Honeymoon in Isla Mujeres?

[WaterDance]

My fiance and I were going to honeymoon in Nevis, but after doing some research on the diving we have decided against it. SO, now are are 10 months out and I have frequent flyer points burning a hole in my pocket and we are looking for the perfect place to go.

Important stuff:
Wedding is May 16th, 2009
Looking to travel either Monday May 18th for 9 nights or
Saturday May 23rd for 8 nights

We want to have a nice place to stay, near the water is important
Want to have an easy diving experience (transportation to and from dive shop, gear storage, water between dives, professional crew)
Looking for variety - caves, wrecks, large fish?
Romantic place to stay - its our honeymoon

Ben stumbled across Casa Ixchel on Isla Mugeres, and the board recommends Coral Scuba on the island - but I am unsure of so much.

Is May a good time to dive in Mexico?
Does Isla Mugeres have good diving?
Anyone stay at Casa Ixchel before?
Does anyone have any other recommendations?


We have dove in Honduras, Cozumel, Dutch Springs PA, Paradise Springs Fl, Devils Cove Florida

We are both advanced open water certified and love adventure but enjoy the comforts as well.

Please help!

 

[Beyond_Diving]

if you want caverns, ocean, etc, then I wouldnt suggest isla mujeres... you're better off staying either in Cancun or in the Riviera Maya (playa del carmen, tulum, puerto aventuras, etc). May is a very good time to dive (imho). oh, and congratulations on your impending nuptials

 

[livewire]

I can't advise on Isla Mujeres since I've never been there, and the pics of that place look great, but one thing I noticed on the Casa IxChel web site that may not jive with your requirements:

"There are two sandy beach areas on Isla Mujeres, one is the Sac Bajo area that does not have an easy access point and the other is Playa Norte or North Beach area. This area is just north of downtown Isla Mujeres and is a large very gently sloping white sandy beach.... This area is about 10 min. on a bicycle from Casa Ixchel. Bicycles are included in your stay with us." --Looks like they may be near the water, but not an accessible beach.

Also is there any reason you wouldn't reconsider Cozumel? There are more choices for full service diving in Coz than in Cancun/Playa, and there are also some very nice resorts on the water. If money is no object the Presidente is nice and for less money my wife and I enjoyed the Iberostar, despite the rock hard beds for is great proximity to the reefs and short boat trips. Cancun is also great for waterfront resorts and topside pampering. Diving is nice, but slightly less convenient, and certainly not as nice as Coz. It does meet your three requirements of caves, wrecks, and large fish, though.

I know you've been there before and this is something special since its your honeymoon, but just thought I'd ask. Also, don't know who your miles are with, for our honeymoon we went to Sandals Bahamas (Royal Bahamian I think its called?). Diving is included in the all-inclusive fee which was nice, and the resort is great, too. Again it's pricey, but really great for honeymoon... No kids, almost all couples and honeymooners, and it's waterfront! No caves, but plenty of large fish and wrecks.

For the ultimate in romance, pampering, and full service diving, my wife and I really enjoyed Peter Island Resort in the British Virgin Islands. This was very expensive, but it's really something very very special. Staff and diving were great, too. It doesn't accommodate too many guests which makes it much more relaxing, and there were quite a few honeymooning couples there. We saved this one for our one year anniversary. Anyway, just another thought.

Best of luck and congratulations!

 

[Redondoscubadude]

I was just on Isla Mujeres last week. I did three days of diving with Coral Scuba Dive Center - Coral Scuba Dive Center - Isla Mujeres, Cancun, Mexico - Diving, PADI certification, snorkeling and would recommend them. We did two days of reef diving and one day deeper diving including the cave of sleeping sharks. No sharks and I would not call them caves but the reef structure was interesting.

My wife and I love Isla. It's a great little island that is much more of authentic Mexican experience vs. Las Vegas on the Caribbean (Cancun). We also enjoyed Cozumel (Scuba Club Cozumel) this past September and there's no question the diving was better in Cozumel but I still enjoyed the diving in Isla and you can't beat $39 bucks for two tank dive offered by Coral.

I've got a write up on my blog with some pics if you are interested -sichblog.wordpress.com . You might also consider Belize which we visited on this trip.

Congrats and best wishes,
Scott

 

[Spratman]

Isla is a nice place to stay but not much for diving. Stay on the mainland, pop over to Isla for a day trip. Contact Ben at Mayan Aqua Dive offers Cancun Diving, Snorkeling, Cavern Diving, Cozumel Dives&PADI Courses. He can give you a great hotel deal and dive package. Dive the reefs in Cancun, dive the cenotes in PDC. Have the nightlife in Cancun.

