Can't beat Cozumel

[BettyfromToronto]

We are visiting Cozumel 3 times this year. Next visit in less than 3 weeks. We stay at Scuba Club Cozumel and pay $899/person or less for a week dive trip including room (we get an ocean view); 5 days of 2 tank boat diving + unlimited shore diving plus 3 meals a day. We're not drinkers so not interested in the AI hotels. We book air separately for a 4hr direct flight <$600. Total about $1600 without tips.

We love Cozumel so much we are actually thinking of retiring there instead of Hong Kong in 2014 but that is another story.

Now the reason for my post? We are thinking maybe we should try something else in May 2013 for our 19th anniversary We looked at T&C but it was $2700/person at Beaches. That is more than $1K person and we can only do 2 dives a day and no shore diving PLUS THERE ARE KIDS THERE. :shocked2:

Then I thought about Little Cayman Beach Resort. It gets great reviews and a lot of repeaters like SCC. Similar package to SCC but it was advertised on the website for $1850 for a poolside room and $2150 for a beach view. $1850 is twice the price. Ouch and we were trying to justify the extra $500 for a beach view room. Thinking about it but then when I sent an e-mail inquiry I got sorry - that package is sold out. If you want the pool room it is now $2196 and the beach view room is $2516 per person. OMG That is 2.8x the cost of SCC.

We can afford it but I cannot justify that. Maybe for 2 weeks but for just one??? Nope. Not going to happen. The more I keep looking the more I think we will end up back at SCC.

Even Cobalt Coast on Grand Cayman is $2175 for a similar package but the reviews seem to be mixed. Are we spoiled for life???

Can anyone comment on Cobalt Coast or suggest anything else? One thing is we don't do connecting flights through USA (sorry)

 

[Drewpy]

Give Bonaire a shot..not sure what air situation would be from Canada though? I went to Coz about 6yrs ago and am returning in Feb but I have been to Bonaire 4 times in the last 4 years and love the place! Being able to shore dive as much as you want and on your own schedule is a big + for me, the Island and its people and restaurants as well as the diving is hard to beat IMHO!

 

[Mike]

If price is the driver than you're limited because you don't seem to be acknowledging the value of the differences of the diving experience in T&C / Caymans, the place you'll stay at in T&C /Caymans, the people you'll meet, the food you'll eat, which all adds to the experience and $889 a person is the experience at Scuba Club not anywhere else.

If price is really the primary factor, possibly consider Bonaire, you won't find a bigger bang for you buck diving wise. You can dive like crazy 5-6 times a day and bring your per tank diving cost ratio lower than Cozumel. Have you been to Roatan? Places like Fantasy Island are dive, dive, dive experiences, but again, going to be different experiences than SCC. However, if $899 is the magic number, they are running a package for the same price. But back to experiencing different things, different/better experiences cost what they cost. The experience of Little Cayman Beach Resort and the experience of Scuba Club Cozumel in my opinion aren't even on the same planet, nor is the diving. A beach view room at LCBR is actually on the beach right, or darn close to it? And it's a real beach, you walk out and your toes are in the beach sand, the room at SCC is what? At best facing that big nasty pier in front of SCC, a fake sandy area surrounded by iron shore? I just don't see any comparison between them. Further, I think going to a different country such as Bonaire, Roatan, T&C or the Caymans and experiencing all that comes with that should effect the dollar equation.

 

[cicopo]

If you're not willing to do connecting flights in the US you'll be very limited on your options. I'm assuming you want to depart from Toronto direct to your destination, or an island / city close by & do a local commute to the final destination.

 

[Rhodesaz]

Betty,
We've been to Cozumel 3 times this year and leave again in 18 days. We stay at the Occidental Grand (South end of the island) and paid $1400 for both us at the resort. Diving is separate as is airfare and at $30 per dive (prepaid-$34 not prepaid) the diving price is great. The dive shop goes out 4 times a day, the boat travel times are less then 15 minutes and we can go out as often or as little as we feel like. Price no longer becomes a factor.

Personally, I like the AI plan even though we are not drinkers. But, if you go South resorts they may all be AI's.

