The wife and I just returned from our vacation of 8 days and 7 nights at Cozumel Palace. This is actually our third Palace Resort that we've stayed at. We stayed at Moon Palace for my work, so that was free. By the way, if you ever get the chance to go to Mexico for free, do it. It's worth every penny. We stayed at Aventura Spa Palace on our honeymoon. Both Aventura and Moon are gigantic!! It was easy to get lost in. Cozumel Palace is much smaller.

Obviously, we really enjoy Palace Resorts or we wouldn't be going back. And for the money, they have the best quality for the overall best price. I've compared them to Dreams, Sandals, Sunscape, etc. Plus Palace offers the in-room Jacuzzi tub, liquor dispenser, 24 hour room service, and with the Palace Passport, they throw in the tours for free as well. You really can't beat it.

I’ve been buying my vacations off of a Palace Member. We stay as his guests. I pay Palace Resorts directly for the vacation, and I have to book my flight separately. I find that by doing this I save about $1,000 to $1,200. This was the 2nd time that I did it, and both times it was awesome.

Cozumel Palace was great. Like I said a lot smaller. We stayed in room 533, which I recommend because it is away from the pool and looking out over the beach and pier area. I had a ringside seat for a sunset wedding ceremony. It was nice. The bride wore a dress. I wore a speedo.

Now other people are right about the noise at this hotel, if you stay on floors 1-3. It can be loud, especially on Karaoke night. Everything is marble in the hallways and the noise can carry, especially when some drunk woman storms in after drinking for 5 straight hours at the swim-up bar wearing a towel, and has to sing "I'm Every Woman" immediately.

The food I thought was always good. Sometimes it's not so good. For instance, I hate mushrooms and beans. Well, at the Mexican restaurant a lot of the food is made of...mushrooms and beans. The staff, although they speak English, it's not the best. I can't fault them for that. I'm in their country and the only thing I know in Spanish is that nader means "to swim." Well that, and "Dos cervaias, por favor." Anyway, my point is if you don't like it, order something else, it's an AI.

Speaking of the staff. They're awesome! I know you don't have to tip them. But if you do, they will be your best friend. I brought $100 in just singles for that reason. And my two new best friends, Ricardo and Luis at the lobby bar, kept it flowing every night. And I ended up spending about $90 in tips for the week. And that's combined, not just for the lobby bar. It was well worth it.

Another tip. Just buy your souvenirs in the gift shop. Since I was staying as a guest of a member, I got an additional 10% off of everything in the store. I would still walk into town, because it's neat. For instance, I bought an 18" Aztec Calendar. I paid $135 at the gift shop. No owner of any little shop would go lower than $200 for the same thing. The reason why is that cruise ships port in Cozumel all the time and they can get that type of cash from the cruise ship tourists.

Definitely go to Tulum (one of the included tours). I would avoid Channaukub (if that is how it is spelled). It was kind of a tourist trap. However, you can swim with a dolphin or go snorkeling or scuba diving there for an additional cost. We're not big snorkelers or swimmers. I'm out of shape. With that said, we went on the Glass Bottom Boat Tour, which is a snorkeling tour. It's only two hours. I made it through it, but drank enough salt water that dinner tasted salty that night.

We rented a little beater car one day. Cost $75 USD with full coverage insurance. It was worth it because we toured the island. We drove down to the southern tip and climbed the lighthouse. That was cool. Then we drank a beer at Coconuts, which sits on the hill and overlooks the sea. That was awesome.

Now here are a couple of other things to expect. For one, the drink / pop selection isn't very large. They have Pepsi and Pepsi Light, 7up, and Club Soda. The only beers they have are Dos Equis and Tecate Light. Which is fine because Dos Equis is awesome. Corona is like the Nati Light of Mexico, if you didn't know.

Before leaving we called and sent an email, asking for a room on the fifth floor, non smoking, with a king sized bed. They tried to accommodate us, but the room with the king bed on the fifth floor had a broken toilet. No big deal. Stuff happens.

And if you do book a hotel in Cozumel, make sure you take a direct flight to the Cozumel airport. That airport is so small; the hassle in getting from plane to taxi is limited. The other thing that people do is fly to Cancun and take a 40 minute boat ride. Which I would imagine would be awful.

