I am not sure where to begin. It was such an amazing vacation. I will start with the flight to Cozumel. Quite honestly I have no complaints at all. We flew with Mexicana Airlines and I was thoroughly impressed!! The flight crew and ticketing staff were very kind and courteous which I can say I truly appreciate. Arriving at the airport in Cozumel I was a bit concerned hearing about the time share people and customs (which they will go through you luggage just be prepared), however there was no need for worry it went very smooth. We walked out the door and a gentleman from American Express was right there to greet us holding a sign with our name on it. He whisked us away to a van put us in along with another family and off to the hotel. He dropped the other family off first and then on to the Iberostar. I should mention that the taxi from the airport to the hotel was included in our package so all we had to do is give our driver the voucher. Upon arrival to the hotel the Bellmen unloaded all of our luggage and showed us to the reception desk. It was one of the easiest check-in processes that I had been through in a long time. As we were checking-in a waiter brought us welcome drinks as we finished up our paperwork. The receptionist was very pleasant and welcoming.

On to our room; we had a one level hut/bungalow right around the corner from the pool and not far from the beach. In my opinion just perfect!! Not much foot traffic through the area and very quaint and quiet. The room was very clean and open. We had asked for 2 double beds as there were 4 of us; 2-moms and 2-daughters. The beds were comfortable and the towel art everyday was a highlight with the girls, not only would they incorporate the towel art in the made bedding but they would make sure the girls stuffed animals were also incorporated somehow. The maids were fabulous we asked for extra water and soda and everyday they made sure there was plenty. We did tip the maids everyday, they worked very hard to make sure we had a pleasant stay.

Now on to the food; I must say that this was another thing I was worried about, reading some of the reviews prior to our departure. Again I worried for absolutely nothing. The breakfast/dinner buffet which is held in a room off of the main lobby was great!! There was so much to choose from each and everyday it was so hard not to find anything. We also made reservations for the hotel restaurants; The Steakhouse, The Rock Café, and The Mexican Restaurant. I was a bit disappointed with the Steakhouse, not terrible but would have much rather gone to the buffet. The Rock Café was good, the service was great and the staff was very pleasant and loved to joke around with the girls. My favorite was the Mexican, there was so much choice it was so hard to choose and to be honest I could have gotten away with just having the appetizers and been just as satisfied. (Gentlemen need to bring long pants for this one) The lunch buffet by the pool was a favorite as well. We always left a tip for our waiter, which I believe they were very grateful for. There is one waiter that I must mention in the mornings. We were seated in his area every morning and he is absolutely fabulous!! His name is Wilberth. In the mornings when we would arrive for breakfast he would see us coming, have our table all set including our drinks (he would remember all 4 of our juice drinks as well as coffee with cream) ketchup on the table and never once did we have to ask for a refill, he would see our glasses getting low and before you would know it we would have another right in front of us. He is GREAT!! I was very impressed with the service!!

Hotel amenities; were great as well, they had so many things to choose from it was a bit overwhelming. We did take our own snorkel gear so we would not have to borrow from the dive shop which was a good decision. And to be honest we did not do a lot of the activities at the hotel itself. But I did hear great comments about the activities. We did however snorkel off of the beach, it is a little rocky so you may want to take water shoes or go in off of the pier, which there are steps right into the water. There were plenty of fish near and around the pier; a resident barracuda and huge angel fish just to name a few. The girls even encountered a HUGE starfish!! There are plenty of loungers on the beach to choose from and covers as well if you need a break from the sun. The shows were a blast; to be honest the first night I had to bribe my daughter (age 11) to go, but after that she was the one making sure we went to the nightly show. The shows were very enjoyable, (I was not expecting Broadway) to be honest they were shows that you could tell the “Starfriends” worked very hard on. It was nice to see a show that was put together by staff that enjoyed what they did. There were 2 shows 8 pm and 9 pm nightly, the early one was for the children and the next one was geared more for adults; however we attended the later show. The “Starfriends” did a great job getting everyone (that wanted to be) involved.

