We were there Sept-22-29...hotel was 30% full, grounds were very well kept, rain water drained from walkway and grass areas after heavy rainfall saturday. Lots of mossies, to be expected given it was Cozumels rainy season.
The kids and I quite enjoyed the relaxed atmophere of the Allegro, it was nice to dress up and enjoy the ala carte restaurants as it was to relaxe in the casual enviroment of the buffet areas. There was enough food for all and something for everyone. Coffee was left out in the morning long before the buffet opened for breakfast which I enjoyed because I'm an early riser...(most days).
Rooms were clean and tidy..housekeeping did a fine job and were gracious of the tips left. A little more storage would have been nice but we did just fine. Most people left thier towels and trunks out overnight and it was always there for you waiting the next morning.
The beach was lovely and long..there is no developement to the left or right so you could easily find quiet places to relax or swim. Lots of loungers for all only saw one craftsman selling his wears once, they're not allowed on the beach and he usually got the boot. Little fishes near the shore they like bread! Swim out just a few more feet and they won't bother you. Late in the afternoon on overcast days you needed to watch for sands flees..head up to the jacuzzi or the pool. Didn't even go in the quiet pool..looked nice also both pools clean. Gentalman out in the early morning checking the PH balance.
Turtles, igaunas and crabs also enjoy this hotel, my kids enjoyed them. Frogs were "cool" at night and sang you to sleep. Beds were fine, firm not rock hard as mentioned by others..no one complained that I met there about them. Nice cool airconditioning awaited you after a long day.
Went to the disco|sports bar a few times with new friends..DJ was open to our requests and we had some laughs. It was nice to go back down to the pool area at night and chat over cocktails and taco's..great late night sevice from the waiter.
Shows were preformed dispite the lack of guests and were all well done even in the heat of the evening.
Daniel,guest services, Freddy pool bartender, Ignasio buffet waiter and the man who played countless games of chess with my son and others leave a fine lasting impression with us..gracious..thank-you.
Take the time to visit brenda, and paint a little ceramic piece, it's hot offer to bring her a cold drink.
Loved the island...very safe traveld freely around no issues. Already thinking about going back...yes I would stay here again,but we might try a different place even though we enjoyed our stay at the Allegro!

Those who speak poorly of this resort have unrealistic expectations of this value all-inclusive resort. My friends, family, and I (six of us all together) just returned from a 7-day vacation at this resort yesterday and we had a great time. I'll try to address many of the concerns honestly and fairly based on my family's experience.

1. Room Accommodations - The rooms are fine for the average person. They are not luxurious, so don't expect this. Stay somewhere else if you want luxury. However, the rooms are cleaned every day and the housekeeping did a great job. The bathrooms were very clean and definitely NOT disgusting. We left a few dollars tip on the bed each day and the cleaning staff left us some really cool towel animals each day. Upon request, they also left us additional towels and bottled. We stayed in rooms in the 65xx building next to the pool, with a partial ocean view. (We probably got these rooms with a nice view because we paid a little extra for an upgrade and it was the slow season. During the busy season, our rooms may have been further away from the beach.)

2. Hot water - We had to let the shower run on full hot about 5 minutes in the morning before the hot water would reach the room. Also, the hot and cold was reversed in our room, but it didn't take us long to figure that out. Once the hot water reached the room, we had plenty of hot water for showers.

3. Air Conditioning - The air conditioning worked fine. It was very quiet. We couldn't hear it at all. Some nights it worked too well and I had to turn it down.

4. Storage space was somewhat limited, but adequate for our needs. We were able to store most of our scuba gear near the dock so we had enough space in the room for clothes and luggage.

5. Staff - VERY FRIENDLY AND HELPFUL. Everyone from the front desk, waiters, bartenders, and housekeeping was extremely polite, courteous, and helpful. Superb!

6. Beds - They are pretty firm (some might even say hard), but this wasn't a big deal for us. I was so tired from the activities each day that I slept like a baby, though it was nice to get back into my soft cushy bed at home. If this is a problem for you, don't stay here... or pack some foam padding in an extra suitcase. :-)

7. Food – The food was just OK. Like others have said, it was a bit repetitive by the end of the week. There could have been a bit more variety, but it wasn’t bad. If you’re used to eating in 4 and 5-star restaurants, you won’t like it. However, we were able to find something to eat each meal. We made reservations for the Italian and Mexican formal dining and they were both very nice. The quality of the food was a bit better than the buffets. The pizza restaurant was not open the entire time we were there. I was told that this was due to the low occupancy.

