Mexico hotel recommendations??

[fast94m]

I'm looking to book a trip to Mexico for May/June in the Cozumel/Riviera Maya region. Hoping to do some snorkeling with a nice beach for the girlfriend to relax on. Any recommendations or info would be greatly appreciated

[Kevomac]

Highly recommend El Cozumeleno in Cozumel. We've stayed there twice, and really enjoyed it. good snorkeling just off the beach, swim up bar at the pool, all inclusive, reasonanbly priced. The food isn't great, but most all-inclusives aren't. Breakfast is good, lunch snacks are okay, but go into town for dinner. Downtown shopping area is a ten minute cab ride away, and runs probably $8-10 US.

[mattboy]

There's really not much of a beach on Cozumel, I suppose the best place for that would be way at the south side of the island where the big all inclusive resorts are. There's "just okay" snorkeling south of town, but Coz is not a great snorkeling destination since Wilma. The dive sites that make Cozumel famous are mostly too deep for snorkeling and accessible by boat only. There are some snorkeling boat trips, usually to a site called Chankanab which was very beautiful before the the hurricane and is slowly coming back.

There are all sorts of hotel options on Cozumel; head over to www.scubaboard.com, check out the Cozumel forum, and you'll find many, many discussions of this.

The beaches on the mainland, playa del carmen and south, are much more famous; I guess that could be good or bad depending on what you're looking for.

[fast94m]

My g/f wants beaches, but for me i want reefs that are accessible to me as i'm not dive certified. Looking to go in mid may. The more i read the more Riviera maya seems the place for us, but i still dont know a ton about the area and its water attractions. Any info is appreciated.

[Kevomac]

I've snorkeled Palancar when I went last time, and really enjoyed it. Its abo0ut 35 feet deep, so it's alright for snorkeling. You might try taking the resort course for diving when you get there. Some places its included in the price of the hotel. They'll teach you the basics and then take you out for a dive. That's how I got started.


BTW, I found the snorkeling off the Cozumeleno was ok for beginners, and they do have a dive shop on site.

[mattboy]

Actually there are some really beautiful beaches on the east side of Cozumel, which is the side that faces the open ocean. Swiming is discouraged due to the currents, but people do it anyway. If you're on the south tip of the island, it's a short cab ride; if you're downtown, it's much longer. I usually rent a bike and make a day of it.

Once again, check out the Cozumel forum on scubaboard for detailed info.

[fast94m]

Thank you all for the reccomendations. We just booked 6 nights in mid May at the Grand Palladium Kantenah Resort and spa in Riviera Maya. Its close to the ferry to Cozumel so i plan on taking a few trips there. I'm gonna take the reccomendation to learn to scuba in their pool and hopefully go for a dive or two to see if i even like it. I think its the cheaper/easier route then investing in dive certification for something i'm not sure if i'd even enjoy/use to the fullest. I'll post pix and share my experiences when i return :)

[dcombs44]

I'm going to Cozumel in Mid May as well. I'll be staying at the Cozumel Palace on my Honeymoon. I stayed at the Moon Palace in Riviera Maya and had no complaints. I'm hoping for the best with the Coz Palace. I've heard pretty good things, so we'll see. everyone cross your fingers for me.

[gillies]

Fiesta Americana, Cozumel. Priced right, close to town, good dive shop, good food/water, nice beach. Can I go?

[Reefugee]

I stayed at Fiesta Americana for my honeymoon. The hotel is nice. The beaches are nice. The snorkeling off from the pier is great for fish - but no corals. I wouldn't call the dive shop "good." The food was mediocre. And in my opinion, it's far from town.

When I go back - I'll probably stay closer to town. I really don't care too much about the beach since I am a diver and take boats out.

As someone suggested, go to Scubaboard.com and look at the the forums.