Playa Bonita: Cozumel’s Best Kept Beach

While the west coast of Cozumel lays claim to one continuous stretch of beautiful white sand beach, it also hosts dozens of large resorts and beach clubs, making the beaches busy. The eastern, windward side of the island is virtually undeveloped and hosts one of Cozumel’s best kept beaches: Playa Bonita.

Playa Bonita means “beautiful beach” in Spanish, so my husband and I decided to pull over our renal car for a little swim to see just how beautiful the beach really was. We gathered our gear and headed down the steps by the open air Playa Bonita Restaurant and Bar. At 10:30 in the morning we were the first people on the beach and we truly felt like we were on our own deserted beach on a tropical Caribbean island.

Playa Bonita is a wide, white sand beach nestled in a small cove. The beautiful turquoise water is shallow for a long way before dropping off into the deeper part of the Caribbean Sea. The weather was sunny and warm, in contrast to the overcast conditions we left on the western side of the island. We later learned that this type of weather is the norm, since clouds tended to pass over the eastern side and bunch up on the western side of Cozumel.

The Playa Bonita Restaurant and Bar provides lounge chairs and tables on the beach, which are free to use, their waiters will just occasionally come down and offer to sell you a cold Corona or bottle of Coca-Cola. Somehow that fits into my idea of a nearly deserted Caribbean beach. A lounge chair that is already there waiting for me, gorgeous views and weather, and someone to offer me ice cold beverages.

Playa Bonita is on the undeveloped side of Cozumel, which means that visitors need to bring everything they need to be self-sufficient, including sunscreen, bug repellent, a full tank of gas, bottled water, and food. The only services are souvenir shops and the occasional restaurant. Playa Bonita is also only available by rental car. A taxi will probably drive you there, but it may be difficult to get one to come and take you back.

Since Playa Bonita is on the windward side of the island, the surf conditions are often rougher than on the western, developed side of the island. It is a good idea to check weather and surf conditions before leaving your hotel or resort. Even though the locals will automatically give warning about the rougher conditions and heavy undertow on the eastern beaches, Playa Bonita’s location on a sheltered cove makes it safer for swimming and snorkeling. But as with all beach swimming, caution needs to be exercised.

In short, yes Playa Bonita does live up to its name: Beautiful Beach.