I had the pleasure of visiting Cozumel last week after not being there for 10 years +-.
The city has grown bit and there are a few new cruise piers but outside of that, it is still the Mexico I came to love and frequent in my younger years.
Transportation is easy and plentiful, there is only 1 road that circles the island so it's hard to get lost.
While on the island I spent the day at Chankanaab Beach Park. This was the 1st time my teenager went snorkeling. The water was clear and the park had created artificial reefs for the fish so there was a nice variety to see. This wasn't the best snorkeling I have ever seen, but it was worth doing. There are lots of options for swimming with the dolphins, manta rays, etc and there is an all-inclusive day pass available so you can eat and drink for 1 admission price if you choose.
In years past there were many vendors with hand made items, some of them 1 of a kind for reasonable prices. I was sad to see that those were few and far between now. There is still some unique souvenir options, I just had to look a bit longer to find them.
We were lucky to enjoy lunch at a small cafe a block or 2 off the main road, it was absolutely wonderful. The food was fresh made at the time of ordering it and the family that owned / worked there were very nice. Don't expect American standards when venturing off the main drag- the bathroom sink only had cold water and there was no door knob for the bathroom entry door. Regardless of this, it was clean and served its purpose.
Paying in cash was significantly better than paying with card. Not everyone used the same exchange rate, so ask and negotiate if needed.
During this trip to the Cancun, Cozumel, Quintana Roo area we also visited Merida. This is a mostly residential beach city north of Cancun. The cruiselines are now using it as a port with excursions mostly out of Cancun calling it Progresso Yucatan. There is shopping at the pier, a free shuttle into town and a much different vibe than the other areas. If you take the shuttle into town you will be dropped off at a 1 block long vendor area. About 1/2 of the items for sale are commercial goods and the other 1/2 are handmade. It was nice to see the variety. If you walk 3 blocks you will access the beach.
Beautiful white sand, gentle surf, some vendors along the walkway and plenty of space for kids to play. The kids collected sea shells ( we found a few different varieties) and played in the sand. This was the 1st time our grandkids have been to the beach so it was a real treat for them. All ages enjoyed our time there and after walking down the beach a bit we found showers for cleaning the sand off.
This was a well needed relaxing day. I just wish I put sunscreen on before playing in the sun all day~