Questions about Scuba Mau, please...?

[DandyDon]

Don,

I thought you were a Blue Angel guy? Jorge is the man!

See post #1. BA is the same price as 4 star all inclusive. Great place, great staff, great location, but price out of my style now.

 

[MMM]

Are the accommodation or the diving costs out of your style?

 

[k374]

I did 10+ dives with them in March, had a great time. They are a smaller op with small boats, that's the way I prefer it. They will store and rinse your gear too, haven't received anything CLOSE to that level of service for even twice the price anywhere else I have been diving lately (Hawaii, Bahamas etc.)

 

[scubawife]

I can't imagine Blue Angel for rooms being in the range of the AIs in Cozumel. Really?

 

[Superglyde]

just got back from ten days diving with Scuba Mau.
I can't say enough about how great they were. Family of four, and we had a boat to ourselves just about everyday with the best divemaster ever...Servanto..and the boat captain Victor. Yeah yeah, Gaby is great too, and Orlando, and eddie.but most of our trips were with victor and servanto.
Expert divemaster, cool head, serious, avid diver, keen on the marine life and no nonense DM that let you dive your tank to the max.
This was the best dive experience I have had. Muchas gracias to Mau and Opal and Eddie and Victor and Renaldo, and all the team. I will always dive with Scuba Mau.
I'm going to write a trip report soon about all the great local places we ate. Stayed at Villablanca right by the dive shop and it couldn't have been better.
Carl

 

[DandyDon]

Are the accommodation or the diving costs out of your style?

Diving costs have nothing to do with my personal change. BA has gone up so much on rooms that I could do the Iberostar with AI shared room with my usual bud like we usually do anyway with the $200 Orbitz discount for the same price as buying the plane ticket and BA separately. And the total price is not excessive still. I just don't care for southern zone AIs.

I can't imagine Blue Angel for rooms being in the range of the AIs in Cozumel. Really?

Well, BA's a great place, location, staff, etc, as I said. They've made a lot of improvements. I asked their booking agent about them getting on the Orbitz deal and was told that they were too small; the reasons may be another story, but whatever - they're not. BA does not have current rates on their new site. Their previous site packages were updated after the change of ownership: 7 nights, 5 - 2 tank trips = $650.00 Per diver, double occupancy, plus tax. If you factor out the $300 in diving = $350 x 2 = $700 for two, plus tax. Ok fine, it's a super place, worth $100/night I suppose, just more than I want to pay now with $414 plane ticket separate, totaling $764 each plus hotel taxes.

With the Orbitz $200 discount, as discussed on http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ge...tz-200-package-discount.html?highlight=orbitz and on this Coz forum on http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/co...hotel-package-discounts.html?highlight=orbitz it's rather easy for me to find packages including the same $414 plane a choice of 18-20 properties for less, like Iberostar AI for $803 including taxes, Wyndham for $734, Allegro for $634, Fiesta Americana, El Cid, Hotel Coz for even less - or if you're cheap like me, Villablanca for $534 double occupancy or $606 private room when you apply the discount to each room, $661 private upgraded room like we did. Hey, they're all good deals. Coz is an economical trip, and while plane fares and Orbitz packages will vary with origins, dates, supply & demand, and what color socks the CEO is wearing that day, I still kept getting those ballpark figures in comparison. I asked the BA booking agent about all this in email and didn't get much back, so we're trying VB and we're going to look at several other places while we're there this time. I prefer the smaller, more localized properties over the Fourseasons-wanabees, but there are plenty with online rates and O-packages.

Scuba Mau may go up when they become more established, only time will tell and their website is actually a little higher, but for now they'll pick you up at any of those for $60 - 2 tank trip, $7 nitrox, and what sounds like great services.

just got back from ten days diving with Scuba Mau.
I can't say enough about how great they were. Family of four, and we had a boat to ourselves just about everyday with the best divemaster ever...Servanto..and the boat captain Victor. Yeah yeah, Gaby is great too, and Orlando, and eddie.but most of our trips were with victor and servanto.
Expert divemaster, cool head, serious, avid diver, keen on the marine life and no nonense DM that let you dive your tank to the max.
This was the best dive experience I have had. Muchas gracias to Mau and Opal and Eddie and Victor and Renaldo, and all the team. I will always dive with Scuba Mau.
I'm going to write a trip report soon about all the great local places we ate. Stayed at Villablanca right by the dive shop and it couldn't have been better.
Carl

So you liked the VB okay? You didn't have all 4 in a standard 350 sq ft room did you? Their site shows king bed or two singles for those, King size and a sofa bed for the larger rooms...?