The bars; I have to be honest my 11 year old enjoyed swimming up to the pool bar and ordering a non-alcoholic Miami vice (a mix of strawberry daiquiri and pina colada) or just a plain pina colada. Angel at the poolside bar was really good at mixing drinks and would make us the best drinks ever!! So we always tried to go to him but most others tried hard to make you what you want. We were very conscience about tipping even if it was just a dollar or two. It was easy to find a bartender you like at any of the bars; I personally did not have a bad experience with any of them. Along with bars comes alcohol so please be prepared to see some crazy things. I had a small chat with my daughter about this before we left hoping to soften the shock if we were to encounter anything, honestly for the most part we did not see much, a few minor incidents, however we are human and mixed with sun and all the alcohol things happen. The bars are positioned all over the resort so there is not one place that you cannot find a drink if you would like. The waitress/waiters in all areas were great as well if you needed another drink they were always around to help you out.

We did a few things off of the resort as well. We had heard about renting a TAXI to take a tour to the East side of the island. This is was one thing that I would definitely do again. Our Taxi driver was Jerry, and he was superb!! My friend had him suggested to us by word of mouth and what a great time we had. He took us anywhere we wanted to go. Our first stop was Punta Sur- simply amazing, the crocodile zone and the light house were breath taking. Not to mention seeing all the sea turtle nests on the beach. We had lunch in Playa Bonita, it was awesome, the drinks, the service, dining right above the beach watching and listening to the waves crash……not sure what else I can say. The cost of the meal was great as well. We stopped at a few roadside stands to buy a few things and have some fresh coconut milk and then continued around to have a drink at Coconuts. Another very cool restaurant, however be forewarned it is not for the weak at heart, there are female thongs, bras, and some topless pictures. Knowing this was much easier on the girls as well. The staff was very courteous about the girls and were very low key. Also take a t-shirt from your home town for them to put up; they will have you sign it as well. It is a bit pricey which is why we chose to have lunch else where and just opted for the drink. After Coconuts Jerry drove us through town which in my opinion was very humbling. We visited two very beautiful Roman Catholic Churches as well. It was money and time both well spent and I would do it again in a heartbeat!! So if you are thinking about going to the Eastside go with the Taxi and Jerry is well worth it!!! We also went to Chankanaab for a day to swim with the dolphins. It was also an amazing experience. We purchased the “Royal Swim” from the hotel (quite honestly we should have done that before we arrived) for 149 per person. That was the one thing the girls really wanted to do. We spent about an hour in the water with the dolphins and what an awe expiring experience. They are such graceful animals. They video the entire hour and put together a video if you would like to purchase it as well as take photos of every experience with the dolphins you get. It was a bit pricey however we did purchase 3 photos. After the dolphins we walked over to the small restaurant on the beach the food was good and the mariachi band was nice however the waiters were a bit rude and not friendly(could been having a bad day). After lunch we headed over to the beach to do some snorkeling, there was an abundance of sea life. Chankanaab was a little smaller then I had expected but all in all it was for the girls and they had a super time, one they will remember forever. We also visited Paradise Beach. This was a very fun day as well. It is a free beach however if you want to join in all of the activities it is a 10 dollar fee. Some of the activities are the trampolines (water and land), 14 ft. climbing iceberg, floating mats, kayaks, and climb the coconut tree. We originally started out purchasing the girls wristsbands but after watching the girls in the water having fun both of us decided to purchase bands as well. We also purchased 30 minute massages which let me tell you was GREAT!! They have a nice little gift shop as well. We decided to go with the bucket of beer which for the 2 of us was plenty. The last thing we did was go on a sunset snorkeling cruise which we also purchased through the hotel. One thing I would mention is that not all cruises include the 2 dollar Marine park fee, which honestly was no big deal to me. We sailed on the Manta I and did the 2 reef snorkel to Palancar Reef and Columbia Shallows. The crew aboard the Manta I was great!! We all had an excellent time and saw so many fish and other sea creatures. Just to name a few; sea turtle, jelly fish, and barracuda. After the second reef they supply you with fresh fruit and all the drinks you can think of alcoholic and non-alcoholic which was much appreciated. On the way back to the resort we encountered some dolphins swimming along with the catamaran--------what a perfect end to a perfect day. We did also do some downtown shopping, the best time to go is in the evening when the ships head back out and the prices are cheaper. Also the exchange rate in town was better then at the hotel.

To sum up the mom and daughter vacation I am so glad we did it and the experience will last a life time. Vacation is what you make of it!!