Just returned from a 10 day trip. We had read all the glowing reviews on this site, and were excited about this place....but now I don't understand those people after visiting myself. Wonder who is posting them? No offense, but people that have never been anywhere else before??? This resort, which different sources give 4 stars to, is a 2 star place at best.

Very few positives and mostly negatives (you can find many better places in Cozumel!)

Negatives:
-The rooms are EXTREMELY SMALL. About 7 paces by 11 paces. No exaggeration, I paced it out. If you have kids, it will not work. The people with kids were cramped big time. No dresser just a few open cubes for storage in the room. People's stuff was everywhere.
-The beds are BEYOND REPROACH. Hard as rocks. We could barely sleep. And we are young, fit people. One person in party got a pad from the front desk and said that it too was like a rubber tire--i.e. no help. I can not stress how bad they were enough. Words can not describe them.
-The beach is rocky and full of sand fleas that bite and drive you crazy like a mosquito bite. So God forbid you play volleyball or try to walk down there. (No one was hanging out down at the beach becasue of all this.) And the fleas make it up by the pool, too. Lots of people walking around with lots of bites. And my husband kept getting them after he used strong bug spray. And there are mosquitos, too.
-Other critters: Besides the fleas and mosquitos, watch out for the lizard in your room (yes) or the huge 6" toads that will be by your door and frighten your kids. And this is my favorite: A woman I chatted with told me how her bed had LICE in it the first night and had to be fumegated...and they wanted her to stay in the same room. Oh and it took her two hours before someone came down to check it out, and she had just checked in. (And she knows lice as she worked for Head Start for 5 years.)
-Shows: They are at 9pm each night and are low low quality. (No nice Mexican dance and show here.) So if you have kids, can they really wait up till 9pm? None of us adults really wanted to either.
-The location is bad: Town is a $17 cab ride for two EACH WAY. $19 for 4. But a van with 8? $38 each way. No deal for more people. And if you have never been to Coz, town is one of the best things about it. Cute, safe Mexican town with great restaurants and shopping. So the location of the Iberostar puts you so far away that its inconvenient and expensive to get there. Taking any day trips across to the mainland? Add that $40 cab ride on. And renting a car onsite is $66 a day PLUS insurance and other fees. It gets slightly cheaper if you rent for more days.
-The work out room is not air conditioned and other than 2 treadmills, the weights and equipment are crappy. And their "spa" is a girl with a table for doing nails--didn't look too sanitary. So there will be no working out unless you dont mind a 90 degree environment and bad equipment.

Positives:
-The food is pretty good since they have so much of it you will eventually find something you like. Its about 3 star. But none of the hot dishes are ever hot in temperature and things are very bland for us Americans.
-The pools are nice.
-The drinks are okay (however, I've had better are every other resort I've ever been to in the Carribean. A mudslide or dirty monkey is NOT supposed to taste like Kaopectate. Again, no exaggeration. Oh, and the only beer is Dos Equis--good but God forbid you are wanting a Corona or Tecate--it is Mexico after all.)

In sum, none of us in our party of 11 said they would go back there. And I would have never stayed there one night if I weren't with a large group. I don't know how it gets the good ratings it does. (and oh yes, the sewage smell will get you. Just walking around the grounds or sometimes late at night it will just fill your room.) And sorry, we only found a few staff members to be great.

Feel free to email me with questions!

A group of us- 12 friends stayed at The Iberostar, Cozumel the week of Nov.20/04 to Nov.27/04.
This was the first visit to Cozumel for all of us.
First I have to say how wonderful the staff was. They all speak English very well. We flew with Sunwing and had a representative to meet us at the airport and at the hotel to book tours. A word of advice, it might be wise when paying for any tours to use your Visa card. Two of us couples had a bit of trouble getting a refund (when paying cash) for a tour that was cancelled due to the weather. We did finally get our money back on the last day, just as we were about to leave for the airport home. But we did get our full refund back in cash!
We all loved the Iberostar and agreed we would all definitely go back! Yes, we all got some bug bites- bring spray and afterbite. Yes, there is a terrible sewer smell- but only occasionally and in only in a few places. Yes, the beach is rocky- it is coral and the hotel provides water shoes. Also if you walk down the pier at the beach there is a ladder to go down into the water that avoids the coral at the shore. The food was great, none of us had any complaints, always a good variety at the buffet.
The swim up bar was our favourite. Some of us joined in many games and some just relaxed, this hotel accomodated us all! Above all the staff absolutely made this hotel the best I have been to so far- from the reception to the waiters to the activity and nightly entertainment staff. They all worked tirelessly, (and they do work very long days) The rooms were always clean, the grounds always tidy. All in all The Iberostar, Cozumel was a great hotel, great value for the cost!