 

[scubawife]

I've stayed at Villablanca many times. Get a "superior oceanview" room. A few extra dollars over the standard is worth it. Bigger room, nicer location.

Everyone has their own idea of a good value I suppose. I have never booked a hotel/dive package in Cozumel and doubt I ever would. (I only do that when it's a destination where there's really no alternative) In Cozumel I have my favorite shop and while they're one of the higher priced, I feel they are worth it and to me it's money well spent. If I'm down for 7-10 days Villablanca or Casa del Mar (the cabana if I can get a good deal) are perfect. If it's a longer stay we prefer a condo. I'm by no means made of money, but I also don't go on vacations if I have to watch every penny and make choices based solely on price. I haven't stayed at Blue Angel but I've been through the property and do know people who won't stay anywhere else. The rooms are very basic, but the location is fantastic. To be walking distance south of town, oceanfront, have a pool, dock & dive shop on site and the atmosphere of a small property, I'm sure that if the room rate is $100/nt they still won't have a problem getting bookings.

 

[Superglyde]

Dandy,
We had two rooms, adjoining, one of which was an efficiency with a king, fridge, stove, etc.
I liked it fine for the price of the Orbitz package and being right next to Scuba Mau

 

[DandyDon]

I have never booked a hotel/dive package in Cozumel and doubt I ever would. (I only do that when it's a destination where there's really no alternative) In Cozumel I have my favorite shop and while they're one of the higher priced, I feel they are worth it and to me it's money well spent. If I'm down for 7-10 days Villablanca or Casa del Mar (the cabana if I can get a good deal) are perfect. If it's a longer stay we prefer a condo. I'm by no means made of money, but I also don't go on vacations if I have to watch every penny and make choices based solely on price.

Yeah when members invite discussion and opinions here on how to plan & book, I start with price shopping as most others think that way, but value is important to be sure. At any rate, I do suggest booking the Op separately generally, depending which will pick up at the member's hotel choice or how important it may be to stay close to the Op's for shore diving - which doesn't appeal to me much, but I still like to stay close to my Op for some reason.

Do you book your air & hotel separately? A quick peek at NYC-CZM for my particular week for example shows that the air went crazy briefly a couple of months ago...

but current fares start at $454 ea RT or with the O-discount, you can get air & hotel at VB for $195 ea more including taxes, plus upgrades = less than $25/night each, less than $50/night for the couple, plus your upgrades. What is hotel tax in Coz? And diving tax for that matter?

Or private rooms for $267 after discount @ VB including taxes, plus upgrades - altho private rooms don't appeal to some. These comparisons vary a lot, and may have even gone up for this view less than a month prior to arrival :bounce4: as I was looking, but it's often good to look at least.

But then, sometimes it can be good to get air alone, then ask the Op if they have any special hotel discounts that appeal to them. The ability to run spread sheets helps.

I haven't stayed at Blue Angel but I've been through the property and do know people who won't stay anywhere else. The rooms are very basic, but the location is fantastic. To be walking distance south of town, oceanfront, have a pool, dock & dive shop on site and the atmosphere of a small property, I'm sure that if the room rate is $100/nt they still won't have a problem getting bookings.

The rooms are very spacious, all over looking the pool and dock with fridges, good security, location, etc. Hehe, I know some guys married to non-divers get hit with "As long as we stay at such-such place" when they want to plan a return to Coz, so whatever it takes to make the non-diving wife happy.

Dandy,
We had two rooms, adjoining, one of which was an efficiency with a king, fridge, stove, etc.
I liked it fine for the price of the Orbitz package and being right next to Scuba Mau

Ok that sounds nice. Did S-Mau help you set that up?

Cramming family members into rooms can put an edge on vacation, especially for several nights. Sometimes I travel with my daughter's family, cramming 5 of us in a vehicle on road trips (we try to avoid 1,000 miles of "s/he touched me!"), then my grandson & I sharing a room at times is a challenge for us both. We just did 5 nights in a roomy house at Beaver Bend SP, OK and we both appreciate our separate rooms even tho he is awful about the way he leaves a shared bathroom.

We're adopting a German exchange student next month tho, so we'll organizing logistics anew now. Eh, our next two trips are camping so I just take my own tent, and we'll see about others...

 

[O'Malley]

Just returned from 6 days of diving, July 18-23, with Scuba Mau and wouldn't hesitate to use them again (hopefully in the near future). Like kuma1720 commented, on most days we had 4-6 divers on the boat with the exception of one day when there was 7. Eddie, our boat's divemaster, was one of the best I've dove with; not one dive was less than 50 minutes and most were 60+ minutes.