After a lot of thought me and my wife decided to stay here at the Cozumel Caribe. One of my main criteria for the a stay in Coz was no crowds and a good price and that is exactly what I found here. As most know the hotel closed down a few years back and they started renting the lower floors as apartments. During this time the place really fell into disrepair, then the hurricanes hit. Last year I was searching the web looking for a place to stay and I noticed the sites had the Coz Caribe listed with rooms open for weekly rental. I checked the pictures and they looked great so I took a chance and rented a studio on the 10th floor after a talk with the realtor. He assured me it was open and things are being repaired.

When you first head up the drive there’s a guardhouse where they check to see if you belong. I told them who I was and they radioed the lobby. I drove on past piles of debris and construction, noticing the main building and it’s condition. The main building is in need of exterior work yet, some glass is missing and paint is due. We drove up past it where the road turns to construction site, not sure where the entrance actually is! My wife was getting nervous, things just weren’t looking that great. Just then we notice the woman sent out to help us in so we park and head up the sidewalk.
Just past the stone arch things change dramatically for the good! We pass the large climbing towers where they teach rock climbing skills to the cruise ship passengers daily. We then pass the small garden pool, very nice, before entering the main lobby area. The lobby has been completely redone with marble floors and stucco walls. You climb a few stairs up to the elevators where they have a very large bird cage set up and some other nice decor. From this point on you would swear you were in a 5 star hotel. Up on the 10th floor all the halls have been redone and look great. The room was fantastic. I stayed at Secrets in PC last year(considered 5 star) and this room is just as nice if not better. Beautiful floors, wood beam ceilings, all new kitchenette, a very large(and comfortable) bed. The studios are actually 2 rooms with a huge arch between them. The bathroom is finished with large sheets of stone on the walls and a large closet with full length mirror doors. The best thing about the room tho had to be the views. We had a north facing room with a large balcony, 2 chairs and table there. We could see the mainland across the water, and the golf course from here, but the best was watching the climbers get lessons during the day at the climbing walls. They were just below us and we had fun relaxing on the balcony, cervasas in hand, watching the not so skilled climb. The room had lots of needed stuff, micro, toaster, coffee maker, hair dryer, iron, phone, satellite TV, DVD, even a boom box for the beach.

Just pass the lobby down a covered walkway is another building that is half done, half not(the 2 halves are very separate). This entire section has been redone and looks wonderful. First you pass the classroom for the climbers and the snorkel class they also teach here. After that you follow along the building to discover a larger freshwater pool near the beach area. Here they have a new bar with some light fare open during the day. The beach is a small but nice area with lounge chairs. We did snorkel here, the fish seem to love this spot. There is also a long stone pier where you can arrange for activity pickup. Down the rocky beach there is another hotel, called the Palma Azul that has a nice outside dining area. In the mornings they have a buffet till 10, after that they’ll make you whatever you wish. It was a nice short walk for breakfast.

On the plus side...
There are less than a dozen rooms. With 2 pools this means most times you are alone where ever you go. The rooms are large and well worth the 800 a week they ask. It is one of the few hotels up north with any beach at all and tho it’s small there’s no one to share it with. The bar area is quite nice. There was always someone doing something. I can imagine what a year will do for this place. The pictures you find online are truly what you will find here.
On the negative side...

It is a work in progress so you will see construction. The noise is there but not very bad. Actually I enjoyed watching the progress from out balcony on a daily basis. From the road and outside the used areas the place is rough. I didn’t bother me, I don’t care what others think. As crazy as it sounds, there is too much hot water. Really. Be very careful, you could easily get burns from it. The lighting in the bathroom was weak.

In all, I would stay here again. There’s something about it that is enticing and I’m not sure what it is exactly. This is a great deal for the price!