We stayed at the Iberostar Cozumel April 3-April 7 and we had a wonderful time. At check in we asked for a room close to the beach and that is what we received. Yes, the rooms are a little on the small side and the bed is hard, but we did not let that ruin our vacation, as we were not in the rooms that much. The lighting was OK and we had plently of room in the closet. But never any bed bugs.

The food was OK, but the wait staff was great. There wasn't a whole lot of variety. The drinks were very good and sometimes a little on the strong side.

The "Star Friends" were excellent. They really know how to put on a good show and are very outgoing. I especially enjoyed the salsa lesson. Ooh, Ooh!

The beach was just OK. Plently of chairs to go around, but rocky with lots of sea weed. We never encountered sand flea bites. There were also chairs available by the pool at all times of the day. We took out a catamaran and that was tons of fun. We also rented a Jeep for the day at the resort and saw much of the island and had a great time.

We tipped the maids but never received any towel art or petals. They did not fill up our refrigerator any more than normal.

The front desk staff is very friendly and always willing to help.

We would reccommend this resort to family and friends.

My husband and I stayed at the Iberostar Cozumel during March Break from March 12 to 21. We absolutely loved it! I was a little worred when I had read all the negative reviews and wondered what we had got ourselves into. None of these materialized except the sand flea bites which I didn't notice until the flight home. I must have gotten them on the last day when we walked up the beach. It had rained the day before, so maybe that's why I got them. I don't really know, but I'm not complaining. That's all part of the natural surroundings which we loved! The peacocks, flamingos and iguanas were nice to see. A mother and baby gecko visited us every night on the wall outside our room. They were cute! I had to get a henna gecko tatoo on the beach to mark the occasion! We didn't have any visitors inside our room as we tried to remember to keep the patio door closed at all times. We loved our room. Thank you very much to the other Ontario traveller who recommended room 8113. It was an upper level room with a thatched roof, overlooking the pool. We couldn't have asked for a better room. I had called a few days before and asked specifically for this room, since it was away from the tennis courts and the sewage smell (by the way, we only noticed the smell when we first arrived. After that, we didn't notice it at all the whole week). Yes, the room was a little musty when we first walked in but we brought a plug in. The smell must just be because of the roof (which did not leak by the way). We loved the rustic balcony, cedar chairs, hammock and the whole natural, jungle, feel to the resort. If you are used to high rise, elegant, fancy shmanshy hotels, this place is definitely not for you. Yes, you need to leave your room and acutally venture outside and walk a little ways to the restaurants, lobby etc., but who cares! That's what makes this resort unique. The vegetation and winding paths and wildlife makes your walk so enjoyable.

We loved the food, something different every night (prawns, fish, seafood ceviche, Mexican). Breakfast was good. You could have a made-to-order omelette, fruit, etc. Lot's of good stuff. Snacks were available in the middle of the day. We had plenty of guacamole and salsa while relaxing by the pool or on the beach. Yes, the beach has coral and you have to wear water shoes to go in, but we knew this before we booked and that didn't bother us at all. The colour of the water is so beautiful when the wind is calm, and you can see clearly to the bottom. Paella on the beach for lunch one day and lobster another day. We missed out on the lobster though because we happened to be in town that day, shopping for cheap tequila. The pool bar was fun. Try all of the different drinks. Watch out for Fernando though. He likes to add something a little extra special down the straw of your drink!

I got up at 6:00 the first morning because I had heard that that's what you need to do if you want to get a chair. Not the case. Chairs were still available at the pool and on the beach at 9:00 or 10:00. It might not be exactly where you want it, but the chairs are movable folks! Just put it where you want it. Some ladies took their chairs and moved them into the shallow area of the pool (this is okay with the staff by the way). Speaking of the staff, they were wonderful and friendly. Ronaldo at the show bar got to know us pretty well and remembered our names. He always had "something special" ready for us when we walked up to the the bar (flaming Mexican flag drinks and other unique concoctions). Ronaldo takes his job very seriously and works up a sweat pleasing the guests. It got to the point when we had to say to him "no mass!"

We went on a snorkeling excursion which was fun. We were supposed to vist the Palancar reef, but it was too wavy that day, so we snorkeled three other smaller reefs and saw different kinds of fish, sting rays and even an eel. We wanted to snorkel off the pier, but we had heard that there are jelly fish hanging around there, so we stayed clear.

We rented a jeep for the day. That was a lot of fun! The other side of the island is spectacular with it's waves, stretches of huge white sand beaches. Punta Sur is a park at the southern tip of the island. We went there but didn't go on any of the tours, as we didn't know how long it would take us to go around the island. We plan to go back at New Year's and take a tour in the park at the time. This is supposedly a sea turtle santucary.

We stopped at Playa Bonita, Coconuts and Mescalito's along the route. Go to Mescalito's if you want a nice, strong margarita, served in a clay Mexican mug. Thankfully, I wasn't driving. It hit me pretty hard. If you are looking for large Mexican blankets at a good price, buy them at the small market here. They are more money in San Miguel. The ceviche at Coconut's was excellent and the view from the cliff is awesome.

We didn't get to any of the ruins, as you had to pay to get in and by the time we arrived, it was almost closing time for them. We had planned on going to Chankannab for snorkeling, but had heard later that it was extremely busy because lot's of people from the cruise ships had headed out that way. There were supposedly massive line ups of people and tour buses.

