My husband and I stayed at the CP Aug. 29-Sept 2. We had visited the property last year, during our stay at the Playacar Palace. The CP is beautiful, elegant and very clean, however, we were very disappointed in the food and the wait staff service at the hotel. The hotel was only ½ full, so that was not the issue.

The room was incredible, we had room 510 – perfect view and not noisy at all. Unfortunately, like another poster, my husband and I both got sick with some stomach bug/diarrhea. We never ate out anywhere besides the hotel and only got bottled water or cokes on the street. I got it the last day of our stay which was not fun as we had a 2 hour flight to Houston, an hour and ½ layover, and another 45 minute flight to Austin. My husband came down with it the following day.

The biggest disappointed of all was the food. It was just mediocre. Let me begin by saying that I have stayed at at least 10+ AI’s in the last 8 years. Two of those places being Palace properties – Playacar Palace and Sun Palace. So, I am experience traveler when it comes to AI’s. At the CP, breakfast was OK, which usually breakfast is the best meal of the day. Lunch was typical hamburgers and french fries, which don’t get me wrong, I LOVE eating by the poolside, but the burgers lacked taste and the fries were soggy. Dinner was very limited in selection. No buffets, except a few nights and even then, there wasn’t much variety. I wish the CP would have more authentic Mexican foods, and yes, we did eat at the Mexican restaurant, but I have had more authentic food in Texas than what I had there.

We did receive great service at the bars, but the restaurants lacked attention. One night at the dinner buffet out by the pool, we sat there for 10 minutes without one person coming by to take our drink order. I finally had to flag down the manager and he brought us our drinks. After that, we never received any more attention. And in case you are wondering we did tip well, so that was not an issue. The best service we received was at the Mexican restaurant by Marvin. He was friendly, talkative and prompt.

The maid service was great, we asked for extra shampoo, towels, etc and each time we requested something, we received it within 10-15 minutes. We only got turn down service in the evening once, but that was no big deal.

we did take advantage of the snorkeling - that was great. make sure and take crackers or bread out and the fish will eat out of your hands.

We had such high expectations for the Cozumel Palace, since the Playacar Palace was amazing. I think next year, we will return to the PCP and take a day trip to the CP.

This was a wonderful place and even better to practice your Spanish. It was clean- all the time and everyone was very friendly. The food was great with lots of new things to try. We tipped generously because it was worth it and they really appreciate it. We felt like royalty. Definitely, we will visit again and do more in the way of trips around the island. Oh, by the way, it is across the street from the largest grocery store and was a fun little trip to get wine, cheese and bread for a beach trip.

I love the Palace!!!
We have a girls trip every year when our husbands take a golf vacation. We have stayed at so many hotels all over the country.
Last year we picked the Cozumel Palace. We enjoyed it so much, I brouht my husband for a visit and the girls decided to come back again this year. It was still great!
The rooms are kept up and clean. The employees are so helpful and friendly. The food is good and served with such pleasure. We have already decided to return again next year.
We even had people remember us from last year, I guess that could be good or bad....ha!
Hello Belum and Pacco

I just returned from my honeymoon where my husband and I spent 10 days at the Cozumel Palace (Aug. 7 – 17th). We both stalked Trip Advisor religiously before leaving for our trip, and everything wonderful that people have said was true! This might be long, but there are some tips that I want to share, so if you want details, read on!

Arrival - We arrived at the hotel in the late morning. Check in is not until 3:00pm, so be warned that if you arrive before then, you will more than likely have to wait. You still have full access to the hotel, and luggage is stored separately so that guests can enjoy the hotel.

