Wish we were still there! Met so many wonderful fun people. Great place for families with teens. So many fun activities. The rooms are nicely decorated, comfortable beds, modern bathroom, very clean.
The staff is extremely friendly, especially the entertainment crew. We were sad to say good-bye. After a week we felt like we were leaving so many friends behind. Tons of activities for every age group. Beach volleyball was a blast. Lot's of great food and drinks.
Bring beach shoes to go into the water because you will hurt the bottom of your feet if you try to wade in. If you walk about a hundred feet to the left it is less rocky.
Bring bug spray if you plan on sitting on the beach for the beautiful sunsets.
Unfortunately there is a sewer smell close to the tennis courts but it really wasn't that offensive. Try and get a room that is closer to the pool and beach area.
The shows are a lot of fun and the teens have fun dancing afterwards.
Everything had to be rebuilt after the hurricane and every day you see improvements to the garden areas. The waiters take such good care of you. Everyone is so warm and friendly. If you try to speak Spanish to them they really get a kick out of it.
Say hi to Kenia, Leo, Ishmael, Edwin and all the Star Friends. They give it 100% every day. Always laughing and really wanting to get to know you.
If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me at: lisasharples@rogers.com

Returned home March 5,2006

My review is long and thoughtful and probly the most CURRENT observations online right now.

Lets start from the beginning..

Check in was easy and organized...we were on the early flight and had to wait an hour for our room...they handled our luggage for us while we lounged around and had a few drinks... no complaints there

The staff is amazing they will do anything for you...they really put a lot of effort to making your holiday fun and relaxing..the entertainers just make your vacation fun they are the BEST... Kenya, Greta, Fernando, Ishmal, Alex,Leo...They become great friends. I could go on forever about how good the staff is.

The grounds and buildings were extremely clean...Everything is new...its really really nice.
OK ya get a strong sewage smell once or twice a week when they agitate the system for maybe ONE hour LATE at night by the disco...its NOT that bad at all...if ya cant handle it just go for a walk elsewhere

The BEACH: Sandy with some shell fragments, Clean with lots of little shade thingys..plenty of chairs. Bar nearby and waitor walking around to take your orders. Played beach volleyball everyday..loved it

The rooms are just normal..A/C works..minibar stocked daily..wonderfully cleaned everyday...yes the showers dont have pressure regulators hot,cold,hot..lol its Mexico laugh about it.

Drinks were fine and they were not scared to dole it out...if the mix is too weak or too strong just ask them to put more/less in and they will. I thought it was perfect...I didnt like there pop though(soda for you americans lol)

Food-Steakhouse and Mexican were both good... Breakfast buffet was excellent..we always snacked at lunch (nachos, fries, onion rings, burgers, beef strips, pork, fish, chicken)it was good...somewhat repetitious but better than i actually expected...Dinner was just normal ya can always find enough food that you like to eat your fill.

I was really impressed with the quality of the food and the extreme cleanliness of everything..the bars, restaurants, rooms, pools, grounds, beach...We loved the staff..Entertainment was good turned into disco after 11:00...I would definately go again...any questions?? email me @ geoffotten@hotmail.com

