Please don't believe the negative reviews about El Cozumeleno. I cannot imagine how finicky one has to be to complain about anything at this facility. In short, El Coz does an excellent job, and unless you are picky beyond belief, you will have a wonderful time there. Perhaps I should just address the "complaints" that you have seen in these reviews:

* Beds : Okay, so you're not sleeping on your home bed, and you are not at the Hilton. I had no trouble sleeping on El Coz's beds, nor will anyone else who doesn't have a pre-existing back issue.

* Birds : Yep, there are a few resident birds that occasionally like to dive through the El Cocal outdoor restaurant and pick up a morsel. Again, the average customer will be unaffected by this. In a full week, I never once saw a bird near the serving area. They may swoop down on your plate if you leave it at an unattended table, but that's going to be the case anywhere you go.

*Rocky Beach : Cozumel is basically one big rock, and yes the beach features a rocky entry. It's nothing that cannot be navigated in bare feet, however, and once you are into the water, you are fine. The rocks DO aid in attracting sea life, as well.

* Kid Activities : I brought a 10 and a 12 year old. Neither of them were ever bored on the trip. The resort has mini-golf, ping-pong, pool, and the giant chess board, in addition to the obvious entertainment choices that the pool and the ocean provide. Most kids will find more than ample things to entertain them, here.

* Food Quality : The indoor restaurant was absolutely top notch. Made to order fajita's and omelettes at El Cocal were fantastic, too. Some of the buffet food was not what I might term first rate, but it's a buffet, folks. You may grow somewhat tired of the buffet offerings after awhile, but that sounds like an opportunity to go out and explore other dining opportunities on the island, to me. (and they are plentiful)

* Front Desk : On average, the staff at El Coz is first rate. They are very welcoming, courteous, and friendly. The front desk staff may be the most "challenged" in this department, but I think this is an organizational issue, more than anything. While they like to accept e-mailed requests, prior to arrival, they don't seem be transfered to the front desk, for your arrival. Either El Coz should cease agreeing to pre-arrival requests, or they should track them better, so that there is no confusion/frustration/anger upon arrival.
All in all, however, they seem to get things worked out. It might just be a slight struggle for you, upon arrival, if you didn't get the room type that you were expecting, or that they committed to.

* Cold Pool Water : Yep, the pools are cooler than you are probably used to. (a few degrees, maybe?) I defy anyone to show you a picture of how this affects traffic in the pool, however. I didn't see anyone standing in the pool shivering, or refusing to go in because of the temp. Like any pool......once you are in, you are fine. Hey, you're in Cozumel. Psssst.......it's hot down there. A cool pool is NOT a bad thing.

All of these "annoyances" that other reviewers tend to focus on, are collectively SO very small, when looking at the big picture. If you don't feel like you have been fully accommodated at El Coz..........and you do not have a completely enjoyable time down there...................then your problems extend beyond anything that El Coz can be blamed for.
Don't worry about these trivial things. Relax, have fun, and enjoy El Coz.

Most of the reviews on this board are pretty accurate, so I’ll try not to be so repetitive. We were looking for a relaxing long weekend in the sun without spending a ridiculous amount of money, and El Coz delivered, for the most part. We emailed the hotel ahead of time and they accommodated our request for a high floor in the South Tower. Nice room, very clean, the bed was a bit firm but after being in the sun all day, we slept fine. The rest of the hotel and grounds (except for the “gym”) were pretty, kept well and were always being cleaned by the staff. The gym was a small room with a few weights, two machines that I think were state-of-the-art step machines in the 80’s and two or three stationary bikes with broken seats. Don’t bother! The food was passable – but keep in mind, you’re not there for the food and at $200-something a night and all drinks included, food of any type is a good deal. Breakfast was pretty good, with eggs and omelets to order, there was a good variety of food for lunch with snacks, hamburgers, fresh fruit, chips and guacamole out all day. We made restaurant reservations twice with no problem, even though we didn’t go to the desk first thing in the morning to make them. The food at the restaurant was very good, especially the mahi mahi and filet mignon. Our waiter, Willy, could have worked at a 5-star NYC restaurant, he was that good. The only buffet dinner we had was on “international night” and it was awful. Drinks are fine, as other reviewers have said, just ask for extra alcohol if you want it. All of the staff were very nice and did their best -- they definitely work hard and deserve some extra $$ when they go out of their way for you. We went to Lobster House, in walking distance down the road and it was great. Look in the map/coupon book you get at the hotel, there is a coupon for 20% discount for the restaurant. Antonio at the dive shop was great, but I’m sorry to say that the snorkeling trips weren’t as impressive as we had hoped. The boat and crew were fun, but the reefs themselves were just okay. Perhaps it was some damage from Wilma, but we also took into consideration that it is a diver’s island, maybe not known for fabulous snorkeling – we’ve seen much better on other islands. Snorkeling right off the property is definitely worth it, and free. The beach at El Coz is small, but clean and the water was amazing, unlike next door at the Melia -- dark, murky and full of seaweed. The seawall makes a huge difference! A few other random tips…the ridiculous practice of waking up at an unearthly hour to claim beach chairs, unfortunately, is rampant. The chairs might be vacant for most of the day, but they were claimed by 6:30 am. You just need to be flexible and find a spot where you can.
One interesting observation about a recent posting by a guest who was there the same time we were. There were two large groups of teens from Minnesota and Michigan (come to think of it, almost everyone was from either of these two states) celebrating their senior trips. They were enjoying themselves, but were very polite – and we witnessed many more drunken adults than teens. We found many of the smaller children, and the parents who were not watching over them, to be much more obnoxious and obtrusive, i.e., using the mini golf as a jungle gym when others were trying to play. Overall, the hotel is a great deal, but I’d recommend it mostly for families.

