Just returned from a week at the Iberostar Cozumel. (March 20-27, 2004). I found the reviews here so helpful in planning our trip that I had to post one of my own now that we are home.We loved our trip and the Iberostar was everything we hoped it would be. Room odor: No big deal! Yes it smelled like the jungle. Hey, it s in the jungle!  Beach: True the beach is rocky, but wear water shoes or dive boots and you will be fine. Beautiful soft sand beaches are a short walk in either direction. Food: Great food and plenty of it. The main buffet is better than the one by the pool but for lunch, the pool one was just fine. Be sure to have one of the fresh mangos. Steak restaurant was good, but order your steaks cooked more than you usually do. Our mediums were rare, but perfect after we sent them back. Mexican restaurant was wonderful according to the others I was with. Too much sun and fun earlier in the day for me, so I didn t feel like any food at dinner time that day. Don t make that mistake. Room: Everyone said to avoid the side of the resort by the tennis court. The room they gave us was 4503. Right where you supposedly don t want to be. We thought it was perfect. Centrally located to anything on the resort. Didn t notice any sewage smell except when walking near the tennis court and even then it was mild. The other couple we were there with was in 8302 near the pool. They had a much longer walk to the main lobby than we did. One disappointing thing was we only had flowers in our room one time and no little towel animals as others have mentioned. We left the maid $2 US each day but the mini bar was always stocked and the room was immaculate after they cleaned it each day. Dive shop: I am not a diver but my wife is. The other couple we were there with was also one diver, one non-diver. They booked all of their dives with Black Shark instead of Dressel and were very glad they did. Dressel had about twenty divers on each boat but the most Black Shark had was about eight, sometimes less. We heard from others that Dressel either shorted them on air or bottom time or both. On top of this Black Shark saved us $100.00 each for the week over what Dressel would have cost. Entertainment: Can t say enough about how great the activities staff was. Those people work their butts off. You could tell that they were truly interested in making sure people had a great time. Some people have said they thought the evening shows were amateurish but we disagree! True, its not New York City or Las Vegas but the shows were great! We were one of the couples in the  audience participation show on Thursday night. What a hoot! Things we did besides hanging at the Iberostar: ATV tour. This was really fun. Same as the jeep tour but on an ATV instead. One word of caution  get your own ATV, don t ride two on one. My wife had blisters on her hands from hanging on. Even so, she had a great time. Pirate dinner cruise: Also really fun. The food was mediocre, but the entertainment on the boat was worth the price of admission. Snorkeling trip on one of the big catamarans: Nice way to spend an afternoon especially for non-divers. Playa Del Carmen: We took a ferry on Wednesday to Playa and spent the morning shopping around, which was fun. We took at taxi ($5) to the Iberostar Tucan. Check in at the desk and tell them you are staying at the Iberostar Cozumel. They will check your ID and give you a wristband for the day, and then everything there is all-inclusive as well. This resort is beautiful, pools there are fantastic, and if you have never been to the beach at Playa Del Carmen, you gotta go. Also, the buffet there is WAY better than the one at Cozumel. One word of caution: there are lots of time-share vultures near the ferry docks in Cozumel and Playa both. Just say no! Dinner at Arreciffe: This restaurant is located in the Hotel Presidente Inter-Continental. It s the only five-star restaurant on Cozumel. Make a reservation and go there! The place is gorgeous, the food was to die for, and the dinner music was outstanding. It s very romantic. Have the warm lobster salad with your meal. We spent $230.00 US for four people including tip. Would have been over double that for anything comparable in the US.In conclusion, we are definitely going back to the Iberostar Cozumel. Nothing is ever perfect anywhere you go but on a 1  10 I would give this place a 9.9.PS: Hello to all the friends we made there; the dairy farmers from Ontario, and the people from Indiana and Michigan. We had fun hanging out with you at the pool!

My husband, ( a diver) two year old son, my mother in law and I spent a
week at the Iberostar Cozumel March 20-27th. It was an excellent
experience, and the best overall all-inclusive we have been to-(and we
have visited many over the years.) The grounds, and ambiance of the
resort, really make a difference. The service is truly 5 star. This is
NOT a big high-rise hotel--it is more like a luxury jungle lodge. The
flamingos, peacocks, iguanas. lizards--the kids love them and it always
means there is something to go look for.