Girlfriend & I spent a week at the Iberostar CZM from Feb 19 2006-Feb 26 2006. In a nut shell, it was great! I would rate it an excellent, but they were not yet done with construction/reconstruction at the time of our visit. However, everything that was open was fully functional and up to IB standards (hey you nay sayers - your mileage may vary from my opinions!). I would definitely return given the opportunity
*Why this hotel?*
We found a fire sale on Applevacations dot com. Airfare, transfers and hotel were $699/pp out of Chicago - how could you say no?
*Demographics*
We are both in our mid 30s and have traveled to Mexico before, so expectations were in line with reality.
*Arrival & Check In:*
Flight went smoothly. Cleared Immigration & Customs with green light and were quickly loaded into the transport van. Arrived at Iberostar about 15-20 minutes later. You are at the southern most hotel on the island - it is a long trip to town (about 17 km).
Our arrival at the hotel was met with some fruity drinks and to our surprise - a room. This is the first time that I haven't had to wait until later in the day to get our room assignment.
*Room*
The rooms are small by American standards. Yes they are musty; yes running the AC will remove most of the odor. We were lucky enough to be placed in a single story villa. Most house 4 rooms - 2 up 2 down. Our room (#6204) was a perfect location - right between the pool and lobby. The only complaint I could summon about the rooms was the lighting is dim, and the AC is controlled by a motion detector - when you leave it shuts the Air off. The good news is that it cools it quite rapidly upon your return. You could hang meat in there when it was set to 21c.
*Pool*
Somewhat small compared to other IB resorts that I have visited. Functionally, there are 2 pools separated by the swim up bar. One for activities and the other for "relax". The standard water volleyball and water polo were organized as well as other team related races/contests. Water was refreshingly cool and very clean.
*Beach*
Sand was somewhat dirty, with mixed shells and such, but you could walk w/o cutting your feet. Beach entry was rocky - bring water shoes. Water in the ocean was warmer than the pool.
*Dining*
There are 2 specialty restaurants on the premises. We ate at the steakhouse and it was OK. The service was excellent, the food was decent. The desert was quite good - got the chocolate brownie. The simplicity was perfect end to the meal.
The other dining options are buffet. The lobby restaurant servers a full breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfasts were always top flight, with the standard American fare as well as other offerings (beans, huevos rancheros and such). Lunch was decent, could always get full. We normally ate at the buffet by the pool which doubled as the Steak House by night.
The evening meal in the lobby buffet was always good, with a lot of variety, esp. in the meat department.
There was a different kind of meat presented on the carving board each night: fish, veal, lamb (excellent!) and pork. Might have been other as well.
*Bars & Booze*
I asked the bar staff about the lack of better quality liquors. They informed me that they were still trying to restock properly after the re-opening. At past IBs, there was no shortage of top shell liquors and esp. Tequila. The best we got this week was a bottle of Sauza, which was quite good, but still not Don Julio.
Drinks were good. You could get a buzz on quite easily with a few drinks, or ask for a double to speed things up.
*Staff*
The staff was very good. Friendly and warm greetings when ever you passed by. The front desk staff was efficient and accommodating. Housekeeping was swift and more importantly - was regular - we knew every morning when they were coming and it didn't vary by 15 min. the whole week.
*Conclusion and other misc. comments*
Cozumel is still as beautiful as it was 10 years ago on my first visit. Yes, it got pounded by a storm for 50 hours and it shows, but the spirit and graciousness of the Cozumelenos more than makes up for the temporary scars of the hurricane. Go there with the knowledge that you will enjoy yourself if you are easy going, don't get too excited and let yourself slip into island time...
*Day Trips & Must do-s*
This is turning into a long report, so I'll be brief here - there is a lot of this topic elsewhere in the TA forums.
-Rent a jeep or other non-moped vehicle for a day and take a long, leisurely tour around the island. We stopped at each beach bar on the circuit for a cold beverage and the view. Almost all of the regular watering holes are back in business, including Bob Marley’s by Punta Sur, Chen Rio, Playa Bonita, Coconuts, Senior Iguannas and Mezcalitos. Ate lunch at Coconuts. It is still a great view, but pricey - $9USD for the fish tacos. The meal was good, but that is a lot of dinero for 2 tacos.
-Cozumel Sailing/Tucan Sailing Adventure
I have been home over a week and I still can't wipe the grin off my face from this trip. Karen and Dan Libbert are first class hosts on their trimaran named the Tucan. This trip up the lone north coast of Cozumel is a great value for all that is provided: Bloody Mary's as we get underway, beers all day long, while Antonio & Jaime make excellent Rum Punch and Pina Coladas by hand at your request. Juan prepares a grilled feast on the ship that was by far the best meal I had on the Island and bar none the most tender, mouth watering steak tacos I have ever and will ever consume. In addition to an all day sailing trip, a private deserted island is available to walk along the beach, snorkeling gear is available, and of course the real deal: Riding the jib sail from the main mast! What a rush! See pic along with review.
Please consider sailing with them as you are treated like family and a great time is had by all. They’re at the Puerto Abrigo Marina & at dub dub dub dot cozumel sailing (type this as one word) dot com. An email link is provided there for you to inquire as to rates and dates.
*Tips and last minute thoughts*
-Take a kids balloon and some lightweight string with you. I found that if you tie the balloon to the ceiling fan, this will create enough action for the motion detector to keep the AC running the whole time – not just when you are in the room.
-Buy your liquor at Covi. It is on 30th just north of the Pemex gas station at Ave. Benito Juarez. The prices here are much lower than the duty free. 750 ml of coffee liquor was $4USD. A bottle of Don Julio blanco was only $23.00USD – it retails for $40 in the States.

We had a great time at the Iberostar, this was our second time there. The resort is really coming back together. The food was good, service excellent, staff excellent. I’m not much on shows but the staff really put together some good ones that I really enjoyed.

They show a picture montage before one of the shows and you wonder why they even considered rebuilding and how they could put it back together in such a short amount of time. When you see the island and especially outside the resort, it looks like a nuclear bomb went off.

There are issues and we knew that going in. Here are some general notes.

Beach: Sand up to the water, you will need water shoes to walk in
Beds: Very, Very firm
Snorkeling: $2 fee to go and you can get snorkeling gear for 1 hour at a time.
Drink Service: Excellent, they will bring you drinks on the beach.
Kids: This resort is built for adults, very few kids.
Smells: They fumigate the property twice a day to keep the mosquitoes out. The sewage system is not quite up to par yet and you will get the “smell” by the stage area sometimes.
Sports Bar: This was not open and looks like it will be a couple of weeks. They have dancing after the shows in the stage area.
Overall: I can not tell how much the staff appreciates you being at the resort. There are always one or two exceptions but a very enjoyable place to stay

We have been to many all inclusive around the Caribbean, and like most, there is not enough to do to keep you interested if you stay at the resort for the whole week. You can rent a jeep from the resort for around $78 dollars for 24 hours otherwise taxis are about $20 to get into town.