Overall, Cozumel Palace is great. I liked the way each Palace Resort treats you. The service I describe as "annoyingly good." Which means they will do anything for you. I thought one waiter was going to chew my food for me. I would definitely recommend Cozumel Palace to anyone except families with small children because of the "I'm Every Woman" type of vactioner.

Hope this info was helpful. Enjoy your vacation wherever you go!!!

We just returned from our honeymoon at the Cozumel Palace. After reading the reviews, I will say that most of them were right on target. The rooms were great with a fantastic view. The air conditioning in the rooms was excellent, there was always plenty of hot water (sometimes too hot), the beds were nice with plenty of comfy pillows, the hot tub was nice as well.

For the first 4 or 5 days our fridge was stocked constantly (sometimes twice a day) the towels were replaced twice a day, and the maids came in to clean once or twice a day. The last few days the housekeeping slowed, but was still above average.

The food was average at best. I found most of the things I ate to be at least somewhat tasty, my wife, on the otherhand (who's not a picky eater) had trouble finding anything to her liking. We were both definitely ready for a burger when we got home. The presentation of the food and desserts were amazing. The plates were always beautifully decorated, but the taste seldom lived up to the looks. The good thing was that we ate and drank basically everything on the resort and didn't get sick, so that's a major plus in an area such as this.

I've heard that the drinks were weak at the resort. The only problem that I had with some of the drinks is that they were too strong. The bartenders were great to mix the drinks to my liking, but I never had to tell them to add more liquor. I did have to ask them to back off a bit once in a while. Many of the drinks were tasty, and you could always ask for your own rendition of something.

The pool area was nice. The people in charge of the activities at the pool were usually pretty pushy to get you to do whatever they were doing, but would back off if you remained persistent. We really liked the reef area around the hotel and did quite a bit of snorkeling. We also used the dive shop on site. I'm certified, and my wife is not. I will say that I don't suggest the Discover Course there for non-certified divers. I spent more time worrying about my wife's safety under water than enjoying the dive. The crash course that they give just wasn't enough for my liking.

You can book most of the excursions from the hotel. We did the Lobster dinner cruise. The lobster was excellent, the pirate entertainment was good (although pushy to get you involved). You'd better like Tequila if you go on this cruise because the pirates also like to force it down your throat. They also like to hit on your wife (that was the major downfall of the cruise for me). The entertainment was good, and the food was great.

We also went to Chankanaab through the hotel. Beautiful place although fairly crowded.. We swam with the dolphins (extremely pricy and the pictures are even more pricy). There are replicas of Mayan Ruins here as well that are pretty nice. Also, some good snorkeling and diving to be had here.

The glass bottom boat was so so. The "glass bottom" is only about 1' x 4', but they do drop you off to snorkel at a pretty nice reef.

We also used the car rental service to rent a ford fiesta and cruise the island. There is a main road that circles the whole island. We visited several beaches while driving as well as Punta Sur (Very nice. There is a lighthouse here that you can go up in, as well as a lagoon with crocodiles, a great beach with nice big waves, a sea turtle nesting area, etc.)

The hotel has a great location within walking distance of downtown. We went to Senor Frogs, Fat Tuesdays, and all of the shops. Senor Frogs was a fun place to go and dance. I was also told that Neptune is a good place to go Salsa, if you're into that.

Beware that if there's a cruise ship at port, the downtown area will get very crowded. If not, it's not a bad place to be.

We liked the hotel because it wasn't overly crowded, although we did see more children coming in towards the end of our stay due to school letting out.

I would recommend Cozumel Palace and Cozumel to anyone with the only downfall being the sketchy food.

