Spent a week at Condumel Condos, Unit 6, second floor in January. Dove with Aqua Safari. We picked the Condo based on its number 2 ranking on Tripadvisor. We have rented another Condo on Cozumel on two other occasions. The condo we previously rented is further down in the rankings and necessitated renting a car. Condumel is closer to town so we decided to try it and skip the rental car.

We forgot that taxis can't come up to the airport. You have to drag your bags out to the street and catch a cab. Fortuitously we caught a van/taxi with another couple heading to Condumel. They were from Canada and they told us this was their 5th time staying at Condumel. The short cab ride was $10 a couple. This was the highest fare we paid all week.

The view from our unit was lovely. This small complex has 10 units. It is very close to the water. No pool. There is no beach entry. You can enter the water via a diving board or a ladder and the water is about 12 feet deep. We were diving all week and didn't snorkel but other guests did and told us it was a worthwhile venture. The water was exceptionally clear. Other guests just suggested you mind the slight current and swim into it if there is any so you can drift back to the ladder. There are beach loungers and a covered picnic table out front. A few palms. The sand is raked by a gardener. The grounds are very tidy.

Our unit was very spartan and dated. No surprise to us as previous reviewers point this out.
You enter into the kitchen area which is street side. It has a full size fridge, a double sink, a 4 burner cook top, a microwave oven and a toaster oven. There is plenty of counter space and cabinetry. The kitchen could be rather dark. The door and the window over the sink are screened and have wooden louvers. If you close the louvers for privacy it is dark. No dining table in the unit. Ther is a bar/counter area that looks out into the living area with three stools. The dishware was disappointing. We had 4 plates, 4 bowls, 4 coffee cups...fine so far...then two water glasses/tumblers and no other glassware of any kind. There were some plastic disposable cups provided for the beach. We bought several bottles of wine and wine glasses would have been appreciated. A roll of paper towels, some dish soap, and dish towels were provided. They stock some basics in the fridge and in the apartment that you only pay for if you use. The items are replaced as consumed. They included milk, orange juice, beer, diet coke and regular coke, some condiments, bread, eggs, butter, rum, vodka, tequila, and margarita mix. They have bottled water which you are charged for. The charges were modest so we were happy not to have to carry water and soft drinks. Our additional charges for all the water (18 bottles?), soft drinks (over 2 dozen) , and condiments we used (mustard, mayo, jam and butter) during the week was approximately $55. We walked 35 minutes in to town to the big Mega store a couple of times. At the Mega we bought fresh rolls, breads, wine, lunch meat and cheeses, snacks, etc and cabbed it back for $5.

The living area has two built in sofas along the walls, a coffee table, and a movable 'naugahyde' love seat. There is a sliding glass door onto a narrow private balcony that runs the length of the unit. Lots of light. Great ventilation with the slider open and the kitchen louvers open. There is a ceiling fan in the living area. At high speed it goes so fast I thought the building was going to lift off..

From the living area there is an arched doorway (no door) leading to the bedroom. It is also on the water side and has a sliding glass door. King size bed on a platform. Very firm but not bad. We had very hard pillows. We asked for softer ones and they were promptly supplied. There is a ceiling fan in the bedroom. Only one bed side table but reading lamps on both sides. Large closet with room for hanging and storing things. Nice touch was plastic coated wire drawers in the closet...it is so humid here that you wouldn't want wooden drawers. A wooden lock box is in the closet for valuables.

The bathroom is to the rear/streetside. Very large. Sink, tub/shower, toilet, and....wait for it...a bidet (?!). Frosted glass louvers in the bathroom. Tile throughout the unit. This tile can be slick and no bathmat was provided. We started using a towel for a bathmat and the maid started to leave us an old one for this purpose.

No artwork or decorations of any kind...there is a barracuda plaster relief on the living room wall but it is the same color as the white stucco/plaster wall. A shame, given the lovely crafts, artwork and textiles that are available. A very sterile feeling.

Manager Sara is an absolute delight. She was very solicitous about our needs and readily available 6 days a week Mon-Sat (she left an emergency number for Sunday). Maid service every day. The unit was very clean.

Loved not having to rent a car. Walking in to town took approximately 20 minutes to the north end of town and 35 minutes to the far/south end (where the Mega is). We walked to dinner every night. Only took a cab once when it started to rain. Cab rides from town to and from Condumel were never more than $5. The ride to and from the airport was the exception. Even though it wasn't any further than town it is in a different 'zone' and thus cost $10.

Our favorite restaurants were Del Sur Argentina Empanadas (ate there twice), La Choza (ate there twice, Guido's and Kondessa.

The negative...and the reason we won't stay here again...too noisy. My husband didn't mind it much but I am a light sleeper. The complex is very close to the road. The traffic noise was occasionally very loud...especially the scooters and motorbikes which are ubiquitous here. The vehicle traffic died down from about 11pm until 6 am. We were also very near the airport (5 minute ride). I never realized how many flights to Cozumel there are. From about 8am until 8pm there were flights. Most of the planes were not the big jets but the complex is almost right under the landing flight path (not the take off it seems or maybe that was a wind thing the week we were there). Less offensive for us...boat traffic out front. The boats, especially dive boats, start heading from a marina north of us south towards town every morning about 7am (and back in the late afternoon). I closed the louvers on the street side at night to try to keep the noise down.

