AI versus hotel

[Janie88]

@Janie88, I see you're in Cols, Ohio. I grew up about 40 min east of Cols. Anyway, if you are wavering back and forth about AI vs. In town the AI recommendation of Hotel Cozumel & Resort is spot on for being within walking distance to town. I believe when you price them (although it is now under new management so things may have changed) they offer 2 AI meal plans and for a few extra bucks you can get the dinners included. The incremental cost is so low over the breakfast/lunch plan that going into town for dinner several nights of your stay you won't feel like you are leaving $ on the table by not eating there.

I perfer to stay in town and on our most recent 2-week visit in late December we stayed at the Casa Mexicana which is a popular hotel with hot Breakfast that offer multiple choices included every day. We were diving with Tres Pelicanos (7th year in a row now?) and Jeannie made arrangements for the Casa Mexicana and all of our diving through their Dive and Stay package offerings. The price for our stay at the Casa Mexicana was unbelievably cheap compared to prior years as management was offering them preferred rates what weren't published anywhere. The hotel is immaculately clean and COVID protocols were followed everywhere. Tres Pelicano's shop is right around the corner at the back of the block where they provide courtesy transport down to the marina and back. We had to be at the shop by 7:40AM. The Casa's breakfast starts being served at 7:00 AM but with covid the buffet has bee nclosed and it is now ordered and delivered to your table. This presented a problem early on our trip for divers who couldn't wait for breakfast to be ordered, cooked and delivered to the table but management got it together quickly and divers could place their order for breakfast the day before so it would be ready as soon as they came down and sat at a table.

I personally prefer to stay in town because of all the great restaurants to dine at for lunch and dinner that blow away any food you'd get at any AI. As far as multiple dives go, if you want to do 4 dives per day Tres Pelicanos commonly drops off those doing the 2 afternoon dives at Money Bar or another place from the boat so you can eat and relax and then they pick you up from the boat again for the afternoon dives.

Tres Pelicanos is also a boutique op that will take all of your gear the day you arrive or the first day you dive with them and you never touch it oor ahul it again again until your last day (with the exception of regulators and masks now that Covid is upon us that you take with you and rinse yourself so they don't go into a common rinse tank).

Even if you do stay at Hotel Coz or many other AI's 3P's will pick you up and drop you off. Many divers stay at Hotel Coz and are picked up and dropped off from the street out front by Tres Pelicanos.

My personal vote goes for the Casa Mexicana / Tres Pelicanos combo but, again, we love staying right in town. Oh, another bonus about the Casa is while their pool is very small out on the pool deck overlooking the water, it was heated to 90 degrees when we were there so it was nice to come back from dives and take a dip in that nice heated pool. I may be wrong but I don't think there is another heated pool on the island.

Anyway, regardless of what you decide you are going to have a great time. We were on the fence for months due to Covid but decided to go at the last minute as the thought of not getting our annual Coz X-mas dive trip in became unbearable.

Have fun!

@deepsea21, Yes we live just north of Columbus in Westerville. Moved here 7 years ago from Lexington, KY, although I am from upstate NY.

Thanks for the suggestion on Casa Mexicana and Tres Pelicanos. Actually, after our last trip to Cozumel, we were leaning towards the combination of Casa Mexicana and Aldora combo. I don't know if I like the idea of breakfast not starting until 7a when you have to meet at the pier by 7:30 or 7:40, I guess it'd be okay but I'd prefer to get something a little earlier and not race to the pier.

Someone on this board mentioned a great little place to pick up breakfast a little earlier at 6:30 and I'll have to go back and look for that post, the menu looked very good.

Tres Pelicanos is on my short list of dive ops to book. Right now I have Aldora, Salty Endeavors, Tres Pelicanos and Blue XT sea on my list. Much will depend on where we decide to stay - AI, hotel, in town or further out.

