Beginning June 19th, we recently spent 5 nights at the Presidente Inter-Continental. by far, the best feature of this hotel is the pool and waterfront area. The pool is immaculate, fabulous drinks and great food are efficiently served as you lounge in the sun or under the little thatched umbrellas. Staff is friendly and helpful, earning that 10% service charge attached additionally to your daily room rate.
Tropical paradise....that is until you return to your room. We booked a 'superior' room which lives up to its title only by the view of the ocean off the balcony. Inside you will find a barren, cheaply decorated concrete box. Our sink leaked at the faucet and under the vanity, and the shower flowed onto the bathroom floor, cleverly avoiding the drain.
The air conditioning never gets quite cold enough and the shower can take up to 5 minutes to warm up. We were told that the true luxury lies in the suites and beach front rooms. The fitness center is well equipped and sits right off the beach, so you can watch the ocean as you melt the pounds away. Word of caution, ask the staff to turn up the AC as it gets stifling and bring your own CDs if you like to listen to music as you workout. We ate lunch daily at the pool and ate in the restaurant only once for dessert but all the food was fabulous. Other recommendations: Number #1 recommendation: If you are a wine drinker, BRING YOUR OWN! You will not find one single, decent bottle on the island. Either surrender to rum punch or pack your own! Bring sunscreen and use it! On-site dive center does not allow you to dive your own profile, all are guided dives. Recommend Deep Blue dive operation. Taxi ride to town costs $5, make sure you negotiate prior to accepting a ride. Renting a jeep to explore the east side of the island is interesting if you have a lot of time and $60 to kill, but not noteworthy. Two fabulous restaurants are the original Casa Mission, a special treat, and the more affordable Prima.

At the end of the day, this is the best it gets in Cozumel, ranking this above average FOR THE AREA. Puttng this into perspective, we would recommend this hotel but you may want to consider upgrading your room selection.

We've stayed at the Presidente five times over the past five years. We've also stayed (seven years ago) at the Plaza Las Glorias, when it was still relatively well managed, and tried one of the all-inclusive places, too. Then we found El Presidente. Wow. From the time you clear through the guard house into the impeccably manicured grounds, this resort is impressive. We've always felt at home at the Prez, because the staff is not only courteous (common in Mexico) but very professional. The meals are superb (dinner cuisine is world-class), and the waiters are a joy. We eat all our meals at the Arecife restaurant, he waterfront open-air palapa with a gorgeous view across the channel West to the mainland. Our first few trips, we went into own most evenings; now, the cruise ships have pretty much taken over town, and the Prez grounds are so nice, we just stay on the compound for most of our trips. The grounds are expansive and well-kept (down to the multi-story Iguana House). There is excellent snorkeling right out your front door, including a sunken barge with hundreds of resident fish, and a quarter-mile of coral, sponges, sea-fans, and the like. It's not pristine; it's had a lot of traffic over the years, as have most places. Still, a snorkeler gets to see a lot of marine life right close in. Especially note the big school of clown parrotfish, including several huge super-males, which frequent this area. Also, BIG starfish, peacock flounder (go slow and keep focused on the sandy bottom), and especially the tiny 'nurseries' of French and Gray Angels, Rock Beauties, Yellow Tangs...Scuba Du, the on-site dive shop, is very professional. Serious divers usually bring their own fins, mask, snorkel, regulator, and B/C, but the shop really does have excellent quality gear. The staff is conservative, safety-conscious, and careful on the reefs. They aim to please, but obviously this reef system sees a lot of divers every season, and with the strong-ish current, you can feel a little rushed. My advice: let the curCozumel. Don't touch the reefs, just enjoy the passing scenes. Again: RELAX! If you do, you'll find each dive more fun than the last. In about 25 dives off Isla Cozumel, I'm just beginning to scratch the surface, and the Presidente Intercontinental is a very, very nice place to base our future explorations!