Presidente InterContinental Resort & Spa Cozumel
Cozumel, Mexico
How To Get There- Dive Overview
- Accommodation Overview
- Food & Drinks
- Dive Information & Itineraries
- Dive Center Information
- Practical Information
- Resort Features
- Resort Activities
- Inclusions & Exclusions
- Specials
- Find a room
- Dive & destination information
Number of Rooms
218
Wifi
yes, free
Dive Center
On-site
Swimming Pool
How To Get There
Presidente InterContinental is located 7km from the airport, south of the main town, San Miguel. The shuttle from the airport takes approximately 20 minutes, however, because the resort is further south than most, the boat rides to dive sites are much quicker.
Dive Overview
The diving in Cozumel is comprised primarily of drift dives along beautiful coral reefs. Divers will find eagle rays in the winter months, reef sharks in the summer months, and turtles and nurse sharks year-round. Cozumel is home to the Splendid Toadfish, which can be found under ledges. Grunts, parrotfish, black grouper, angelfish, tangs, moray eels, lobsters, and much other marine life can be found on the reefs in Cozumel.
[Read More: Cozumel Dive Travel Guide]
Accommodation Overview
The resort has 218 lavishly appointed rooms all with private terraces or balconies; including 37 one and two-bedroom suites overlooking the Caribbean Sea.
Food & Drinks
- Trattoria Alfredo Di Roma is an Italian restaurant that boasts its specialty: the authentic Fettuccine Alfredo while customers enjoy an extensive selection of the best wines in its wine cellar and an extraordinary view of the Caribbean Sea.
- El Caribeo, serves Regional, Mexican and International specialties and dinners at the pier by the sea. It is a perfect setting to relax under the shadow of an oversized palapa.
- Your cares will float away on the breeze wafting through El Caribeo Bar, a beachside escape adjacent to the restaurant. Some say the islands best cocktails are created here, and an amazing collection of tequilas is sure to contain your favorite. Ladies often request the signature Atardecer Cozumel (Cozumel Sunset), made with white rum, fresh banana, pineapple juice, condensed milk and kahla. Xtabentn, a local sweet liqueur, is also popular.
- Occupying an intimate corner of Alfredo di Roma Restaurant, there are a variety of seating areas, including a sports bar to suit your mood or occasion, but all offer the same good selection of cocktails, tequilas and access to the restaurants extensive wine cellar. Alfredos martinis make nice aperitifs, and a chilled grappaa uniquely Italian drink traditionally made from pomaceis a tasty finish to a glorious Italian meal. Nightly live music adds an authentic touch.
- Le Cap Beach Club Located on the beach, offers contemporary Mediterranean cuisine with the best choices of seafood and fresh dishes prepared in wood-fired oven and grill. Enjoy refreshing beverages or cocktails in a relaxed atmosphere by the beach lounge.
Dive Information & Itineraries
Dive Overview
Visibility ranges typically 100ft+ year-round and water temperature is between 75 - 85F. The weather is tropical with little seasonal variation. Divers will find eagle rays in the winter months, reef sharks in the summer months, and turtles and nurse sharks year-round. Cozumel is home to the Splendid Toadfish, which can be found under ledges. Grunts, parrotfish, black grouper, angelfish, tangs, moray eels, lobsters, and much other marine life can be found on the reefs in Cozumel. There are also juvenile drum fish, seahorses, anemone fish, nudibranchs, arrow crabs, and many other small critters.
Dive Sites
Here are some of the most popular dive sites in Cozumel. Feel free to ask us if you would like to know more about these and other dive sites.
- Eagle Ray - We consider ourselves lucky when we get a glimpse of these magnificent animals as they glide along the wall. Five to fifteen rays have been spotted schooling in formation off the wall of "San Juan". Nobody seems to know why these beautiful animals school up in this specific area for a couple of months every year. Located at the north part of the island, this area has stronger currents than the regular reefs we go to and therefore the trip is only done with a small group of advanced divers and only in good weather conditions.
