COZ questions.

[Queequeg]

Me and my wife are looking at going to Cozumel in October;Staying at Casa Del Mar, diving with Living Underwater....thats the plan. This will be our first trip to Cozumel. We have been diving for about 15 years, been to lots of places but always skipped over Coz. I guess its time we see what all the hoopla is about. However, people we have come across in our trips have not spoken well of Cozumel, some have, but most haven't, thus our reason for avoiding. But...I have also heard "not so good" reports of places we've been, that we loved and returned to. ... so you know how that goes.

So its time we find out for ourselves so we can :mooner: the pundits!

However....My wife was reading the 2005 Divers Chapbook, particularly the Cozumel reviews. I dont put too much emphasis the reports I've read in that book, other than for some entertainment purposes, but I do look for recurring themes. The one thing that is mentioned several times is people were getting sick, even some mention or insinuation of substandard food and cases of food poisoning. To me...this seems hard to believe actually.

So I HAVE to ask.........hows the food?

Also... Booking our accomodations with Casa Del Mar but not diving with them, Is this going to create any friction? .......No agua caliente para usted :no


Okay... say we do dive with Casa Del Mar, so they don't turn off our hot water :11 ....are they cattle boats? We kinda liked the idea of A smaller, more personalized group, which explains why we are thinking Living Underwater.

Opinions, advice, experiences, stock tips...... Please.

 

[judydivescoz]

Food is the best in Cozumel. Check out the Christi's list on her OP site. I have read here about people getting sick at the AIs, I would avoid them. You need to get into town and eat! You will get lots of great advice on this board. Enjoy your trip to Cozumel!

 

[BCOZ]

Any experience I have from eating on Coz would lead me to respond that your food poisoning concern is nothing to worry about. The possible exception could be eating off a buffet. Even then, I think its likely as rare as food poisoning cases here in the states.... ( Welcome to Taco John's! May I take your order please? )
I also think some of the "food Poisoning" cases on Coz are actually hangovers.

We eat at ANY restaurant, large or a tiny hole in the wall, with confidence and have NEVER had a problem.
I think you will find many others will agree.

Enjoy!

BCOZ

 

[H2ODoc]

I don't know where you've read these mixed reviews, but take some time and read through the threads here - I think you'll find everything you need to make sure it is one of your best vacations.

As far as food goes, we followed Christi's list and were very impressed with the food quality in Coz. I can't recall a vacation where the food was this good! We also followed her other advice about food poisoning...

- don't eat from food vendor stands
- wash your hands
- don't drink tap water
- take it easy if you aren't used to spicy foods

I found all restaraunts were very accomadating when it came to serving bottled water when we requested it. It seemed to be the norm.

We DID drink mixed drinks with ice, by the way. We DID eat fresh salsa and fruit and veggies. No problems at all.

 

[crispos]

It would appear to me you should be looking at reviews of your hotel which probably has a restaurant, to see if the food is go

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...el_Mar_Cozumel-Cozumel_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

I never had a problem eating in any of the restaurants in Cozumel. Of course, "Travellers' disease" as they call it, hits some people and leaves others untouched. Just use common sense.

One tip that I can say with confidence....take full length suits (skin or 3mm) as sometimes there are jellyfish at safety stop depth and can give you an annoying sting that lasts a few days.

 

[Queequeg]

I don't know where you've read these mixed reviews,

2005 Divers Chapbook....its put out annually by "Undercurrent" thats the latest edition we have,. My wife pulled it off the shelf to have a curious look. Anyone that has it will see the reviews. I like the "Undercurrent" publications but the Divers Chapbook....not so much.

Anyway...I value the opinions of people on this board much more as I've found through reading other threads about destinations we've visited that the info here is much more accurate.


Thats why I ask...

 

[H2ODoc]

Ooops - I missed the part where you said where you read that! My bad.

Anyway, I found this forum to be VERY accurate on everything about Coz.

