My husband and I stayed at the Park Royal Cozumel from March 5-15, 2007. I can not say enough good about the property or the deal we got or the island of Cozumel!

We can only think that some of the less favorable reviews we saw before we left were isolated instances or people that would whine in paradise.

We booked the $99/night special through BookIt.com based on a link from Travelzoo.com and were delighted with the service we got. Thanks to a wonderful BookIt agent, we left DC in the morning and after a quick stop in Houston we were in sunny Cozumel by lunch.

Impressions:

The hotel: Very pretty! Lots of gleaming marble and faux stone. Beautifully landscaped. Pretty free-form pool near the hotel, two infinity pools near the beach. Everything was spotless and we often saw people sweeping/polishing/etc.

The room: We were on the 8th floor of 9 with a spectacular view. (See photo for the view from our room.) More gorgeous marble. Very comfortable beds. TV with both English and Spanish channels. HBO, Cinemax, etc. Spacious and clean. Yes, we paid the $2/day for the safe--which is the largest safe we've ever seen in a hotel room. We had no trouble putting a camera, passport/tickets, wallets, jewelry, and so on in there and were glad not to have to worry about them. No radio/clock in the room but we didn't need it. After the first few days of being there, we started having towel animals appear (the cleaning service would leave towels folded in the shape of a dog or a dinosaur or whatever) and one day we had a large heart with the word "love" in rose petals layed out on a towel --very charming.

The "timeshare" situation: We were approached by a competitor (El Cid) at the airport and in the town, and by one of the "concierges" at the hotel. We decided to invest 1 hour and 15 minutes of our vacation to hear what they were offering and get discounts on *everything*. We weren't interested in what they were offering (a vacation plan that included timeshare options but also cruise options and sounded like it had a lot more flexibility than the standard timeshare approach) and said we weren't interested once the time was up. It was not a high pressure pitch at all. From then on we said that we were entitled to all "member discounts", as we had negotiated, and everything was grand. Best 1 hour and 15 minutes we ever spent. Instead of $182 for an all day trip on the mainland that included Chichen Itza and a cenote (WAY COOL!), we paid $35 total for both of us. Instead of $65 for parasailing, we paid $45. Instead of $82 for the submarine ride we paid $62. Instead of $45, we got a car for only $25 to tour the island. We found that EVERYTHING was negotiable. After we'd accepted the pitch, we simply told anyone who asked us that we'd already attended and they left us alone.

The restaurants: Always friendly, attentive service. Always a good variety to choose from. The buffet was always neat and the food nicely presented and well-stocked. The food was good and occassionally very good but not especially memorable. There was always a beautiful assortment of fresh fruit, which I love. We were most impressed by the dessert chef--very light, wonderful cakes. It's true you have to get in line to reserve at one of the three a la carte restaurants. Big deal. Get a drink before you line up at 11:45 and chat with the people around you. The line moves quickly once they open at 12. I think they do this so they know you'll definitely show up for your reservation. Do not phone in the reservaton, as they give priority to the people who are in line. The meals at the specialty restaurants varied dramatically. We ate at the Mexican once, the Italian twice and the Caribbean twice and found it definitely mattered what you ordered as to how good the food was. The fish at the Caribbean was excellent. Note: if you like decent wine, order wine in the Italian restaurant where they don't use the jug wine they use at the bars. The food at the two snack bars was okay. We tried the pizza and nachos and it was fine for by the pool munching.

The bars: Drinks were always available when we wanted them at one of the five (!) bars, although it sometimes took a while to get a drink in the pool to the right of the beach as you face the water. The one bartender there was in constant motion. Perhaps they should have two people working the busiest swim-up bars. But, again, how terrible is it to have to wait for a drink when you are soaking up the sun and looking at clear, vivid blue water gently lapping against the beach? We got whatever we wanted (lime daquiris were yummy!!) and found the service consistently friendly.

