Cozumel, the way people who live here do it.

Cozumel has its own airport, CZM, with direct seasonal flights from several US cities. The other way in is through Cancún: fly in, drive or shuttle about an hour south to Playa del Carmen, and take the passenger ferry across. The crossing runs under an hour and ferries leave through the day.

Tell us your flight or ferry time when you book. Victor meets you at the house, hands over the keys and walks you through the home so you know where everything is.

Two decisions, really: the water or the town. North of San Miguel the coast is ironshore and coral shelf, the houses face open sea, and you snorkel from your own steps. Inside town you are behind a garden wall with a pool, a few blocks from the plaza, the market and dinner.

Neither is better. Families who want a car-free week take the town homes; groups who came for the water take the coast.

San Miguel is the town: the plaza, the market, the ferry pier, the malecón along the water and the taco stands a few streets back.

The west and north shores are the calm side, and where the reef is: clear water, coral close in, snorkeling straight off the rocks. Our homes are here.

The east side is the wild side. Open ocean, surf, a handful of beach bars and almost nothing built. Go for the drive in the afternoon; do not plan to swim where the surf is running.

Palancar, Columbia and Santa Rosa are the names you will hear: drift dives over wall and coral head, a short boat ride out from town.

You do not need a boat to see fish here. From the north shore homes you climb down the ladder and you are on the shelf. Tell us what you want to see and we will point you to the dive or snorkel guide we would use ourselves.

The good tacos are in town, off the plaza, and they are cheap. Fish, ceviche, family kitchens that have been feeding the island for decades.

Ask us before you book a table anywhere. We eat here.

Rent a car or a scooter if you are staying on the north shore. In town you can walk to most of it. Taxis are everywhere and run on fixed zone rates rather than a meter, so agree the fare before you get in.

One road circles most of the island. You can drive the whole loop in an afternoon.

Dry, bright and breezy. The busiest months and the ones that book first.

Hot, green and much quieter. The water is at its warmest.

Hurricane season. Most of it passes without incident, but this is when to read a cancellation policy properly.

The quietest weeks of the year, and the cheapest.