Just another reason I love liveaboards. I only have to decide on the boat

 

[gamon]

When you eat ala carte you get to experience the culture of Cozumel as well as the great restaurants and exchange pleasantries with the cab drivers and the folks in the local markets. Easy enough to grab cold cuts and fruit for sandwiches and snacks for lunch between dives, and have coffee, cereal, oatmeal, breakfast bars or whatever your favorite breakfast is in your condo or hotel room before you load your gear into the cab or your rental car. Or grab breakfast on the way to the boat. After your dives you can have a nice dinner in one of the excellent restaurants in town and walk it off as you explore the shops afterwards.

As compared to spending more at an AI and stuffing yourself on lower quality food and drink because heck you might as well get your money's worth.

P.S. Aldora held our gear overnight so we didn't have to lug it back and forth. They'd wheel it over to the boat each morning and set up our gear for us.

 

[Janie88]

When you eat ala carte you get to experience the culture of Cozumel as well as the great restaurants and exchange pleasantries with the cab drivers and the folks in the local markets. Easy enough to grab cold cuts and fruit for sandwiches and snacks for lunch between dives, and have coffee, cereal, oatmeal, breakfast bars or whatever your favorite breakfast is in your condo or hotel room before you load your gear into the cab or your rental car. Or grab breakfast on the way to the boat. After your dives you can have a nice dinner in one of the excellent restaurants in town and walk it off as you explore the shops afterwards.

As compared to spending more at an AI and stuffing yourself on lower quality food and drink because heck you might as well get your money's worth.

P.S. Aldora held our gear overnight so we didn't have to lug it back and forth. They'd wheel it over to the boat each morning and set up our gear for us.

Thanks Gamon, I do like getting to know the culture and great restaurants, etc. of a local place and I think it's important to have that experience. The only reason I lean towards an AI is because I'm not really wanting to cook dinner or eat out every night. I like eating out a few times, but not sure I want to go every night. That is why I'm a bit torn on which way to go. I suppose we can toss a coin and try it one way for our next trip, and if not totally happy, try it the other way on a following trip.

I don't stay at an AI to eat as much as I can. It is all about convenience and having it taken care of. Our friends always stay at a house they rent through VRBO and stay at a different place almost every time. They rent a car and go out to eat for their meals or he cooks at their place. When we stayed with them it was nice, but I didn't always want to go out every night. And I didn't want to cook.

I do wish instead of bed and breakfast you could get a bed and dinner lol. I like eating lunch out, and probably would always do this for the convenience between dives, and I don't care if breakfast is included. We will probably stay at an AI for our next trip, maybe after getting to know some of the restaurants and the town a bit, we will choose to stay at a hotel or b&b.

 

[Trailboss123]

@deepsea21, Yes we live just north of Columbus in Westerville. Moved here 7 years ago from Lexington, KY, although I am from upstate NY.

Thanks for the suggestion on Casa Mexicana and Tres Pelicanos. Actually, after our last trip to Cozumel, we were leaning towards the combination of Casa Mexicana and Aldora combo. I don't know if I like the idea of breakfast not starting until 7a when you have to meet at the pier by 7:30 or 7:40, I guess it'd be okay but I'd prefer to get something a little earlier and not race to the pier.

Someone on this board mentioned a great little place to pick up breakfast a little earlier at 6:30 and I'll have to go back and look for that post, the menu looked very good.

Tres Pelicanos is on my short list of dive ops to book. Right now I have Aldora, Salty Endeavors, Tres Pelicanos and Blue XT sea on my list. Much will depend on where we decide to stay - AI, hotel, in town or further out.

Just another reason I love liveaboards. I only have to decide on the boat

Well, based on everything you have said so far, I would stay at Casa Mexicana or its sister hotel Suites Bahia (less expensive than Casa Mexicana and across the street from Thirsty Cougar) and I would dive with Blue XT Sea. Blue XT Sea departs and returns from the downtown pier just across the street from Suites Bahia. You can do your 2 morning dives, they will then bring you back to the pier where you will have at least an hour to grab lunch anywhere you want in the neighborhood (Thirsty Cougar, Lobster Shack, Cuatro Tacos- to name a few) and then get right back on the boat for afternoon dives. With their 8am departure time, you will not be so rushed during breakfast at Casa Mexicana. Blue XT Sea runs fast 6 pack boats and you will not be disappointed with their operation.
Feel free to message me if you want any additional info on these options.

