Great snorkling right outside the hotel. Take a slice of bread to the red and white colored pier, and the fish practically jump out of the water to be fed.
The house keeping was absolutely fantastic! Our maid fashioned our towels into swans and the bedspread into a large bow. I know this place is all inclusive, but a few dollars in tips go a LONG way. They worked really hard to make our stay very nice, so tipping a buck here and there is just a way for us to show our appreciation. Beds are firm but, we sleep of a firm mattress at home and didn't find them bad at all. "When we arrived, they had us in a Garden view room, with a set of twin beds, but moved us to a 3rd story Ocean view that had a king bed for no extra charge!"
We went to the mainland, $18 ferry, to see the ruins at Chichen Itza. Plan on all day. Left the hotel at 6:00AM and returned at 9:00PM. Awe inspiring sight that just cannot be imagined. I climbed El Castillo 3 times. Be forwarned, it is 78' tall with 91 steps that are about 6" tall and 6" wide. And very, very steep! All 4 sides total 364 with the top being 365, 1 step for each day of the year. There you will also find the Ball Court. 272'X199' and one of the best preserved in Mexico. Accounts vary, but the game was played and it is thought that the winner was sacrificed! Supposedly an honor for winning the game. Makes todays football seem passive!
My wife and I took the FREE introduction to scuba offered by the hotel in their pool. We really liked the intro, so we went on the Discover Scuba dive they offered for $65. You get to dive in a beautiful area in the ocean and you get a taste for the open water experiance. Needless to say, we got hooked and next opted for the full open water dive certification. "The $65 is applied to the cost of full certification too!!" Antoinio operates the dive shop at El Cozumeleno and hooked us up with Sergio who is one of the dive instructors. Very professional people who will make you feel at ease in the water and will not take short cuts and just pitch you off in 40' of water with little training. "That would be a real bad time to figure out your regulator is not working properly!!" There are places that do that, so be forwarned. You might find a cheaper place to dive, but we never once were worried about our saftey there. Talk to Antoinio, he will give you the real deal with no short cuts that will put you in danger.
We then rented a micro car they have out front to check out the other side of the island "$60". Kinda like a go-cart on steriods that runs 50MPH. The other side of the island is basically uninhabited save for 3-4 snack shacks to eat and drink in. I highly recommend Coconuts for the view, and the Conch filet. The shrimp in garlic the wife had was outstanding also.
Looks like I got side tracked from the hotel review....anyway, the entertainment was professional dancers that did a varity of different dances and costumes from the regions and eras of Mexico. Very talanted and colorful. "Dinner and a show!" They have activities like dance classes, bingo, snorkle classes, ETC, ETC, all day long so there is always something to do. The hotel this time of year was only at 50% capacity and we didn't feel crowded at all. Alway a place to sit on the beach or in the dining room. Buffet food was fine in my book. We never got sick but get there early because there are flies that arrive later into the lunch hour when careless Americans forget to recover the serving trays. Dinner outside is an adventure with the mosquitos. They got a guy that fogs the area, "you will hear him", and after he is gone for 30 minutes or so, you can enjoy dinner in peace. We got a reservation to the fancy inside dinner which was good, but only ate there once because of our hectic schedual of trying to cram all our activities into 7 days.
All in all, we had an excellant vacation that would be hard to beat. The hotel is not the Ritz, but hopefully you will want to see the sites and enjoy paradise. There is so much to see and do, it would be a shame to miss it all by complaining about the little things I see others whining about.

My husband and I were at El Coz from Oct 1 - Oct 8. Our flight left Houston at 7:00am and we were in our hotel room at 10:15am. The staff was friendly and sweet. The food was ok. There was always something there to please everyone. We had a large room with a wonderful ocean front balcony. We met many wonderful people with lovely, relaxing attitudes. I've heard complaints about the flies when researching info about this resort. But they are no worse there than they are in Houston, if you're having a picnic outside. We did visit a fabulous beach "a must see" Mr Sanchos beach. It's a $20 taxi ride, but so well worth it. It is perfectly wonderful. At the El Coz the beach was great. There is a path through the rocks that you can take into the water. The water is clear, and perfectly delightful. (Mr. Sancho's is better though, sorry El Coz). Anyway, I got used to the hard beds, didn't bother me a bit. We have been to Ixtapa, Cancun, PlaydelCarmen, Puerta Vallarta and all the beds have been hard. I actually believe that cozumel is my favorite. I can't wait to bring our teenagers. It's a lovely relaxing resort, and you can party if you want, but it's not anything like the party town in Cancun. The a la cart restaurant served wonderful food. The seafood stuffed avacado is wonderful, the grilled seafood platter is great....The baked alaska is fabulous and the presentation is worth recording on your video camera.

