Hotel / Diving Recommendations - Family of 4 - New to diving

[GoldieVT]

Looking for some advice- we're a family of 4 (kids are 18 and 20) and looking to do a vacation in the first 2 weeks of 2026. My wife and I can't just sit on a beach so we thought doing a diving vacation would be fun. I have my PADI cert, others don't so we'd be using part of our vacation for their shore and open water dives. I'd likely do a refresher and maybe snorkel while they do the course. I think they'd likely do the online eLearning prior to the trip.

Looking for hotel and dive shop recommendations. It would be nice if the hotel had rooms with 2 bedrooms but we could also do 2 separate rooms (kids and parents). It doesn't need to be low budget but also not looking for top of the line hotel either. We'll want some downtime from diving and my daughter would enjoy a hotel with a pool/beach. We also like to get out of a hotel restaurant and get some local food so proximity to other dining would be nice.

While it will be exciting to do some great diving, the goal is to get certified, get comfortable with diving, see some cool stuff and have fun.

I welcome any suggestions and thank you!!

 

[MomN2Travel]

Looking for some advice- we're a family of 4 (kids are 18 and 20) and looking to do a vacation in the first 2 weeks of 2026. My wife and I can't just sit on a beach so we thought doing a diving vacation would be fun. I have my PADI cert, others don't so we'd be using part of our vacation for their shore and open water dives. I'd likely do a refresher and maybe snorkel while they do the course. I think they'd likely do the online eLearning prior to the trip.

Looking for hotel and dive shop recommendations. It would be nice if the hotel had rooms with 2 bedrooms but we could also do 2 separate rooms (kids and parents). It doesn't need to be low budget but also not looking for top of the line hotel either. We'll want some downtime from diving and my daughter would enjoy a hotel with a pool/beach. We also like to get out of a hotel restaurant and get some local food so proximity to other dining would be nice.

While it will be exciting to do some great diving, the goal is to get certified, get comfortable with diving, see some cool stuff and have fun.

I welcome any suggestions and thank you!!

We are a family of 4 and kids have been diving for 10+ years now, but when our kids were new to diving, we went to Puerto Morelos, Mexico for several dive vacations. It's a convenient flight to Cancun, then a 20-30 min taxi/van ride to this smaller fishing town, that has a beach-side and a town-side, we always stayed beach side. Although it's been a while since we've been, I think it's grown a lot and they now have a great grocery store in town.

We loved going here because it's got a very local vibe, lots of <60ft dives & calm water & lots of nice coral & fish for beginners, you can find some great mom & pop restaurants, there are several vrbos that are very walkable to town, there is a taxi stand in town to get taxis for the day to go to Playa del Carmen, Akumal and more. We always dove with wetset.com and always found their instructors & DMs to be great. They've changed hands a few times over the years (usually owned by Canadian or Americans), but seem to continue to get good folks working there. Their boats are small which means small groups as well.

Two places we stayed were the apartments at Villas Playasol (right next to Wetset) and a house a little further down the beach called Casa Bandidos, which sadly looks like they stop hosting vacationers. Have a look on vrbo or airbnb, but look for places on the beach and near town or look for wetset on the map and look for places near there.

PM doesn't show up on many "got to go to" dive locations, which has always been a mystery for me, especially for new divers. Cozumel is great, but it's a lot of drift diving which can be a challenge for new divers, imo. Happy travel planning!

 

[Snoweman]

I have loved staying that the Palmar condos, down by the cruise ship area. It's about a 25 minute walk to town, or a cheap taxi ride. The condos are HUGE, and give you the option to cook if you want it. There's also a great breakfast/lunch place about a two minute walk away. I'm told (I have not tried it) there are the best tacos about a ten minute walk at the Blue Truck (I think it's literally a blue truck selling fresh street tacos). You can find them on Google Maps, VRBO and AirBnB. If you Google them, you may find a few independent renters that are flexible on their price. I cannot stress enough, these condos are HUGE.

I believe all the dive shops are great. I've used four in my visits and am currently sticking with Julio Kin VIP scuba. I love it when he joins us on the boat as DM, but his other DMs are excellent, especially finding the hard to see stuff.

Make sure y'all do a night dive. It's easy and some of the best diving you will do.

 

[Shawn C]

We will never dive with Aqua Safari again. Even when we only have to pay the tax for a dive with them (thru Cozumel Palace credits). Hard no.

 

[NDL_Diver]

We will never dive with Aqua Safari again. Even when we only have to pay the tax for a dive with them (thru Cozumel Palace credits). Hard no.

Exactly. We dove AS our 1st trip to Cozumel 28 years ago. We said we would never dive Cozumel again.

