Flight Booked to Cancun Feb 17 to Feb 24 any suggestions?

[morg59]

I have booked a flight my wife and I to Cancun. I have not planned anything else yet. I am trying to decide on where to stay and where to dive during our stay. We are both recently certified (September) and currently have 17 dives experience. From what I gather from a little bit of research I have come up with 4 options that I would like to consider. I have never been here so if I am off base on my assumptions please let me know.

Cancun
Pros
Close and Easy since it is where we are flying into.
No transfers, ferry, long taxi rides.
Cons
Dive sites may not be as good as other locations.
More of a party, tourist trap place

Isla Mujeres
Pros
Slightly better diving than Cancun.
Better atmosphere and more laid back.
Cons
Ferry required to get there.
Might be more expensive.

Playa del Carmen
Pros
Better diving than Cancun or Isla Mujeres
Cons
Long taxi ride or transfer.

Cozumel
Pros
Best dive sites. (I hear these are all drift dives? I have never done a drift dive.)
Cons
Requires a Long taxi or transfer to Playa del Carmen and then a ferry.

What am I missing? Any advice or help on anything would be very appreciated. I would like to keep the cost down so I am starting to look at airbnb. I also have no idea on what dive operations to go thru. I would prefer to have a guide in the water with us as we are less experienced. I have heard that Dive with Martin in Cozumel is good but have not heard much about anyone else.

 

[ibj40]

Can I throw another option into the mix:

Puerto Aventuras
Pros
Equivalent (if not slightly better) diving to Playa del Carmen - Close to cenotes (but with your limited experience, maybe not advisable)
Gated Community with several All-Inclusive Resorts to choose from
Cons
Slightly longer taxi ride or transfer than PDC, but not by much.
Limited selection of alternative dining experiences (if not at an AI)

 

[mmmbelows]

I have booked a flight my wife and I to Cancun. I have not planned anything else yet. I am trying to decide on where to stay and where to dive during our stay. We are both recently certified (September) and currently have 17 dives experience. From what I gather from a little bit of research I have come up with 4 options that I would like to consider. I have never been here so if I am off base on my assumptions please let me know.

Cancun
Pros
Close and Easy since it is where we are flying into.
No transfers, ferry, long taxi rides.
Cons
Dive sites may not be as good as other locations.
More of a party, tourist trap place

Isla Mujeres
Pros
Slightly better diving than Cancun.
Better atmosphere and more laid back.
Cons
Ferry required to get there.
Might be more expensive.

Playa del Carmen
Pros
Better diving than Cancun or Isla Mujeres
Cons
Long taxi ride or transfer.

Cozumel
Pros
Best dive sites. (I hear these are all drift dives? I have never done a drift dive.)
Cons
Requires a Long taxi or transfer to Playa del Carmen and then a ferry.

What am I missing? Any advice or help on anything would be very appreciated. I would like to keep the cost down so I am starting to look at airbnb. I also have no idea on what dive operations to go thru. I would prefer to have a guide in the water with us as we are less experienced. I have heard that Dive with Martin in Cozumel is good but have not heard much about anyone else.

You're basically asking where to dive and stay in the entire Yucatan... You've got 17 dives under your belt so any dive in water is going to be good to you, so I wouldn't get too fixated on just the diving unless you're trying to go on a dive vacation versus a vacation with diving, there is a big difference between the two.

Isla Mujeres and Cancun share basically 80% of the same dive sites. The diving is all generally shallow and easy. Isla Mujeres offers some dives and experiences you won't experience even in the excellent diving of Cozumel because you are diving some sites that are open ocean and anything can show up, but don't count on it. PDC offers the least desirable diving of the locations you are considering, however they do have an outstanding turtle dive called tortugas and there is the bullshark dives depending on the time of year. Cozumel offers the most consistent excellent diving of all the locations, the diving is deeper and more generally better in consistency.

Isla Mujeres is a sleepy little island where you can rent a golf cart to get around, nice beaches, slow island atmosphere no night life. Getting there from Cancun requires a cab ride to the ferry and a nice relaxing ferry ride to the island, there is also whale shark snorkeling depending on the time of year

Cancun is a vacation destination, busy, big, giant resorts, giant pools, lots to do, wild night life, Cancun is Cancun, shopping in malls like back home, easy to get to from the airport, just a short taxi or bus ride to your hotel/resort

PDC is south of Cancun, will take you about the same amount of time as getting to Isla mujeres, PDC is busy now, has grown tremendously, but is inbetween Cancun and Isla Mujeres experience. Some mega resorts, mostly medium to small. Great place to stay if you want to explore the main land, puts you in easy access of the cenotes and ruins, lots of things to do in the area

Cozumel is the main diving destination, if you want a dive vacation this is the place to be. Getting there will take the longest, you'll have to get to PDC and then the ferry will take you across to the Island of Cozumel, Cozumel island is much larger than isla mujeres, more to do than isla but way less than Cancun or PDC. It's all about the diving there, go there if you want to experience the best diving available, don't go there for a vacation with some diving. Beaches are about non-existant there, but the diving is great.