Our famiy stayed at El Coz from March 24-31 - since it was spring break we excpected the hotel to be busy, but we never felt cramped or crowded. There were plenty of beach or pool chairs -(although you do need to get up early to claim the prize locations.) Our rooms were spacious and next to one another -exactly as requested. The view was spectacular since most are ocean front. The reports of hard beds appears to have been addressed - we had a 1" think foam pad under the mattrass pad. Pillows were hard like all hotel pillows - we just bring our own from home. As reported before - the grounds are immaculate!
All the staff was polite and courteous. No one put their hand out expecting a tip, but were very grateful when one was given. Everyone had a smile on their face.
While the beach is rocky, you can get in and swim and snorkle -and the water is so clear - no sea grass like at the Melia close by. Also, the beach at the hotel is private, so you won't have the vendors harassing you to buy their stuff while you're trying to relax in the sun.
The drinks were plentiful and bartenders were happy to honor requests for call brands if they had it. As reported before, the buffet gets kind of redundant. Made to order omlets at breakfast and faijatas at lunch are the best. The food was covered in buffet serving trays and plexiglass covers over fruit, salads and desserts - I did not see any flies on the food. There is no limit to how many times you can eat in the restaurant and reservations were easy to get - just show up around 8:00 a.m. at the desk - the line was never long.
The location of the resort is great because it is far enough from the hustle of town and the cruise ships, but close enough that the cab fare was $7 for 4 people each way.
We took a side trip to Xel-Ha and Tulum which was an entire day, but I really recommend it. We also rented a Jeep ($80/day plus insurance = $100) and toured the island - the windward side of the island is beautiful - don't miss it. We met a couple who had rented a Jeep in advance for the week thru Dollar Rent A Car at the airport, and told us they paid $150 for the entire week - something to think about since you definitely want to get out and see the island.
We met lots of nice people while staying at El Coz. Our teenage daughters were trying their hardest to get served alcolol, but the staff very politely asked to see their wristbands - so parents don't need to worry.
We really liked Cozumel - very relaxed atmosphere. Even in town the shop keepers didn't harass the tourists for time shares or to buy their stuff - something we had experienced in Cabo San Lucas that really turned us off. Cab drivers, waiters - everyone was really nice and didn't bug you for a tip all the time.
In summary - the weather was great - not a day of rain - food was good, drinks were plentiful, people were really nice - I definitely think the resort was first class!

We have stayed at many all-inclusive resorts over the past 7 years. This resort is definitely a solid 3 star resort in comparison to others. Overall we enjoyed our vacation, but I do not think I would recommend, nor go back to this hotel.

Food - The food at the buffet is okay. The selection is very small and gets a bit monotonous but you will always find something to eat. Made reservations one night at the restaurant, there were 7 adults and everyone enjoyed their meal. Please note that room service is open till 11pm and the food offered on the menu is prepared/delivered from the restaurant.

Drinks - Drinks were watered down, they will give you doubles if you request them. We found that the bar by the snack area prepared the best drinks. Try to bring your own cups or request the disposable glasses as we noticed very, very little effort was put into cleaning the cups.

Activities - This will probably be the area they could improve on the most. We brought a 16 and 12 year old with us. There are very little activities during the day for kids. Usually all-inclusives keep kids and adults busy all day. There was no bocce ball, horseshoes, dancing, silly games, etc.... In the evenings there are only 3 shows throughout the week (mostly dancing, not the silly stuff most resorts have), there is a Karaoke bar...but it does not admit teenagers. There is really not a lot for teenagers to do in the evenings, they all just mill about outside and in the hallways.

Rooms - We had a room in the older section of the hotel. It was large, and had a beautiful view. The beds are hard but not that bad. Our room was always ice cold, and quiet. The ceiling leaked the entire week. Was fixed and broke twice....just resorted to putting a garbage can under the leak. The shower pressure was very weak, and the shower handle broke during the week and was never fixed. We did have small ants two days in our bathroom but I could smell that they sprayed. Room was clean....but the bathroom/shower was not as clean as it could have been.

Grounds - Kept very clean. Nice mini golf, pools were cold but refreshing and clean. Beach was swept every day and cups were never laying around always picked up promptly. Only a few palapas on the beach and there were no umbrellas at the pool.
Get up early to reserve chairs.

Staff - Excellent, friendly wait staff. Front desk can try your patience but stick with them, be polite and they will work things out with you. I saw a lot of people treating the front desk employees very rudely....so I can see how they may carry a chip on their shoulders.

Apple - Lost my luggage and never contacted me during my stay. I had to ask about them multilple times. Carlos is definitely the more experienced and capable rep to deal with if you have any questions or problems.

Dive Shop - Antonio is very thorough, he got a little defensive when we asked why prices were less if you paid cash! Other than that he was very helpful.

Town - Went to town multiple times. Cab costs vary, ask before you get into the cab. Usually a lower price was quoted to the women. We had an 8, 7, 6 and 5 dollar fare to the same area.
If you get a chance to rent a car for the day its worth it. It is a beautiful and quick drive around the island.