Well about 3 years passed and we read about Aldora in Undercurrent. We decided to try again. Well what a difference a great dive op (DO) makes (insert your favorite DO). We probably have 400-500 dives in Cozumel.

 

[jonhall]

It doesn't need to be low budget but also not looking for top of the line hotel either.

It would be nice if the hotel had rooms with 2 bedrooms but we could also do 2 separate rooms (kids and parents).

Not low budget and not sure if it's top of the line (I haven't stayed enough places in Coz!) but Villa Aldora fits some of what you're looking for. It is a small, quiet resort. There are only 10 units with various configurations. 5 gallon water jugs are provided in all rooms. The 2 suites - Norte and Aldora - are both 2 floors with kitchen, living space, and balcony on the lower level and 2 bedrooms upstairs. These are the 2 units that would fit your family.

We stayed in the Norte Suite with friends in Jan/Feb - my wife and I took the large master suite with king bed and balcony. There were 2 queen beds in 2nd bedroom. Bathtrooms/showers in both.
The Aldora Suite has a king and a queen bed in the large master suite and 2 queens in 2nd bedroom. We had family there just last week and my son, his wife, and 10 year old daughter took the master suite with the nice balcony view.

The Villa is considered to be in north hotel zone but it is only a 20 minute walk to downtown. It is small with only They provide bikes w/locks for guest use (took me about 12-13 minutes to ride to Aldora dive shop in town.) A couple of good restaurants 10-13 minute walk away. The hotel manager can line up whatever you need. The staff is very good. Security is not an issue. Taxis are easy to catch outside the villa.

the goal is to get certified, get comfortable with diving, see some cool stuff and have fun.

Here are some of the diving plusses if staying at Villa Aldora:
*All Aldora Divers classes are taught in the Villa Aldora pool.
*There is a nice diving/snorkeling area in front of the Villa. Course work can easily move there.
*The dive boat picks guests up right there.
*Nitrox on the dive boat is free for guests - as long as certified.
*Air tanks and weights are available for certified guests who want to shore dive - day or night.
*Nice area to rinse gear and hang to dry.
*Rental gear isn't an issue for as old as your kids are. (my 10 year old granddaughter could have used smaller wetsuit, bc, and reg.)

We'll want some downtime from diving and my daughter would enjoy a hotel with a pool/beach.

Villa Aldora does not have a beach with direct access to the water; only a raised sandy area with some lounge chairs, tables, and chairs. There is also a nice palapa with a couple of tables and lounge chairs.

We enjoyed our stays, but you have to like to relax and/or make your own fun, especially for 2 weeks!

 

[SwampTiger90]

We will never dive with Aqua Safari again. Even when we only have to pay the tax for a dive with them (thru Cozumel Palace credits). Hard no.

We enjoy diving with Aqua Safari.

 

[ggunn]

We enjoy diving with Aqua Safari.

You see? That's the thing about the diversity in Cozumel dive ops; there is an op for you no matter what sort of experience you are looking for.

 

[NDL_Diver]

We enjoy diving with Aqua Safari.

I get some people like a slow boat (1.5 hrs) to get to reef. Some people like the not far down south reefs.

AS does have faster boats for a premium $ but resort credit cannot be applied to ofset cost.

While I am nearing my diving (maybe 5 more years) adventure, I no longer seek the 100 min dive I sometimes get with Aldora. I am getting cold even with a 5mil and hat at about 60min point.

 

[ggunn]

While I am nearing my diving (maybe 5 more years) adventure, I no longer seek the 100 min dive I sometimes get with Aldora. I am getting cold even with a 5mil and hat at about 60min point.

I don't know how much longer I will be diving, but I dive pretty conservatively these days. I don't go into deco or even close to it, and I don't do those 100+ foot dives any more. Like you, after an hour in the water I am ready to come up.

 

[Charred]

You are getting a wide range of unequal choices here which will overwhelm you. First decide if you want an AI, a hotel or an airbnb. Think closely about your meals. There are advantages and disadvantages to all of them.

When I travel with my family we have stayed at the Iberostar. That place is a gorgeous resort. Breakfast and lunch are fine. Dinner is meh - plan to taxi into town for a dinner or 2. Places like La Choza and others should not be skipped. My daughter learned to dive with their op after doing e-learning at home. Her training was sufficient and I am a harsh critic. Their big boats are a friendly platform to learn to dive on especially if your family is new to boats and the ocean. Short boat rides to the sites. As harshly as the AIs are judged on these sites, those places and dive ops have many many return customers so they are doing something right.

When I am not with my family, I stay in town and dive with a couple different ops. Staying in town and eating where I like serves me better as a solo traveler but I think the resorts are better for families. The smaller dive ops also serve me better as a more experienced diver. But even all this being said I would not hesitate to recommend Iberostar.