best value in Cozmel over labor day weekend.

[gajeep94yj]

just got back from the Bahamas with yet another great couple of dives with Grand Bahama Scuba, so now the wife and are already planning the next trip :14:

we have never been to Cozmel so we figure it's about that time.

what is the best value for the money in Cozmel?
Best operator:
Best place to stay:
Best All Inclusive:
Best way to get there: (fly directly to cozmel or to cancun and take a ferry)


we will be flying down there Thursday August 31st and flying back Monday the 4th to get the most use of vacation time and holiday time.

thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Seth

 

[MMM]

HI Seth. I think you'll find that lots of people have different views of what constitutes best value for money on all four of your questions. You'll find extensive discussions on all of these topics on various threads, albeit not under the heading of "value for money". I doubt you'll find too many people on this site who have the depth of experience (wide comparison shopping) to state definitively which of these is the best value for money. But you'll be hard-pressed to waste money in Coz relative to a lot of other dive spots in the Caribbean. My 2 cents.

 

[watt]

You'll get alot of opinions on dive operators, frankly they are all good based on your level of experience and desire to stay off the cattle boats. The bigggest decision is where to stay; all inclusives are generally a long way from town, which means you will miss alot of what Coz has to offer besides diving.

We've been going for over 15 yrs and use Dive Paradise (fast boats only) and for the last ten years staying at the Barracuda; walking distance to town, dive boat pick ups at their pier.

 

[scubawife]

Do you prefer a 6-pack boat, or large boat? Are you wanting advanced diving or will you be happy with any diving? Do you have a preference of aluminium or steel tanks? Do you want full-service or just a no-frills, safe boat to get you to the dive site?

Are there any "must have" features/amenities that you want in a hotel room or property?

Are you looking for the best value (most for your money) in a specific price range, or just the cheapest options?

Cozumel has accommodations and dive operators to suit just about every taste and budget. You can go cheap or 5 star luxury. If you can be a bit more specific you'll get suggestions that fit.

If you can fly to Cancun significantly cheaper then to Cozumel, getting to the island from the Cancun airport is pretty easy, but count on 2-3 hrs of travel time. The cheapest way to do it is to take the Riviera Bus from the airport (80 pesos, departs 45 min past the hour and it's about a 45-60 min trip) to Playa del Carmen and then take the ferry over (110 pesos). The ferry does not always run according to schedules you'll find posted online. If you get to PDC between 1-4pm, it's not unusual to find that a previously scheduled departure is cancelled and you will have to wait an hour.

 

[NancyLynn]

We went to Cozumel in late March and stayed at Scuba Club Cozumel. We absolutely loved it! Our family consists of one diver, one (then) almost diver, and one snorkeler and our opinion is unanimous.

All the diving I wanted (two tank trips daily, and unlimited free shore diving + opportunities for additional boat dives), my teenage daughter didn't quite make it through the open water class before we went, but took a discover scuba class while we were there then went out on the boat the last day with her own personal divemaster. My spouse snorkels, but doesn't dive - the view is not so good from the surface as in some places we've been but still had lots of fun jumping off the boat and snorkeling above us. My daughter lost her snorkel in the water on the first day, and by the time the boat caught up with the divers one of the crew had gone diving to retrieve it.

Lots of non-diving family come with family so non-divers have plenty to do and company if they don't want to go alone. Staff was incredibly attentive. Food was plentiful and fantastic - and if you aren't into eating local specialties they have a good selection of "American" food. Evening is close to gourmet. (3 meals a day are included in the price)

Short walk from town center - we walked it and explored daily.

Accommodations are built for divers, which makes it much easier than some places. We loved the futon-like mattresses (since we use them at home), but that was probably the only complaint we heard with any freqency.

 

[gajeep94yj]

ok let me explain what I mean by best value. I have never been to Cozumel so I didn't know exactly what to ask for.

we are not as worried about the hotel as we are the dive operator. I like using good knowledgable dive masters rather than the cattle boats. I like the smaller group of divers as well.

as for the stay we want something close to where we will be diving from. from what I have read (correct me if I am wrong) is that we really want to stay near town so we ar closer to the piers. so from what I understand is that the AI hotels are going to be out. I am fine with that, hotel rooms all look the same when my eyes are closed. this is going to be a diving vacation first and formost. we would like to get the most bottom time as possible, and don't mind spending the extra money for the dive operator rather than spending the money on a hotel room.

if it's not an AI hotel then we definitly want something close to town so we can benefit from the local restraunts.

thanks for the replies so far, they have been helpful.

 

[ggunn]

Luckily for us, there is no one best dive op on the island. Ditto for hotels.

Anywhere south of town will give you good access to the diving areas; it's a small island and all the dive sites are close in. If you prefer eating in town to an AI, the Fiesta Americana is about as far south as you'll want to stay. The Presidente is still closed, so that's not an option and probably still won't be in September. Here are some hotels south of town but close enough to cab it into town for dinner:

Fiesta Americana
Villablanca
Caribe Blu
Hotel Cozumel
Scuba Club Cozumel
La Ceiba/El Cid
Casa del Mar
Hotel Barracuda

Most or all of these hotels have a web presence; look them up and see if their price/amenities mix appeals to you. All have had favorable mention on this forum.

 

[parrotheaddiver]

Luckily for us, there is no one best dive op on the island. Ditto for hotels.

Anywhere south of town will give you good access to the diving areas; it's a small island and all the dive sites are close in. If you prefer eating in town to an AI, the Fiesta Americana is about as far south as you'll want to stay. The Presidente is still closed, so that's not an option and probably still won't be in September. Here are some hotels south of town but close enough to cab it into town for dinner:

Fiesta Americana
Villablanca
Caribe Blu
Hotel Cozumel
Scuba Club Cozumel
La Ceiba/El Cid
Casa del Mar
Hotel Barracuda

Most or all of these hotels have a web presence; look them up and see if their price/amenities mix appeals to you. All have had favorable mention on this forum.

Plus they all have on site piers so you do not have to travel....I believe you mentioned you wanted a place "close to the piers"

 

[scubawife]

ok let me explain what I mean by best value. I have never been to Cozumel so I didn't know exactly what to ask for.

we are not as worried about the hotel as we are the dive operator. I like using good knowledgable dive masters rather than the cattle boats. I like the smaller group of divers as well.

as for the stay we want something close to where we will be diving from. from what I have read (correct me if I am wrong) is that we really want to stay near town so we ar closer to the piers. so from what I understand is that the AI hotels are going to be out. I am fine with that, hotel rooms all look the same when my eyes are closed. this is going to be a diving vacation first and formost. we would like to get the most bottom time as possible, and don't mind spending the extra money for the dive operator rather than spending the money on a hotel room.

if it's not an AI hotel then we definitly want something close to town so we can benefit from the local restraunts.

thanks for the replies so far, they have been helpful.

Small groups (6-7 per boat) and steel tanks (95's - 120's) for max amount of air will lead you to look at Liquid Blue and Living Underwater for dive operator choices. Both are great operations.

The great thing about Cozumel is that as long as you are south of town you can pretty much book with any dive operator and they will pick you up at your hotel pier. You won't be limited to the in-house shop.

 

[gajeep94yj]

ok now I am more confused than ever. can't someone just tell me a place to stay that not too expensive, close to everything, on the beach, and where a good Dive operator will pick up from.

the more I look and the more I research the more confused I get!

BTW: does anyone have a descent map of Cozumel that shows where some of the hotels are and some of the dive operators? that would really help. I have found some but none have helped yet.