Saw some recent negative-ish reviews here, so I thought I'd post. Our stay at the Palace was absolutely relaxing, and the crisp, immaculate hotel and pool area were a delight to come back to after walking or driving around, or hitting other snorkel spots or taking excursions. We were thrilled with our stay and came back feeling like a million bucks.

The room was a generous comfortable size, the jacuzzi tub was great, loved the balcony for fresh breezes and a lovely view, and the bed was very comfortable. Any request we made -- towels, toiletries, etc. -- was responded to in a hot minute. We had massages at the spa that were as good as any I've had at home in New York.

The food was really quite good, especially considering it's an all-inclusive. As people spoiled to great food, we don't really head to an island expecting the pinnacle of ethnic variety or award-winning cooking. So in that regard, we were perfectly satisfied with the huge breakfast buffet and grill, were happy with the lunch options (more than happy to have a burger and fries or club sandwich at lunch!), and the dinner options were quite good if you picked simple items. My boyfriend raved about the freshness of the shrimp in any dish he had.

We actually went back and forth on choosing the Palace because the lack of beach, but we honestly didn't miss it a bit. There are beach-like areas with palapas, but we didn't even use them in favor of being closer to the very relaxing infinity pool. As for the sea, being able to just jump in the water and snorkel was fantastic, too, and in our several tours along the hotel reef, we saw tons of great fish -- even two squid and a little octopus!

Regarding the service at meals and whatnot, I will say that it bordered on excessive at times for my preference. I'm not a fussy person, so all the extravagance of it and extreme courteousness could be exhausting. But we found that if we treated the waiters and hosts like people, and engaged them about the food or the island or asked for their suggestions on things to do, it became much more comfortable and natural. One tip: Request a Mexican coffee -- tequila or sambuca with coffee -- and they do quite a show with flaming liquer, pouring it from metal cup to metal cup to heat it. It's not on the menu -- no idea why!

As for another person's comment that the people probably didn't like their jobs at all, and it's all for show, a waiter at a nearby restaurant told us that working at the Cozumel Palace was far and away the best hospitality job on the island. The management is very good to the staff, and they pool all tips and divide among the folks working, so everyone goes home with a handsome check. So tip away!

Oh, and a final note: I read some complaints about unruly children, etc. There was actually not one kid at the resort while we were there. I asked a staffer about this in conversation, and he said that the resort is heavy with kids right after school gets out, right before school starts, and Xmas. I guess just a couple of weeks before our trip there were kids running everywhere. So plan accordingly if you have a preference!

All told: A highly recommended resort that truly feels like a crisp, relaxing oasis!

The hotel and the staff were great overall! Stayed Aug. 28 - Sept. 2

The Hotel:
The rooms and all of the facilities were top notch. The rooms were very clean and all of the products in the bathroom were great. (Biosilk) We had a great room on the 5Th floor and for the most part it was quiet. There is no hotel on the planet that can keep people from making noise in the hallway.

The staff:
The staff was great and the really were happy to be working there. When they said, "it's my pleasure", they meant it! My wife and I spoke to many of the staff members and ask about their daily lives, they are very pleased that we vacation in Cozumel.

The food:
The food was good , it wasn't great, but I have great food in Houston. I was not expecting 5 star food to begin with. Personally, I did not have any bad food while I was there. I have eaten at plenty of AI's and I have never had any food that was fantastic. Just remember, TIM "this is Mexico". The food is just going to taste different than it does in the U.S. The beef taste different all over the world, because the animals eat different things. As far as Mexican food being authentic, different parts of Mexico have different food. This is why they call the "Mexican" food in Texas, "Tex-Mex". The food is different than even Northern Mexican food, you are in the Yucatan. Just like food differs from state to state in the U.S. This was my 5Th time in the Yucatan region, I have never eaten at any restaurants that I would call outstanding.
The food was just fine. At breakfast you could have freshly made French toast, pancakes, Belgian waffles, and omelets, along with fresh fruit and all kinds of breads and cereals.
At lunch they would grill you anything you could think of even burgers, the burger tasted fine to me, if you wanted crispy fries order room service. We did and they were nice and crispy.
Dinner at the Mexican food restaurant was fine, I had the Northern grill, (getting the dishes name from the region of Mexico) it was more of what we Americans call Mexican food.
My wife and I both agree that the food was good to very good.

Of course I could go through the 5 days we spent at the hotel and pick out the 1 or 2 things that were not perfect, but I was on vacation and I try not to dwell on the negative. Especially, when 99% of the time the hotel and the staff were great. In five days we had a great time at the Palace.

Don't let the few negative reviews effect your decision to stay at the hotel. Unless of course you are one of those people who dwells on negativity and enjoys complaining about every little thing under the sun. I much prefer to look at the glass as half full and enjoy my vacation, I have enough to complain about at home!

I just have one thing to say to all of the people who have negative reviews of this place! "I feel for their husbands."

Everything was squeaky clean. The food, for the all-inclusive price, was great. Everything the Cozumel Palace website says is true and is honored. The entire hotel is beautiful. The bed is extremely comfortable, and clean. The drinks were great. The pool is huge with comfy lounge chairs and the swim-up bar was great. The BEST PART was the people. I truly felt that the staff was glad to have us there. I was on a first name basis with many of the staff members before we left. We hesitated because we had seen SOME negative reviews of this hotel, but I truly could NOT find fault with this place. We missed our first night because we were grounded in the US due to weather, so they offered to tack a night on to the end of our stay for no extra charge. This hotel was all about making you happy in any way they could. I highly recommend this place, particularly for honeymooners- it was an absolute dream come true. I was amazed that everything that the website said would be available to us, and would be included in the cost of our stay, was actually included. BOOK IT NOW!!

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.