The deal with the chairs: Yeah, guests had a scarcity mentality so they put a towel and book on a chaise as soon as they got up in the morning. Sometimes we did this and sometimes we just took our chances. It all worked out.

The deal with the water: If you worry about brushing your teeth with the local water, which didn't look yellow to us, then walk the twenty feet to the convenience store next to the hotel and buy a bottle of Evian. When that's empty, take it to the water cooler in the pool bar and refill it with purified water. Brush your teeth with that. For what it's worth, brushing our teeth with bottled water was the only extra effort we made with respect to health precautions. We ate and drank whatever we wanted in various places on the island and never got sick.

The entertainment: The daily activities folks were friendly and upbeat. I did the water aerobics one day and it was a very light workout and lots of laughs. The Spanish lesson we attended was very rudimentary, which I guess is appropriate, but they would provide translations of anything we asked. We only attended two of the evening shows and they seemed kinda weak. Oh well. We strolled down to the water and lay under the stars sipping drinks instead. We're not karioke fans but the Sports Bar was very popular with the twenty-somethings there singing their hearts out every night.

Above and beyond: I lost an earring and someone turned it in to the front desk person who happily returned it to me. Yay!

Tipping: We did not feel ANY pressure to tip but we did ocassionally tip when the service seemed to exceed the customary good level.

The other water: Even with the reef damage from Wilma (category 5 hurricane), it's a nice place to snorkel (free equipment from the friendly water sports staff). With the submarine ride we saw lots of different fish and coral and a spiney lobster. Others we talked to saw barracuda. Although we didn't dive, we heard good things from those that did.

A few recommendations:
* Get dollars changed to pesos at the front desk and then pay in pesos in town and around the island. When we were there it was an 11 to 1 exchange rate and we found that for their "convenience" sometimes we'd only get a 10 to 1 rate if we paid in dollars. Even so, they took both US and Mexican money everywhere we went.

* Make an effort to speak Spanish even if it's only "gracias" and "por favor". If you can do more, do it... they appreciate the effort. Of course, if you are pleasant and grateful when you deal with people they will be that way with you.

* Rent a car and tour the island, the other side has very pretty beaches and a great place called "Coconuts" that's a must do.

* Go into town after 5 or on Sunday when the cruise ship people are back on the ships if you aren't into crowds and you want cheaper shopping prices. Also, Sunday night there's a band playing in the town square and the locals--and visitors like us--party.

* You're on vacaton so relax and go with it if things aren't always as you'd expect. Sometimes that's a good thing!

Overall: We were thrilled with our experience at Park Royal. The staff consistently worked to make our stay a pleasure. For the price we could not have done better! The island is laid back and the people very friendly. The town is very accessible (5 minutes away by cab for ~$4 US) and the local restaurants (such as La Choza) were good. It's amazing how quickly they've rebuilt from Wilma and how hard-working the people are on Cozumel. And if you get island fever, Playa del Carmen is a half-hour ferry ride away.

So go and enjoy!!

My wife and I just retuned from the Park Royal. We would definately rate this a three star property. As stated in the other reviews the grounds are very beautiful. We enjoyed both the ocean beach club area and the areas by the pools. The remodel is very nice. The staff does an excellent job keeping the resort clean in a very unclean environment. We were on the fifth floor in the first building. The resort only has a few rooms with king beds but we moved the doubles together and it worked just fine. The bed quality is pretty good as well. We did experience the brown water coming out of the hot tap. I'm sure this is due to the aging boiler system. It's best to drink bottled water only and since it's not provided in your room we found the best place to fill up was at the bikini bar. They have a water cooler there 24/7.

I would give this property three stars based on a few problems. It is a timeshare property and the hounds get anoying. They are stationed at the top of the stairs by the front desk, on the bottom of the buildings by the elevators and by the towel check out as you pass under the tunnel to the beach. They are not really rude but you will get asked repeately throughout your stay if you have any "activities" planned. The sales people rotate throughout the week so just because you tell one of them you're not interested doesn't mean they will all leave you alone.

