Mayan - dive ops at resorts?

[DiverDebbie]

My fiance and I are going to the Mayan for the first time for our wedding/honeymoon. It's not until Jan. so we have lots of time to search and ask about which dive ops to use, but we will be booking a resort soon. If all other things are equal - nice resort, decent beach, similar wedding packages... then maybe the diving can be a deciding factor. Seeing as how we hope to have several guests who are divers as well, having someone good right at the resort would be a convenient bonus.
(Yes we're planning cenotes and Coz. day trip(s) but more about that later.)

Our resort options are:

Gran Bahia Principe
Grand Palladium
Barcelo Maya

(The area just south of Playa del Carmen, where the RIUs are, is way too busy for us. These resorts are already bigger than we're used to!)

Any advice on the dive ops working out of those resorts would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[Brewone0to]

Check out locogringo.com forums.

 

[nocalparrothead]

We used diveaventuras.com. They were great, and are located in Puerto Aventuras, not far from where you'll be. They picked us up at the resort - no problems. Try a search here.

 

[bluecrystal]

Definitely recommend Bahia Divers who are an independent operation on Xpu Ha Beach and pick up from all the local hotels free. If you have a few divers, you may want to go with an independent operator as the service is much better and you get private boats or cenote trips for your group. Prices are usually much better too!!

 

[Nay]

also check out www.playa.info. I've gotten a lot from there for my trip in august.

 

[scratchmyback]

All other things being equal, I personally would not choose the Barcelo Maya. A Canadian couple were murdered there February 2006 and the case is still not solved. They were down there for 2 weeks for their daughter's wedding. It's a long story but it seems an off-duty security guard from the resort may now be the main suspect.

I drove by there last week on the way back from Tulum and it gave me shivers to look at the front gates. I don't mean to spoil it for you, but if you start to do research on the place you'll undoubtedly find a reference to these murders. I know I would want to know if something tragic like this had occurred at a place where I was considering getting married. Google *ianiero* if you want more information.

 

[Dectek]

I would vote against the Barcelo for other reasons.
Laura...Google * Toronto unsolved murder* and you will get 167,000 hits. You can't believe everything you read on the net and in news papers. Some papers were reporting that they were murdered in an Apartment............................. Back to the OP.......................
I just returned from the Barcelo and the customer service there is lacking.It is not the hotel working staff's fault. It is purely bad management desicions. We have been to the Bahia Principe twice and would gladly go back again. We have stayed in several resort type hotels and a couple small bed and a shower types up and down the Yucatan but this is the only one that my wife and I agree that will never see us again.Yes it is a beautiful place but the list of extra charges and things that "The Barcelo is NOT responsible for" is very very long. It is an all-inclusive but whiskey will cost $4.00 a shot and the room service food is free but each item will cost you a $3.80 delivery charge. It is pretty bad when you have to carry around an insulted mug so you know when you will be able to get your next drink or take a bottle of water with you to the buffet because you never know if a server will show up at your table. We did see several groups being given the full treatment as far as wedding packages go. There were 3 that we saw while there.
I would add that what I saw of the Dressel Divers staff was not very professional and childish while I was near the dive shop. I have been to 4 Dressel dive shop locations and this was not normal from what we have seen. It may have been because the waves were big and most of the dives were getting blown out and the staff did not have much to do.
I too would like to suggest Bahia Divers aka Stefano in Xpu-ha If you are staying in the area. I was fortunate enough that a group canceled at the last minute and I had him to myself for the week I was there. Poor me 1:1 divemaster ratio and barely saw another sole in the cenotes. He is a great Divemaster and can provide transportation. To boot his prices were a little better too. (a nice surprise when you go to pay and find out you got the best at a discount price). Another fine Dive master from that area is Dennis Weeks (Diablo Divers). I have not dived with him but he gets nothing but rave reviews.
I would be glad to answer questions about the good...the bad ... and the ugly of some of the resorts if you want to shoot me a PM

 

[scratchmyback]

I would vote against the Barcelo for other reasons.
Laura...Google * Toronto unsolved murder* and you will get 167,000 hits. You can't believe everything you read on the net and in news papers. Some papers were reporting that they were murdered in an Apartment

I'm quite sure there are several 'unsolved Toronto murders' Dectek, however this one DID occur at the BARCELO.

I live in the greater Toronto area, (which is also where the murdered couple resided), I saw the news coverage that was intense for two weeks after the murders happened, the family hired Canada's most well-known criminal lawyer to represent them. The case is going nowhere because the Mexican authorities have bungled it from Day 1. This is still big news here and your insinuation that it did not occur at the Barcelo is mind-boggling, especially since you don't live here.

I only mentioned the Google reference so the OP could do the research on her own. I am sure there are other reasons not to choose the Barcelo, as you mentioned. I was merely pointing out one of them.

 

[MSP Diver]

I'll second diveaventuras.com.

 

[Dectek]

Laura... I did not mean to take a stab at you. My thinking was in another direction but I did not express it properly; I never stated that the Murders did not occur at the Barcelo. I was just pointing out one of many mistakes found in the media. I also read many mistakes in the Mexican media also. Murders occur EVERYWHERE!!! and that is a sad fact that we all will have to live with.
My view only:
#1 The Police and investigators that are "screwing things up" work for the state of Q. Roo and not this particular hotel. I do not feel that they are doing a different job because it was the Barcelo. It is an AREA wide Political problem. Would you feel different about this particular hotel if the murders were solved?
#2 Security has been stepped up since the murders. It is not like there has been a string of incidents showing that nothing is going to change. What is the safest airline to travel on the week after a plane crash? The same company that owned that plane.
#3 Being from Toronto you will most likely be getting ONE side (the Canadian side)of the story from your news outlets. Of which it MAY be biased. Example....Folks from all over the world probably have not seen footage of people in New Orleans SHOOTING at the rescue helicopters and boats after Hurricane Katrina. All they saw was stories about how nobody was getting any help.
It was an awful thing that happened at that hotel but would you tell everyone you know not to shop at a mall because there was a shooting there last year? No you would not. Then again I could be reading too much into your words. You may have just been giving the OP a little background on the hotel so they could form their own opinions... If so....I am sorry I upset you.