Hotel at a Glance: Hotel Flamingo

A 3-star boutique hotel in the cultural center of Cozumel, Hotel Flamingo is tucked away, but still steps from the water front, dining, and shopping attractions of the town square. One of the most popular activities in Cozumel is scuba diving, and you can book an excursion right from Hotel Flamingo with the help of onsite dive master Sergio Sandoval Vizcaino. He'll outfit you with gear and then whisk you off to dozens of dive sites around the island, including beginning-, intermediate-, and advanced-level reefs teeming with eels, angelfish, and colorful corals. If you've never dived before, you can get certified in as few as three days, or stick to snorkeling.

• Native wildlife: Keep an eye peeled for the splendid toadfish on snorkeling or diving trips.
• Recommended beach: Chankanaab Park, which has good snorkeling spots and a fenced-in area where you can swim with dolphins
• Take the ferry and spend a day in nearby Playa del Carmen.
Morning meal: Grab a full American or Mexican breakfast on site at The Aqua Restaurant & Bar for $5 per person.

Cozumel, Mexico: Relaxed Tropical Island with World-Class Diving

Cozumel, Mexico’s largest Caribbean island, lies just off the eastern coast of the Yucatán peninsula. Compared to Cancún—Mexico's spring-break capital, located 50 miles north—Cozumel is decidedly laid-back. Formerly a fishing settlement, the island remains blissfully free of high-rise resorts and other signs of overdevelopment. Visitors here tend to focus more on exploring the wilderness than on late-night beach parties. Adventure-tour companies arrange expeditions by land or by sea, including trips to ancient Mayan ruins and the island’s jungles, marshes, and dive sites known for deep canyons and tunnels.

More than 500 species of fish swim among turtles, rays, and countless other aquatic animals inside the coral formations at Palancar Reef, one of the dozens of diving and snorkeling sites encircling Cozumel. Another site, just off the northwestern coast, houses a 40-passenger Convair airliner. Sunk in 1977 for the filming of a Mexican disaster movie, the plane has become overgrown with coral and sea fans and is frequented by schools of colorful parrotfish. Above the surface, you’ll find white-sand beaches frequented by sunbathers.

There's only one city on the island—San Miguel de Cozumel, where street vendors on a waterfront promenade sell everything from jewelry to Cuban cigars. It’s also where you’ll find an assortment of clubs and bars showcasing live reggae-salsa fusion and jazz bands.

Read the Fine Print for important info on travel dates and other restrictions.