aroughton
New
Just wanted to provide some feedback on a couple of aspects of our recent trip to Cozumel. My wife and I were there from April 25-28, and we stayed at the El Cozumeleno all-inclusive hotel. We dove two days with Xtabay Divers.
First I'll tell you about the hotel. My summary is that it was just fine. It wasn't spectacular, it wasn't bad, it was just fine. There were lots of families, decent food, very friendly help, clean rooms, good water (all the water they serve is purified), and a decent beach. The only downside to the hotel is that they serve alcohol all day long, as I'm guessing most all-inclusives do. So by evening time there was a small contingent of drunk folks stumbling around which made it slightly less appealing. But I would probably go back because we felt it was a good value...I just might not take my kiddos until they're older.
As for the diving, it was spectacular. Diving with Xtabay Divers (www.xtabaydivers.com) was fantastic. This was only our second open water dive outing, but it made the first one (in the Abacos) look like a dip in a kiddie pool. We took a cab to the marina and met the boat, captained by Commacho, at about 9:00. We were home each day by 1:30. We dove with Dario the divemaster and Christy, who I think owns at least part of the company. We were lucky enough to be their only clients both days. The dives were drift dives, and the first day we did two dives over a reef that bottomed out around 65 feet. The second day Dario said he felt comfortable with us and took us to a reef that stretched down into the abyss...allegedly 3000 feet down. Dario knows the reef like the back of his hand. He showed us eels, a nurse shark, an eagle ray, flounder, a toadfish, a giant lobster, spongebeds, and a cool cut through in the reef that spits you out over the abyss. It was nothing short of amazing. Dario was very attentive to us, constantly checking to make sure we were ok. He explained each dive before we got in the water and stayed right with us the whole time. It was like having a personal reef tour guide. We will always dive with them in Cozumel.
That's all I have to say. If you have any questions, feel free to email.
Aaron
Austin, TX
First I'll tell you about the hotel. My summary is that it was just fine. It wasn't spectacular, it wasn't bad, it was just fine. There were lots of families, decent food, very friendly help, clean rooms, good water (all the water they serve is purified), and a decent beach. The only downside to the hotel is that they serve alcohol all day long, as I'm guessing most all-inclusives do. So by evening time there was a small contingent of drunk folks stumbling around which made it slightly less appealing. But I would probably go back because we felt it was a good value...I just might not take my kiddos until they're older.
As for the diving, it was spectacular. Diving with Xtabay Divers (www.xtabaydivers.com) was fantastic. This was only our second open water dive outing, but it made the first one (in the Abacos) look like a dip in a kiddie pool. We took a cab to the marina and met the boat, captained by Commacho, at about 9:00. We were home each day by 1:30. We dove with Dario the divemaster and Christy, who I think owns at least part of the company. We were lucky enough to be their only clients both days. The dives were drift dives, and the first day we did two dives over a reef that bottomed out around 65 feet. The second day Dario said he felt comfortable with us and took us to a reef that stretched down into the abyss...allegedly 3000 feet down. Dario knows the reef like the back of his hand. He showed us eels, a nurse shark, an eagle ray, flounder, a toadfish, a giant lobster, spongebeds, and a cool cut through in the reef that spits you out over the abyss. It was nothing short of amazing. Dario was very attentive to us, constantly checking to make sure we were ok. He explained each dive before we got in the water and stayed right with us the whole time. It was like having a personal reef tour guide. We will always dive with them in Cozumel.
That's all I have to say. If you have any questions, feel free to email.
Aaron
Austin, TX