8. All-inclusive Activities – The beach is very nice. We never had any problem finding a beach chair or palapa since it was very slow season. They were only at 20% capacity. We really enjoyed taking advantage of the many free activities such as sailing the Hobie Catamarans, kayaking, and snorkeling.

9. Diving – I dove 14 dives with the onsite dive shop (Dive Palancar). The diving was absolutely incredible! Here are my observations about diving with Dive Palancar from this resort.

The resort is on the southwest side of the island, just 5-20 minutes from all of the popular dives sites and reefs. This is very different from most of the resorts and dive shops in town that have 30-60 minute boat trips from their dock to the dive sites. Because the resort is so close to the dive sites, Dive Palancar does single tank dives and returns to the resort during the surface interval to swap out tanks and pickup/drop off passengers. This means you can schedule a single tank dive if you want, which is very convenient for scheduling around other activities. (Whereas most dive shops in town require you to pay for at least 2-tank dives per trip even if you only want to do a single dive because of the long boat ride).

The downside of being so close to the dive sites is that some people (especially newer divers) might feel rushed. I must admit that I felt a bit rushed the first dive because I barely had time to assemble my gear and check it before the guides we jumping in the water. After the first dive, I alleviated this “rushed” feeling by getting to the dock early, being the first one on the boat, assembling my gear as soon as I got on the boat, and suiting up right away rather than waiting on the dive guides to tell us to get ready. I knew it would be a short ride anyway.

Overall, the dive guides were nice and did a good job. They provided bottled water before and after each dive. This is not really “pampered” diving though. The crew would set up your gear if you want them to. (I like to set up my own gear.) However, you must carry and wash your own gear when you finish your dive. This is fine for me. They have lockers, bins, and basins near the boat dock where you can wash and store your gear. Even though you can borrow a lock from the dive shop (for a $10 refundable deposit), the bin lockers are not really secure. So I did not leave any small, valuable items (cameras, wrist computers, etc.) in the lockers. No one messed with any of the dive gear that I left in the lockers.

A single tank dive costs $32 and includes tank and weights. ($29/tank for 10 or more dives) The dive shop can get Nitrox (EANx32) with 24-hour advanced notice. The cost for Nitrox is $6 extra. Air tanks are available free of charge to certified divers who want to do a shore dive off the beach. My son and I did this. The depth is generally less than 20 feet and you won’t see the pretty coral and wildlife that you’ll see on a boat dive, but it’s free. It is fun for beginners, just be careful because the current can pickup quickly and suddenly even near shore. If you feel the current picking up, start heading back to shore.

On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Dive Palancar does a night dive. The cost is a little more ($37 / Dive + $7 light rental) I highly recommend this if you adventuresome. It is much more fun than I thought it would be. We saw much unique wildlife that comes out of hiding more at night such as octopus, squid, scorpionfish, lobster, Spanish lobster, crabs, etc.

REASONS I MIGHT USE DIVE PALANCAR AGAIN:
• If I only want to do a single-tank dive.
• It’s conveniently located right at the resort.
• Flexible scheduling. Some other dive ops required not refundable reservations.
• To keep boat diving costs relatively low.

REASONS I MIGHT USE A DIFFERENT DIVE OP:
• If I was concerned about being rushed and I needed a lot of time to set up my gear.
• If I needed close supervision for a fairly new diver.
• If I wanted to do more advanced dives like Devil’s Throat. – Dive Palancar did not offer these when I was there.
• If I wanted food other than water provided during dive trip.
• If I wanted more time to socialize with other divers on the boat.
• If I wanted someone to take care of my gear for me.

10. Horseback riding – There is a horse ranch across street from the resort that offers a 3-4 hour horseback ride through the forest for about $35 per person. The ranch is pretty rugged and not much to look at, but the horses seemed to be well maintained. We decided to do this horseback tour and we sure are glad that we did. This was a lot of fun! It was the highlight of the vacation for my kids (age 10 & 11), who each got to ride their own horses. The horses were very well trained and were easy to control. Mine even galloped for a short distance, which is quite a feat because I am a large man (about 270 lbs.) The guide was very friendly and informational. HINT: Bring jeans to ride in to protect your legs and wear plenty of sunblock.

