Good Day. I just signed up for Ironman Cozumel. Am I correct in thinking it is best to fly to Cancun and take the ferry to Cozumel? Do I need to rent a car while I am there to do the race (I will be going solo)? Any hotel recommendations? Any other suggestions and tips are appreciated. Thank you.
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Depending on your carrier your only option may be to fly into Cancun. From what I remember United has an oversized luggage (bikes, etc) embargo during off-peak months and you will not be able to fly with your bike. I had no choice but to fly to Cancun and take the ferry.
No need to make a ferry reservation, just buy a ticket with the ferry company that has the soonest departure time when you arrive at the terminal, and upgrade to cabin seats so youâre not sitting outside sniffing diesel fumes.
Transportation in general in Cancun and Cozumel is extremely easy and there is no need for a rental car. The island will have plenty of vans/taxis that will fit all of your luggage. If you stay at one of the host hotels they should arrange transportation to T1 on race morning. I stayed at a Hilton (I think) property a few blocks south of the finish line and although we werenât a host hotel the staff still organized a breakfast and vans for the athletes on race morning. Personally I would try to stay closer to finish line just because itâs easier after the race to get your bike and get back to your hotel.
Enjoy the race, the swim is second to none and the island is very hospitable to everyone racing.
Did the cancun to ferry thing. Thought it was confusing and hit every scammer possible. I recommend flying into and out of Cozumel. There are hundreds of taxis so depends if you stay in host hotel or at the race finish. Either way you will need a ride everywhere unless you ride your bike. Remember youâll need a ride back after bike checkin and to swim start race morning. They spread everything out pretty good. Plan on $20.00 per taxi ride. Race morning you can split the cost with other people in the bigger vans. Host hotel will give you free ride to swim start. We rented a car to see the island.
If you want to stay at T2, race finish line, athlete check in and bike check out then call Athimar Luxury living. We stayed there last year for the race. Otherwise, the host hotels offer beach access. They are on the run course, but otherwise far away from everything race related.
I flew united from Chicago to Cozumel with my bike in 2025 without issue. I would definitely recommend that
It all depends on the dates of the race. This is directly from the United website:
So you might be able to fly in to the race (which is 11/22) prior to 11/18 with your bike, but youâll need to fly out of Cancun heading home. This is exactly what happened to me and I just decided to book my flights in an out of Cancun.
https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/baggage/international-checked-bag-limits.html
FYI I flew United to Cozumel last year and called them re. oversized luggage AKA my bike box. After speaking to multiple reps they said it was fine to fly with my bike box direct to Cozumel. I think they were more concerned about the weight (over 50lbs) than the size. ~200+ others on the same flight as me did the same.
FYI they will steal your allen key multi-tool if you have it in carry on luggage.
My girlfriend and I really appreciated having the car to get around places (ruins, beaches, hotel after finish etc.). But if you are going alone and are comfortable biking around you may not need to get one. Donât rent a small SUV, because your bike wont fit in it.
We stayed in an AirBnb the first two-three nights, which was pretty nice and then the Intercontinental Presidente, where they do the athlete briefings, on Saturday and Sunday nights. If you can afford the Intercontinental it is fabulous.
I flew into and out of cancun last year, super easy and no issues. I hired a private van through Canada drives which were great on pickup from airport as well changing time of return from playa ferry terminal (thereâs lots of different companyâs with good reviews). One consideration depending on your flight out time is you might need to stay a night in cancun for the 6 am flight but that was also really easy staying next to the airport at the Hilton.
Super nice, although not in the Cozumel city center. But calm, good service all over for the price and nice training access. There were more than a handful of top pros in the same resort for the race.
Thank you all for the input.
Just a note that we will be there. Our daughter is doing her first full IM with me! A dadâs dream! We have an air BNB. We are pretty excited!
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I signed up for Ironman Cozumel and will be flying into Cozumel and staying at Cozumel Palace. How strict is United with the oversized baggage rule?
You should call to be on the safe side. When I called in 2024 the rep was very helpful but basically said it wouldnât be a good idea because it almost depends on the agent checking your bag. In my case I was only affected on my return leg, and Mexican gate agents/customs can be VERY strict. They even took my nice Silca travel torque wrench.
I agree. I called United and recorded the whole call so I could play it if needed. At the DC airport there were no problems.
At Cozumel airport they have a weird policy about âtoolsâ (not just sharp things ANY TOOL including like allen key sets). They stole my bike multitool as well even though it had no sharp instruments of any kind, which was annoying.
I did the inaugural flew in to Cancun via Aeromexico as if you were a cycling federation member bikes flew free â $20 for the membership vs. $100-ish roundtrip â now $150-$166.
We had scheduled transport, but they didnât show and just chose a minivan taxi to Playa del Carmen. Super easy and usually rate negotiation isnât necessary, but asking in advance is always smart.
Ferry was packed with lots of bikes with rough waters on our trip. Luckily none went into the drink.
We didnât have a car and stayed at the Fiesta Americana which is close to the start, but a taxi ride from town. It is a mixed bag as either you are by the start or finish or I suppose neither.
#1 rule designate a meeting place post-finish that you can find while race-drunk. I saw my wife at the finish, but lost her during the post-race massage. I ended up biking back to the hotel in the dark as I didnât have another way of contacting her. Luckily she brought dinner back to the hotel so it turned out okay.
Post rate we rented a car in Playa and headed down to Chetumal for some non-touristy Mayan ruins. Recommended if you are into adventure.
Has anyone stayed further away from T1/2/venue? Was considering the Westin (only Marriott hotel) north of the airport.
Stayed there also. Not really an issue. I cycled to T1 for bike check-in. Bus service on race morning. Decent pool, OWS and gym. Nice hotel to hang out in.
Thanks. Very helpful.