I'll start this off by saying I was pretty hesitant about the place from all the bad reviews. But all in all, I'd go again if in Cozumel. But I'll bebetter prepared next time.

I went to go scuba diving, so I appreciated the full service that Dive Palancar provides. We chartered a private boat with some friends so we got tremendous service, and a beautiful boat and a wonderful divemaster named William. Great prices, but we added in the tip for the extra service, which was worth it. Since I have a bad back, the boat crew helped me on and off with my tanks, lifted all my gear from the water, and let me climb aboard easily on the ladder, instead of letting me suffer up the steps. They would help get the BC/reg attached to the tanks and lift the weight belts for us, and carry our gear from the locker area to the boat, and back again. The good thing about having a charter was that we could leave after getting our little kids turned in to the Kids club area, which was open only from 9-1 and then 3-5 (no night hours). Otherwise, most great dives started out at 8 AM, and were on boats that had anywhere from 10-30 divers. I don't know how others would handle it - they probably go out on later boats and miss out on the good stuff or have to hire an outside babysitter. we were fortunate that our 12 yr old could handle the small kids and pick them up by 1, since the boat didn't often get back in until after, and we still had to clean our gear up. So they definitely need to expand the hours to accommodate the scuba program.

My 12 year old was upset about playing babysitter all week, and having no one to hang with, and she also had to study since we had pulled her out of school to go. But I tried to make it up by taking her to chankanaab one day, parasailing one afternoon, and shopping on our last day.

The food was fine. I'm used to going to everywhere from Royal Carribean cruises to Club Med, and I found the Allegro to have passable food. And because of the hours we would be coming in to eat, the poolside service was easiest, so we could eat in our swimsuits after our dives. It got a bit boring, but we were so hungry, I'd eat everything they had, and loved the salsa andguacamole. i'd throw it on the fish, the hamburgers, the eggs and omelettes at breakfast. try the open grill if you're there early enough to grab something. Most of the time we missed them, but had some chicken from it, and it was really good. Some people say to bring your own coffee, and I forgot about that. But if you like strong coffee, its OK. They don't have decaf, so if you're a decaf person, bring it. Next time I'mbringing some hot chocolate packets for the kids too.

We ate at the Grill (Steakhouse) and its located next to the pool area. It was great outdoor weather (Apr 17-23), so I didn't mind eating al fresco. Not much choice there, and the good steaks cost you extra (about $30), but I had the steak they offered with the all-inclusive deal, and found it to be really good and I wouldn't spend the money for the better steak unless you want to splurge. But like others have said, its cheaper to eat in town, except for adding on the taxi ride. (RT to downtown, $15 to, $17 to return.) we also ate at the Caruso and the La Troje. didn't have any problems booking it, but we planned it a couple days before. Other nights we ate in the main dining area, and it was fine. My husband likes to have a variety to choose from, and gets indecisive, so the buffet was perfectfor him. And the kids love pasta, so it didn't bother them to have it nearly every night. My only gripe is that the desserts could have been better.

Rooms are small, but I'm used to close quarters in a cruise room. Our friends had booked everything for us as a group, trying to get us the larger 1 bedroom, but the hotel had overbooked and kept promising to move us in during the midweek, and never followed through. then they said they'd move us but we'd have to move again before the end of the week. Siince the kids were a pain to move, and we had an ocean view room right along the beach, I didn't want to give it up and risk being in a worse room. We were right next to the beach, close to the pool and the outdoor eating areas and towel hut, so I wasn't about to complain. we didn't have to smell the septic tanks except when we walked in the first night, and the mornings when we went to breakfast. Our room was on the ground floor, which was fine because my bad back wouldn't have handled climbing the stairs all day. we didn't hear much from the next room except when you're in the bathroom. the bathroom helped separate the bedroom areas apart, so I only heard next door when the dad was yelling at his kids. they probably heard us more since my kids were louder. And my kids were really excited about all the iguanas under our villa, and the turtles on the beach. So once the mom from next door told us to keep it down during the mid day cuz her baby was sleeping. No biggie, we were on the way out anyhow.
I never tipped the room attendant til the end, because we kept hoping that we'd get the better room. And he figured it out on his own, that we needed more water. One day we had two bottles, and we borrowed some water from our friends to get by the first night. but by the second day, 8 bottles were in our room. And by the mid-week, bottles of alcohol showed up in our room, along with sodas and small water bottles. No ice though, so we'd have to go get some when we wanted something. so if you have watered down drinks, make them yourself. we had whole bottles of jose Cuervo, Vodka, Brandy and Rum. Was that done for everyone or just for us since they didn't give us the better room? don't know. The better rooms have them.

Our friends have the timeshare club, and got the villa right next to the pool, where the whole top level is theres. If you plan on going a lot, that's the way to do it. One bedroom was the size of two normal rooms and it had central a/c. their 4 year old had a room larger than ours all to himself. And they had a microwave, a bar, a whole huge dining and living room. It was nice, but they go every 2 years, so they get treated like royalty there. They had offered to share it with us, and I was tempted, but it was on the second floor, and climbing the rickety crooked stairs was posing a problem when we'd visited them. I dont' think I could have done the hike up and down all day without hurting myself at some point. If you have a hard time walking around because of leg or back problems, stay on the first floor.

We rented a car at Executive right across the street, and they were fair. I had lost a key, and they told us they would charge us $50 and gave us a free car to replace to the one we couldn't get into. when I turned in the car, they said the key only cost $35, so that's what they charged us. Nice. Wish I had taken better advantage of using the car. didn't use it much. If you don't plan on doing more than going to downtown, or chankanaab, just take a taxi. They're everywhere.

ADVICE for underwater photographers: there's a custom lab outside the El Cid La ceiba that has rental gear, supplies and does overnight custom processing and give advice to beginners. they're wonderful!! they're an authorized Sea & Sea repair shop, so when I had a problem with my camera, they just popped the piece back into place, and sent me on my way. No charge. But I had spent some money in there too. they had spare o-rings, silicon, lanyards, etc. If you look up Sea &Sea's website, and go to Cozumel repair, it'll show you the exact info. they also respond to their e-mail within a day. I had bought a Motormarine II on ebay days before the trip and didn't know what condition it would be in, but it was pretty good. When the one piece popped off, I was glad that the shop was able to fix it, cuz I couldn't. He did it in a matter of seconds too - he didn't make me miss a dive without my camera.

All in all, although they need to make a couple of adjustments, I thought they had a great resort, and would go again, but also think there's other places in the world to visit before returning.

By the way, if you have portable DVD players, make sure you bring them. the tvs there have only spanish speaking shows, except one channel. My kids were goingnuts at night without tv, So the DVD player was my saviour. We had to watch a movie, then recharge the unit, cuz there was no AC plug near the tv. Only one in the room was in the bathroom where the hairdryer was. We had the one plug in constant use recharging DVD players, battery rechargers, cell phones and the hairdryer and curling iron.

Hope you enjoy your stay there. Try and keep an open mind, and remember that you are in a better place. Anohter diver in our group had stayed at the Fiesta Americana before coming to Allegro because of the overbooking, and said it was OK, but the Allegro was nicer. You pay considerably more for better hotels, and how often are you going to be in it? we got an awesome deal, so I can't complain. Our family of four went for a week when the kids 5 and under are free, and the 12 year old was only $25 a day, and I bought airfare from Vegas during airfare wars about 4 months ahead, so our total was around $3100.