Riviera Maya First Timer Questions

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Thanks for all the input. We are heading out this weekend. Diving with Tank-Ha and staying at a place called Hostel Vista Caribe. They have been extremely helpful and responsive by email, and the package is totally customized at our request and very reasonablly priced. I'll pop in with a follow up after we get back.

Lillian
 
Hi,

If I wanted to dive cenotes and reefs I would stay in the Tulum area. No matter where you go from Agngelita to Dos Ojos you are just a short drive away. I would advise diving with Maya Diving in Tulum: Diving and Snorkeling in Tulum Cenotes and Reefs and Dive Courses. Their guides are NACD cert. and provide excellent service. They have 3 location Dreams Hotel, Downtown Tulum and at El Crucero near the ruins. They are not a chain and you get personal service. They will pick you up and take you back to your hotel. They speak English, Spanish, German, Aussie and Kiwi:rofl3:

The reefs are also very good with lots of coral canyons and swim throughs.

As some posts have said there may be a bit more marine life in Coz, but I still prefer the Tulum area. Plus you are only 5 mins from Carwash or Grand Cenote...plus.... plus plus...
5 minutes by boat top the reef...you can do cenotes in the am... reefs in the pm...and still have time to paly...if so inclined...:eyebrow:
 
We just returned from Playa Del Carmen. We flew Northwest Airlines into Cancun. We took the bus from the airport for 80 pesos or $8.00 (taxis are $45.00). We took a taxi from the bus station to our hotel at 10 Avenue and 28th Street for 30 pesos or $3.00 (Hotel Riviera Carib Maya) one block from 5th Avenue. Our dive shop was Pluto Dive two short blocks (less than two minutes) from our hotel. They handled our equipment such as washing and hanging the equipment for the full week of diving. Their packages are great. The personel are exceptional and know their destinations, small boat so you feel like you have more personal service, the Cenote dive guides were the greatest, the people have a great knowledge of the area and its history. Barbara and Alberto and great. The dive shop is also one block from 5th Avenue. We had a wonderful time and found the taxis around town are only $3.00 or 30 pesos. There are buses to Cancun or Tulum for an outstanding experience. Have fun we did.
 
We just returned from Playa Del Carmen. We flew Northwest Airlines into Cancun. We took the bus from the airport for 80 pesos or $8.00 (taxis are $45.00). We took a taxi from the bus station to our hotel at 10 Avenue and 28th Street for 30 pesos or $3.00 (Hotel Riviera Carib Maya) one block from 5th Avenue. Our dive shop was Pluto Dive two short blocks (less than two minutes) from our hotel. They handled our equipment such as washing and hanging the equipment for the full week of diving. Their packages are great. The personel are exceptional and know their destinations, small boat so you feel like you have more personal service, the Cenote dive guides were the greatest, the people have a great knowledge of the area and its history. Barbara and Alberto and great. The dive shop is also one block from 5th Avenue. We had a wonderful time and found the taxis around town are only $3.00 or 30 pesos. There are buses to Cancun or Tulum for an outstanding experience. Have fun we did.
I returned from Playa del Carmen on the 9th of February! Dove there with playasuba: Playa Scuba Dive Center * Centro de Buceo * Tauchbase - Playa del Carmen, Mexico with Luis and Klaus! Two fantastic instructors and very good friends! The cheapest dive center in Playa del Carmen. They showed me many Cenotes and took me to Belize! We dove the GREAT BLUE HOLE!!
 
Joanna, that was exactly the sort of info I was looking for when I originally posted! But I made do with the internet, and we were pleased with the package we wound up with.

Hotel Vista Caribe was adequate, and probably typical of the local hotesl in its price range. The desk staff, generally very young men, spoke minimal English but as so often happens they would nod and say "Yes" if they didn't understand, resulting in some amusing (in retrospect) misunderstandings. An example: the last day we asked for a late, 1PM check-out for teh following afternoon and were assured there was no problem. SOmehow this was translated into a 1 AM wake up call! Not funny at 1AM but I can laugh now. Despite our advancing ages and cumbersome equipment, they were consistently surprised when we asked for help getting our bags to the 3rd floor suite (no elevator of course) and back down again. Thankfully the heavy bags have wheels and traction bars on the underside.

We were very pleased with Tanh-Ha Dive Center. Our main guide was Pancho, who really went out of his way to accommodate us. The first day was to Cozumel, which I have to say is not worth the effort for a day trip -- if you want to go to Cozumel, just go there.

The second day I begged off due to a cold and ear problems, so Pancho found us a driver to go to Coba' and Tulum - both worthwhile, but get up early if you want to avoid enormous crowds! (No tour buses for us!) Day 3 was our first Cenote dive, and as soon as we emerged we cancelled all our ocean dives for more Cenotes. Challenging photography, but what a world under there! I never thought I would enjoy anything resembling cave diving, but these caverns were fantastic, and thanks to the eerie ambient light and my BF's video lights, I was able to get a fair number of keeper shots, and some that I think will be competitive. As far aI can tell, I can't post a photo into this post or I would show you.

Lillian
 
Cenotes are definitely the most impressive thing in the region and pretty much unique in the world. there are some caves elsewhere but all are ddeper or colder or usually, both plus the cavern zones are large and the vis is awesome.
I would prefer staying in Tulum personally because Playa is getting too busy also the cenotes are really close. No currents on the reefs either unlike pretty much everywhere further north.
Of course Maya Diving http://www.mayadiving.com are my choice down there same as Travelure. They are the most professional from my observations and pick up from the whole area. They finally got a nice new van with air a stereo. I have been diving with them several times and had a lot of fun with those guys. Can't wait to get back there.
Tulum Beach is awesome and there are even some fun clubs and bars now. Better get there before it turns into Playa and Playa turns into Cancun.
 
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