Just got back yesterday (5/29/05) from a week at El Cozumeleno with group of 10, including my wife and two small children (ages 1 and 3). I read tons of reviews prior to our trip, and am happy to report the following facts, and tips for future travelers:
1) South Tower is a must (older, other side is being renovated and will probably be up to par in another year or so)
2) Food was good. Much better than I expected (after reading so many negative reviews). They have themed party nights on Monday/Wednesday/Friday, so we ate outside for those evenings and enjoyed the shows. For Sunday/Tuesday/Saturday, we ate at the more formal, inside restaurant (which changes its menu daily). They are very strict on the dress code, however, so guys need to bring long pants and close-toed shoes... (yes they actually kept people out for wearing nice shorts or flip-flops).
3) Babysitting services were very good - We hired a sitter for our 1 and 3 year-olds for six hours each of the 4 days while we scuba dove. Ronna is in charge of guest services and arranged everything in advance. The sitter was always on time, and our kids really loved them (America and Martha). They both work at the front desk of the hotel, so it felt very safe. They have a kids center that is normally for 5+ year-olds, but our sitter took them there each day. There is also a swing set with slide, etc... and a variety of shallow pool areas for kids of all ages.
4) I packed two bottles of OFF (insect repellant), but never used a drop. There were a few knats at dusk one of the themed nights, but they did not bite us, and we never had any other problems with bugs the rest of the trip. Maybe it gets worse later in the summer, but we had 90 degree days each day, and never had any problems.
5) We stayed (and loved) the 7th floor of the South Tower. Water pressure was not a problem. On the themed nights, the music stays pumping until about 10pm, so if that is a problem, you will want to be above the 4th floor.
6) As for tipping... I could not tell much of a difference either way. I did not tip the housekeepers the first couple days and remembered reading a review about giving a tip to get extra service, so I tipped the next few days but could not tell a difference. They always left fresh bottled water, new towels, changed sheets, swept, etc... regardless of tip. I never saw any "fresh flowers" even with a tip. The only tip that I felt obligated (and was more than happy to provide) was to the Dive Shop guy ("Premo") that carted all our gear to and from the pier, and then washed and dried the equipment and wetsuits each day. That was the best tip money ever spent.
7) Speaking of Diving... Antonio is the real deal. He runs the dive shop (Ocean Tours) which is partnered with Scuba Du. They come pick you up at the El Coz pier and then take you to the El Presidente to pick up the Divemaster. El Coz is a long boat trip from most dive sites (we got picked up at 8am each morning and did not get back until 1pm), but we enjoyed the view and I would rather get a tan from riding in a boat than sitting in a chair in front of a pool. The dives were spectacular!! We saw turtles on almost every dive and lots of great varieties of fish, coral, tunnels, etc... We are definitely coming back!!

If you have any questions... feel free to shoot me an email.

Mark P.
Hattiesburg, MS

A large group of us traveled to the Cozumeleno 2 years ago. Once we arrived we could not check in (not til 3) so dont plan on getting there until 3 or they will store your luggage in a storage room or wherever they can. (this is anywhere though) Once we arrived and changed we went straight to the swim up pool bar. It was great! Anything we needed they got for us. Didnt care about us eating or drinking in the pool the whole time! When we got into our rooms me and my fiance had 2 queen beds, and two guys with the group had one king! So we just switched and didnt say anything. Well our new room was on the old side of the hotel, so we could take the elevator to the 3rd floor and then we had to travel up the stairs to the sixth floor. Some of the people in our group had problems with AC. Leaked on their bed. Maintanence took 2 days to get there. We loved the food, always so much to choose, cereal sucked, had goat milk, not whole at all. I have been to Cancun and Cozumel, Cancun is the party place. this is the quiet place. When you go to the market, prices will double if the cruise ships are in, so wait til they leave. But all in all we would go!

Between my mom and i, we have been at 7 all inclusives (including 8 years before in cozumel) before staying at el coz. we have experience and knew what to expect; thus, this review can give you an insider's look at this resort and whether its worth your money. We went May 16-21, 2005.

The Beach and Snorkeling:
this is mucho important for us where ever we stay, and from our many walks and being to cozumel before, el coz's beach is the BEST north of san miguel. the beaches at cozumel are public, so you can walk up and down onto other resort's property. in recent years there has been some significant beach erosion which has decreased the width of cozumel's beaches. el coz's is no exception, but it is big enough and groomed daily to keep it up to par. in addition, there is a long pier (used for the watersports and snorkeling) that tends to protect the water from seaweed blooms and thimble jellyfish (tiny little guys that can get stuck in your suit and sting if you're not careful). the water was beautiful and is roped off from boats and ski jets (yes, they have them here, so peace and quiet is less here than some places)--but the roping is a significant distance so you can swim and snorkel a fair distance from shore. the fish at el coz's beach aren't too much to write home about (better in the morning, though)--my mom and i used the beach of the next resort south of el coz (Sol Cabanas Del Caribe) for snorkeling. their restaurant overlooks a reef, which makes the fishies sightings even better. the best snorkeling in the carribean, by far. (btw, bring your own towels and snorkeling gear. you'll want and need the freedom.)

