We stayed at El Coz 11/1 - 11/8. Let me say that we had a great time staying at El Coz. I'm a firm beleiver that you have to enjoy yourself on vacation, just moping about complaining will just leave you with regrets.
We had read all the reviews leading up to our trip, and will say for the most part most were very helpful. With that said to rank something a 5 would have to be something I've never seen as of yet; a 1 I hope I never see. I would rank El Coz a 3 in my book and I will explain why.
Check in was smooth and seamless, we arrived on the early flight so I was surprised that our room was ready to go (#1616). The room was fine smelled clean, AC would freeze meat if you kept it low enough (set @ 65 when we arrived). We then headed to the beach, that would be our biggest complaint. What a disappointment, very little sand to enjoy. I knew it would be rocky from other reviews but my wife & 5 yr. old struggled to get in/out water save for a few spots. They seriuosly need to invest some $ to repair it. Their pics should be updated on their site, it does not look like that anymore (Hurricane Wilma 06')
We ate mostly under the large resturaunt (cant remember the name). The food was fine to us. Don't worry about the food plenty to choose from. If you were hungry its your own fault. None of us ever got sick. The nice resturaunt was fine also although we only ate there once, only because we enjoyed being close to pool/beach when we ate. My daughter and I are what I would consider "picky" eaters and we never were hungry all week. There are some birds that will come in to grab anything they can. Do not leave your table without someone there if there is food on it! They have put up some netting to try to minimize it, and staff will shoo away what they can. Its not a big deal, my daughter got a kick out of trying to scare them off.
The pools were well kept, every morning you could see the staff getting the pool area clean & prepped for the days guests. There was another large pool that they were resurfacing while we were there, did'nt seem to matter plenty of room/chairs for everyone. Hot tubs different story, we dont use public ones anywhere. Towel system is simple to use, plenty on hand for us to use
You have already heard some about the beach (very little sand/rocky), the other issue was seaweed. I dont want to sound like a primadonna here. Yes, I know seaweed is natural and everywhere. They worked hard to clean it up everyday, sometimes all day. The bad thing was they wheelbarrowed it to the north end of the beach and dumped it in a huge pile. Seaweed sitting in the hot sun 1 does not smell very good, 2 looks like an eyesore. At one point you had to climb a 3 ft. berm of seaweed to reach the large pier. After a few days they used a bobcat to clean up most of it. The other issue we had with the beach were the abandoned properties to the south of the resort. We were a little concerned at first as to what they might attract (unwarranted). You can see them in some of the photos on this site. I'm sure this is out of there control but they need to be renovated or bulldozed. I will say that if you head left (south) along the beach, you will hit the abandoned Pirate hotel (5 yr. old named it) go across the porch there you will hit a little "cove". Get in there and snorkel back to the pier @ El Coz I'd estimate almost 1 mile. I saw as many fish there as on a snorkel trip we took, and @ Punta Sur.
The staff was excellent, they were always cleaning, refreshing your drink, trying to understand broken Spanish. You could ask them for just about anything and I'm sure they would try to accomadate you. Activities staff tried hard to get people involved with things we seemed to have a crowd not real interested much. The shows were a little cheesy but that adds to the fun in our opinion. The kids camp was a little disappointing, it was very clean, with what seemed like lots to do. But, every time we took our daughter for a visit it was a ghost town no kids or staff there. There were quite a few small kids around seems like no one ever took advantage of it. She did go for about 1.5 hrs one day they made bracelets, played putt-putt. We never used the gym, or activity center upstairs can't comment on them.
Do yourself a favor rent a car/Jeep and drive around the island its beautiful especially once you get out of town. Well worth the $, very easy to get around impossible to get lost. Our best day of the vacation by far. Punta Sur was great! Cab ride into town between $4-6 depending on cabbie, 5 minute ride into town check out town square on Sun. evenings.
Overall its a nice place, a little dated. Staff is awesome, the grounds are well kept. Beware of time-share sharks @ desks behind front counter, best to not conversate. We are beach people with that said, if you are you may want to consider something on south side of the island. Would we come back? No, but then again we've never returned anywhere twice there are to many islands to see in a lifetime. Would we reccomend it? Yes, to people who are'nt so much of the beach type.
Hotel - 4
Beach - 2
Pool - 4
Food - 3.5
Grounds - 4
Staff - 5

My husband and I have recently returned from an impromptu vacation in Cozumel. We stayed at the El Cozumeleno during the first week of September/08. We had travelled to Cozumel before, but that was via a cruise ship, so although we had seen Cozumel before, this time, we saw it in an entirely different light. Would we go back to the El Cozumeleno? Sure would, but we also know what else is out there, so to speak. We are a couple that is well-travelled, to a few different countires, and I will try and base my review on the El Coz alone and try not to compare. However, it will be difficult. My husband and I are in our 40's and are not "stay on the resort" type people. We like to make new friends and have new experiences and although we did enjoy our trip, some aspects did leave alot to be desired. We were also travelling on the "off season", this time around, so we were aware that some services/amenities would or could not be offered.