I don't like leaving the dock at 8 am and not getting back until noon or later. My choice!! We tend to do the 10:30 and 3:30 dives. That works for us.
I'll bet most (not all) of the places you research do 2 tank boat dives. And for most divers I bet that works out well for them. I like to enjoy my coffee and breakfast in the morning. If I blow off a morning or afternoon dive, it's not a big deal.

I also research T&C. Ouch!

 

[Hawkwood]

If price is the driver than you're limited because you don't seem to be acknowledging the value of the differences of the diving experience in T&C / Caymans, the place you'll stay at in T&C /Caymans, the people you'll meet, the food you'll eat, which all adds to the experience and $889 a person is the experience at Scuba Club not anywhere else.

If price is really the primary factor, possibly consider Bonaire, you won't find a bigger bang for you buck diving wise. You can dive like crazy 5-6 times a day and bring your per tank diving cost ratio lower than Cozumel. Have you been to Roatan? Places like Fantasy Island are dive, dive, dive experiences, but again, going to be different experiences than SCC. However, if $899 is the magic number, they are running a package for the same price. But back to experiencing different things, different/better experiences cost what they cost. The experience of Little Cayman Beach Resort and the experience of Scuba Club Cozumel in my opinion aren't even on the same planet, nor is the diving. A beach view room at LCBR is actually on the beach right, or darn close to it? And it's a real beach, you walk out and your toes are in the beach sand, the room at SCC is what? At best facing that big nasty pier in front of SCC, a fake sandy area surrounded by iron shore? I just don't see any comparison between them. Further, I think going to a different country such as Bonaire, Roatan, T&C or the Caymans and experiencing all that comes with that should effect the dollar equation.

I'm going to agree with Mike on this. We have been to Cozumel twice...nice. However, there are other places to see in the world as well. Things are not all the same above the water or under the water. If you can do it financially, do it...you will broaden your experiences. So you only go for one week versus two weeks.

Yes, the Southern Cross Club on Little Cayman is more expensive, yes Turneffe Island Resort is more expensive, but the experience is something. Take the time to experience new places before you retire.

 

[Keith.M]

Geeze Mike. You seem to really have it in for SCC. Big nasty pier? Hmmm... I am on a diving vacation, seems pretty cool and convenient to me.

True there is no real beach to the water. You have a point there, but so what. I have looked at your dive history and you sure do have a lot of experience at many different dive locations.

So what about these other dive locations or places you are staying make it so you say that SCC is not even on the same planet?

I really would like to know as that can help in considering my next vacation dive destination.

 

[cbm32]

The air fare may be prohibitive for you, but one can stay and dive very reasonably in Fiji if you know where to look and take into consideration the exchange rate. I did Fiji last year and I am in Coz right now. Coz is great but Fiji is a TOTALLY different experience. TOTALLY!!

The soft corals with amaze you. The friendliness of the Fijian people is off the charts. The islands are beautiful (well not the main island of Nadi so much but all of the others I saw were just fantastic). The viz is fantastic (well except for Bega Lagoon in the rainy season). A vast array of choices of terrain and diving (there are over Fijian Islands).

Can you tell I cant wait to go back to Fiji? I will come back to Coz as well, because of the cost difference of the air fare, but when I can I will be heading for Fiji.

 

[fishi]

Beaches T&C has powdery white sand, 7 miles of it. The attraction there is Grace Bay beach, and that's what you are paying for if you go there. The good diving is on two nearby islands. West Caicos, and French Cay. Not very convenient to get to from Beaches. It's more of a beach resort with diving than it is a dive resort with a beach.

With LCBR you are getting what some believe to be the best diving in the Caribbean plus a nice beach in a very remote location.

CoCo View Resort or Anthony's Key are more on par with SCC. I have flown from Toronto direct to Roatan. Roatan doesn't have the restaurants Coz has, but it makes up for that with its natural beauty. Cozumel has no natural beauty other than the water IMO. Its just flat with no hills to look at. It is defiantly the cheapest tho.

 

[redacted]

It is just hard to beat the price of Cozumel. We used to go the SCC twice a year but decided to try the Occidental Grand when it first opened. The rooms and grounds were better and the food was quite good. The best part was that by diving with one of the many small, fast boat ops, we got to do all the southern sites that SCC pretty much will not do (Marichibo deep and shallow and Columbia shallows and the other very nice southern shallow reefs). And then we do shallow afternoon and night dives with the in-house op.