If this was your first trip to Cozumel, what would you do.....?

[Dr Dog]

Greetings

I am heading to Cozumel in early Feb, for a scuba vacation, among other things...Mayan Ruins, general exploring... and the questions I have are crazy. I like to plan, I would not consider myself an "anal" person, but when I plan a trip, I want to know my options, what is worth spending time and money on, and what to not even concern myself about.... That being said, what would you very experienced Coz travellers do, if this was your first trip to the island.

what dive shop would you use?. I am not rich, I have some money to spend on the trip, but I dont want to be ripped off. who would you suggest as a great company? with reasonable rates and great quality. I do not want to just be dropped off at a reef, and picked up an hour later. do they have DM's? are they serious about my safety?. What about gear? I will be renting regs and BC's, do they have latest stuff?

What are the rules for resort pickup? I am staying at the Allegro, they already have a dive shop there, am I stuck with using them, or will other companies pick me up there, or somewhat close? They rates for the place on the resort are quite a bit more than some others, they also seem to be a giant outfit? I like the personal attention, of smaller outfits, but will go big, if that means quality? any feedback?

Ruins tours? I have to do this, I have been told by other/ better half already. I know I have to take a ferry to the mainland, and pretty much kill a day getting there and back, but who would you guys use as a tour op?

Cozumel in general... what do I need to see there? Been thinking of checking out the sweat lodge, and a few other places, but if you could change your trips to Coz, to include certain attractions, what would it be. Tour ops and dive shop feel free to contact me, I would love to see what you offer. Fellow SB'ers, help me out please. Help me make my 40th Birthday trip, one to remember.

Thanks

D

 

[citycountryguy]

Basically, every dive on Cozumel is a guided drift dive. So you do get dropped off, with your group, and then picked up North of where you started after the dive (Gulf Stream current south to north flow). So that is one thing you should expect.

ProDive Mexico at the Allegro is a great shop with great staff. They do not run like a "giant outfit" at all, and over a week, we got to know most of the staff comfortably. (I was there between Christmas and New Year). Their DMs and dives were great. PDM runs small groups (smaller than some others and a fair bit smaller than at least one, from what I saw underwater when some divers rained in over us). So if you are comparing on price only, make sure you are looking at apples to apples. The other thing I'd say is their boats were pretty fast, and because of where they are located (close to great diving), the rides are short. Not sure what it would be like to have another group service you. I don't know a lot about other OPs, since that was my first trip to Coz, but I really liked their operation. Boats ran on time, staff was great, gear was well-maintaine (ScubaPro is their rental line). Again, with a sample of one, I'm not sure you would find any OP better than them on the Island. And if there were, I have no idea what they might do to make it better...

 

[Diver Kat]

Hey DD! Questions are never crazy!! (Or at least TOO crazy for the SBer's around here! lol!)

If you're heading to Coz in early Feb, I think one problem may be that you'll find many of the 'recommended' ops are already booked up. However, you will NOT be dropped off, left to fend for yourself, and then picked up an hour later. Since primarily the diving is done in the marine park, DM's are required. Dive times may depend on your dive op, but many (most?) allow you to dive your air/computer. Personally we use Scuba with Alison, and have for the last 7 years, We like her fast, comfy boat; unrestricted dive times; good prices; and fun -but safe- laid back attitude. We don't use her rental gear, but I've seen it, and she keeps it well maintained. But Alison is not alone - you'll find there are many great smaller ops - if you're not inclined to use the house op at your hotel - and most will pick up at the southern hotels. You might want to shoot off e-mails to a few that look interesting, or are recommended, and see who has the availability, price & any other amenities your looking for.

As for other things to do ... if you - or the better half - are looking for some real relaxation (after all the stress of diving! lol!) then check out Barefoot in Cozemel/ aka Cozumel Sally. Her ashiatsu massages are to die for!!!

 

[Mike]

Greetings

I am heading to Cozumel in early Feb, for a scuba vacation, among other things...Mayan Ruins, general exploring... and the questions I have are crazy. I like to plan, I would not consider myself an "anal" person, but when I plan a trip, I want to know my options, what is worth spending time and money on, and what to not even concern myself about.... That being said, what would you very experienced Coz travellers do, if this was your first trip to the island.

what dive shop would you use?. I am not rich, I have some money to spend on the trip, but I dont want to be ripped off. who would you suggest as a great company? with reasonable rates and great quality. I do not want to just be dropped off at a reef, and picked up an hour later. do they have DM's? are they serious about my safety?. What about gear? I will be renting regs and BC's, do they have latest stuff?

What are the rules for resort pickup? I am staying at the Allegro, they already have a dive shop there, am I stuck with using them, or will other companies pick me up there, or somewhat close? They rates for the place on the resort are quite a bit more than some others, they also seem to be a giant outfit? I like the personal attention, of smaller outfits, but will go big, if that means quality? any feedback?

Ruins tours? I have to do this, I have been told by other/ better half already. I know I have to take a ferry to the mainland, and pretty much kill a day getting there and back, but who would you guys use as a tour op?

Cozumel in general... what do I need to see there? Been thinking of checking out the sweat lodge, and a few other places, but if you could change your trips to Coz, to include certain attractions, what would it be. Tour ops and dive shop feel free to contact me, I would love to see what you offer. Fellow SB'ers, help me out please. Help me make my 40th Birthday trip, one to remember.

Thanks

D

With less than 24 dives under your belt -- I'd recommend you forget the brain damage of a search for another dive op, and just dive with the resort's house dive operation at the Allegro, they are competent and aren't going to 'rip you off', and this is one of those things based on your circumstances that falls under what you stated -"not worth being concerned about'. The differences between your house op and others on the island will be purely nuances at this point in your diving experience, you won't know the difference, and you aren't even looking for very specific services or experiences anyways, and certainly at this point there is a lot be said for the convenience and pleasure of having your dive op located where you are staying.