- Paradise Reef - This is one of the best places to spot the elusive " splendid toadfish", which is found NOWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD. Paradise is an excellent beginning or refresher dive. At night, it's a great place to see giant crabs, eels and octopus.
- Chankanaab Reef - Visit the world famous Chankanaab Reef. Due to the flow of fresh water from the National Park, the north to south current here is generally mild. Here you will
- find many friendly, schooling fish. Be sure to look under the ledges for plenty of oversized lobsters.
- Tormentos - Tormentos offers some of the best photo opportunities in Cozumel. Drift back and forth, and between the coral heads to discover a new site around each one. Many large grouper abide here. All types of eels are found in the crevices and holes, schooling fish abound on every ledge.
- Yucab Reef - You may dip into sandy bottoms between the coral heads and out of the current, to pause and watch the schools of yellowtail snapper and porkfish. Eels are also abundant at Yucab Reef
- San Francisco Wall - A dive to the top of San Francisco Wall presents an opportunity to visit with the many tropical fish this area has to offer. A mild current here offers a chance to inspect the many sponges. Look in the crevices for squirrelfish.
[Read More: Cozumel Dive Travel Guide]
Dive Center Information
Scuba Du Overview
SCUBA DU has been the In-House Dive Center at the Presidente InterContinental Cozumel Resort & Spa since 1992. They provide World Class services and personal attention, with a strong emphasis on safety and quality on all of our diving, fishing and snorkeling trips. Their fleet of 5 custom dive boats are equipped with DAN oxygen units, VHF radios and very experienced and friendly Captains & Mates. The Dive Masters and Instructors are all PADI Certified, and have many years of experience in Cozumel, they will make your diving experience with SCUBA DU very safe and also lots of fun.
Practical Information
- Languages: Spanish, English
- Electricity: 110 v
- Time zone: UTC-05:00
- Accept Credit Card?: Yes (Visa, Master Card, American Express, Discover)
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Resort Features
Resort Activities
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What's included when you book?
Included
- Accommodation
- Daily breakfast
- 2 Dives/day
Excluded
- Shuttle Service
- Equipment Rentals
- Service Charge
- Marine Park Fee
- Nitrox
- Gratuities
Find a Room in Presidente InterContinental Resort & Spa Cozumel
Pool View Room
Air Con- En Suite Bathroom
- Hot Water Shower
- Wifi (free)
- TV
- Balcony or Terrace
- Pool view
- Towels
- Toiletries
- Daily housekeeping
- Safe
- Mini Bar
from $1902
More information about Cozumel diving
Chankanaab Reef is ideal for night diving, revealing an abundance of nocturnal marine life. Divers can observe crabs, lobsters, moray eels, snappers, stingrays, urchins, groupers, and lionfish. The shallow depths and mild currents make this site accessible for divers of all experience levels.
Fellow traveler's reviews
Overall Value
Marine Life Accommodations Food
ilovediving
1164 Reviews
Overall ValueAccommodationsMarine Life FoodPresidente - WOW! This place is gorgeous. I stayed in a Luxury Ocean View Room and didn't want to leave. There are a lot of big all-inclusive properties in Cozumel and this place has a classier feel, without being pretentious. The onsite dive op is top notch - professional staff, care about safety, valet gear service, etc. The private beach is beautiful, large and always had plenty of space for privacy. I especially loved the hammocks on the beach. The restaurants are delicious - especially the Italian place. There is a shore dive right at the resort which makes for a great night dive with so many critters. This place may not be one of the cheapest in Cozumel, but it's for sure one of the best.
