cicopo
Contributor
Once again we stayed at Hotel Cozumel, and friends were joining us on the second week this trip. We had also vacationed together at the Grand in 09 & we were a bit concerned as to whether they’d like Hotel Coz & the food because they didn’t like the Grand. Not only did they like it they are already talking about a 2 week stay next year, which would be nice because that would allow me more time for diving because my wife will have company. We also spent a lot more time at the hotel than on previous trips & got to know more staff members & the majority of them made sure we were well cared for. When I consider the cost to stay at Hotel Cozumel against staying at an equivalent hotel or motel in Canada or the US I think I’m getting a very good deal, and that applies to purchasing the all inclusive plan. We always buy it & we think it’s a bargain, but I do know that the price varies so my recommendation is to price out the room with breakfast & the room & AI package to make sure you’re not paying more than about $20 per person per day. It would be very hard for us to not use up that $20 (max) in food & beverages unless we spent the full day away from the resort. Will everyone like the food, not likely but we do & think they’ve improved both the variety & quality over the years & this trip fajitas were available at lunch almost every day. I’m a fan of them & I always load them up differently so even though I may have eaten them often they always tasted different. I don’t eat at McDonalds or Burger King very often so I don’t know how the cost of the AI option would compare but for us it’s a bargain plus very convenient.
I’d also like to say a BIG thanks to Raul for the special favor he did for me re the Air Show. I won’t put him on the spot by mentioning just what he did but it was way beyond my expectations. With the hotel being the HQ of the air show & Pilots Association (during the event) it was an easy task to get my questions answered & better yet it was an awesome air show & I hadn’t known about it until we arrived to check in. If anyone reading this is into aerobatic flying make sure to watch for next years dates; you might want to plan your vacation around them. The captions in my photo album pretty much cover the event but I would like to say something about the safety aspect because not everyone will feel safe (nor should they) about standing that close to the action. There were places to watch most of the action without being up against the runway, but you wouldn’t be able to see everything because of the trees, but if someone (with more common sense than me) wanted to watch it from a safe distance they could. As with anything each & every one of us needs to decide on whether or not we feel safe when participating as a spectator where things can go wrong.
My diving. In the fall I decided that this trip was not going to be all about diving but it would still center around diving. My plan was to dive with very specific people I’ve met over the years and instantly took a liking to. We’ve all met people that for whatever reason we connected to almost instantly, and I wanted to see them again because it had been too long since spending time with them. It wasn’t going to be easy because it involved 5 different dive ops, work schedules & co operation by the weather and some work to track 2 people down because they’d left the businesses where we first met. It took several emails but everyone involved went for it & even though I couldn’t pre plan & book my trips more than a day or 2 in advance they all promised me a seat on the boat. With that done I really looked forward to my trip even knowing that it may not play out perfectly & I was fine with that.
It didn’t work out perfectly, but it went much better than expected. I didn’t get to spend a day with Scubatony & Carlos because he was too busy trying to get a second boat up & running as an expansion to his operation. My wife really though I’d be down about missed dive days but it really didn’t matter & I just spent my time relaxing at the hotel. I can’t fault Tony for what tied him up, I keep sending business his way, and hope he can accommodate them, so it’s my fault he’s too busy to go diving.
The diving itself was great, but heavily overcast skies the first few days made it relatively dark at depth, but currents were very gentle at most sites. I saw a big improvement in the reefs, lots more big Groupers & Turtles & in general more large fish of just about every common variety found in Cozumel plus I saw that the attempts to reduce the Lionfish population were working. Last year they were just about everywhere, but I don’t think I saw 10 total this trip.
Now for the negatives. Hotel Cozumel has replaced the lights over the beds with new energy efficient ones but they took away the pole light which I used at the table when working on my computer. I miss that light. Also (& I know it’s difficult having done it myself) it’s time to replace the bathtubs & maybe update the fixtures. Many of the lounge chairs also need repair & / or replacing because the adjustable part for the backs are broken or damaged to the point they suddenly slip. Fortunately there are far more chairs than guests using them so it wasn’t a real inconvenience. One other thing (& it’s been said before by many) is that if you arrive early for the breakfast buffet many things will be cold. It’s obvious that it’s been pre cooked much earlier & is now trying to warm up in the heating trays at the buffet.
Eating Out. Had lunch at Ernesto’s on day 1, happy hour snacks & beer at Blue Angel one day (we arrived too early for the dinner menu), ate dinner there twice, both times were after our friends had arrived, and we also introduced them to Sonora Grill & the downtown Mission. Every meal was great, priced right, large portions & came with good service. I just wish I could find the time to eat at so many other places, & look forward to my next trip because of that.
