Resort/dive shop/dive site recommendations

[HazardSports]

Hey Mossman - sorry ! I was just making a suggestion. I don't know all the Sandals locations off the top of my head but was just trying to help. But thank you for the clarification. I apologize. Guess I just need to travel more !

 

[cvchief]

For ALL the Newbies to Cozumel..... buy the MAP!! It is more than a map, it is a travel guide. This shows where everything on the island is located! It also gives prices for taxis, restaurants, suggestions, phone and locations for all dive ops, all hotels, EVERYTHING you need for a trip. It is cheap, too, at $10. Get one, you will love it.
MapChick's Cozumel Map and Travel Guide

I just bought her super duper EVERY dang map package. Good deal.

However, print out the map updates for Cozumel, or you will never find La Perlita....

 

[shardison]

This trip we are looking to try to go cheap for accommodations and focus on the diving.

Sounds like Scuba Club Cozumel will fit you well.

 

[Mossman]

Hey Mossman - sorry ! I was just making a suggestion. I don't know all the Sandals locations off the top of my head but was just trying to help. But thank you for the clarification. I apologize. Guess I just need to travel more !

Yeah, it might help to visit Cozumel first before giving travel suggestions for Cozumel. Just a thought

 

[jbark]

Nothing for Nothing, Jerry, but, assuming you are using Detroit, I looked at Matrix for August dates and you can fly into Cancun for as low as 430 PP on Spirit non stop. Heck Delta I saw a non stop for 540.

So

Spirit 860
Private Van to Playa 50
Ferry X2 28
Room at $40x7 280
Mayair CZM to CUN x2 100

659 Per person = 300 MORE of Margaritas.

3.5 on the plane each way, 50 in the van, 55 on the ferry for a total of less than 5.5 vs 7-8 hours flight and waiting going down.

On the way back, say 15 minutes on Mayair, maybe a couple hours in Cun depending on which Mayair you have to take and then 3.5 on the plane home = maybe 6 at the most vs 8-9 flying out of CZM

Note:
Coming down:
The van will stop for beer at the Oxxo and you can finish the 6 pack on the ferry.
If you have to wait on the next ferry, the view and food at Senor Frogs beat the #$%^ out of anything in the Houston or Dallas airports.

Going back:
Arrive at CZM 30 minutes before the Mayair flight is plenty of time. Email for the best ticket price.


Just some ideas for you. If you are a real skin flint you could change the private van to the bus which is easy for like 8 pp. Or even bus and ferry back. We use Cancun and I like the ferry down as it is fun and I like the Mayair back as it is QUICK.

As I said others may know how to find cheaper deals but just now I cannot find a flight lower than 686 for July 17-24. In any case, my wife won't be staying anywhere that rooms cost only $40 a night so there's that. LOL.

If I were going alone your game plan would be fine and the cost looks very nice, when I travel alone I do go the no-frills route and would give this kind of plan a go.

I have looked at the CUN flight prices before I just don't think I can sell the "adventure" if you get my drift!

Cheers
Jerry

 

[cvchief]

I have looked at the CUN flight prices before I just don't think I can sell the "adventure" if you get my drift!

Cheers
Jerry

I get ya Jerry. For the price difference you could to Mayair both ways. More or less just a connecting flight and STILL cheaper. That 686 to CZM sucks. I would break into tears typing my CC into the airline site. I hate paying a crap load more to sit in a airline seat for a longer overall trip and broken up by a snack at an airport restaurant. That is an 'adventure' in my book. The CUN run really isn't.

For that matter you want go upper crust, flying to CUN, take Mayair both ways and you got 480pp. You quoted the PR at 1030? So now you have saved 1100. Heck you could rent my 3 bedroom place and have 200 for groceries and it is nicer the the PR. Or blow the whole 1100 on a water front condo. You might have to squeeze to get one but it would be close. Or even a nice ocean view room at Casa Mexicana.

Sorry, I just feel for you on that horrible 686. Yuck. You might even be able to get an Orbitz or whoever deal landing in Cancun and staying in Coz for even less. I think you have to call them for that maybe? Where is DD? He was up on all of that....

