Cozumel planning for a group of newbies

[Skittl1321]

Because it was pouring most of the time we were there, we actually spent a good amount of time in our rooms. We did not have an ocean view, but enjoyed sitting on the patio enjoying the pretty gardens. We also watched movies inside on our computer. We were there to dive, so the rain didn't bother us, but we spent almost no time on the beach and very little time outside when not on the boat. So I could understand wanting an ocean view balcony if sitting out is something people enjoy.

Personally I think location to ferry pier is an over-rated requirement. The island is not that big.
I can understand not wanting to stay south if you want to eat in town every night- but for the ferry, no matter where you stay, even if it is south, the trip to get there will be pretty short.

 

[jbjclj]

Mid-late August rates. Vista del Mar (ocean front rooms) $38. Basic, walk to all good restaurants. Park Royal beautiful ocean front rooms $134. About a 1 1/2 mile walk to town.

 

[Mike]

I just reread your original criteria

Hi everyone, I’m new to this forum, gonna visit the fascinated Cozumel island in august, this’s my first caribbean trip, got a few questions on my planning:
1/ group of 4, I’m the only one who has diver license, others may do discovery diving, any dive shop recommend?
2/ any suggestion on snorkeling sites
3/ we will do snorkeling most the time, how much does it cost for mask rental? Would it be a good idea to purchase the whole set of mask snorkel n fins beforehand?
4/ we all want to spend one day on Maya cultural stuff like pyramid, shld we stay in Cozumel, isla mujeres or cancun?
5/ our trip will be after mid aug, hows the weather by then? Hows the water temp n current condition?

any suggestion is welcome n grateful:kiss2:

And I have to ask why are you even thinking about going to Cozumel? With the group you have and what you want to do I'd go to Playa Del Carmen, Akumel, Isla Mujeres or Cancun long before going to Cozumel.

You're in the Cozumel forum so with the exception of a few people, everyone for the most part is going to be going on and on about Cozumel, however speaking as someone who's spent time in Cozumel as well as all the places suggested on the mainland, I can't see why you'd be going to Cozumel. There is so much more to do and see across the channel. If you all want to dive your butts off Cozumel is absolutely the right choice, but that doesn't sound like what your trip will be about. All the best snorkeling, all the best beaches, all the ocean front resorts, all the ruins, just about everything is on the main land.

If you want a relaxing first experience in Mexico Akumal would be a great choice, you fly into Cancun, rent a car, zip down to Akumal, all the ruins are an easy drive from there, the ruins of Tulum is just a short drive down the road (20 minutes), massive Chichen Itza, Ek Balam, Coba are all a couple of hours drive away, Xplor is just up the road, Akumal is a sleepy and beachy place still not grown up and over built yet, you can snorkel and see cannons from a Spanish galleon in the sheltered bay, there are tons of turtles you will run into snorkeling, there is a dive center right there, you can visit and snorkel in the cenotes. If you want excitement, being in the middle of it all, Cancun is your ticket, big resorts right on the beach, full amenities, if you want since you're going to be there in whale shark season and the pickups to go on the daily snorkel trips to the whale sharks are right there in Cancun, you can experience something that is impossible to do anywhere else in the world.

Playa Del Carmen would be smaller than Cancun but bigger than Akumal and is located between the two, and you're still right where everything is, beach resorts, diving, snorkeling, the ferry is right there if you want to do a day trip over to Cozumel, or snorkel at Chankanaab, but I'd never in a million years waste a day at Chankanaab if I was on the mainland with everything already right there... Isla Mujeres is a fantastic get away, no cars to rent, if you want to get around you rent a golf cart, beautiful beaches, snorkeling and diving available, fantastic food...and by the way, all of these places mentioned on the main land - no cruise ships disgorging thousands of passengers into the place every day.

Cozumel??? Only if you're all diving every day.

