My husband and I stayed at the Playa Azul May 11-15, 2008. We selected the hotel based on the other reviews and the free golf (cart fee only) deal at the Cozumel Country Club.

The hotel was well-kept and attractive with a great location North of town, away from the crowds. We enjoyed the small size (50 rooms) as opposed to the bigger resorts.

The staff was very helpful, courteous and friendly. The rooms were clean, not fancy. The linens and towels were ok-not fluffy and luxurious by any means. Beach towels were included, so you don't have to bring your own. We had a balcony overlooking the pool and the water, which was beautiful. We didn't go in the pool, as we were there for the snorkeling, but it looked clean. The dive shop had scuba lessons in the pool in the morning.

The complimentary breakfast was delicious. There was a variety of cereals, rolls, fresh fruit, different casserole type dishes, sausage, bacon and a chef that would make eggs, omelets, pancakes and french toast to your order.

The area directly behind the hotel by the water had a nice sandy area with lounge chairs. There was a small outdoor bar immediately next to this area, and a large outdoor bar area where they had live music Sunday afternoon. Watch out for the Margaritas-they make them strong there. There is also a rental place for scuba gear which has snorkeling equipment that is free to use for hotel guests for the first hour.

The actual beach area is small and has a rocky ledge on either side of it. We spoke with the people who rented the scuba equipment and asked where the best place to snorkel would be? They directed us to an area south of the hotel by a large condominium high-rise (looks like it had been through a hurricane and had seen better days-didn't get the name of it). It was a short walk over there and we found an aluminum ladder off of the pier area that we could climb down to get into the water. The current is strong and we barely had to use our fins to move through the water. It carried us back to the beach in front of Playa Azul. Along the way, we spotted a small sting ray at the bottom of the water, and schools of various tropical fish and a few sand dollars that had made their way there. We had a lot of fun with this and got out of the water and headed back to the ladder and did this "loop" quite a few times. We didn't see tons of fish here, but it was a good time.

We played golf for three morings at the Cozumel Country Club. This was a fun but tough course. When everyone says "bring lots of balls" they mean it! The fairways have lots of water hazards (including a large crocodile that we saw on Hole 11) and a jungle that takes golfballs and doesn't give them back. You may be able to spot where your ball landed in the jungle, but you can't retrieve it due to the thick undergrowth. I'm pretty sure I lost 6 balls a day on that course! Iguanas are everywhere. We also saw a javelina and her baby on 2 days, also lots of birds and butterflies. Monday there were a few cruise-ship people coming over to play golf, but they started us on Hole 10 and we didn't run into anyone for the rest of the day except for the groundskeepers. Tuesday we felt like we had the course to ourselves and Wednesday was a little busier than Tuesday, but compared to Houston golf courses, it was practically empty. We were able to store our clubs at the golf course so we didn't have to lug them back and forth to the hotel.

We took taxis around and it was about $5 USD to go to town and the golf course and $10USD to go to the airport. We took the airport shuttle from the airport to the hotel. Taxis can drop off at the airport but not pick up. We heard that you can walk to an area outside of the airport to get a cab, but between our luggage and the 2 golf bags, that would have been too much work and we were on vacation. The shuttle cost us 78.00 Pesos each from the airport to the hotel.

We did rent a car one day. There is a car rental place right across the street from the hotel that you can walk to. It probably would have been cheaper if we reserved on the internet, but we didn't. We did get the $11.00/day insurance for Mexico, but didn't spring for the additional insurances. It was kind of scary driving around town with everyone whizzing in and out of traffic on scooters and the taxis zipping around, but we lived to tell about it, so we'd do it again. We went to Corona beach and had lunch and snorkeled. We saw lots more fish, coral and underwater plants on the reef there. We tried to find Dzrul Ha which was supposed to be as nice as Chanknaab, but without a cover charge, but couldn't find it until after we snorkeled at Corona. Dzrul Ha beach/reef area is north of Chanknaab. Look for the signs that say "The Money Bar" and it's there.

It was easy to exchange currency at the ATMs located on the pedestrian plaza in San Miguel. Everyone knows where they are located. Even the Spanish-speaking only people that we happed to ask the ATM locations could direct us to one. it was nice to have both pesos and US dollars. We never had any problems with using one or the other and it is fairly easy to estimate the exchange rate.

