my teen and i traveled from Dallas on june 16, 2006 for 3 days at this hotel. I was a bit concerned with the what i read here, but boy was i wrong. We checked in and greeted nicely. I asked for a safe and was given one with no charge you were given a key and the safe is up front by the check inn. The room we got was on the third floor 306 .. very nice and i have never seen a remote control airconditioner before. Ceiling fan nice. Two bed somewhat hard but in Mexico i find they like beds that way. The bath room was great and i never heard a person out in the hall way as other reports . Yes some talking about it . Nice hot water.

Food was good but odd never been to an AL that you sign you room number and reciept after ordering.

Pool was great one concern was glass bottles of beer in the pool and around it.

We took the bus to the private Beach club and that was nice was there with another family we meet.

Overall this is not a 5 star but for good services and friendly folks. Good food ., Free internet service and 4.00 taxi ride to town a good value. We meet a lady that worked on a cruise ship and she told me about the Terminal shopping i found it to be better and cheaper then town.

Daughter and i went into town and got a pedicure each for 11.00 and well worth it. Small shop down from the main squaure on 6 th street..

I would go back to this resort .. mostly Americans Diving but just nice folks working there and vacationing there.

What a pleasant surprise it was to stay at the Casa Del Mar. My overall enjoyment far outweighed the few inconveniences. The staff was wonderful. Treat people with respect and a friendly smile, and they do bend over backward to accommadate your needs at the Casa del Mar. A special thanks to Aisela for keeping my room clean and making the cute animals out of towels. This place is fairly small, but the grounds are beautifully kept. Considering the massive destruction from Hurricane Wilma last fall, they have the garden in very good shape. If you are planning on hanging out at the beach in front of the hotel, well, it's gone temporarily. They do have a beach where they will transport you to and pick you up.

There is a lot of reconstruction occurring; it was also sad to see the jungle's trees stripped of leaves. The Cozumel people I spoke with said it was hard, but everything will be alright again. You can't live there and not expect the storms. I really admire their efforts.

This being a dive trip for my group, we were booked into standard rooms. I upgraded mine to have a balcony where I could hang out the wet gear to dry. I'd stayed in the standard for a few days, but I also like a place to sit outside. Otherwise, it is difficult to get stuff to dry. They do not have a place to hang wet dive gear in the room, and have only a sprayer hose to rinse off equipment; no dunk tank.

No buffets here. We were on the Full American Plan. The menu items were outstanding and service was friendly and prompt. I've been at several of the other (more expensive) hotels on Cozumel and thought the people were too overworked to provide good service, thus rushing so much you almost have your food thrown at you. Make sure you sit under the fans; it keeps flies away. For breakfast, they do have a fruit, juice and cereal bar and if you ask for decaf coffee, they provide the Nescafe instant. Some places say they don't have any.

We all were surprised at how delicious the bar drinks were. Their bartender was wonderful. Mexican beer was plentiful, pina coladas and margaritas. I also ordered a Mai Tai, and having lived in Hawaii, I thought it was a good one. We also ordered lots of bottled water from the bar.

A couple of things I wish they did have were an elevator (they have 3 floors) and a ramp down to the street. If you have heavy dive equiment and a roller bag, it makes it a little difficult (I'm not exactly a young, or even a semi-young pup). They do have safes, but my particular rooms didn't have them. They have a bank of safes in the lobby for free.

Think I'll be going back there next year. Met some super folks from Ft. Worth, TX, who love diving and the Casa Del Mar is the only hotel they stay in every trip.

For perspective, I usually stay at Four Seasons, Ritz, Hyatt and Starwood when I travel with my family. I know what a good hotel has - and doesn't have.