We purchased via redtag, because the price was good and we were in the mood to get away, and flew out of Halifax to Toronto and on to Cozumel directly. On return, we took the same route. It was VERY nice just having a 10 minute drive to the hotel on arrival via the air conditioned shuttle service. Although it was hurricane season, this posed no issues for us, either on the ground or in the air. We flew via Air Canada and had great flights both ways. No hastles at all at the airport. Just remember to avoid eye contact with the Time Share Sharks at all costs. We were warned, we listened, and had no problems. The time share crowd also have a desk in the lobby at the El Coz...they get to you each time you pass it, so run like he77....

We were met by an Air Canada rep who was at the resort quite frequently. No problems here. Although, I must say that he tried several times to change our plans for excursions that we had made prior to leaving Canada. We already had plans in place for a car rental, an excursion to Valladolid and several ruins that he tried to talk us out of and re-book via him. That didnt impress us. Was he concerned for our safety? Did he want the money? Who knows, but we stuck to our original plans that we had made ourselves and encountered no problems. On our second day, we left the resort, took the passenger ferry to Playa Del Carmen, picked up our rental car and spent the next two days touring Valladolid, Tulum, Ek Balam, Coba and Chichen Itza. Those two days were the highlight of our trip. I have also written a review of our stay in Valladolid. You can access that via my profile. Driving in Mexico was very easy and stress free. Get a map, study it, use common sense and you will be fine.

The El Coz has limited "grounds" so to speak. You cannot find a place to wander about the flowers and the palm trees. It was very "cemented" and, ornate, yes, but not not many blooms to look at. The workers kept the beach very clean. As for weather, the days were simply gorgeous. At night, we would have thunderstorms most nights, but so beautiful to watch over the ocean. Do bring your own beach towel, snorkel etc. and water/beach toys as you will find that handy. Towels were supplied, for a deposit, and they are quite nice and large. The El Coz does not allow smoking in the main building including the lobby and a la carte. Smoking is allowed in the buffet area.

Check in at the El Coz was unremarkable and we found the front desk staff to be very friendly and professional, and the room was ready shortly after our arrival at 1pm and our welcome drink. We stayed on the fifth floor in the south tower. The room was large and well kept. We had a king sized bed and a pull out sofa. I have read a few reviews that comment that the beds are hard as rocks and how they didnt sleep for a week. All I can say is that is crap. The beds are just fine. We had a clogged toilet one morning that was immediately fixed. The bathroom was fine. All was clean, no mold, no bugs, no bad smells, no worries, plenty of hot water. The view is stunning. I dont believe there are any rooms at all that would not have an amazing view. The resort is small and everything is easily accessible. There is an in room safe, no minibar, no clock, great air conditioning, hairdryer, and I cannot recall if there was an iron/ironing board in the room. The furniture was very nice and all was in good working order. We did not need our converter for the plugs. Laundry service is offered ($), and there are several English TV channels, including movies. The maid we had was very, hmmmm, stern. Not sure she cracked a smile the entire week. We tipped her in pesos directly and daily, but that never changed her demeanor. We found it odd. Not what we have experienced in the past. But, she did her job well. We did have one very brief power outage. The elevator worked well, no issues there.The gift shop sold many items, good selection, and seemed to be fairly priced.