Drop him a line at benrmooney@yahoo.co.uk and see what they have to offer. Pick up and return to your hotel, best boat and staff in Cancun, and more than a few hotels meeting your needs.

Congratulations and good luck on your future!

Jack

 

[WaterDance]

Also is there any reason you wouldn't reconsider Cozumel? There are more choices for full service diving in Coz than in Cancun/Playa, and there are also some very nice resorts on the water. If money is no object the Presidente is nice and for less money my wife and I enjoyed the Iberostar, despite the rock hard beds for is great proximity to the reefs and short boat trips. Cancun is also great for waterfront resorts and topside pampering. Diving is nice, but slightly less convenient, and certainly not as nice as Coz. It does meet your three requirements of caves, wrecks, and large fish, though.

Cozumel and Cancun would both be great choices. However we were trying to stay away from the Hotel feel. Where in Cancun would you recommend?

Ben and I are not Cave or Cavern certified, but are there Cenotes there where one can enter with a guide? We are both AOW PADI people and have dove in "approved" caverns in Florida.

 

[livewire]

Hi Waterdance: The Cenotes in Cancun are really easily accessible with guided operations. There has long been a whole religious debate about this on ScubaBoard, but as a non-cave diver having dove the cenotes with three different ops, I can tell you they're generally really really safe, with plenty of clear briefings on what to do, so there' nothing to fear there. On a less controversial note I can tell you that they are spectacular dives.

As far as getting away from the hotel feel, I don't know that you can get away from it in Cancun! I laughed when I read that "Las Vegas on the Caribbean" comment, as it really does feel that way... one hotel after another all lined up down the beach, probably 80+ hotels in the Hotel Zone? Here's a lousy picture, but you get the idea:

In Cancun though, I really enjoyed the Westin Regina the last time we were there. The trip before that we stayed at the Gran Melia, which I also enjoyed, but this is a little less foo-foo, a little more family, but also more affordable. Both, like every hotel there, were waterfront. We saw several resorts in between Cancun and Playa Del Carmen which were definitely out of the hotel zone and a little more of an escape... Farther from town and the dive boats, naturally, but beach front and seemingly very posh. Don't know the names, but I think they might be easy to google. I'll look around for you a little later...

 

[livewire]

This was one of them:

Official Web Site - Gran Porto Real Playa del Carmen Hotel, Playa del Carmen

It's like $300-500 per night all inclusive (for both of you, so not bad in the end), and looks like it would make for a nice honeymoon. Don't know how well it works as a dive hotel, but you're really close to the cenotes there, so I'm sure the cenote operators will be happy to pick you up and give you a lift, which is the normal way they work. Diving Playa isn't bad, but you may also be able to catch the ferry to Cozumel and dive there for a day... Might make for a busy day though, considering you'll be on your honeymoon.

Anyway, just another idea! I'm sure you're overwhelmed with ideas already. Best of luck!

 

[c-monkey]

Got married on Isla Mujeres several years ago and loved it! We stayed at Villa Rolandi Villa Rolandi Rooms - Luxurious suites isla mujeres Hotel and got married on the beach -- it was wonderful, romantic, beautiful, comfortable, and they had absolutely delicious food to top it off. They picked us up in Cancun on a small yacht and served champagne and fruit on the trip over. The Jr Suite was excellent and nicely priced including a full breakfast and 5 course dinner each day, insanely comfortable king bed, jacuzzi on the balcony, huge double shower with about 10 shower heads. We did not have the opportunity to dive there and the town is very very small. We stayed for 2 days and then went back down the coast to our favorite destination - Playa Del Carmen -- and had all our diving adventures from there (ocean & cavern). If you want to stay and dive in the same place I recommend Playa over Cozumel for a more intimate honeymoon experience (no cruise ship dock, gorgeous downtown setting). I like the Luna Blue hotel but its not a luxurious all inclusive place... just good value for clean rooms, cold a/c, nice owners, close to town and the beach. Lots of good dive ops in town.

 

[RussR]

I have been to Isla Mujeres, Cozumel, Tulum, PDC and Cancun and would recommend Playa del Carmen above the others. It has nice beaches, a laid back atmosphere and decent nightlife. You can dive the reefs of Cozumel and the cenotes pretty easily + have access to the ruins in Tulum and other adventure tours etc.

I enjoyed the other places too and will go back to Coz for diving, but when I go with my girlfriend it will be to Playa.

my opinion