Dangerous to rent a car?

[wishingtocruise]

We are coming to Cozumel in Febuary and was wondering if it is dangerous to rent a car. I've heard that the Police may try to extract money from visitors. Because this is our first cruise and our first time to Mexico, we want to get as authentic an experience as possible. Would it be better to hire a cab for the day? We want to explore the island as much as we can.

Thanks for any advice.

[ScubaMare]

The US State Dept. recently put out a statement regarding police problems in Cancun. Mainland corruption is far worse than in Cozumel where there have been only very isolated incidents. There is a new mayor in Cozumel who is extremely intolerant of police corruption and has fired a number of officers since he recently took office.

 

We always rent a car and have never, ever had a problem and we're on the island for at least a week at a time. Just obey the speed limit, wear your seatbelts (if the car has them), don't have too many people in your car (6 people crammed into a VW bug, for example) and DO NOT drink and drive. As long as you're obeying the laws, chances are highly in your favor that you won't be stopped.

 

If you do happen to get stopped and it is unwarranted (and chances are between slim and none that you would), make a big deal about getting the officers' names and badge numbers and tell them you want the ticket that states what the offense is. They'll know enough English to understand what you want. Then tell them you'll pay the ticket (boleto) at the police station (palacio). If the stop is illegitimate, they'll let you off with a "warning."

 

Personally, I would rent a car and explore to my heart's content. We'll be down in a few months for 10 days and will have a car the entire time. Cozumel is an awesome place -- very friendly people, very safe, lots of fun to explore, etc. Enjoy and don't worry.

[shecat]

We just got back from Cozumel. We rented a car for the day and encounter no problems. Nice to get away from the pack.

[bruce-r]

Plenty safe to rent a car in Cozumel and driving around the island is easy and fun. Driving in town isn't as easy and the parking can be difficult, but compared to driving in Paris or Italy, still no problem.

 

Shecat hit it right on the head, it is nice to get away from the pack.

[CindyinSacTown]

We were in Cozumel during Thanksgiving week 2004 and rented a car for the day during our cruise stop. It was a breeze! We got ours from Alamo and the staff couldn't have been nicer. Again, I have to agree with the "away from the pack" comment. It's fantastic to drive around the island with the wind in your hair, the other VW bugs and mopeds honking & yelling Hola to each other. Also, it affords you the opportunity to stop at your choice. There are so many lovely beaches and just little pull outs during the drive around the island. We're hoping to go back for a week some time in the future. The natives to the island were very friendly, even helping my teen with her 2nd year Spanish! lol We stuck to daylight hours while driving but downtown is a bit of a construction mess, as well as one way streets. All in all, we truly enjoyed our day. Best of luck to you.

[bjkkl]

What car rental company do you recommend in Cozumel? Something reasonably priced, close to the pier, and with proper insurance and customer service.

[Rosieo]

When we got off the ship we just went to the car rentals at the pier and found the best price. It was easy and quick. This was our third time in Cozumel and we enjoyed having the jeep to explore on our own. It was wonderful.