DjDiverDan
Contributor
I assume from your post that you haven't been to Cozumel before. I've been coming to Cozumel regularly - at least once a year, often more than that - since I first got certified in 1990. While opinions can vary, here is my own list of suggestions.
First, you indicate that you are going to take OW and AOW courses in Cozumel. Do you REALLY want to spend part of your vacation time in a classroom? I STRONGLY suggest you rethink this - take the coursework at home - find a local dive shop where you can complete the certification before your trip, or, if there are no good local options for the certification dives, one that can complete all of your coursework over a weekend or two, then refer you to a Cozumel Dive Op for your checkout dives. Make the most of your vacation by taking care of the certification class work before you come to Paradise.
Second, you assume that an All Inclusive will be your best bet. Not necessarily so. I have nothing against All Inclusive Resorts in general - I've stayed at several myself, but NOT on Cozumel. To me, Cozumel is a great diving destination, but it is so much more. It's incredibly safe - violent crime, at least against tourists, is almost nonexistent. It's incredibly friendly. And it has an absolute wealth of great restaurants, in pretty much every budget. I have so many personal favorite restaurants that I can't hit them all in a one week trip. My only AI experience on Cozumel was a stay at the Hotel Cozumel (which has both an AI and non-AI option), and I had to do the AI as part of the package deal for the ScubaBoard Invasion. I'm a bit of a foodie, so my standards are higher than most, but I thought the food at Hotel Cozumel was TERRIBLE. I ended up eating outside the hotel 5 nights out of 7, and for nearly every lunch. There may well be some AI resorts on Cozumel where the food is good; I wouldn't know, since I haven't stayed at any of them. I do know that I would very much miss going to my favorite local restaurants, and seeing old friends there, so I don't do AI on Cozumel. And if budget is a concern, forget it. You can eat very, very well on Cozumel by going to the little locally owned loncherias, getting a huge lunch, drink included (agua fresca) for about 70 Pesos, plus tip (90 Pesos would be about $6.50 at current exchange rates). And even the higher end restaurants, like Kinta, Kondesa, or La Cocay, will only set you back about $40 per person for a great meal. I know that there are some posters here who like the AI experience. To each his own. But don't think that that is the best or only option on Cozumel.
Third, as others have mentioned, do NOT think that you must use the house Dive Op at whatever hotel you happen to be staying at. If you are staying South of downtown, most Ops can pick you up at your hotel pier; some resorts may charge you a dock fee if you aren't using the house Dive Op, but that is usually not much, and a small price to pay for a better dive experience. You'll find a lot of cheerleaders on this Forum for any of several Dive Ops. I love Aldora for the HP Steel 120 tanks, the incredibly long bottom times, the long SI on the beach, and consistently great DMs. But I also like Dive with Martin, which I've used many times on group trips when I didn't get to choose the Dive Op, and Dive with Martin, though it doesn't have steel tanks (steel, being heavier, has much better buoyancy characteristics for me), and only gets me an AL 100 tank, does have some very good DMs. But there are a LOT of excellent Dive Ops on Cozumel; Blue XTSea, Tres Pelicanos, Dive with Allison, Living Underwater, and many more that I'll let others mention (and cheerlead for). Figure out what you want in a Dive Op, do the research, and pick the Op best for you. Finally, where you stay may limit your choices of Dive Ops and will affect your transportation costs. I've never stayed up North, and, as others have mentioned, the North Hotel Zone is NOT convenient for divers. Nearly all of the dive sites, all of them within the Marine Park, are South - they start at Paradise Reef just south of the International Cruise Ship Pier, and go all the way to the South end of the Island. Dive Ops will not pick you up in the North Hotel Zone, so if you stay there, you need a rental car or you'll spend a lot in taxi fares to dive. Most of the restaurants are in the Downtown area, and staying Downtown, or close to Downtown, is very convenient for walking the restaurants for meals or to the Plaza at night (Sunday nights on the Plaza are usually very pleasant, with lots of locals wandering around, street food carts, and vendors selling artwork and crafts). While staying Downtown is convenient, it can affect your choice of Dive Op, but there are still several excellent Dive Ops that will pick you up at a downtown pier or will provide transportation to the Caleta where the dive boats leave.
Some quick advice - while nearly everywhere in Cozumel will accept U.S. Dollars, you will be much better off exchanging currency and paying for almost everything in Pesos. Current exchange rates are a tad over 16 Pesos to the Dollar, but Taxis in Cozumel are still quoting fares at a 10-1 exchange rate. An 80 Peso fare will be quoted at 80 Pesos or $8.00 - but if you exchange your Dollars at a Bank in Cozumel, you'll get very close to 16 Pesos to the Dollar, so an 80 Peso fare only costs you $5.00. Get Pesos, pay in Pesos.