Do yourself a favor and search the forums for Prodive reviews and you can put the dive op questions behind you.

If you're not thrilled with going to ruins on the mainland and just need to see some, Tulum is going to be the closest (besides the ones on Cozumel - hint, hint), Tulum is very cool and has some other pluses to it if you can swing convincing your gal to go to them, if not the big dog is Chitzen Itza. It's way out there and you'll spend more of your time getting there and back then actually seeing the ruins. But Chitzen Itza is the most popular and its big, and touristy. Tulum, is smaller, more laid back and offers you the beach there, the town of Tulum, beach bars and even a cenote to swim in and you are going to cut about 3 hours of travel off.

 

[Ms. Ann Thrope]

As far as the mainland ruins, you don't really need a tour operator. Especially if you're doing the closer ruins (Tulum and Coba). The roads are good, as is the signage. A rental car would give you the freedom of stopping off at the Tulum pueblo or beach area for lunch, or a cenote, or any number of other things. Coba is bigger and more interesting than Tulum, but Tulum is beautiful (especially early in the morning, before hordes of organized tours appear). Once at the sites, you could always hire a guide, if you want more info than you think you'll get from either the (bilingual) site markers or guide literature. If you do go the rental-car route, I'd probably suggest reserving ahead of time. Usually we do, and last time we didn't, we had to scramble a bit at the last minute.

If you're going farther inland, for Chichen Itza or Ek Balam, a tour could end up being simpler, though we like having a car so we can check out sites along the way--including the charming Valladolid.

 

[mdax]

Scuba Club cozumel has been pretty good for when we bring our daughter. Close enough to town for nice dinner walks, boats leave from their dock.

 

[njones259]

I would rent a car so you can make some trips into town to eat.Allegro is nice but you will get tired of the food.As far as diving I agree with Mike,prodive should be great for your initial dives in Coz.

 

[DandyDon]

A lot of us love to share opinions. Take what you like and leave the rest...

Greetings

I am heading to Cozumel in early Feb, for a scuba vacation, among other things...Mayan Ruins, general exploring... and the questions I have are crazy. I like to plan, I would not consider myself an "anal" person, but when I plan a trip, I want to know my options, what is worth spending time and money on, and what to not even concern myself about.... That being said, what would you very experienced Coz travellers do, if this was your first trip to the island.

Eh, don't worry or try to get it all in one trip - and you didn't say how long you will be there, but you can always plan to doing more the next trip. I do hope you don't get blown out much. Wintertime and Nortes/northers go together.

what dive shop would you use?. I am not rich, I have some money to spend on the trip, but I dont want to be ripped off. who would you suggest as a great company? with reasonable rates and great quality. I do not want to just be dropped off at a reef, and picked up an hour later. do they have DM's? are they serious about my safety?. What about gear? I will be renting regs and BC's, do they have latest stuff?

YOU and your buddy are responsible for your safety. The DMs are good, but it'd be a good idea to splurge on a private DM for the first day. Never expect the latest stuff with rentals, and do check it out well before you board. There is a lot to be said for the convenience of using the house Op, or you can use another - maybe with some cab rides at first and last. Got DAN insurance (not the cheapest level)? Sausage? Bio-friendly sunblock?

Ruins tours? I have to do this, I have been told by other/ better half already. I know I have to take a ferry to the mainland, and pretty much kill a day getting there and back, but who would you guys use as a tour op?

Just one day of ruins, ok. Skip the ones on Coz; I wished I had...
> Tulum ruins are convenient to Playa del Carmen and lovely, altho a bit too manicured for my taste.
> Coba ruins are a hoot, if you like bicycling on a trail thru the jungle (I did), with 2 quarts of water in your backpack. They are not far from Tulum, but stop at the San Francisco grocery in Tulum for bottled water.
> For Chichen Itza and Ek Balam, we left most of our stuff in our Coz room, took an afternoon ferry to PDC, drove to CI and got a room there (want suggestions?), did CI in the morning before the tour buses arrived, then Ek Balam before backtracking.

Good maps help, and these include locations of the rare gas stations: cancunmap.com- Maps and travel guides.Your information source to Cancun,Cozumel,Isla Mujeres & Riviera Maya but this is a click to zoom map for planning: http://www.locogringo.com/lgunet/images/maps/roads/masterQR.png
I like this PDC car rental for economy and full insurance: Easy Way Cancun Car Rental: your Cancun Airport Rental Car
Good source for ruin info: Mayan Ruins Mexico: Yucatan Peninsula Mayan Ruins, Mexico

Cozumel in general... what do I need to see there? Been thinking of checking out the sweat lodge, and a few other places, but if you could change your trips to Coz, to include certain attractions, what would it be. Tour ops and dive shop feel free to contact me, I would love to see what you offer. Fellow SB'ers, help me out please. Help me make my 40th Birthday trip, one to remember.

Thanks

D

Sweat lodge?

 

[robint]

well, since you say you have already booked a hotel on the south end of the island, you have already limited some of your activities. As others have mentioned, you are far from town and will need a car rental or $$$ taxi ride to get around.

If you really want to do the ruins on the Mainland, get the Adventure map mentioned by Don. And you will want to do it as an overnight trip, otherwise you are going to be traveling 6+ hours each way to get there. Sorry, but that is the problem with those southern hotels.

robin

 

[Dr Dog]

Sweat lodge?

LOL Number 3 attraction according to Tripadvisor. Complete tourist set up, but I think it would be neat to experience it.

Thanks for your feedback everyone