11. Car Rental – In general, we didn’t need a car when staying at this resort. Everything we needed was at the resort. However, since it was our first time on the island we wanted to tour the island. We rented a minivan for a day for about $100 from the Executive Car Rental across the street from the resort. We were easily able to drive around the island in one afternoon. Coconuts Grill on the east side of the island is a real gem. On a hill overlooking the ocean, this cool restaurant has one of the best views on the island. I highly recommend their beef nachos and margaritas!

12. Kids Club – The kids club at the resort didn’t really have any good activities for our kids. We’ve stayed at other all-inclusives in the Bahamas who did many activities with the kids like archery, tennis, sailing, beach, etc. and our kids really enjoyed it. Maybe it was because it was the slow season, but our kids did not want to go to this kids club because they were bored. Apparently, they just sat in a room and played games or played on the playground.

13. Vacation club / time share presentation – We had some spare time to waste so we attended a one of these presentations. They say it only takes 90 minutes, but I wouldn’t plan any less than 3 hours for the presentation. We toured the Occidental Grand resort just down the road. The rooms seemed a bit nicer than the Allegro with a corresponding higher cost. The presentation was well-prepared. They seemed to be very upfront and honest about any questions I asked. The people we spoke to were friendly and courteous. The program just wasn’t for us. Like any good sales rep, they don’t want to take “No” for an answer. However, they did follow through with what they promised us for going to the presentation.

We stayed at the Allegro from September 15-22. It was a great trip. We've stayed in Cozumel before, but not at this resort. Our previous travels to the Caribbean have included Jamaica, Cuba, Bahamas, from 3 star resorts, to 5 star.

ROOMS: Small, but clean and functional. We didn't have any problem with the a/c in our room, and a slight musty smell was easily overcome with incense. What do you expect in the tropics where it's so humid every day? You have to be a little flexible as far as your expectations go. Yes, the rooms don't have much sound insulation, but as long as you're not blaring the tv or stomping around like elephants on the second floor, it's manageable. We were never kept up at night by noise, except that we could hear sound from the theatre a little. That usually ended around 10 pm, so it didn't intrude on us much.

FOOD: Surprisingly good! We were delighted with the breakfasts, which had plenty to choose from. There was always fresh fruit, and the famous omelettes we'd heard all about. Everything tasted fresh and was well presented. Lunches were a bit hit-or-miss, but there was usually something to keep hunger at bay! The hamburgers seemed popular, but we preferred trying the local Mexican dishes, which were always quite good. Dinners at the main buffet were full of choice. We liked the theme nights, but again, the best food we found was on the Mexican theme nights. We ate at both the Mexican and Italian à la carte restaurants, but weren't overly impressed. At the Italian, our food was cold on the plate, obviously having been prepared much earlier and then waiting for someone to order it. At the Mexican restaurant, the dishes were pleasantly authentic (obviously), but just okay. On both nights when we went to the à la carte restaurants, we wondered if we wouldn't have had a better meal at the buffet. Still, the food quality was better than most resorts we've been to.

GROUNDS/BEACH: Lovely. The layout is basically a long rectangle, with a central path with two pools in the middle. The pools were great – one for "relaxing", and one for activities. The relaxing pool was virtually empty every time we used it, which was a bonus. The hot tub on the beach was popular, and a great way to wind down at the end of the day. There was plenty of shade under palapas around both pools and at the beach. The beach itself was nice, although nothing quite as spectacular and soft as you get in Cuba. We found the snorkeling to be fairly good, although sparse. The sand is coarse and hard on bare feet. It's not the kind of beach you want to spend a long, leisurely walk on, although you probably could, given its length and the fact that all beaches in Cozumel are public. The water was very warm for our visit, and visibility was fairly good, though not stellar for snorkeling. This could have just been the time of year, and the fact that the currents around the island are quite strong at times.

DIVING: The reason why we chose the Allegro was because of the reputation of the dive shop on the premises. We were impressed at the service and value offered by Dive Palancar. They had 4 dive trips a day, with alternating deep (up to 100 feet) and shallow (up to 60 feet) dives. The cost is only $290 US for 10 dives, which is a great price. You can get a locker at the shop so that you don't have to lug your gear to and from your room every day, or you can rent equipment. I didn't hear anyone complain of the equipment, so it seems in good condition. The boats are comfortable and big. No worries about having to roll-off a little outboard boat! The reefs are incredible, with so much life to see. There were usually Nurse sharks, eels and Grouper on every shallow dive. The deeper dives have fewer fish, but more fascinating coral formations. The dives are all chosen by the divers, so if you don't want to go to the same site twice, you can do that. The currents were strong in the shallow dives, and almost non-existent in the deeper ones, which was a relief after a hard dive struggling against being swept away. Fortunately, that never happened, and we always felt very comfortable with our Dive Masters.