This was our second trip to Cozumel Palace; after staying at the former Plaza las Glorias on five other trips to Cozumel. While there is no comparison between the two properties, if you are looking for peace and quite, go elsewhere. Our first visit was shortly after the Hurricane and the property was only @ half occupancy. This probably attributes to why we enjoyed our first visit more than the second. The Property is georgous. Rooms are wonderful; each with a fantastic view; jacuzzi tub, hammock on the balcony and great beds (which is hard to come by in Cozumel). AND ... no more humidity in the rooms! (if you stayed at Plaza las Glorias, you will understand that comment.). However, it now has the feel of a cruise ship. The buffets are nothing spectacular. Dinner in any of the restaurants has a "turn & burn" feel to it; even though there are not any other guests waiting for a table. We were in and out in 30 minutes - no leisurly dining as the courses are brought one after the other. The activity around the pool is not relaxing for one who is looking for peace and quiet. Even moving to the north or south end of the pool (on to the sand) does not remove you from the beat of the music. All of the above is based on personal preference - and is not a reflection of the property. As indicated earlier, if you like the constant "hub bub" of activity (as on a cruise ship) and buffet food (as on a cruise ship), extremely weak drinks (and I am a one drink kind of a girl - so if I think it is a weak drink; it is definately WEAK) - all with a BEAUTIFUL view and excellent location (easy to walk in to town) ... than Cozumel Palace is for you. If you are looking for peace and quiet, excellent food and impeccible service; Cozumel Palace would not be the first choice.

The whole place is amazing! Everyone is amazingly nice. The maitre'd Miguel was attentive and catered to our every need, made a personal connection and made our stay that much better. Rooms are amazing with 4 bottles of liquor and fully stocked fridge. No corona's though, and did miss that a lot.

If you don't want to read this really long review, just ask. I'd be a happy to answer any quesitons.

If you want more pics, I have all of mine posted on snapfish at:

http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=7051178398264782/l=254077505/g=94455539/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB


Got a map from [--] .....they have great suggestions for everything on the island.

Here are a few things.

A few things for FYI:

Breakfast and Lunch are buffets. They do make fresh stuff such as waffles and pancakes, and shrimp and chicken. (Tip: Ask them for a healthy portion of shrimp and mix them with equal parts pico de gallo and lime juice for some homemade ceviche. Eat with chips).

Property is a bit small, but it is very quaint. We made quite a few friends because of this. Since a lot of the clientele are divers, people are a bit adventurous and a little more outgoing. Stopped at Playacar and Xpu Ha Palace and this was not the same. Cozumel had a better vibe.

Tulum Tour: Book at the hotel ASAP. 8am in the lobby. Bring plenty of water and sunscreen and a CAMERA. It's FREE and amazing (no timeshare trap here). They pay for the ferry and transportation to the docks and the ruins. Don't forget a camera!!!! It seems that any tour to ruins goes the same way (and we've been on a few):
1. Get on ferry and go to mainland to meet bus.
2. Drive for a while and stop at roadside market for souveneir shopping...PS...anything carved from bone is MUCH cheaper upstairs at the mall across form the Cruise ship pier.
3. Go to ruins and have quick tour...history may only be somewhat accurate.
4. 30 min free time
5. Drive somewhere to eat...they stop at Xpu Ha palace. Bring a bathing suit and snorkel in the mangrove swamp. They have all the snorkeling equipment for free. Cool fish and halocline and really clear, cool water.
6. Head back to hotel.

Dinner: Eat at the outside grill. They have a multitude of steaks and grilled shrimp (sometimes prawns). Fire show is the the coolest and the Mayan show is nice too.

Drinks: If you ask for a top shelf liquor, they might just have it in the back. Just ask. They only have sambuca at the lobby bar (I lke my espresso w/dessert) Not all the waiters know this but will get it for you if you tell them.
Pool bar drinks aren't as strong as lobby and can be hard to get bartenders attention sometimes. Relax..it's vacation. Ask for an american Chi Chi...your wife will love them.

Snorkeling: I dive, but snorkeled a lot here. Don't expect to see coral, but there are urchins and anemones by the rocks. If you are good and can get deeper, you can see lobsters and stingrays hiding under the pilings.

Playa del Carmen: Go!! Take a look around. Ferrys are $20 round trip and run every hour until 11pm. Playacar Palace is right next to the ferry's and you can eat there and hang out free. It's part of your stay with the Palace Resorts.

Rent a car and drive around. There is an Avis right there in the lobby. About $90/day with full insurance. They won't put a hold on your card if you get the full coverage. Eat at the Rasta Bar and Mezcalitos. Feed the cats and the Pigs.

I could go on and on...we were there for 12 days. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.