We had a great time and plan to return next year. The hotel , staff, rooms were all great!! I had read a few reviews and yes the beds are a bit hard but the air conditioning was very cool so that made up for it.
(nothing like being in the sun all day and returning to a barely cool room)the water was beautiful and be sure to take advantage of the scuba lessons after doing it we decided to do a scuba trip and it was the highlight of the week!!! Louis was wonderful and made me feel very safe and checked on us continuously. Wish i was back the now relaxing on the beach. Debbie

Our family of 5 stayed at the El Cozumeleno June 27-July 4. The beach was awesome! Our children (ages 6, 9, & 11) enjoyed snorkeling right in front of the hotel. They saw a lot of fish! We took a day trip to Xel-Ha and they liked the snorkeling at the resort much better. Xel-Ha was very crowded. The water is not as clear at Xel-ha due to the fresh water mixing with the salt water. The restaurants at Xel Ha were very crowded and the food was so so.

The pools at El Coz were very nice, but be careful on the tile waterfalls. We met two people who had cut themselves. We very much enjoyed the Put Put golf--we could play until 10:00pm.

Now for the down side--the food was ho hum nothing too exciting here.
It was edible and provided nourishment, but that was about it. The desserts looked awesome but were rather bland. Here is the menu--fish something, pork something, chicken something, beans, and rice. We realize for the price we paid for our vacation--the food isn't really worth complaining about, and the kids could always fill up on soft serve in the afternoon. The reservation restaurant with menu dining was enjoyable--especially the show the waiter put on with the Baked Alaska.
The floors in our room could have been kept much much cleaner--the same hair stayed behind our bathroom door and on our vanity the entire trip.
We stayed in room 601-a corner room. The room size was okay: however, we would have asked to be moved to a different room with couches after seeing how huge the rooms were in the old part of the hotel. Room service food was good: however, it took 1.5 hours to get it. Also dirty dishes were set in the hallway by the maid and sometimes remained for two days or more (GROSS!). One evening I even spoke to the owner about the cleanliness and he seemed unconcerned.

The great thing about this resort is that 5 people can stay in one room, and it is close to town--Taxi ride 5-6 dollars to town 6-8 dollars back.

Despite the inconveniences mentioned above, we did enjoy our vacation, but look forward to trying out a different resort next time.

We loved our stay at the El Cozumeleno! The service was great, the grounds were very clean, great beach area and all the food you want. My only complaints are the bed was hard, there were little bugs (looked like giant ants w/ wings), dead & alive, everywhere and the food was just o.k. The breakfast was good and the snacks were good, but the sit down food was not so good. Town was very clean & maintained. I highly recommend the glass bottom boat & snorkeling. We did not scuba dive, but would if I go back. BEAUTIFUL WATER!

My wife an I just returned from a three night stay at the El Cozumeleno. The beach and water in front of the resort was awesome.
With the concrete pier extending out almost two hundred yards it created a swimming pool effect that was great for snorkeling. We saw a variety of fish. As far as the resort itself we were not that impressed. The food was average at best. The service was also average.
We felt as if we had to push for everything that we got. At one point someone stole one of our towel cards that we were given to check out a towel for the day. When we reported it the lady at the front desk just shrugged her shoulders and said in broken English, "you pay $50 when you check out." Of course I told her I wasn't paying $50 for a fifty cent card and she repeated her statement again. Her attitude really turned me off to the resort. Luckily, as I went around the resort I found another towel that they had used to soak up rain water with. I used that one to turn in for a towel card. I saw so many other people also having the same type problems. Get ready for concrete beds too. On a positive note we still had a great time. We took one of the tours to Xel-Ha and it was great. Long day traveling though. The food there was all inclusive and was awesome. It was like eating at a five star restaraunt in both the sites we ate at. As far as going to town, don't go early. We made the mistake of going early and none of the shops were open for a while. When you do go don't buy the first thing that you see. Walk around and I can assure you you will find it cheaper elsewhere. The stores will also bargain with you. The side of the airport on the way out of Cozumel is also much nicer than when you arrived. There are some good shops to buy from. Walk into the gate area and there is a store on that side that has prices that are much cheaper for the same products as the ones that are in the lobby side. Walk and shop prices first. Good luck and we hope you have a great time.