And about the drinks being water down....Not even! If they aren't strong enough for you....just say make it a double. And it is no problem.

The indoor pool was delightful after being in the hot sun all day. Also, there is a very relaxing area right out the a la carte restaurant where you can have a drink and relax before dinner.

For kids, I saw many activities, mini golf, ping pong, games, cards.....If I would have stayed another week I would have done all that too. It's a wonderful way to relax. Enjoy your trip to EL Coz, if you've never been to Mexico before you will realize it is different from the USA. But if you have visited Mexico before you will be pleased. And the price for us to stay there for a week was great too. Have a great time and have a Miami Vice (awesome frozen drink) on me. ginakooi@hotmail.com

My husband and I recently stayed at the El Cozumeleno and had a great time. We stayed in the new wing of the hotel and had a large, spacious room, good a/c, and a wonderful view of the ocean from our balcony. Everything worked and we had no complaints. I found the staff to be friendly and helpful. My only problem with this resort is the food - it is terrible. We have stayed at all-inclusives before and know that the food quality is usually lacking, but this is absolutely the worst we've ever had. We made reservations for the specialty restaurant twice during our stay, and the food is only slightly better there. We ordered off the room service menu and did get sandwiches that were good. I heeded all the warnings about bug spray and took a bottle along. This was applied every evening at dinner time because the mosquitos are fierce! We have stayed at the southern end of the island in previous trips and enjoyed not having to drive so far to get to town from the El Coz. Unfortunately, the beach at the El Cozumeleno is very small and eroded, and does not compare to the beaches at the southern end but that's not a big deal to us. If you want a beautiful beach, go to Cancun or Playa del Carmen - their beaches can't be beat. We go to Cozumel for the snorkeling and large varieties of fish. I would love to take my grandchildren to this hotel since kids under 12 stay and eat free. If the food were better, I would heartily recommend this hotel to anyone asking for a review. As it is, I would advise everyone to take extra money to eat outside of the resort. Hope this helps someone planning a trip.

Returned from 1 week a the El Cozumeleno and had a great time. From the Cozumel airport, the resort is located only a 5 minute drive north.Upon entering the hotel, I noticed the lobby bar and the specialty restaurant to the right of the reception desk. Check in was fast and the employees were informative, friendly and spoke great English. We were in our oceanview room within 15 minutes. We were extremely pleased with our room---they are very large compared to other resort's rooms, with tiled floor, great air conditioning, a large armoire with tv and 3 large drawers, a small table with 2 chairs and a sofa sleeper. The huge, tiled shower and toilet are in the bath, with a separate sink and vanity area with great lighting for applying makeup. A blowdrower (Conair 1600) is provided. Shanpoo, conditioner and soap are provided, but I suggest bringing your own as they are the smaller hotel type fare. The tap water is purified and is safe for your use.The room was not luxurious, but bright and pleasant....Of course, I failed to mention the great oceanview from our balcony.

There are 2 bldgs. in the resort...the original smaller hotel and the more recently built section. Most guests, as well as ourselves, stayed in the newer building as many of the rooms in the older section are being renovated. The new building has an elevator and is a plus for guests staying on the higher floors.

The large, multi level, free form pool and swimup bar is located directly infront of the new section. David, the bartender was awesome and made great drinks. Always friendly and always had a smile. He also spoke great English. There is also a domed, indoor pool that you access from the free form pool. There are daily activities around the pool but the staff does not pressure you. If you want sun early in the morning, sit in the chairs closest to the beach. To the right of the free form pool is the open aired, palapa style buffet restaurant and snack bar with full service bar. It was fun sitting infront of the windows in the buffet watching the cruise ships go by. There is not a large selection of food, but what was offered was better than I anticipated. The breakfast/omelette chef was alot of fun and helped me with my ever increasing, but still, limited knowledge of spanish. While at breakfast, make your reservations to the specialty restaurant...seating is at 6pm,8pm & 9:30pm.Lunch is usually a variation of the day before's dinner, plus hamburgers, nacho chips, salsa, cheese sauce and the best guacamole I have experienced. At the snack bar, you can always grab a cocktail. Jorge was the bartender and again, provided excellent, friendly service and, he also helped with my spanish 101.There are some premium liquors available at the resort, but you must request them. Mon-Weds & Fri are theme nights. Dinner is in the buffet and the staff perform on a small, open aired stage for a short time. There is minimal audience participation and the skits were not mortifying to the participants. Although mosquitos don't usually find me attractive, I did get a few love bites, so bring the Deet. After the show, the disco/karaoke opens. The disco is air conditioned and is as nice a disco as I have ever seen. It is located on the 2nd floor above the lobby. There was no karaoke the night we went, but the music was good and varied and most people were dancing. Although we never closed the disco, others did and said they had a blast.