 

[on99]

I would agree with robint on Hotel Cozumel with one exception - do NOT get the meal plan. The Food in their AI program is, IMHO, TERRIBLE. i've only stayed there once, in July 2012, and it is a very nice Hotel, big comfortable rooms, HUGE swimming pool, conveniently located, not a bad walk to town, nice, if smallish, artificial "beach" area, good snorkeling and shore dive area out front, even a decent house Dive Op, Dive Paradise (though I prefer more upscale valet operators, especially the steel 120 tanks available at Aldora, Dive Paradise will provide very acceptable service for newbie divers). But the food? Gawd-awful, as far as I was concerned. Now I don't drink a lot, so I was never going to get my money's worth at the bar, the breakfast buffet was edible, but nothing to write home about, but lunch and dinners were so bad that, despite the fact that I had paid for the AI (it was part of the Scubaboard Invade Cozumel Package), I ate outside the hotel 5 out of 7 lunches and dinners when I was there. If you enjoy good food, variety, flavor, appearance, you are NOT going to want to be stuch in the Hotel Cozumel AI plan. It offers a European Plan option - do that.

Thx Dan!
i guess we may stay with hotel cozumel, n let my group decide whether pick it's AI or not, we can go out for dinner if we find problem with the food anyway.
abt the dive op, any comment for the www.cozumeldivingandparasailing.com ? they send me PM msg offering me a tailor make boat trip for my group.
steel tank is great, it would be an advantage if i'm doing 10+ dives during my stay, i dont mind for using alum tank coz i'm gonna do 2 dives anyway ;P wondering if i could get a light side mount harness for a single bottle setup.

---------- Post added June 26th, 2014 at 04:11 PM ----------

once again, thx for ur comments Double S!

RE: your question about where are the best spots for boat snorkeling. If you choose to go out on a snorkel tour, you most likely will be taken to snorkel locations that are used most often. However, If you can, hiring a private charter will most likely give you the best chance to go to spots that are less traveled.

you r absolutely right~

RE: your lodging Staying in town would not only be very convenient for you, but also will give you the opportunity to explore without the need for taxi's. Just be sure of the location and ameniteis when you choosing your site. Hotel Cozumel, which has been mentioned a few times in this thread is a good choice. It is walking distance to town, although it still requires a walk of several blocks to the ferry pier. However, the walk is very doable and scenic as it is on the main oceanfront street. Also, in town is Suites Bahia, Suites Colonial , Casa Mexicana or Vista del Mar. Just be aware if you are looking for a pool for a break from summer heat, that Suites Bahia and Suites Colonial do not have pools and the pools at Casa Mexicana & Vista Del Mar are basically shallow non-swimming pools.

saying abt the pool, palace or hotelcoz would be a better choice among the others.

RE: Websites Before booking on a website do check to see if there are any discount codes available. www.retailmenot.com is a good source as well as checking the threads here on SB. Also, keep in mind sometimes , packages will give a better price. I have in the past even booked a hotel/car package for less than a standard hotel reservation and then just did not pick up the car. Regardless, be sure to crunch the numbers carefully.

that's wired, I'll keep an eye on those hotel/car combo packages @.@ the link is great not only for packages!

RE:Coba/Tulum trip Sounds like a good plan.

Your days is going to be long , however, very enjoyable. TIP: I don't know if it has been mentioned, but do purchase only one way tickets for the ferry. There are two ferry companies and if you purchase a roundtrip ticket for one ferry line, you may have to wait for your ride back to Cozumel from PDC. Whereas , if you purchase one way tickets , you can ride either ferry.

that's wht i usually do

---------- Post added June 26th, 2014 at 04:47 PM ----------

"A must"...?! They'll see the ocean enough wherever. All 3 of those are on the channel, but only 1 has good channel views. Hotel Coz is across the street from the docks actually, and they have this little racket of charging extra for upstairs rooms that can see the channel better than others, but rip off. Otherwise, I like HotCoz, including their food - but I'm not a food snob. The AI package is so cheap that you can use it when you want, skip it and go to own when you want. Villa Blanca's Superior rooms are great, their downstairs regular rooms not so great, but they all look over the garden with an angled view of the channel. Blue Angel does have direct views of the channel from the rooms; I used to stay there before the rate increases.

i also give my vote to hotelcoz

Seriously, a VIEW of the ocean will not be that big a deal as most people spend little time in their rooms!
Hotel Cozumel is across the street from the ocean, higher rooms may be able to "see" it but who cares. Walk out of room, tunnel over to ocean, just a short walk.
If your friends want to sit in their room and stare at the water, rather than get in it, then they need to look a a different hotel. Seriously, people do not sit in their rooms in Cozumel, no matter which hotel.

that's not my call, one of my group make it
IMO, i'll go for sea view if the room is few steps away from the beach, that's really cozy to hv sea breeze blow into my room or balcony.