Activities - There is a lot to do at the Cozumel Palace. The snorkeling is pretty good, though it is definitely a divers world. The activities during the day are ok, fun to watch but I wasn't compelled to join in. If you get the Palace Passport, there are a lot of free excursions to take advantage of:

Tulum - my husband and I tried this one out. This trip is definitely for those who love Mayan history. It was a long day. A ferry takes guests to the mainland where a bus is waiting to take you to a shopping center (everything is MUCH cheaper downtown or even at the hotel), and then to the ruins (about an hour traveling total). We had a tour guide Vincente, who bless his heart was nice, but talked and talked and talked. When we got to the ruins after hearing some extensive Mayan history, we watched group after group pass us...while Vincente was still talking. His first stop lasted about 10 minutes, and it was in front of a tree. It was a neat , but I would recommend ditching the tour and reading the signs posted at the ruins, or skipping the tour altogether. They say wear comfortable shoes, but flip flops are fine. You will not have time to swim. On the way back the Xpu-Ha Palace is where you eat lunch, but the resort was hit really really bad by a hurricane a few years ago, so there is almost no beach.

Car rental - definitely take advantage of the coupon and get a car. Most people get jeeps, which are about $100 without insurance, but we got a Chevy Sun, which looked like a VW Golf but with a convertible top. It was just as great as a jeep, and only cost $60 with insurance. Skip the scooter, there are too many long stretches of land with no view. You have to stop and eat at Coconuts. The food is pricey for what it is, but it is fun and the view is amazing. The margaritas are excellent. Playa Bonita is a great beach to relax at and get some sun. There is a shower there too for rinsing. **If you rent a car from the hotel you get it for 24 hours, so we got up early the next morning and drove to the other side of the island to watch the sunrise. AMAZING, do it if you can.

One thing that we did was take a ferry to the mainland to check out the other Palace hotels. We visited Playacar which was nice, the best part was that it has a beautiful beach. Aside from the beach/pool area, Cozumel was better. We also went to the Aventura Palace. This resort was almost too big. The bonus was that there were no kids. The lunch restaurants are all outside and not air conditioned, and it was really hot outside and uncomfortable. The Argentine restaurant Mundaca was great for dinner. I would recommend this as it is a fun day to explore.

Back at the Cozumel Palace, the food is really good. During the day there are always snacks everywhere. For a few days there was a fondue maker in the lobby which was amazing. They took it away after some unsupervised children stuffed their faces in the chocolate and made a horrible mess, which was too bad.

The Italian restaurant was my favorite. The lasagna is great, along with the Chicken. Try the salad a la nonna, that was nice, along with the caprese, which was very fresh. The steak is great here too. The minestrone soup was really good.

The Mexican was my second favorite. The fajitas are really great. The service here was amazing. If you can, ask for Jose, he was phenominal. One night he randomly brought out this huge machine and made us bananas flambe, with fire and all just because he liked us! The chocolate volcano cake amazing.

The Oriental was my least favorite. For some reason we always got bad service there which kept us there for at least an hour and a half or more. I liked the spring rolls, and my husband liked the sushi. Call me picky, but there was the rubbery skin part left on a lot of my chicken, which sort of grossed me out.

The lunch buffet was amazing, make a pizza they are good, and the breakfast buffet was nice. Everything you could think of for breakfast is at your fingertips. Ask for Ronny, he was great, he worked really hard for us the whole time. For sure drink Tangerine juice for breakfast, it is excellent. Be sure to tip the staff, even if just a little. It is not required, but you will be treated like a king!

Room service food is ok. The club sandwich was decent.

Try the Miami Vice, and a Bumblebee for sure at the bar. The martinis are also really great. The lobby bar is the place to go for better drinks.

The shows were ok. The fire show on Tuesday is by far the best, the rest get a little cheesy and are fun to watch if you have nothing else going on. Casino night is fun, but we couldn't play because there were so many children at the tables, which was frustrating.

Housekeeping was one of my only complaints. It might be because our room was in the middle of the hotel, but many times our room didn't get cleaned until turn down service at night, as late as 6pm! We also had to call at one point to have the sheets changed because when they had "changed" them before they I think put on dirty sheets. There were mysterious hairs and stains that were new to us!

The only other downside is that children are often unsupervised. Many times we noticed kids running up and down the halls (which are loud, by the way) in the early morning or at night, or harassing people at the pool with no parents in sight. Kids also dominated the casino night, which seemed a bit awkward and less fun for adults. So if you come with kids, please supervise them for the relaxation and enjoyment of other guests.