We stayed at the hotel May26-30 and had a great time. It was ou second trip back to the El Cozumeleno and I wouln't hesitate to come back. We arrived early about 9 am and got to check right in a room. I was disappointed at first because we we put in the infamous north tower but once we got to our room it was great. The view was great and was quieter on the north side. I don't have any complaints about the room. It was big, everything worked fine and had a great view.
We talked to Antonio at the dive shop several times and just like the other reviews he was a lot of help. I looked at a lot of different snorkel trips and the one with Manta Sports is the best deal by far. No hotel stops, 3 reefs, sunken ship and party on the way back. The crew was great, the eqipment was good quality. We had a great time and would love to do it again. The kids parasailed from the hotel a loved it. Even if you don't book through the dive shop Antonio will get you what you want.
You will read good and bad reviews of the hotel but I have no complaints really. We took our own beach towel so we wouln't have to check any out. My only regret is not trying the restaurant, just didn't want to follow the dress code. You might want to bring plenty of disposable cameras with you, the are $20 for one in the gift shop.We bought 2 for $18 in town at the Kodak shop. Can't wait to go back.

I read several of the reviews before I left and as you can see the reviews were mixed. That is because they all are right depending on the day, employees, food offered, etc. I have been to Coz. many times and this was my first visit to the hotel. First at check in you will store your bags until 3 pm when your room is ready, check around 2 mine was ready. Pack some pool chothes in your carry on so you can dump your bags and have fun. Many people were in full dress sweating it out waiting on a room. The rooms are nice with very nice view, that is the BEST thing about the hotel.
Service varys from employee to employee, I tip and that would prompt good service from that employee but with each new employee you confront it starts all over again. I did not see much difference in the service to people who did not tip although they did it in a very impersonal mannor. The food............I went to the buffet every night and then we went out to eat. The food for b-fast and lunch was not much different but it was ok and we were so busy it was just fuel not a meal. The food was by far the worst part of the visit although it is very much like the food at the Reef Club which was about the same price vacation. I guess you get what you pay for! FYI-Keep up with your towel card! I would return if it was the only package during the dates I wanted to go but there are beter hotels and food in Coz. Don't exspect to much and you will not be disapointed.

This was our first trip to Cozumel and it won't be our last!
Front desk - We were able to drop off our luggage when we arrived and get our wristbands right away. We changed into our suits and got right out to the pool, ocean and bar. It was so beautiful! When we lost a room key half way through the trip they told us it would be $10 and no big deal! What a relief - (the safe keys are $100 if lost.....) The staff always had a smile on their faces!
Towels - We took others advice and brought our own towels. It was a great idea! No-one ever took or moved our towels and we didn't have to stand in line to rent towels or worry about losing our towel card!
Rooms- We also brought an alarm clock which helped as we had to get up early to scuba and there are no clocks in the rooms. Our room was in the "old" section, and was beautiful. We were on the 5th floor and had the best view! The bathroom did have a little bit of mildew stain on the floor, but it did NOT smell like mildew and was very clean. The rest of the room was spotless! The maids worked like crazy to keep our room free of sand and dry from all our wet scuba gear hanging everywhere. Over all not a lot of amenitites, but very clean and beautiful. We did have plenty of fresh water to drink and soaps etc. At night we hung our towels over the chairs on the veranda and let them dry.
Grounds - the hotel grounds were spotless! And I mean spotless. Not like American hotels where there is garbage in the back corner or around the tree's. I got up early one morning and the staff washed and swept every square inch of the pool deck and paths for 2 hours! The only garbage I saw the whole time was from some very rude Texans who threw stuff out of the ocean onto the ground and left their cigarettes all over. Even then the staff tried to stay on top of the situation. (by the way I know it was Texas because they boasted regularly about where they were from!)
Pools - Whomever complained about the pools was crazy! The pools were the perfect temperature and the water was just beautiful. They were not "cold". In fact they were a little to warm for my northern tastes when you include the ambient air temp. They were clean and almost completely free of sand - which is incredible considering they are literally 10 feet from the beach!
DIVING - We were new scuba divers. We were just certified right before our trip. Scuba Du and Ocean Tours were great! I can't tell you how great it was to feel at ease and cared for during our trip. Antonio and his staff at the hotel helped us get ready and do a shore dive to get used to the saltwater. They were kind and considerate to our "newie" needs and Antonio helped us pick a diving plan that made our trip incredible! Our dive master Eduardo was the BEST! He kept our group of "newbies" together and gave us dives that were thrilling and yet we felt totally safe! He even delt with an "almost out of air" situation (someone else's I might add...) with calmness and professionalism! And didn't make me feel bad when it took me twice as long as everyone else in the group to get my ears cleared! We will dive with them again for sure next trip!!!
TOURS- We went on the Sunset Cruise and the Snorkle tour through OCEAN TOURS. DON"T use those guys in the entryway. Just say a nice thanks, but no thanks to the fun-jet and other guys and use ANTONIO! Our sunset cruise was awesome. The staff kept the drinks filled, the music going and even made a special stop downtown to let off some yonger bar-hoppers so they could get to the bars sooner. The staff even took lots of pictures of us with our camera! The SNORKLE tour was great....even for us divers who kept looking at the bottom longingly. It was our "break day" between diving days and we got to see the reefs and the wreck. The staff made sure the beginner's were well cared for and let us "professional snorklers" get in early and get our late - to get the most of the tour time!
Safety - We never had anything stolen or touched or even moved. We did use the safe in the room for the "most" impotant stuff - like the passports - but we left out my purse in the room with some money in it and all our scuba gear and never had anything taken. We also never dealt with or even saw anyone fight/argue or get loud or boisterous from too much drinking.
Food - We are fairly large people from Northern Minnesota who love to eat and drink. We did not go hungry, in fact we both gained some weight! There is always something to eat. Some of the food was in fact excellent! Especially the dinner in the fancy restaurant, BUT MAKE SURE you bring one set of nice dress clothes and shoes so you can get past the dress code. We saw a few people get turned away for wearing gymshoes or tank shirts. They were a little less strict about the children, but it was nice to be dressed up. The piano player was great and made the atmosphere wonderful! The drinks were fabulous! If you want them stong just order a shot to go in it - or order something that is by nature strong - like a white russian.
Taxis- we never had any trouble getting around the island. There were always taxis available out front. For anyone not used to big city driving (and I mean BIG city like Chicago or New York) - I would suggest NOT renting any vehicles! I was really scared of the crazy drivers and the taxi driver told us about some tourists who were recently killed on mopeds.
Activites - we didn't participate in many hotel activities because we were gone to dive most of the time, but it sounded like everyone was having a great time!
Childcare - We did not bring our children with us this trip, but I wanted to comment about the staff I saw watching children throughout the resort. I have never seen more attentive women watching children in my life. These ladies were actually holding and playing with the kids they were watching. They were lovingly caring for them, making sure they had enough sunscreen, drinking regularly, and changing scenes to keep the kids interested. In one morning we watched a staff sitter play in the pool, by the beach, in the sand, back to the pool and get snacks for two small children in her care. She was wonderful even when she thought no-one was watching her with the kids! The kids seemed to really like her too!
I would not hesitate to let them watch our children on our next stay while we go diving!

