Student trip to Cozumel

[londonscuba]

Hey everyone,

I'm a first-time poster so be nice!

I've been charged with arranging my NY graduate college's annual dive trip, and consensus seems to be that the divers want to go to Cozumel. We need decent (but certainly not 5*) accommodation, a good & friendly dive outfit, and plenty of nightlife within walking distance. A few of the group will be more interested in the margaritas than the mantas, if you get my drift.

Ideally i would like a New York travel agent to act as middleman without taking too much of a cut: any suggestions very welcome. Also, we plan on going around the first or second week in jan - anything unusual happening then? Finally, if anyone has any links to helpful sites or postings which describe Cozumel and basic stuff about it (like how to get there, what the weather will be like, prices etc.) that would be magic.

Thanks in advance for any help. Sorry if i'm the 5 millionth person to ask these questions.

Nick

 

[mustfajohnson]

there are several postings that mention group travel such as Funjet and apple vacations. Many Dive shops are affiliated with travel companies and have experience setting up trips. Also you can check out gocozumel.com for local information. Good luck and enjoy the diving I know I do.

 

[ggunn]

Hey everyone,

...If anyone has any links to helpful sites or postings which describe Cozumel and basic stuff about it (like how to get there, what the weather will be like, prices etc.) that would be magic.

I have some info posted on the web; see my sig.

Cheers,

 

[Dan Kom]

Try TripAdvisor.com....They have around 85 hotels with trip reviews.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g150809-Cozumel_Yucatan_Peninsula-Hotels.html

 

[londonscuba]

thanks guys, i shall check those links out.

Best,

Nick

 

[sharky60]

Nick,
I think Plaza las Glorias would be a good choice for y'all, it's withing walking distance of downtown for the non-diver/drinking crowd and I think they have pretty good rates. They are also right accross the street from the supermarket so you can save some bucks on buying beer and snacks to put in the room fridge. I have never stayed there but have friends and family who have and enjoyed it. We usually stay at La Ceiba, it's further from town and caters mostly to divers.
I'd check with FunJet or another charter type for the best rates, FunJet has a website that you can check rates and then you book it through the travel agent of your choice. the agent may be able to give you a group rate also.
There are lots of good dive ops, Dive with Martin & Blue Bubble are the 2 that I'm most familiar with Martin has really good prices and may give you a better rate on a large group.
hope this helps,
sharky

 

[ggunn]

Nick,
I think Plaza las Glorias would be a good choice for y'all, it's withing walking distance of downtown for the non-diver/drinking crowd and I think they have pretty good rates.

I agree, but I'd advise checking with PLG to see when they will be shut down for remodeling and if they will be a hotel at all afterwards. Some say that they will be totally timeshares after the renovation.

Cheers,

 

[DCDivenut]

Hey everyone,

I'm a first-time poster so be nice!

I've been charged with arranging my NY graduate college's annual dive trip, and consensus seems to be that the divers want to go to Cozumel. We need decent (but certainly not 5*) accommodation, a good & friendly dive outfit, and plenty of nightlife within walking distance. A few of the group will be more interested in the margaritas than the mantas, if you get my drift.

Ideally i would like a New York travel agent to act as middleman without taking too much of a cut: any suggestions very welcome. Also, we plan on going around the first or second week in jan - anything unusual happening then? Finally, if anyone has any links to helpful sites or postings which describe Cozumel and basic stuff about it (like how to get there, what the weather will be like, prices etc.) that would be magic.

Thanks in advance for any help. Sorry if i'm the 5 millionth person to ask these questions.
Nick

Not sure how many people going but an option for a medium size group is a villa rental. You can get a lot of bang for your buck. The biggest difficulty is double bedded rooms. I would check this option out. Cuts out the travel agent, but most villa rental companies can act as good info sources on local goings on.

 

[Canucklehead]

A few of the group will be more interested in the margaritas than the mantas, if you get my drift.

Hmmmm... while margaritas may be indigenous to Cozumel, you will probably find a few more of those than manta rays...

On the other hand, you may see a few eagle, sting and yellow rays, although I haven't seen them drinking margaritas.

 

[londonscuba]

hey everyone,

thanks for your advice - i've found a good travel agent and the Hotel Cozumel (as i think it's called this month) seems to suit most of our needs.

Final question: all-inclusive or not? From the restaurants listed on Gordon's site (which all sound awesome) I am tempted to go not. Contrary opinions welcome!

Bring on January 4th!!!

Nick