We were there from the day after Thanksgiving to the first week of December. I have been to nice hotels and really beautiful places, but this place has it all beat!!! We had the "all-inclusive" and I have never been catered to in the manner that they do! Most friendly and reliable, helpful people working there. You never see a maid in your room, but they go out of their way to make you feel so special. The beds and linens were superb and the jaquzzi in the room really made it great to unwind after the most spectacular snorkling and water right off the hotel pier. We did do a party snorkle cruise and it was great, but hardly wanted to go too far from the hotel, as it was just heaven! The food was super(and we are a sort of "food snob") and service was just embarrassingly wonderful! The balcony overlooked the most electric tourquoise clear water I have ever seen..........even prettier than the Cayes off of Belize. The spa was great and I had to have two massages there to make myself believe it wasn't a dream. Drinks were great and again........the food was super! I have been in food and bar service most of my adult life (52 years old now) and tend to be critical of other's service.....no complaints here! And who can anticipate being met at the front door, out of your taxi, with a cold washcloth for you face and a glass of the best champagne with cherries and strawberries glistening in the bottom of the flute? You step out and they hand you this and a receipt for your bags. They are brought to your room and waiting on you after all your ewwwwing and awwwwwing! Just can't wait to go back and am planning on taking my hubby, who is now handicapped; since their Handicapped accessibility rooms are perfect and very roomy! Thank you guys at The Palace............you made a believer out of this cynical woman who has never seen service like that! Good job all!

Our October stay during a long, windy, mostly overcast weekend was made much more pleasant by the extraordinary friendliness and first class service. The facility is very nice, with plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas around the pool and waterfront. Fine food in the restaurants, with great service there as well.

Language problems at the tour desk kept us from the boat trips, so most of what we did was on our own. Snorkeling was very disappointing in front of the hotel, with dozens of pieces of plastic and other material suspended in the water, probably from the ferry and cruise ship docks a mile or so away. No living coral, and few fish, but the weather was not good, so our impression was different from other reviewers. We stayed away from the area near the cruise ships, as always, and rented a car to see the island. Beautiful beaches across the island, which were fairly calm during our visit because of the winds from the west. We'd certainly return during better weather!

My fiancé, her daughter, a niece and I spent a great week at Cozumel Palace from December 26th through January 1st. The preceding reviews generally are consistent with our experiences. We thought the food was better than the average commentary suggests (except for the awful sushi) and that the spa services were not very good.

Our best impression about the Palace and Cozumel in general is that the people are very nice. There is no hint of the suspicion or distain I’ve encountered in some people in other countries. Folks are having a good time, whether working the doors at the ubiquitous jewelry shops along the main thoroughfare, bussing tables, trying to sell expensive diamonds, paving roads, or hosting all-night new-year parties in the impoverished San Miguel neighborhoods.

The Palace is extremely clean and service is impeccable; cost seems reasonable at $448/night compared to similar resorts. I tipped routinely, but did not see anyone else doing so. Noise is an issue on the lower floor. We requested a Mezzanine (loft) room with a pair of upstairs beds for the kids, and had been assigned one already at no additional charge. When ushered into room 101 at the southern end of the resort, I asked about the construction noise mentioned in a TripAdvisor review and was told half-heartedly that it isn’t so bad. The large lot 20 feet away is in the concrete-breaking stage of a major reconstruction; be prepared for steady jack-hammering during the workday. The advantage of an end room is that noise from hotel foot traffic is negligible. Room 101’s view is compromised by a children’s swingset and the adjacent lot’s wall.

On the second night a sink pipe in the upstairs bathroom burst. Fortunately the kids were in the room to sound an alert, so only a hundred or so gallons emptied (there is no valve in the room and water pressure is terrific) before it was shut off. We shifted to room 112, which is next to the doors for this wing and adjacent to the staging area for many hotel operations. This may be the noisiest room at the Palace, but it was last of the dozen Mezzanine rooms. My guess is that an upper floor corner room would be ideal for two guests seeking great views and comparative solitude.