 

[DandyDon]

Yeah, I'm kinda wondering why she's taking a group of non-divers to Cozumel too?

Walk out of room, tunnel over to ocean....

Just to clarify, the use of the word "tunnel" there as a verb means take the tunnel. You don't have to dig your own. :silly: It's easy. I just preferred walking thru the parking lot and across the street, but the tunnel is safer.

Mid-late August rates. Vista del Mar (ocean front rooms) $38. Basic, walk to all good restaurants. Park Royal beautiful ocean front rooms $134. About a 1 1/2 mile walk to town.

Nice price if you don't mind the stairs (common at many properties tho) and the street noise. It's still across the street from the channel; is there a beach there? Hotel.com is showing a higher price tho, so where did you find that exactly?

I'm currently traveling with family in Nevada and California, a different town and hotel almost every night. I've hoped that my daughter's household would like the hotels I picked, and so far so good - with some adventures. Tonight in Lee Vining at the east gate to Yosemite, our rooms are just barely large enough to contain the beds with a little walking room. Glad she thinks it's cute but wow - tight quarters! It may look good by tomorrow night in the park tents tho.

 

[jbjclj]

Orbitz w/ dates of 8/20-27. That doesn't include promo code

Yeah, I'm kinda wondering why she's taking a group of non-divers to Cozumel too?


Just to clarify, the use of the word "tunnel" there as a verb means take the tunnel. You don't have to dig your own. :silly: It's easy. I just preferred walking thru the parking lot and across the street, but the tunnel is safer.


Nice price if you don't mind the stairs (common at many properties tho) and the street noise. It's still across the street from the channel; is there a beach there? Hotel.com is showing a higher price tho, so where did you find that exactly?

I'm currently traveling with family in Nevada and California, a different town and hotel almost every night. I've hoped that my daughter's household would like the hotels I picked, and so far so good - with some adventures. Tonight in Lee Vining at the east gate to Yosemite, our rooms are just barely large enough to contain the beds with a little walking room. Glad she thinks it's cute but wow - tight quarters! It may look good by tomorrow night in the park tents tho.

 

[on99]

Contrary to what may be said, everybody isn't everybody and there are plenty of people who go to Cozumel who enjoy ocean view and ocean front accommodations and plenty hang out on balconies and patios having breakfast, eating lunch, having drinks, ending the day, etc while enjoying the view.

On99, in regard to Hotel Cozumel, they have ocean view rooms, they are the few ones on the front face of the hotel, and as Robin said the hotel is across the street from the water, and 'the street' is an issue with these rooms

1) These rooms are a premium priced rooms, they have "jacuzzis" in them, and 'balconies'. Hotel Coz charges more for them because of the amenities and the view

2) These rooms were horrible when we made the mistake of booking them years ago. Dirty, dingy, dark, dank & smelly (thanks to the jacuzzi), rusty, old, nasty, even the hallways outside these rooms are bizarrely dark and dingy like a dungeon...

3) They are on the main street of Cozumel and the main street is loud and busy with traffic all day. On the plus side the traffic dies down after dark so they get a bit quieter, but all it takes is one loud truck, bus or motorcycle once every hour to quickly make you wonder why you paid more for these rooms

They may have upgraded these rooms by now, but they were so bad when we booked ours long ago that we didn't even unpack and immediately moved to a 'cheaper' pool view room (no refund given) and their cheaper rooms are far superior and will keep just about any person booking a 3 star hotel happy. They are big, clean, newer and quieter. I can only guess that maybe those ocean view rooms are part of the original wing of the hotel and the rest of the place was built after and it showed back then. I haven't stayed there in years so maybe things have changed?

morning Mike, very much appreciated for ur info! i need to find some more recent posts regarding this issue , hope that they had them upgraded.