SERVICE: Finally, the really weird part about staying at the Allegro. Most of the staff were happy and smiled at you if you greeted them with an "Hola", which is always good. But there were times when dealing with the people at the front desk that we thought perhaps the staff is all working there against their will. They were so unwilling to help, so reluctant to go out of their way, that we found the situation laughable. And our requests were very minor ones, like "Could you possibly change this $20 bill for smaller bills, please?". The answer was an astonishing "No", on two separate occasions with two separate staff! They were more than happy to tell you to come back later when such-and-such a manager was on who could take care of your request. Or else they'd suggest you go elsewhere to try your luck (nodding in the direction of the Shop, which had ridiculously exorbitant prices on necessities and where – you guessed it – they couldn't give any smaller bills for our $20 US, or even a 50 Peso bill). Try across the street, where there's a car rental place and a little shop. They're happy to help there, and have reasonable prices on their stock.

Having said all that, the lack of great service wouldn't keep us from going again. It's not the kind of thing that makes or breaks a holiday for us. But it was quite funny, and unless you have the capacity to look at it that way, you'll probably end up having a miserable vacation. So as long as you don't expect "service with a smile" at the Allegro, you'll probably have a great time, like we did.

We just got back from spending a week with a couple of our friends at Occidental Allegro. I don’t understand the bad reviews on this hotel because I can assure you that this place is wonderful! I researched many hotels and read all of the customer reviews, the good and the bad reviews. I questioned whether the people with the bad reviews stayed at the same hotel that we did because we all thought it was great! Anyone that has something negative to say about this hotel clearly must have ridiculously unrealistic expectations and must be impossible to please. My husband and our two friends that we vacationed with agreed whole-heartedly.

The rooms are very clean, simple, and nice. We stayed in the Premium rooms, so maybe that makes a difference. The roof is a made of grass, so the room does get humid, but you also should acknowledge that you are in a tropical climate, so humidity is just a part of the experience. We didn't mind the humidity. We just turned our fan on and the A/C and had no problems. The bed was firm, but I didn't find it to be uncomfortable at all. The bed did have a piece of egg carton foam on top on it and we slept great. The maid came in and cleaned the room every day and left these beautiful, intricate towel animals with flowers on our beds (a different animal every day). Every room also has it's own patio with it's own hammock. What is there to hate?

The drinks at the bar were very good. My husband likes his drinks a little stronger, but the bartenders were more than happy to pour an extra shot in the drink...you just have to ask! We tipped the bartenders, the waiters, and the maids every day because they all worked so hard and they all deserved to be tipped. The service at this hotel is absolutely fantastic! They are incredibly nice and very hard working.

We thought the food was great. Typically when it is an all-inclusive resort you can expect the food to be descent, but nothing special. However, we all thought all of the food at Allegro was fantastic. There are five star resorts that haven't had food as good as we had at Allegro. The breakfast buffet was always an impressive spread. The omelets are amazing! We all enjoyed the lunch buffet too. They had hamburgers and hot dogs daily and the hamburgers were very good…I never tried the hot dogs. They also had a huge spread of hot and cold food that did change daily. If there was a dish that I didn’t particularly like, I got something else…that’s the beauty of a buffet. Overall, though, the lunch buffet was very good. The dinner buffets were always good. They had a different theme every night. We ate at the Italian restaurant once and it was good. We ate at the Mexican Restaurant twice, which was excellent! My husband, our friends, and I all agree that we did not have a bad meal once all week…not even close. We all enjoyed the food very much. I also have a very sensitive stomach and I had no problems all week. That tells me that they store and cook their food properly, which is very important to me.

The beach is gorgeous, the pool bar is wonderful, and the grounds of the hotel are beautiful. We do scuba dive, but we did not use the on-site dive operation because we found them to be just a little more expensive than the others in town. If you use another dive shop, though, have no fear because the other dive shops will just pick you up by boat directly from the pier at the hotel!

We loved it at Allegro. We will all refer business their way and we will definitely go back!