Iberostar or Villa Aldora for family with non-diving kids?

[ggunn]

When we stayed there we had to wade out about 20-30 yards in chest high water because it is rocky and the boats cannot get near the actual beach. Make sure anything that needs to stay dry is in a drybag because it's easy to lose your footing on the rocky bottom and take a bath.

That sounds like a real pain in the you-know-what.

 

[jonhall]

When you update the spreadsheet,

Thanks for the info. I've updated the info for Dressel.

 

[diversmith]

As a parent of 2 young-ish boys, and someone who has been to Coz twice, I would absolutely pick Iberostar over Villa Aldora. And I love Aldora Divers! We stayed at the Occidental last summer with our boys (13 &10) and they loved it. I will say that the Occidental was definitely NOT what it was when my wife and I stayed there 14 years ago. Definitely would NOT stay there again. We did a little beach walk excursion one afternoon down to the Iberostar to check it out. We liked it much better and the food looked to be on a whole different level. I did not get a good vibe from Dressel and it looks like more of a cattle boat operation with hard/fast profiles. I would absolutely stay at Iberostar and use Aldora or Martin and deal with wading out if they don't allow dock pickups. I just suited up each morning in our room at Occidental and walked down to the pier for pickup by Aldora. They kept my BC and I took everything else each day. I rinsed off in our bathroom shower and just hung my gear up on the balcony and it worked great. But I don't like other people taking care of my gear, so it worked perfect. My wife sat out the diving so it was just one set of gear but we had 3 other sets of snorkel gear and it was still fine as far as space goes. If it's 2 divers, maybe inquire at Dressel to see if they will rent you a locker even if you go with an outside dive op.

Just be sure to take a quality dry bag/box if plan to wade out for your valuables.

Just note that the standard rooms are small at Iberostar and they told us the limit is 3 people per room. It sounds like you are looking into a suite so you might already know that.

And you would be foolish to rent regs and BCs...why not just bring your own gear and save those rental costs if you're doing that amount of diving?

 

[Shawn C]

And you would be foolish to rent regs and BCs...why not just bring your own gear and save those rental costs if you're doing that amount of diving?

Or use an dive op like Sharky's or Dive with Martin that includes gear (excluding wetsuits and computers) in their pricing?

I did not get a good vibe from Dressel and it looks like more of a cattle boat operation with hard/fast profiles.

Agreed. We felt the same and wouldn't use them. I'll take a 6 or 8 pack small fast boat every time.

 

[wateraddiction]

And you would be foolish to rent regs and BCs...why not just bring your own gear and save those rental costs if you're doing that amount of diving?

I really like to travel with carry-on only, esp for international flights where I don't want to wait for luggage that needs to be re-checked on the connecting return flight to U.S. Husband just got certified and I expect we will dive at most, twice a year. Plus, we have enough gear (camping, sports, biking, fishing, etc.) in the house -- the thought of more stuff stresses me out. I happily buy/store/pack small stuff (dive computers, snorkel gear, even wetsuits for the entire family fit into our carry ons) but aging BCD/regs that we have to maintain sound like a hassle and I've had only good experiences with BCD/reg rentals since I started diving 15 yrs ago.

 

[NDL_Diver]

I really like to travel with carry-on only, esp for international flights where I don't want to wait for luggage that needs to be re-checked on the connecting return flight to U.S. Husband just got certified and I expect we will dive at most, twice a year. Plus, we have enough gear (camping, sports, biking, fishing, etc.) in the house -- the thought of more stuff stresses me out. I happily buy/store/pack small stuff (dive computers, snorkel gear, even wetsuits for the entire family fit into our carry ons) but aging BCD/regs that we have to maintain sound like a hassle and I've had only good experiences with BCD/reg rentals since I started diving 15 yrs ago.

As for buying gear I would do it in this rough order:

- Mask and Fins. Can be used for diving and snorkeling.

- Dive Computer (you need to understand how it works and what it is telling you. Rental computer display different info. Some divers wear a dive computer and have no clue what it tellkng them) usually a $10 per day fee. Light and small. Around $200 entry level that will do everything you need. I don't like Suunto personally. Mares puck

Puck Pro + scuba diving computer | Mares

The scuba diving computer Puck Pro + is the evolution of the previous model Puck Pro. Ultra flat design for a perfect fit. It can handle multi-blend dives with up to two Nitrox blends. T

www.mares.com

Or my computer large display

Quad Scuba Dive Computer | Mares

Quad, multi-blend, large-screen scuba diving computer. Extraordinarily clear display with large-format data, two customisable fields for auxiliary information.

