Hello triathletes,
This post is directed to anyone who has ever competed in Cozumel (Mexico), anyone who lives there, or has been there on vacation:
I’ll be racing there this year in November, with my boyfriend. We are trying to find the best accommodation (condo/hotel) in the island, not far from the race and with an inviting price…
Any experience worth being shared?
Thanks!!
My wife and made Cozumel our honeymoon race last year and had a great time.
We got a great deal on a package at the Wyndham Cozumel Resort & Spa w/airfare.
It’s about 9 miles from the start/finish, and 6 miles from the swim start. We actually rode our bikes back after the race, it was a little dark, but beautiful.
We thought everything was very nice, from the room to the food (all inclusive), to the service.
There were plenty of other athletes staying there, including Ken Glah’s group.
.
I did IM Cozumel last year, and I live in Playa del Carmen that is where the ferry boat leaves to Cozumel, so Cozumel is a common place for me. There are a lot of accommodations options at Cozumel, so you have to decide which type you want: condo, luxury hotel, basic/little hotel, all inclusive, etc.
Another issue is that the swim and T1 is in Chankanaab park that is 9 km aprox from the town where T2 and the finish line is.
The last post mention Wyndham hotel, which is one of the host hotels. It can be an option; we use it in the past for the TriXperience Training Camps preparing for the Ironman Cozumel, and it works, however it has a format change, since this year its an only adult hotel.
There are a lot of other options, if you are looking for big, all inclusive hotels, they are located near Chankanaab, or in the other side of the island where the Marathon takes place. If you are looking for a good price and not need a big hotel, you can focus in the little hotels or condo near the town, where everything is near (restaurants, grocery store, etc).
Last year was a great event because the support from the local people and the natural beauty of the region. And this year I think it will be better with the experience of the first edition.
Jorge
FWIW, I don’t recommend Wyndham - it wasn’t terrible as far as accomodations (6 on 1-10 scale), but it coulda been a lot better. Personally, myself and my family thought the food was horrible. If I do Coz again, I will stay closer into town and the finish line.
Fiesta Americana Cozumel Dive Resort
Close to the start, T1 and the swim practice.
Cab ride to everything else.
With split transition areas you will find most hotels are either on the run course and far from the start/T1 or vice versa.
I thought the hotel was fine and I thought the price was reasonable.
We(spouse and I) spent well over $100 in cab rides on the island.
My wife saw me finish, but lost me in the finish area. I ended up biking the 10K back to the hotel in the dark because I had no money and could not find her. Make sure you inivestigate the finish area and decide on a place to meet. Have a set time after finish where both parties give up and cab back to the hotel separately. Note: I am not faulting my wife for the confusion.
The athlete’s meeting was a cluster-***. Extremely overpacked room(fire trap) and the acoustics were awful. I would skip it unless this is your first IM as no useful information is relayed.
Packet pickup was a mess. Make sure you know what you should be receiving as I missed some items and I had to come back because they were temporarily out of others.
Race nutrition was hit or miss. Certain run aid stations ran out around the 4-5pm time range. Hopefully they will fix this. Bike gatorate was not lemon-lime, but lemonade flavor which was different.
Swim start. Be ready to jump off the pier as going down the stairs is not realistic if you are not at the front of the line. It is perfectly legal and desirable if you wish to position yourself away from the scrum.
Overall a good venue/race and a decent first attempt by the organizers. Hopefully they will fix some of the bugs and eventually find a way to combine the transitions as this is the biggest nightmare.
Thank you all! I appreciate every comment! They have been very helpful 
Cheers from Portugal
Check this out - http://elcantilcondos.com/
After extensive research and minimal help from RD - it appears as though the front is on the run course and back is on the ocean.
It is right across the street from the police station. The RD did say that is near the finish and I found a guys garmin results that show it must be within 1k of the finish.
From what I have found the taxis are expensive and to figure $15 each time you take one. All the restaurants are right in town within walking distance and Cozumel is one of the safest resort cities in the world.
Hope this helps.
Sure wish they would put a better map of the courses on their website …