Just got back from the best week we've ever spent in Cozumel (February 25 - March 3). The weather was beautiful, calm and sunny, which allowed us to dive from Maracaibo Shallows to Barracuda and everywhere in between. On one dive there were so many nurse sharks, turtles, big groupers, etc., etc., that I was thinking "Where are the whale sharks and dolphins, we've seen everything else." I saw more big groupers than I've ever seen in Cozumel (my first visit was in 1999). There seemed to be slightly fewer lion fish this year, perhaps because the dive masters were spearing them and feeding them to morays, groupers, snappers, and anemones. We also saw some oddities like a sea robin and some great little critters, including a pipefish, a couple of pike blennies, some sailfin blennies, and some mantis shrimp. We dove most of the week with Dario, who is a great divemaster. We dove with him last year and requested him this year. Aldora accommodated our request and grouped us with other divers of similar abilities and diving styles. The diving and the service from Aldora were absolutely topnotch. This is my third time diving with Aldora. I have been extremely happy with the experience.
This year, we also stayed at Villa Aldora, which elevated the trip from great to the best ever. The facility is excellent. We shared the North Suite with another couple and the third couple we were traveling with took Barracuda. The North Suite is just great and really a good value, considering what you get. The space is incredible and it is very nice to have places to put your stuff. On vacation, we usually have stuff strewn all over the room because there is so little storage space, but the North Suite has a place for everything, plus two balconies, a nice living room, and a full kitchen fully stocked with equipment. We had enough pots, pans, dishes, and utensils to prepare two meals simultaneously. Not that we cooked that much, but we definitely had everything we needed. The North Suite actually is nicer in person than it looks in the photos on the new website. Having a place to clean and keep gear (mostly neoprene, because the BCs and regs generally stayed on the boat) was great, as was the availability of a variety of tanks for shore diving (no extra charge). We dove the area in front of the Villa a couple of time in the afternoon and once at night. There were lots of juvenile angels, burrfish, yellow stingrays, fireworms, little spotted moray eels, little crabs, little snails, and glassy sweepers, which left the recesses to forage at night. I also found a mantis shrimp and we found a small octopus on the night dive. The staff at the Villa really made it a great stay. Brent, the onsite manager, was incredibly pleasant and helpful. He offered us rides to town, gave restaurant recommendations, and addressed any issues that came up. The boats picked us up and dropped us off at the Villa every day. Brent was always at the dock to help load gear and get everyone safely on and off the boat. The last day of diving, I left my spare mask on the boat, which I did not figure out until we were almost ready to leave for the airport the next day. Brent called the boats, located my mask, and made arrangements to pick it up at Señor Sancho's during the surface interval. He told us to go to the airport and check in and brought the mask to the airport before we went through security. Brent, along with the rest of the staff, made it a great week. Everyone was very pleasant and helpful, from our initial inquiries about reservations to our departure.The Villa is in a nice, quiet area, just south of Puerto Abrigo and near the airport. Even though it's right off the end of the runway, there isn't that much noise. We noticed some planes landing while we were watching sunsets in the evening from the palapa, but the noise wasn't bad and never bothered us. It was pretty easy to get into town. We are already talking about our next visit and it's possible we'll be back more than once in the next year.
I may be making it harder for myself to secure reservations in the future, but everyone at Aldora Divers and Villa Aldora deserve the compliments and our thanks for a great trip. Now, if they could only start an airline so we would have an alternative to Delta, things might be just about perfect.
This year, we also stayed at Villa Aldora, which elevated the trip from great to the best ever. The facility is excellent. We shared the North Suite with another couple and the third couple we were traveling with took Barracuda. The North Suite is just great and really a good value, considering what you get. The space is incredible and it is very nice to have places to put your stuff. On vacation, we usually have stuff strewn all over the room because there is so little storage space, but the North Suite has a place for everything, plus two balconies, a nice living room, and a full kitchen fully stocked with equipment. We had enough pots, pans, dishes, and utensils to prepare two meals simultaneously. Not that we cooked that much, but we definitely had everything we needed. The North Suite actually is nicer in person than it looks in the photos on the new website. Having a place to clean and keep gear (mostly neoprene, because the BCs and regs generally stayed on the boat) was great, as was the availability of a variety of tanks for shore diving (no extra charge). We dove the area in front of the Villa a couple of time in the afternoon and once at night. There were lots of juvenile angels, burrfish, yellow stingrays, fireworms, little spotted moray eels, little crabs, little snails, and glassy sweepers, which left the recesses to forage at night. I also found a mantis shrimp and we found a small octopus on the night dive. The staff at the Villa really made it a great stay. Brent, the onsite manager, was incredibly pleasant and helpful. He offered us rides to town, gave restaurant recommendations, and addressed any issues that came up. The boats picked us up and dropped us off at the Villa every day. Brent was always at the dock to help load gear and get everyone safely on and off the boat. The last day of diving, I left my spare mask on the boat, which I did not figure out until we were almost ready to leave for the airport the next day. Brent called the boats, located my mask, and made arrangements to pick it up at Señor Sancho's during the surface interval. He told us to go to the airport and check in and brought the mask to the airport before we went through security. Brent, along with the rest of the staff, made it a great week. Everyone was very pleasant and helpful, from our initial inquiries about reservations to our departure.The Villa is in a nice, quiet area, just south of Puerto Abrigo and near the airport. Even though it's right off the end of the runway, there isn't that much noise. We noticed some planes landing while we were watching sunsets in the evening from the palapa, but the noise wasn't bad and never bothered us. It was pretty easy to get into town. We are already talking about our next visit and it's possible we'll be back more than once in the next year.
I may be making it harder for myself to secure reservations in the future, but everyone at Aldora Divers and Villa Aldora deserve the compliments and our thanks for a great trip. Now, if they could only start an airline so we would have an alternative to Delta, things might be just about perfect.
