We stayed at the Coral Princess for 10 days with another couple and had a GREAT TIME.

STAFF
Was very friendly from the moment we walked in the door. However, the first 7 days the hotel was not even half full, so the service was speedy and excellent. Our last couple days it got really busy, and the service was much slower, but still very good.

FOOD
We thought the food was really good, we ate breakfast at the hotel every day and never had a bad experience. The fruit, eggs, pancakes were all good. (the chocolate milk was awesome!) Lunch was typical hamburgers, tacos, etc... and was good. We only ate dinner at the hotel once, and it was OK. One of the reasons we didn't do all inclusive was because we like to have dinner in town.
The drinks were pretty good....they made them pretty strong, but they were kind of expensive (5 dollars a piece). Beer was cheaper (like 3 dollars a piece).

ROOM
We had a studio, and it was small but very clean and quiet. The view was incredible (definitely go with the ocean view). We did have some trouble getting the maid to clean our room every day. And when she did, it was not very thorough. When we complained to the manager, they sent someone up right away. (our friends that were staying on a different floor didn't have any trouble with their maid. and we both left pretty good tips).
The shower was nice and big, we always had hot water.

POOL/BEACH
We didn't use the pool much, but it was always really warm. The snorkeling off the hotel was really great and very easy to get in/out of the water. We didn't have any problems getting towels or chairs. However, when it started to get busy it was more difficult to find chairs together.

We were not approached by the timeshare people until we asked...because we wanted a free car rental. And when we said no, we were not harrassed or bothered in any way for the rest of the trip.

I have been to Cozumel eight times before this trip and always stayed at an all-inclusive. However, on this trip I wanted something different. We searched Orbitz for the best rates and came across this gem of a hotel. The facilities include a nice dining room (with indoor and outdoor seating), a bar, a swim-up bar, two small swimming pools, and a man-made beach area.

I have to tell you that the snorkeling right off the hotel is some of the best I've seen in all of Cozumel. The hurricane has injured so many reefs around the island but you can tell they are slowly recovering.

The only major challenge I see with the facility is the challenge of getting into and out of the water. If you are not able to climb a ladder this hotel is not for you. The only way to access the ocean is via a laddder. Don't let this minor hurdle overly influence your decision regarding this facility.

The staff at the facility is both friendly and helpful. They do sell timeshares at this hotel but we were never pressured. We did take the tour but it wasn't for us.

The menu in the hotel is reasonably priced - breakfast ranges from $4 to $10 US and lunch and dinner range from $5 to $20 US. We had a refrigerator in our room which made it nice to visit the market and pick-up fresh fruit, cereal, milk and the sorts.

I hope you enjoy your stay at this very nice facility.

We booked a jungle view studio room at the Coral Princess with a vacation package for our trip to Cozumel. When we checked in to our room, I was very pleasantly surprised to find that we were upgraded to an ocean view studio free of charge! I had read other reviews saying ocean views cost an extra $20 a day, and my husband and I usually do not pay extra for a room with a view. But having had it, I now think it might be worth the extra cost for an ocean view, since one of my favorite things was to open the window and take in the view and warm Caribbean air. We were also brought delicious, fruity "welcome drinks" right after check in, which was another pleasant surprise.

The rooms were very clean and the furnishings looked very new, likely due to a remodeling after the 2005 hurricanes. Room amenities were fairly similar to a reputable two or three star chain hotel in the states: TV, dressers, closet, table/chairs, nightstands, shampoo/lotion samples, hair dryer, coffee maker, ice bucket. The only things that were missing were a tub in the shower, and there was no clock of any sort, so bring your own alarm. One thing we found interesting is you put your room key in a slot in the wall to turn on the electricity, so you don't waste it when you leave the room. One benefit to this is that you could always find your room key when you wanted to leave. When you check in, you are given one (1 liter or so) bottle of purified water complimentary, but they will bring up a 5-gallon jug with a pump for $3 on request. We went through two of these on our week-long stay, since we would fill up our smaller water bottles before going out.

