Fiesta Americana Cozumel Dive Resort - On my last few trips to Cozumel, I've stayed at the Fiesta Americana Cozumel Dive Resort. This is an excellent 5-star hotel located about four miles south of town, close to the reefs of Santa Rosa, Palancar, Maracaibo, and all of Cozumel's best diving. Relative to its quality of accommodation and amenities, Fiesta Americana's rates prove to be very attractive. Each room is a spacious, mini suite with a balcony overlooking the gardens, the pool, or the ocean. They have three restaurants, two swimming pools, a small spa, and a really nice beach club. But among my main reasons for selecting Fiesta Americana is that Juan Leca's Dive House is the in-house dive operator. I continue to believe that Dive House is unequivocally one of Cozumel's finest diving services, fortuitously combined here with one of Cozumel's best hotel values. (More about Dive House a bit later in this report).
Meals-inclusive note: An enjoyable part of the Cozumel vacation experience has been in its delightful diversity of restaurants, shopping, bars, and exotic nightlife. But on my most recent trip I noted that the dining prices have increased considerably, and the taxi fares into town have at least doubled. Thus I was very happy to enjoy the all-inclusive meal plan at Fiesta Americana which proved to be an excellent value. With three restaurants, the variety of dining experiences was always enjoyable, the food quality good overall, and the service professional, attentive, and pleasantly friendly. At this point, it seems to me that the meal plan is a good choice for the beach hotels, if one must taxi into town for dining options. Of course, if you lodge in or near town and can walk to a variety of restaurants, it is a different calculation. Details and pricing: Fiesta Americana Cozumel.
Juan Leca's Dive House - A Professional Dive Operation - From a scuba divers or snorkelers perspective, the best part about the Fiesta Americana Cozumel Dive Resort is the fact that Juan Leca's Dive House is the in-house water sports operator. Dive House offers superb boats and a well trained professional staff of PADI divemasters and instructors. While they also have a full service shop on the square downtown, Dive House's Fiesta Americana location starts close to the reef, so your boat rides are short, fast and comfortable. All dives are conducted to accommodate both dive computer and table divers. If you've not yet experienced the safety, and extended bottom times that a dive computer can provide, then this is a good place to start, as Dive House offers quality computer rentals. By the way, I again took the time to look over their supply of rental gear. In the "good old days" it was definitely inadvisable to rent equipment in Cozumel, but fortunately, times have changed. Dive House has a well-maintained supply of Scubapro buoyancy compensators and regulators, complete with safe second stage (octopus), and pressure/depth gauge console. Their boats are also excellent, very fast and efficient, with twin 375 horsepower diesel engines, toilet, first aid equipment, and DAN oxygen on board.
As a result, Dive House and Fiesta Americana have qualified as a prestigious PADI Gold Palm 5-Star Resort, and a NAUI Dream Resort. They are also sanctioned by SSI, and TDI (Technical Diving International). So I suggest that you check out Dive House for yourself. I continue to be impressed by the owner, Sr. Juan Leca, and the professionalism and concern for safety, quality, and customer service evidenced by his entire operation. This is also a great place for scuba instruction. There are six instructors on staff, teaching PADI, NAUI, SSI, and TDI. They do referrals, complete openwater certifications, advanced courses, Nitrox, and even rebreather certification. The quality of instruction is excellent.
EDP - Experienced Diver Program - Central to Dive House's operation is their Experienced Diver Program (EDP). With the EDP, Dive House will accommodate you on a custom dive boat, teamed up with fellow divers of equal skill level - New Diver, Intermediate, or Advanced. You'll be served by divemasters and crew trained to attend to your specific needs. Rest assured that you will come away from this experience a better, safer, and more comfortable diver. There is no extra charge for this excellent service.
Other Good Lodging Options - In addition to the Fiesta Americana Cozumel Reef, I again took the time to visit and inspect some of my other preferred Cozumel lodging options:
Hotel Cozumel - Hotel Cozumel is a good medium price range (3-star) option. It is located just across the street from the water, about a 15-minute walk from town. Hotel Cozumel is a large and attractive hotel built around a landscaped central courtyard with Cozumel's largest and nicest swimming pool. There are a restaurant and bars on site, with a small but very pleasant beach club out front. There is an in-house dive operator, Dive Paradise, while we can also arrange to have Dive House or Aqua Safari (another very professional dive operator) pick you up from the Hotel Cozumel's pier. Details and pricing: Hotel Cozumel.
Casa del Mar - Another good value-priced option is the Casa del Mar. It is located about three miles south of town, near one of the cruise ship piers, so there is occasionally a lot of activity in the street. But the rooms are well kept, and there is a nice restaurant and swimming pool. A bridge over the road connects the hotel property to the beach club which includes lockers for the scuba diving guests. There are two in-house dive operators at Casa del Mar, Del Mar Aquatics and Dive House. Details and pricing: Casa del Mar.
