We stayed at the Presidente Dec. 17-21, 2006 and had a lovely time. It was our third visit to this resort. We love to snorkel right off the beach and our teenage/college kids like to dive with Scuba Du. As always, the staff and service at this hotel and its restaurants were fantastic. We will definitely return to the Presidente in the future. I must add, however, that the property is not quite back to normal. Our room, 2121, faced the scuba palapa and was fabulous - all new furnishings and a cool outdoor shower. From that room, nothing seemed amiss. But our kids' room, 2118, a garden view room, had sort of a moldy/mildew smell. And when we wandered to our previous favorite rooms on the property's north beach and south beach, we were thankful that we weren't there this time. The beaches were still under construction, missing sand and more. They were working furiously to get things ready for the busy Christmas week, and we sure hope they succeeded, but they had a ways to go as of yesterday (12/21). All said, the lobby and palapa restaurant were beautifully decorated for the holidays and we certainly would have stayed longer if we could. We highly recommend this resort, and hope that guests will be patient as it fully recovers from the devasting 2005 hurricane.

The Presidente is looking good! We were there Dec. 9-16, 2006 and had a wonderful time. We had a beachfront room facing the dive hut and it had all new furniture, including a very comfortable bed. The bathroom was very large and included an outdoor shower which worked great for rinsing dive gear. This was our fourth vacation at the Presidente, but our first after the hurricane. It was great to see many of the same staff members at both the hotel as well as Scuba Du. As always, all the staff was very friendly and helpful. As of Dec. 16, they are still finishing the whole wing of beachfront rooms on the south side of the property and still working on getting the beach and seawall at that end as well. Everything else is fully operational though, including the spa, both resturants and Scuba Du. We were also happpy to see that the whole island looks great. All of our favorite resturants were open and as good as ever. The Presidente is a wonderful place to relax, enjoy the beach and scuba diving in a very peaceful atmosphere. We plan to go back again within the next year or so.

I couldn't wait to tour the property and was able to do so on Oct. 28 when I was in town for a cruise stop. It was open but not quite finished - should be by the end of Nov. or early Dec. (in my opinion). The renovation is lovely and the new adult only pool is just perfect. The staff was gracious and remembered me from previous stays. The outdoor restaurant has been enlarged and the new one bedroom ocean view suites are in the main tower - two balconies - one open and the other glassed in for the bathroom & jacuzzi. This is certainly the "jewel" of Cozumel. We have been visiting every Jan. for the past 8 years and have stayed many places. The Intercontinental will always be our choice and it is worth the price. I can't wait to spend our week there in early Jan. 07.

My husband and I visited the Intercontinental Presidente, Cozumel in August of 2005, so this review is a long time in coming. Unfortunately, our trip could not be rescheduled and our visit was merely weeks after the big hurricane last summer (emily?). Many of the palapas were blown away, the spa was destroyed, one of the restaurants was closed and the wind damage was evident in just about every part of the hotel. Putting that aside, we had a mediocre stay.

The rooms were spacious and although the decor was dated, I felt as though they were well-appointed. The bathroom was large, and clean, but had only a shower, no tub. We both enjoyed our time on the balcony which was huge and had a TRUE ocean-view. Aside from the dated decor (think 70's wood paneling and puke green), the room wasn't half bad.

The food at the restaurant was delish and the lunches at the snazzy pool area were great. Definitely order the chicken caesar salad. All of the restaurant staff at the pool and at the restaurant was friendly and efficient. If you have the chance, eat lunch on the beach one day. The waitstaff is very quick and attentive, even if you're nowhere near the pool area.

The cleaning staff was also superb. We brought our dog (YES! they allow pets!) and asked the cleaning staff ahead of time if they'd be comfortable cleaning the room with him present. There was never a problem and our little bugger is the kind of dog that likes to sneak out as soon as he spots an open door. Kudos to the cleaning staff at the Presidente!

On that note, we never felt uncomfortable or unwelcome with our dog. We walked him on the beach at night and during the day he sat with us under a palapa. Never a problem.

The sandy beach area was very small, which was a bit disapointing, but the rocky area around the beach made for great snorkeling.

You might wonder why I assigned this hotel only a mediocre rating. I cannot in good conscience give this resort 4 or 5 stars because it is not a luxury or even a high-end resort. When compared to the Hyatt in Aruba or Mandalay Bay in Vegas, this hotel doesn't even come close. It never reaches the next level. The hotel itself (lobby, restaurant area, grounds, rooms) can be best compared to Club Med. A pleasant stay, a clean, comfortable bed, but definitely NOT luxury.

Additionally, my husband and I were very bored at the resort. There were very few Americans (the language barrier made it difficult to have anything but the most basic communication) and the activities provided at the resort were severly limited. The only activity available at the time was snorkeling. We ended up spending a lot of time shopping in the town area, as the large, nearby park was closed because of the hurricane. The nightlife was pretty much nonexistant. My husband and I aren't the "party all night" kind of people, but after dinner there was really NOTHING to do. We ended up sleeping by 9 pm every single night.

We probably will not return to the Presidente or to Cozumel, but if you like a quiet, relaxing vacation away from just about EVERYTHING, this might be the place for you. This year, we're going back to Aruba.

**Also note** When you arrive, you will be greeted immediately by staff members trying to sell you a time-share. It is my opinion that they are a huge waste of your precious vacation time and although they promise to rob you of only an hour, we observed some guests being given the hard-sell from breakfast until dinner.