presidente vs. occidental

[deputydan1]

hey gang!
for my next trip, considering these two places...anyone stay at both?? any comparisons would be great!

thanks!

-dan

ps> i loved the pres....

 

[Len]

hey gang!
for my next trip, considering these two places...anyone stay at both??....

I have not stayed at either but here's my .02 anyway
There are major differences...OG is AI, EP is not. OG is way south...EP is closer to town. In my opinion, OG is a resort, EP is a hotel. I wouldn't mind trying either one but for the $$, Iberostar is a better bang for the buck. Next winter will be our 3rd stay at Iberostar. Nice resort, maybe you should have a 3rd option.

 

[deputydan1]

good point.

will look into iberostar....

is it nice like the pres? food ok? how's the snorkeling there?

thanks!

-dan

 

[jerrycsr]

[I just got back from Cozumel two days ago.

There are TWO Occidentals. One is the Occidental Grand. The other is the Occidental Allegro. They are within walking distance of each other.

I stayed at the Allegro. It has good and bad points which I'll elaborate on if you want to know about the Allegro as opposed to The Grand, which I know nothing about.

 

[DiverG]

Whatever you choose to do make sure you factor in cost for traveling into town. I believe its about $20 each way for a cab ride from the OG. So if you choose that option and plan to go into town a lot you might want to rent a vehicle

 

[Dan Kom]

Its about 20-25 now.....As its the farthest from town....

 

[deputydan1]

thanks for the pointers, guys!
will look into that occidental grand.......the iberostar sounds kinda nice too!

-dan

 

[jerrycsr]

the cab ride for one or more passengers from The Allegro to downtown was $15.

 

[sharky60]

el presidente is the only 5 star resort on the island and althouh it is really nice you will also pay for it. But the food and service are supeior to most on the island.
you could pay the same price at the Grand and have the all-inclusive thing if you like all inclusives. I'm staying at the Grand the first week of Sept. only because we are meeting some friends there and that's where they want to stay. They have been there before and keep telling me the food is really good and the service has always been good also. although some reports here on SB have given mixed reviews on the food, but it's hard to judge by other peoples tast, you know.
as for me personally it's too far from town, the cab fare is something like $15 one way and if you pay all that money for all inclusive you most likley don't want to spend extra at restaurants in San Miguel any way.
The real advantage to the Grand is that Palancar is just off it's beach, you get in a boat and your diving in 5-10 min rather than the usual 15-20+ min boat ride down to the best sites.
so i guess it's a matter of perspective and money, do you want to pay high dollar for just a room that is closer to town or the same amount of money for AI.
If I had my druthers, i'd be at La Ceiba where I know the food is good, the price is not over the top and the cab fare to town is $3 and if i'm feeling energetic i can even walk to and from town. but that's me.
either way, enjoy the trip, save some cerveza for the rest of us.
the shark

ps. i just read a review on the Grand on tripadvisor.com and the guy pretty much loved it except didn't care too much for the dive op, dive palancar and said there was no place in the room to hang his equipment to dry. the photos on the Grand's site looks like the rooms have balconies though. he said they do have lockers at the dive op, bring your own lock or rent one for $10 for the week, but they are just baskets and in an area without much ventilation.
just some more info.
me

hey gang
for my next trip, considering these two places...anyone stay at both?? any comparisons would be great!

thanks!

-dan

ps> i loved the pres....

 

[Scott101]

We stayed at the Grand in April and loved it. The grounds, the staff and the food were great. I did dive with an outside dive op (Papa Hogs) though but only because I wanted to try the 6-pack boat experience. The onsite dive op, Dive Palancar, did have some really nice boats and didn't appear to be over crowded at all.

IMO, the only down side to the Grand food was the pizza place. Not very good but hey, there are plenty of other places to eat.

One tip on the cab fares. It is generally $15-20 per car load. We would just wait around the lobby until someone else was heading into town and split the fare.

Hope that helps a little.