Help choosing a place to stay/dive?

[cicopo]

Read the review tied to my photo album. I did a trip report on both the Hotel & another for the dive op.

 

[njones259]

The best bang for your buck would be Bahia Suites or Suites Colonial in town.Both are very nice clean and come with a great breakfast buffet at Casa Mexicana.Almost all the dive ops in Cozumel are good to excellent and you almost can't make a wrong choice.You will also be downtown and won't have to pay the crazy taxi fares and close to all the great restaurants.Some recommended dive ops would be Aldora,Opal's Dream,Tres Pelicanos,or any number you will find if you do a quick search.

 

[DjDiverDan]

I'm a fan of staying downtown and NOT doing the AI thing. Cozumel has a great many excellent restaurants in the downtown area, and can cater to any budget. HOWEVER, if you decide to stay downtown, be sure that the dive op will pick you up downtown. Last time I stayed downtown, I stayed at Casa Mexicana and used Aldora Divers. Casa Mexicana is very nice, and a breakfast buffet is included, so you can grab breakfast and walk across the street and up a block to the Aldora pier. Aldora is pricier than many other dive ops, but it is a first class valet dive op -- Steel HP tanks, including 120s if you are big and can handle the weight, everyone dives computers, long SI on the beach, they take care of all equipment (except wetsuits), and I've never had a bad DM with Aldora -- they are all top-notch. Staying downtown and diving with Aldora, or any other Dive Ops that pick up at the downtown pier, will save you a bundle in taxi fares. I've also stayed for the last few years at Casa Del Mar, and dove with Dive with Martin. It's a group trip every December (I've got my reservations to join them again this December). I like Casa Del Mar, and breakfast is included in the room price. I also like Dive with Martin, but it is not the same level of service as Aldora, but it's also less expensive; its a very good dive op if you don't want to pay extra for the high capacity steel tanks and more personal service. But because Casa Del Mar is located down near the Cruise Ship Pier, and Dive with Martin is right at the Pier, we always end up with a lot of taxi rides into town for lunch and dinner. With a big group, we can usually all fit in 2 vans, and split the cost 6 ways, so it's not a big deal. But if there will be just 2 of you, budget extra for taxis. Now if you do choose either Hotel Cozumel (I stayed there in July '12 -- beautiful Hotel, very nice rooms, TERRIBLE food for the AI) or Blue Angel, you can walk downtown for meals - its not a bad hike. I should add that I don't like AIs on Cozumel because I'm a foodie that drinks very little; IF you either: (a) are not into food and are not bothered by mediocre quality; or (b) drink a lot, then an AI might well be your best bet.

 

[Kryssa]

Read the review tied to my photo album. I did a trip report on both the Hotel & another for the dive op.

Maybe I'm blind, but I cann't find the reviews of the dive ops... can you offer a direct rink. (Thanks! and sorry to be a bother!)

 

[cicopo]

The link is in the caption under the first photo in the Blue Angel Resort photo album but here it is without going there.

Trip report; my diving with Blue Angel. - Cozumel Forum - TripAdvisor

 

[Ms. Ann Thrope]

We mostly stay/dive with Blue Angel and like it quite a bit. But I'm writing from the balcony of the Vista del Mar downtown. It's comfortable and cute, and there's a dive pier right across the street. I agree with DjDiverDan's assessments of Aldora and DWM. We've used them both, and there's a place for them both, depending on your desires and expectations. No one we've used but Aldora has enabled for us a 100-minute dive, but that kind of stuff also makes for a very long dive day. Also, we took a quick bike ride up north this morning and finally laid eyes on Villa Aldora. Nice-looking place, and their beach/shore area looked great. Not a lot of restaurant action up that way, but town is close. I knew they had bikes there, but I didn't know 'til today that they have quite a few of them. I found Hotel Cozumel too large (we didn't even try the food) for my tastes, but I can't fault the location.

 

[lthomas132]

Just returned Sunday, stayed at Casa Mexicana, diving with Aldora. Both are close to one another. Great included breakfast at Casa Mexicana at 7, meet on the Aldora dock at 7:30. Perfect. Many places to eat within walking distance of the hotel. Currents at most dive sites were strong, so be aware.

 

[Ron Lee]

Lately I have been staying at Villa Aldora. They have a variety of rooms including two story suites. No food on site as of my last trip.

You may have to be diving with them to stay there but with Aldora you get the opportunity for more advanced sites including some new ones north of Barracuda. Also east side diving if a norte comes through which may not be an issue when you go.

I typically take a taxi into town for breakfast but with a kitchen you could have a light meal then something bigger at the beach surface interval. Then into town for dinner.

 

[njones259]

There are many dive shops downtown that will pay for you to get to the caleta and back as long as you meet at the dive shop in the morning.I personally don't care if I leave from a downtown dock or from the caleta in the morning.I enjoy the drive and also enjoy saving about $35 dollars a day diving with one of the smaller shops.I personally really enjoy Cozumel because I get to strap on an 80cu and go diving in nice warm water.In Jersey we really get tired of hauling around 120's and pony bottles all the time.

 

[AggieDiver]

Put me down as another recommending Casa Mexicana and Blue XTSea. We were there for hurricane Wilma and both places treated us very well when we came back at a later date to take advantage of the diving we missed due to the storm. Casa Mexicana is a nice little hotel right in downtown and very convenient to many restaurants. There are plenty of dive shops that can pick you up at one of the docks within a block or so of the restaurant and will handle your gear on the boat for you while you are diving with them so you don't have to take it to and from the hotel. I have always been a fan of Christi and Blue XTSea but, there are other good operators recommended on this thread as well.