Regions / Caribbean / Saba / El Momo Cottages

El Momo Cottages

Package Rates On Request

Nitrox $

WIFI Available

Star Rating

El Momo Cottages is located in the center of the Caribbean on the island of Saba. St Maarten is located twenty-eight miles northeast of Saba and runs daily flights and ferries to Saba. American, Delta, Continental, US Airways, United Spirit, Jet Blue, Air Canada, Air France, KLM, Air Caraibes, and Corsair provide frequent international air travel from North America and Europe. Flights from St. Maarten to Saba are about twelve minutes and are provided by the local airline, Windward Island Airways.

El Momo Cottages WEATHER

Upon arriving at El Momo Cottages, guests find a set of stairs that leads to seven small wooden cottages and a small apartment that are surrounded by lush, tropical gardens. All of the cottages are one room and built of warm wood, decorated with original artwork, and overlook the ocean. There are three styles of cottages: Budget, Standard, and Standard Plus. The Budget cottages feature two single beds that can be joined to form a queen-sized bed, and have a private terrace that overlooks the pool and the Caribbean Sea. The Standard cottages have a private bathroom, two single beds that can join to make a queen bed, and are elevated to a higher level that offer a wider view of the Caribbean Sea and Mount scenery from the terrace and bathroom. The Standard Plus cottages have a private bathroom next to the cottage, twin single beds, kitchenette, and a large private terrace.

When diving in Saba, divers experience seamounts, pinnacles, fringing reefs, and true coral reefs. There is a one-of-a-kind marine park that was established in 1987. There are moorings that are located at every dive site and are always well maintained. To the west of the island, the seabed drops quickly to seven hundred feet or two hundred fifteen meters, and has an underwater mount that rises to ninety feet or twenty-eight meters. This provides access to countless fringing reefs. To the northwest, there are coral-encrusted rocks and a wide variety of healthy and vibrant marine life. Saba is one of the few islands in the Eastern Caribbean where diving with nitrox is possible. Snorkeling trips can also be arranged as well as there is still plenty of stunning marine life in the shallow Saba waters.

When not diving, guests explore the hiking trails that lead deep into the island and past ruins and caves. The trails are well-maintained and can be hiked safely without guidance, however, guided tours are available and offer a great opportunity to learn about the history of the island. Local art is alive on the island of Saba and there is a local gallery where you can buy one-of-a-kind pieces from local artists. Visitors can even go on an island tour led by local taxi drivers, go to a high-end restaurant or simple snack bar.

Diving is arranged with Saba Divers. Because of the shape of the coast line, all diving on Saba is done from a boat. The distance to all dive sites is a maximum of twenty-five minutes. Saba Divers offers a daily schedule of two morning dives and one afternoon dive. All trips are dependent on weather and ocean conditions.

The dive center transport service picks divers up at the hotel for the short trip directly to the harbor. Divers new to Saba Divers will require a check-in at the dive center and dive gear setup.

Upon boarding the ‘Big Blue’ dive boat, divers find equipment ready for assembly. After forming small groups based on diving experience and level, the professional, multilingual staff will prepare the group for the dive with a detailed briefing about the dive sites. An experienced dive guide will lead the underwater tour and bring diver safely back to the boat. At the end of the diving day, we will arrange the transfer back to the hotel.

Photos courtesy of El Momo Cottages and Saba Divers.

Dive Conditions

Temperatures between summer and winter don't normally vary more than 5°F (1 or 2°C) in the Caribbean. The average temperature is about 80°F (27°C) year-round. Naturally, southern islands tend to be a little warmer than the northern ones. For example, Curacao’s southern location keeps its summer average at 83°F (28°C) and winter at 80°F (27°C), while the northern Bahamas are north of the Caribbean in the Atlantic and vary from a summer average of 80°F (27°C) down to a cool 69°F (20°C) average in the winter. There is a wet and dry season, with most rain falling between May/June and October/November.

However, location and topography, such as rain shadows created by mountains, can play an important role in local weather conditions. Keep in mind that those cold fronts in the U.S. that dip down from the north can keep right on dipping to most of the northern islands, bringing cooler temperatures and rough water in their wake.