---------- Post added June 27th, 2014 at 08:43 AM ----------

Because it was pouring most of the time we were there, we actually spent a good amount of time in our rooms. We did not have an ocean view, but enjoyed sitting on the patio enjoying the pretty gardens. We also watched movies inside on our computer. We were there to dive, so the rain didn't bother us, but we spent almost no time on the beach and very little time outside when not on the boat. So I could understand wanting an ocean view balcony if sitting out is something people enjoy.
Personally I think location to ferry pier is an over-rated requirement. The island is not that big.
I can understand not wanting to stay south if you want to eat in town every night- but for the ferry, no matter where you stay, even if it is south, the trip to get there will be pretty short.

Thx for ur comment Skittl~

Mid-late August rates. Vista del Mar (ocean front rooms) $38. Basic, walk to all good restaurants. Park Royal beautiful ocean front rooms $134. About a 1 1/2 mile walk to town.

the lowest i found is $42 for the Vista del Mar, i'll show my group abt this promotion, thx jbjclj~

---------- Post added June 27th, 2014 at 09:47 AM ----------

And I have to ask why are you even thinking about going to Cozumel? With the group you have and what you want to do I'd go to Playa Del Carmen, Akumel, Isla Mujeres or Cancun long before going to Cozumel.

You're in the Cozumel forum so with the exception of a few people, everyone for the most part is going to be going on and on about Cozumel, however speaking as someone who's spent time in Cozumel as well as all the places suggested on the mainland, I can't see why you'd be going to Cozumel. There is so much more to do and see across the channel. If you all want to dive your butts off Cozumel is absolutely the right choice, but that doesn't sound like what your trip will be about. All the best snorkeling, all the best beaches, all the ocean front resorts, all the ruins, just about everything is on the main land.

If you want a relaxing first experience in Mexico Akumal would be a great choice, you fly into Cancun, rent a car, zip down to Akumal, all the ruins are an easy drive from there, the ruins of Tulum is just a short drive down the road (20 minutes), massive Chichen Itza, Ek Balam, Coba are all a couple of hours drive away, Xplor is just up the road, Akumal is a sleepy and beachy place still not grown up and over built yet, you can snorkel and see cannons from a Spanish galleon in the sheltered bay, there are tons of turtles you will run into snorkeling, there is a dive center right there, you can visit and snorkel in the cenotes. If you want excitement, being in the middle of it all, Cancun is your ticket, big resorts right on the beach, full amenities, if you want since you're going to be there in whale shark season and the pickups to go on the daily snorkel trips to the whale sharks are right there in Cancun, you can experience something that is impossible to do anywhere else in the world.

Playa Del Carmen would be smaller than Cancun but bigger than Akumal and is located between the two, and you're still right where everything is, beach resorts, diving, snorkeling, the ferry is right there if you want to do a day trip over to Cozumel, or snorkel at Chankanaab, but I'd never in a million years waste a day at Chankanaab if I was on the mainland with everything already right there... Isla Mujeres is a fantastic get away, no cars to rent, if you want to get around you rent a golf cart, beautiful beaches, snorkeling and diving available, fantastic food...and by the way, all of these places mentioned on the main land - no cruise ships disgorging thousands of passengers into the place every day.

Cozumel??? Only if you're all diving every day.

hi Mike, this is a gd question! wht a brainstorming session for reading ur comments!
i thought Cozumel would hv better oceanic view n gd snorkeling site with easy access to the mainland n airport.....
i thought Isla Mujeres is just tooo isolated for a group like us.....
I heard that Cancun is too commercial, underwater eco not that gd among the others....
i never thought of Playa Del Carmen bcoz no one tell me it's gd.....
i never thought Akumal is a pretty place for snorkeling......

for the group of us, shld i redo my planning n switch to the mainland? stay in Playa Del Carmen or Akumal? i really hv no idea abt these, ur suggestion would be highly appreciated!

btw, pls let me know if i'm off topic, thx~

 

[Mike]

hi Mike, this is a gd question! wht a brainstorming session for reading ur comments!
i thought Cozumel would hv better oceanic view n gd snorkeling site with easy access to the mainland n airport.....
i thought Isla Mujeres is just tooo isolated for a group like us.....
I heard that Cancun is too commercial, underwater eco not that gd among the others....
i never thought of Playa Del Carmen bcoz no one tell me it's gd.....
i never thought Akumal is a pretty place for snorkeling......

for the group of us, shld i redo my planning n switch to the mainland? stay in Playa Del Carmen or Akumal? i really hv no idea abt these, ur suggestion would be highly appreciated!

btw, pls let me know if i'm off topic, thx~

Cancun is big and commercial, but some people like that. It's got night life and big resorts on big beaches, its a very popular place so you can't discount it's appeal, but it's not for everyone, older folks, hard core divers, people looking for a more authentic experience will shy away from it. Hard to beat it's location though, minutes from the air port, the whale shark tours leave from there etc...

