We stayed at El Cid during mid-January...second time in ten months. Although they have a new general manager (Andres) since our last stay, we didn't notice any major changes. I would prefer that Andres have a bit more face-to-face with the guests as did his predecessor, Salvador (great for public relations and hearing first-hand the guests' concerns).

El Cid is an older property but the rooms have pretty much kept up with the times and are very clean. Any remarks about bugs are unfounded in our opinion. Nor did we note any broken glass around the beach area.

Do not expect any night life at this resort. The "older" crowd seems to flock to this hotel...although there are families with kids, my guess is the average age is in the mid-fifties.
Many are returning for their 5th, 6th and 7th time (and more). The clientele seems to be on the "higher end" but nowhere near snobby!

We did the AI and totally enjoyed it - the food is as good as any we've had at an AI. The breakfast buffet was fantastic; most other meals were a la carte from a substantial menu.

Service is the hallmark of this resort. Special thanks to Miguel the bartender (always be nice to the bartender!). It is nice to be remembered in the restaurant by the captain, Chrisanto. There is a great staff including Luis, Armando, Juan, Eliezer and hard, hard working Vicky.

Probably the weakest link is the front desk: aloof and indifferent! 'nuff said.

We would like to return in the fall.

OPT

We just returned from El Cid last week. It was an excellent place to stay, it is located near the middle cruise port so you are far enough away from the southern port (busy tourist trap) and only a 3-5 min drive from the downtown area. The hotel staff was fantastic, Hotel Manager Bibiana and desk clerk Roger helped us out on our first night. Our room had a slight odor (to be expected it is a hot steamy island after all) and after a night out on the town I approached the desk and asked if they could help us locate a better room. Roger called Bibiana at around 10:30-11:00 PM and spoke with her, she told him to look for available rooms, by morning time we had a brand new room that smelled fresh and clean. They were very helpful and courteous. Our room had a queen size bed, working TV and a nice clean bathroom, the cleaning staff does a great job here. The hotel itself is always well maintained, clean and friendly. The beach area is amazing as well, waiters walk around all day offering you drink and food menus and are very quick to bring you your orders. The hotel offers an all inclusive package but we declined, the rooms have a hot plate and fridge so we made our own breakfast and lunch there, also we stocked our fridge with beer and bought a cheap cooler from the Mega for our daytime beach drinking. Downtown has great food options so i would encourage you to try to eat out as much as possible. All in all this was a great value, the staff was very friendly and responsive. If you are respectful and courteous in Cozumel you will be treated with the same respect and courtesy. Can't wait to come back to this amazing island next year.

Small hotel with reasonable rooms, good service, happy people. Cruise ships dock next door at the International Pier and when they are in the area is bustling, but you can't get into the shops, Senor Frog's (whose music and partying fill the air), etc without a Ship pass ID. Seems like a tease to have all the activity so close and you can't access it, but the passengers and ship crews utilize the El Cid facilities (pool, restaurant, spa, beach) with day passes. The service doesn't seem to suffer and we only had minor problems with pool side chairs and the heightened activity is a change of pace and its nice in the evening when it all slows down. We enjoyed going for an afternoon snorkel and then having a drink in the bar side hot tub as the cruisers headed back aboard ship. The maid service didn't have bottled water to replace the one bottle provided for a 7 night stay, nor did they have coffee. Maids did a nice job with cleaning, but one was a little ambitious and threw away several days worth of receipts that were neatly stacked on the table. We selected this hotel becasue they didn't require all inclusive, since we wanted to eat and party in town. Check your reservation to be sure you get the buffet breakfast and not just a very limited continental. The buffet is an additional $5, but the breakfast was good. We had a couple of other simple afternoon meals..grilled fish and guac and they were quite good. Being next door to the pier, convenience stores and shopping (outside the Int;l area) are everywhere, but close early when the ships leave. Car rental is available at the pier which was very convenient for the few days we rented an Avis car to tour the island. Again, the staff is very friendly, the rooms reasonable, location convenient, easy ride into town and once we understood and got a feel for the activity levels (from the cruise ships), we had an enjoyable stay.

We love this place being going here for 25 years has changed liked it better when it was a hotel not time share to many buffets . Have gotten away from authentic food . Still the same staff tho doorman has been ther 30 years always carries r luggage . He is a good man. The owl is the best waiter likes to have fun . And thats what its about for us having fun .