How do I get around Cozumel?

Taxis run on a fixed-rate zona system, not meters. Fares are posted on a laminated board at the ferry pier in San Miguel de Cozumel and at the airport terminal, though you should photograph that board on arrival because drivers sometimes quote higher. A ride from the downtown pier to the hotel zone south of town costs roughly 150 to 250 pesos depending on distance. Airport to central San Miguel runs about 180 pesos. Cross-island fares to the windward beaches at Chen Rio reach 450 to 600 pesos one way, which at roughly 17 pesos to the dollar means $26 to $35 USD for a 20-minute drive. No Uber, no Didi, no ridehail app of any kind. The taxi cooperativa has kept them all out, and that is unlikely to change. Confirm the price before you climb in, make sure it's per trip not per person, and carry small bills. Drivers rarely break a 500-peso note happily.

A rented scooter is the best way to see the island beyond San Miguel's 15-block core. Rental shops line Avenida Rafael Melgar near the ferry pier, with daily rates from 600 to 900 pesos for a 125cc automatic. You'll smell exhaust and salt air in equal measure riding the carretera costera sur along the western shoreline. Helmets are included and required under Quintana Roo law, though enforcement is loose. Mind you, the east coast road narrows past Mezcalitos to a single rough lane with potholes that fill with warm rainwater by afternoon. If you're not confident on two wheels, rent a compact car from one of the local agencies on Melgar for 900 to 1,400 pesos a day. Skip the international chains at the airport. They charge double and the insurance upsell is relentless.

San Miguel de Cozumel is the only real town on the island, and its flat grid between Avenida Rafael Melgar and Avenida 30 is comfortable on foot. The heat is the limiting factor. Midday temperatures regularly hit 32 to 34 Celsius from May through October, with humidity above 60 percent that makes it feel closer to 39. Stick to the shaded west side of the street and duck into the Mercado Municipal on Avenida 25 Sur for a cold agua de jamaica when the pavement starts cooking your sandals. Beyond the town center, sidewalks vanish and the shoulder of the carretera transversal is no place for a pedestrian. The Ultramar and Winjet ferries to Playa del Carmen leave from the downtown pier roughly every hour, 6 AM to 10 PM. The crossing takes 35 to 45 minutes and costs around 240 pesos one way.

The windward eastern coast is where the island gets interesting, and where most first-timers make a logistics mistake. There is no gas station east of San Miguel. Fill up at the Pemex on Avenida 65 before you cross via the carretera transversal, a straight 20-minute drive that deposits you at a T-junction. North leads to San Gervasio, the island's Maya ruins, at 98 pesos admission for foreigners. South leads to Punta Sur Eco Beach Park at roughly 559 pesos, which includes the Celarain Lighthouse and a crocodile lagoon where you can hear the animals grunt from 10 meters away. The wind on this side blows hard enough to push a 125cc scooter sideways, carrying the smell of open ocean, warm seaweed, and sulfur from the mangroves. Beaches at Chen Rio have rough surf and no lifeguards on most stretches.