Pools:
2 big pools, 2 hot tubs. The newer pool in front of the South Tower is By Far the best pool we've been to, great for families, with 4 waterfalls! The pool bar, though, was smelly and gross--the worst pool bar we've seen. The other older pool was quiet and small. The water was around 80+degrees, about 2 degrees warmer than the ocean water. The one "hot tub" at the newer pool was the same temp as the pool, so wasn't a hot tub (NO, it wasn't cold, as some say). The other hot tub was disgusting, like it hasnt been cleaned in years. We didn't even dip our toe in that one.

The Room: We stayed in the now infamous North Tower becuase we requested a quiet room. Indeed it was quiet...until 9am when the construction workers got busy nailing and sanding next door. I'm glad they're renovating though. The North Tower is shoddy and the worst room we've stayed in ever on an all-inclusive. It was huge, no storage but a relatively small closet and one drawer, the beds were indeed rock hard, the blankets old and questionable, the drapes had tiny holes in it, the floors were slippery with no rugs, and the air conditioning was cold but took no humidity out of the air, so things remained wet and musty in the room. The porch of course had a great view but was dirty and furniture was old. The bathroom had a shower (no shower/bath combo), the light was broken (had to shower in near-dark), it was dingy, and the water was cold twice when attempting to take a shower.

The Food:
Note: this is coming from an all-inclusive perspective, where the expectation is NOT gourmet-caliber. The breakfast was pretty good, with good selection (they had free room service before 10am, and we did this once and found it to be big servings and pretty good but we'd rather be on the beach eating). But beware coffee drinkers, there is no decaf and the coffee is taken away until dinner, when it wasn't freshly brewed. The lunch buffet was a lot of salad stuff, very fresh and it was surprising how few insects were around the food, so that was good. The buffet dinner was okay, lesser quality. They have theme nights that the food reflects very little of. we would have liked more selection for dinner than meats/sauces/salty soups/salads. the pasta was pretty gross, but as expected for carribean all inclusive. The AlaCarte dinner was not great; same food as the buffet but you have a server in the freezing-cold restaurant. Desserts were a definate dissapointment.

The Drinks:
Watered down during the day, stronger at night. Tipping helps. We tipped only at the dinner buffet and we were fine (about 2 bucks does ya). We didn't have a problem with drunken obnoxious people, but some do get loud later in the evening.

The Service:
NOT good. worst we've seen at an all-inclusive. the workers are not friendly nor do they seem to enjoy their job, unless if you tip. many know little english, which was a barrier at times.

The Entertainment:
Some have complained but really its what you make of it. If you go to Cozumel to complain or to have broadway caliber entertainment, stay at home. The shows were excellent, the best we've seen. We participated in every theme night and had a blast because of it. They have a disco too--check that out if you're a dancer.

Excursions:
the only excursion we did was go snorkeling on a 3-reef trip with Olympus Tours. Do This Tour!! it is completely worth your money (it was $35) and they have excellent guides. This is a smaller, more intimate tour; if you want louder, bigger, and drunker, go to the Catamaran 4-reef 5-hour tour. We were glad we did the one we did.

Other hints/suggestions:
~Beware of the slippery stones/sidewalks around the grounds. We saw two people considerbly hurt after falling.
~MiniGolf -- free on the resort--great fun.
~Get a massage on the beach at Sol Cabanas, the resort mentioned above--great value!
~If you like to walk, walk to town, save your $6 each way for the cab. my mom and i had no problem walking there, didn't feel unsafe at all, and got to get some exercise. it was 3-4 miles (people say five but we think they mean five kilometers). the town is sweet and you'll want to spend some time getting to know the smaller streets. the best deals are off the main strip. go to the major stores, find what you like, see/ask the price, then go find it elsewhere and barter it 1/2 off that price. you'll get more for your money.

I am rating it Neutral b/c that is where the resort stands in my mind: around a C+ or B-. Cozumel, though, is a gem, and we'll be back for sure.

We just returned from El Cozumeleno.Our stay was May 15-21. It was wonderful and I wish we were still there. The food was great. Different from American, but very good and alot of variety. My husband is a picky eater and he was able to eat something he liked each night at the buffet and also for lunch. The breakfast was great also. I love their fresh fruit. Papaya, cantaloupe, honeydew, and pineapple. It was great and also good to keep you hydrated. The room was very clean and the bed was comfortable. We had a king size bed and we slept good every night. The resort was exceptionally clean. They were cleaning all the time. With squeegies and brooms, it was always kept spotless. The entertainment was super. And the service was absolutely excellent. I could not complain about this resort. They were so courteous and polite and helpful. They even made us feel bad for leaving. Because they said "ahh you're not leaving are you?" They seemed to hate to see us leave.It was just a fabulous stay and we are ready to return. I will go back to this resort, no doubt. Also one more thing, there were no bugs at all! No mosquitoes, no wasps or bees. That really surprised me. But anyway I will go again at this time of year. It's great.