Your favorite AI in the Riviera Maya?

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swimbody

Caribbean Connoisseur
ScubaBoard Supporter
Messages
197
Reaction score
55
Location
Houston, Texas
# of dives
200 - 499
My beautiful wife really had it out with me the other day as she had asked for a luxurious AI stay that wasn't dive dive dive centric. After posting in the Coz section and asking about AIs there, she scolded me...alright alright alright, I get it...no 10 dives+ this trip; "are cenotes okay? I quipped. You loved Chikin Ha and Dos Ojos, remember?" "Yes, but I got cold on the second dive", she retorted. "So you are throwing out cenotes?", I asked. "No, I can wear one more wetsuit," she sighed and said. A smile crawled across my face albeit a shallow one.

So here I am, swallowing my deep diving pride and accepting that this trip is going to be akin to spending a week on a Walmart cruise ship, with swaths of large out of shape deep eaters, eating and then falling asleep next to one of 30 pools on the property. There are a couple of different spending levels that will get you various levels of luxury. I think if I pick an AI with an option to dive offshore near the resort like Puerto Aventuras or choose Puerto Morelos and the El Dorado series of hotels, I get a little better option than a sheen of sunscreen in every pool that I touch because of the helicopter moms that will be overstuffing the larger AIs along highway 307. Seems El Dorado Royale is better on the bank account and couples centric rather than the other options of screaming kids and tired out of shape parents.

As you my fellow cenote loving friends, where would you recommend? Anyone at any resort we should call directly and ask for? I speak plenty of Spanish and am not the least bit concerned about driving to cenotes and meeting a friend of mine who is an excellent cave certified guide. We are also adventurous eaters and drinkers, we don't have allergies and just want a level of luxury that is acceptable to 4 star. It seems the larger factory AIs are totally hit or miss with reviews on TripAdvisor. Some appear fantastic until you get the New Yorker who hates their life and takes photographs of every rusty exposed rebar and blue copper fitting. I feel you attract crap in your life if your life is crap to begin with. I see it over and over, you get out what you put into it. With that said we are open but want a couples like experience and El Dorado fits that description. I was not a fan of Ambergris in Belize, btw, I felt the reefs were pretty but not worth the rough ride and the viz was low due to the churn. Is Puerto Aventuras worth staying there? Any Dive Aventuras photos would be greatly appreciated.

Looking forward to your suggestions if you have any.
 
My (non diving) wife & I are returning for our 7th visit to the El Dorado & Sensimar Seaside Suites this coming spring. It is located half way between Puerto Adventuras and Akumal, so you will be right in the middle of the cenotes. We have always stayed on the Sensimar side (old EDSS). The new EDSS building is only about a year old. They are only about a 5 min walk apart and you can use the facilities at both. If you have any questions about the resort feel free to ask.
El Dorado Seaside Suites Adults Only Resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico| Karisma Hotels
I dive with Nicolas from CenoteXperience - Cavern, Cave and Ocean Diving in Playa del Carmen Yucatan Mexico - Inicio and he comes to the resort to pick me up for the cenote dives.
 
Love your confidence in where we are staying. I decided on the Royale property of the El Dorado resort area instead of EDSS because of the price and because I could get an oceanfront room on the top floor. Speaking Spanish to the property manager has helped. I like Nicolas' prices, very nice $180usd for some advanced cenote dives. I wasn't excited about this trip until I saw your post. Thanks dude.
 

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