Cozumel..Need Suggestions Please!!

[DandyDon]

Las Anclas hotel and Tres Pelicanos. Great dive op that is physically connected to the hotel.

Is that Villa las Anclas at 5a Avenida Sur 325? Tres Pelicans has a shop there? Only 600 yards from the ferry dock.

Don, all of these things change so quickly, it would be very hard to keep a site like that current. Also, shops here working together is not a strong suit for most of them in my humble opinion. If it was, standards, safety, and pricing would all go up

My $0.02

The city could do it, not matter how much it takes to update weekly - but they are more interested in cruise boats it seems.

 

[seasher]

Aqua Safari dive shop has the Safari Inn over top. On the main street facing the ocean. Dive boats steps away and restaurants, bars just a short walk away. Check out their stay and dive rates. Good staff and dive masters - you won't be disappointed. Check out their Facebook page for photos of the shop, boats and staff. You could also book a stay and dive package at other nearby hotels and still dive with Aqua Safari. Look at the Aqua Safari website for more info.

I agree! Aqua Safari is excellent. If you want a hotel that´s a bit fancier Aqua Safari also does packages with the Casa Mexicana which is just about 1\2 block away and includes a fine breakfast.

 

[Mossman]

Hi!! Looking to dive Cozumel! Looking for a hotel that is walking distance to town, but also has a Dive shop on-site at the hotel for convenience! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!!! ))

As others have mentioned, there are dive ops with "virtual" dive shops that might as well be in your hotel. For instance, when I dive with Living Underwater, I drop off my gear "at the shop" on the first day when Jeremy picks me up for diving at the hotel dock. Because they store all my gear, there's no need for a physical dive shop with rinse tank and storage lockers. On the last day, Jeremy comes by my hotel to settle the bill with his mobile dive shop, including a device to swipe my credit card.

What you really want for convenience is not necessarily a hotel with a dive shop, but a hotel with its own dock. Otherwise you have to walk to the nearest public dock or take a taxi.

 

[Ron Lee]

I understand the convenience of a hotel located dock or even one a dock like Aqua Safari or Aldora that you walk a block or two to get to.

But you may decide that Dive with Martin with free gear rental is your best choice and that taxi a taxi there is what you have to do.

I have taken beaucoup taxis to Meridiano 87, the Caleta, or downtown from a northern hotel to dive with my preferred dive op.

You have lots of choices in hotel and dive shop.

 

[Carlos Danger]

Hi!! Looking to dive Cozumel! Looking for a hotel that is walking distance to town, but also has a Dive shop on-site at the hotel for convenience! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!!! ))

I would just stay in town and use one of the in-town dive ops. The drawback is you won't have a nice beach attached to the hotel property to chill at while you're not diving, but you will be close to everything else and can walk to all the shops, restaurants, bars, grocers, etc. I usually stay at Casa Mexicana (convenient, clean, w/ free breakfast buffet every morning) and dive with Aldora just around the corner. Their pier is just two blocks down the beach from the hotel, plus Aldora have steel 120 tanks available, excellent service, and usually do their surface intervals for the southern sites at Mr. Sanchos beach club, so you still get to chill at the beach after all.

Welcome to Hotel Casa Mexicana | Cozumel | Mexico

Bienvenidos - Aldora Divers | Only the best of Cozumel

Mexican fiesta in cozumel,mexican food at Mr Sanchos,beach events in Mr Sanchos

 

[Ron Lee]

If you provide more info on your hotel you can get better suggestions.

Nightly cost.

All-inclusive or not.

Pool?

A real beach is out of the question but do you want to be waterfront or is not next to the water OK?

 

[Mossman]

I understand the convenience of a hotel located dock or even one a dock like Aqua Safari or Aldora that you walk a block or two to get to.

But you may decide that Dive with Martin with free gear rental is your best choice and that taxi a taxi there is what you have to do.

I have taken beaucoup taxis to Meridiano 87, the Caleta, or downtown from a northern hotel to dive with my preferred dive op.

You have lots of choices in hotel and dive shop.

A block or two walk isn't bad at all. At the Occidental last year, I was in one of the rooms closest to the beach/dock, yet the walk was at least the equivalent of a couple blocks since I had to navigate down a long path, around a large swimming pool, take a long bridge over their estuary, walk down toward their restaurant, around the restaurant, then cross the beach and walk down a long dock. I would easily stay in town if not at a southern AI, as long as I'm diving with a dive op that stores gear (I'm carrying about 40 lbs of camera, that's enough!)

I find the taxi idea odd because it's so unnecessary, given the number of hotels near docks in town or with their own docks in town or to the south. What makes the northern hotels so irresistible that it's worth the time, cost, and hassle of taking a cab each way to get to the dive boat?

 

[Ron Lee]

I find the taxi idea odd because it's so unnecessary, given the number of hotels near docks in town or with their own docks in town or to the south. What makes the northern hotels so irresistible that it's worth the time, cost, and hassle of taking a cab each way to get to the dive boat?

I have used dive ops that start south of town (eg Caleta) when I stayed in town. Taxi required.

I have stayed in town and walked to an in town pier. No taxi required.

I have stayed on the north end of downtown (Hacienda San Miguel) and either used a taxi or walked to an in town pier.

Due to noise, I am now avoiding most downtown hotels. One stay at Fiesta Americana with hotel pier pickup.

Currently, my preferred hotel is Villa Aldora north of town. There is an ambiance there that I doubt that you will find in most hotels. While they do pick up there, I usually take a taxi to Rock n Java for breakfast then walk to the Aldora pier.

With beaucoup combinations of hotels and dive shops, maybe you get a hotel pier pickup or maybe you take a taxi.

 

[mstevens]

I'm pretty sure the hotel provides transportation.

I'm pretty sure they would get in terrible trouble with the taxi syndicate if they were to do that. No hotel on the island gets away with providing transportation for guests to or from anywhere.

 

[cbm32]

Yes Don, I am talking about Villa las Anclas at 5a Avenida Sur 325. And yes, Tres Pelicans has a shop there.

Las Anclas will not provide transportation to the Caleta, but Tres Pelicanos will. I stayed at El Cid and Tres Pelicanos always provided transportation for me. Sometimes they picked me up at the El Cid Pier, sometimes they picked me up themselves, and sometimes they provided me with a taxi. Just a great dive shop that treats you like family (well, better than some families LOL)