First, you indicate that you are going to take OW and AOW courses in Cozumel. Do you REALLY want to spend part of your vacation time in a classroom? I STRONGLY suggest you rethink this - take the coursework at home - find a local dive shop where you can complete the certification before your trip, or, if there are no good local options for the certification dives, one that can complete all of your coursework over a weekend or two, then refer you to a Cozumel Dive Op for your checkout dives. Make the most of your vacation by taking care of the certification class work before you come to Paradise.
Second, you assume that an All Inclusive will be your best bet. Not necessarily so. I have nothing against All Inclusive Resorts in general - I've stayed at several myself, but NOT on Cozumel. To me, Cozumel is a great diving destination, but it is so much more. It's incredibly safe - violent crime, at least against tourists, is almost nonexistent. It's incredibly friendly. And it has an absolute wealth of great restaurants, in pretty much every budget. I have so many personal favorite restaurants that I can't hit them all in a one week trip. My only AI experience on Cozumel was a stay at the Hotel Cozumel (which has both an AI and non-AI option), and I had to do the AI as part of the package deal for the ScubaBoard Invasion. I'm a bit of a foodie, so my standards are higher than most, but I thought the food at Hotel Cozumel was TERRIBLE. I ended up eating outside the hotel 5 nights out of 7, and for nearly every lunch. There may well be some AI resorts on Cozumel where the food is good; I wouldn't know, since I haven't stayed at any of them. I do know that I would very much miss going to my favorite local restaurants, and seeing old friends there, so I don't do AI on Cozumel. And if budget is a concern, forget it. You can eat very, very well on Cozumel by going to the little locally owned loncherias, getting a huge lunch, drink included (agua fresca) for about 70 Pesos, plus tip (90 Pesos would be about $6.50 at current exchange rates). And even the higher end restaurants, like Kinta, Kondesa, or La Cocay, will only set you back about $40 per person for a great meal. I know that there are some posters here who like the AI experience. To each his own. But don't think that that is the best or only option on Cozumel.
Third, as others have mentioned, do NOT think that you must use the house Dive Op at whatever hotel you happen to be staying at. If you are staying South of downtown, most Ops can pick you up at your hotel pier; some resorts may charge you a dock fee if you aren't using the house Dive Op, but that is usually not much, and a small price to pay for a better dive experience. You'll find a lot of cheerleaders on this Forum for any of several Dive Ops. I love Aldora for the HP Steel 120 tanks, the incredibly long bottom times, the long SI on the beach, and consistently great DMs. But I also like Dive with Martin, which I've used many times on group trips when I didn't get to choose the Dive Op, and Dive with Martin, though it doesn't have steel tanks (steel, being heavier, has much better buoyancy characteristics for me), and only gets me an AL 100 tank, does have some very good DMs. But there are a LOT of excellent Dive Ops on Cozumel; Blue XTSea, Tres Pelicanos, Dive with Allison, Living Underwater, and many more that I'll let others mention (and cheerlead for). Figure out what you want in a Dive Op, do the research, and pick the Op best for you. Finally, where you stay may limit your choices of Dive Ops and will affect your transportation costs. I've never stayed up North, and, as others have mentioned, the North Hotel Zone is NOT convenient for divers. Nearly all of the dive sites, all of them within the Marine Park, are South - they start at Paradise Reef just south of the International Cruise Ship Pier, and go all the way to the South end of the Island. Dive Ops will not pick you up in the North Hotel Zone, so if you stay there, you need a rental car or you'll spend a lot in taxi fares to dive. Most of the restaurants are in the Downtown area, and staying Downtown, or close to Downtown, is very convenient for walking the restaurants for meals or to the Plaza at night (Sunday nights on the Plaza are usually very pleasant, with lots of locals wandering around, street food carts, and vendors selling artwork and crafts). While staying Downtown is convenient, it can affect your choice of Dive Op, but there are still several excellent Dive Ops that will pick you up at a downtown pier or will provide transportation to the Caleta where the dive boats leave.
Some quick advice - while nearly everywhere in Cozumel will accept U.S. Dollars, you will be much better off exchanging currency and paying for almost everything in Pesos. Current exchange rates are a tad over 16 Pesos to the Dollar, but Taxis in Cozumel are still quoting fares at a 10-1 exchange rate. An 80 Peso fare will be quoted at 80 Pesos or $8.00 - but if you exchange your Dollars at a Bank in Cozumel, you'll get very close to 16 Pesos to the Dollar, so an 80 Peso fare only costs you $5.00. Get Pesos, pay in Pesos.