The other reason for three stars is the food quality. It's not very good. While you won't go hungry you won't be amazed. The breakfast is good but the lunch and dinner buffets are poor. The speciality restaurants are prety poor as well and the reservation system is a joke. If you have kids under 12 years old stay away from this place. They will make you eat at the buffet only and they get old very fast. The selection is very limited and repetitive. While the desserts look good, they taste terrible for the most part. It's almost like they had no flavor and not enough sugar. We witnessed the staff repeatedly questioning one couple because they didn't belive their daughter was 12. For two days the lunch buffet had great guacamole. For some reason on days 3-7 they changed it and it was mostly sour cream. That was strange.

The bartenders work very hard and will make your drinks to your liking. Find Manuel and ask for his "special" - it's amazing.

All that being said we only paid $ 1,218.00 for the two of us for the week. At that price we got what we expected and thought it was worth the money. A few months ago we stayed at the Cozumel Palace. While we thought it was a five star property and the food was outstanding, it did cost an extra $ 1,100.00.

We booked 8 days at PR on Book It for $99 pp/pn. We thought it was a really good deal. When we arrived, yes, the property was very nice with beautiful landscaping. The pools were alittle dirty. We asked for a King Size, ocean view room. We got 2 double beds with a view of partial ocean, mostly cruise ships and construction cranes. The room was clean when we checked in but was only cleaned 3 add. times because the maid didn't come around until after 4pm when we were back in the room trying to get ready for dinner. That's another story... in order to eat dinner at one of the 3 restaurants, you have to wait in a LONG line between the hours of 12-3 and maybe you'll get a reservation before 10pm. The food/service was not good in any of the restaurants. The buffet was much better, still not much variety. It was always hard to find a good cup of coffee, too. We are early risers so we were able to get a good chair at the pool everyday. The drinks were good and all the bartenders were very nice. Overall, the stay was okay. You'll need to go downtown to get decent food (Pepe's Grill was the BEST!) and service. We've been to several different all inclusive resorts and we were very disappointed with the PR. We felt like they had our money up front and bascially could care less if we were there or not. But, it was $99 a night, I guess you do get what you pay for, huh??? I can say we will NOT be going back nor will we recommend the PR.

I read every single review for this resort dating to back to right after it was remodeled and I find some of the complaints outrageous.
-1st of all a number of people complain about the "hot" tube not being hot. Your in Cozumel where its 85+ degrees and sunny everyday. If the "hot" tube was hot and you were sipping on your margarita people would be passing out left and right. Its actually very refreshing. I don't know why people would want to sit in hot water when its already 85 degrees (kinda weird).
-2nd the beach is small and rocky at the entrance but this is consistent with the entire island. Cozumel isn't know for its spectacular beaches. My friends and I rented a car and drove around the entire island and made plenty of voyages up and down the coast and there are very very very few beaches where there are huge rock build-ups or large rocks right at water level.
-You do have to go under an small bridge to get to the beach which takes a whopping 1 minute walk (boo hoo!!)
-All of the walk-ways are cobble stone which i enjoyed. I couldnt imagine anyone other than 90 year old women with a bad hip or a baby learning to walk having problems.
-If you book a hotel on a beach in mexico during peak springbreak season thats $99 a night, expect springbreakers (thats just common sense).
-I never had a problem getting a chair on or by the beach. And this is coming from a 24 year old who was nursing a hangover most mornings and didnt make it to the beach sometimes until 11am. The chair may not be in the most prestine spot, but every area has a good view, good sun, good people around. Again I dont understannd why people on vacation are so uptight....Relax

I guarentee you cannot find a better deal in cozumel for $99 a night than the Park Royal. If you are extremely picky and complain about the minor stuff, this probably isn't your place. If you are going to relax and have a good time while being on a budget, book this now. One of the better vacations Ive been on.

P.S. The diving is great!!