Coz first time question

[jonhall]

I'm in the 'Go for it" crowd. You have a plan, so don't overthink it. It will be a great trip and then you can give us your thoughts on each aspect of the trip (boats, shore dives, SCC, resort food, etc....)

 

[rick00001967]

i will swim against the current (wink wink) and say i would choose hotel coz before scuba club.
that said, i have not dived with scuba club or even stayed there.
my impressions from online searching is that hotel coz is in the same location, also has a peir, same shore dive, better pool area, nicer hotel over all, has bikes, and has either just brkfst included or you can go AI.
i will say that scuba club does seem to have a loyal following and gets lots of people suggesting it to others.
the price may also be better now that hotel coz is a wyndam property. i have seen them run some pretty decent specials for the usa crowd.
either way, i am sure you will enjoy it.

 

[tridacna]

SCC is fantastic for Coz first timers.

Tips:
Ask for Nestor as a DM.
Get a room on the ground floor near the dive shop.
Bring a combination padlock to secure your locker.
Breakfasts and lunches are good and convenient. Walk into town for dinner.
Shore diving is wonderful there.
Both supermarkets are 5 minutes walk towards town.

You WILL have a great time. Enjoy!

 

[ggunn]

SCC is fantastic for Coz first timers.

Tips:
Ask for Nestor as a DM.
Get a room on the ground floor near the dive shop.
Bring a combination padlock to secure your locker.
Breakfasts and lunches are good and convenient. Walk into town for dinner.
Shore diving is wonderful there.
Both supermarkets are 5 minutes walk towards town.

You WILL have a great time. Enjoy!

I think you are right, although I have never stayed there myself. To the OP: No matter where you stay, be sure and get out and explore the island so that for your next trip to Cozumel (there will be a next trip, trust me) you can fine tune your plan. Walk around town, try some restaurants, check out the beach clubs south of town, explore the "wild side" of the island (I recommend hiring a cab for the day), maybe do some fishing... There is plenty there besides the diving.

 

[BLee88]

explore the "wild side" of the island (I recommend hiring a cab for the day)

@ggunn any tips on must-dos?

We have our first Coz trip coming up in a month. I'm trying to plan an itinerary for an "off" day from diving and any insights/suggestions from folks here would be appreciated.

 

[ggunn]

@ggunn any tips on must-dos?

We have our first Coz trip coming up in a month. I'm trying to plan an itinerary for an "off" day from diving and any insights/suggestions from folks here would be appreciated.

We always schedule a full day to go around the island. Over on the east side there is no grid electricity, so everything is powered by batteries that they haul back and forth from town (one or two places have some solar). There is a loop road that goes around the southern half of the island. There are little beach clubs/restaurants every couple of miles on the east side - starting from the north end there's Mescalito's, Señor Iguana's, Punta Morena, Coconuts, Chen Rio, Welcome to Miami, El Mirador, and Rasta's/Paradise Cafe. The sea is usually pretty surfy over there and there are miles of deserted beaches.

We are usually a group of 8 or 10; we hire a taxi van for the day. Just about any taxi driver you encounter will make you a deal to do the trip. The guys we have hired have always patiently waited for us wherever we want to stop; some of the places over there will feed the drivers for free for bringing them customers.

 

[mcohen1021]

For your first trip, yes you can spend a full day exploring the island

on your 2nd and subsequent trips you'll know your favorites and can do it in a couple of hours

 

[BLee88]

Gotcha - thanks guys

Any thoughts on renting a car for a day to go around the island? I see that scooters arent really recommended but I'd imagine driving around wont be too bad?

 

[Saboteur]

i will swim against the current (wink wink) and say i would choose hotel coz before scuba club.
that said, i have not dived with scuba club or even stayed there.
my impressions from online searching is that hotel coz is in the same location, also has a peir, same shore dive, better pool area, nicer hotel over all, has bikes, and has either just brkfst included or you can go AI.
i will say that scuba club does seem to have a loyal following and gets lots of people suggesting it to others.
the price may also be better now that hotel coz is a wyndam property. i have seen them run some pretty decent specials for the usa crowd.
either way, i am sure you will enjoy it.

May give that one a look.

 

[ggunn]

For your first trip, yes you can spend a full day exploring the island

on your 2nd and subsequent trips you'll know your favorites and can do it in a couple of hours

To each his/her own. I've been to Cozumel 30 or 40 times and I still take a whole day every time to do the around the island excursion with family and friends. It's a tradition.