it was FABULOUS!

[lynncarol]

I second the suggestion to spend time at the Celerain Lighthouse on Punta Sur. The lighthouse has a small but interesting museum, and there is a free (although we tipped) guided tour of the area, including ruins of a pirate's jail. A small refreshment shop is on site with shaded outdoor seating where miniature racoons appear, creep out from the bushes, and (encouraged by the proprietor) will eat bits of tortillas from your hand. Oh yes, there are a few stalls selling souveneirs and we purchased some black coral jewelry for an extremely reasonable price. Just before you get to the lighthouse, there is a pull-off on the right with decking going into the marsh. Crocodiles can often be seen lurking in the shallow waters.

[CarribbeanTina271]

Let me say please please if you plan on drinking DO NOT rent a car. This being said there are at least 4 awesome bars/restaurant/beach stops on the East Side. Each one is great in its own way. The first one you come to has a beach area as well as a small pool. I personally would suggest the Cozumel bar hop! I have been to Cozumel 13 times and the last 4 we just had to do the hop. It is not that we are big drinkers but we enjoy the hop and the beauty of the island. If this is not your thing, then I would say hire a driver for the day!

[sasha96]

Thanks for the ideas! We will be in Cozumel in a month and haven't been able to decide what to do. Now I am certain I want to go to the East Side!!!! Punta Sur and then Chen Rio/Punta Morena.

 

We don't want to rent a car. Any recommendations for drivers?