Cozumel Palace Resort - Cozumel Palace is a luxury all-inclusive dive resort, on the water, walking distance to town. The rooms are spacious Junior Suites, all with ocean view. There is a very nice oceanside restaurant and pool with swim-up bar. Cozumel Palace is an excellent up-scale lodging and diving option in Cozumel. Details and pricing: Cozumel Palace.
Presidente Intercontinental Cozumel Resort & Spa - This is the finest (and priciest) hotel on Cozumel. The rooms are very nice, and the beach area is beautiful. Scuba-du, a good dive operation, is on-site. The Presidente's big oceanside Palapa restaurant is one of the prettiest dining spots in Cozumel, or anywhere else. The food is good at all the Presidente's restaurants, and the service is impeccable. There are two swimming pools, a Spa, a great gym, and a big playground area for the kids. This is a great hotel for divers who appreciate the finer things in life, and don't mind paying for it. Details and pricing: Presidente Intercontinental Cozumel.
Condumel Condos - Located on the beach, just two miles north of the town of San Miguel, Condumel is a small, simple, pleasing and effective condominium-style lodging. Designed in a modern-day representation of the Puuc Mayan style, it's an intriguing place. Once you've had a look at the prices, you'll see that Condumel is also an excellent value. Each mini-suite includes complete kitchen, bedroom, sitting area, hammock, full bathroom, and balcony overlooking the sea. Rooms are air-conditioned with ceiling fan. Daily maid service is provided. It's a short drive or inexpensive taxi ride into town to enjoy the shopping, dining, and nightlife of San Miguel. Of course, you can just swing in the hammock and watch the sun set in your front yard, or snorkel and swim in the beautiful blue ocean that is your front yard. Details and pricing: Condumel.
An Overview of Cozumel's Diving - It's for good reason that divers flock from around the world to Cozumel, Mexico. The reefs here are unique in the entire world. A constant current brings nutrients up from the southern Caribbean. This current hits the tip of Cozumel and is forced between the island and the mainland of the Yucatan coast, a scant eight miles to the west. Over countless eons, this rich current has fostered the creation of immense coral reef structures, teaming with a wealth of vibrant marine life.
The result for scuba divers is the opportunity to drift with this life giving current on an effortless and convoluted cruise along the steep walls and through the labyrinthine passages of reefs such as Maracaibo, Palancar Caves, Columbia, and Santa Rosa. I am fortunate to have seen more than my share of the world's best dive sites, throughout the Caribbean and the Pacific, from Little Cayman to Australia, Indonesia, the Red Sea, Palau, the Philippines, Borneo, and beyond.
After all that, I still find Cozumel's wall dives unsurpassed for their sheer, imposing majesty. Divers also appreciate the color and variety of coral, invertebrates and fish life on the shallow inner reefs like Yocab, Tormentos, and Paso de Cedral. On this most recent trip I really enjoyed getting to dive Cozumel's now famous shipwreck, the Felipe Xicotencatl C-53. Sitting upright in 80 feet of clear, blue water, this wreck has colorful encrusting sponges and a nice population of resident fishes, big and small. It's an easy, safe wreck dive, and great for underwater photography. The bottom-line is that once they've experience it, divers keep coming back for more, specifically because Cozumel offers an easily accessible, varied, and uniquely satisfying diving experience.
Drift Diving - Just a quick note here. Beginners are often unnecessarily fearful of drift diving. After 50+ dive trips to Cozumel, all I can say is, "relax and go with the flow." There is simply no need to fight the current. If you want to slow down, just duck in behind an outcropping of the reef. You'll find that all the fish congregate in such eddies, so they don't have to work hard either. Basically you just drift along as part of the current, enjoy the sights, and on ascent, make your safety decompression stop while still drifting. You generally find that when you surface at the end of the dive, your dive boat is right there waiting for you. An important safety tip though: Don't surface directly behind the boat, where the Captain may not see you. The engines ARE running and may be engaged at any moment. Rather, surface ten or so yards away from the boat, be sure the Captain sees you, and then swim to the boat on the surface.
Dining for Divers - While dedicated divers go to Cozumel for the value, variety and excitement of the scuba diving, even mossbacks like me are not immune to Cozumel's topside attractions. For starters, the dining options are unlimited, with choices for all tastes and budgets. Cozumel offers everything from fast food and fajitas, to superb gourmet restaurants with an excellent level of cuisine and top-notch service.
Around town, good choices in ascending order of expense are El Moro, the Mission, Santiago's, La Choza, Ernesto's Fajitas, Joe's Place, the Coral Reefer, numerous interesting Italian restaurants, Prima Trattoria, Guido's, Pepe's Grill, Cafe del Puerto, and the excellent new wave cuisine of Gallito Sol. One of my all-time favorites is the rustically romantic Cabana del Pescador (the Fisherman's House). It's about two miles north of town, on the road along sea. All they serve is lobster - you select your tail and pay by its weight. Bring someone you love and give this place a try…by candlelight no less. Fans of Costa Brava take note, due the new International Pier constructed downtown they have been forced to move to a new location, after 15 years of serving many thousands of divers their morning coffee, $2.00 breakfasts, and $1.00 beers!!
Here's another FYI. In previous reports, I've called your attention to the interesting and rustic restaurant that was located at the lighthouse at Punta Celarain on the southern tip of the island. Be advised that the road to the lighthouse has been closed, and the restaurant is no longer in business. Apparently they are preparing the area for some sort of future development. I for one will certainly miss that place.
Party People - The party people amongst us have no doubt partaken of the wild-side pleasures of places like Carlos and Charlies, or the Hard Rock Cafe Cozumel, where the "fun" never stops. There are numerous other nightspots and dance clubs that don't even start cranking until 11:00 p.m. So knock your socks off and have a good time...just remember, no drinking and diving. It's great to bring your dancing shoes to Cozumel, but do get some rest before you put your dive booties back on. Remember to keep yourself well-hydrated on the dive boat with plenty of water...not cervezas. And most of all...watch out for those land sharks. They make the toothsome hammerheads in the ocean look good!!
Attention Cozumel Shoppers - Others may prefer to partake of the prodigious shopping opportunities Cozumel offers. If you like silver jewelry, colorful clothing, a wealth of Mexican handicrafts, or just "five t-shirts for twenty dollars," you'll find yourself in shoppers' heaven as you stroll through street after street of "blue light specials." As the friendly storekeepers tout, "it's so cheap, it's almost free." I've always enjoyed a bit of haggling in the crowded shopping stalls of the Mercado de Artesanias (Artisans Market). But an expanding area of vehicle-free walking streets has sprouted up around the Town Square with scores of interesting shops to be investigated. While the steady stream of cruise ship traffic has cut into my success at bargaining, you can still have fun and shave a few pesos by haggling a bit over the price.
Here's a savvy shopper's tip: Never ask "cuanto cuesta" (what does this cost?), but rather casually inquire "cuanto vale este" (what is this worth?). The shopkeeper will immediately appreciate the difference. Have fun with it, and remember - you can always come back, or frequently find the same thing in another shop just down the street, so don't feel bad about saying "no gracias" and walking out the door.
Cultural Opportunities - When you're not shopping, diving, dining, or dancing, Cozumel still has some special surprises in store for the intrepid traveler. For starters, you will find wonderful live Mexican music everywhere, with groups of talented Mariachis entertaining in the restaurants and playing for tips in the street. On weekend evenings there are often fiestas staged on the pavilion in the middle of the town square. These events are patronized by tourists and locals alike. You'll see Cozumel's children dressed in their Sunday best, and teenage girls making the traditional paseo around the square under the watchful eyes of their grandmothers. When the band starts to play, feel free to join in the dancing and revelry. You'll soon feel like a Cozumeleño yourself.
Mayan Ruins - If you can take a day, or even an afternoon, away from diving, the Mayan ruins around Cozumel are well worth the trip. With just a few spare hours and a short taxi ride you can visit the small but interesting San Gervasio ruins right on Cozumel Island. But if you have a full day to spare, I heartily recommend the trip over to the Mayan sites of Tulum or Coba on the Yucatan mainland. This tour crosses to Playa del Carmen by ferry and then continues with a 45 minute bus ride down the coast to the stunning Tulum Mayan religious site overlooking the sea. After exploring the ruins with an English speaking guide, you'll stop for lunch and a snorkel at Xel-Ha lagoon before returning to Cozumel in the evening. This tour can be easily arranged through your hotel. If you've already visited Tulum, and neighboring Coba, you can take a full day tour that includes the flight to the extensive Mayan site Chitzen Itza. These cultural outings are truly fascinating, but you don't have to be an archeologist to enjoy them as you'll have plenty of opportunity to eat, drink and shop along the way. And they're equally valuable for your kids, who will have fun while getting an education without even realizing it.
The Bottom Line in Cozumel is more than just Bottom Time - Cozumel has plenty to offer for divers, snorkelers, sun worshippers, and water sports enthusiasts. You'll also enjoy great dining, happening nightspots, fun shopping, and enlightening cultural opportunities. The people are friendly, and most everyone speaks English, though I encourage you to try out your Spanish. Even if you only know a few words, the effort will be appreciated. In the final analysis, Cozumel is close to the U.S., easy to get to, and just plain and simply good fun! So don't keep putting it off until manaña... Enjoy Cozumel!
Ken Knezick - President, Island Dreams Travel
Cozumel - Hotel Information and Pricing
New Photo Gallery - Cozumel Road Trip
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