Hotel choices in Cozumel

[jrl5549]

Casa Mexicana

Villablanca

Barracuda

Suites Bahia

Can I get these hotels rated

Budget dive hotel
In house dive shop
Closest to town
Dive pier
I know at least one is in town (Suites Bahia)
I stayed at Festia America before If I were to stay out of town at a resort I would stay there again. Im looking for total cheep price room food diving
and info help

 

[Dave Dillehay]

IMHO,

Hands down best for you is the Suites Bahia. Those periods of time when I did not have a home in Cozumel I used them--even though I could easily afforded more. No in house dive op but many are with in as short walk.

Last choice would be Villablanca.

Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

 

[firstdive2005]

Villa Blanca, use Scuba Mau right beside them as a dive op, 20 min walk along shore to town. When you use Scuba Mau Opal will give you free shore dives at the pier. A lot of fun around there. kev

 

[macado]

Casa Mexicana - A bit more upscale than Bahia. Really nice breakfast that is included in cost of room. Very close to town only about 2-3 blocks away from Bahia. Free wifi. Walking distance from Aqua Safari pier. (as in it's basically across the street)

Suites Bahia - Closest to town, kitchenette in room, the breakfast at Casa Mexicana is included in the cost of the room and is definitely something you want to take advantage of. I always usually stay here. Might want to upgrade to balcony room. The other rooms can be pretty dark. Free wifi. Hot water works well (almost too well). Walking distance from Aqua Safari pier (walk about 1.5-2 blocks to pier)

Hotel Barracuda - Prices have gone up. I used to consider this a "dive bum" hotel but not so much now. On-site pier and on-site dive shop is Dive Paradise (I'm assuming other dive ops can pick up from the pier). Dont remember what the rooms were like. Across street from Mega for food and grocery shopping. Nice on-site bar called "No Name Bar" which lots of cruiseship crew (not guests) hang out. Can be great for people watching but not exactly the cheapest bar and they have a bad exchange rate.. Walking distance from town although not as close as Casa Mexican or Bahia however I would still consider them "close to town" Closer to some of the really touristy bars like Margaritaville, Carlos N Charles, Senor Frogs. This can be a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. I havent stayed here in ages so I dont know if a lot has changed but I dont think it's worth it for the money. I would love to hear reviews of anyone who has stayed here recently.

Villablanca - Much further away from town. It is walkable but will take a long time and will get very tiring after a while. I like to walk and have often walked down to Villablanca from town so it's definitely something you can do but you'd probably want to take taxi. Nice pool. On-site dive op is Dive Paradise. Never really stayed here but have friends that like it.

If you want budget then Suites Bahia is your best bet. Closest to town, walking distance from pier. The difference in location between Casa Mexican and Suites Bahia is almost negligible so if you can get Casa Mexican at a cheap price, stay there.

Aqua Safari usually has dive packages with Suites Bahia/Casa Mexican so you may be able to get some sort of deal, check their website. Dive Paradise is the on-site dive op for Barracuda and Villablanca. They're considered a bigger op (some may call it a cattle boat) but really they're a good shop overall. Aqua Safari is also a bigger op though not as big as Dive Paradise.

I may be biased since I dive with Aqua Safari since I know the DMs well and the owner has always treated me well. They have big and one small fast boat called the Belinda if you wanted smaller groups. I'm pretty sure other dive ops will pick up from their piers so I dont think you need to book diving exclusively through them but someone can correct me if i'm wrong.

Some people forget Aqua Safari also has their own hotel called Safari Inn which is right above the Aqua Safari dive shop. It is between Suites Bahia and Case Mexicana so it's very close to town and right across the street from the dive pier. Very basic rooms, comfortable beds. I consider this a dive bum hotel. No TV, no phone, no refrigerator (they do provide a cooler and ice). Have stayed here many times and enjoy the location and hotel. Can be a good deal if you book a package through Aqua Safari. Rooms are big.

If you really wanted to cheap out there is also a hostel called Hostelito right downtown. You can get bunk beds for 10/night or a price room with AC/bathroom for about 30-35USD/night. I have stayed here before. Rooms are clean and you can neogotiate rate lower if you're staying a while. No frig in room but there is one in common area that can be shared.

