Presidente vs Cozumel Palace?

[Diver Diva]

Hey there,
Haven't been to Cozumel in 15 years...heard a lot has changed. I enjoy being close to the city and don't like to eat at the same hotel every night. Both of these look great...comments on either one? I stayed at the Fiesta Americana last time and I am looking to stay in a more upscale hotel this trip. The hotels on the South side look nice but I understand it's a long taxi ride to town. I enjoy walking to town at night on dive trips and eating with locals.
I also need to find a dive operator. I would prefer one that mostly takes smaller boats with experienced divers.
Thanks in advance for any feedback!

 

[rnees]

Check out scuba mau. Check them out on tripadvisor.com as well.
Been with them the last 3 trips out, and I love em. Small, quick boats, and they really take care of you.
Tell 'em Roy sent you.
Can't tell you about hotels. sorry. Stayed at FA once and hated it. I stay at villa blanca. Not very upscale. Not terribly close to town. Right next door to Mau, however.

 

[Mike]

We will be staying at the Presidente over Thanksgiving, will be diving with Aldora.

You won't be walking to town from the Presidente, but you certainly could from the Cozumel Palace.

We haven't stayed yet at either, but we walked the grounds and toured the hotel at the Presidente the last time we were there and we like you are looking for a more upscale experience this next trip.

Both places get good reviews, I think location and amenities are going to be the deciding factors for you between the two. Aldora would fit your dive company requirements.

 

[firstdive2005]

Hi Diva! Glad your going back for a visit. Anyone I talk to that has been away that long has a 'my this place has changed look on their face'.
Last February I was diving with a couple guys that stayed with their wives at Coz Palace. They said their wives loved it, thats what they needed to be able to dive so much with me. heheh. We dove with Scubamau and we would go pick them up and drop them off at the hotel. Sometimes the guys would walk up to Villa Blanca for excersize in the mornings. We are divers that like to dive our gas(low sac rates) and we like fast boats with snacks and a nice beach SI. The dm's are second to none. But like most dives ops on the island today they will try their darndest to accommodate you in your dive style. I stay at the Park Royal with my wife when she comes with me. Hope you have a great time.

 

[cicopo]

Both places allow other ops to pick up at their piers so that's not an issue, and both have their pros & cons but from the sound of it the Palace fits better since even with it being an AI it's priced similarly to the Presidente. That means you can justify walking into town to eat IF you prefer, which isn't an option at the Presedente. If you stay at the Pres you either eat there, at the Money Bar, or take a taxi or rental car into town. The Palace (was Plaza Las Glorias if you remember it) is just a short walk to the downtown core.

 

[MMM]

I'd look at Cozumel Palace given your wants. Pretty much any op will pick up there. It's across the street from big grocery store (Chedraui) and a couple of blocks from my house (which is in El Centro). So nice location.

What are you looking for in an op (long bottom tmes? steel tanks? individual ascent times? cheap? valet service?) That will help narrow it down as there are tons of great ops catering to different niches.

 

[liuk3]

My wife and I stayed at the Cozumel Palace for our one-year wedding anniversary. I dove everyday I was there except on Christmas Day. My wife kept herself occupied at the resort between the pool, the ocean, the bar, and our awesome room. She absolutely loved it which allowed me to go get in dives everyday. The rooms also have a gigantic in-room jacuzzi bathtub and a comfy hammock on the balcony. We had an awesome time there. The people were so nice there.

 

[Mawg]

Hey there,
Haven't been to Cozumel in 15 years...heard a lot has changed. I enjoy being close to the city and don't like to eat at the same hotel every night. Both of these look great...comments on either one? I stayed at the Fiesta Americana last time and I am looking to stay in a more upscale hotel this trip. The hotels on the South side look nice but I understand it's a long taxi ride to town. I enjoy walking to town at night on dive trips and eating with locals.
I also need to find a dive operator. I would prefer one that mostly takes smaller boats with experienced divers.
Thanks in advance for any feedback!

I have stayed at the Presidente many times and at the Plaza Las Glorias, now the Palace, once.I have also stayed at the Fiesta Americana once. I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have.

 

[Diver Diva]

Hi Marg,

Gracias for your response. It looks like I got a lot of votes suggesting we stay at the Palace. It's so funny that people say you can't walk to town from the Presidente...unless the town has moved I remember we walked each night to town from Fiesta Americana and I was so jealous that the people who stayed at Presidente had a shorter walk! We enjoy a 10-15 min stroll back to a hotel after dinner when we dive Kinda romantic and relaxing.

What are we looking for in dive operators? Fast boats with less than 10 people. Not necessarily looking for tons of bottom time since it doesn't matter how thick my wetsuit I get cold and bored (I think I have ADD....so I'm usually ready to move onto the next sight!) I really love to hang on walls 100+ feet. We usually only do 2 dives in the morning and then relax in the afternoons. It would be nice to find an affordable dive operator and it's always nice if the dive master jumps in to show you the little things we might not notice. If we stay at the Palace, do they have a locker for all our gear (we have everything) or where is that stored?
Muchas gracias por tu responde.
kelly

 

[Christi]

Hi Marg,

Gracias for your response. It looks like I got a lot of votes suggesting we stay at the Palace. It's so funny that people say you can't walk to town from the Presidente...unless the town has moved I remember we walked each night to town from Fiesta Americana and I was so jealous that the people who stayed at Presidente had a shorter walk! We enjoy a 10-15 min stroll back to a hotel after dinner when we dive Kinda romantic and relaxing.

What are we looking for in dive operators? Fast boats with less than 10 people. Not necessarily looking for tons of bottom time since it doesn't matter how thick my wetsuit I get cold and bored (I think I have ADD....so I'm usually ready to move onto the next sight!) I really love to hang on walls 100+ feet. We usually only do 2 dives in the morning and then relax in the afternoons. It would be nice to find an affordable dive operator and it's always nice if the dive master jumps in to show you the little things we might not notice. If we stay at the Palace, do they have a locker for all our gear (we have everything) or where is that stored?
Muchas gracias por tu responde.
kelly

The Presidente is 3 miles from centro -which puts Fiesta Americana at about 3.5 miles south of centro, so you must be a really fast walker if your walk back to Fiesta Americana was only 10 to 15 minutes