Decision: Hotel Coz, FA, Iberostar, Reef, Presidente.

[Divedoggie]

Or something else? I have gotten feedback from my earlier post on Reef Club, both good and bad. The other hotels have been discussed extensively. Still, I am unable to decide. Here is the criterea:
Value
Good dive Op, or accessibility to one.
Nice beach
Nice Pool
Clean with functional ammenities in rooms.
Good breakfast and lunch. We can go out for dinner.
Availability of bottled or filtered water...Gotta stay hydrated!

Other deciding factors:
Shore diving
Night diving from resort or from shore
snorkeling

:idea: I might be picky, but I've got great resourses! Thanks Scubaboard!

 

[Moodiejeff]

Value
Good dive Op, or accessibility to one.
Nice beach
Nice Pool
Clean with functional ammenities in rooms.
Good breakfast and lunch. We can go out for dinner.
Availability of bottled or filtered water...Gotta stay hydrated!

Other deciding factors:
Shore diving
Night diving from resort or from shore
snorkeling

Everything listed above and below says Presidente.

IF you want to pay their prices. Cheapest room is over $200 a night and that doesn't include the different taxes & fees.

If there is no limit on price, that is the place to go. I've done Presidente & i've done cheap. The vacations where I stay at Presidente ALWAYS turn out better.

Cab fare to town is $5

My Reasons (trip report w/ pics of the property)

Other Peoples Reasons (different thread)

 

[redacted]

Or FA if Pre$$$idente is too much. I'm not sure about the availability of shore tanks, but there are breaks in the iron shore that are almost like a beach and you can walk about 400 meters north to a small public playa (beach) and snorkel back to FA thru one of the areas that the snorkel op take customers.

 

[parrotheaddiver]

Or something else? I have gotten feedback from my earlier post on Reef Club, both good and bad. The other hotels have been discussed extensively. Still, I am unable to decide. Here is the criterea:
Value
Good dive Op, or accessibility to one.
Nice beach
Nice Pool
Clean with functional ammenities in rooms.
Good breakfast and lunch. We can go out for dinner.
Availability of bottled or filtered water...Gotta stay hydrated!

Other deciding factors:
Shore diving
Night diving from resort or from shore
snorkeling

:idea: I might be picky, but I've got great resourses! Thanks Scubaboard!

Hotel Cozumel
Good Value and close to town 3.00US cab ride
I don't recommend the dive op there. Too many good ops on the island to choose from.
Manmade beach is ok, nice beach club though w/resturant and small pool there.
hotel has largest pool on the island and is very nice plus has a hot tub and poolside grill and they will fix you almost anything you order burgers nachos quesadilla's etc
room cold and clean
breakfast buffet and made to order, lunch buffet or some food made to order etc(lunch is at beach club)
water they serve is good to drink and they provide bottle in your room plus they have bottle water to buy.
shore diving in Coz is fair at best but you can shore dive/snorkel from there lots of fish and critters.

We stay there every year it suits us.
http://www.hotelcozumel.com.mx/

 

[redacted]

Hotel Cozumel
Good Value and close to town 3.00US cab ride
I don't recommend the dive op there. Too many good ops on the island to choose from.
Manmade beach is ok, nice beach club though w/resturant and small pool there.
hotel has largest pool on the island and is very nice plus has a hot tub and poolside grill and they will fix you almost anything you order burgers nachos quesadilla's etc
room cold and clean
breakfast buffet and made to order, lunch buffet or some food made to order etc(lunch is at beach club)
water they serve is good to drink and they provide bottle in your room plus they have bottle water to buy.
shore diving in Coz is fair at best but you can shore dive/snorkel from there lots of fish and critters.

We stay there every year it suits us.
http://www.hotelcozumel.com.mx/

Yes, another alternative. And if you plan to go to town for dinner every night, you should get at least one good meal per day. Price tends to be very good, rooms are good, good location (next door to Scuba Club). First time I stayed there food was OK (omlette bar, cheese bar, and dessert bar downright good). Last summer they were cooking one omlette at a time rather than 3 or 4 the year before and I think I may have ridden on the animal that was in my hamburger. And dinner - well, I really didn't go there to eat anyway and I didn't get sick. It just made it much easier to go downtown a couple nights. In-house dive op is Dive Paradise, largest op ion the island and fairly regimented. But dive times not as limited as the southern resort ops.

 

[Divedoggie]

Presidente seems to be the overwhelming choice when I read through the threads. FA and Hotel Coz are tied for second. Caribe Blu and Casa Mexicana seem to be popular as well. I don't think that I want to spend the dinero on Presidente unless I can get a deal, but it sounds great.
Thanks for all of the advise. I book in an hour. I'll let you all know the plan.

