Family-oriented hotel recommendations

[Hinalo]

We are two families, with kids ages 13 to 17 (kids may become interested in diving but aren't yet) planning our first trip to Coz sometime in July-August. I've scoured this board for ideas and come up with a few that seem to make sense, but I'm hoping that you Coz veterans can help me sift out the best option for us. We can afford a mid-priced hotel.

What we want:

Not far from town
Family-orientation-other families and kids
Kids activities including things like introductory scuba camps
Nice pool and at least some beach or easy water access, minimal current
On the water, boat dock right at hotel (so we don't have to schlep gear too far)
room with kitchen
Not too noisy (those of us diving want to sleep)
decent restaurants or proximity to decent restaurants

My list so far:

Aldora (has summer kids scuba camp) [looks good to me]
New Fontan (kids summer camp associated with Aldora?)
Hotel Cozumel [looks good to me]

(Allegro is on the list but it is far from town and expensive, but the kids would probably love it, looks like boat dock is a long walk)

For the adults, two of us are certified but inexperienced, and the other two are going to do their OW cert dives while we are there.

Any advice on my list or suggestions I haven't thought of would be greatly appreciated. Thanks very much, we're looking forward to having a great time.

 

[Cozoholic]

Hotel Cozumel, BlueXTSea
Dont do AI- their food is awful

 

[scubawife]

Two families with teenagers, how many kids? You might be better off with a vacation rental then a hotel. Or even a 3-4 bedroom unit at El Cantil. If you split it between two families it will be very reasonable. The buildings are right on the water a short walk from town and across from Chedraui (the mexican version of a Super Walmart) The condos have a kitchen, living room, nice big private balconies, each bedroom has it's own bathroom, and there is a great pool on-site too. Your kids wouldn't have organized activities if that's a deal breaker for you.

Pretty much any dive operator will pick you up at the El Cantil pier. If you choose one that doesn't take care of your gear for you then you can either use the gear lockers in the garage or just put the gear to one side of your balcony.

Hotel Cozumel is your average resort hotel. Nothing fancy, just a hotel room. Big pool and they do have an "animation team" that keeps activities going for all ages during the better part of the day. It's also an easy walk to town. No kitchens though.

For a dive op, since you are new divers and students, if you want to go with a smaller shop try and find one that has more then one boat so you can be grouped with divers of similar experience levels. There's a perfect fit for everyone in Cozumel. It's just a matter of deciding what services you want, big or small boat and what price range you're comfortable with. Just make sure you choose based on your criteria and you really can't go wrong. You can get lots of people telling that their dive op of choice is THE one to go with, but that doesn't mean it will be the best choice for you based on what your needs and wants are.

 

[Hinalo]

Two families with teenagers, how many kids?

Ah good question, total of four kids, three of the 17 and one 13, all girls.

 

[DiverMo]

Just to clear things up, Aldora is not a hotel - it's a large villa broken up into several suites. Some are large, some are smaller. Most of them have full kitchens. We've stayed there a few times with our teens (youngest is now 17) and they love it there. We'll be there again in one week! Kids can snorkel 24 hrs/day if they want (and they usually do - they have lights available for use), there are bikes available to the guests, a sea kayak, a nice little private beach, infinity pool, and town is close enough to walk to.

Another point to consider, just in case you didn't know - if you stay at the Aldora or the Fontan, you must use the Aldora dive op, as well.

 

[scubawife]

Two families with teenagers, how many kids? Ah good question, total of four kids, three of the 17 and one 13, all girls.

How about getting the kids to try a discover SCUBA locally and see if they like it? You might just be able to solve the problem of having things for them to do while you are out diving. And if you've already got 2 in your group doing their check out dives then with this kids included you could charter your own boat and get the diving tailored to you.

I don't know what your 17 yr olds are like, but most that I know don't have too much interest in being in a "camp" environment if it means they'll be in a group of probably 14-17yr olds... It's the first year for the Aldora program so who knows what ages it will get. Similar concepts in other locations tend to attract families with younger children. If they don't want to do dive and you stay in a condo or rent a house, could you trust them for a half day on their own?

Another alternative would be to go with a dive operator who could offer you a combo dive/snorkel package (if the teens like snorkeling). You would dive with a DM and they would be snorkeling with their own guide. There are several sites that would give you all a good experience. I haven't used either of these operators, but I have heard many great reviews about dive/snorkel trips done with Eagle Ray Divers and with Blue Angel. With chartering your own boat I'd bet that just about any shop you choose could also put something together for you.

 

[Crazyduck]

You realize that traveling with that many ladies automatically gives you sainthood when you pass on. You are a man of many talents!

Allegro-
Expense- $550.00 per person for a week for us in June.
This is all inclusive does not include diving.
If you want- dive operators will pick you up at the dock.
The diving is 10 minutes away to your left which is south.

Town- was a solid 10 to 15 minutes away.

Any specific please give me a yell.
I like scubawife’s idea- we are doing something similar this winter for skiing (renting a condo.)

I recommend all classes and checkout done in the US.
Then enjoy the diving in Mexico.

Just my humble opinion as a retired NAUI Instructor Trainer.

Andrew

Two families with teenagers, how many kids?
Ah good question, total of four kids, three of the 17 and one 13, all girls.

 

[Hinalo]

Definitely we are thinking of suggesting that the kids do a Discover Scuba session, but it never occurred to me about chartering a boat for all of us, even if the kids just wanted to snorkle. [I do trust them on their own, in case they just want to lie around home base.]

Crazyduck, it's the girls who are angels, me, I'm just lucky. About the checkout dives, my wife, who only has her last two PADI OW dives left to do swears she will *never* stick so much as a toe in N. Cal water. What am I to do? I figured I'd just work it out with the dive op to accompany her as her buddy for a two-tank morning and she'll have her cert. The other adult may have all 4 OW dives to do, but she'll probably be on her own for this.

 

[ggunn]

...my wife, who only has her last two PADI OW dives left to do swears she will *never* stick so much as a toe in N. Cal water. What am I to do?

Take her to the Monterrey Aquarium.

 

[Crazyduck]

Yeah,
PADI will let you split the training to do the checkout at the destination.

What I have seen in the past is people don’t realize the expense and you need an awesome operator. You do not want problems.
You need a PADI instructor to sign off on those last two dives; or they are going to say you need an open water referral. You are looking at $200-$300.00 for this and probably two days.

I would start with finding an operator who can do both. First the open water referrals and then the rest of the diving. This is time and you want excellent divemasters for handling adult learners. Plus, the group can then dive as a team with a smaller operator. If you want specifics please pm me.

Good luck, Andrew