Just booked Cozumel Palace!

[bnajdrovsky]

Early diving is our thing! Yes, I'll be diving nitrox. My husband dives air.

I'm also nitrox certified, but usually just dive normal air in Coz since I only tend to do 2 tanks / day (and sometimes a 3rd for a night dive) and my residual nitrogen usually stays well in the margin of safety so I have hard time justifying the extra cost. On the other hand, at Bonaire, where I was doing 5 dives per day, nitrox was a necessity. It's a good thing they included it for free.

If you haven't been to the Cozumel Palace before, you're in for a treat. I think it's the best all-inclusive place I've ever been to. I'm looking forward to being back in February and diving with Blue XT Sea.

 

[nyprrthd]

If you dive with BXTS for the week, they keep your gear except for your wetsuit. They rinse, hang, and take care of your gear. When the boat picks you up at the hotel dock, your gear is set up and ready to go. All we had to do was test our Nitrox levels, and make sure everything was set up the way we like. "Valet" diving is the only way to go!

There are other operators who will hold on to, and rinse/set up your gear. Christi and her crew are our choice for Cozumel.

Hi Bo!

 

[bnajdrovsky]

Hi Lou! I like the way you put it... "valet diving." That's a good way to put it. I was so impressed with how the Blue XT Sea folks took care of us the first time I used them, I've not considered other ops since then.

 

[Texas Diver]

Here is my two cents worth. YOu went first class on your hotel, now go first class for your dive operator. Use Blue XT Sea for your dives and forget about it!

 

[Scubagolf]

If you haven't been to the Cozumel Palace before, you're in for a treat. I think it's the best all-inclusive place I've ever been to. I'm looking forward to being back in February and diving with Blue XT Sea.

We are leaving March 20th for a week at the Cozumel Palace. Do you have any comments or recommendations about the hotel after your recent stay? (We are diving with Blue XT Sea.....)

 

[bnajdrovsky]

Not much had changed at the Cozumel Palace from my previous visit. It was once again a very enjoyable place to stay. The dining was quite good and the lobby and pool bars both have name brand liquor, though if you drink margaritas, be sure to name the tequila you wish for them to use, otherwise they will use the bottom of the barrel engine cleaner type stuff.

As far as diving goes, BlueXTSea will pick you up at the hotel's pier every morning at 8 am, and it's about 20 or 25 minute ride out to the reefs. If you haven't dived with them before, I think you will be very impressed. They really take care of their divers, and the divemasters very good. I'm especially impressed with Pedro Pablo, who has an amazing ability to find critters of all types. This was my 3rd time diving with BlueXTSea, and they never disappoint.

 

[Scubagolf]

Not much had changed at the Cozumel Palace from my previous visit. It was once again a very enjoyable place to stay. The dining was quite good and the lobby and pool bars both have name brand liquor, though if you drink margaritas, be sure to name the tequila you wish for them to use, otherwise they will use the bottom of the barrel engine cleaner type stuff.

Thanks for your comments on the Coz Palace and Blue XT Sea. Are you a "member" of the Palace, or did you just book a room? Do you have any recommendations on where (which floor, etc.) to stay at the hotel?

 

[vanduker]

We aren't members at the Palace. We buy the time from an individual who is a member. Is nice in that it is cheaper and we are treated from the beginning as if we were platinum members. No attempts to sell us anything other than to let us know what benefits we have as members that we might not know about. We have done this twice through the same individual and have had no issues.

One thing about this property is it isn't the best place for light sleepers. As is typical of the architecture the walls and floors are all hard surfaces so "Voices Carry". There are signs in the halls for "Silence" but they are of little import to either kids or drunks migrating their party from the bar to their rooms.

I'd try to get a room not on the first floor and as far to the end of the hall as you can get. Makes for a few extra steps but would be well worth it. Still doesn't help if you get the folks like we had next door for part of the stay - up with screaming kids at 0600 and slamming the door a dozen times before 0700. I like screaming kids as much as the next guy but hey - I left mine back in the states - so I don't care to listen to someone elses.

It is a nice place and from the time we hit the door until they loaded our bags in the taxi they took care of us. It is just the nature of the architecture and the layout of the facility. Part fo the price you pay for being so close to town.