Sights—Deserted beaches on Cozumel's rugged east coast; sea and jungle vistas in the Punta Sur Ecological Park; the Maya ruins at San Gervasio; the Museo de la Isla de Cozumel with its haunting Maya sculptures.

Memorable Meals—Mexican food at El Museo accompanied by turquoise Caribbean vistas; pasta with fresh seafood in Guido's romantic courtyard; scrumptious homemade cakes and cappuccino at The Coffee Bean.

Late Night—Dancing to live Cuban bands at the Havana Club; street festivities during Carnival.

Walks—The malecon, San Miguel's pretty seaside promenade; the archaeological trail and botanical gardens in Parque Nacional Chankanaab.

Especially for Kids—Dolphin encounters at Parque Nacional Chankanaab.

Cozumel is Mexico's largest island—33 mi/53 km long and 8 mi/13 km wide. The island is very flat. From the mainland, the tall hotel buildings appear to float on the horizon. Shops, restaurants and nightlife are concentrated in San Miguel, the only town, which is on the west coast of the island. Cozumel has two highways. One makes a half-circle around the southern end of the island. Heading south out of San Miguel, it's a four-lane road for about 5 mi/8 km before narrowing to two lanes. The other highway is the Carretera Transversal (the cross-island highway), which is a well-maintained road that cuts straight through the jungle-covered center of the island and connects the east and west coasts.

It's hard to get lost in downtown San Miguel if you know the layout: Avenidas (avenues) run north-south, and calles (streets) run east-west. Except for the large thoroughfares, such as Avenida Melgar, Calle 11 and the island highways, most roads are one-way.

The oldest Maya ruin on Cozumel dates to AD 300. The Maya believed that Cozumel was the spiritual home of Ixchel, the goddess of fertility and love. Maya women were said to make a pilgrimage to the island at least once in their lifetimes to ensure the healthy birth of their children. The name Cozumel comes from the Mayan word Cuzamil-Peten, which means "Land of the Swallows." (Ixchel was often depicted with swallows at her feet.)

Cozumel was a quiet place until the early 1960s, when it was first visited by Jacques Cousteau, the well-known underwater explorer and documentary filmmaker. He put the island on the map as one of the great diving destinations in the world. In recent decades, Cozumel has experienced the tourism boom that has transformed the northern Yucatan, and it has become an increasingly popular destination for cruise ships.

After Hurricane Wilma, which hit in October 2005, most of the Island's facilities have been repaired or replaced. Punta Langosta and the International Pier are back in operation, but the pier at Puerta Maya was completely destroyed and is not expected to reopen until the end of 2008. Chankanaab Park is open, and most of the hotels are up and running except for one or two that are undergoing a total renovation. Other than that, the island is back to its carefree self, completely ready to welcome visitors with no sense of post-hurricane blues.

The El Cedral Festival was started about 150 years ago by Casimiro Cardenas. He survived an attack during the War of the Castes by clutching a small wooden cross and started the festival to honor its power.

Hernando Cortes, the Spanish conqueror of the Aztec Empire in the 16th century, made his first landfall from Cuba at Cozumel.

Cozumel was a sacred island according to its first settlers, the Maya. They dedicated the island to the moon goddess Ixchel and built many temples in her honor.

Cozumel was a favorite lair for some of the most notorious pirates along the Spanish Main. Henry Morgan, the most famous of them, went on to become the British governor of Jamaica as Sir Henry Morgan.

The island's airport was used as U.S. Navy base during World War II.