Cozumel advice for May

[ScubaBurt]

Hello Carebear,
We also will be in Cozumel in May, 15-25. It is WONDERFUL. Cozumel is one of the few places that has something to offer for all visitors. You didn't tell us what you wanted from you trip.
If you want to dive and relax and dodge the influx of the cruise ships(about 2500 tourists per ship) then I suggest the staying outside of town. If you stay in close to town you will see the increased flow of people and traffic. For that reason we stay at Fiestia Americana and dive with the on site dive shop "Dive House". We rent a Jeep because the taxi rate is about $5 US one way. There is quite a lot to see on the island and the vehicle gives you the ability to tour.
Most of the hotels are nice. You can find different price ranges from inexpensive to $$$$$$. As for the all inclusive, if you like that security, most all the major hotels offer those type packages. If you like to try different types of food, then try the excellant restuarants downtown, the hotel will reccommend them if you ask. Try La Casa Misson(be sure to take a camera and check our the live lions), French Quarter, Quido's Italian, Pepe's($$), Pasta Premavira, and many more to choose from.
As for the diving, it is awesome. No matter what your level of diving you will be in awe. The reef structures, marine life, drift diving and visibility are excellant. Once you dive Cozumel, you will return. Most of the diving is in the Marine Park and is protected. This is why the marine life and reefs are so healthy.
The town has just about anything thing you want of need. Restuarants, shopping, night life, you name it. It is a very compact town. Make sure you don't shop on the main street when the cruise ships come in. You can find better deals away from the main street(the ships give their people little maps that only show the main street shops).
You can find some great package deals for your trip. We made our reservations in Feb and were just notified by our agent:

FIESTA AMERICANA COZUMEL -- Two Nights FREE Lodging
** Buy 3 nights / your 4th night of lodging is FREE
** Buy 5 nights / your 6th and 7th nights of lodging are FREE
Valid: April 1 - August 24, 2003 (must be booked by June 30)
Valid: August 25 - December 19, 2003 (no booking deadline)

and Contiential Airlines from Houston to Cozumel has a special rate. I am sure your travel agent can offer these deals, however if you don't have one please feel free to use ours
Island Dreams 1-800-346-6116 -or- mailto:Lisa@islandream.com

Now you have me drooling, come on May!!!!!
Burt

 

[redacted]

Small, plain, and simple with a great in-house dive op. I don't think I've ever seen anything bad said about it.

 

[raviepoo]

Hey Carebear,

Have you booked already? I just booked the trip I''ve been talking and thinking about for the last few months. We will be staying at Fiesta Americana. We haven't picked the dive op yet.

We corresponded with several travel agents and got quotes for the trip. Then I found a package on Expedia that beat anything any travel agent offered. We got air from Philly plus our room at FA for 4 nights for $670. That saved us $34 per person over the "buy 3 nights get 1 free" deal, almost enough to cover trip cancellation insurance.

I'm cheap. I admit it.

Sadly, I'm afraid I agree with the folks on this board who think Plaza Las Glorias isn't the way to go. I've stayed there twice. Although the location makes getting into town very easy and it's a short walk from your room to the dive shop and the peir, the hotel is not well maintained. Also, the area around it keeps getting more and more built up.

This next trip will be my first time staying in a more isolated area. We plan to dive, dive, dive and little else. I'm really looking forward to it.

 

[raviepoo]

It sounds as if you know the Fiestsa Americana and the area around it quite well. Can you answer a few questions for me? I've looked through this, and other forums and I'm not able to find RECENT answers to any of these questions.

Are there ANY places to eat within walking distance of the hotel?Do you know the cab fare from FA to the International Dive Pier? How long does the cab ride to/from town take? Am I deluding myself if I think I might be able to hop into town for breakfast at the waffle house and return in time for an AM dive boat? Is the FA ala carte breakfast reasonable?

