$$$ Cost $$$


Villa Dzul-Ha:

Rental rate for the three bedroom house (6000 square feet) is $275 per night for five nights or more. For less than five nights, the rent is $335 per night. From Dec 15 to Jan 7, the rent is $335 per night, seven nights minimum. These rates are for a maximum of six people, which is the number the house is designed for. The necessary 12% tax is not included in these rates. Occupants under 21 years old are not allowed without their parents. A list of names of all the occupants with ages and relationships of occupants under 21 years old must be provided when requesting a reservation.

Fifty percent of the rent is due at the time of booking the reservation. The balance of the rent, along with the charges for meals, and the damage/loss deposit are due 30 days before the trip.

The damage/loss deposit is $ 500.00, but you are also liable for anything in excess of this amount. This will be returned to you within 7 days of the end of your trip, provided there are no losses or damage caused by you or your group. Do not worry about this, it is nothing new. You have always essentially signed an unlimited damage deposit commitment when you sign a credit card slip upon checking into a hotel. 

A confirmation receipt will be sent to you upon request following all payments.


Meal Cost at Villa Dzul-Ha:

Meals are provided at our cost which is $12.00 per person per day for breakfast and dinner ($3 for breakfast and $9 for dinner). See the menu for details. Partial meal service can be scheduled so that you can eat out some nights. The fridge has an ice maker and there is a blender available to mix a batch of margaritas. You will find that the meal service will save $10 to $20 per person per day, or even more, depending on drink consumption. Of course, our ice and drinking water are from purified water. Lunch can be provided for $5.00 per person, or you can make your own sandwiches, but please keep it simple. These prices have tax included.

Our housekeeper, Feliciana, is the kitchen commandant at breakfast & dinner, and it is a one woman kitchen. You need to let us know how many meals you want before the trip so that we can plan the food service. A good time to do this is 30 days before the trip so that you can pay for the food service when you pay the rent balance.

It is very nice to arrive with cold beer and cokes in the fridge, so we provide one case of each free. We start you out with a free case of beer and cokes, and you pay cash for replacements at case prices. Save the bottles, as they are expensive if not returned. No refund on unused drinks. Just let Feli know when you are low on drinks and want to restock.

For wine and liquor, we recommend you visit one of the local liquor stores and buy your own selections. Our favorite is "Covi" on the northwest corner of the intersection of Ave 30 and Calle 2 Norte, near the gas station. They have a good selection at good prices and accept cash or credit cards. Another convenient source is the supermarket "Chedraui," located on the coastal road at the south edge of town. However, their wine selection is often rather meager.

Tips : For restaurants, dive trips, etc., depending on the quality of service, ten to fifteen percent tips are traditional in Cozumel. Tips to taxi drivers are not necessary, because they charge extra for extra people or baggage. For Feliciana's services as housekeeper and cook, a tip of between $2 and $3 dollars per person per day is adequate, and greatly appreciated.

Airfare :

We may also be able to get a better airfare for you. We have an agreement with a dive travel agency that can package discount airfare on Continental Airlines with rental of Villa Dzul-Ha as a package. Sometimes this beats charter fares and sometimes not. Currently the cheapest airfare prices are available directly from Continental Airlines at http://www.continental.com

Car rental:

Car rental is available from Hertz, Avis, National, Alamo, and Budget plus other independent agencies. Vehicles range from VW beetles, jeeps, sedans, to vans and are priced from $25 to $100 per day. You can make your reservation from the U. S. through the major car agencies or wait and take pot luck in Cozumel.

Also ask your car insurance agency about coverage in Mexico. Most likely, your insurance will not cover car damage, car theft, or personal property loss in Mexico.  However, your credit card benefits may provide collision and theft coverage (but not liability) if you pay with a "gold" credit card and sign the "collision damage waiver" (CDW). Discuss this carefully with your insurance company and your Master or VISA gold card company. You must reject the rental agency coverage for theft and collision for the gold card coverage to become effective. Normally, there is no deductible for the gold card coverage, but the rental agency insurance deductible is $ 750 to $1000. Be sure to also discuss this with the car rental agency when you make your reservation to be sure they can accept this procedure. Remember you DO NEED to buy liability coverage from the car rental agency when you pick up your car in Cozumel because your stateside insurance or gold card benefits will not cover liability.

