Funny things happened trying to book Hotel Cozumel

[DandyDon]

I really like to go in August, but I have been so irritated with the rapid inflation on the plane tickets from Lubbock (I think it's cheaper from almost anywhere twice as far away, including Canada!), paying so much for both bags I will check, expecting worse seats than ever and not even a sandwich, hotels, taxis (I think they went up the most percentage wise, and it matters when you're lazy and alone), etc. I've been dragging along, wondering if I am still a diver or not, if I should go back to somewhere else I've enjoyed, try someplace new - but I think that would just cost more, so tonight I got itchy to go.

I shopped Matrix for tickets and booked a Hold ticket with AA for $548. I'd have to leave my house at 3am or so to allow time for problems, drive to Hub City, park, shuttle, drag my bags in, etc. but I've done it before. I try to stay awake for each flight's safety briefing but I sleep so well on planes that it's a challenge. Ok, so it's held for 24 hours while I start shopping for my hotel. Then I have to get my pony vized and my CO tank tester calibrated, blah blah - what about good ol' Hot Coz? I've enjoyed it before, even tho the beds were harder last year, and the food & drink are fine with me, so I opened a few sites looking for AI deals - expecting about the same really in today's tight internet competition. Boy was I surprised...!!

Bookit.com quoted $98 AI/night. I'm not sure if that included taxes or not.

Expedia wanted $204/night plus $46/night resort fee?! I have long thought they were the worst, but I gave them a chance - and this is unbelievable! I did try a tentative booking to see if maybe I misread the quote, but the site wouldn't work. I saved a screen shot just for fun that I'll post at the bottom. Notice the $728 for the first night? :silly: Free cancellation is nice, but damn! Surely the $204 average/night includes resort fees, but I think they have a mistake on the $728 for the first night.

Orbitz used to impress me, but they quoted $186/night. They've lost a lot of their edge in the last year or two haven't they?

Hotels.com wanted $204/night with free cancellation.

Then I tried Hotelcozumel.com. I didn't think they could undercut the prices they contracted with the booking sites, but worth a look. $84 AI/night - well, ok, nice. No meals offered on the 21st for some reason, but ok.

I really wonder how these booking sites are making expenses with the failures I discovered. Then I saw a FB friend post that she found a great deal from Roswell NM. I didn't know Roswell had plane service, but if so - I figured it'd be higher than even Lubbock, but: "Round trip Roswell to Cozumel, Hotel,All Inclusive,6 nights with American Airlines promo code, $1587. FOR 2 in December." Ok, so I had to look. She didn't give the code but it's on American's site: 96HR150 Tried it, and it failed. Tried again, and a third time, then called. They did not offer Hot Coz, so I just priced it with Suites Colonial as I've been tempted to try them anyway. Ok, so $832 with hotel & plane - $150 = $682, or just $134 more than plane alone, and they include breakfast. Deal! Trying a new hotel & location, but I thought I'd share my silly experiences shopping the ever popular Hot Coz...

 

[Oldbear]

$728 is not that bad...after all it does say it is a "Superior Room".


Have a good trip and don't forget the trip report.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Wow Dandy, quite the situation. Glad it worked out so well for you.

I've been searching the sites for rooms in four different places for various weekend trips coming up. Didn't come across anything like that. Phew.

 

[DandyDon]

I suspect that several of them had the same $728 for the first night glitch?

 

[diverokc]

When i went in april I stayed at hotel coz for 5 days out of ten. I would have stayed longer but the hotel was sold out for the weekend. Some of the travel sites had rooms at hotel coz but they were $750-1000. I just figured if you were willing to pay that much more they would kick someone else out. lol.
The cheapest i have found for hotel coz was on cheaptickets. I paid $58 a night single AI in sept. and $68 a night in april. If you sign up for their emails they run 24 hr sales and that is where i get the best deal.

 

[Skittl1321]

$728 is about what we paid for the whole week (per person) at Sunscape AI!

If it makes you feel better, CID -> CZM flights (for December) are $526 at the cheapest, and $691 at the most expensive right now. I compared the same time for Lubbock on the Matrix and got $550-$651, so while I can get a few dollars cheaper, it gets more expensive here. Airline prices suck, and not just for those living in Lubbock. Though of course, you have to live in Lubbock

 

[blue steal]

I think you will like Suites Colonial. The outside looked very nice and the times we had walked by it was very quiet.
There is no view but close to many restaurants in town.
If I'm not mistaken the breakfast is over at Casa Mexicana and it is a very good one.
DD who are you going use as your dive op?

 

[fire_diver]

I'll never understand airline pricing. It is often much more expensive for me to fly out of OKC/Tulsa/Wichita to go to Coz than it is for someone from Florida, Cali, New York. How can they price them lower when when they have double the flight distance?

 

[Ron Lee]

I'll never understand airline pricing. It is often much more expensive for me to fly out of OKC/Tulsa/Wichita to go to Coz than it is for someone from Florida, Cali, New York. How can they price them lower when when they have double the flight distance?

Market forces.

 

[Skittl1321]

I'll never understand airline pricing.

I honestly don't understand them either. I get supply/demand, and that just having a plane at a small airport costs more- but I still don't understand the pricing.

My parents live in Austin, TX and my sister Fort Worth. Fort Worth is a big airport. On more than one occasion we've found it cheaper to fly to Austin, connecting through Fort Worth- than to just fly to Fort Worth on it's own.

Back when, we would have bought the cheaper ticket and just got off the plane (with no checked luggage) at Fort Worth to go see my sister and discarded the Austin ticket. But since 9/11 if you do that, they cancel your return ticket. So now when we want to go see my sister, we fly to Austin, and my parents drive us to Waco where my sister picks us up. The cost is different enough to be worth the hassle (if we fly at all- often the 17 hour drive is worth it.)

So while I get that CID-NYC is more expensive than LAX-NYC, I don't understand how it costs more to not take a flight.