I stayed at the suites bahia in early Dec '05. My room had a balcony on the side street calle 3. It was a simple room, but was very clean and super convenient (right on the waterfront...across the street). I chose this location because it was handy for a week of diving. The dive boat picked me up each morning on the dive pier right in front of the hotel! There was fruit, bread, and coffee available in the lobby at 7am (included in the $49/night room price). The rooms on the waterfront side of the hotel were not yet repaired after the storm, but will likely be complete before 12/25. Advantages of staying here: convenient to: diving; restaurants; ferry boat to Playa Del Carmen; and central plazas. Disadvantages: long cab ride required to go to beach clubs (on south shore). Only complaint was that the AC was pretty loud.

I stayed at the Bahia during a week long dive vacation and found it to be perfect. I mainly wanted to dive and did not want to spend too much money on the hotel. I booked my hotel and airfare through expedia.com and picked the least expensive package. Because the hotel was so inexpensive I was a little worried that I would find myself in a dump and regretting my thriftiness. Upon my arrival I was greatly relieved. The hotel was clean, well run, and in a great location for diving. The location is just across the street from the piers from which the dive operators pick you up. I dove with Aqua Safari which has a dive shop and their own dock just 2 blocks south of the hotel on the the main street (Av. Rafael Melgar). The room came with a kicthenette with a refrigerator and stove which I found to be very convenient for preparing breakfast and lunch. I stayed in a 3rd floor room that faced the adjacent building so my veiw mostly obsured. I learned, after booking on expedia, that if I booked directly on the hotel website I could have upgraded to a Standard room with balcony for free and I could have purchased a hotel/dive package with Aqua Safari.

I would highly recommend the Bahia for anyone whose trip is based around other activities such as diving or sight-seeing and would like a clean, quiet place to use as a "base camp"

Pros: location, price, kitchenette
cons: Some rooms have obsured veiws

http://www.suitesbahia.com
http://www.aquasafari.com

My husband and I stayed at the Bahia in February as part of a dive package with Cozumel Equalizers. We really enjoyed our stay there. We stayed on the third floor without a balcony since we knew it would be quieter. The room was clean with good maid service. Remember to tip the maids as they make very little. The staff were all very friendly and extremely accomodating to all kinds of little things we needed or ringed for. Although there is really no beach in front we found we are a short 15 minute walk to some good snorkeling spots near Caribe Blu Hotel and the surrounding area. We also found it was just a short walk to the local mercado and a few blocks to a close tortilleria. We chose this hotel since we are vegetarians and we wanted to be able to make our own food in the hotel kitchenette. The continental breakfast was good. They serve a few different types of fruit, yogurt, granola, sweet breads, and coffee-simple but adequate for a morning of diving. After a morning of diving we would get dropped off at Cozumel Equalizers shop and then buy food at the market across the street from the dive shop called Chedruil(I think)then we would meander back to our hotel. I would happily recommend this to those wanting to stay in a budget hotel.

The hotel was in good condition. Continental breakfast was acceptable. Unfortunately we had a room with the only window facing a wall just two feet away. So there was little natural sunlight, which gave the room a cave atmosphere. There are also two rooms per floor facing the sea and a couple facing the street. You should be aware that there is not much beach on cozumel and the hotel does not have a pool. We only stayed at the hotel for one night. I don't know if I would recommend this hotel for an extended stay.