Melissa Flinn
Registered
We flew directly into Cozumel on United. This was the first time we have flown directly into Coz. It was so nice not dragging the bags for once. The cost was almost double but it was quick and easy and worth every penny. We walked over to Diego's and grabbed some tacos. We took a $15.00 taxi from Diego's to the Barracuda. The taxi situation is a source of contention for the entire trip. Big rip off at every opportunity! They now have these little red scooter taxis but they are only for the locals. We got picked up a couple times and the price is a fraction of the cost of the white taxis. Plus the scooter taxis are fun and we loved riding in them. On our second day, we tried to get a scooter taxi and no one would pick us up. We were told that they aren't supposed to pick up tourists in these. I guess they can get in trouble. It really makes me mad being overcharged. We made a point of walking whenever possible.
This trip we chose the Barracuda Hotel. I know its older and not the fanciest but we really wanted to experience the old classic diver hotel. I like being picked up right on the dock. Plus its pretty cheap. We paid $90 per night. I was pleasantly surprised. It was nicer than I expected. The room was fine, the air worked good, the shower had the hottest water in Mexico and the water pressure was great. The only down sides to this room was the noise level from the No Name Bar and the toilet. They worked on the toilet a couple times but we ended up manually flushing it with a bucket of water. The rest of the hotel was pretty nice. The pool is awesome. Super clean and refreshing. We jumped in every day after diving to rinse the salt off. They also have a rinse tank for your gear. We would get off the dive boat and spend an hour or 2 sitting by the pool. We don't drink but the virgin banana daiquiris were nice!
We chose to dive with Aldora this time because we read so many great reviews. We really appreciate valet dive service and don't mind paying for it. We had 6 potential dive days and ended up getting 4 days in because of the weather. The diving was interesting. Some dives the current was very strong and some dives the current was non existent. That strong current can be scary at times. It can be fun too. We had a combination of both. I was very pleasantly surprised at the condition of the reefs. If there is bleaching, I didn't see it. The reefs were very healthy in my opinion. The fish were there. Not as fishy as Belize in my opinion, but much more fishy than Roatan. I saw several nurse sharks, a couple turtles, a few spotted eagle rays and the usual fish. I like the small stuff too. The coral and sponges were nice, big and healthy. Aldora was a nice operation. Most days we were in the big boat which I really like. I also liked the surface interval at Playa Palancar. Its nice to be able to get off the boat. I enjoyed that! All of my dives were with good divers. No problem divers at all. A good mix of nice people. All in all, I liked Aldora. I will say they are not cheap. There is nothing extraordinary to justify the added expense. In my opinion, they are no different than any other dive op I have used. I would probably save the money and go with someone less expensive next time.
We tried some new restaurants this time. I highly recommend K'ooben Laab. Very good quality food. Their salads, bread, cheeses and deserts are amazing. We also enjoyed Casa Mission and Guidos as always. Overall, a very good dive trip. We will certainly be back!
This trip we chose the Barracuda Hotel. I know its older and not the fanciest but we really wanted to experience the old classic diver hotel. I like being picked up right on the dock. Plus its pretty cheap. We paid $90 per night. I was pleasantly surprised. It was nicer than I expected. The room was fine, the air worked good, the shower had the hottest water in Mexico and the water pressure was great. The only down sides to this room was the noise level from the No Name Bar and the toilet. They worked on the toilet a couple times but we ended up manually flushing it with a bucket of water. The rest of the hotel was pretty nice. The pool is awesome. Super clean and refreshing. We jumped in every day after diving to rinse the salt off. They also have a rinse tank for your gear. We would get off the dive boat and spend an hour or 2 sitting by the pool. We don't drink but the virgin banana daiquiris were nice!
We chose to dive with Aldora this time because we read so many great reviews. We really appreciate valet dive service and don't mind paying for it. We had 6 potential dive days and ended up getting 4 days in because of the weather. The diving was interesting. Some dives the current was very strong and some dives the current was non existent. That strong current can be scary at times. It can be fun too. We had a combination of both. I was very pleasantly surprised at the condition of the reefs. If there is bleaching, I didn't see it. The reefs were very healthy in my opinion. The fish were there. Not as fishy as Belize in my opinion, but much more fishy than Roatan. I saw several nurse sharks, a couple turtles, a few spotted eagle rays and the usual fish. I like the small stuff too. The coral and sponges were nice, big and healthy. Aldora was a nice operation. Most days we were in the big boat which I really like. I also liked the surface interval at Playa Palancar. Its nice to be able to get off the boat. I enjoyed that! All of my dives were with good divers. No problem divers at all. A good mix of nice people. All in all, I liked Aldora. I will say they are not cheap. There is nothing extraordinary to justify the added expense. In my opinion, they are no different than any other dive op I have used. I would probably save the money and go with someone less expensive next time.
We tried some new restaurants this time. I highly recommend K'ooben Laab. Very good quality food. Their salads, bread, cheeses and deserts are amazing. We also enjoyed Casa Mission and Guidos as always. Overall, a very good dive trip. We will certainly be back!