Two other important factors to consider in the Caribbean are tourist season and hurricane season. The off-season for tourism is roughly mid-April to mid-December. It can mean much lower prices (up to 60 percent less) than in the busy high season for some destinations. Hurricane season runs from June through November, with September the most likely month.

Bonaire – excellent shore diving. Bonaire has a strong reputation as the world's capital of shore diving, and for good reason! Apart from having more than 60 sites accessible from the shore, and over 20 others accessible by boat at Klein Bonaire, Bonaire offers diving freedom like nowhere else in the world.

Cozumel, Mexico – beautiful corals and great drift dives. Cozumel is a great year-round dive destination with excellent yet easy drift dives, stellar visibility, colorful sponges, lots of fish, and a great variety of marine life. On a typical Cozumel dive trip, divers will see turtles, moray eels, nurse sharks, and lots of colorful tropical fish. Eagle rays and blacktip reef sharks are also commonly seen.

Cayman Islands – walls, wrecks and healthy reefs. The Cayman Islands have so much diversity to offer to scuba divers, that some locals even say that there is a different dive site for every day of the year here. Pick between the three islands: Grand Cayman, the largest, most popular and well-developed island with so many things to do; Little Cayman, the most untouched and least populated; and Cayman Brac, which is somewhat in between, not too quiet and not too crowded. Grand Cayman offers a vast number of interesting wreck and wall sites, as well as Stingray City, where the rays are fed squid by hand in 12 feet of water. Be sure to include the world-famous 251-foot (78-meter) shipwreck USS Kittiwake in your vacation. The most secluded and smallest out of three, Little Cayman offers its own charm, with over 50 dive sites to choose from, including the famous Bloody Bay Wall Marine Park, best-known for its amazing colors, steep drop-offs, and dramatic swim-throughs.

Roatan & Utila, Honduras – excellent diving in a laidback atmosphere. Roatán is the largest island among the Bay Islands off of Honduras’ east coast, which also includes the popular Utila and some other islands cays. Divers love Roatán for its inexpensive diving and laid-back atmosphere. Roatán's waters have close to 100 named dive sites, varying from wrecks, caves, and lots of excellent walls.

Turneffe Atoll, Belize – an unspoiled destination. Turneffe Atoll in Belize is the largest of the three atolls that make up the world’s second-largest barrier reef. Located southeast of Ambergris Caye, it may just be the best and most beautiful dive area in the whole country. This large offshore atoll reef offers a wide variety of easy dive sites, insanely clear visibility, and very varied marine life. Divers may expect to see white-spotted toadfish, eagle rays, tarpon, green morays, various reef sharks and nurse sharks. Watch out for spotted drumfish and flamingo tongue cowries. Belize, in general, is a place for both adventure seekers and those who are looking for a relaxing time. When you're not diving, there's a range of activities to pursue including cave tubing, waterfall rappelling, Mayan ruin tours and other tropical rainforest activities. The dive season is year-round. Visit in April-May for the best overall conditions. November-April are the most popular months. Check the weather report if you intend to visit in the summer/hurricane season from June-November.

Turks and Caicos – great shark dives and amazing wall dives. This is a British Overseas Territory consisting of 40 islands, only eight of which are inhabited. Most of the best dive sites are spread across the three main areas: Providenciales, the most popular and populated island in the country, also known as “Provo”; Salt Cay, which is a wonderful diving spot with many interesting wrecks, caverns, and walls; and Grand Turk with beautiful protected plunging reefs and interesting history and culture to discover. The dive season is year-round. Keep in mind that there are occasional showers throughout June-October. Hurricanes are not common, but check the latest weather forecast before travel.

Dominica – sperm whales. While not quite as frequented by tourists as other places in the Caribbean, Dominica is quickly gaining a reputation for being one of the best places in the world to visit. In 2017, Dominica made it to the Lonely Planet's Top Ten places to visit, and with good reason, especially for divers. One of the things that makes Dominica so amazing both above and below the surface of its waters is the topography. Rugged peaks and ridges on land, and then steep underwater volcanoes underwater, complete with pinnacles and craters galore. And there is practically little to no current in the waters, which makes exploring those crevices very easy.