We just returned from a 7 night stay at the Playa Azul hotel in Cozumel. We had a wonderful week at the Playa Azul Resort. Hope the break down of the following aspects helps anyone who is trying to plan a trip to Cozumel. I would highly recommend this hotel. If you would like to see more pictures or have any questions please email me...

Transportation: The hotel is literally a 5 min. ride from the airport (walk to the main street at the airport to get off federal property and you can take a cab for about $6 total versus $8 per person from the drivers right outside the airport waiting area). A cab from the hotel to downtown is only $5 too.

Food and Drinks: The free breakfast was very good. All the typical Mexican breakfast foods( chilequiles, beans, potatoes,etc) and as well as American (cereal, yogurt, eggs, bacon). We found that the public resturant (right next door to the hotel) made bigger drinks (yummy margaritas) than the hotel beachside bar, however both were good and both had great food for about the same price.

Resturants: "Pancho's Backyard" had a really great courtyard a great place for a drink, food was also pretty good. Our most reasonable meal that also came with a great atmosphere was at "La Mission" Surf and Turf (with soup and dessert included) $20! Shrimp Scampi was also delicious!

Beach: Although, the beach and the water at the hotel are stunning, we learned that the beach at the Playa Azul was pretty much destroyed by Hurricane Wilma. It is a little rocky, but you can swim passed the rocks near the shore out to a bliss of turquoise water. I was disappointed because the two resorts on either side of the hotel look as though they have been desserted, therefore there is no way to take a nice walk on the sandy beach.

Other Stuff: We rented a jeep for about $60 for a day and drove to the other side of the island. It was totally worth it! The beaches are amazing! Stop at Coconuts for a drink with an extraordinary view. We stopped at the Tequila Tour (not really worth the stop..I wouldn't recommend it)...

Golf: The golf is free with the exception of a mandatory $25 cart rental(but totally worth it)! Take lots of extra golf balls and bug spray!!

Hotel Rooms: It appears that all the rooms at Playa Azul have wonderful ocean views. Our view was stunning. The hotel and rooms were very clean (and I am very picky), we had absolutely no complaints about the cleaniness. The beds are a little hard and the sheets are not 100% cotton (another thing I am picky about). Good air conditioning in the rooms and nice balconies too!

Best thing about this hotel: Ocean View and Price

Worst thing about this hotel: sheets and hotel pets (1 dog and 1 cat looked under fed :(

We returned home from our second stay at the beautiful Playa Azul Hotel on 7/21. We have been visiting Cozumel for 10 years and after staying here last year, vowed to never stay at another AI hotel again. This is a small, boutique hotel, very quiet and peaceful. I cannot be sure of all the rooms as we occupied the same room last year as well as this trip, but it was of good size, beautifully appointed, very clean, with two double beds, a separate sink/closet area from the shower/toilet. There is no tub, but the shower is very large (we were able to rinse all of our dive equipment off while we were in the shower). Each room has a balcony with two chairs and a table, and a beautiful view of the ocean. The breakfast buffet is delicious and plentiful with both traditional American and Mexican fare. The service in all areas of the hotel from front desk, restaurant, maid service, beach bar, and beach club restaurant is excellent. The beach area is small, but it was never crowded and there are plenty of lounge chairs. Hurricane Wilma took most of the nice soft sand with her, but it is slowly coming back. However, you do need water shoes for swimming as the entry into the water still remains very rocky. The snorkeling around the two piers at the hotel is great. We saw a wide variety of fish, a few eels and even a squid! If you are lucky, you will even see a pod or two of dolphin swim by as we did both last year and this! There is one pool, which is small, but I really cannot say more than that about it, as we never used the pool. Others however were enjoying it very much.
The cab ride to town is $5.00 US for two, plus $1. more for each additional person. There usually are cabs waiting just outside the front entrance to the hotel all hours of the day and early evening. If there are not, just ask at the front desk and they will call one for you.
If you are looking for an intimate, quiet place, with excellent service, good food, a nice little beach, and close to town, I urge you to take a look at the Playa Azul. We will definitely be back next year!

Great little hotel, great food at their restaurants (try the shrimp tacos) Also the beach bar is great and service is excellent. If you order a drink they will come to refill you! Also, across the street is a little lobster shack - it may not look that great but looks are deceiving - don't miss it. It is some of the best seafood I've had and the homemade Key Lime Pie is to die for. The beach was a bit rocky at the beginning of the water but likely due to Hurricane Wilma - they may have redone since I've been there. Also the resorts on either side of Playa Azul were destroyed by Wilma and not rebuilt as of July 2006 so the beach almost was private.

My family and I stayed here the week of June 18-25. We all absolutely loved the hotel. The staff was extremely nice and helpful. The breakfast every morning was plentiful and delicious. Would recommend this hotel to anyone who wants to get away from it all and relax!