Mexico Accomodations for GUE Cave 1

[amascuba]

I'm just interested in where people have stayed while taking the GUE Cave 1 class in Mexico? Likes/Dislikes/If you did it all over again.... type thing. Or just general information from past experiences.

 

[ae3753]

I'd stay in Puerto Aventuras. Quiet at nights (sleep=good) and very close to Zero Gravity (less travel time). Pricey though.

 

[Jasonmh]

I'm just interested in where people have stayed while taking the GUE Cave 1 class in Mexico? Likes/Dislikes/If you did it all over again.... type thing. Or just general information from past experiences.

I also have some recommendations I got a while back too, I'll see if I can find them and send them to you.

I was also wondering if anyone had any other logistical recommendations that might help out. I have been to the Zero Gravity store only once, when I convinced the taxi driver to pull over so I could run in for a minute.
So I was wondering, for the people who have been there and done it:
Anyone have an opinion if one rental car is enough? I was thinking it would be, but now that I am thinking about 3 people + gear back and forth to and from the cenotes, I am not sure.
Anything esle that first-timers like us might not be considering?
Thanks,
Jason

 

[GreenDiverDown]

Get a van!

Uh... wait a minute... when are you going?

 

[azcaddman]

danny/chris will (probably) pick you up at your hotel/resort, and will be bringing the tanks/gear.

 

[RTodd]

I'm just interested in where people have stayed while taking the GUE Cave 1 class in Mexico? Likes/Dislikes/If you did it all over again.... type thing. Or just general information from past experiences.

Chris has a place you can rent and his wife is a RE agent down there that can set you up anywhere you want. Around the marina is easiest since you can walk to all of the restaurants. There is a building boom in PV right now so just pick what you want. There is some nice stuff overlooking the beach that costs a bit more or some less expensive stuff (relatively speaking) that is okay but not great. I do both depending on whether my wife is going. When I am just down there cave diving all day the cheaper stuff around or near the marina (or at Chris' place up the road) is more convenient. I believe that Chris and Danny generally have room for most of the gear so you just need transportation for yourself. Just email them.

 

[rjack321]

I stayed at Vista del Mar. Offseason the prices are good for the condos and you can cook for yourself. Right on the beach which is nice - feels like vacation.
http://www.akumalinfo.com/
Snorkeling the bay there is about as good as snorkeling can be. I saw a Moray and ~1ft long cuttlefish in 5ft of water - pretty cool.

Vista del Mar is about 9 miles (15km) from the shop, no biggie. At least Chris does not go late, his wife starts calling him every 15mins after 7 or so.

Get a rental car, but Chris has a huge truck, Danny has a van (not sure about Fred) and they can haul your doubles to the cenotes and fill station. So just get a car big enough for your gear. Do not tell the rental place you are divers, etc. They will give you a POS. Well it'll be a rattle trap anyway, but you'll get a better one.

Get groceries in Playa, there are 4-5 big stores there.

Here are somemore tidbits from my recent experience:
http://www.direxplorers.com/gue-course-reports/3330-cave-1-report-richard-jack.html
http://thedecostop.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22376

RJ

 

[ovarygirl]

My boyfriend and I stayed at Hotel Villas del Caribe right in Xpu-ha in a beachfront cabana. It is literally right across the street from ZG and we had the shortest commute time out of everyone (5 min including a stop at the Pemex for coffee) For a small number of people, the price was very reasonable at around $65/night, but there isn't a kitchen so I found that to be a bit annoying. A communal fridge is available for persishables. For a larger group, I'd go with the place RJ recommended. Leon's prices for accommodation recently went up and Cafe del Mar's menu prices went up last year. Although Cafe del Mar's prices are on the higher side, the food was the best that we had in Mexico in terms of tastiness.

Vehicle: FYI, Fred also has a pickup truck. While we were there, some friends from NZ doing Fundies and Cave 1 stayed in Puerto Avenutras, didn't have a rental vehicle and were able to hitch rides everyday. For my Fundies course, all of the tanks and gear were loaded into the instructor's vehicle, so you likely won't need a rental vehicle during the course. My boyfriend was cave diving while I was doing Fundies, so we decided to rent a vehicle for the entire trip. We rented an economy Chevy Corsa from Budget (just off the Airport on the 307) and had ZERO problems with them. We used the zero-deductible CDW coverage with our VISA, and the total cost for the vehicle (9 days) and liability insurance was $230 US. There were 2-3 of us diving out of the Corsa with at least 1-2 sets of doubles each and 2 fruit baskets, and there was just enough room for everyone. So, if you're looking to save a bit of expense on the rental vehicle, you CAN fit 2-3 divers with cave gear in a compact car.