Daytime activities at the Palace include board games, Spanish lessons, and card games. Night activities are modest, with enthusiastic dance shows and casino games. The girls were content to flirt by the pool all day, but every morning I ran through the alleys and along less-traveled roads near the airport. My fiancé and I walked extensively. We also visited the tiny nighttime carnival and the cemetery, which are one and two blocks from the Palace respectively. Customized 70s-era VW beetles are plentiful and entertaining. Unprotected families of four (including infants) on mopeds would make helmet-law advocates apoplectic.

We also explored the island in a Jeep ($55 after a one-time voucher + gas) and stopped at the beaches and seaside restaurants along the eastern coast. The very large domestic pig at Punta Sur made up for the absence of wildlife during this excursion. Entrance fees for the Chankanaab beach start at $15/person and were not worth it to us, although this opinion must be in the minority because the place was packed. We learned later that the Palace does not recommend this facility because it hasn’t fully recovered from hurricane damage. Snorkeling at Chankanaab and at the Palace is poor.

We were surprised to be offered a welcome package on our third night, and very disappointed because we missed the free trips to the Coba ruins and Tulum on the mainland. We learned that Playa Mia would have been a free alternative to Chankanaab.

Phone charges are extraordinarily high; in the era of 3 cents/minute phone cards, 40-cents/minute in the lobby is crazy, but cheaper than the mandatory $4/minute + fees if you use your calling card on a room phone. The Palace’s $10/hour Internet fees can be beaten with a 2-block walk to the $1/hour shops toward town or across from the cemetery.

Our high-school-age girls had acrylic nails put on at the spa ($45/person + tip). One set fell off within 24 hours. The technician suggested that this might happen to this style but applied them anyway after our 16-year-old explained that she routinely gets them. Several tiers of management utterly refused to consider our request for a refund. We were really mad about this, primarily because they were so stingy after we had been so generous, but at least the other style was intact and there had been no suggestion that there would be a problem. These fell off on the way to the airport, less than 48 hours after they were applied.

I recommend using Cozumel's airport. The journey from Cancun (45 minutes) to the Playa del Carmen ferry and across the channel (45 more) drags out the day quite a bit if, like us, you face an unscheduled stop for refueling due to congestion over Cancun.

Our family of 4 (2 college age kids) has been going to All-Inclusive resorts ,for Christmas ,for 6 or seven years now. We also have many other trips to Mexico/Caribbean under our belts,and this was our 4th trip to Cozumel-first time at the Palace
There are trade-offs wherever you go and AI food is never the best. That said,we loved the Palace. The food is much better than most AI's,the service,and other positives included in reviews,all true. Christmas is the true test of a resort when it is sure to be at capacity;we have encountered short-staffing and surly employees elsewhere who obviously resented working during the holidays. Not so here. The "beach" is the downside. If you want to take long beachwalks go elsewhere. The small size of the Palace suited us but may not offer enough activities /variety for some. I would choose the Moon or Sun Palace for younger children.
I won't repeat all the superlatives from other reviews-we will be back! We took $100 in ones for tips,(these folks work hard for their money!) DO tip. On Xmas day a small stocking filled with Mexican candy was left in our room,they go the extra mile.
Watch out for the time-share vultures,they will approach you *inside* the airport when you arrive and are looking for your shuttle/taxi. They stopped us at the door and told us (authoritatively) "You must check with us first". Having just cleared immigration,customs,you may assume they are yet another official. Don't fall for it! You must stop at the booth where the guy checks your passport,then the place where you put your luggage through the customs inspection(where you push the button for the red/green light) and that is it.
We went out to dinner at Pepe's and felt it was a tourist rip-off. I had two (small,not very good) glasses of iced tea and was charged $2.50 for each. There is a supermarket across the street from the Palace where the locals shop. It has everything. We got the best price on Kahlua here. If you forgot/need something,go here. We got cough syrup (they have a farmacia),and bug repellant,cheap. (Bugs were not a problem on the property). Notes: yes,it is noisy -you can hear people in the hallways, wonderful guacamole,clean-someone is always cleaning! I look forward to going back!