Ron G.
Contributor
Well, we just got back from a wonderful week staying and diving with Blue Angel.
My last three trips to Coz have been with a LDS group, staying at Scuba Club. This was our first trip without the group and staying at Blue Angel. BA turned out to be exactly what I expected, but I didn't really fully appreciate the waterfront location until I experienced it. It is really amazing to wake up every morning and be able to see a great view of the sea....without even getting out of bed. To us, it really added a huge dimension to the trip.
So, starting with the hotel, it's a very small hotel with around 20 rooms, located on four stories (no elevator). I think all the rooms are set up about the same. Large, basic, very clean. Each with a large private balcony (or patio for the three ground floor rooms). The rooms have a tv (we never turned ours on) and a telephone (which we never used). Ours had a good size dresser, along with some cubbies built in to one wall next to a clothes rod. There's a decent sized pool between the rooms and the boat dock, but the pool area is relatively small, so you feel like you're practically right on the water. Someone described the rooms as "spartan". We were on the third floor, which I think was perfect. High enough to get a wonderful view, yet not adding another set of stairs each time you're going to or from your room (which was really only an issue at the very beginning and end, carrying all our equipment).
There's a nice (but, not fancy) lobby area with a handful of tables and chairs that almost always had a couple folks using the wifi (which doesn't reach most rooms), watching a dvd, or having a drink and chatting. The lobby was a great place to meet and chat with other guests throughout the week. Everyone is, of course, very upbeat and very friendly.
The restaurant adjoins the hotel proper (connected by one flight of stairs) and is open air. The wait staff were just wonderful. The menu was mostly Mexican, but some American dishes. All breakfasts are included, plus lunches on pre-paid dive days. I think one dinner is also included. I tend to just order something straight off the menu. My wife, on the other hand, would ask for something like: I'll have the omelet, but small, no bacon or potatoes, but can I have fruit instead, and I really like mango and kiwi. All she got was smiles from the waiters and exactly what she ordered from the kitchen. What a breath of fresh air.
Lunch prices were generally around $7 (USD), but a few went to $10. Dinners were $10 - $15. We loved the "super burger" and the "divers lunch" which was a terrific garlic butter fish filet. They also have happy hour from 4:00 - 6:30 when drinks were 2 for 1 and hearty tapas (usually $8) were also 2 for 1. A couple times, we went at 6:15 and each had a tapa. (Wife and I shared, with me getting more than my fair share, but both had plenty to eat.) Dinner for two, $8. Sunset was usually around 7:30 and the open-air restaurant was a great place to watch it from. (An even better place? Your own balcony....or bed.)
The dive operation was excellent. My wife hadn't been diving since she was certified almost four years ago. I wanted this to be a very enjoyable re-introduction for her, so we hired Matt (from Chicago) for a refresher course on our arrival afternoon. Matt couldn't dive after that because he was flying home for a visit, so we hired Tony Vilet, a dive master and videographer, to dive with Cathy for the next three days....two shore dives on Sunday, a big-boat dive on Monday and a small fast-boat dive on Tuesday. He was very competent and patient and very reassuring for her. It may have been a bit extravagant to hire private help for her for four days....we probably could have comfortably got by with three days, but I wanted to err on the side of safe, not sorry. Cathy had no interest in going diving after our certification (I've since logged about 180 dives in the Caribbean). Now, she's a comfortable, happy diver. We're going back in October.
The dive shop has a wonderful staff who did everything you could ask for to please. We especially liked Martin, but they were all great. There's a locker area that is locked up at night. Most folks didn't lock their stuff, but you can if you bring your own lock. (Make sure it's not too thick, because they have chains that won't fit a real thick padlock.) There's also a long rod and hangers in the locker area to hang your wetsuit. I noticed that some folks carried their gear to their room each evening, but we were very happy using the community lockers. (By the way, my wife used rental gear, except she had her own computer. I'm not a gear expert, but her stuff worked great all week. She had a problem early in the week with her full fins rubbing the backs of her heels. They switched her to booties and open back fins, which worked great. Not sure if all dive shops would have offered booties and open fins. They rent 3 mil full wetsuits, which was fine for Cathy.)
