This is a tidy hotel catering primarily to divers. It is neat and clean with ample dive gear lockers in two different locations, one slightly closer to the dock than the other, but with the more distant one closer to an easy entry/exit point for shore dives and an outside shower. It is advertised as an all-inclusive, although I have seen it mentioned as a "nearly all-inclusive." Guests are encouraged to tip and given clear instructions as to what is expected. Liquor is not included. We bought beer and softdrinks at a discount store within easy walking distance. My wife and I went to Cozumel for the diving and not for resort atmosphere or facilities and the Scuba Club met our expectations almost completely. The only reason the Scuba Club is not given a 5 star rating here is that we felt the non-Mexican food prepared for dinner was mediocre. The Mexican food was quite excellent and varied, particularly at lunches. The buffet breakfasts were ample and varied. August is off-season and we were lucky to get a big room that could have slept 6. All in all, this was a really good and convenient place to stay for a dive trip.

My wife and I were new divers, looking for a great scuba vacation. We found Scuba Club on this site, and then booked a great "July Special" deal directly with them. [--] About $550 per person for five nights accommodations and all meals, plus four days of boat dives (two dives per boat trip), one night dive, and unlimited shore diving. Rental equipment was reasonable: About $7.50 per day for a BC or regulator, for example.

We arrived at Cozumel airport and easily found the "TAXI" booth, as instructed. Two tickets were not expensive ($8 US maybe?). From there it was a 30-minute van ride to the hotel. Check-in was seamless, and we were even able to get a shore dive in that afternoon.

Everyone speaks English, and everyone is very friendly. There is an ambiguous tipping policy there, because they freely advertise "Tip not included" and have tipping envelopes available. My recommendation: Tip at the end, using the envelopes. Not tipping during the week did not affect our treatment in the least. By the end of the week, a handful of particularly helpful staffers will be obvious to you, and you'll WANT to thank them anyway. We dropped five envelopes into the tip box as we left.

The dive staff (instructors, dive masters, boat crews) are great. Our dive master was Carla, who was great--especially for two beginner divers among mostly experienced ones.

Each afternoon you write your names onto the boat dive list, and each morning your names are assigned to a boat and master. It's not random, and you'll probably stick with the same boat and master for much of your trip. The boats depart at 8:15am each morning. You don't control which dive site you go to, but they rotate it daily so you probably won't repeat once all week. The routine is a 40-60 minute ride to a distant deep dive, then a 40-60 minute ride back to a shallower dive (allowing for good surface interval), then a 20-30 minute ride back. Get back around 1:30pm. They also plan the dives so that if your Nitrogen is okay for a night dive, if one is scheduled. (Night and wreck dive sign-ups are always available, and if at least 6 divers sign up then the dive is on.) The boats provide cold drinks (water and juice), but not much else. The boat crews are very helpful about setting up your equipment (unless you want to yourself), helping you suit up, rinsing your digital camera, helping you back into the boat, etc. They don't speak as much English, but it's irrelevant really.

The rooms are spartan, but definitely comfortable and clean. They include bathroom amenities (shampoo, soap, hair dryer), and an alarm clock. That's about it. Expect a very firm (but comfortable) bed. Oh and there's a small fridge, plus AC of course.

Our room (#20) was third floor, with a view of the ocean (partially obstructed by the restaurant roomtop). Oh, and we were close enough to the restaurant/front desk that we got WiFi wireless internet in our room (near the window). That was very helpful, and I was very glad we brought a laptop.

Bring a padlock, since dive lockers are available on the shore. You won't need Mexican pesos at all, even in town. The middle of town is at least a 20-minute walk. There is a very comprehensive Walmart-type store about 5-minutes towards town, and they have everything you might need, including American personal care items, groceries, etc. On the first night, we stocked up on snacks and drinks for the fridge. (All drinks cost extra at the hotel.)

For our return trip, to save a bit of money, we schedule a flight out of Cancun airport. That trip is a bit of a trek. Quick $4 taxi to the pier. 60-minute ferry to the mainland ($8). 15-minute walk to the bus terminal (get directions!). 60-minute bus ride to the airport ($8). The bus is the ONLY thing we needed Mexican pesos for, so be sure to remember this if you travel via Cancun.

Hope that's helpful. We're new divers so we'll probably try a different destination next time. But if we return to Cozumel it will definitely be to the Scuba Club.

Our trip to Scuba Club Cozumel this past July 2006 was our 10th in 18 years. If you're a diver, this is the place to stay. I've read some of the other reviews here that give a good overview of the property and amenities. What I will tell you is that since we started visiting SCC (formerly the Galapago Inn) in 1988 most of the faces of the staff have remained the same and they are just a sweet and courteous as ever. It has been seven years since our last trip and when I walked up to the dive shop one of the staff (William) greeted me by name (before we'd presented c-cards!) and welcomed us back. Even the boat crews and dive masters hadn't changed much.

Speaking of the dive operation - top-notch. The boats come to the hotel around 8:15 and leave about 8:30 am for 2-tank dives; back around 1:30-2:30 depending on which boat you're on and how far away you went. They do a great job of not over-crowding a boat. The boat crews are super about helping you on with your tanks, helping you back on the boat and changing out your tanks. Not only are the dive masters very good about keeping their eye on everyone, they are superb at finding interesting marine life that you might miss on your own, like sea horses, pipe fish, bat fish, etc. (Guyser is one of the best at this :-). As a side note - we saw more turtles on this trip than I've seen in all the years I've been diving.