The beach was fair. The water was warm, but very grassy, no nice, sandy bottom here. There were kayaks and hobby cats, but no pedal boats. Parasailing was also available ($). We did have a few red flag days, but mostly not. Even on green flag days, the water was not smooth and glassy, but no huge waves either. This resort does not have a sprawling, white sand beach that runs for miles. It is very rocky and entrance to the ocean was difficult for me, who is not a strong swimmer, and prefers to walk in gradually minus the rocks. My husband loved it, however, and the snorkeling is amazing immediately in front of the resort. There are also two piers from which you can feed the fish, watch the snorkellers, listen to some gripe about you feeding the fish, or simply tune them out and continue feeding the fish as you enjoy the view. There are two pools, both very clean and in good repair, one with the swim up bar and one without. There is a dive shop. The swim up bar was only opened on Day 1 and closed the rest of the week. There is a place to serve your own icecream and soft drinks/juices, but it was frequently out of service for repairs. There is a waiter, pool and beach side, and you will be served on the beach or in the pool. From what I could tell, Bingo was the only afternoon entertainment offered. The music by the pool ran from, say, 10 am till 6 pm or so. The pool area was fairly quiet after that, with the exception of several AIDs (All Inclusive Drunks) that felt that had to consume all that they could of the resorts booze and women each evening. There is a jacuzi. I didnt partake in that after seeing what takes place in the jacuzi after hours. Did I mention that I had a good view from my room? There is always that certain crowd that thinks they have more, have better, have done more, or seen better, than you have. And they like to be vocal about it. I saw a group of a few "girls" ridiculing a larger lady at the pool one afternoon. I am so glad that there are people in this world that are so darn perfect. People like that always leave a bad taste in my mouth. And today, they have a new President. If people want a party atmosphere with no limitation, El Coz is not the place.

Nightly entertainment at the El Coz consisted of one show on one night. A typical resort type show with dancers and very little audience participation. The rest of the nights, a large movie screen was set up, as well as a popcorn machine, and movies were shown, mostly for the kids. Maybe there would have been more offered if it had of been "peak" season? The drinks are superior at the El Coz...hands down. Excellent brands, choice, service, its all good. Bar shots, beer, blender, frothy, slushy, froo-froo drinks. El Coz has them all, except champagne, which I dearly missed. The beer on tap was just fine, but it wasnt Corona. Food, again, superior for resort food. Lots of selection, we never tired of it. We liked the a la carte. The snack bar was good, lobby bar good....but those coffee machines SUCKED. What I wouldnt have given for a pot of fresh coffee. But, I got over it. The fruit was always fresh. We had room service twice...excellent. We tipped as we have in other countires...for good service, not to get good service. There is a difference. We found the wait staff to be, well, the did their job, but they did not like to make friends. They were very stiff and no matter how many times we wanted to strike up a conversation with someone, they shyed away? Or didnt want to? Not sure....but we did not bond with anyone at the resort for the entire trip. My chair was pulled out, my napkin was placed on my lap, but no one really spoke to me...know what I mean? They were more like robots.

There are computers in the lobby and the internet connection was great so we could check in with the kids at home. Price of a 3 minute collect call to Canada was $60. Ya. We never got the impression that tipping was expected here and service never changed for us whether we tipped or not. The only word I can think of to describe the service here is "bland" with "no personality". It was not a "fun" atmosphere as a tropical vacation should be. We found the staff spoke English very well here. Security is also ever present. Also, never usually a problem to get a palapa or a lounge chair at the pool. There are also a string of several shaded hammocks, but they were usually taken. One word of advice....if you want to save your spot by the pool and you leave your towel on a chair, can you please, please, please not expect to save it for, say, 8 hours? Save it while you have lunch....OK.....save it while you go have a pee...OK.....but to expect to save it all bloody day is greedy.

Services around the resort are plentiful. San Miguel is a short cab ride. We avoided "the strip" as much as possible, as we HATE being hastled on vacation. We dined at The French Quarter and Tony Romes, both awesome. We shopped very little in town, as crowds and "Americanized" services are not what we prefer to enjoy on a tropical vacation. We spend the most time wandering the back streets and visiting the tiny local stores and shops, bakeries, and talking to the people. We found the prices to be very expensive, even for simple trinkets and we had the best shopping when we left Cozumel altogether and went inland. Playa Del Carmen is also another over priced tourist trap with too many bells and whistles for our tastes. Booze is fairly cheap. Cigarettes, not sure about as I brought my own from Canada this time as I was not about to smoke the American ones sold in Coz. No departure tax here that we had to plan for at the airport.

We did a second car rental and toured the island one day as well. It was a beautiful, relaxing trip. The scenery is simply amazing. We stopped along the way several times just to get out and take it all in. We ate lunch at Coconuts and were very disappointed. We found that place to be very much overrated. The view and drinks were awesome, the food and service were not.