For meals, we ate at the Lobster House that was directly across the street from the hotel. I didn't think the lobster was that great there-a little too over cooked for my taste, but maybe it was an off-night as we met some people there who say it's one of their favorite places to eat. We had a great seafood meal at El Capi Navigante-grilled shrimp and a yummy chile relleno at La Choza.

It was a great rip and we would definitely stay again at Playa Azul. Next time we will take an extra day to do a boat snorkeling excursion out on the reefs.

We (2 couples in our 30s) stayed at PA April 30 to May 4, 2008. We had a great time. We were there to celebrate our 10 year anniversary with some friends and have no complaints. It was a nice quiet hotel, easy to find and not too big. The food and drinks were great, nothing special but enough to help you relax. The staff was attentive. We had turn down service with chocolates on our bed each night. The view from the balcony is fantastic and the golf deal was great. Our wives took advantage of the spa and had a massage one morning while we golfed, $65 for about an hour that they thouroughly enjoyed. Some people really like the big hotels with all-inclusive meals and drinks but we really liked getting out and trying some other places- we liked La Choza, Pancho's Backyard and Trattoria Italian. We also rented a small VW convertible that was a lot of fun. One other side excursion we enjoyed was a trip to the other side of the island. The boogy boarding and wave watching was a lot of fun. All in all, our only complaint was that the beds were damp from the humidity. Not sure what could be done about it but it bothered my wife.

Our family of six visited Cozumel for the second time last week. First, the hotel was as wonderful as we remembered it to be from our 2006 visit. The staff, Kermit, Carlos, Alajandra, Roberto and so many others--everyone we met before still work at the hotel, always a good sign. Most incredibly, they all remembered us by name and offered us the most gracious service from the moment we arrived at Playa Azul. When Carlos heard my spouse's birthday was the next day, he offered to get a cake made and signed w/ my spouse's name on it, actually picked it up and delivered it to the hotel just for us... that kind of service is so very rare these days. His generosity made such a nice surprise for my hubby as Kermit delivered the cake to the outside bar and everyone w/in ear shot sang Happy Birthday to my hubby! That was really fun!
At the hotel's restaurants, the food was delicious and the menu varied. The beach is still in need of being repaired a bit following the '06 hurricane season, but was just fine for us. A lot of rebuilding is going on on Cozumel, it was so great to see this little island coming back from such a terrible storm.
The golfing was spectacular... and included in the price of the hotel! We rented wave runners one day, a total blast! Snorkeling in this area, up and down the coast in front of the hotel was simply breathtaking! We saw so many colorful fish, eels, and even say an Eagle Ray spring right out of the water not too far from shore! Many people staying at Playa Azul arranged to scuba every day and a boat came up to the pier right outside of the hotel to pick up/drop them off... they said the scubaing was fantastic, some of the best in the world!
Playa Azul is a quiet, sweet spot on a beautiful island. It is safe and very friendly, families are welcome, wild spring breakers are not, which we appreciated a LOT! Many older couples were there during our visit, all seemed very pleased with the hotel, too.
Crystal clear waters, sunny, warm days and a lovely hotel where we could relax, meet other families and have fun was a perfect vacation. Oh! I almost forgot... the last time we were here, the hotel spa was just being built. This time, I went for a facial and it is the best one I've ever had, by far. It is a quaint, little spa, nothing glitzy, but just right for this hotel. A day trip to town was fun, but very hot and the kids got tired pretty quickly. We ate across the street from the hotel a few times... they serve only lobster and key lime pie, that's it! You can order fish, or whatever else you want from the menu of the eatery next door, which is actually attached... this was perfect as I have a severe seafood allergy. My hubby loved the lobster, though!

We had a great week at the Playa Azul, the room was large and clean, and the staff was very helpful.
The pool was nice and clean, and the beaches (although rather small) were still big enough to suit everyone. There was not any crowds, and we never felt like we were crowded.
The breakfast buffet was included and was a very nice surprise, they had a nice selection and we enjoyed it very much. The Fruit is fantastic!
A short cab ride into town, and you were in the middle of the action. We are not big on nightlife, but it was easy to come and go on your own schedule.
I very much enjoyed the on-site dive shop "Prodive mexico" they were very nice and accomodating. They even made sure I got my "Birthday dive" in, even though it really didnt fit into their schedule. Tom and Nancy really made my Birthday dive trip a trip to remember!
I am sure that we will be back!