Playa Palancar

After a round of shopping in the town we decided to rent a jeep and go around the island. After about an hour or touring we pulled down a road and we found Playa Palancar. What a treat this place was. The beach had Palapas and seating with tables. They have showers souvenirs food and a bar. We changed into our suits and out for a swim we went. The water is not to deep to about 50 feet out and still not bad after that. This day there was a storm on the horizon and from the water we got to watch the lightening! Lots of fish swimming around and a very pleasant temp to the water with a beautiful emerald color to the water. Back up to our Palapa and into the bar. We had a couple of cocktail and just kicked it watching the people while viewing the water. The staff is pleasant and ready to serve you with a smile. The outside showers were nice and the changing rooms are as clean as it can be for being in the middle on nowhere. Definitely a pleasant find while on our road trip in Cozumel!

Stayed in PDC but took a day trip to Cozumel. This is by far the best beach in the area. Free of seaweed and really clean! Not very much coral but lots of fish and very clear water. Felt very safe and had amazing views. Umbrella rental is $ 10 but not necessary. Drinks are delicious and strong. We’ll definitely be back!

My husband and I rented a car for the day to beach hop, see different parts of the island, and eventually make it to Punta Sur. (On a side note: I highly recommend renting a car/​scooter for the day to get away from the all inclusive resorts, cruise ships, and downtown bars. It ended up being a highlight of our trip.)
Now back to Playa Palancar, as we were driving around Cozumel we decide to make a quick one hour stop at a beach and then leave to get lunch at a place we found that had good ratings. (We didn’t use our cell phones unless we had free WiFi so we planned our meals before we left our hotel.) We turned at the sign and began driving on a gravel road through a palm tree jungle. The beach is about a quarter mile off the main road. Once we parked in the parking lot we were greeted and offered a picture with sombreros (no thanks…) and we made our way to the beach after walking on a short trail through the jungle past the restaurant, flush toilets, and massage area. The beach was calm, had very little seaweed and seemed to be a great snorkel spot (people were just snorkeling right off the beach. There were beach chairs and loungers to use at no additional charge and they provided beach service. We ordered a round of Dos Equis (they were a reasonable price but not cheap) and began to enjoy the jungle in the background, the calm warm sea, and the sun… One hour goes by… «Well maybe we should just stay a little longer than we planned…» 30 more minutes drift by… «Are you hungry??» «Yes, but we didn’t check the reviews! What if the food is bad or makes us sick?!» Based on the amount of people ordering food around us we decided to take our chances and order food to our lounge chairs on the beach. Both the nachos and quesadillas with pico de gallo and guacamole were delicious. We would definitely return to spend more time at this quiet beach and eat here again. In fact, if it wasn’t over 2,000 miles away I would return to Playa Palancar for lunch and the beach today.

Two part review coming here, but don’t get scared. I thought Playa Palancar was awesome overall.
Part 1, FOOD.
Got their ceviche and it was absolutely amazing. Very very fresh loaded with flavor. Prices are high, but maybe this is just normal for Cozumel. Mildly disappointed that they did not have any fresh squeezed juices, but the canned juice was not bad.
Part 2, BEACH.
Although I did not actually swim at Playa Palancar, the beach seemed pretty nice. People were doing snorkeling. Now, it’s a bit too many people for my taste on this beach and the stretch of sand is fairly small. One thing I did not like is they rent out the jet ski’s right next to the beach area where people swim and we almost witnessed a jet ski hit a person who was swimming in the water. There is a small rope barrier, but still very close proximity of the swimming and the ski areas.
There you go, my first two part review!

What an absolutely beautiful beach! I recently took a cruise that stopped in Cozumel, and wanted to find a beach that wasn’t overrun with other cruisers (sorry, guys). I did a bit of research online ahead of time, and found out about Playa Palancar.
It was maybe about a 20 minute or so drive from the cruise terminal. We rented a car from one of the companies just outside the duty free/​shopping area, but I’m sure you could take a cab as well… I’m just not sure how easy it would be to get a cab back.
Despite the fact that we came in on a boat with about 3,000 of our new best friends, this beach was quiet and peaceful. It’s not a huge area, but there were MAYBE another 15 – 20 people there, if that. Lots of beach chairs available, and tons of tables by the bar as well.
Unlike some of the other beaches in the area, they don’t charge an admission fee. The bar only takes cash (note: this is the case for just about every bar and restaurant we stopped at on our drive around the island), and a Dos Equis was $ 3.50. They also rent snorkel gear and towels.

En uno de los días que anduve de niña exploradora por la Isla de Cozumel, llegué a una playa que me dejó con la boca abierta por el hermoso color calipso del agua y la arena blanca que deslumbraba a tal punto, que apenas podía abrir mis pequeños ojitos que ya de por sí, son pequeños.
La entrada a Palancar es TOTALMENTE GRATUITA, donde puedes pasar la tarde disfrutando la tranquilidad de sus aguas y del ambiente relajado que nos ofrece la madre naturaleza. Una playa sin algo de tomar es un grave problema, pero aquí está todo solucionado, hay un pequeño restaurante que ofrece una correcta carta de refrescos y cervezas para calmar el exquisito calor isleño caribeño.
Además, puedes tomar tours para visitar el Cielo, donde puedes ver a las elegantes estrellas de mar en su mayor esplendor, luego te llevan a Columbia para visitar uno de los arrecifes más hermoso que hasta ahora he visto.
Playa Palancar es un destino que tienes que ir si estas descubriendo la isla, no te arrepentirás. Pero mejor que te cuente yo, es mejor que lo descubras con tus propios ojitos que Dios te dio (no soy católica, sólo me gusta ese dicho)
PD: Les recomiendo rentar carro porque los taxis son muy caros y esta playa está algo alejada del centro de Cozumel.