We went for our anniversary in April and had an amazing time. The service is excellent and the staff very friendly. The food at the bar/restaurant was great and we ended up eating there for every meal! I would highly suggest an ocean view room. Scuba Du was wonderful for the snorkeling trip and Jose was a great guide. I think when the adult pool is finished it will be a little more relaxing for couples with no children. We ended up not going to the pool at all due to the noise but sitting under a palapa with drink service on a white sand beach wasn't too shabby! As for the 5 star rating - it is Mexico. Yes the rooms are old but clean. We hope to return to the Presidente again soon!

My friend and I returned from Cozumel last Friday, the 16th after staying the week at the EP. They are repairing the north end of the hotel, but as promised, they upgraded us to the south end rooms that all face the ocean. The beds are hard, but in every hotel I have stayed in down in the Cozumel/Cancun/Riviera Maya have hard beds. But, it didn't matter and in fact, when I awoke each morning, my back didn't hurt! I have a really soft bed at home with a pillow top, and I think it is responsible for my lower back hurting every morning. A good thing to do is bring your own pillow.
The rooms were immaculate, the room service was impeccable and the room service food was unbelievably delicious. They even serve Angus beef and I was leary, since I am from Texas and we do have good beef here. The ribeye steak(s) that I ordered from room service were excellent. The staff all the way from the manager to the housemaids were courteous, always smiling. The bellhops would do everything we asked with a smile as well.
They are building another pool where the garden area used to be, but the pool near the ocean is really nice. But you just can't beat the beautiful blue waters of the ocean that is literally rightoutside your room....lots of white sand which they have brought in, and the snorkeling is awesome. I have stayed here many times, so I may be a little biased, but have also stayed other places in Coz, and this one beats them all.....I wish they had an AI package, but they don't.
We rented a very nice SUV and drove into town a couple of nights to eat dinner, but the rest of the time, we ordered room service.
We did get a few calls from a lady who wanted us to look at some type of deal they have got going now...timeshare, but I said no thank you, but got a parting gift for just talking to her. They started doing this about a year ago, but if you say no, there is NO pressure.
I can't say enough good things about this place. Yes, it is an older hotel, but that gives it character and we had no problem with bugs.....not even mosquitoes.
I am going back in mid-October and will be staying there of course. If you are undecided, take your time and read all the reviews of this and all of the other big hotels on the island.
If I could live there, I would! Adios!

After doing extensive research we picked the Presidente based upon earlier reviews. They were all accurate and pictures provided were also. The hotel is approx. 36 years old. Very nice layout. But it is 36 years old. Most of the hotel is going under renovation because of huirricane damage. Only 1 wing was open. Not very many people at this time of year. Most of the people are return guests, many who have been staying many years. What make the hotel is the staff. Service and food both very good. Rooms are old and I mean old. Beds are very hard. For the money it is not a 4 or 5 start hotel. I have stayed at Hamptons that are nicer. Beach and pool are nice. Remember Cozumel has very little sand but the hotel has a nice beach area. You can snorkle or dive right there. I dove with Scuba Du and would do so again. They are well organized and leave from the hotel. We went in the "new" Cozumel Palace" and thought what we saw was a 4+ hotel. If the rates at the Presidente were better I would probably stay again but not at $200/night.

We stayed at the El Presidente Sept 2 - 5. Although the beach restaurant and bar are still under renovations, they still are having a happy hour 5-7 at the pool bar with limited menu. Also Another happy hour from 7-8 at the inside restaurant.
All the rooms on the north end are under renovations, and people were being given upgrades to the ocean-front rooms at no additional cost. We had an ocean-front 1st floor room, very conveniently located.
The inside restaurant menu had been altered to have a broad mix of breakfast-lunch and dinner. The breakfast buffet was inside also.(also air-conditioned)

They were working on putting in an additional pool behind the rooms on the north end. Should be real nice when completed.

The spa was operating in 2 of their rooms, but expects to be back in their new space within a few more days. I had a massage and it was very professional.

WE DID NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE TIME-SHARE GROUP AT THE RESORT. I think management had enough complaints. We received 2 phone called - on different days with an invitation for free breakfast - and we politely turned them down and that was the end of story. ( You kinda needed to know if advance that this was the time-share group and not the front-desk, or maybe you would have taken the bait)

The resort was as beautiful as ever - but a lot less people - so we got a lot of really great service.

We asked for a pillow-topper for our bed . Ready at check in.

Hope this helps someone - this website is great.