Let’s face it. Playa del Carmen is busy. Hectic. Overcrowded. Touristy. Loads of words describe this beach destination. But sleepy isn’t one of them. Looking to get away from the madness, even if for just a short time? A 40-minute ferry ride to Cozumel delivers you to another world.
This is not to say that Cozumel is not touristy. It is extremely touristy. There is a reason that loads of cruise ships stop here, for the expensive shops, over-priced touristy restaurants, and ease of access. However, it us touristy on a much smaller scale.
The ferry terminal in Playa del Carmen is located near a very busy beach, off the crazy-busy 5th Ave pedestrian street. Along the way, prepare yourself to be accosted by street vendors trying to sell you ferry tickets, along with a long list of nice, and not-so-nice things (read: drugs). It’s like walking through a gauntlet. If I had a nickel for every time I said “No, gracias”, I would have been able to completely pay for this holiday.
The two main ferry lines, Winjet and Ultramar, have ticket offices on 5th Ave, near the ferry terminal. We purchased our tickets here, instead of from the obnoxious resellers along 5th Ave, and on our walk to the terminal, we did our best to avoid the swarming crowd of vendors trying to sell all kinds of cheap touristy crap.
It is a bit of a walk to the terminal, up the ramps, through the ticket takers, and finally to the dock. Once aboard the Ultramar ferry, we grabbed some seats inside, within the confines of rather stale, tepid air-conditioning. The departure was close to on-time, and the journey was surprisingly rocky. I suspect earlier in the week, when the wind was whipping and the seas were churning, the ferry ride would have been an rockin’ adventure.
We have been to Cozumel before, but that was close to 9 years ago. We visited in 2011 for a scuba dive trip. This return visit allowed us to see some of the changes in Cozumel. We saw lots of new upscale shops, specifically designed for the cruise ship passengers who visit for the day. As it was Sunday, and since there were no cruise ships in port, most of the shops and restaurants were closed. We really struggled to find a restaurant, and settled on a traditional place on a side street, away from the ultra-touristy areas.
We strolled along the waterfront, stopped in to a couple bars, and visited the huge Comer grocery store, as we had remembered that there was a Paletas shop downstairs. Our favorite fruit popsicles!
After just a few hours in Cozumel, we decided that, without a car, and with most shops and sights closed on a Sunday, it was just too sleepy for us. On our return journey, we decided to take the Winjet ferry. We sat upstairs on the open-air deck, and enjoyed beautiful views of both Cozumel and the mainland. It is always nice to be on the water, even on a ferry for a short trip. And, it was nice to get away to Cozumel, to escape the aggressive vendors, packed streets, and a busy Sunday in Playa.
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