Cozumel - North or South?

[DiveandPuttGuy]

I am planning a visit to Cozumel in February that will include renting a house for 3-4 couples. 4 divers and 4 non-divers. Can anyone tell me the advantages of staying North of San Miguel vs South of town?

 

[MMM]

You'll probably find more home rentals south than north. Lots of places meeting this description in the Corpus Christi area of San Miguel and just slightly south of there. Most places of that nature have their own pools for your non-divers to hang out at if they don't want to rent a car and boogey around while the divers are out. North of town would appeal to any golfers in your group however.

 

[Christi]

MMM gave great feedback.

As far as the divers go, this really depends on who you are going to dive with. If you are diving with an op that will pick up downtown, then I would say stay north or in the Corpus Christi area. Then the golfers aren't too far from the golf course, and the divers have a convenient ick-up location as well.

If the non-divers are more into white sandy beaches and not so much the golf...then south would be a better option as it's closer to these types of beaches, and also convenient for the divers in the group. If you all plan to eat in town or spend much time in town, you would want to rent a car or stay closer to town (Corpus Christi area for example).

What I would recommend over a house, is checking into El Cantil condos. They are gorgeous, come in all sizes (studio to 5 bedrooms), modern ammenities, waterfront with huge balconies and jacuzzi's on the balconies, pool, secure, across the street from the grocery store, great location for golfing, diving, and going into town. If it's in your budget, this is the hottest ticket in town as far as lodging goes...IMO.
http://www.elcantilcondos.com/areaInformation.php

 

[Hochhauser]

I also agree with what both Christi and MMM have said.
I'm in the same boat.. a group with some divers some non --
It's a big decision with the relaxing beautiful sandy beaches of the South... to the convienience of in-town or closeness of N.
When we stay near Villa Dos (AWESOME) on the South.. booked through (www.athomecozumel.com David Gaines owns both the house and the rental company and we were 150% satisfied with both- they went out of their way for us on many occasions) Here we were right on San Fransicso Beach.. but after 5pm -- the beach bars closed .. so no place to get a drink or meal. We drove in town each night.. which took 15-20 mins... each way..

We are staying at the El Cantil this month... we did a bunch of research and found a rental by owner .. www.cozumelparadise.com (they were great to deal with also.)


North I've only stayed in hotels.. and it was quite a while ago... so nothing to add

 

[DiveandPuttGuy]

Thanks for the input. It sounds like the South on the beach is for us. Now, can you suggest a dive op who will pick up nearby in the south?

 

[Nevis Diver]

If it's in your budget, this is the hottest ticket in town as far as lodging goes...IMO.

Even more so than Casa Mexicana? Or are we talking apples and oranges?

Chris

 

[Moodiejeff]

Even more so than Casa Mexicana? Or are we talking apples and oranges?

Chris

I've done both... El Cantil is a fabulous place to stay if you're with a group. The Studios are not worth it in my opinion.

The only thing the 1 bedrooms at El Cantil have over Casa Mexicana is the pool. OK, 2 things - snorkeling too... but it wasn't that great, the water is pretty deep, making it hard to get close to anything, though I did find quite a few Octopi at night.

edit - second thoughts:

If you can get a 1 bedroom w/ a balcony and a kitchen for a decent then it may be worth it. The studios are nothing more than a hotel room and i don't think any of them have a view of the water.

 

[Christi]

Even more so than Casa Mexicana? Or are we talking apples and oranges?

Chris

I concur with Jeff, but he really knows better since he's actually STAYED at both places for a week(s) at a time.

If you are looking for a nice hotel room, then Casa Mexicana is great!

If you want a condo/house situation, then El Cantil is great, and I think gives even the nice beachfront mansions a run for their money as far as convenience, ammenities, and location.

 

[Nevis Diver]

If you want a condo/house situation, then El Cantil is great, and I think gives even the nice beachfront mansions a run for their money as far as convenience, ammenities, and location.

I will give El Cantil a try next time I can squeeze a 47 day trip into my schedule

 

[Gdog]

If you are staying south, I am sure all the ops will pick up depending on what pier you are at...