As for the hotel itself, they continue to improve it without losing its charm. In all the years we've visited, I've never once thought it was slipping or getting run down. I have seen photos of what it looked live after hurricane Wilma last Nov. (really did a number on them) and now you'd never even know that it happened.

The food is always good. We never ordered off the menu for lunch, but always took whatever the special was for lunch. Dinner is always a choice from three main entrees, two appetizers and two desserts. Often tough choices and always yummy. I highly recommend trying the Bananas Flambee for dessert (not included in the package, but well worth the few extra bucks). They make it table-side and it is a fun little show; a good last-night treat.

Also, one night a week they have a Mexican Beach Party where they serve a buffet-style dinner outside. The party ends with a pinata.

We went to town one night during our stay. While many improvements have been made since our last visit and I am sure, since Wilma, it has gone very commercial and wasn't as appealing to us as it used to be. We used to spend our last evening in town for dinner, but opted to skip it this year. On our next visit, I don't think I even need to go to town. It is so relaxing to just hang at the hotel. Everything you need is there.

However, if you do forget something, odds are high that you can get it at Chedrau which is only about a 10 minute, if that, walk from the hotel. It is kind of a Mexican Wal-Mart - you can get everything there from baby food to tires. There's also a peso-dispensing ATM located at the door if you need extra funds. They have a pharmacy and a lovely wine section as well. We walked down our first night and bought a bottle of rum, some Pepsi, bottled water and beer for the little refrigerator in the room. Very handy for pre-dinner/after-dinner cocktails while swinging in a hammock or enjoying the evening on your balcony.

::sigh:: I want to go back. Now. ::sigh::

May, 2005. After easily passing through Immigration, retrieving our checked luggage, and clearing Customs, we hired a van to take us to Scuba Club Cozumel. During my first two visits to this establishment in 1995 and 1996, its name had been The Galapago Inn, but sometime between then and my trip there with Meg in 2000, it became known as Scuba Club Cozumel.
Arriving around 12:30, I renewed my acquaintance with the very pleasant hotel manager, Sofia, after which we lunched in the upstairs “Fat Grouper” dining room. As would be the norm for the first few days, I had a hamburger and fries, while Jordan chose Mexican food.
If the previous occupants of the room you are to occupy do not leave until the mandatory noon check-out, it is often three o’clock in the afternoon before you may start to get settled in your room here. However there is a secure room where you can safely leave your luggage while you take on other activities. Today we were able to occupy our room immediately.
After lunch Jordan and I reported to the dive shop, presented our C-cards, signed the usual waivers, obtained a nearby locker in which we could safely stow our gear when not in use, and arranged for his rental regulator and BC. They allowed Jordan to have his rental gear a half day early (at no extra cos) .so that we could check it out on a test dive before going out the next morning on a boat. Although this was a valid point, it also enabled us this afternoon to make a shore dive out in front of the resort, where I have always encountered a lot of colorful marine life in spite of the shallow 21-foot depth.
Next on our agenda was a walk to a supermarket conveniently located only a few blocks away, to buy some snacks, soft drinks, and beer. During my first two visits here in the 1990’s, one had to hike almost into San Miguel – almost a mile from the hotel – in order to obtain these items.
Protected by a wrought-iron gate which makes the premies secure, the hotel is built strictly for divers. Every room is air-conditioned, and although spacious, is furnished in rather a Spartan manner – two double beds with a small night stand between. On the other side of the room are located a small refrigerator and a single bed having no covers, but with a thick, comfortable, plastic–covered mattress. It was on this bed that we deposited most of our extra items. Along the rear wall, a five-foot long concrete bench was the perfect spot on which to store our big suitcases. An alcove off the back of the room offered a small built-in dresser, a pole on which to hang clothes, and a sink with adequate counter space, while a separate room at the end of the alcove contained the toilet and a good size shower. Finally, a frontal verandah provided a pleasant spot in which to relax, read, hang clothes and gear to dry, or converse with neighbors.
The lack of television in the room did not bother us at all – there is a TV in the downstairs “Beachcomber Bar” (where breakfast is served daily), but we never bothered to watch it during the entire week of our stay.
During my three prior stays here, breakfast had always been served at the downstairs “Beachcomber Bar”, with lunch and dinner in the second floor “Fat Grouper” restaurant. Now lunch is taken in the either the Beachcomber Bar or the Fat Grouper, depending on the whim of management.
Although drinking the tap water is not recommended, all water and ice in the restaurants are “bottled water”, and in each hallway is a large cooler with additional potable water, so there is little worry about contracting “Montezuma’s Revenge”.
Although the resort is built atop a coral reef which plunges six feet to the water, a sandy beach has been created between the inn and the ocean, where under a thatch-roofed cabana a dozen hammocks are slung for sleep or relaxation. In addition, a well maintained freshwater pool is provided for those desiring a change of pace.
Three piers jut into the ocean – one for boarding the dive boats, and two smaller ones which serve as a jumping off points for shore dives.
During the first stay here, I had been concerned about my room being on the ground floor, as I do not like people clomping around above me at night; however, the inn is so well constructed – with thick ceilings and walls – that I was never bothered by those above or beside me.
I plan to return to Scuba Cluba Cozumel for a week of diving this coming November (2006) with my granson Logan. This will be my fifth visit here - I would not stay anywhere else in Cozumel.