dive op/accommodation advice for solo 2-week vacation in Coz?

[megabulk]

Hi, all! I'm about to head off to Cozumel for my first visit. I'll be there for 10-14 days, I'm on a budget, I'm travelling solo, and I've got about 70 dives under my belt (almost all of them in Utila.)

Any advice on where to stay or who to dive with? From what research I've done, it's looking like my cheapest lodging options will be in El Centro (possibly in the Hotel Pepita); is that location convenient to any dive shops? If not, can anyone offer any advice on the sweet spot between cheap lodging and decent location?

I'm leaving in 48 hours & am both excited and a little stressy! This is probably the perfect time to take a vacation...


Thanks in advance, y'all!

 

[HatchetJoe]

I don't have the specifics at hand but there is a place called Il Pirata at the back of the main Plaza that should fill your needs just fine. Not sure if they have any online presence.

 

[cicopo]

Good choice for a hotel for many reasons including price to value, and convenience to the popular downtown area. Good dive shops that are in the area are many, but Blue XT Sea and Aldora (both on the same street) and Aqua Safari are the better known ones I can think of and recommend.

 

[twinkles]

Ahhh. This is a great question. Fly to Cancun, not cozumel, it will save you about $200-300. Take the bus to the ferry. Take the Ferry to Coz. Then just shop the little motels on the back allys a couple of blocks from the ferry landing. Expect to pay about $35 a night for a motel 6 type room with a small refrigerator, and air conditioning. Or better yet, stop by Aldora and ask them where to stay. Go to www.aldora.com and look at information for all divers. They have a great deal of info on a lot of the little motels. They are a tad out of date so their prices for a place like Suites Bahia are a little less than reality...althoug I just looked and Suites Bahia has a $43 special right now. Suites Bahia is great. Very convenient.

By the way on those back ally motels, they are safe. My sister stays in them regularly.

Be sure and dive with Aldora. Great great service. Steel 120s for long dives. They go to the more distance spots with fast boats.

 

[twinkles]

Oh, and if you are real flexible and it is a serious budget, there are several hostels on the back allys. Neither my sister nor I have ever tried that option. (Bring your own towel and sheets type of places.)

But spend the little extra for Aldora it is worth it.

 

[Christi]

Twinkles...you don't always save by flying into Cancun...and often, the savings are no more than a few bucks. I booked a flight for the end of this month and it was going to cost me MORE out of Cancun than CZM

We also only have ONE hostel on the island, Hostelito on Av. 10 between Juarez and Calle 2

No offense to Aldora, they are a fine dive shop, but I don't think someone on a budget is looking for the highest priced operation on the island. Rather than cheer lead for our favorite op, let's try to provide information based on what the poster is asking for. I wouldn't even expect anyone to recommend my shop based on the OP's parameters.

Mega...I would look into the following reputable lower priced operations. The shops below are $20 to $25 lower per two-tank dive than Aldora and will provide more than adequate service for you:
Dive with Martin
Blue Angel
Papa Hogs
Studio Blue - (they do deals with hotel Pepita)

 

[twinkles]

Christi makes an excellent point. Budget can be a relative term. And I do tend to cheerlead for vendors whose product I find outstanding.

On the budget question, my sister is my barometer. She will stroll the backstreets to find a bargain room, stock her refrig with bananas, cereal and milk and saves half her lunch for dinner. But she still splurges on Aldora because she likes to get down to Maracaibo and up to Barracuda and even over to the windward side. She has been back 5 times this year—so far. Her husband finally made her pledge no more trips till Christmas. (But she confided in me she thinks she can slip one more in sometime in October or November.)

By the by, I have always heard that www.bluextseadiving.com would be my favorite dive operator if I wasn’t an Aldora guy.

 

[divematt]

Just an observation...

Orlando to Cancun non stop, $87.00 each way, Jet Blue, check your departure city.

Dive With Martin, $52.00 two tanks, $64.00 three tanks.

Bahia Suites, downtown, a block from the pier, $43.00 standard, $51.00 with balcony. Includes free breakfast too! You can walk to great inexpensive restaurants, found on the sticky post at the beginning of the Cozumel posts, or buy food at Chedraui, (Walmart like grocery and department store) to cook in the included kitchenette of Bahia Suites.

Check restaurant list for the inexpensive restaurants Cozumel Diving: Blue XT SEA Diving, Cozumel Mexico

Cheap taxis to here and there.

 

[deborahdelamar]

I'll throw out another recommendation: Amigo's B&B -- $40/night gets you a nice, ground floor room with patio & hammock -- in a garden setting -- with A/C & fan, kitchenette (fridge, microwave, dishes, utensils, sink), private bath & private entrance. There's a beautiful, large pool on the property and a communal palapa for the 3 guest rooms with a full kitchen, living area, TV, etc. Daily maid service & continental breakfast are included in the rate. This allows some self-catering to save on meals.

While you can choose to dive with any op you like, the B&B has packages with Victor Brito/El Gran Azul -- Victor has one boat to accomodate six divers and his fantastic captain Willie is also a DM and understands divers well. (As captain, he doesn't lead dives. But he's a fabulous mask washer!) The dive experience is very personalized and Victor and Willie are a nonstop, fun, variety act. Victor is also extremely knowledgeable about sea life and is a great person to know if you're interesting in learning about it.

 

[shimbob]

We just spent 4 nights in Hotel Pepita a week ago. It served my purposes just fine: bed, bathroom, AC, and close proximity to downtown. My travelling/diving buddy found it lacking the more luxurious features like actual window panes or the AC unit having a functional ground instead of the shoddy electrical wiring. Appearantly, on a price scale of 1-4, Petita rates a 2, "Economy". I dont think I'd want a hotel rated 1, "Budget"...

We dove with Dive With Martin, they're at the cruiseship terminal further north, ~15mins ride by taxi which are plentiful and cheap, even at 7am.