Chen Rio, Beach on Cozumel Island, Mexico.

Chen Rio is a beach on the southeastern shore of Cozumel, Mexico. A rocky rim separates a small natural pool from the open sea, making it one of the few places on this coast suitable for swimming. The name comes from a stream in the hinterland.

The name Chen Rio combines a Mayan word and the Spanish word for river, referring to the small stream in the hinterland behind the beach. The sources record no founding date, settlement history or early inhabitants tied to the site; the name simply marks the freshwater course that runs inland from this stretch of Cozumel's southeastern shore.

The name Chen Rio refers to the small stream in the hinterland behind the beach, which gives the site its "Rio" element. Several restaurants stand close to the sand, so eating at the shore is part of a visit here. The beach lies on Cozumel's southeastern coast, where the offshore reef that shelters the west side is absent.

The eastern shore of Cozumel has no protecting reef, so open-water swimming is dangerous; the small pool behind the rocky rim is the sheltered spot to use. Several restaurants stand close to the beach. The site lies on the southeastern coast, reached by road along the island's windward side.

The rocky rim that makes Chen Rio one of the few swimmable spots on Cozumel's eastern shore is a natural formation, not a built pool; beyond it the open Caribbean is unprotected by any reef. The name Chen Rio refers to the small stream in the hinterland behind the beach.