Which part of the island to stay at?

[scubasherry]

May I recommend that if you do feel a bit uncertain about your comfort level then by all means hire a private DM. I wish I would have for that first day. I got scared about the depth and the swim-thruoughs. :15a: The first dives off the boat are usually deeper. 70 to 80 ft. Had I hired a separate DM he or she could have stayed with me and my husband at a shallower depth and helped me work on comfort level and such while still following the rest of the group. As it was I did not dive until the 2nd day of diving and the 2nd dive of that day because I wanted to be shallower. My comfort level is around 40 to 50 ft. I am not ready for dives more than that at this point. That is something I am going to work on this summer.
I know you will enjoy having a private DM. The personal attention is great. Diving side by side with someone who knows the reefs, can point special things out to you and knows what Cozumel diving is all about can take a lot of stress out of the first dive or two. The extra 35 to 40 dollars for you comfort may be well worth it.
Good luck and have fun!
Also staying in town is a lot of fun. We stayed at a B&B and it was wonderful. There is so much to do and so many places to eat (at any budget). Most days the ride to the reefs was about 20 min. We enjoyed being out on the boat and seeing the island scenery from the water. It was all a really great experience.

 

[jawfish]

About shallow dives, I LOVE them! I see some of the coolest stuff right under the boat at times, just blowing extra bubbles before surfacing! I applaud you for staying in your comfort zone!

 

[Valwood1]

That makes sense. We were not planning on shore diving, but didn't want to spend a lot of time on the boats, so we were trying to pick a location that would close to the reefs. I guess another option would be to hire a private Dive Master for my first 2 dives so that I could do the shallow dives until I'm more confident about going deeper. Thanks for the advice.

Consider spending some time researching on this board -- there's a truly amazing amount of information on everything from dive ops to accommodations to places to eat, etc. And, as you soon will see, no one here is reluctant to express opinions on just about anything.

I've stayed south and in town, and have come to prefer the latter. If you're concerned much about money, remember that the southern hotels (Iberostar, Occidental, maybe Allegro) are all-inclusive, and substantially more expensive than many spots closer to or in town. For example, Caribe Blu, close to town, is a great divers' hotel, and costs about $80/night; it once had a nice shore diving spot, but I gather that has changed since Wilma. In addition, if you do want to go into town from the southern hotels, the cab ride is about $20 each way.

Since you mentioned Iberostar: (1) my bride thought that our room smell ed musty --I didn't notice, but then, I have Texas sinuses; (2) there is some question as to whether the non-hotel-affiliated dive ops can or will pick up at the Iberostar pier -- you really need to know this before making arrangements.

The boat ride from a pier in town to the southern dive sites is 30-45 minutes on a small, fast boat. It's not an uncomfortable ride if the sea is pretty smooth.

Try to use a dive op that uses the smaller boats and smaller groups. I'd wholeheartedly recommend Scuba with Alison for you ( www.scubawithalison.com I think)-- she's patient, attentive, helpful and cautious, as well as being very nice, and IMnotsoHO, is almost an ideal divemaster for a newer diver.

You'll have a great time.

 

[caseybird]

Hi,
I'm a big fan of Fiesta Americana. The taxi ride to town (centro) is about 15 minutes and costs about 6 bucks and tip, for two. The taxi price may have gone up. It's a full service resort with it's own dive op and pier. Like the rest of Coz, very friendly, helpful staff. I like staying a high floor in an oceanfront room, you get good breezes and the classic coz sunsets. I think all operators will pick you up at the pier, finish breakfast at the waterfront buffet then walk out to the boat when it shows up. They have 2 pools, one is a small quiet pool that is ideal for the grown-ups.
FA took a serious hit from Wilma, I believe it has reopened, I have reservations for June. They have an all-inclusive deal going that will cost us less than $1000.00 for two for a week (diving not included). That price makes it worthwhile for breakfast, lunch and drinks at the resort, dinner in town.
There is (was?) nice snorkeling in front of the hotel. I'll see what's there.

 

[dnhill]

I have stayed at most of the places that you had a question about. I liked Reef Club the least of all mentioned. Of the southern resorts, I liked the Occidental and Iberostar. Iberostar, has had some problems in the past in allowing other operators to pick up from their pier. I hope you enjoy your trip.

dnhill