The town of San Miguel is very busy, because of all of the cruise ships coming in daily. We like towns that are a little quieter and not as touristy. All the vendors kept asking us what cruise ship we were from. They supposedly up their prices when they know you are from a cruise ship. We bought Jose Cuervo tequila there at Cinco de Sole, $19.95 U.S. for 990mL with a small 350mL bottle to go with it. That was the best deal we found. The supermarket, Chedauari, at the south end of town also has good prices. Go to the Tequila Bar on the main strip if you want to sample good tequila. They will let you try any kind that you want! Be careful if you drive through San Miguel though. We didn't because there are so many mopeds around that you have to watch for. It is very easy to get into an accident.

If you want a spot to just get away for a week and relax in rustic, natural fun surroundings, this is the place for you. It's far away from town, which we liked. We felt like we were in our own little world and had been away from home for longer than a week. We didn't want to leave. Bring the bug spray just to make sure that you avoid sand flea bites (by the way, the itching lasted for a week, but I just kept applying Aveno anti-itch spray). We have been to Cancun (way too busy), Puerto Vallarta (4 times) and Manzanillo and have now discovered our new vacation spot. Thanks Iberostar, Cozumel for providing us with a vacation that we are still talking about to this day. Hope to see you New Year's Eve!

We stayed at Iberstar Cozumel the week of Mar 20 -27 2005. Starting from our late arrival into Cancun. (USA 3000 provided the flight, out 4th trip with USA 3000 with the flight being 1 -3 hrs late) This caused us to miss our flight from Cancun to Cozumel. Because I get seasick on a boat I wanted to fly, but were told the next flight was full and we would have to take the ferry. True to form I was seasick even after taking Dramamin. We arrived at the resort 2 hrs later after dragging our luggage all over the streets of Cancun and Cozumel. The rooms were very poorly lit and had a terrible smell. The shower overflowed on the floor when you used it. The bed was so hard we had to request an additional foam pad just to get through the night The maid service was average and the food poor. The specialty restaurants had plenty of openings, because once you went you didn't want to go back. There was a strong smell of sewer gas coming from the bathroom drain. The room was very small and at night the Gecco's would come in through the thatched roof and scream at you until you turned the lights on and scared them away. My husband got sick on the food and spent 24 hrs in the room due to that. The sand fleas were so bad you could not spend time on the beach. We used bug protection every day and still had many bites. Those that used no protection had to spend $45.00 to see the house doctor for medication. The beach was terrible, the water being the color of dark river water and full of rocks. You could not enter the water without shoes or you would cut your feet. Our departure was just as horrible as our arrival, with no Apple representation at the airport and no one there to tell us where to check in or even with which airline. Very poor communication. Because we went during spring break, we paid alot for this week, and received very little. This resort should get a 1 star rating...do not recommend.

We just arrived home last night 3/30/05. We had heard about the safe robbery on day two of our visit. This was my familys first trip to Mexico and first time at an all inclusive. I would like to return to Mexico and to an all inclusive but I doubt it will be in Cozumel. The grounds are beautiful. The rooms are less stunning then the posted photos. Our first room was near the Rock Cafe and entertainment area. We tend to be early to bed early to rise and the stereo system/shows kept us awake, also the peacock who calls out at 4:00 am was annoying. We requested another room closer to the beach/pool area and had to wait a day to move. The first ground floor room smelled moldy and musty the new 2nd floor room had a slight sewer odor. We traveled with another family who are dear friends and into diving. The diving on the Palancar Reef was described as stunning. If you are not into diving than I would recommend going to a different Mexican Iberostar on the mainland. The entertainment at night was good in my opinion. The buffet lines were slow and too long of a wait. Food replenishment for breads,meats,and sides was slow. We did have lobster tail for lunch one day and after waiting 25 minutes for it to be cooked it was a treat. If you need Internet access directly back to the US or world you need to go to San Miguel,the nearest town. If you need cell phone signal you need to stand on the pier and face San Miguel to get two bars of signal. So if you want to get away from it all and forget time this resort is ok. The pool and pool bar area were great except to get what you judge to be a decent chair you need to put your beach towel on it by 6:00am or you end up in the palm tree area between the pool and the beach. If you want to meet people go to the pool bar and conversations can be started. My husband and I met some characters at the pool bar and had some good laughs. My son enjoyed the mini disco and playing pool and being in the pool. The sand fleas seem to be on the beach after dark. You definitely need water sandals or swim shoes to get into the water from the beach. I would suggest bringing sun tan lotion with bug repellent in it. Once I started using that I had no bug bites.Dressers in the room would be nicer than cubbys in the closet. A light in the closet is needed. Moldy/sewer smells need to be addressed. In general if you are going- get a pool/dive shop area room(close to the beach) not near the reception desk unless you easier access to the nightly entertainment which is near the reception desk.
We rented a vehicle to tour the island ourselves. Be careful when you fill your tank before turning in your vehicle. The gas station attendants in San Miguel like to hang the pump. They don't clear the pump to 0 before pumping your gas and then try to rip you off for more pesos than needed.

Shopping in San Miguel was a little disappointing. Most vendors speak to you in US dollars and then when you ask in pesos the price goes up due to the fluctuating currency conversion. I had one vendor say no sale because they had no change for an item costing ten pesos and I was trying to pay with 20 pesos.
I got travellers checks and found out if you stay at the hotel that is fine to cash in there. But don't plan to be able to cash them outside the hotel. We ended using an ATM in San Miguel or credit cards because it was easier. If you like fajitas try Ernestos on the main road to Iberstar near the Atlantis submarine ride. The food and service were excellent!! I did get a nice tan though!!!