Dove with Aqua Safari. We cabbed it our first morning of diving with our gear. The shop is on the main drag in town on the waterfront. They have an area in the back of the shop for divers who are diving multiple days to leave gear. There is a dunk tank. This gear/locker area is small, dark , and dank...nothing dried but it was better than schlepping gear back to the Condo every afternoon. After the first day we walked down to the shop in the mornings to collect our gear (25 minute stroll). The Aqua Safari pier is across the street. They offer an 8am 'fast boat' which takes up to 8 divers and two 8:30am boats which can take up to 12 divers. Both trips are two tank trips. Nitrox is available...ask for it the night before. It was $10 a tank. You analyze the tanks onboard. We dove six days and were on all three boats in the course of the week.

We took the 8am 'fast boat' called "Belinda" twice. It purportedly gets down to the dive sites earlier than the other boats. I suppose this is true by virtue of the fact it leaves a little early but it was still a 50 minute ride to the first dive site. Also the 'fast boat' has less protection from the elements. The head was inconvenient. It was in the bow and the captain had to hold up a wooden partition for your privacy. Limited dry space on this boat. The 'fast boat' is $5 more for the two tank trip. The 'fast boat' is supposed to take the more experienced divers. One day this was true and one day it wasn't... The 'fast boat' carries two crew...a Captain and a divemaster.

The other boats (should we call them the 'slow boats'?) were bigger and carried up to 12 divers. We prefered the bigger boats. They have a 'real' marine head. These boats carried a crew of four...a Captain, two dive masters, and a helper. Both dive masters went into the water which was a good thing because there were often inexperienced divers. Of these two bigger boats..."Ocean One" and "Ocean Three" we prefered "Ocean Three". It had a better rail system and ladder to assist in getting in and out. We were very suprised that 4 cruise ship passengers joined us one morning. One couple hadn't been diving in over a year and they had 17 dives. The other two were young men with brand new C cards. The two young men were actually less scary than the couple because they were very serious and nervous...they did very well...it was their 3rd and 4th dives. As new Open water divers we were suprised that any one would take them on a 90' max depth drift dive. It was great having two dive masters in the water as we were able to hang back with one dive master and let the newbies tag along with the lead dive master.

The boat crews were all very pleasant and professional. They offered water to keep you hydrated. The 8:30 boat offered a fruit snack during the surface interval.

All in all a good trip. The Condo is nice if you are not a light sleeper. Obviously lots of people love it. As I noted the couple we shared a taxi with from the airport were repeat visitors. Our neighbors in the next unit were there for their 7th visit. No regrets but we probably won't be back.

The dive operation is good but we missed the camaraderie of diving with the same people all week. A more transient group here...people diving for a day or two...not the full week like us. Also diving on three boats in six days meant getting acquainted with three different boats.

Final note...did not like having to pay in cash. We are uncomfortable having to bring such a large amount of money. Condumel accepts only cash.

We were there for 5 nights and it is all that everyone has stated. Sara does it all to make your stay easy. She helped us get a rent car the day diving was canceled due to the anticipation of the port being closed.

There is no way to describe the ease of the stocked refrigerator of staples. Our maid was sweet and helpful. She even checked to see if I had laundry I wanted done before we left so we didn't have to take home dirty clothes. There are tiny ants. We stayed on the first floor and was able to control them by not leaving food out. Use the fridge and buy some zip locks. They come with the territory.

I too experienced issues with the sand fleas. They were bad. I got them while sitting on the lawn chair drinking wine with EmnRob67. They did not bother my husband but they liked me. It took 2 days for the full breakout and itch to start.

One thing that would be nice is to have a complete set of silver ware and dinner ware. The dishes in our unit were not matching and the pots and pans were worn. Our set of 4 included a plastic fork and plastic knife. It would have been more of an issue had we been there longer. We went to Mega Mart to get what we needed for the days we were there. There is a closer local mart as well.

We'll definitely be back. It was comfy, easy and roomy. Sara and Bill are the best.

We booked this condo through a private owner and absolutely loved it.

We rented a car at the airport and it was only a five minute drive to the condo. When we arrived we met with Sara and she was very accomodating and showed us every detail. The fridge was stocked with water, beer, wine, eggs, bread, butter and a few other things and we soon found out that the prices for these items were VERY reasonable. For example, a cold beer is seventy cents and the eggs are twenty cents each. We did stock some of our own items but you are definitely set for breakfasts!

We were diving every day so were not at the condo for the most part. The bed was a comfortable place to fall at the end of the day. Unfortunately it rained most evenings so we spent them inside. We love to cook our own food so we did most of our cooking in the condo.

The staff and setting of this condo are top notch. The only problem we did have is the one afternoon we did sit down by the water, we were bitten very badly by either noseeums or sand flees. We came back with over fifty bites to each leg.

We were only here for three full days but will be back for sure! We absolutely loved it.........bites and all!

From the one of a kind staff, stocked fridge, quiet beach and perfect swimming.We came to do the ironman in Nov. and were treated superbly and had taxis arranged for us and a nice piece of chocolate cake when we finished.Rooms are very large and bathroom better than most you can find in Mexico.I have travelled to Cozumel since the 80's and this is a good deal ....will be back for another kick at the ironman in a year or two and will be staying here again.