What shore dives would you recommend close to the Fiesta Americana? I know I want to see the airplane in front of El Cid. I was also thinking about the Dzul Ha area, or back up north to the Plaza Las Glorias and Barracuda areas. Can you suggest anything else? Is the area right in front of the FA good for a night dive?

Where are you renting your jeep from? Do you know of a rent car company that is trustworthy and inexpensive?

Our stay is overlapping yours by a couple of days. We will probably run into each other on the pier waiting for our dive boats. If you see a Zaftig, busty, thirty-something, dirty-blonde from NY give me a wave. I'll be with a forty-something, dirty-blonde, PA Dutchman who looke a little like Randy Quaid.

 

[ggunn]

NYStan once bubbled...
If you folks like taxies, fine. I prefer to have full control of travel when I'm at a destination, and that precludes taking a taxi. Staying at a vila, we would have been forced to take the "madatory" shuttle from the airport, as our guide could not drive us, as per Cozumel / Mexican law. So we saved the bucks on that leg. Our total cost of rental was about $300 US which when compared to the total cost of the vacation was peanuts. We used our car a LOT, driving to our dive boat, lunch around the island, visiting ruins, dinner, shopping, etc. We also didn't have any hassle from bargaining fares.

Stan

To each his own. I stay close to town, and a taxi ride to most in-town locations is 2-3 bucks. It would take a lot of taxi rides in a week to equal $300, and I never feel the slightest bit out of control of my travel. The average time to flag a taxi is 30 seconds in front of the hotel where I stay (Lorena), and I know what just about any taxi ride on Cozumel is worth, so I just give it to them without asking- no haggling necessary.

A lot of my taxi rides turn into impromptu Spanish (for me) and English (for the driver) language lessons. They also can provide good info, like the time I flagged a cab and asked to be taken to find a good deal on beer. He took me to a little hole in the wall place several blocks back in town where nobdy spoke any English. Between my Español malo and the driver's help I bought beer by the case for about half what it costs at Chedraui.

Anyway, like I said, to each his own. Renting a car may be ideal for you, but it is certainly not necesssary for the average visitor to the island provided one stays fairly close to town. I grant that for someone staying in a far south resort might see it differently, but I have no first hand data regarding that.

Cheers,

 

[carebear]

We are staying at Hotel Brias the week of May 10th, diving with the local dive op (dive paradise) anyone else going to be down there that week?
Our travel agent suggested this as an alternative to Reef Club, for basically the same price (actually might even be a little cheaper) and more stuff to do as we will be closer to town. We don't plan on renting a car because we have friends on the island (but prefer to stay in a hotel anyway) and because if we need to go anywhere, we figure it will be a day trip. Thanks a ton for all the advice - I'll let you know how it turns out later in May!

 

[ggunn]

carebear once bubbled...
We are staying at Hotel Brias the week of May 10th, diving with the local dive op (dive paradise) anyone else going to be down there that week?

I'll be there, staying at Lorena and diving with Cozumel Equalizers. Counting the days...

 

[jepuskar]

My girlfriend and I will also be at Hotel Brisas May 10-18th?

When are you going to be there? PM me if you want to meet up with us.

 

[stevsgarage]

raviepoo

The FA is on the edge of the Chankanaab Park and has it's own sight to the south of the pier called FA reef or Holiday inn reef (the name that FA was originaly built as). It is funny to watch boats bring snorkelers in there while waiting for a boat to take you some where else. (the grass is always greener...) The dive House will rent you gear and you could probably stay down for an hour and a half since it is only about 10 to 25 feet deep. There isn't much in walking distance from the hotel but I believe you could do a Europian plan (breakfast included) or go the All inclusive.
:froggy: :froggy:

 

[stevsgarage]

I wanted to plug my favorite dive book in my response. It is a must for any one going to Cozumel or any where in the Yucatan. It is called The Dive sights of Cozumel and the Yucatan, by Lawson Wood. It does an execlent job of mapping and describing all the sights in the region. I hope it is still in print. I always take my copy with me, I have been marking all the sights in the book that I have visited.:froggy: :froggy: