time2fly

I can't decide on which place to stay... I dive but prob only 3-4 days. I know Maya does trips to Coz for diving also.
I like food, nice beaches and night life also.. I am tossed on which place to stay

zootsi

What do you mean by 'Maya' ? - The Mayan Riviera or a specific hotel?

jette

If your question is Coz or Mayan Riveria, hands down Mayan Riveria. The beaches in Coz are not that great, it's inundated with cruisers during the day and it's an island....limited places to go.

Food, nice beaches and nite life sounds like Playa del Carmen to me.

KVR

If your talking between Cozumel and Playa del Carmen. I'd go with Playa. Been to Coz x4 and Playa x3. More night and things to do in the Playa area. If you want to dive in Cozumel you can take a day trip over there.

In Playa you can dive in the cenotes. Look at Hidden Worlds or edventuretours.

Keith

Cozumel is slower paced and lets you experience more of the Mexican commnity. The cruise shippers mostly stay within a few blocks of the dock or go tours. The people are very nice.

TC

If you want to dive, it has to be Cozumel. 3 or 4 days out of a week's holiday is the majority of the time. The small, fast, local dive boats go out early in the morning to have first crack at the great reefs before the cattle boats arrive. To get to Cozumel via ferry and hook up with a good dive op in the morning is tough -- plus you have the added cost and time both directions invested in the ferry ride. The local dive masters are SOOOO much better at knowing where to see things, what the currents are doing on any given day, what the weather forecast is bringing. I am amazed at how much the dive plan changes each day based on those factors. The guys who bring you from Playa are committed to the trip -- no matter the conditions. On CZM, if you miss a morning dive because of weather or just sleeping in -- you always have a second chance at an afternoon dive or even a night dive.

Check out Trip Advisors Cozumel Forum for lots of good responses to this same question. Also might want to have a look at the SCUBA board.

As for the above.....cruisers are not a problem on Cozumel. They are in a very small section of downtown for a few hours a day. At night, they are all gone and the wonderful restaurants are left to those who stay on the island. Read the Trip Advisor restaurant reviews. We stay a whole month each winter and never get around to places twice.

There are many resorts on Cozumel with great beaches (Playa Azul in the North, any of the south resorts)...however, great beaches don't make for great snorkeling from shore. Unless you are just gaga to walk on a beach, the better combination is a resort with man made sand terraces to sit on and a reef on the shoreline.

I guess if you want to just party all night (which most divers aren't into doing) then Playa might be the right place. But if you are a serious diver, its Cozumel.

lazymanrunning

TC- great response!! Thank you for the informative feedback!