Casa Mexican truly lived up to its reviews and ratings on TripAdvisor. If you're going to stay on Cozumel its the best way to go, unless you want to be right on a beach and are willing to forego easy, fast, access to the shopping, food and night life of the resort town. We found the location ideal, since we were prepared to go out to the beaches and snorkelling when we felt like doing that - which is easy to do by taxi. (We'd suggest you ask for the ocean view rooms. ) The hotel lobby and public areas and the room were all very nice, and the many available and free computer terminals were a great convenience, but it was the staff that we felt were really remarkable. Besides the fact that they kept the place spotless, they were infailingly smiling, friendly and went out of their way to be helpful. When we had to leave for a fishing or Mayan ruin excursion before the luscious buffet (and custom cooked) breakfast service opened, the dining room manager volunteered to open early just for us, or had a boxed breakfast waiting for us at the front desk at 5:30 a.m.. The concierge was incredibly helpful every day - nothing was ever too demanding for her. We felt like part of their family. We've stayed at a lot places in the states and in Europe that were not nearly as nice and had to pay many multiples of the room rate we paid at Casa Mexicana. The only surprise we had at check out was that we had no unpleasant surprises and how little we were charged for phone calls, box lunches, etc. That was very nice and allowed us to leave tips all around - much more than we've ever left for hotel service staff. We'll definitely go back!

We just returned from Cozumel on Saturday night, returning to a Colorado snowstorm on Sunday! We were 3 couples, 2 of us had regular rooms and one paid for the ocean view. I cannot say enough about the staff- Billie, Jaime,Elena, Rosie and the numerous other staff members who made our stay so enjoyable. The rooms were very clean, the hotel has it's own water purification system, so the water out of the tap is good. The mini-frig was nice for soda and water. Billie told us that all the beds were replaced after Wilma, we have never slept on a bed in Cozumel that was so comfortable! The ocean view room was quite nice to watch the street activity below, but both of the other rooms had a partial ocean view. Jaime assisted in getting a birthday cake for my sister, and prepared a little "surprise" table for us in the dining area. This was the first time in 10 years we had stayed in town, it was nice for the other couples who did not dive, but meant a longer day for the two of us who were diving, because of the distance to the reefs. The staff had excellent recommendations for meals, don't miss Especias, Prima or Corona Beach Bar. I would definately recommend this hotel if you are going with a group of people who enjoy different activities, the central location is convenient. For divers, we found Columbia Reef to be in the best shape, especially below 65ft, but it is encouraging to see all the fish schooling and turtles and rays still around. We will definately be back!

Stayed there a week, to propose to my g/f (now wife) on her birthday. I'll keep it short and sweet:
The room was large.
The view was great (just be sure to ask for Ocean View - see other reviews).
The room was spotless. Every day.
The breakfast was incredible... and included in the price. If you can't make it to dinner time with the breakfast options that they offer, your stomach must be the size of North Carolina.
The staff was friendly and attentive.
Contrary to some opinions, I thought the pool was fine. It was cool, and wet. My two main requirements in a pool. It was perfect to cool off in after a long walk or snorkeling.
***Try Cesar's hand-made margaritas*** I can't stress this enough. And I can't believe no one else has mentioned them.

This hotel is perfect for adventurous young folks who like to be within walking distance of a lot of local options. If you want feel like a movie star that is swooned over and served everything on a silver platter, there's another option for you. It's called an all-inclusive resort, and they are on the North end of the island.
If you're a normal down-to-earth person who wants a clean room in an elegant hotel in a convenient location, excellent and knowledgable staff, and all for a bargain price, STAY HERE. You will definitely get more than what you pay for. I have a TON of great pictures, but TripAdvisor's Submit form keeps timing out when I try to upload them (and yes, they have been resized and are not ginormous).

Tip: Ignore the "Tourist" stand at the bottom of the escalator. It's a time-share trap.

My husband and I were in Mexico 9/9-9/16. We arrived at the hotel and were greeted very warmly. Our room was up on the 4th floor with an ocean view. The rooms were kept very clean. The beds were comfortable. The pool is very small, but we enjoyed a quick dip after returning from the salty ocean. Every morning we ate breakfast at the hotel. The food was awesome and the juices were fresh. There are computers in the lobby for guests to use. Our first two days we spent in Cozumel and then we took the ferry to Playa del Carmen for two days and then returned to Cozumel until we left. We were able to leave most of our luggage except for a backpack and our snorkeling gear at Casa Mexicana. This was awesome because we like to travel light. While on the mainland, we were robbed (sob, sob!) of all our identification (passports, drivers' licenses, credit cards, cash, cell phone). By the grace of God we made it back to Cozumel and Casa Mexicana. The staff at Casa Mexicana were very helpful and empathetic. They helped direct us to Mexican Immigration and the US Consular Agent to get some paperwork filled out to help us get through airport security when it was time to return home.


Places we ate (we split a lot of the meals because the servings were so large):

Sonora Grill- great fajitas and guacamole

La Choza- awesome soups, fajitas, tacos, salsa. The salsa is very unique and flavorful. This restaurant is frequented by the locals. If you go for lunch, ask for the lunch special- it's not on the menu, but the locals all know about it

Pepe's- great steak and rolls. Very romantic with an ocean view and a man playing the piano in the background. Expensive.

Guidos- tasty Italian food. The pizzas were delicioius and the dessert was good too. Their is a courtyard in which to sit outside. It was romantic.

Casa Denis- just off the plaza. Traditional Mexican food. Great place to people watch and enjoy the strolling musicians. The food was great. We had the tacos and a chicken sandwich (Mexican style).

La Veranda- by far the most romantic dinner. There are tables set up on the back patio. It's secluded and the gardens are fabulous. Enjoy star gazing while you eat. The food was incredible.

La Cozumelena- they serve breakfast and have their own bakery. We never had breakfast there because we ate at the hotel, but we frequented the bakery for light, cheap lunches. The ham and cheese items were delicious, as were the nut cookies.

Asadero El Pollo- they sell whole and half roasted chickens. Included in the price is tortillas, onions, rice and salsa. Very economical.

Diving/Snorkeling:

As far as diving and snorkeling goes, we were impressed with Papa Hogs. A small outfit that takes only six passengers out on their boats. They are flexible with the itinerary. Places we found that still had coral following the hurricane- Columbia Shallow, Palancar Reef and Cedral Reef. The snorkeling from Dzul Ha was pretty good for shore entry.