Where to stay when your friends don't dive...

[kerrycorcoran]

Planning on returning to Coz in November. My wife and I both plan to dive, most likely each day we can until we return. This trip we have several other friends that will be joining us and they don't dive. Some have interest in trying it, but for the most part they are just wanting to stay some place nice and enjoy the island.

When my wife and I were in Coz last year we stayed at the Cozumel Palace and had a great time. We dove with Aqua Safari and it worked out perfectly. The group that will be with us this November want a beach and plenty to do outside of diving.

Are there places as nice as the Palace w/ a beach?

Close to town?

Have entertainment at the resort? All inclusive?

Any insight appreciated.
Thanks,
Kerry

 

[old gaffer]

I have heard good things about Secrets Aura but have not stayed there. We have stayed at the Occidental Grand and my non-diving spouse really liked the grounds and beach. I thought the food was much better at the Cozumel Palace than the Occidental Grand. Also at the Palace they replenished our fridge daily with beer and mixers and what not. At the Occidental they do not even if you ask.

Gaffer

 

[Brules]

Park Royal, best AI close to town. Great for non divers. 3 pools, 3 restaurants, shopping mall next to it etc etc. $8 taxi rides vs $20+ for further south. Dock there for you to use for diving as well ($5 for the week).

 

[kerrycorcoran]

Park Royal, best AI close to town.

What other AI's have you stayed at in Cozumel?

 

[cicopo]

It's not easy pleasing a group with different interests, and more importantly different ideas of what good food is. By all accounts the food at the Palace is very good, but I can stay at Hotel Cozumel for 2 weeks and pay less than a 1 week stay at the Palace (vacation package cost including air from home) so value to dollar spent needs to be considered. If your friends are adventurous & will want to spend time off the resort exploring town, shopping, seeing the sights around the island then they will be better off close to town BUT no beach. If they really want a real beach you'll need to be in the southern hotel zone or up north, which isn't convenient for the divers. I've never stayed up north but have stayed down south & my non diving wife felt isolated down there vs staying in town. If the beach is a big deal the best to worst down south goes like this. Best = Allegro, then Grand, Iberostar & lastly Aura / Sabor or whatever they now call the different sections of that hotel complex. (ranking relates to the quality of the beach & not the entire resort)
If beach is less important the Park Royal may very well be a good fit thanks to it's location & the little beach like cove. Photo tours of several of these properties can be found here.

Picasa Web Albums - Larry

 

[Ron Lee]

If you consider rocky material in the water, I would rule out Iberostar and Aura/Sabor/Reef Club/whatever.

 

[Mossman]

Are there places as nice as the Palace w/ a beach?

Have entertainment at the resort? All inclusive?

Secrets may be the closest to the Palace's quality, though I admittedly haven't tried the Allegro, Sabor, or Iberostar. Secrets is in the same price range, while the other southern AIs are less pricey. The food was very good overall and drinks were excellent. Room service was fast, minibar restocked daily, rooms nicely furnished and mine was huge. The fire show was good and they have other entertainment most nights, along with a rooftop bar that stays crowded.

 

[Skittl1321]

Secrets may be the closest to the Palace's quality, though I admittedly haven't tried the Allegro, Sabor, or Iberostar.

I'll say I haven't stayed at the Palace, but I seriously doubt Sabor has anything on it. Sabor is an excellent choice for someone on a budget. It is in no way a luxurious experience. The food, except the pizza, was good, the drinks too strong for me, the mini bar was stocked once daily with 4 sodas, 3 dos equis, and 4 bottles of water, no room service. Lots of kids at the resort, but they were not a nuisance, so I assume they were kept entertained. Pools were nice, but no hot tubs, and the swim up bar is gone (now annexed to Secrets). There was nightly entertainment (probably the same fire show that Secrets get) and daily activities, though many (latin dance lessons) were not well attended. The beach was nice enough for us, but if you think of expansive white sand beaches- that is not what it is. We did walk barefoot on it with very little issue though; had to watch your step a few spots. If you want better snorkeling you need to walk down to the Secrets pier (just a couple of minutes), as the fish seem to gather there. Lots of people seemed to take out the hobby cats and kayaks too.

Someone traveling on a budget would likely enjoy the Sabor. Someone looking for luxury probably doesn't want to look there.

 

[Ron Lee]

You need to start an information campaign with your friends. It is easy to have requirements that cannot be met on Cozumel. Example: Finest hotel and dining, AI, five minute walk to town with miles of beach to walk on. It does not exist.

Consider getting the Cozumel map from cancunmap.com to help them visualize the Cozumel reality.

Then you can make the best decision for your situation and the chances for disappointment are reduced.

 

[judydivescoz]

Think about renting a beachfront house and hire a cook. There are many beautiful houses to choose from. Villa Debra at Costa Del Sol might work. It's beachfront, has a pool an a dock for pickup and maid service. Hope you find something that works for all of you.