All in all it was the best vacation of our life and we can't wait to get back! ANTONIO - if you read this - we'll send you some more chocolate at Christmas!!!

Of course anyone who has been to Cozumel once, and enjoyed it, will say that it is hard NOT to have fun. With that said, it is also hard to NOT accomodate your guests.

For example:
1) If you are trying to get early check-in, forget about it. We've tried twice with no avail. However, upon arriving you have the option of storing your luggage in a locked room (if available) while you swim, drink, or eat at the pool or beach and wait for a room.
Advise: Leave alittle later in the day, and arrive after 11 a.m. for a shorter wait, but be prepared to have a room you may not like.

2) If you're unhappy with your room, complain immediately. Some rooms in the North tower smelled like mildew and the faucet water had a scent which was unusual since it is supposed to be filtered by the hotel. This was a first hand problem and while not immediately known, we rode it out, and tried to change the next day, and got lucky. It was surely a hassle for the hotel to make new accomodations and they were rather unhelpful. Request the south tower and again complain immediately.

3) When checking in with the hotel, they give you a beach towel card for each member of your family. Give half of them back unless you KNOW FOR SURE that you will use them all. It is far too easy for one to slip away when returning a towel or else where and it will cost you $50 per lost, or unreturned card. This again was a first hand and VERY unpleasant experience.
Advise: Do not let them give you a card per person in your family/party unless you know you'll use all of them.

4) Make sure that if you're wanting to eat in the restaurant that EVERYONE in your party is dressed according to the hotel restaurant dress code. They will not sway, and if one person is not dressed accordingly, the whole party is turned away.

5) The buffet for dinner has improved slightly from our previous visit a year ago, but be prepared to eat else where at least one day of your trip. Breakfast and lunch are the best there. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE ROOM SERVICE, at no additional charge, except for a tip.

The hotel is nice, the pool is great, and the location is a beautiful one. The staff however can be very stubborn when it comes to requests that make them work harder than they are used to. Bar staff is not included in the previous statement. Just remember to take care of all your problems asap and you will be O.K.. If you wait, you may develop feelings of anger and frustration, and you may even feel unwelcomed. We stayed here twice, the first time was 90% successful, and the second and most recent stay was about 25% successful when it comes to hotel requests and stay. We still had a great time overall, but next time we will not stay at El Cozumeleno.