My plan for the next trip will be similar with who I intend to dive with because I’ve still got a few more of those special people I want to spend time with but in most cases we have dove together in recent years. Last trip one of those people asked me who I’ve dove with in Cozumel, and after I was about ½ way through the list he simply said “you know a lot of people here” and we left it like that. That’s the way it is in Cozumel, you make a lot of friends when you’re a diver sharing boats to & from the reefs.
Photo albums are on line here
Picasa Web Albums - Larry
I’d also like to say a BIG thanks to Raul for the special favor he did for me re the Air Show. I won’t put him on the spot by mentioning just what he did but it was way beyond my expectations. With the hotel being the HQ of the air show & Pilots Association (during the event) it was an easy task to get my questions answered & better yet it was an awesome air show & I hadn’t known about it until we arrived to check in. If anyone reading this is into aerobatic flying make sure to watch for next years dates; you might want to plan your vacation around them. The captions in my photo album pretty much cover the event but I would like to say something about the safety aspect because not everyone will feel safe (nor should they) about standing that close to the action. There were places to watch most of the action without being up against the runway, but you wouldn’t be able to see everything because of the trees, but if someone (with more common sense than me) wanted to watch it from a safe distance they could. As with anything each & every one of us needs to decide on whether or not we feel safe when participating as a spectator where things can go wrong.
My diving. In the fall I decided that this trip was not going to be all about diving but it would still center around diving. My plan was to dive with very specific people I’ve met over the years and instantly took a liking to. We’ve all met people that for whatever reason we connected to almost instantly, and I wanted to see them again because it had been too long since spending time with them. It wasn’t going to be easy because it involved 5 different dive ops, work schedules & co operation by the weather and some work to track 2 people down because they’d left the businesses where we first met. It took several emails but everyone involved went for it & even though I couldn’t pre plan & book my trips more than a day or 2 in advance they all promised me a seat on the boat. With that done I really looked forward to my trip even knowing that it may not play out perfectly & I was fine with that.
It didn’t work out perfectly, but it went much better than expected. I didn’t get to spend a day with Scubatony & Carlos because he was too busy trying to get a second boat up & running as an expansion to his operation. My wife really though I’d be down about missed dive days but it really didn’t matter & I just spent my time relaxing at the hotel. I can’t fault Tony for what tied him up, I keep sending business his way, and hope he can accommodate them, so it’s my fault he’s too busy to go diving.
The diving itself was great, but heavily overcast skies the first few days made it relatively dark at depth, but currents were very gentle at most sites. I saw a big improvement in the reefs, lots more big Groupers & Turtles & in general more large fish of just about every common variety found in Cozumel plus I saw that the attempts to reduce the Lionfish population were working. Last year they were just about everywhere, but I don’t think I saw 10 total this trip.
Now for the negatives. Hotel Cozumel has replaced the lights over the beds with new energy efficient ones but they took away the pole light which I used at the table when working on my computer. I miss that light. Also (& I know it’s difficult having done it myself) it’s time to replace the bathtubs & maybe update the fixtures. Many of the lounge chairs also need repair & / or replacing because the adjustable part for the backs are broken or damaged to the point they suddenly slip. Fortunately there are far more chairs than guests using them so it wasn’t a real inconvenience. One other thing (& it’s been said before by many) is that if you arrive early for the breakfast buffet many things will be cold. It’s obvious that it’s been pre cooked much earlier & is now trying to warm up in the heating trays at the buffet.
Eating Out. Had lunch at Ernesto’s on day 1, happy hour snacks & beer at Blue Angel one day (we arrived too early for the dinner menu), ate dinner there twice, both times were after our friends had arrived, and we also introduced them to Sonora Grill & the downtown Mission. Every meal was great, priced right, large portions & came with good service. I just wish I could find the time to eat at so many other places, & look forward to my next trip because of that.
My plan for the next trip will be similar with who I intend to dive with because I’ve still got a few more of those special people I want to spend time with but in most cases we have dove together in recent years. Last trip one of those people asked me who I’ve dove with in Cozumel, and after I was about ½ way through the list he simply said “you know a lot of people here” and we left it like that. That’s the way it is in Cozumel, you make a lot of friends when you’re a diver sharing boats to & from the reefs.
Photo albums are on line here
Picasa Web Albums - Larry
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