Now, please be warned, this is no joke and not for the faint of heart.....THERE ARE BIRDS IN THE DINING ROOM! *gasp* There are occaisonally a few bugs, a spider or two, some iguanas and the odd snake.....*gasp gasp*. THIS IS A TROPICAL COUNTRY....GET OVER IT OR DONT GO! We had no bites, rashes, itches, or stings even AFTER sleeping with the scorpion. Mind the jellyfish, but we did not see any. Still, in my opinion, no need for bug spray, atleast during this time of year.

Overall, a good vacation. Its always nice to get away. The El Coz is a great place and we have no complaints about the resort, but I think our money would be better spent elsewhere and I know we would have a better vacation in a place that is designed for all and not just for the American tourist.

This was an absolutly amazing resort. I went on Spring Break in 2008 and I had the time of my life. Me and a group of 75+ went here and we had no regrets. I would never go back though, because I had such a good time that time it could never live up to my expectations if I go back. Absolutly wonderful.

I know this review is late, but I'm a procrastinator, what can I tell you?
My husband and I stayed at the El Cozumelo in Cozumel January 4-11th, 2008. We haven't travelled much before and didn't really know what to expect, but this was truly a wonderful week. This is not to say that everything was perfect, but we came with the attitude, that we were going to have a great time and that's what vacation's all about.
First of all, the airlines lost one of our large suitcases, so we had to spend the first 3 days without toiletries, so pack your essentials in your carry on. It set the tone for a relaxing stay, as there was no time wasted putting on makeup and such, and our aircanada and expedia reps found the bag after a few days.
When we arrived checkin was a little confusing as the room we booked, with a tub and wrap around balcony was not available and we changed rooms a couple of times until we ended up in the north tower, on the ground floor, right in front of the mini golf in a huge room. At first I was upset, but it soon became home and we discovered we had easy access to the beach, for snorkeling right outside our patio door. It took awhile to get used to having families golfing outside your room and seeing in but I loved our beachfront room by the end of the week. Beware that the websites you order off of may not be accurate when describing your rooms but these forums give you a better idea and who spends much time in their room anyway?
The day before we flew in, there was a big storm and the temps dropped considerably and the wind and waves made swimming impossible that first day or so...but that gave us an opportunity to walk the beaches both north and south of the hotel, which were
beautiful and full of all sorts of little tide pools and critters to discover. I recommend taking water shoes as the sand is made up of crushed coral and will give you blisters if you just walk the beach in sandals.
The most wonderful part of staying at the El Coz, is the snorkeling right out front at the pier. We spent hours just marvelling at the many kinds of fish and how close they would get to you, without any fear. One day we walked south for a ways and jumped in and snorkeled the shoreline back to our hotel. It was absolutely amazing and we just drifted back with the current.
We also went out for a snorkeling tour with Antonio's dive shop at the hotel. Antonio was extremely professional and I recommend not missing out on a trip on the Manta.
We also went for a round of golf at the course right behind the hotel and even walked there. Beware of the Alligators on the course!! I nearly stepped on one that was out sunning itself!!
We also went on a tour of chichen-itza, which was breathtaking. It was also the only time we ate off of the resort and were deathly ill for about 24 hours. Beware of salad bars.
One day we decided to walk to San Miguel and see the town. We asked how long to walk there and forgot that in Mexico they measure time differently!!LOL!! It took us a long time but we saw so many interesting things along the shoreline and road, that I would recommend taking the time to do this one day.
The hotel staff was wonderful and attended to all our needs for the week. They always had a smile. We ate at La Veranda restauraunt most nights and had to get up by 7:45 am to book a reservation, but the food was wonderful and by the end of the first meal, and a couple of paralyzers, that I taught them to make, we had decided to move to Cozumel for part of each year!!LOL!!!
Reality hit later, but it was a nice dream!! The buffet restauraunts were pretty good too during the day, but got a little stale by later on at night. The breakfasts there were incredible, with made to order omelets and fresh fruit shakes. The birds were always there, but you get used to them. The ice cream and soda hut were also great. I got addicted to orange floats!!!
It was also nice to have free internet access in the lobby to keep in touch with our kids.
Sorry this review was so long, but we hope it helps someone who's looking to stay here... We had a wonderful week and please remember to tip the staff, because they work so hard to make sure that you're having a good time and they treat you like kings!!!!
We have just booked a vacation for our whole family this January and will be back in Cozumel soon.