We spent a week at the Intercontinental in November. We did mostly diving. This is a GREAT hotel. The rooms to get are the ocean suite. Try to get the top floors. The rooms are huge, the view is great. The most impressive part of the hotel is the service. One of the people in our group had an air conditioner problem. Fixed in minutes of the call. Complimentary coffee showed up on time every morning. We got calls in the afternoon to be sure the room was OK and did we need anything. I have never stayed in a hotel with better service. The location is far enough from downtown to avoid the crowds from the 4 cruise ships per day and close enough to easily go into town in the evening. Scuba Du is on site for diving which is the reason we were there in the first place. Every morning is a two tank boat dive. Insist on going to the wreck. It is well worth it. For a tip at the end of the week, they will wash and dry your gear. I was a bit worried that things would get lost, nothing got lost. Everything ends up back in the right place and on the dock in the morning for the next dive. The only weak spot is the restaurant. It is average. The fish and chips swimming in grease was not edible. Like others have said, don’t get the breakfast buffet. To costly.

We stayed 7 nights at the Presidente in October. It is a lovely facility, in a beautiful place. This was the "off" season and we found out why - it was quite rainy and the mosquitoes were really thick. The hotel as well as other places in town were spraying about twice a day to lessen the attacks, but you really have to have your own insect repellent with you at all times. This was the only negative experience we had which was of course no fault of this hotel! This may be why the place was less than half full the entire week.

Mosquitoes and rain are of no consequence though if you are under the water! This was my first visit to Palancar Reef and the other areas for diving around the island. It was spectacular, though the hurricanes of the pat 2 years certainly left their damage, as seen over the entire Island - poor Cozy...The ocean floors were covered in broken coral - so sad. The hotel dive shop ScubaDu was right there outside our door. So convenient. Most of the dive masters were very helpful and always polite. A few times we felt that they were not paying close enough attention to the beginners though, as the dive masters were way too far ahead. All in all though, it is very convenient and the shop is quite flexible with scheduling dates. They do have set dive site locations each day, with no variation or special request.

Our room was an ocean front, which was actually a hotel view on the beach..so not really the view we had reserved. It was very nice - loved the bath and outdoor shower. The bed was very comfy and the linens were always fresh. The towels are enormous! The usual Mexico ambience can be seen in everything from the lovely fresh hibiscus flowers scattered about the rooms, as well as in the less than perfect repairs from the hurricane damage. Still, such a lovely place and people. I love Mexico.

The front desk staff is exemplary in attention and making sure that we had every accommodation and request. The restaurant is open air (bring that bug spray) and the conch ceviche was a staple in my diet all week. The beach front is in small sandy areas between rocky spots around the property, very secluded and quiet, very private and relaxing. The beachside bar next to the dive shop is usually open and has an outstanding coconut drink - I don't recall the name...

Other amenities around the property include travel services, fax and internet, rental cars available, another restaurant (Italian), gift shop and apparel shop. There is also a spa onsite.

The only downside to this property is the distance from town, as a taxi is always needed to get into town or anywhere else. So if seclusion and quiet are what you need, this is the place!

After 2 weeks driving around Atlanta, Nashville and Memphis we were looking forward to a relaxing time at the Presidente. Although low season the hotel seemed to be fully staffed. The weather was mixed and we had a few short showers but never enough to spoil what we were doing.
The rooms were spotlessly clean, well fitted with a proper coffee making facility and a clock radio with an iPod dock. Staff were all very friendly and helpful. We tried both restaurants and although quiet, the service and food were very good. The beaches are kept immaculately clean and the snorkelling was some of the best I have experience from a beach. Taxis were always available to get into town and were cheap. Amazingly, the taxi drivers did not appear to have a suicidal tenancy and all drove sensibly. We played golf at the local course, arranged via the hotel, a fun course, I am sure the warnings about crocodiles in the water hazards were not just there to amuse. Plenty of wild life around the course (water fowl, humming birds, iguanas) including a large variety of mosquito that can bite through your clothes - take repellent.
The hotel has two pools, one which does not allow children - good idea. We went in the pool almost every day and never had to share it.
Excellent hotel and staff, highly recommended.
Ken Jones
Cyprus

My wife and I enjoyed a 4 night stay at the Presidente from September 10th to the 14th. We chose this resort based on the many glowing reviews I read on Tripadvisor and they were on the mark. The staff was very friendly and helpful and the service is fantastic. The beach/reef area is beautiful, the food was good, and the views are magnificent. This is a really good place to go if you want to watch an awesome sunset.