 

[diveborg]

Or FA if Pre$$$idente is too much. I'm not sure about the availability of shore tanks, but there are breaks in the iron shore that are almost like a beach and you can walk about 400 meters north to a small public playa (beach) and snorkel back to FA thru one of the areas that the snorkel op take customers.

FA was an excellent choice for us. It pretty much meets all your requirements as well, except perhaps the part about a good beach. The "beach" at FA is man-made. There is a large sand area that is held back from the water by a wall. There are steps into the water and the snorkeling is way better than what you will find at a sandy beach.

Shore dive tanks were available at the on site dive OP, Divehouse, for $6.

The small public playa mentioned is Dzul Ha. It is about 300-400 yards up the road. Since the current usually runs north to south from Dzul Ha to FA, you can easily do a nice drift snorkel by getting in at Dzul Ha and out at FA.

Lets to a check list:
Value - Yes, much less expensive than the Presidente.

Good dive Op, or accessibility to one. - Dive house is OK and all the other OPs can pick up from their dock without the hassle that Iberostar gives

Nice beach - well, nice big sandy area at least.

Nice Pool - yes with a swim up bar. Actually there are 2 pools.

Clean with functional ammenities in rooms. - It was a basic hotel room. 2 double beds with firm matresses, and tile floor. Ours was very clean.

Good breakfast and lunch. We can go out for dinner. For AI food it was at least OK and sometimes really good. Very convenient. Order off the menu at lunch for better food.

Availability of bottled or filtered water...Gotta stay hydrated! - If you do the AI package, the bottled water is free from all the bars.

Other deciding factors:
Shore diving - Worth the effort, get tanks/weights from Divehouse.
Night diving from resort or from shore
snorkeling

Something that wasn't on your list, but might be nice is that FA is closer to town than the southern AI's which will save you money on cab fare. It was $6 for a taxi to town from FA.

Here is a gallery of photos I collected of the Fiesta Americana before we went. I wanted to see what it looked like.

Hope this helps,
Bruce

 

[ggunn]

Presidente seems to be the overwhelming choice when I read through the threads. FA and Hotel Coz are tied for second. Caribe Blu and Casa Mexicana seem to be popular as well. I don't think that I want to spend the dinero on Presidente unless I can get a deal, but it sounds great.
Thanks for all of the advise. I book in an hour. I'll let you all know the plan.

Caribe Blu fills all your requirements except the beach; no hotel near town on the south side (and if you are diving then you do not want to stay north of town) has a real beach. It does have a sand area between the dive shop and the pool that's nice, and several hammocks under trees around the pool.

 

[Fin59]

Or something else? I have gotten feedback from my earlier post on Reef Club, both good and bad. The other hotels have been discussed extensively. Still, I am unable to decide. Here is the criterea:
Value
Good dive Op, or accessibility to one.
Nice beach
Nice Pool
Clean with functional ammenities in rooms.
Good breakfast and lunch. We can go out for dinner.
Availability of bottled or filtered water...Gotta stay hydrated!

Other deciding factors:
Shore diving
Night diving from resort or from shore
snorkeling

:idea: I might be picky, but I've got great resourses! Thanks Scubaboard!

You may have booked by now, but the only info I have for you is on Hotel Cozumel. We have used it the last 4 trips. We have booked each time through Funjet, but this time Apple was cheaper for our week a few bucks and included the rt airport transfers. The hotel is great, clean, friendly staff, close enough to walk to town or a $3.00 cab fare. The hotel is across the street from the ocean, but has the property on the oceanside, also and has an open air restaurant/bar, small pool, beach and dock area there. There is a tunnel to get to the other side if you don't want to dodge the kamikazee taxi drivers and mopeds crossing the street. The side where the hotel is has a real nice pool with a snack bar and bar and there is another restaurant and bar in the hotel lobby. The AI plan is only $120 more than non AI and if you only use it for breakfast and drinks, it pays for itself. Just because it is AI, doesn't mean you have to eat all of your meals there and there are plenty of great restaurants in Cozumel you will want to visit. Also, if you do the all-inclusive, you don't have to worry about carrying any money around with you while you are at the resort. Each time we have been there the food has been good. They have a huge breakfast buffet and also make omelets. Lunch and dinner are also buffet, but you can also order from the menu at no extra charge. It really is nice to eat your breakfast there and not have to try and go somewhere and get back in time to catch the dive boat. Also, you can have lunch when you get back from diving without having to go take a shower and wait for everyone you are with to get ready. They have dinner on the beach and around the pool usually once a week, too, and put on shows a few nights. You can book your diving with someone besides Dive Paradise, they will pick you up on the dock. There are gear lockers...ask for a key when you check in. They are free, but $20 if you lose it. You will have a great time in Cozumel wherever you stay.
We will be there in 7 weeks, 1 day

 

[Divedoggie]

Thanks everyone. Bruce, that was fantastic detailed info. FA it is.