As I mentioned earlier, the specialty restaurant is in the lobby in the reception area. The restaurant is large and tastefullly decorated. The menu varies nightly and the food was very good as was the service. Entertainment is provided by a piano player and a mariachi band. It provided a nice ambiance. Portions were adequate, but if you have a hardy appetite, order more, or 2 different entrees...remember, it is all inclusive. Men did not wear long pants, but, I would bring one pair of dockers just in case. It was the off off off season and feel the resort did not enforce the dress code. In the evening at the buffet, most people wore shorts and tshirts.

The lobby bar opens around 5:00pm and is located in the lobby next to the specialty restaurant. There is no entertainment but is a nice spot for a drink before dinner. The little waitress (I don't remember her name)was fun and friendly and never hesitated to wait on our table of 6.

The El Coz has a very short beach but has the beautiful, calm turqoise water. If you want a wide, white sand beach, go to Playa Del Carmen. The resort to the north of the El Coz, I believe the Melia, has very murky water. The 2 piers on each side of the El Coz must keep the water clear. The non motorized water sports are free. ..snorkeling, sunfish sailing, kayaking. The water infront of the resort is calm and user friendly to a not so experience kayaker as myself.

To the right of the buffet restaurant is the original hotel, which includes a smaller pool with a bar next to the pool. The bar was not open the week we were there because of the off season, but, would probably be a nice, quiet change from the busier free form pool when the resort is fully occupied. Most of the rooms in the orginal building are being remodeled so in the next few months if you are provided a room in the old section, you most likely will be getting a brand new room.

Getting to the town of San Miguel is easy...grab a cab in front of the resort @ $4.00 per cab each way. A short 5 minute ride. The town has grown tremendously in the last 10 years since we have been to Cozumel. Lots of shops, restaurants & bars. Ladies, if the guys don't want to shop, go to town on your own. The town is safe and your shopping experience will probably be more enjoyable without your significant other. I found the week we were there that the merchandise was overpriced and the shopowners were not negotiating, so, I did not return home with many Mexican treasures . If you are interested in purchasing Kahlua or any liquor, buy it in town. Kahlue is $9 in town...$12 at the airport. If there is a sporting event you just can't miss while on Cozumel, you can visit the All Sports Bar on the corner of 5th & 2nd, one block east of the ferry pier. They receive all the major games. We stopped in a few hours before our game was on, reserved a table infront of a big screen tv and left to shop. When we returned to the bar a few minutes before our game, the table was set up with the tV on the appropriate station. Life was good! Wilson, our server provided fast, friendly service, but wasnt in our faces. You can also legally gamble on the games if you wish. Our friends bet a few dollars on horseracing and ended up ahead $ 40. If you MUST see a game, The All Sports Bar is the place to go. It is clean, huge and American owned.

Back to the resort. Room service is free and, although we did not use it, heard service was fast. A menu of room service is provided in your room.

If you have been reading the reviews of the El Coz, one of the concerns you may have heard about are the flies. On our 2nd day of the trip, the flies were at best extremely annoying. The resort did the water and pennies in the clear plastic bags around the windows in the buffet and the situation improved 100%.They did not make our stay less enjoyable.

In conclusion, if you are looking for a layed back, casual, no "flying by the seat of your pants" resort" the El Coz is a good value. Being close to town adds to the hotel's appeal. With air, our total for 1 week for 2 was $1600. We have been vacationing in the Caribbean and Mexico for 15 years and have stayed in resorts from 6****to 3***. The El Cozumeleno is probably a 3***.

If you are tired of the hustle and bustle of life and just want "dressed up" to be a little more than a swimsuit and coverup, El Coz may be the place for you. ......nothing fancy, no hurry, no worry, no problem. I would recommend the resort highly based on the hotel rooms, specialty restaurant and the courteous & friendly service. A special thanks to David, Jorge, Ilene, Leo, Abigail & Jose. You helped our stay be most enjoyable.

If you have any questions, just email me.