I looked for a thread on this and found one that's almost 5-years old. We have friends (couple, no children) who don't dive (it's a little sad) and love our stories, but we've only stayed at Villa Aldora. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Best Hotel for Non-Diver Friends
- Thread starter George Monnat Jr
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- coz cozumel hotel non-divers
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We’ve done fiesta Americana and secrets, they ain’t bad. Lots of poolside activities, food was ok.
It’s not to terrible far out of town, but not some super five star resort with rose petals everywhere either
It’s not to terrible far out of town, but not some super five star resort with rose petals everywhere either
I have never heard a single bad word about Cozumel Palace. It's expensive though!
DjDiverDan
Contributor
Cozumel Palace is probably the best choice for those with an unlimited budget and a need for 4-star or better luxury, although you pay a lot for All-Inclusive (mandatory at Cozumel Palace), and I really have no idea whether or not the food quality is high enough to justify that. For a decent resort-style experience close enough to town to enjoy all the great restaurants, consider Cozumel Hotel. Big, comfortable rooms, a HUGE pool area, no real beach (to get real walk into the water beach on Cozumel, you have to go way south to the AI resorts), but a sandy area with steps into the water, and MUCH less money than Cozumel Palace. You CAN do AI at Hotel Cozumel (it’s optional) but DON’T, unless you intend to get your money’s worth at the bar; the food is (or was, it’s been about 7 years since I was there) terrible - bland, flavorless, boring. And it’s not a bad walk into town, or a cheap taxi ride, to all the great dining options there. Best in-town option, in my opinion, is Casa Mexicana, right on the waterfront. Very nice and comfortable, but not really a resort hotel - no pool to speak of (a kiddy pool of sorts in the lobby area), no direct access to the ocean for snorkeling, and no resort-type activities, but a great central location.
nodakdive
Contributor
"Best" will depend on what you and your friends want. One of the things I like about Casa del Mar is that it splits the difference between a hotel and a resort. It's small, but they have nicely kept grounds, a restaurant, a pool with a swim up bar, tennis courts and a hot tub. They're across the street from the ocean but have an arched walkway over the highway. I usually just cross at street level. They have a "sand behind a sea wall" beach with steps into the water. There are hammocks and palapas with lounge chairs. Their pier has sand and palapas with lounge chairs too. They don't charge for using their pier for pick-up. The snorkeling isn't horrible nor is the shore diving. They have an AI plan which is $42.50 per person per day. The food is fine though the menus are a little sparse. Ernesto's Fajita Factory and Paprika/Tikila are within a block, for other food options. I think it's a 90 peso cab ride to town. CDM is in the same area as Park Royal and El Cid, just north of the south cruise ship pier. Any of the ops that leave from downtown will pick you up on CDM's pier. As CDM is just north of the marina, I think some ops will even go around the cruise ships, north, and pick you up off the pier. Ops that transport you via land to the marina will likely pick you up on the road on their way to the marina. You'll want a balcony room, particularly if you're diving. If you go during high season, you can get air/hotel packages that are reasonable. The rooms are quaint and clean. They don't have refrigerators. It's been awhile since I was there, and the wireless internet wasn't great. You could pay for better service, but the networks that showed up on my laptop didn't impress me with regard to signal strength. It's been awhile since I've been, so some of this may have changed.
Brules
Contributor
Best? Palace.
Best bang for the buck for a diver with friends who dont dive? I like Park Royal. Going there in June with a group of 14, 13 who dont dive lol. Its got a pier for your dive op to pick you up at and since it isnt down south you can dive pretty much any reef. Its been my go to for 20 years. Its a 3 star but great for non divers. Fiesta Americana is another I would like to try but have never gone there. No REAL ocean side pool is a turn off for me.
Best bang for the buck for a diver with friends who dont dive? I like Park Royal. Going there in June with a group of 14, 13 who dont dive lol. Its got a pier for your dive op to pick you up at and since it isnt down south you can dive pretty much any reef. Its been my go to for 20 years. Its a 3 star but great for non divers. Fiesta Americana is another I would like to try but have never gone there. No REAL ocean side pool is a turn off for me.
nodakdive
Contributor
I prefer smaller over bigger, but doesn't Park Royal also have a sandy, "walk into the ocean" beach and not just a pool, but also a hot tub next to the ocean? For the record, any of those dive ops that will go north of the marina and swing around the cruise ships to pick you up at the CDM dock would also pick you up at Park Royal.
No one has brought this up yet - what about all the different condos and homes for rent? You can get from beachfront to in town - a lot of them are way more cost effective than resort type properties
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