The Real Deal: Five nights' accommodations, tank dives, unlimited shore diving, and transfers, from $619 per person — including taxes.
When: Through April 9, 2008.
The fine print: Hotel taxes and service charges, round-trip transfers, two tank dives a day for four days, unlimited shore dives, and a 20 percent discount at Nach Cocom Beach Club are included. Breakfast is available for an additional $7 per person per day. Based on double occupancy; single supplement is $590. Airfare is not included. Read before you book any Real Deal.
Contact: Caradonna Dive Adventures, 800/328-2288, caradonna.com.
Why it's a deal: Regular rates at Hotel Casa del Mar start from $139 per room, based on double or single occupancy, through April 9, 2008. So booking accommodations independently for five nights would cost about $347 per person, based on two adults sharing a double room, or about $69 per person per night. For an additional $272 per person, Caradonna's package will cover the five-night stay as well as round-trip airport-hotel transfers, tank and shore dives, and taxes.
Trip details: The includes five nights' ocean-view accommodations at the 106-room Hotel Casa del Mar Cozumel, two and a half miles south of downtown San Miguel. Each guest room is air-conditioned and features cable TV and a private bath with a shower. Some rooms also come with racks for diving equipment.
Hotel amenities include an outdoor pool with an adjacent restaurant and bar, a Jacuzzi, tennis courts, and a beach area with palapas. The property is also home to Del Mar Aquatics, a fully equipped dive facility complete with a large fleet of custom dive boats. Guests will also have access to the Nachi Cocom Beach Club, about five minutes south of the hotel.
While diving is abundant, sightseeing is rather limited on this 189-square-mile island made up of a mostly undeveloped inland territory, marked by rocky outcrops and swampy lagoons. History buffs will appreciate the remaining Mayan archeological sites, including San Gervasio, a sacred Mayan center a short drive from San Miguel, and El Caracol in the Parque Punta Sur ecological reserve.
If you'd like to extend your stay at Hotel Casa del Mar, expect to pay $120 per person per night. For more tips on what to do in the area, visit the Web sites of the Cozumel Promotion Board and the Mexico Tourism Board.
Before you go, you can find the latest , the , and the at BudgetTravel.com.
Getting there: According to a recent search on Kayak, the lowest round-trip fares to Cozumel in late March are $360 from Houston (multiple carriers), $395 from Miami (US Airways/Mexicana), $430 from L.A. (US Airways/Mexicana), $454 from New York City (US Airways/Mexicana), and $536 from Chicago (US Airways/Continental).