Casa Mexicana, bahia or Colonial

[MrBigfins]

Looks like suites colonial is out, the only plus there would be proximity to Los states. Leaning toward casa mexicana for the $60 more for 9 days. Thanks for the input, normally my non diving wife travels with me and we use a southern AI for her pleasure. This trip is a guys trip and we dont need the AI and want to be closer to town.

 

[Brodydog]

For the minimal price difference I would go with Casa Mexicana. The accommodations there are much nicer than the other two.

 

[deepsea21]

Certainly go with the Casa Mexicana for a guys trip and be in town. At that price for the higher quality and convenience of having the breakfast buffet right there with the shop a 4-5 minute walk around the corner at the back of the block $60 bucks is a very easy decision. Don't get me wrong, any of these hotels are nice and looking at maps can make you think they may be far apart but they are all within about a 10 minute walk of each other.

If you want to, find the best price you can on-line for the Casa Mexicana and then go all the way through the booking process up to the point where it asks you to pay with a credit card.. at that point you'll see all the hidden taxes and fees and such that don't always show up with the teaser rates that are put out there on some of the hotel booking sites. Once you know that final price per night. Write it down and contact Jeanie at 3P's to book a dive and stay package (assuming you decide to dive with 3P's). I've booked many dive and stay packages with Jeanie at 3P's and she has ALWAYS delivered the same best price I could ever find on line if searched and searched and tried to book the accommodations myself and only booked the diving through Jeanie at 3P's.

Also, 3P's clout with the Casa Mexicana (and its sister hotels as they are all under the same ownership) means she knows the best rooms and can usually secure the best lower cost "city view" rooms that actually offer better water views than the Casa's higher priced 'Delux Ocean View' rooms. She is usually able to get us on the 4th or 5th floor in a southern facing city view room that offers water views all the way to the southern cruise port. A thread not to long ago was started about the Casa Mexicana and the best rooms it has to offer... check it out below. Also, if you go through one of those booking sites, you have no idea what room you'll end up in and, like all hotels, the Casa has crappy rooms as well.

Best rooms at Casa Mexicana?

 

[buffdiver]

I've booked many dive and stay packages with Jeanie at 3P's and she has ALWAYS delivered the same best price I could ever find on line if searched and searched and tried to book the accommodations myself and only booked the diving through Jeanie at 3P's.

In addition if your plans change or you have to bail outside of a couple of weeks before you go, you can get your money back. Hotels.com will **** you!

 

[deepsea21]

In addition if your plans change or you have to bail outside of a couple of weeks before you go, you can get your money back. Hotels.com will **** you!

Exactly!

 

[DandyDon]

In addition if your plans change or you have to bail outside of a couple of weeks before you go, you can get your money back. Hotels.com will **** you!

Not if you book with free cancellation until two days before arrival. Those rates are often higher tho, and - while we've been talking, the best rate at CM went up to $64 on Hotels.com, $70 & up on Kayak listing other booking sites.

I generally shop air & hotel at the same time and book both with the lowest prices possible even if they mean significant penalties for cancelling. To do otherwise with air would be excessively expensive so I commit to the trip or not, altho I try to avoid having to pay more than one night hotel in advance if I can. If a true emergency comes up, I have trip insurance as I won't leave the US without it since my medical coverage pays very little outside of the US.

That said, yeah - Jeannie does great work and probably has the best prices and policies with the hotel.

 

[Streydog]

I have stayed at all three places over the last couple years. If you can get CM for under $60 a night it would be hard to pass up. Only problem with the three though is they don't have beach access or pools. Sorry I don't consider the pool at CM a pool. I have never stayed at the Barracuda but it may fit your needs better. It has a pool and is on the water, iron shore but has ladder access. It is very close to town. From what I understand is the rooms are just a little below the 3 hotels you mentioned. The bar by the pool is kind of pricey for the area and can be loud during the day, I have heard it quite downs at night. I have stayed at Hotel Cozumel a couple times. A little farther from town but easily walkable. They have iron shore/ pier access via a tunnel that is a very short walk. Very nice pool. They have an IA option that is cheap. Breakfast is good, lunch ok if you use the snack bar for fajitas but dinner is not very good. The walk to town form Hotel Cozumel is not bad but gets old after a while.

Just a couple other options to throw into the mix, that is one of the things that makes Cozumel such a great diving destination. My favorite place to stay has turned out to be Bahia due to price and location.

 

[Memo Mendoza]

Hola a Todos! I have started a great relationship with Casa Mexicana, Just around the corner from our shop and half a block from Aldora pier were you can meet the boat. Email us for info on the packages

Memo Mendoza
“Life is Diving the rest is just a long surface interval”

 

[deepsea21]

Regarding the Barracuda... It's the cheapest waterfront hotel on the island... For many reasons. I walk past it every time I go to the Mega. I see it standing there in all its orange glory but I've no interest in staying there.

 

[MrBigfins]

Is there public beach access anywhere close to Casa Mexicana?