Coz for week for $1k with food, flight and scuba?

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If you are looking for cheap airfare, I just booked round-trip into Cancun for $363 out of LAX on Continental for my trip in August. Leave on a Friday, return on a Saturday. Try some variation of days to get the best price.

From Cancun, you could take a shuttle to Playa and then the ferry to get to Cozumel. Much cheaper than the airfare into Cozumel was.
 
CompuDude:
Yes, I've seen that quite clearly looking over the various packages offered by various tour operators and hotels. Double occupancy definitely bring my per-person cost down.

I have a buddy who is 90% sure he'll be able to join me, so that's going to help a lot.

I'm looking over your website, and I see a Suites Bahia package at $550 for 6 Nights with 5 Days of 2 Tank diving (if I'm reading it right). Depending on how much airfare ends up running me (always the tricky part), if I assume $300 for planning purposes, that's $850, leaving $150 for food. Not quite enough, I think, but then, airfare may be doable for less than $300.

(And looking again, $25 more gets me the same package at Casa Mexicana with daily breakfast and free internet, so that may be a worthwhile upgrade.)

I'm looking at sometime July at this point.

The taxes on a flight in and out of the US to Mexico are over $100 (on a $363 fare, add $116 tax to make it $479). I wouldn't plan on getting anything less than $400 - $450 as far as airfare (depending on from where you are flying, and to get that low of an airfare you'll have to fly into Cancun and do the ferry thing (add in $60 for the van-ferry-ferry-van R/T)); I just got a $402 (incl. taxes) for Tampa>CZM; CUN>Tampa for middle of May, and prices are only going up in the coming months as oil approaches $70/bbl.

I usually stay at Casa Mex, but if you're looking frugal, there are plenty of other choices. Again, taxes on any listed prices you find on the internet are going to increase your costs by 12.5%, and the 'single supplement' is also going to increase your cost by about 30% (if your buddy can't make it).

Under $1000 for "5 days 2-tank morning diving" is doable but I don't think it is with all the amenities and add-ons you are expecting (especially if going alone)...you can't expect to eat steak on a hamburger budget...the really good thing about Coz is you can eat pretty cheaply (but at $20/day you'll be eating a lot of tacos, and defintely won't be eating at any of the middle-to-better places, so you'll need to be careful, lest you spend a few days with Montezuma's revenge rather than diving...lol...)
 
Yes, I just ran some searches now that my scheduling is getting more firm. Those taxes SUCK! Thank god I have some miles on Alaska I can burn to get discount tix. I should be able to keep it to just barely over $300 each, including money for the ferry and such.

I'll have a buddy, in all likelihood, so no single supplements to worry about. That 12% room tax thing is going to kill me, though.

I may have to give up on my first choice dive op, XT Sea, in favor of Papa Hog, at least for this first trip, if I want to have money for taxes and food and still make the cap (or close to it).

Papa Hog has a nice package at Hotel Villa Blanca for $479:

Package “B”
7 nights standard hotel room E.P.)
5 days of diving with 2 tanks per dive day
plus a welcome shore dive

Includes wireless internet and breakfast, even.

Call that $500, plus $300 for the flight, and I still have $200 for food, which should just cover it, as long as we don't go crazy with the drinks. Taxes, tips, etc., will probably push me a little over, but it should be close enough I can get away with it.

I really wanted to dive with Blue XT Sea, but that dream may have to wait until my next trip, when presumably I'm not under quite as much of a budget crunch...

Oh, say, that reminds me... how is Coz in July? What is it about July that makes it "low season", vs. high season?
 
It's hot...very, very hot...thunderstorms pretty regularly but mostly in the afternoons. However, mornings can also get a little freaky thuderstorm-wise depending on the front-configurations, but most of the ops send out the boats anyway...wear your wetsuit and mask and you'll be fine...lol...
 
It is also hurricane season....but yes the heat is a factor not sure if that has anything to do with it being low season....we usually go every July but being from Texas the heat doesn't really bother us....we just stay by the pool when we are not diving....and go into town after dark
 
CompuDude:
True, if my wife was certified, I'd have a $2k restriction... but more likely, she would instead want to go with me, but could not (she has insufficient vacation time with her new job, that's the whole reason I'm being given a week to myself). Then she'd be [more] jealous of my dive week without her, and not let me go.

But the wife would never go for the type of accommodations I am fine with... so the inexpensive vacation would suddenly start to cost serious dough!

Meanwhile, gee, had I but known that bunking with Christi was an option there would have been much decision to warrant this thread. :wink:

Does your wife have an interest or hobby that you don't share? Could you negotiate your dive trip in exchange for a solo trip for her too? Does she also get penalized for the activities she likes that you don't participate in?

My DH and I both dive and we both prefer small more low key places to stay, so no issues there. Before I was addicted I encouraged him to go with friends or alone. For several years I was restricted in how much vacation time I had and when I could take it. He wasn't so why should he have missed opportunities that he had time for and could afford? And I still encourage him to go with buddies, without me when the opportunity arises. I took my first solo dive trip last summer when he had other commitments and I loved it. Might do another one this year too.
 
CompuDude:
Yes, I just ran some searches now that my scheduling is getting more firm. Those taxes SUCK! Thank god I have some miles on Alaska I can burn to get discount tix. I should be able to keep it to just barely over $300 each, including money for the ferry and such.

I would suggest squirreling away $20 here and there so by the time you take your trip you have a $200 or so secret cash reserve to cover the little add-ons.
 
One more thing, don't forget to budget for tips. Tipping is an individual choice, but the hardworking dive guides' and crews' wages are low - they depend on their tip income. Just my $0.02
 
How about a shorter trip? There are a few packages for 5 days with 3 days diving (2 tanks) for around $300 - $350. Suites Colonial even offers free breakfast and includes the 12% tax, all for $318. This would give you additional money for good food, drinks, some afternoon dives, or even night dives. Don't know if the shorter trip appeals to you, just throwing out some options. Here is the link:

http://www.aquasafari.com/packages.html
 
When I used to come to Cozumel on a dive vacation, before moving here for good, we stayed at the Hotel Aguilar. It a basic room with two double beds, a/c, hot showers, clean, swimming pool, right downtown, one block from the Blue XT~Sea Diving office. Current rates are $40 per night. That's $20 per person if your buddy tags along. Seven nights will run you $140 per person. Five days of two tank dives with your preferred shop will run $340 plus 10% tax, plus about $10 in marine park fees, for a total of $384. So far you've spent $524. Staying downtown puts you within walking distance of all sorts of cheap eats and eliminates those pesky cab fares, which can add up. "Todo es posible", everything is possible!
 
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