I was booked on a Dive Trip with a group at Casa Del Mar, and knew nothing about this hotel but what I had read here. I was a little worried. When we pulled up, I was more worried because it looks like a motel from the street. Not a great feeling when you arrive. This hotel is not on beach side - but rather across road from beach. It looks out on Paradise Reef and where the Cruise Ships disembark

First - we upgraded for $50USD (total for 3-nights) to a water view room with balcony. Must do this - non-balcony rooms overlook the "city." Room was very clean, housekeeper had little bows tied everywhere, folded "towel animals," and everything was spotless. Air-conditioner was great, no musty smell. We were in business. View was great and breeze was fantastic!

Second - Beds were hard. But I slept very well. Pillows were hard, too.

Third - The food was EXCELLENT. We stayed on an all-inclusive plan, but ordered off the menu EVERY NIGHT without additional cost. Ceviche was incredible. Grouper fillets best I ever had. Very happy with food quality and service. Guacamole with evry meal.

All-in-all, this hotel is a very nice local hotel. Clean, well-maintained, good service, great food. No complaints. Great value. Nice time.

Perfect for a Dive Trip. Honeymoon destination - no way.
Scuba Get-a-Way? I'd be back in a second.
Snobs? Stay away from Cozumel and go to Cancun or Cabo.

My husband and I stayed at Casa Del Mar for 1 week with our 13 year old daughter.
FIRST THE POSITIVES:
We did pay a little more for an ocean view room. I was glad we did this as we had a very nice balcony with hooks to hang our wet clothes/towels out to dry. We also enjoyed watching the cruise ships each day as the hotel is nearby one of the piers.
Staff was friendly, and house keeping gave us very nice towel sculptures each day.
Housekeeping always seemed to know when we were there or away and never disturbed us. We ordered room service 2 times during our stay and they were very prompt and friendly.
The shower area is very large in the bathroom.
Pool area was only crowded one evening during our entire stay, otherwise there was only a few other groups using it.
There is a computer in the lobby for guests to use which was nice to be able to keep in touch through email with family - much cheaper than the phone.
There was a cat roaming the grounds which we befriended and it was very fun playing with him each night.. We enjoyed saving bits of dinner to feed him. One of the staff told us his name was Charlie? I would have loved to take him home with us!
There was always a taxi ready and waiting at the front doors
There is free shuttle to the hotels beach club. It is a nice club, but like the hotel - no frills.
If you just want a quiet beach to relax on then its perfect.. If you want activities or have hard to entertain children I would recommend going somewhere else.
Breakfast was included with our stay and waitstaff was attentive, however the food was only average at best.
AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT:
The beds really are hard - as are the pillows... I like a firm mattress, but this was even too much for me! The sheets are a bit rough as others have mentioned..
Walls did not block out the outside noise and the bathroom does have a large vent which opens to the hallway.. I would recommend closing this at night to eliminate some of the noise, and close the bathroom door. Luckily we brought earplugs so this was not a problem for us.. The bathroom has really bad lighting so very hard to put on make up..
The air conditioner was making strange noises a couple nights, but not bothersom enough to ask someone to fix it.
There was no safety lock on the door - only the basic lock on the door knob and no safe to keep our passports and travel documents in.
This is a hotel which is very basic . I wouldn't go as far to call people who don't enjoy it "snobs", as others have, but if you do want a bit of pampering I wouldn't recommend staying here.
If I was comparing it to a well known hotel in the US, I would say its comparable to a Days Inn but with a swim up bar..
HELPFUL HINTS:
If you can't get on the computer in the lobby there is a calling center just under the hotel on the street which has very cheap internet rates.
There is a small store about 1 block up if you want snacks/drinks to keep in your room.
The snorkeling tours take their groups to some reefs which are right across the street from the hotel. There was bridge which went over to this area - I think maybe there was a beach there until the hurricane.. This bridge is now closed so you will need to walk through the restaurant and down the stairs to the street to get over there..
There is also a dive shop right there.
HELPFUL HINTS IF TRAVELING WITH CHILDREN
There is a Dominos and Pizza Hut which will deliver to the hotel..
If you have a portable DVD player - BRING IT! There was very little to watch on TV, especially if you do not speak spanish.