Best budget trips: Coz vs Playa vs Cabo Plumo

[wickedliquid]

My girlfriend and I are both students, looking to do a trip to Mexico in mid December to dive and are a bit, ah budget conscious at the moment. I speak Spanish, and we both have backpacked / done budget travel extensively. Any suggestions? We are considering Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, and Cabo Pulmo. Thanks

 

[robint]

best diving.... Cozumel hands down.
budget... yes, you can do Cozumel on a budget, it just depends what type of accomodations you want, and how many dives per day, food needs, etc.

give us a range.. and needs.

 

[DjDiverDan]

I absolutely LOVE the diving on Cozumel, and for me,nothing on the mainland, from Cancun through PlayaDel Carmen to Akumal comes close. And yes you CAN do Cozumel on a very tight budget - I've done it many times. First step is to NOT fly into Cozumel. For some reason, i have not been able to find any budget-friendly air fares into Cozumel this year - and I've been looking. BUT, going Southwest, I can fly DAL-HOU-CAN round trip in early December for $366 - over $300 cheaper than AA Non-stop DFW-CZM. and BONUS - on Southwest, you can check two bags for free, while AA charges $25 per bag, NO bags free. From Cancun Airport, take ADO Bus to Playa Del Carmen, PDC Ferry to Cozumel. About $34 per person round trip.

There are a lot of very cheap options to stay -hotels with fairly spartan, but clean accommodations for as little as $25-30 a night per room. for a little more, you can even get a room on the waterfront (or at least on Melgar downtown facing the water) for $65 per night for a double room - the rooms at Suites Bahia and Casa Mexicana include a breakfast buffet. And there are plenty of good dining options from as little as $20-25 per person per day; even less if you make the Loncheria lunches your main meal of the day, 75-85 Pesos (about $5 plus tip) for a lunch with Chips and Salsa, Soup, entree with rice and beans, and agua fresca to drink. Then do one of the many Taquerias backin town on 30 or 65 for cheap but very good street tacos for dinner. Diving is likely to be your biggest expense of the trip, budget at least $60-$70 per person per day, PLUS enough to give a $10-15per person tip to the DM and crew.

 

[Blue Life]

I would recommend staying at least a few days in Playa del Carmen, as there are lots of budget accommodation options and it is a good jumping off point to exploring other parts of Quintana Roo, such as Cozumel, Akumal, and Tulum. We will be more than glad to help you plan some dives for your trip and offer more local recommendations that would suit your budget. Check us out at Diving Mexico - Cenotes, Caves, Caverns, Reefs Playa del Carmen Tulum - Blue Life. For more information please send us an email at info@bluelife.com and we will make sure to get you all set up!


Hope to dive with you soon!

 

[ERRN]

I think you might find more hostel options and dirt cheap lodging in playa and dives might be a bit cheaper, but Coz definitely wins on scenery. Personally I stay at hostels in Playa for $15-18 US a night including breakfast/water etc..., do 2 tanks dives through Scuba Tribe for about $65 not including rental, more $ for cenotes, and then do a day or 2 in cozomel. depends just how cheap you want to be and what else you want to do on vacation.

 

[DjDiverDan]

There are Hostels on Cozumel, for as little as $12-15 a night (per person), if you don't mind dorm room accomodations sharing with up to 6 people. There are also very cheap hotels, double room, private bath, no AC (which might not be a problem in December), for as little as $25-30 per night. The rooms will be spartan - a mattress thrown on a concrete slab, the shower consists of a shower head on the bathroom wall, drain in the floor - but clean and friendly staff. It really just depends on how much you want from the accomodations.

 

[Divebooker.com]

Cozumel would be the best choice in regards of diving and different accommodation types. You can follow this link - https://divebooker.com/search?rt=1&et=4&e=759&start=2015-12-01&end=2015-12-31 - to review the dive centers that provide service there and to compare the prices as well as book your trip online. Check the map for hotel options

 

[paulw]

Cozumel may be my favorite place to dive BUT I would not rule out Cabo Plumo : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XxJEO4Liuk

 

[DjDiverDan]

I just looked at the DiveBooker site for Cozumel, and I wouldn't trust ANYTHING on that site. It has Sand Dollar rated as the second highest rated Dive Op on Cozumel - SERIOUSLY.???

 

[Divebooker.com]

I just looked at the DiveBooker site for Cozumel, and I wouldn't trust ANYTHING on that site. It has Sand Dollar rated as the second highest rated Dive Op on Cozumel - SERIOUSLY.???

This is true, this dive center does have a high rating on Divebooker.com. The rating on our website is based on the reviews written by the customers who used their services, meaning this operator received review(s) from the customer(s) who visited it via divebooker. If you feel like some other operator on the list should be in the forefront, we're happy to invite you to write review(s) about other dive shops.

Furthermore, I am happy to let you know that we are on a final stage of integration with TripAdvisor, and after it's done (in about a week), the reviews from TripAdvisor will be displayed on the corresponding dive centers on Divebooker.com and our rating then will be influenced by that of tripAdvisor.

And lastly, I would like to thank you for your feedback. For a resource like ours, it's very important to know what your customers think and what they consider best, to constantly improve our service.

If you need our help in writing a review, just let us know