We arrived on the 10th after having to make in transit changes to our travel itinerary because of Hurricane Ike. It was a very long day and upon arrival we were greeted with fresh towels and Mango smoothies. We were asked if we wanted to upgrade to a beach front room and after being shown our options, we decided to splurge and gladly accepted the upgrade. The view from our room was amazing.

As far as the service at the resort, i really cannot say enough about the way we were treated by the staff. Everyone was very friendly and accommodating and our requests were handled immediately. For me, service is the number one determinant of a successful vacation and the Presidente delivered big time.

As far as food choices go, there was Alfredo's and El Caribeno, as well as a beach front bar and grill. The service at Alfredo's was excellent and I really enjoyed the Swordfish with Lemon Sauce. Alfredo's is only open after 6pm, so your choice prior to that is El Caribeno which is open all day and has the breakfast buffet. Breakfast here is expensive ($21), but again the service is top notch, the food is very good, and you cannot beat the view eating breakfast looking out over the reefs, the turquoise water and the ocean. They do also have a breakfast menu from which to choose if you don't want the buffet.

Our room had a king size bed, a large bathroom with a seperate tub and shower, as well as a private outdoor shower, and double sinks. There is plenty of space for clothes, an ironing board, and an umbrella in case it rains. The bed may have been the best hotel bed I've ever slept in and the pillows were very comfortable. The room also had a nice flat screen tv and a nice touch was the alarm clock with the iPOD dock which I made use of. The staff placed flowers in our room every day, and did a nice job of taking care of the room without being obtrusive. I will definitely upgrade to this room next time I come. It is expensive, but worth it in my opnion.

We were fortunate to go during the low season. We were told that the resort was at about 15% occupancy during the early part of our stay. I enjoyed the fact that we pretty much had the run of the resort and it wasn't crowded. On both occasions we swam in the adult pool, my wife and I were the only people around to keep the iguanas company. There is also a large crab that lives in the darkened hallway leading to the beach front suites and he created a light hearted moment as he caught my wife completely by surprise on the way to the room one night. I agree with the other reviewers that you will need bug spray. The first night, my wife got bit up pretty good. The next day we went to a drug store and picked some up.

We did rent a Waverunner from Scuba Du, the on site water sports company. We tried to rent both of them, but one didn't start and the other one died while we were riding around in front of the property resulting in a good story and a kayak trip in. They were constantly shuttling people on and off the dive boats for snorkeling and scuba diving. I think we'll take advantage of this next time, although the snorkeling on and around the property I'm told is supposed to be good.

For us, the trip was about relaxation. We did not have any set agenda or activities planned this time. We enjoyed the fact that the Presidente is somewhat segregated from the town and the seclusion it offered. We did take taxi rides to town each day. I think the highest fare was $9. My wife speaks fluent Spanish so we made the effort to talk to the locals and immerse ourself in the culture. We ate tacos at La Mission on 30th avenue. The food was really good and easy on the wallet. We also were directed to Kinta by the hotel staff, and decided to give it a try. I would highly recommend giving this restaurant a shot. It was very good.

We rented a Jeep and drove to the windward side of the island one day. My only regret on this trip was that we didn't spend enough time over there. It's about a half hour ride to get there. The surf is rough, but the ocean is amazing and the beaches completely deserted. We parked the jeep at several spots to take pictures and didn't see another car for 10 minutes. We stopped at Coconuts and had Seviche and Cerveza overlooking the ocean. The view is awesome. We saw alot of folks Kite Surfing at one point, which looked like alot of fun.

In summary, it was the best vacation I've ever had in an unforgettable setting. The people are very friendly and helpful, and anything you might need outside of the resort is a 10 minute cab ride away. I can't say enough about the Presidente or our trip.