We spent a week at El Cid in March of 2012. We went with friends that had a 2 bedroom timeshare. They traded their week for this vacation. We had the studio side of the lockout. The room is fairly large and includes a pull down wall bed besides the normal queen sized bed. There is a refrigerator and microwave and even a hotplate. There was a nice balcony overlooking the grounds with a great view of the ocean. The bathroom was the weak point of the room. It has a low ceiling with and the door was poorly placed. The bathtub/shower was standard and there was great water pressure. Sometimes it took a few minutes for the water to get hot. There is no exhaust fan in the room just a small window that pulls inward. It vents out by the entry door. I wasn't crazy about this setup. The bed was very comfortable and the staff kept the room immaculate. They also did some nice things with the towels, making creatures and adding flowers for effect. We enjoyed their creativity. They would also turn down the bed in the evening and put chocolates on the nightstand. We utilized the jacuzzi several times. It was a good place to meet other vacationers and relax by the ocean. We did eat in the restaurant a couple of times and enjoyed the fare. It may have been slightly higher priced but the proximity was worth the cost. The concierge took very good care of us and was very knowledgeable. The grounds are very well maintained and interesting. They have their own beach and a dive shop on the premises. The parking lot was small but we always had a place to park. We enjoyed our stay at El Cid La Ceiba and found it to be well appointed and full featured.

Our group consisted of two couples one of whom is a timeshare owner. El Cid was offered through their timeshare. Overall, the resort was ok but if anybody is looking for a true beach, this isn't it. Plus, when the cruise ships come in, forget about enjoying the pool/hot tub unless you don't mind sharing it with a bunch of kids.

We were very disappointed with the service we received in the restaurant. One particular evening, it was not crowded and we waited for over an hour and a half for our food. After watching others come in after us get served, we left. When my husband complained, they did bring our food to our room with a "complimentary" bottle of wine (that we couldn't drink). However, they didn't even comp our food.

The bright spot was our server Vicky who was so courteous and an EXTREMELY hard worker while we sat on the "beach". Our family makes it a practice to tip good service so we were only too happy to be generous with Vicky. I rated service higher b/c of Vicky...otherwise, I would give a poor rating. Plus, housekeeping did a very fine job.

Word of warning: anybody flying into Cozumel - beware of the timeshare hawkers! Don't get duped as we were. They got us as soon as we got through customs at the airport. If someone promises you a "good deal" on a rental car or other amenities - WATCH OUT!

We will not be going back to Cozumel.

Just spent spring break in Cozumel. It was beautiful, very humid, very clean and safe. I definitely will return. But not to El Cid. It was just nothing special.

Upon check-in, we were told that after our first night we would have to change rooms, with no explanation and no apology. Our first room was on the 10th floor, up a tiny elevator, and it was fine; it was actually a bed-bath combo attached to a suite with a kitchen.

I was not expecting all the cruise ships! Wow. Those things are behemoths. They dock right in front of the hotel, and some passengers get a day pass to eat and play at El Cid. The last hour of sun is completely blocked by those floating cities. I did not like sharing the limited space with them.

The hotel's beach area is very small. I didn't realize that the west side of Cozumel, where all the hotels are, is rocky and not a traditional beach - for that you must go to the east side. But there was an area for snorkeling that we explored, and the equipment rental is easy and close.

The first mixed drink I ordered had no alcohol in it. None. And I had to go to the bar and wait for someone to notice me, because the waiters don't come by regularly. When I told them my drink was a virgin, a man returned later with a cup containing 4 shots of rum. For a margarita. Hmmmm, you'd think that making a good drink would be in their best interest. I was also not the first guest to receive a drink sans alcohol - another lady was complaining about her pina colada.

After the first night, we were moved to the third floor. Apparently our first room was a model for the timeshare people and it can't be occupied. Lame.

The beds were horrible. Soo uncomfortable! Very hard, with no mattress pad!! Ugh.The rooms have no carpeting, which I understand, but it became impossible to walk barefooted in the room, since sand and dirt stuck to my feet, so I had to use beach towels as area rugs.

The coffee is extremely weak. The breakfast buffet was actually pretty good, as was the dinner buffet on the beach. The wait staff is polite, but not very cheerful. Sometimes it took awhile to be noticed. The busboy was excellent.

Our water stopped working the morning we checked out. As in, the toilet reservoir drained, and nothing came out of the faucet. I took it as a sign to get out of there.

Location-wise, it's pretty close to everything - a 5 minute taxi ride takes you into town or to the ferry. But it's definitely not a 5 star hotel.

We were roped into a timeshare thing right off the plane (ignore the guys at the airport!), and took the ferry to the mainland, Playa del Carmen, where we toured the Occidental resort. Wow, was that place incredible!! It was huge, with several private beaches and gorgeous rooms. We switched our Hilton timeshare to those guys.

Tips on visiting Cozumel: don't rent the scooters, too many tourists are killed on them. If you want a real beach with crashing waves and all that, take a day trip to the east side of the island - it's not far- or just stay in Playa. However, the beaches on the east and south side of Cozumel are very polluted, not because of the Mexicans, but because trash is washed over from Haiti and South America. The locals try to keep it picked up but it's never-ending.

I loved all the people I met, they're very friendly. The humidity was a real challenge, so ladies, be prepared to pull your hair back every day. Love the Caribbean, I will go back!

I just returned from a week in Cozumel and enjoyed my stay at El Cid. They made a bad first impression because of the misleading "$600 room credit," which turned out to be a fairly worthless coupon book. When we arrived, I asked about the cost to upgrade to a suite. The clerk initially told me that it would cost $130 more per night to upgrade, but when I declined, she offered the upgrade for $30 per night. We took the suite and enjoyed the extra space. The hotel is older and fairly basic, but it looks like they take pretty good care of it. They have parking, but the lot is small and apparently shared with someone else, so finding a parking spot was a problem at times.

The staff was friendly and helpful, and the service was excellent. The room was always clean, and the staff did an excellent job of finding small windows of time to get in, clean, and get out. My teen son spent a lot of time in the room on his computer, so it couldn't have been easy for them to do that. One night, the door to our room safe got stuck and would not open. I told the lady at the front desk, she made a call, and the maintenance man got to my room almost as fast as I did. He fixed the door quickly and was gone.

The only time we ate at the hotel restaurant was for breakfast. They did a good job with that. The free continental breakfast was a fruit plate, juice, coffee, and bread, and it was better than most continental breakfasts I have had in the States. To upgrade to the buffet was only $5 per person, and the buffet was well worth it. The omelets were good, they had a nice assortment of fruits, juices, and other items and even had a lady making fresh corn tortillas (they were great).

The location is good for divers (about a mile from the marina), and
I was surprised at how quiet and deserted the place gets in the evening after the cruise ships leave. I basically had the beach and pier to myself most nights.

El Cid is fairly basic, but it offers good value and excellent, friendly service at a good location. I will probably try something in town the next time I make it to the island, but I would definitely stay at El Cid again.