Staying south vs downtown

[morecowbells]

Great picture. Been home for over a week, but I still think about Cozumel daily.

Have no idea what car rentals cost. Taxi to/from downtown was 200 pesos. $18 exchange rate came to roughly $10 each way for dinner. We ate dinner in town everyday, so $20 a day for taxis. I was comfortable paying that and not having to worry about drinking, driving, parking, gas, insurance, wild scooter drivers, etc..

Wow! I thought it was more like $20 each way. Thanks for clarifying that. Definitely gives more options. Whether you take a taxi or rental car, it is priceless being able to walk off the pier, take wetsuit etc to outdoor showers and get out of wet swimsuit within 5-10 minutes of walking off the boat.

 

[ggunn]

We all have our prefs. I grew up on and around boats and I love being out on the water, so a "long" boat ride isn't a disincentive to me. I don't like riding around in taxis all that much, driving is one of the things I am on vacation from when I am on the island, and the variety in cuisine available in town is a big part of the Cozumel experience for me. All that said, staying in a non-AI close to town and cabbing to dinner in the evenings is what works for me. I do not mean to imply that it is objectively "better"; I am only "anti AI" for myself. That the sky is blue and the grass is green are not mutually exclusive.

 

[kbcrking]

If you rent a car there, can they have it at the airport when you arrive? Or do you have to get their shuttle to ISIS? And then get shuttled back to the airport from ISIS when departing?

 

[JamesBon92007]

The peace and quiet of Residencias Reef sounds very appealing! We've stayed at Scuba Club twice and found it to be very quiet (especially considering how close it is to town) but not completely quiet. We also stayed in a very small hotel near La Catrina (about 7-8 blocks East of MEGA) but could hear music in the distance every night. It was, however, very cheap (and very nice too). We have our flight booked for November and are in the process of choosing a place to stay. If we go with "cheap" we can stay longer and go more often and now that we have a little experience with Cozumel we have found ways to do it for less. So cheap, in fact, that we might just book another trip before then. We are also considering renting an apartment on the island so we can just hop on a plane whenever we feel like it (obviously we are retired ). I think the ferry prices have gone up since December but the bag drag is still very economical and fairly simple.

Are taxis readily available near Residencias Reef? I've looked up rental cars in the past and seem to recall that it was about $6 US/day plus about $50 US/day for the insurance. Taxis are so plentiful in town that it doesn't seem to pay to rent a car unless you are going exploring on the East side. When I went from my inland hotel to my dive boat it was only 40 pesos and I think it was only 60 pesos to get to the ferry when we were leaving (of course I always tip on Cozumel so the actual cost was a little more).

They seem to have some strict rules about cars and taxis at CZM so I would be surprised if you could pick up a rental car there.

 

[gonecoastal1]

Now with my family situation (3 divers and gear), we always stay at the Iberostar down south and YES, I always reserve my rental car and pickup/dropoff at the airport. I use autoeurope to book and never have been disappointed.
I am really going to have to check out the Residencias Reef, sounds wonderful.

 

[ronscuba]

Residencias Reef has a guard shack at the entry. They call a taxi for you. It's there in 5 minutes or less.

Exchange rate is very favorable to the US dollar right now. Not sure if it has made a big difference to car rental pricing.

The condo complex has multiple buildings, but the beach area was empty. They have 2 pools. I never saw more than 4 people at the main pool. May is considered low season so that might have been a part of it.

I chose to stay in the building closest to the ocean and on the 1st floor so we could walk to/from the beach directly from our terrace. I imagine condos further away are less expensive. Secrets all inclusive is next door but I never heard any noise.

 

[GlassBender]

We love renting a condo at Residencias Reef and having the dive op (Deep Blue, in our case) pick us up at the pier. As the OP mentioned, it shortens the boat rides dramatically. I get sea sick, so that's a plus for me. (yes, even with medicines)

 

[JamesBon92007]

Residencias Reef has a guard shack at the entry. They call a taxi for you. It's there in 5 minutes or less.

Exchange rate is very favorable to the US dollar right now. Not sure if it has made a big difference to car rental pricing.

The condo complex has multiple buildings, but the beach area was empty. They have 2 pools. I never saw more than 4 people at the main pool. May is considered low season so that might have been a part of it.

I chose to stay in the building closest to the ocean and on the 1st floor so we could walk to/from the beach directly from our terrace. I imagine condos further away are less expensive. Secrets all inclusive is next door but I never heard any noise.

We just got back from Puerto Vallarta and there was always one taxi parked outside the hotel on the days we went diving. It's like he was waiting for us. They only time I had trouble getting a taxi is San Miguel was on Sunday morning. They weren't everywhere like they usually are.

Does Residencias make you wear an arm band and try to sell you a time share? I'll ask my girlfriend if she can do an exchange there. I know they have a place up North we can get but then it really will be a long boat ride to the dive sites. So far on Cozumel we just paid for the hotels because none of the exchanges looked very appealing. Do they have a dive shop and is there shore diving?

It looks like my pesos have appreciated again! I always bring home enough to ride the bus and ferry and eat and grab a taxi on the next trip.

GlassBender mentioned Deep Blue. Which op do you use?

 

[amoses]

I think the ferry prices have gone up since December but the bag drag is still very economical and fairly simple.

I took the ferry yesterday (Barcos Caribe), and it was 135 mxn one way. I think Ultramar was 140.

 

[JamesBon92007]

It seems to fluctuate quite a bit.

I took the ferry yesterday (Barcos Caribe), and it was 135 mxn one way. I think Ultramar was 140.

It seems to fluctuate quite a bit. Going to Cozumel last December it was $163 and coming back it was $115. It's $10.50 US if you pay with US dollars but only $8.95 ($163 MX) US if you pay with pesos. That's why I always leave Mexico with a few pesos. I'm quoting the current price on the Ultramar web site but like you said that is not the actual price.