Like many others, I checked out the Allegro reviews prior to my trip and was concerned about what we would find. I will offer this review based soley on the experience of my wife and I, no one else. The folks at the front desk of the Allegro were a little unwilling to go the extra mile, but we were prepared for this because it had been reported countless times in the reviews. We found that a small tip here and there made them somewhat more cooperative, but they still have a long way to go. Our room was somewhat small, but once again we knew this was the case so we were not disappointed. All of the amenities within the room worked as they were intended during the entire length of our stay (March 6-13, 2004). The often reported musty smell was not present in our room. We had brought some incense but used it so we wouldn't have to bring it back home. There is no doubt about it, the rooms need some upgrading...a coat of paint would go a long way. We were always supplied with plenty of bottled water and the maid service was excellent.We ate most of our meals in the main room. All meals in this particular facility are buffet style. There was plenty to choose from and although not haute cuisine, it was definitely satisfactory. The waiters were prompt and courteous. The two specialty restaurants were very nice, the food was excellent, nice atmosphere and were a nice departure from the main buffet.The grounds were constantly being groomed by the staff. There was no trash to be seen anywhere on the resort. There was an occasional odor from the septic ponds, but anyone who has ever travelled to a tropic locale knows that they will likely encounter this somewhere.The beach is superb at Allegro, one of the finest I have ever seen. There are a lot of thatched structures or palms to provide shade when the temperatures soar. We were there for a week and did not see a drop of rain, nothing but hot, sunny days. The swimming from the beach is excellent with a nice sandy bottom and no rocks. Snorkelling from the beach we saw huge schools of fish, spotted moray eels, angelfish, rays, barracuda and grouper.Through our tour guide I made arrangements for 5 dives on the main reef. The charter service was "Dive with Martin". They were always very prompt and picked us up at the Allegro dock on time. The Divemasters were very attentive and were very insistent upon safety. We never had more than eight divers on board which made for excellent diving. I would highly recommend this dive charter to anyone visiting Cozumel. Within the resort itself, Dive Palancar offers a dive refresher course for those who have not been underwater for some time or are unfamiliar with ocean diving. My wife took this course and found it to be very beneficial. Her instructor was courteous and attentive to the point that she felt very comfortable getting back in to the marine environment.We were pleased to find the Mexican staff to be very accomdating, hard working and willing to ensure customer satisfaction. My wife was very impressed by how respectful they were to the ladies.My wife and I have stayed in many luxurious hotels and resorts in our travels. Clearly, the accomodation at Allegro is not anything near luxurious, but it is definitely adequate. Besides, when we travel to a diving location, we do not expect luxury. We want the beach and the dive sites to be luxurious. The reefs of Cozumel are a true paradise for divers.We have always been huge fans of the Bahamas, and took this trip to Cozumel after four previous trips to Nassau. We will return to Cozumel and the Allegro next winter...this time, for two weeks!

Our family spent one week here at the Allegro. When we first arrived I was just amazed at how beautiful the grounds were. The front desk was friendly and we were taken to our rooms. The kids stayed in one room while we stayed in another. The room the kids were in was a bit rustic. The tub was in pretty bad shape and there was a little musty odor. But after the room windows and door were flung wide open, things started to improve. The beach is wonderful and the kids had a blast in the water. The staff we thought was extremely friendly and kind. The food was good, but we wish it would have been a little hotter. By the time we got back to our table, it cooled off pretty fast except food prepared by the chef in the dining room. The kids had a great time and the shows that were presented in the evening were spectacular. Very well done and entertaining. I would have to rate the Activities Staff an A+. Yes, we would definitely go back with the children. I heard a rumor that the rooms were going to be renovated and I can't wait to see that!!!

We just returned from a week at the Allegro and had a wonderful time.
No bad smells - no bugs or anything else in the rooms, wonderful staff and fabulous beach! I had read the reviews posted here and was very apprehensive about the trip, but things really worked out for us. When you take a trip like this you need to remember that you are no longer in the United States and that you have not paid a huge amount of money for this vacation! I was happy to know about the size of the rooms and the need for them to be updated and tipping seemed to amke a lot of difference at the bar - that way I wasn't dissappointed! For anyone who is going - I highly reccomend the Jeep Tour, definately get into the Mexican and Italian Restaurants and tip them for extra seatings or head into town for a dinner at La Veranda - truly a lovely restaurant and great food! The spa treatments at the the beauty salon are also wonderful!

We too were a little bit worried after reading the horrible reviews... We just got back on March 24 after a long ten day honeymoon to Allegro... and had the best time there. When we got there our room wasn't ready yet but ofcourse we were there before check-in time. So while waiting for our room we walked around and took in all the beautiful landscapin. We went to the activites pool, where they also have the snack bar there, and found our room was right there. I couldn't believe we actually had ocean front room so i was excited about that too. When check-in time came around we got our key and went to check out the room. Like others said.. if your all about the room, this isn't the place, but a good place to lay you head at night. I had prepared myself for the musty smell everyone was talking about but our room didn't have that smell. While we were unpacking, one of the staff showed up... greeted us "Happy Honeymoon" and came in. He made a heart with two swains out of towels on our bed and spread flowers around them. It was so beautiful and i enjoyed watching every bit of it. After unpacking.. we went to check out the dive shop because we had planned on getting our open water scuba diving certification. It cost us $368 each.. but compared to the other dive shop charging $350, you would have also had to pay for the taxi which would have been $15 each way everyday, so we stayed right there at the resort and did it. The course takes 3-4 days so our first night we had homework. Our instructor, Pablo, was the greatest! Very easy going and spoke english well. We got our certification in 3 days, did 2 off shore dives, and 4 dives off the boat. (the last two were just for fun since we had finished our course). On our first dive off the boat we got to swim along the second largest reef which was the Palancar reef, 60 ft under. The under water life is sooo beautiful. All sorts of tropical fish, huge lobesters, eels, rays and luckly on our last dive we got to see a sea turtle and shark. Our instructor was just as excited as we were, we were told we would be lucky to see a shark and on our last dive.. we did!!! We made plans with our tour guide to do the Jeep tour and swim with dolphins. The Jeep tour was fun in the begining.. the first thing we did was stopped and did some snorkling.. our tour guide had a bottle of crumbs and fed the fish. We were surrounded by tons of beautiful fish... after that we went on a long hour and half bumpy ride.. but after stoppin and having our lunch.. the ride out was a bit rough... just wanted the trip to end. We thought we would get a Jeep.. but ended up having a Tracker. The following day we went to Chakanaab and swam with dolphins. That was sooo much fun. Got to kiss and be kissed by them.. held on to their fins while pulling us through the water.. had them push us up out of the water by our feet and jumping over a pole. Its a memeroy i will never forget. The last two days were relaxing days. All in all we had a great time.. the food was good.. especally the Mexican resturant (but you got to dress casual).. all the drinks you could possibly want..beautiful waters.. good entertainment.. and great staff. They are very hard workers. Be sure you bring plenty of sunscreen. We saw a lot of RED people there. Im sure theres more that i haven't witten about... so if theres any questions please email me and i'll see if i can help. Stephanie