I would especially recommend it for families with young children who plan to use the pool, vs. beach, as a base The beach is just not the soft-sand, wade-in type. That being said, you can walk the beaches to a sandy place pretty quickly and there is more shade available for playing and lounging than any other beach I have ever seen-a real plus in the hot Mexican sun.
The swimming pool areas include a couple of wading pools which the little ones adore and it makes it so easy as a parent to be vigilant yet give them some freedom to play. There is an excellent playground area (and a kids' program for those 4-12 years old. Ours was too young to participate.) The restaurants have plenty of high chairs, there is kid-friendly food on hand at any hour and the staff really likes kids.
Ask for a first floor room if you have kids, and bring a scented candle
cause one of our two rooms did smell musty(welcome to the tropics.) The
beds are truly HARD-if this really matters to you, take note. We were
exhausted from all the sun and fun it did not effect us at all. We
rented a car for a day--to visit town, the windy side of the island and
a couple of other spots. This is worth it if you have more than two
people cost-wise and want to get off the resort. Executive car rental
did rent us a very decent car seat for $10 extra. Bring lots of swim
diapers- none were to be found on the whole island. We plan to return
and bring friends with their kids. Go--and enjoy it.

We were so thrilled! We got bumped from the Reef Club up to the Iberostar, because the Reef Club was overbooked, and it absolutely made the vacation perfect. The property is amazing - surrounded by flamingos, peacocks, parrots, iguanas and geckos, all in a beautiful jungle setting. The rooms were perfect, but did have a musty smell.
This was either from the air conditioner or the thatched roof. We were on the lower floor and would have preferred the upper, to avoid having to listen to the family upstairs, but it did not ruin the vacation. The beach could have been nicer, but just a walk in either direction, and the beaches were beautiful. There are all sorts of beaches you can go to that cost nothing to get into, that have restaurants right on the beach. Snorkelling is fun. We took a catamaran and snorkelling trip right from the Iberostar dock. Don't get coerced into having to take a taxi to another location - the catamaran leaves from the Iberostar dock every day - we were told they were all full and booked a tour from another location, which would have meant paying for a taxi to come back. It was cancelled because of rough seas and all of a sudden, there was room for us on one of the Iberostar trips. Fantastic!!! We also would not recommend going to the Chican Itza ruins from Cozumel - it turned into a 15 hour trip, most of which was on the bus, plus you stopped at the "shopping mall" tourist traps instead of some of the beautiful roadside shops. Rent a car on the mainland, take yourself. We will be going back, because the Reef Club has given us a free week, and we will rent a car on the mainland and go to the closer attractions. We rented a jeep with another couple and went around the island. Stop at Coconuts for lunch! Lovely place and atmosphere. The tipping can get a bit out of hand, but 10 pesos a day on your pillow will have your room filled with flowers each day. This was one fantastic resort.

I just spent a week at the Iberostar Cozumel (03/20-03/27). The reviews on Trip Advisor had really prepared me and this resort met all my expectations. The food was very good - with the exception of the pool bar lunch which was adequate but got better towards the end of the week. Both a la carte restaurants were good - just be careful what you order in the Mexican restaurant - read the descriptions and ask questions! The rooms - clean and nicely decorated - yes a bit musty but you don't notice it after a while. The grounds are beautiful and lush with winding, meandering paths conducive to wandering and there is always some cool wildlife to spot. The staff - top notch! I don't usually visit the same place twice but will return here because of the staff. From the waiters by the pool (Reuben is the hardest working waiter in Mexico!) to the Star Friends (Eduardo, Gerry, & Jano - HELLO!! We miss you already!) these people are fantastic. They work incredibly long hours and never appear to falter. The shows at night were fun and we enjoyed them all - it was a nice way to end the day. We took the JEEP tour and LOVED it - - but be prepared for a wild and bumpy ride! Also went into San Miguel - the taxi ride in is VERY expensive (17$US) but if you budget for it, it can be worthwhile. I highly reccommend this resort if you are looking for a relaxing vacation at a good value.