The primary dive time is 8:00, which was a bit early for us, but you quickly get into the swing of starting early. They had between one and three small, fast boats leaving each morning. The dive masters allowed the divers to decide what sites we'd go to. We dove with Jorge and Jose. Both were very nice and seemed very competent. We preferred Jose's style because he pointed out more stuff than Jorge, but some folks preferred Jorge. We were very happy diving with either one. They then usually had a large boat going out at 11:00, that took some folks from the mainland. This worked out for us on our first boat dive day because Cathy had been more used to giant stride entries. The downside to the 11:00 trip is that they're on a schedule. Gotta get in two dives, then back to the ferry. That meant they limited the dives to 45 minutes. That worked for us the first day, but most folks wouldn't have liked the short bottom times. (As I think about it, I don't think we got any choice in dive sites on that trip, either.) Then, after lunch, there was usually another small boat, if there were at least three divers signed up.
They offered night boat dives if they had at least three folks sign up.
There's an easy entry shore dive right out front. (This is something I really like....being able to do a shore dive before my first dive, as well as being able to tack on an extra dive or two in the afternoon/evening after my boat dives.) Next door to the property is a large caged area for a very touristy "sting ray" snorkel. You could look through the chain link fence and see the rays swimming about, but you could also see one or two outside the fence. The current out front was pretty strong while we were there. That may be why there weren't may shore divers that we saw. Still, a great option to have available.
The entire staff were great. From Andrea at the front desk, to Sergio and Pedro in the restaurant, to Tony and Martin in the dive shop and the dive masters mentioned above...including Eva, the owner.
There were a few folks staying at BA, but getting picked up at their dock each morning by another dive op.
I know that some folks take advantage of great deals on Orbitz and stay just a few blocks away at Villa Blanca and dive with Scuba Mau or Papa Hogs. We walked down there to take a peek at that option. Villa Blanca (and the two dive ops) are across that street from the water. We didn't even bother to go in VB....I don't care what they offered, I wouldn't trade our view for the Taj Mahal without the view.
We met many very nice, very friendly people down there (which suited Cathy to a tee). My main goal was to re-introduce her to diving in a way that she'd want to go again. One of new friends (Julie) smiled and said, "Mission Accomplished". Like I said, we're going back in October for what was originally planned as a solo trip for me.
I forgot to mention that dealing with Jeanie, the reservations person prior to the trip, was also great. She was very patient and accommodating as I switched this trip from a simple, solo trip for me to a buddy trip with Cathy with rental equipment questions, private dive master questions, etc. I never felt like a nuisance. Thanks, Jeanie.
Sorry about the length of this post. I'm a new, big BA fan.
Ron
My last three trips to Coz have been with a LDS group, staying at Scuba Club. This was our first trip without the group and staying at Blue Angel. BA turned out to be exactly what I expected, but I didn't really fully appreciate the waterfront location until I experienced it. It is really amazing to wake up every morning and be able to see a great view of the sea....without even getting out of bed. To us, it really added a huge dimension to the trip.
So, starting with the hotel, it's a very small hotel with around 20 rooms, located on four stories (no elevator). I think all the rooms are set up about the same. Large, basic, very clean. Each with a large private balcony (or patio for the three ground floor rooms). The rooms have a tv (we never turned ours on) and a telephone (which we never used). Ours had a good size dresser, along with some cubbies built in to one wall next to a clothes rod. There's a decent sized pool between the rooms and the boat dock, but the pool area is relatively small, so you feel like you're practically right on the water. Someone described the rooms as "spartan". We were on the third floor, which I think was perfect. High enough to get a wonderful view, yet not adding another set of stairs each time you're going to or from your room (which was really only an issue at the very beginning and end, carrying all our equipment).
There's a nice (but, not fancy) lobby area with a handful of tables and chairs that almost always had a couple folks using the wifi (which doesn't reach most rooms), watching a dvd, or having a drink and chatting. The lobby was a great place to meet and chat with other guests throughout the week. Everyone is, of course, very upbeat and very friendly.
The restaurant adjoins the hotel proper (connected by one flight of stairs) and is open air. The wait staff were just wonderful. The menu was mostly Mexican, but some American dishes. All breakfasts are included, plus lunches on pre-paid dive days. I think one dinner is also included. I tend to just order something straight off the menu. My wife, on the other hand, would ask for something like: I'll have the omelet, but small, no bacon or potatoes, but can I have fruit instead, and I really like mango and kiwi. All she got was smiles from the waiters and exactly what she ordered from the kitchen. What a breath of fresh air.
Lunch prices were generally around $7 (USD), but a few went to $10. Dinners were $10 - $15. We loved the "super burger" and the "divers lunch" which was a terrific garlic butter fish filet. They also have happy hour from 4:00 - 6:30 when drinks were 2 for 1 and hearty tapas (usually $8) were also 2 for 1. A couple times, we went at 6:15 and each had a tapa. (Wife and I shared, with me getting more than my fair share, but both had plenty to eat.) Dinner for two, $8. Sunset was usually around 7:30 and the open-air restaurant was a great place to watch it from. (An even better place? Your own balcony....or bed.)
