Overwhelmed but Excited!

[deepsea21]

Since you stated, "My bf and I are experienced divers in our late 30's/early 40's. We like to have a good time with music and good food, we don't have kids"

I'll throw my 2 cents into this pot after 15 years of vaca's as you remind me of me and my wife 10 years ago (who was my gf 15 years ago when we got certified together).

1) Steer clear of all the true AI's you have found on-line as they are all far from town. The Coz Palace? No way for one on a budget as it resides among the most expensive on the island.
2) Steer clear of semi-AI resorts some may mention that "seem" close to town but aren't unless ya really enjoy a long, long hike to town and back.
3) "We'd like a nice pool or beach and dining options on-site" See #1 above.
4) "I used to work as instructor internationally and he was a DM. We have hundreds of dives under our belts". Then you want dive freedom and don't want to be signaled it's time to surface by a DM with a dive op that limits the group's dive time to biggest air hog in the group.
5) "We're more interested in having a good time and doing some great diving". Stay in town and dive with an op that delivers great dive experiences and respects the dive freedom to which you are entitled.
6) "We like to have a good time with music and good food, we don't have kids" Then you stay in-town where great food, local music and entertainment is at your feet without a buncha kids running around crazy after their state-side bedtime because parents HAD to bring them along.

My advice which others here have recommended in the past on other threads... Stay in town, stay at the Casa Mexicana and select your dive op (preferably Tres Pelicanos which I many of us have been lucky enough to somehow end up with along the way of our individual coz dive op journeys). Check out 3P's dive-and-stay-packages and contact Jeanie an email through Tres Pelicano's website. Yeah, I beat the 3P's drum here as all know but there are other great dive ops and accommodations to chose from. For us, as experienced divers who want 2 great vacations in one (topside and underneath) I can't find a better option for those of us who don't have a trust fund paying for our dive vacations.

With regard to other dive ops, from a while ago here is a list of the "Top 10" dive ops in alphabetical order that came about after 100 posts or something. Ya can't go wrong with any of them as they represent the Top 10.

Aldora
Blue Angel
Blue Magic
Blue XT Sea
Bottom Time Divers
Dive with Allison
Dive with Martin
Liquid Blue
Living Underwater
Tres Pelicanos

 

[ColoDale]

You can be picked up an any AI in the south by any dive OP so you are not limited to the house dive ops. One caveat is the recent fiasco with pier fees at Sunscapes/Secrets. Big threads on SB on that.

I prefer not to use big diver ops and their big boats. Dive Paradise and Dive house run alot of divers of all levels. Your preference though. I use small valet dive ops but they can be more expensive. On that note last I checked a year or two ago, the in house dive ops at Secrets list prices were about the same as my valet. Staying at the AI and using their in house dive op could save some money. Getting right off the boat to your room and hotel is convenient and they most likely have enough divers to go out - you will be there in lower season. Same for some other OPs closer to town that have hotels (SCC, Blue Angel, Hotel Cozumel, etc). Fiesta Americana has, I think finished the renovations but I never stayed there. Landmark is a higher end condo where some are for rent (99% sure not AI and not Fiesta Americana). The Intercontinental El Presidente is nice but not AI and fairly close to town.

An AI like Secrets is adult only but then you can have partiers (i.e. purpose of trip is not diving). However July is lower season so less people in general at any hotel. You might also have less traffic especially around the cruise ship piers.

I think most of the AI's in the south are pretty much the same but we did not go for food or high end finishes though we appreciate them. We went into town frequently for dinners, going to the east side, and anything else we wanted in town. The bonus to south is proximity to dive sites and a few minute walk to the pier as opposed to driving to the marina (dive ops/hotel with their own pier excepted).
Staying in town or on the North end can mean a taxi or rental car to the marina unless your hotel/dive op has it's own pier.

I can't tell what you like or know your budget but I can tell you that the AI's to the south generally served our purpose - We went to dive and relax and not have to worry about schedules and wallets once there though again we did go to town but planned for it. We also like the beach, better to the south.

Good luck. The water will be the same regardless of where you stay.