 

[Mossman]

I get ya Jerry. For the price difference you could to Mayair both ways. More or less just a connecting flight and STILL cheaper. That 686 to CZM sucks. I would break into tears typing my CC into the airline site. I hate paying a crap load more to sit in a airline seat for a longer overall trip and broken up by a snack at an airport restaurant. That is an 'adventure' in my book. The CUN run really isn't.

So you think stepping off one big jet into a nice air-conditioned airport with a large selection of restaurants and fast food, full-sized bathrooms, bars, and seats more comfortable than in the plane to wait for one or two hours before stepping back onto another big jet is more of an adventure than getting off a long cramped flight in a cramped seat with a very cramped bathroom that has a long line to sit on a bus or in a van for an hour to sit on a ferry for an hour, dragging heavy luggage all the way?

Since I fly United from the west coast, non-stop isn't an option anyway. But if it were, I'd prefer to break up the 5 hours of flight time in half because 2-3 hours in a cramped coach seat is about all my back wants to handle and I really hate using the airplane bathroom for anything I can't do standing up

 

[Skittl1321]

Have you looked at flight + hotel packages from something like orbitz or travelocity? We stayed at Sabor for $900 pp including flights (from a remote, expensive airport- at the time flights were running about $670).

If your wife wants ritzy, Sabor may not be for her (the rooms ran slightly threadbare, though I think the constant dampness from the humidity was the main problem)- but it is all inclusive, the food was decent to good, the drinks were always available and well poured according to the people who drank, there was a nice beach, good pools. Pier where you can get picked up by pretty much any dive op you choose a 2 minute walk down the beach.

The problem with hotels with beaches is they aren't close to town, so a taxi for touristy things gets a bit pricey.

Secrets is right next door- more upscale, but also more expensive.

 

[cvchief]

So you think stepping off one big jet into a nice air-conditioned airport with a large selection of restaurants and fast food, full-sized bathrooms, bars, and seats more comfortable than in the plane to wait for one or two hours before stepping back onto another big jet is more of an adventure than getting off a long cramped flight in a cramped seat with a very cramped bathroom that has a long line to sit on a bus or in a van for an hour to sit on a ferry for an hour, dragging heavy luggage all the way?

Well, see you are doing it wrong. Nothing worse that getting out of a cramped little seat, just to get back in a cramped little seat. As for luggage, my guy meets me at the door at Cancun and helps drag the bags the short distance to the van. 50 minutes with beer in comfy van seats, no problem.

Oh and if I am actually hauling heavy luggage, I step out of the van and hire a tricycle guy very cheaply and he takes all of my luggage all the way to the ferry dock and stores it behind security for me until the next ferry. Very nice. And the ferry is lovely. I like a boat ride. I hardly consider that transit. The band is wonderful and taking in the sea air gets you in Coz mode.

Or use Mayair both ways, exit Cancun, nod to the guy in turquoise and white and he load your stuff in a waiting van and whisks you off to the FOB terminal which is brand new. Check your bags and go. And Mayair is really nice. Two trips ago I stood in Czm and watched some passengers boarding a big jet in the rain. They stood in line getting rained on while the boarded. A little bit later we boarded our Mayair flight. As we exited the terminal, a Mayair employee handed us a lovely, extended Mayair umbrella for the walk to the plane. At the door to the plane, another retrieved the umbrella. So nice.....

Since I fly United from the west coast, non-stop isn't an option anyway. But if it were, I'd prefer to break up the 5 hours of flight time in half because 2-3 hours in a cramped coach seat is about all my back wants to handle and I really hate using the airplane bathroom for anything I can't do standing up

Well from the west, maybe it makes more sense, as you are coming east the whole way.

But from the east or Detroit even, flying to Texas is going the wrong way to come back the right way. Even from Detroit, spending 2-3 hours LESS in a cramped airline seat and maybe 4 total hours LESS in transit for LESS money is what I want.

 

[Mike]

As I said others may know how to find cheaper deals but just now I cannot find a flight lower than 686 for July 17-24. In any case, my wife won't be staying anywhere that rooms cost only $40 a night so there's that. LOL.

Cheers
Jerry

Plug your flight numbers into Yapta.com and program a price alert via email if the price drops, if you're savvy, even better have it sent to your phone, you've got over a month still, stranger things have happened, you might get a drop for 4 hours one day and bang, alert hits your phone, you go book it. I've saved over $1200 on flights to Europe just for taking 5 minutes to do this.