 

[gamon]

The only reason I lean towards an AI is because I'm not really wanting to cook dinner or eat out every night.

I hate cooking dinner too. Do what I did. Get a girlfriend.

 

[drrich2]

Thanks for the suggestion on Casa Mexicana and Tres Pelicanos. Actually, after our last trip to Cozumel, we were leaning towards the combination of Casa Mexicana and Aldora combo. I don't know if I like the idea of breakfast not starting until 7a when you have to meet at the pier by 7:30 or 7:40, I guess it'd be okay but I'd prefer to get something a little earlier and not race to the pier.

I did the Casa Mexicana/Tres Pelicanos package in 2018 and had a fine time -
Tres Pelicanos & Casa Mexicana, Cozumel Sept. 2018 Report - Tres Pelicanos/Casa Mexican Trip Report Sept. 2018, but I was doing 2 morning and 2 afternoon boat dives/day, and was pretty wiped out when I went to bed. Loved that trip. I chose T.P. over Aldora with an eye toward hitting more sites (4 shorter dives vs. 3 longer ones as Aldora uses steel 120-cf tanks). It wasn't hard to get to T.P.'s dive shop in time (granted, we're not talking a kicked back, 'leisurely,' spend 5 times as much time talking as eating, breakfast, but I didn't have to rush, either. I don't know how the time frame works with meeting up with Aldora.

Would like to do a 2-tank morning and then an afternoon dive on most days

Right now I have Aldora, Salty Endeavors, Tres Pelicanos and Blue XT sea on my list.

I don't know whether the pandemic has altered offerings or not. Which of these do single tank afternoon dives?

Richard.

 

[Janie88]

I did the Casa Mexicana/Tres Pelicanos package in 2018 and had a fine time -
Tres Pelicanos & Casa Mexicana, Cozumel Sept. 2018 Report - Tres Pelicanos/Casa Mexican Trip Report Sept. 2018, but I was doing 2 morning and 2 afternoon boat dives/day, and was pretty wiped out when I went to bed. Loved that trip. I chose T.P. over Aldora with an eye toward hitting more sites (4 shorter dives vs. 3 longer ones as Aldora uses steel 120-cf tanks). It wasn't hard to get to T.P.'s dive shop in time (granted, we're not talking a kicked back, 'leisurely,' spend 5 times as much time talking as eating, breakfast, but I didn't have to rush, either. I don't know how the time frame works with meeting up with Aldora.





I don't know whether the pandemic has altered offerings or not. Which of these do single tank afternoon dives?

Richard.

A two-tank afternoon dive is even better. I guess I'm always thinking about some places we've been to like Cayman Brac Reef Resort where the most you can do is 3 dives/daily and it's a two-tank morning, and one-tank afternoon dive. Sometimes you can do a night dive but it's totally dependent on getting enough people. We've been there 3x, and only one time did we get enough people together for a night dive. It's a great place. But has become pretty expensive - as much money as doing one of the Aggressor liveaboards (Belize, Bahamas, Roatan) with one of their specials.

 

[jbjclj]

Great decision. You are in the heart of 'restaurant row" You can walk to everything. Lunch Quatro Tacos, lobster shack, thirsty cougar, Casa Cuzimil.

Dinner. Especias, Cielito Lindo, Otates, Kondesa, You must try Kooben Laab on 30. Fabulous homemade pasta. We dive with 3P, but Aldora is right across the street. As someone mentioned, if you dive with 3P they will drop you off at Money Bar for lunch and pick you up for afternoon dives. Have fun

 

[ggunn]

Cielito Lindo

That's one I haven't known about. Thanks for the tip; many of our old faves are now no mas, so we'll be looking to try out some new places next time we're on the island.

 

[jbjclj]

On the corner of 3 and 5. Fabulous gigantic pork shank! Right next to Casa Cuzimil