As other reviews mention, the Coral Princess is on the ocean but does not have a traditional sandy beach going in to the water but rather a coral "ironshore" with steps going down in to 15 or so feet of water (good snorkeling - there were always tons of fish as they like to bait them). They do, however, surround the pool and beach area with white sand so you can still have that sandy beach feel while relaxing on the chairs. My husband and I actually found that we preferred the "ironshore" to a traditional beach. We love to swim and snorkel, and that gave us quick, easy access to great snorkeling and deep water to swim in.

We did not rent a car for the duration of our trip (I had read plenty of horror stories of renting a car in Mexico), so we relied on taxis. That made staying at the Coral Princess a great choice since it is only a $3 taxi ride to town. The bellboy was able to summon a taxi for us within about two minutes whenever we needed one. If you stay here, I would recommend not renting a car for a whole week since I'm sure we spent less on taxi fares than we would have on a weekly car rental with full insurance. In addition, it is very difficult to drive and park in town because it is very crowded with plenty of one way streets - we found taxis to be quick, convenient, and stress-free.

The staff were very friendly and helpful. They helped us book a tour to Tulum/Coba and arrange a one-day car rental to drive around the island (after addressing our insurance concerns). Some of the staff members got to know who we were and would ask us how our day was when we got back. We were never once approached by timeshare salesmen, as I had read about in other reviews. The outdoor staff were incredibly helpful when I had an unfortunate experience while snorkeling. My old pair of flippers broke while I was in the water, and I panicked due to the strong currents and climbed up on to a piece of coral, getting a number of scrapes and jellyfish stings on my arms/legs. One of the employees immediately came out and treated my cuts and stings with iodine and vinegar. I was feeling much better that night and healed up very quickly, and was even back for a final snorkel on our last day there.

It is well worth upgrading from the free continental breakfast to the American breakfast for $2 per person/per day - you get three times as much food and a much wider variety. My husband and I would eat a full breakfast and usually only need one additional meal later that day. Our only complaint about the hotel was the restaurant food, aside from breakfast, which we didn't think was that great. At one point, my husband got sick with stomach pains which were due to either the hotel's nachos or the lunch served on our tour. But going in to town for dinner is quick and easy, so it was easy to avoid eating at the restaurant. The staff at the front desk will also give you free drink coupons to recommended restaurants in town, which was nice.

I would not recommend this hotel for families with young children or travelers looking for an all-inclusive vacation, since the Coral Princess does not have a wide range of amenities and activities that would appeal to such people. But for my husband and I, the Coral Princess was the perfect choice, and I would gladly stay here again if we decide to return to Cozumel.

This is a WONDERFUL place to stay. Initially I was a bit spooked because it was more luxurious than I was used to(altho the room was only $150 a night) but everything was just delightful-staff,accomodations, food etc. But the really magical piece was Pepe's diving. This is an operation that has been around for 25 years and they know how to dive. From beginner to experienced, they really have their stuff together. Frank Ferre, the owner has crafted a truly world class experience. I have been diving for 30 years all over the Caribbean, but Pepe's knew the Cozumel reefs(second only to the Great Barrier in Australia) inside and out. His dive masters were all local men with 3o years experience all over the reefs. EspeciallyJorge- he is a cross between Jacques Cousteau and the Dali Lama. The equipment was superb and there was never a problem with anything .. In addition his rates and packages were the best on the island.The visibility was l60-l80 feet and it was loaded with every fish,ray,eel,lobster anyone could imagine. The dive masters were so attentive and accomplished that I learned more with each successive dive.Pepe's made this experience better than I ever could have imagined.
If you want a wonderful hotel with a diving experience that you'll carry with you for the rest of your life, go to the Coral Princess and dive with Pepe's. Even if you don't want to stay at Coral Princess, go dive with Pepe's.