That is a tiny glimpse into the yucatan, there is much to research- first you need to decide:

Dive vacation or vacation with diving?
Small hotel or resort experience or mega resort experience?
Hustle bustle, slow and sleepy or something in between?
Explore the main land attractions cenotes, ruins, mexican parks or not interested?

 

[DandyDon]

mmmbelows gave a great answer. Don't worry about being unsure on some decisions. Travel is a learning opportunity and adventure. Get a good taste of the Yucatan however you do it, then make adjustments for your next trip.

Got DAN dive insurance? Very important. Injuries are rare but I've seen a few. Trip insurance is also a good idea to cover you in areas your home coverage doesn't out of country. Do hire a private DM for the first couple of dives wherever you do them, especially the first dives on Cozumel.

Airnb is an option, but there are plenty of full service hotels with low costs if you shop around the sites. Getting from Cancun airport to PDC to Coz is easy enough. Just allow plenty of time returning so you check in early enough.

 

[morg59]

Thank you for the responses. It looks like Cozumel is what is on the menu. Our number one goal is to dive on this trip. Now I need to decide on who to dive with. Any suggestions for an operation that puts a diver in the water. We will be bringing our own gear so preferably one that does not include gear rentals in their packages. I will look into hotels. Does anyone have a favorite? We don't need a pool or anything fancy but a nice private clean place to sleep.

 

[DandyDon]

Thank you for the responses. It looks like Cozumel is what is on the menu. Our number one goal is to dive on this trip. Now I need to decide on who to dive with. Any suggestions for an operation that puts a diver in the water. We will be bringing our own gear so preferably one that does not include gear rentals in their packages. I will look into hotels. Does anyone have a favorite? We don't need a pool or anything fancy but a nice private clean place to sleep.

The Ado bus to PDC is cheap, comfortable, fast, and convenient, but a private taxi or van doesn't cost too much more if you shop in advance. We have a Cozumel forum that is more active than this one that covers the rest of all of Mexico where you can find hours of reading on opinions about dive Ops and hotels. If you post a thread asking, you get hit with a lot of meaningless cheerleading, but you can work thru that.

There are 3 ferry companies operating, all good boats, but don't buy round-trip tickets. That will not save any money, and your best choice is the next boat leaving. There are usually plenty of porters with large tricycles to carry bags from bus station the 3 blocks to the ferry dock and the same on Coz, usually.

For your dates, Kayak is showing Bahia hotel on Melgar (front street) only 2 blocks from the ferry dock and Colonial hotel hidden a block back and a half block from the main square for $40/night, both with free, full breakfasts at their sister hotel a couple of blocks away. I stayed at Colonial last time, used a downtown dive Op who stored my gear for me - 2 block walk to eat, 1 block to office, and they provided free transportation to the marina. That worked great for me as a solo traveler, but for two of you - the cost of taxis to the marina with a different Op won't sting as bad.

Other resorts offer All Inclusive food & drink, but staying downtown - you can try several of the great dining options with short walks or cheap cab fares. Too many good choices really.

 

[mmmbelows]

Thank you for the responses. It looks like Cozumel is what is on the menu. Our number one goal is to dive on this trip. Now I need to decide on who to dive with. Any suggestions for an operation that puts a diver in the water. We will be bringing our own gear so preferably one that does not include gear rentals in their packages. I will look into hotels. Does anyone have a favorite? We don't need a pool or anything fancy but a nice private clean place to sleep.

If Cozumel is your choice go to the cozumel forum and post your questions there, you will be swamped with answers

 

[SandyRobinson]

Not sure if it ws mentioned but ADO has a terminal at the Cancun airport. For $10 you can get a very conmfortable one hour bus ride to Playa del Carmen, about 2 blocks from the ferry. There are some guys on trikes who will take your luggage to the ferry for a tip. Seems like the ferries run about every hour and the trip is about 40 minutes. I think the ferries charge about $10 too.

 

[DjDiverDan]

Don't be frightened off just because Cozumel is drift diving. Once you learn that the current is your friend, doing most of the work of taking you from the beginning to the end of the dive, drift diving is the most relaxing, easiest diving you'll ever do. Sure, there are some skills that you need - like trim and bouyancy control - and a few little tricks to learn, like getting perfectly horizontal, with a minimum cross-section into the current, or getting close to the bottom, where the current is slower, or ducking behind a coral head to avoid the current altogether. But it doesn't take long to master the art of drift diving, and when you do, you'll love it. No swimming out from a fixed mooring against the current, no need to constantly check your compass and keep your navigation in your head. Just stay behind the DM, float with the group, and let the current carry you on a great dive.

 

[lamarpaulski]

I could recommend Las Anclas in town. Conveniently Pelicanos dive shop is right there too and the guests were pleased with them although I dove with Aldora.