 

[Carlos Danger]

Hi All - First time posting on Scuba Board in a looooong time and I'm in need of some advice. I've scoured the boards and just can't seem to decide which way to go...

My bf and I are experienced divers in our late 30's/early 40's. We like to have a good time with music and good food, we don't have kids and would rather be at an "Adult-oriented" resort. We'd like a nice pool or beach and dining options on-site. As for diving - I used to work as instructor internationally and he was a DM. We have hundreds of dives under our belts. The last few summers we've been on other non-dive focused locations for family reasons and "made do" with diving where we were (Puerto Rico, Bermuda). So.... this summer we want to do about 10 days totally FOCUSED on AMAZING diving, as such we're looking to go to Cozumel in July 2018.

What we can't decide is how to choose from all the options. Cost is a consideration, but not a major factor. We're more interested in have a good time and doing some great diving! Do we stay at all inclusive hotel for food and drinks and add on diving with an operation (along the lines Secrets plus Dive Paradise or other combinations)? Do we stay at all inclusive diving resort and go out to eat for dinner and drinks (ie Scuba Club)? Do we do something along the lines of Blue Angel? Allegro? We're just totally overwhelmed by the total number of options available!

Any help is appreciated! Thank you in advance and Happy Diving.

The diving in Cozumel is fantastic, but your experience can be highly influenced by your choice of operator; so choose wisely.

In terms of location; the dilemma many new visitors are often faced with is: Do you want beaches and close proximity to primary dive sites, or do you want to be within walking distance or a short taxi ride to just about everything else when you are not diving (dive shops, people, culture, restaurants, bars, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, groceries, pharmacies, banking, medical, airport, transportation, ferry access to Playa Del Carmen and the mainland, etc)?

The AI's like you to eat, drink, shop, dive, swim, and generally just hangout there for the duration of your trip. If you want to venture out, then they are usually happy to assist with planning/booking your excursions through their own channel partners to understandably keep as much of the business focused around their own services. If you stay at one of the big AI's on the south end of the island you could be looking at a $40 round-trip taxi ride each time you want to go into town, which probably means you'll end up staying "on the reservation" most of the time. The AI's can tend to be more attractive to families too, so probably more kid-stuff round, etc.

The down-side of staying in town usually means longer boat rides, as many of the dive sites (not all) are down south. Of course, this also means getting up earlier and getting back later. There aren't really any beaches of the quality you may see down south either, but you will probably be spending your surface intervals on one of those nice beaches anyway, so you should still get plenty of beach-time.

After diving in Cozumel for the past 15 years or so, I would agree with most of the comments here in favor of staying in town. I usually stay at Casa Mexicana and dive with Aldora. The hotel is reasonably priced, centrally located, with secure well maintained facilities, and includes a big breakfast buffet every morning. Plus, the Aldora dive shop is literally right around the corner and just two blocks from the boat pier. Aldora are a full-service "valet" style outfit, plus use steel 120 tanks as standard issue for longer dives. They also have their own villa just north of town, if you prefer more personalized guest accommodation centered around diving.

Casa Mexicana

Aldora Divers​

Anyway, there are certainly many other great combos on the island to fit your needs; these are just my personal go-to's.


Hope this helps!

 

[Queen Triggerfish]

The "walkable to town" factor for some of those options may change since you are going in July. I've walked from Casa del Mar and Villablanca to town many times. But walking that distance in the afternoon in July seems much less pleasant and I'd opt for a taxi, at least on the way there when it's hotter.

 

[deepsea21]

The "walkable to town" factor for some of those options may change since you are going in July. I've walked from Casa del Mar and Villablanca to town many times. But walking that distance in the afternoon in July seems much less pleasant and I'd opt for a taxi, at least on the way there when it's hotter.

Well stated. When that sun is cooking everyone I learned really quick... The locals all walk the streets North/South, East/West on the side of the street that is shaded by buildings at any given time of day. Coz in July is searing sun hot with steaming humidity. No matter where you are flying in from, when you walk out of that air conditioned plane... Well, that's an experience that certainly says, "You're in the tropics now".