If you want to save more money your best bet is to get a room with a refrigerator and buy coldcuts and food at Mega. Casa Mexican and Suites Bahia both have refrigerators and you can make lunch to save money. Take advantage of free breakfast if you stay at one of these places.

 

[scubawife]

I've stayed at Villablanca many times. I guess we're weird because we don't find the 2 miles a big deal to walk. We walk at least one way to or from town every evening when we're there, often both ways. I like staying a little south for the convenience of pier pick up and a bit of quiet.

BTW, Villablanca has apartment size fridges in every room. Very convenient.

Dive Paradise, Papa Hogs and Scuba Mau are all across the road or next door to Villablanca.

 

[annlaur]

Suites Bahia is in town and across the street from the pier where Aldora, Blue XTsea, Deep Blue and other ops pick up.
Rooms are in the USD 40 a night range I think. Aqua Safari couple blocks south is in the same price range. I've stayed at the Vista del Mar last winter for USD 50, beautiful room with private balcony overlooking the waterfront (low season rate, prices go up around December 15).

You might be able to book these and save money on Flight+Hotel using the Orbitz Entertain coupon. http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cozumel/312371-orbitz-200-vacation-discount-code-changes-2010-200entertain.html

If not using a coupon, cheaper options include Hotel Pepita on 15 Avenida, US 32 a night, 2 queen beds, fridge and A/C in the room, nice courtyard, free coffee and drinking water, reasonably clean and a 5-10 minute walk to the pier. Booking by phone only. Hotel Pepita Cozumel/Adventure Tours Mexico/Accommodation/Hotels Cozumel Mexico/Hotel Accommodation Cozumel

If really on a tight budget, you can dorm at the Hostelito for USD 12. Hostelito, Cozumel, Mexico: Book Now!

None of the above except Aqua Safari has an in-house dive shop, but there are so many ops on Cozumel that it's easy to book the diving separately.

Barracuda is located further South but still within a reasonable walking distance to town. Staying at Villablanca will require that you rent a bicycle/motored vehicle or take taxis.

Cheap ways to eat include buying empañadas from locals in the morning (look for signs on Avenida 5 between Calle 5 and Calle 9), bread and pastries in the bakeries (recommand Zermatt on Avenida 5 near Calle 2 or 4), having lunch at Molina's (tacos, huaraches… they're located inside the Mercado Municipal behind all the produce stands and close at 1 pm)… I could go on and on, but there are plenty of places to eat cheap good local food, especially at lunchtime, if you stay away from the waterfront and Plaza areas.

In the evening, well worth spending more to try Kinta (Ave 15 near calle 2), awesome fusion cuisine, and many other great restaurants. My other favorite so far is Los Otates for the perfect tacos al pastor.

Look at Christi's Restaurant list thread. http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cozumel/124024-christis-restaurant-list-updated-but-not-exhaustive-4.html

 

[loudives]

Casa Mexicana

Villablanca

Barracuda

Suites Bahia

Can I get these hotels rated

Budget dive hotel
In house dive shop
Closest to town
Dive pier
I know at least one is in town (Suites Bahia)
I stayed at Festia America before If I were to stay out of town at a resort I would stay there again. Im looking for total cheep price room food diving
and info help

Mexicana--best of your list

Bahia is next but for the reduced price its a wash. you can get breakfast elsewhere and still be under the mexican price.

Barracuda and VillaBlanca about the same with Barracuda close to town.

Real reasonable in town 30 yards east of Bahia is Hotel Aguilar. $35-50 a night depends on how you haggle. 2 double beds AC. mini fridge, TV. old but clean, 1 short block to BlueXTsea, Aqua Safari pickup pier. 4 blocks to Barracuda for Dive Paradise pick up.

 

[parrotheaddiver]

Casa Mexicana: in town no dive op or pier/ use intown pier

Villablanca: south of town dive op and pier available

Barracuda: close to town dive op/pier available

Suites Bahia: in town no dive op/pier/ use in town pier..probably best bang for your buck

Can I get these hotels rated : Casa Mexicana top of the list Villablanca/Barracuda bottom IMO

some of the dive ops on the island have hotel/dive pkgs avail...check their websites

same with some of the hotels....

staying in town can save you money on taxi fares to and from