Recently many of the car rental booths that were located at the airport in Cozumel were moved out because the airport administration raised their rent and many decided not to continue the lease. Due to this new situation, we recommend that you buy tickets at the airport booth for the airport limo (taxis can't take you away from the airport because of union rules) and once you get at the villa you can call the local number of your car rental and they will gladly pick you up to take you to their downtown office to sign the contract and get the car. We think this will work better than trying to call them from the airport and wait until they can pick you up with suitcases and everything else. Just remember to get the local agency phone number when you make the reservation. Phone books and phone number information do not work well in Cozumel.

If you do rent a car at the airport, get the directions to "Villa Dzul-Ha" from the paragraph on Airport Limo. When you leave the airport, turn right and drive to the beach, then left through town.


MOPEDS:

Available but not recommended. STAY OFF OF THEM. The island traffic eats mopeds for lunch. Your vacation should improve your life, not end it. You may be an expert cyclist, but the taxi drivers and drunk tourists are even more adept at sending you to the happy hunting ground. If they don't get you, the gravel, speed bumps, or pot holes will. This is not a joke, I am serious.


Taxis:

Readily available and inexpensive. From $ 1.00 to $ 7.00 depending on distance and number of passengers. It is not likely that you will be able to get more than four passengers in a taxi. From Villa Dzul-Ha to town is about $ 6.00 for three passengers plus a small additional amount for extra passengers. It is easy to catch a taxi in front of Villa Dzul-Ha.


Airport Limo:

Transportation from the airport to your hotel or Villa Dzul-Ha is about $7.00 per person. No choice, no taxi pick-up because of union rules. You can take a taxi back to the airport for your return flight. 

Upon arrival, after you exit the customs area, you will see a ticket booth inside the lobby. The girl will ask you where you are going, and you should tell her the number of passengers and that you are going to Playa Dzul-Ha in the South. Next, go with your baggage out to the curb where you will find a line of several Chevrolet suburban with several Mexicans frantically telling everyone which one to get into. After some brief observations, you will figure out which one is the "Chief of the curb." Tell this guy "Playa Dzul-Ha".

After driving through town, the driver will head south down the coastal road. After he has pretty well cleared the traffic, tell him you want to go to the "Villa Dzul-Ha" which is next to the Hotel Club del Sol and "Playa Dzul-Ha." He probably knows where it is, because it is very likely he drives by it several times per day. You should be exiting the main road onto the old beach road at the Hotel Presidente. You only have a half mile to go when you pass the Hotel Presidente. Look for the big beige house with the red tiled roof, and magnificent green wrought iron fence, lighted at night. Direct the driver to turn into our driveway where we have a five foot high concrete sign shaped just like our logo. Our main entrance is on the side next to the driveway, so you can easily unload baggage.

Mexican Money:

You should plan to change some dollars into pesos. Although dollars are accepted everywhere, the exchange rate in stores, hotels, and restaurants vary and are usually not as good as you can get at the bank or money exchange office. You can often lose from five to ten percent by paying dollars. There are several banks and money exchange offices around the main square, but you have to find out the operating hours. There are also ATM machines for VISA and Master Cards and Debit Cards, so memorize your PIN number.

Most shops, hotels, and restaurants accept VISA and Master Card, and this is a convenient and efficient means of payment. The exchange rate is the bank rate at the time the transaction goes through. Some shops and hotels charge a surcharge for use of credit cards because they have to pay a percentage. If the payment is sizeable, ask if there is a surcharge. Some restaurants do not accept credit cards, so you will need some cash.

Most large dive shops accept credit cards, but most small shops & independent dive operators do not. Check on this before the trip, because the diving bill can get sizeable for several days. Take either dollars or travelers checks for cash payments. Diving is usually priced in dollars, so there is no exchange problem.

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Why should you stay at Villa Dzul-Ha????

E-Mail us at: jim@seadiver.com