The dive operation was excellent. My wife hadn't been diving since she was certified almost four years ago. I wanted this to be a very enjoyable re-introduction for her, so we hired Matt (from Chicago) for a refresher course on our arrival afternoon. Matt couldn't dive after that because he was flying home for a visit, so we hired Tony Vilet, a dive master and videographer, to dive with Cathy for the next three days....two shore dives on Sunday, a big-boat dive on Monday and a small fast-boat dive on Tuesday. He was very competent and patient and very reassuring for her. It may have been a bit extravagant to hire private help for her for four days....we probably could have comfortably got by with three days, but I wanted to err on the side of safe, not sorry. Cathy had no interest in going diving after our certification (I've since logged about 180 dives in the Caribbean). Now, she's a comfortable, happy diver. We're going back in October.
The dive shop has a wonderful staff who did everything you could ask for to please. We especially liked Martin, but they were all great. There's a locker area that is locked up at night. Most folks didn't lock their stuff, but you can if you bring your own lock. (Make sure it's not too thick, because they have chains that won't fit a real thick padlock.) There's also a long rod and hangers in the locker area to hang your wetsuit. I noticed that some folks carried their gear to their room each evening, but we were very happy using the community lockers. (By the way, my wife used rental gear, except she had her own computer. I'm not a gear expert, but her stuff worked great all week. She had a problem early in the week with her full fins rubbing the backs of her heels. They switched her to booties and open back fins, which worked great. Not sure if all dive shops would have offered booties and open fins. They rent 3 mil full wetsuits, which was fine for Cathy.)
The primary dive time is 8:00, which was a bit early for us, but you quickly get into the swing of starting early. They had between one and three small, fast boats leaving each morning. The dive masters allowed the divers to decide what sites we'd go to. We dove with Jorge and Jose. Both were very nice and seemed very competent. We preferred Jose's style because he pointed out more stuff than Jorge, but some folks preferred Jorge. We were very happy diving with either one. They then usually had a large boat going out at 11:00, that took some folks from the mainland. This worked out for us on our first boat dive day because Cathy had been more used to giant stride entries. The downside to the 11:00 trip is that they're on a schedule. Gotta get in two dives, then back to the ferry. That meant they limited the dives to 45 minutes. That worked for us the first day, but most folks wouldn't have liked the short bottom times. (As I think about it, I don't think we got any choice in dive sites on that trip, either.) Then, after lunch, there was usually another small boat, if there were at least three divers signed up.
They offered night boat dives if they had at least three folks sign up.
There's an easy entry shore dive right out front. (This is something I really like....being able to do a shore dive before my first dive, as well as being able to tack on an extra dive or two in the afternoon/evening after my boat dives.) Next door to the property is a large caged area for a very touristy "sting ray" snorkel. You could look through the chain link fence and see the rays swimming about, but you could also see one or two outside the fence. The current out front was pretty strong while we were there. That may be why there weren't may shore divers that we saw. Still, a great option to have available.
The entire staff were great. From Andrea at the front desk, to Sergio and Pedro in the restaurant, to Tony and Martin in the dive shop and the dive masters mentioned above...including Eva, the owner.
There were a few folks staying at BA, but getting picked up at their dock each morning by another dive op.
I know that some folks take advantage of great deals on Orbitz and stay just a few blocks away at Villa Blanca and dive with Scuba Mau or Papa Hogs. We walked down there to take a peek at that option. Villa Blanca (and the two dive ops) are across that street from the water. We didn't even bother to go in VB....I don't care what they offered, I wouldn't trade our view for the Taj Mahal without the view.
We met many very nice, very friendly people down there (which suited Cathy to a tee). My main goal was to re-introduce her to diving in a way that she'd want to go again. One of new friends (Julie) smiled and said, "Mission Accomplished". Like I said, we're going back in October for what was originally planned as a solo trip for me.
I forgot to mention that dealing with Jeanie, the reservations person prior to the trip, was also great. She was very patient and accommodating as I switched this trip from a simple, solo trip for me to a buddy trip with Cathy with rental equipment questions, private dive master questions, etc. I never felt like a nuisance. Thanks, Jeanie.
Sorry about the length of this post. I'm a new, big BA fan.
Ron
