We just got back from the Iberostar with our two kids ages 9 and 12. I just don't understand all of these rave reviews.

First off, we booked "ocean front" rooms with Apple through our travel agent and also requested a room close to the other family that we were traveling with. When we got there, they didn't know anything about it. We were also told by the person at the desk that they don't even HAVE any ocean front rooms. After walking around the property, I have no idea what he was talking about. There are definitely ocean front...ocean view rooms. They even have suites.

Our room smelled very musty and moldy. I couldn't even sleep the first night because it was so bad. The rooms are incredibly tiny, and the beds and pillows are awful. But after the first day and realizing that I was sitting in 85 degree weather while everyone else was in snow in Chicago, this didn't seem to matter to me anymore! :)

The beach itself is pretty but you couldn't walk in the water without water shoes. This, we expected after reading reviews on here. After seeling some of the more beautiful beaches, we were very upset that our resort didn't have one.

The food is average at best. You will see the same things over and over on the buffets. And there are only two restaurants on the property. One is a steakhouse, that is hardly a steakhouse. Again, average food at best. The other is a Mexican restaurant, but we were getting our fill of that on the buffet so we never made it there.

There is NO top shelf alcohol and the only beer that have is Dos XX (?) on tap. For someone who enjoys a good cocktail, I was disappointed they didn't have any other Vodka other than Smirnoff.

All in all, for the money, it wasn't worth it. We paid over $5,000 for a family of 4 (including airfare) and there is no way I expected a small musty room and not so good food.

To say something positive....they keep the grounds very beautifully maintained. It was a treat to walk around and see the wildlife. Also, the Star Friends (who help entertain) work their BUTTS off and are incredibly friendly. They are an excellent asset to the Iberostar.

On a side note...Next to the hotel is a small restaurant (not affiliated with the hotel) called Alberto's. We went there for dinner one night and the food was excellent. Great service, even better food. It's worth spending the extra money.

We also went into town to a restaurant called Pasta Prima that was absolutely incredible!!

And if you have kids, you MUST go to Paradise/San Francisco Beach. Very fun for them.

But you can't beat the weather!!!!!!

Never again! gorgeuos place BUT was miss lead from the start. This was our honeymoon. Was told it was very quiet and relaxed. Got there and was told we would have to wait 3 hours for our room, butsomeone would get us when its ready,not a problem we just realxed and had a few drinks, 3 hours past still waiting... went to see the reception and was told our room was ready all along! while we sweated after a long flight with our luggage. No one was on hand to take them to our room. Was not quiet, no room service, very very poor! Water sports were advertised.... none,room service advertised.... none, pool bar was never open... same food everyday!! Not good

I spent one outstanding, memorable week 3/15 - 3/22 at the Iberostar Cozumel. I’ll try to give a “Cliff Notes” recap of our vacation.

We arrived at the hotel a little after 9pm on 3/15, Upon checking in, we were advised to grab a bite at the buffet before they closed. After a quick dinner, we checked into our room.

I would like to stop here and say that this is one great all-inclusive hotel. It’s a beautiful, well maintained hotel that consists of a series of bungalows in a garden setting. The staff is wonderful. The bartenders are top-notch.

Other reviewers have complained about the size of the rooms. While they aren’t huge, they are large enough to hold the bed, 2 nightstands, a table & chairs & a long table with a TV. Besides, I don’t go on vacation to spend time in my room, I don‘t know anyone who does. Our room was very nice. There was none of the musty or sewer smell that some other reviewers have complained about. It was cleaned daily and our maid always left “towel-animal” sculptures and little flowers on our bed. She also stocked our mini-fridge every day - even though the sign in our room said it would be done every other day. The hammock outside our room was a nice addition & a great way to unwind.

Anyway, after checking out the room, we made our way to the lobby bar. Juan, the bartender, gave us a very warm greeting and quickly got down to the business of getting us our drinks. He’s a really funny guy in a kind of quiet way. Augustin and Mario were the other two lobby bartenders. They’re also great guys. Throughout our trip the three of them played off each other in a perpetually comical way. All of these guys remember exactly what everyone is drinking and always made sure everyone had a full glass. The lobby bar was a great place hang out. We met wonderful people there who quickly became our “resort friends”. Before we knew it, it was after 1:00 am, and “the boys” told us they had to close up the bar. Of course, they made sure they gave us fresh drinks first so as not to put us out. So, we hung out, supervised their clean-up efforts and finally called it a night around 2 am.

In general, we spent most of our days by the pool & the swim up bar. That turned out to be another great place to meet fun people. All it took was a “where are you from?” and the next thing you knew it was like we were long-time friends! Ronaldo the bartender at the swim-up bar is the BEST!! He is a master mixologist with some of his specialties being: Dirty Monkeys, Coco Locos, various shots and of course his St. Patty’s Day Special - Really Green Margaritas! Of course the Dos XX beer was always flowing too. Ronaldo also had the “Iberostar Talant” of knowing exactly what you were drinking and preparing another for you just as you were finishing one up! Another tip - beware of the bees by the bar!! I got stung twice. It wasn’t so bad though - nothing another beer didn’t solve! BTW...if you prefer a pilsner to a lager, go over to the beach bar and see Abraham. He serves Sol beer over there. PS - he’s a Packer’s Fan.

The beach was nice but some of the sand was washed away exposing some of the coral, definitely need aqua socks to get into the water straight from the beach. Some of the hotel staff recommend walking north along the shore to the beach at the Occidental. We didn’t experience any problems with sand fleas, but were only the beach early in the day. Another FYI is that the hotel offers free scuba lessons.

The shows that the hotel staff (the StarFriends) put on were a little corny but somewhat amusing anyway. They try hard. The Star Friends are also around the pool for the daytime activities.

The food was OK. Actually, as All-Inclusives go, it was pretty good. It doesn’t change much from from day to day, but you can pretty much find something to suit your tastes. If all else fails, there’s chips, salsa guacamole & cheese sauce. Breakfast is by far the best meal they serve. We were hooked on the omelets!

We had a great experience at the Iberostar Cozumel and it was probably the best trip to Mexico we ever had. I just want to give a quick shout out to some of our “Resort Friends” who helped to make our trip feel like one big fun but relaxing party (in no particular order) - Hello to: Our fellow Trip Advisor friend, Vince, who sought out my #24 hat and stopped me to say “Hello”, Steve the diver from Toronto; Tom and Martha from Madison, WI; Mike, Mary, Jesse, Andrea & RJ and Allison & her boyfriend all from Central Wisconsin; Barb & Tammy from Michigan; Denise & Krissy from Boston; Brian & Gordi from Michigan; Pat (the shotmaster) & Melissa from Iowa; our friend “Texas”; our Colorado friends, Fred, Fred, Ron & Russ; and of course, our fellow Chicagoans, Jim & Elaine and Jorge & Linda. (there were many other people who made up our “Resort Friends Riff-Raff” but unfortunately, their names have escaped me - sorry!)

iberostar cozumel is very nice! crystal clear waters for awesome snorkeling and diving, beautiful resort. very nice people. once you meet Guga, Frank, Alex and Joshua you wont have a dull moment. very nice and funny people to meet. hope to go back next year!!