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are options among 100's of other.

- Exposure suit. Most dive shops only rent shorty. Needs to fit diver for proper operation. I don't like wearing other people's pee'd in suit.

- BCD. Will last 10+ years if properly cleaned after dives and and end of trip. Heavy (6+ lbs).

- Regulator. It is life support equipment and needs to be properly maintained. Some require annual maintenance, some have 2 year maintenance interval, some have 3 year interval. This cost about $150 per maintenance interval (~$50 per primary and secondary each) for maintenance of primary and octopus regulators. Hoses should be replaced every 5 years or 500 dives or when visible wear. Diving 5 to 10 days a year does not pay to have own your own Regulator. Diving more than that pays if you have a 2 year or 3 year service interval (ie Atomic). Heavy

 

[wateraddiction]

As for buying gear I would do it in this rough order:

- Mask and Fins. Can be used for diving and snorkeling.

- Dive Computer (you need to understand how it works and what it is telling you. Rental computer display different info. Some divers wear a dive computer and have no clue what it tellkng them) usually a $10 per day fee. Light and small. Around $200 entry level that will do everything you need. I don't like Suunto personally. Mares puck

Puck Pro + scuba diving computer | Mares

The scuba diving computer Puck Pro + is the evolution of the previous model Puck Pro. Ultra flat design for a perfect fit. It can handle multi-blend dives with up to two Nitrox blends. T

www.mares.com

Or my computer large display

Quad Scuba Dive Computer | Mares

Quad, multi-blend, large-screen scuba diving computer. Extraordinarily clear display with large-format data, two customisable fields for auxiliary information.

www.mares.com

are options among 100's of other.

- Exposure suit. Most dive shops only rent shorty. Needs to fit diver for proper operation. I don't like wearing other people's pee'd in suit.

- BCD. Will last 10+ years if properly cleaned after dives and and end of trip. Heavy (6+ lbs).

- Regulator. It is life support equipment and needs to be properly maintained. Some require annual maintenance, some have 2 year maintenance interval, some have 3 year interval. This cost about $150 per maintenance interval (~$50 per primary and secondary each) for maintenance of primary and octopus regulators. Hoses should be replaced every 5 years or 500 dives or when visible wear. Diving 5 to 10 days a year does not pay to have own your own Regulator. Diving more than that pays if you have a 2 year or 3 year service interval (ie Atomic). Heavy

Thanks so much NDL -- we already own fins, masks, snorkels, full wetsuits, and dive computers for our family of 4 and it all fits in our carry-on luggage with a week of clothes and essentials. But buying BCD/regs means we have to start checking bags and until I can personally appreciate a big difference between rental gear and my own, this isn't something I'm willing to do even if it's more cost effective to buy BCD/regs.

 

[NDL_Diver]

Thanks so much NDL -- we already own fins, masks, snorkels, full wetsuits, and dive computers for our family of 4 and it all fits in our carry-on luggage with a week of clothes and essentials. But buying BCD/regs means we have to start checking bags and until I can personally appreciate a big difference between rental gear and my own, this isn't something I'm willing to do even if it's more cost effective to buy BCD/regs.

What I was trying to say is buy everything but BCD and regulator unless you are diving more than it it cost effective and willing to do what it takes to maintain. The last 2 items are heavy. My wife and I take all our own equipment. Even bare bones clothes (3 or 4 changes since we have a washer and dryer most places we stay) we are still need to check 2 bags at 48lbs, one carryon at 35lbs and a backpack.

 

[ggunn]

Thanks so much NDL -- we already own fins, masks, snorkels, full wetsuits, and dive computers for our family of 4 and it all fits in our carry-on luggage with a week of clothes and essentials. But buying BCD/regs means we have to start checking bags and until I can personally appreciate a big difference between rental gear and my own, this isn't something I'm willing to do even if it's more cost effective to buy BCD/regs.

I agree. Cost is almost secondary to transportability for BCD and regulator if you fly to dive.