Punta Sur (website)
Cozumel, Mexico
Punta Sur is an ecological park on the island of Cozumel. We went to Punta Sur our final day on the island, after having been on the island for a week. I wish we had gone earlier in the trip, because I absolutely would have wanted to go more than once! There is an entrance fee to the park, but it is well worth it.
We rented a vehicle and drove from our Airbnb (near the center of town) to the south end of the island. Entering the park was gorgeous! On one side of the road is the ocean, and on the other is a lagoon. There is a watch tower near the entrance of the park, which allows you to see most of the lagoon — and you can even see crocodiles and a variety of birds here, too! I couldn’t believe how close up we could see the crocodiles!
After the watchtower, as you drive further into the park, is a lighthouse and beach area. The lighthouse gives a fantastic view of both the ocean-side and the lagoon-side. You can perfectly see how the road separates the two. The beach area here is a bit rocky, but there are also some sandy areas. A short stay on this beach allows you to see some iguanas and huge waves, but there are more peaceful and sandy beaches further along.
There are a few areas to eat in the park. We highly recommend the Restaurant/Bar “Papitos” (it’s the first one after the lighthouse on the left). The food is absolutely amazing and they had the BEST piña colada I have ever had! The beach in front of the Papitos is also fantastic and there are lounge chairs available at no cost. The beach here is great because there is a natural walk into the ocean, while most beaches on the island have stairs into the water. You can walk for a very long time along the beach in both directions.
Our daughter loved running in and out of the water and searching for shells, while we relaxed in the water with her or on the beach. It was our favorite day on the island and we cannot recommend it enough! Our daughter was four when we were there and she absolutely loved it — especially the beach time and the animal sightings.
Chankanaab Beach Adventure Park (website)
Cozumel, Mexico
There are no free public beaches in Cozumel, which was a bit of a bummer, as we had to pay any time we wanted to take our four year old to the beach (luckily, we also had a pool at our Airbnb). With that said, there are MANY “beach clubs” to choose from on the island. After doing a lot of research on the various beach clubs, we ultimately chose Chankanaab. For us, it offered the most options for our daughter.
In Chankanaab there are a TON of things to do for kids of all ages (some of which is included in the entrance fee, some of which are additional costs), including snorkeling, snuba, ziplining, a pool, a playground, and some animal encounters (dolphins and manatees). We kept it relatively low-key and only did the regular entrance package. This allowed us to do the beaches and playgrounds, among a few other things. Both days we went, we were able to get one of the cabana areas for our family for the day (included in the entrance cost).
There was a server assigned to our area who periodically checked in to see if we wanted to order drinks/food (additional costs). They were fantastic! They weren’t pushy about making us order anything, but always seemed to be around when we were ready to order drinks or food (all of which were relatively low cost and great). Chankanaab also offered a walk-in beach area, which was critical to have for our daughter, but not something offered at every beach club. In the walk-in beach area there were a lot of fish swimming around too! Our daughter loved this!
While I would generally prefer not to pay to use a beach, Chankanaab did offer a lot of great amenities for our family while were were in Cozumel. I would recommend it, especially for families with small children.
Mexican Flavors Tour at Discover Mexico Park (website)
Cozumel, Mexico
I loved starting our time in Cozumel on this tour! It was one of the best cultural and historical tours I have ever done — anywhere in the world. It gave us a great understand of the history of Mexico, and more specifically, Cozumel. Also, it provided a great base for the rest of our time on the island. Our tour guide, Carlos, was phenomenal and REALLY knew his stuff. He gave us a ton information — keeping us very engaged. I’ve never had a better tour guide in all my time traveling.
During the tour, we were able to make chocolate for hot cocoa (a huge hit for our daughter!), do a tequila taste testing (a huge hit for my husband!), engage in some cultural opportunities like a walk through a modest art museum, which displayed a great representation of Indigenous art from across Mexico (a huge hit for me!), and ending with an authentic lunch on-site. Our group included my parents, brothers, husband, and four-year-old daughter. Everyone enjoyed the tour! It even kept my daughter’s attention for the full day. They have many tour options, so I recommend finding something that fits your time on the island and budget. The Mexican Flavors tour was perfect for our group!