Isla Mujeres could be too islolated, it's small and it's a ferry ride on and off the island so if you're going to do a lot of tramping around, it might not be right. If you want quite, small, awesome European / south American foods, no night life, some decent diving it might be good.

Isla Mujeres and Cancun share many overlapping dive sites, many snorkel trips that originate in Cancun boat over to Isla to snorkel close to the island.

Playa Del Carmen is much smaller than Cancun but has grown tremendously in the last 10 years. Nice beaches, nice diving, the dive site 'Tortugas' is accessable from PDC. Its "THE" turtle dive where you see tons of turtles just about guaranteed. To me Playa Del Carmen is just not much of an option, it too big and too small, bigger than the smaller places like Akumal and smaller than Cancun, just doesn't have too much appeal to me, but there are a ton of all includsive resorts there and it's centerally located and the ferry to Cozumel runs out of there

Akumal is a great choice in my book, smaller, authentic, great beach bar there in the bay La Buena Vida Restaurant & Bar, Akumal Mexico

It's a great snorkel spot since the bay is sheltered, there are cannons on the bottom, there are always turtles in the bay. It's located close to the ruins of Tulum and the bigger ruins are a couple of hours away. You can dive there, but the diving will leave a lot to be desired.

The best diving in my opinion in order is:

Cozumel far and away better than anything on the main land
Isla Mujeres
Cancun
Akumal

Snorkeling in order in my opinion
Akumal
and a 3 way tie for Cancun/Isla Mujere/Cozumel

Akumal

Akumal

The freshwater cenote Yal-Ku is in Akumal it's huge and is a snorkelers paradises, with millions of fish, if you follow it far enough it enters the ocean.

I'm going to Belize tomorrow for a week so I won't be able to respond to you anymore. Where ever you end up, have fun!

 

[okiejeff]

My vote for best snorkeling boat trip is as follows:

go to Playa Palancar beach which is just off the main road south of the entrance to Iberostar. There is a small souvenir shop, a beach bar and a dive/snorkel shop. The dive/snorkels shop has a boat that takes out snorkelers at something like 10 and 1:30. They visit Columbia reef (shallows) and one other reef. Colombia shallows is the best! If your group is small, you might be able to let you stay on Columbia for the full trip. Can't recall the cost, but something along the lines of $40 per adult and $30 for children.

Nice beach and decent food and drinks here. It is a small place and is seldom found by the by the cruisers, so not a by crowd.

 

[on99]

Cancun is big and commercial, but some people like that. It's got night life and big resorts on big beaches, its a very popular place so you can't discount it's appeal, but it's not for everyone, older folks, hard core divers, people looking for a more authentic experience will shy away from it. Hard to beat it's location though, minutes from the air port, the whale shark tours leave from there etc...

The freshwater cenote Yal-Ku is in Akumal it's huge and is a snorkelers paradises, with millions of fish, if you follow it far enough it enters the ocean.

I'm going to Belize tomorrow for a week so I won't be able to respond to you anymore. Where ever you end up, have fun!

very much appreciate Mike, i think i'd better switch my plan to Akumal.
once again, thx for ur suggestion! enjoy ur Belize trip:blinking:

---------- Post added June 30th, 2014 at 02:29 PM ----------

My vote for best snorkeling boat trip is as follows:

go to Playa Palancar beach which is just off the main road south of the entrance to Iberostar. There is a small souvenir shop, a beach bar and a dive/snorkel shop. The dive/snorkels shop has a boat that takes out snorkelers at something like 10 and 1:30. They visit Columbia reef (shallows) and one other reef. Colombia shallows is the best! If your group is small, you might be able to let you stay on Columbia for the full trip. Can't recall the cost, but something along the lines of $40 per adult and $30 for children.

Nice beach and decent food and drinks here. It is a small place and is seldom found by the by the cruisers, so not a by crowd.

thx for ur comment Jeff~