My son and I visited the Iberostar in Cozumel November 20, 2004, through November 27, 2004. The property is beautiful and the staff there is very nice. The food, however, is, by and large, awful. At dinner one night another person I was traveling with ordered a glass of wine. We watched the waiter leave our table, walk across the room to a stand holding dirty dishes and pick up a dirty wine glass. He then proceeded to walk to an area where the wine bottles were, where he wiped out the wine glass with a dish rag he had been using to wipe down tables. He then filled the wine glass and brought it back to the table. The head waiter apologized, but didn't seem to be too appalled by the behavior. When we arrived, the toilet was broken. We called the reception desk. They said they'd send someone down. No one came. We called the next day 3 times, every two hours. Finally someone came. We had to use our towels to mop up the floor. We asked for add'l towels, but that somehow got lost in the translation (even though we tipped the maid an extra $5 every day!). The toilet broke again two days later. We also had bed bugs. We would wake up itching, covered in bites on our legs and backsides. The friend I was traveling with also made the mistake of trying to get a bikini wax at the "spa," when she came back to the room she had second and third degree burns! I would never go back.

My husband & I along with 3 other couples stayed at the Iberostar Cozumel from Nov 6-13. We had such a fabulous time! This was our 7th all inclusive in the past 6 years. We never stay at anything less than 4 stars.

After reading the negative comments from the Nov 23 review I felt the need to write my own review. I can agree with some of the complaints but the positives definitely outweighed the negatives.

Positives:
Service- was exceptional. From the check in counter to the waiters, bartenders, Star Friends. Everyone was eager to please and so friendly. They looked like they were enjoying their jobs. We were even served drinks on the beach (see Rueben)

Food- was above average. Lots of variety. Soups at every meal. Fresh baked bread. Lots of seafood. Steaks grilled to your taste. The desserts were great..try the Mango ice cream. Chicken and burgers were grilled right on the beach.

Star Friends-They made you feel so welcome. They got to know people by name. They put on exceptional shows. I can't remember the last time I laughed so much! They always involve the audience which is much more enjoyable to watch than dancing shows.

Drinks- Exceptional. I tried so many different drinks. They have cocktail menus so you can see what's available. They also stock Canadian Club & Bacardi Dark Rum which I enjoyed.

Grounds- Very tropical setting, well kept. A pretty & unique setting with lots of wildlife.

Internet- Available in the lobby which was great for e-mailing my kids back home.

Shower-Marble with a glass door. Great water pressure & temperature.

Disco "Rock Cafe"- Lots of fun. Star Friends are there until 12:30. You should see Edwin dance!

Pool tables - 2 in the disco and 1 by the theatre. It kept the guys happy.

Pool - Large and in sections for kids, activities, quiet area.

Language - Everyone understood English. No language barriers at all.

Negatives:
Beach- Is rocky put we knew this and brought water shoes. It was fun to see stingray, starfish, barracuda etc right at the resort without spending money on a snorkeling trip. The sand is white, the chairs are comfortable, and you only have to walk a few minutes towards the Occidental resort to find a sandy bottom.

Location- It would have been nice to be closer to town, but we rented volkswagon beetles right at the resort (Executive) and toured the island. We had them for 24 hours so we went out 2 days. Another day we took a cab to town. ($19US for 4 people) If you're a couple or on your own, try to hook up with a few people to share the fare. Going into town is a must. Think of it as an excursion (you would pay much more for any tour you book).

Mosquitoes- I got many bites. I read about them in the reviews but still didn't bring repellent. Stupid on my part because it could have been avoided. I noticed them biting in the theatre & on the beach. John didn't get any bites and we slept in the same bed, so I doubt they were bed bugs.

Sewer Smell- Especially noticable at night in certain areas. Luckily it didn't smell by our room. If it had, I would have requested a room change.

Musty Rooms - We really only noticed this the first day. It is the same smell that we have experienced in the other 6 resorts we stayed at in the Caribbean. The upper rooms are not as bad.

Overall, it was a great holiday!!