My fiancee and I spent eight days in early January at the Presidente and absolutely loved it. The best part is that we got a superior ocean view room and airfare for only $2,130.00 for eight nights. I booked our trip through hotwire.com and got a rate of $1,980.00 for eights nights in a deluxe garden view room and airfare on U.S. Airways for two. With vacation packages, hotwire.com lets you see the hotel you're selecting but not the airline or flight itinerary. But we got the exact same flights as if we booked it through U.S. Airways directly. I then learned from a review on tripadvisor.com about the perks of joining the Intercontinental's Six Continents Club. For an initial annual fee of $150, among other things you get a room upgrade. After the first year it's an annual fee of only $50.00. I joined the Club and e-mailed the hotel with my member number and they upgraded us to a superior ocean view room. I researched hotel and airline packages on other sites and we saved $900 using hotwire.com. And a room upgrade was $60 a night so minus the $150 we saved another $330. We ate almost every meal (my fiancee loved the fajitas) at the Presidente and drank like fish. Our bill at the end of the week was about $1,100 which made the total cost about the same as the all-inclusive hotels but staying at a much better hotel. If I return to Cozumel, it'll be to the Presidente.

Spent seven glorious days at El Presidente starting Jan. 17th. Upon arrival, without the $150 fee, our garden view room was upgraded to oceanview. Although not a gorgeous room, it provided us with plenty of space, a terrace and a view of the beach and ocean. The hotel is beautifully maintained, with a lovely beach, ample shade and seating, and a staff that is the best I have ever experienced. All requests were pleasantly and quickly taken care of for my husband and myself. The outdoor dining for breakfast was just a perfect setting. Our package included the buffet breakfast and tips...so we had no complaints about the prices. We did eat in the more formal dining room, and would recommend it as a must for all guests. Spent time in town, eating at Prima (great food), Casa de Maison (disappointing) and La Veranda (romantic, and good food). Pepe's Grille was too noisy, and the service was slow. Eat in the hotel. Try the massage, outdoors, soft music and the sound of the water...well worth the $75. JUst about a mile away, is the cruise ship port, and you can get all your shopping done there....
We had a driver take us around the island and were were able to see some beautiful scenery, ruins and water sights. Try snorkeling at the hotel. The Scuba Du staff is very helpful. We would recommend the El Presidente - you will have a relaxing, pampered time.

We stayed at the Presidente from Jan. 13-17 and had a fabulous time.
Your poolside lounge chair has a 2 inch pad, towel and neck roll pillow with a fresh flower on it. Plenty of room to spread out on beach with lots of shade palapas. Snorkeling was terrific just off beach. Food was excellent (and I think we're picky). One hour massage was $75. We booked thru Expedia which saved several hundreds over booking hotel and air separately. When we got there we negotiated a room upgrade. The rooms in the tower are fine, but nothing beats being on the beach. The staff is very friendly. We especially enjoyed all the boat traffic that goes back and forth in front of the hotel and the cruise ships docked about a mile away. We ate in town twice - Prima was excellent with great steak and seafood as well as pasta. Acuario was pretty good seafood right on the water. We've already decided to go back to Presidente next year, but we'll stay longer !

My husband and I are very frequent guests at the Presidente. It has become our home away from home. The hotel is older, but well cared for.
What makes the Presidente the best place to stay is the staff. What a friendly group of people. We love this hotel!