helenmb
1164 Reviews
Overall ValueAccommodationsMarine Life
FoodThe Presidente Intercontinental is amongst the top end hotels in Cozumel. Most aspects of this hotel are of the standard one would expect in this market sector. Our Pool View Room was large and comfortable and only a short walk to the dive boat. There was also a sizable terrace - great for spreading out any wet gear that we hadn't left with our dive valet. The room wasn't hugely light, but there were at least plenty of surfaces for camera gear and lots of electrical outlets for charging cameras and strobes.All hotel staff are very friendly and helpful, from reception, to restaurants, bars and maintenance staff. The grounds are beautiful with a couple of pools and plenty of greenery (and many resident iguanas). There is wifi throughout the hotel, which can be a bit spotty, but broadly works. The beach areas are protected and pleasant. The food service in the hotel is quite good, but not great – if you are there for a full week it lacks variety and even the non-Mexican dishes have a definite Mexican flavor. It is of course not cheap either. It is about a ten-minute taxi ride to town, if one is seeking variety, a ‘local’ experience, or just a cheaper meal.For divers, ScubaDu operates from a dive center and dock conveniently in the heart of the hotel. ScubaDu is a professional operator, with several boats and as much diving as one could want, though afternoon dives and night dives are subject to demand, requiring a minimum of four divers. A scuba package that includes unlimited shore diving is a must for keen divers as the two house ‘reef’ areas are teeming with life, especially at night. For divers staying at the Presidente, the dive valet service is very welcome, especially when you arrive back at the dive center after a night dive. Every member of the Scuba Du staff is extremely helpful and fun, on shore and on the boats.All of the diving in Cozumel is toward the south end of the island. The Presidente Intercontinental is located somewhat closer to these dive sites than the numerous hotels in the town and near the airport. This means a thirty minute boat ride to the dive sites rather than a forty-five minute boat ride – so not great, but better. There are a few resorts well down the coast to the south, which would more or less eliminate this boat ride – so perhaps worth considering for every-day divers.
helenmb
1164 Reviews
Overall ValueAccommodationsMarine Life FoodScubaDu is located at the Presidente Intercontinental and operates as an in-house operation while also taking on outside divers. They are a well-run operation with four boats (if required), running two-tank morning dives daily and one-tank afternoon dives and night dives based on demand – four divers minimum. The staff is all friendly, helpful and capable. Nitrox is available for a separate fee.If one stays at the Presidente, an added bonus is the house reef, sitting just in front of the hotel. While this relatively shallow reef is not the place to see giant pelagics, it is a fantastic place for ‘extra’ dives (included with a diving package) both in the afternoon as well as at night. There is a small barge wreck in this dive area, which provides a home to numerous very large crabs, eels, rays and schooling fish.Another plus of being a Presidente guest, is the dive valet. Victor was our assigned valet for the week and he did a fabulous job of looking after our gear. Even coming back late from a night dive, there he was ready to take our gear, rinse it, have it dry by morning and ready to go on the dock for the next dive.Perhaps the only caveat on ScubaDu also relates to diving generally in Cozumel. The visibility in Cozumel is fantastic and there is a lot to see in the large and successful marine park – but there are a lot of divers in Cozumel, really a lot. On every dive we saw several other dive groups and we were not there in peak season. Not surprisingly, the divers range in experience and abilities. So ScubaDu, like all of the many other operators, must play to the lowest common denominator. Typically this means groups of six divers per dive master (diving without a dive master is not allowed). It also means 45 to 50 minute dive times, so coming out with a fair bit of air in the tank for slow breathing divers. In our week of diving, we once had a group of eight divers with just one dive master, and two of those were very new to diving. This of course shortens the actual dive time for a bunch of different reasons. On another occasion, our second morning dive was shortened somewhat because the boat had to get back in time to take out a party of snorkelers.It is probably fair to assume that ScubaDu, like most operators, would adjust the program to divers that wanted to pay extra for a private dive master or book the whole boat. This could be important in rather crowded Cozumel in terms of longer dives or perhaps getting to sites that are slightly less crowded. Bottom line, ScubaDu are a good operator, but just showing up and joining in with the crowd they have that week is subject to the risks of who else shows up at the same time.
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