Cozumel All Inclusive for a non diving spouse?

[Tractor Tom]

Hi guys,

I've never been to Cozumel diving and would really like to go, but my non-diving wife has been 'mentioning' that she would like to stay in an 'all inclusive' resort for our next trip to a warm sunny clime (we live in Michigan and are thinking about early next year)

Some friends of hers were there during the winter and had a $20 cab ride to town. So I guess we are looking for something a bit closer to the center of what town there is available, so we don't have the added expense of cabs to get around too much.

For me, I want some good diving. A two tank trip each day and a one tank afternoon a couple times is plenty.

So, for those that have been there, and know your way around, what would you suggest that I look at?

Many thanks in advance!

 

[ggunn]

Hi guys,

I've never been to Cozumel diving and would really like to go, but my non-diving wife has been 'mentioning' that she would like to stay in an 'all inclusive' resort for our next trip to a warm sunny clime (we live in Michigan and are thinking about early next year)

Some friends of hers were there during the winter and had a $20 cab ride to town. So I guess we are looking for something a bit closer to the center of what town there is available, so we don't have the added expense of cabs to get around too much.

For me, I want some good diving. A two tank trip each day and a one tank afternoon a couple times is plenty.

So, for those that have been there, and know your way around, what would you suggest that I look at?

Many thanks in advance!

Well, the bad news is that what I suspect your wife means when she says "all inclusive" is not just "food included" but extends to a certain amount of pampering, and you're not going to find that close to town unless Casa Mexicana has an AI deal. There are close in places where you get food included (Plaza las Glorias and whatever they are calling Brisas these days), but they are budget to moderate options and the food is nothing to write home about.

I don't know if the Presidente offers an AI deal, but if they do it might be a fair compromise; it's about half the distance to town as the southern resorts and is a very nice hotel. Pricey.

 

[skinfish]

I stayed at the Iberostar Cozumel at the southern end of the island and although it is far from town, I found it to be a great AI resort. My wife does not dive either and she loved the resort. You can rent a car for about $20-25/day and drive wherever you want. We found we would not have even gone into town if it weren't for the cenotes diving I did the last day there. The resort is right next to most of the reefs you will probably dive so the location is great if you are a diver.

Good luck! Email me with any questions at doug_pfeifer@hotmail.com

 

[ggunn]

It's all in what you are looking for. I love eating and hanging out in town when I'm not diving or fishing, and I like experiencing the culture of where I am visiting rather than holing up in a resort with the same gringos and eating in the same restaurants the whole time. For me, the close to town (and NOT all inclusive) option is the way to go, but DSFDF and YMMV.

 

[ednedfred]

My family and I have gone to Coz the last two summers and I'm the only diver. Both trips we've stayed at the Iberostar and had great luck. It's close to the reefs so on a two tank dive, you leave at 9:00 a.m. and you're back at 12:15 p.m. The resort is very clean and organized. The only down side is the dive operator on site (Dressel Divers). I can't say enough bad things about these guys. I used for one two tank dive the first year and they were terrible. Since then, I've used Blue Angel and they are great. 6 divers to a boat, plenty of h2o over the dive and great dive masters. One real cool thing to do is rent a car and drive to the caribbean side of the island (eastern side). Eat lunch at Coconuts overlooking the ocean and then hit the beach on the caribbean side. Very cool. The ruins on Coz aren't much to see, but if you've never seen ruins they're okay. My 10 & 9 year old enjoyed them. Hope this helps.

 

[Tractor Tom]

I've been looking at Iberostar and the one offered by Bay Adventures, it think that's Plaza Las Glorias. Perhaps an 'all inclusive' isn't the best way to go in Coz, and I should convince her to go someplace else, while I go to Coz and dive????

I guess I could ship her off to Sandals in St. Lucia and go to Mexico myself and dive my little head off......

Personally, if I want an all inclusive, I get on a Holland America Ship and dive on five different islands in five days.....

Thanks anyway, everyone

 

[ggunn]

I've been looking at Iberostar and the one offered by Bay Adventures, it think that's Plaza Las Glorias. Perhaps an 'all inclusive' isn't the best way to go in Coz, and I should convince her to go someplace else, while I go to Coz and dive????

Well, I definitely wouldn't do the all-inclusive at Plaza las Glorias. The food (I've heard) is not very good, and it's a cheap cab ride (or not too bad a walk) from the majority of the restaurants. It is renowned for its hard beds, but most folks I've talked to who have been there enjoyed their stay. It's not what I would call a resort, though; it's just a hotel with a meal plan.

I don't know much about the Iberostar (is that the place with the dress code in the restaurants - long pants on Cozumel fer chrissakes?) other than it's way way south and expensive.

 

[Coachwah]

Been to Melia, Iberostar, Allegro, and this year Hotel Cozumel (Brisas). Wife is a non-diver and we have always went AI. We have not been disappointed yet, but as many have said, it all depends what you expect. 5 star in Coz is not 5 star in the states. By the way Tom, if you do choose to go AI, check into Funjet or Apple leaving from Detroit. We are in Flint and got our week at Hotel Coz this year for $670 per person which allowed us to eat in town every night and have our breakfast and lunch at the resort to keep us going.

 

[vfib2]

By the way Tom, if you do choose to go AI, check into Funjet or Apple leaving from Detroit. We are in Flint and got our week at Hotel Coz this year for $670 per person which allowed us to eat in town every night and have our breakfast and lunch at the resort to keep us going.

i have heard Apple is the most expensive. I used Worry Free Vacations on my trip and loved it. There was representatives in the resort that was more than willing to help us. just my two cents

 

[Coachwah]

I wouldn't say they are the most expensive, but they tend to be higher then Funjet. The past three years my wife and I have watched their sites prior to booking and that is how we have made our decisions on where to stay (along with a bunch of research). Pay the extra $ for insurance and you get the last minute prices if you pay attention to their pricing right before you leave. I have spoken to many people traveling with both companies from other destinations and they have usually paid substantially more than us. I can only imagine that origination has something to do with pricing, even within regions. Hope that makes sense or helps in some way.