We used TripAdvisor a lot on recent trips. It's a blessing and a curse. I would read 99 raving reviews about a place, but one bad review made me leery of that particular hotel. I think you have to throw out the highs and lows and trust the middle, so to speak.

Like the jellyfish thing - I did not see ONE jellyfish on 16 dives after there were reports of a surge in jelly populations. That's not to say they weren't around, I just didn't see any. We were totally fine in our shorty wetsuits, but as with anything, YMMV!

 

[scubawife]

There have been times where a couple of the larger AI resorts had food issues. If it's a buffet in a tropical climate and food isn't kept at the right temps then it doesn't take long for things to go wrong. Otherwise, I personally think that alot of the "I got sick in Mexico" complaints are really nothing to do with the quality of the food, but more with not keeping properly hydrated, drinking too much, too much sun, drinking tap water, eating foods that you aren't use to, etc. I have a very sensative stomach and have no problems in Cozumel with any places I've eaten.

There is absolutely no issue with staying at Casa del Mar and not diving with Del Mar Aquatics. The staff at the hotel are great (and Jeremy knows most of them and always gets a very warm reception when he stops by). It's common place in Cozumel for different boats to pull up to the hotel pier in the morning to pick up their divers. A hotel won't treat you any differently based on your diving choices.

Casa del Mar is a nice middle ground between a resort and a budget hotel. It's sort of like a nice Mexican version of a Holiday Inn with a descent restaurant. Rooms are clean (it's worth upgrading from the standard room for a little more space and a bit of a view), the grounds are nice, the location is convenient for diving and it's about a 30min walk or $4 taxi to town. Breakfast is usually included with your room. They have the same menu for lunch and dinner, but I've found the food to be fine and prices reasonable for a hotel. Drinks have always been good. It's nice to have the option of a reasonable and edible on-site restaurant for lunches or even dinners, especially on night dive days.

Ernestos Fajita Factory is right across the street. Not cheap, but good and convenient. The bar across the street, Aqua, is nice for an evening drink. (They get lots of cruise ship people in the afternoons...). About 10-15 min walk south is La Palapita "beach club" which is a nice spot of lunch too - you can order off the menu from either Hogtown Cafe (chicken nachos, yuuuummmmm) or Mescalito's West (good sandwiches and salads), both are across the street. Hogtown is a good, low key spot for happy hour too.

You won't be disappointed diving with Living Underwater. Jeremy is a fantastic dive master and runs a great operation. Well worth the price.

 

[BeeTea]

I'm in Cozumel right now staying at Casa Del Mar. It has been just fine. Nothing fancy, but it is clean and the people are very friendly. We were picked up by our Dive Op from the dock here. No problems with this.

Trying the different resturaunts and enjoying the food has been part of the fun. At www.cancunmap.com you can order a detailed map of Cozumel to familiarize yourself with the island. There is a lot of information about places to eat and where things are. My husband has really enjoyed having it.

We had heard many of the same things you have. While we have been here several times cruising, this is our first time staying. It really has been a great trip and we are trying to figure out when we can come back.

 

[MMM]

Hi there. I am a notorious foodie and love the food in Coz. I generally eat 'way back in town at hole in the wall restaurants patronized by the locals. Great value and you can be assured that you will not get sick. Cruise ships, and their customers, come and go, but you do not stay in business long if word gets around the local community that people got sick after eating at your place. I even buy food from the guy at the caleta selling stuff from his bucket that he carries around, selling to dive crew and dive masters. Never been sick once.

You won't have any problems with the hotel and diving with LU. I know Jeremy has many clients who have stayed there without any issue. It's rather common for people to stay at a place without using the local op - dive ops on the island understand that different people live different ops for different reasons. No worries. You'll have a great time. As far as the southern Carribean goes, I've dived in Cuba, St. Lucia, and Aruba. Cozumel is by far the best. You will love the people on this island if you get back into town.