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Great first dive trip and first time to Mexico
10/04/2009I did my open water certification and had a blast. the hotel is clean and super friendly staff. don't expect super hot water or icy cold ac. however, ioved ...
I did my open water certification and had a blast. The hotel is clean and super friendly staff. Don't expect super hot water or icy cold AC. However, Ioved the island and the friendliness of the locals. The diving staff from the dive shop right across the street were fantastic. M, muchos gracias. He was a lot of fun and very skilled as a dive master. I loved sitting in the open air restaraunt to enjoymy meals. The staff were very patient with our group as we negotiated the exchange rate and as we ordered. We had several folks familair with the island so could find other local delicious restaraunts as well. This is a great place for divers and a reasonable way to spend a vacation. If you are a shopper and a partier, I suggest going closer to town. Otherwise, Casa Del Mar is the way to go. Check out their private beach. Very clean and quiet. Yes, a bit of a drive away but worth it for white sand and clear water with no current. I can't wait to go back.
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Good hotel. Great for divers and non-divers
04/07/2009Hotel had all the amenities of a good subdued, friendly, quiter, airy hotel: good rooms, good restaurant with adequate but limited menu, adequate pool with pool side bar, good staff, ...
Hotel had all the amenities of a good subdued, friendly, quiter, airy hotel: good rooms, good restaurant with adequate but limited menu, adequate pool with pool side bar, good staff, small sandy beach with small swimming area across from hotel accessed by an overpass across the street. Hotel has onsite dive shop,Del Mar, on own pier across street accessed by the overpass from the restaurant directly to the pier/beach area. Dive shop had superior boats with lots of room. Hotel is located 60 pesos trip South from downtown but nearer dive sites making for shorter boat trip to dive sites rated as some of best in world with excellent drift, current, dives. Hotel did not provide shuttle service to thier full beach area located short trip further South near full resort hotels. We met people, both divers and non-divers, who make this hotel their yearly get away location and found it easy to strike up conversation with divers and non-divers at the large grass hut restaurant/bar. One of trip highlights was half day trip around the island in hotel provided rental car,full insurance cost about $US 30 per day. Caution. Be very careful of swiming, not recommend except in one or two very protect small coves, on other side of island. Currents are very strong on this side. On the hotel side, West, currents are less but care must be taken and protective sites are only ones that are safe. Car is delivered/collected directly to the hotel from downtown office. Dive shop arranged for day trip, with lunch, to mainland via foot ferry to explore several cenotes, cavern dives, in absolutely crystal clear water- an adventure for any open water diver. Dive master had extensived experience over 20 years of exploring the cenotes and cave system.
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The QUIETEST hotel we have ever stayed in!
04/01/2009Had a perfectly lovely time. beautiful grounds, view of the water from the open-air restaurant, fabulous breakfasts, personable staff. our cabana had solid rock walls and a stained glass ...
Had a perfectly lovely time. Beautiful grounds, view of the water from the open-air restaurant, fabulous breakfasts, personable staff. Our cabana had solid rock walls and a stained glass window! Private and safe. In 10 days I heard one person cough. VERY peaceful, very quiet. Slept very well. (The penthouse suite was beautiful, but the nightclub across the street kept my husband up.) Loved the big tub. Balcony was decorative only, disappointing. Pool area was picturesque, with a view of the cruise ships lit up at night. The open-air restaurant and breakfast was spectacular. We had a view of the Carribean every morning as we piled up on made-to-order omelettes, fresh-cut fruit, Mexican dishes. Tip the ""omelette lady"" (her chef's hat is as tall as she is): she stands behind that hot grill all morning making fabulous omelettes not getting tips. I tipped her $1/day, and you would have thought I had given her a house! They don't make much money, and a little bit to you is a blessing to them. Likewise, we left $1/day for our maid every day, and you wouldn't believe the incredible towel art she left us - just like on a fancy cruise. Dinners were average, sandwiches good. The chocolate cake was to die for! German chocolate cake with an amaretto filling served with coconut ice cream. Try to top that. Not a high-rise or a beehive - (Senor Iguana guarded our room) - quaint, authentic, peaceful, beautiful.
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Casa del Mar, a diver's hotel
12/08/2008Casa del mar was built in the late 1980's and extensively refurbished after hurricaine wilma. it has for many years been a haven for scuba divers looking for a ...
Casa del Mar was built in the late 1980's and extensively refurbished after Hurricaine Wilma. It has for many years been a haven for SCUBA divers looking for a first rate, on-site affiliated dive operation (Del Mar Aquatics) and a comfortable, quite welcoming ambiance close to the action in downtown San Muigel. The hotel is set in a scrupulously maintained tropical garden and built in the traditional colonial style with a lovely cortyard. The rooms are large and like everything else in the hotel, clean and fresh. The foam rubber pillows are an aquired taste however, and you might want to slip one of your own into the luggage. The staff is consistantly cheerful and helpful, speaking good to passable English. All inclusive packages are available as an option. If you intend to run up a substantive bar bill it's a good deal. The restaurant is good but there are so many great restaurants in town that even when we have opted for the inclusive package, we've found ourselves taking many evening meals in San Muigel. If you are looking for a more comprehensive self-contained resort package with multiple activities and entertainment I'd look for other options. If you are in Cozumel to dive and explore the island, you could not do better than Casa del Mar.
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Some good.....some bad.....
05/25/2008Upon arriving they brought us a cold drink!!! the first room we went in the a/c didn't seem to work well and luckily we complained because they moved ...
Upon arriving they brought us a cold drink!!! The first room we went in the A/C didn't seem to work well and luckily we complained because they moved us right away to another room and basically stated they knew it wasn't working. We went into the next room and the A/C had a loud clicking noise but the "fixed" it quickly by hitting it. Upon returning after a long day at the beach and shopping we came into our room to find the cutest elephant made from towels and fresh flowers across our bed. We were very impressed until we noticed the maid had dug through some of our stuff (purse, wallet, jewelry, make-up, etc.) A complaint was made to the front desk right away and a report was going to be made but nothing was ever done. We opted to not have maid service for 4 days because we were afraid some of our stuff would be missing. We asked for a wake up call and never got it! We set the alarm and it never went off. Luckily we woke up!! The pool was a little dirty. ****DON'T get pushed into the time share scam across the street!!!!!" On the plus side...staff was super friendly and helpful. It was in a good location, easy beach access with a freeway walk over, and a gorgeous view from our room and from our deck!
