I do not want to trash the place completely as the enjoyment of vacations comes from warm weather, people and beautiful reefs but after staying at various places on the island and Riviera May this one has a lot of issues.
We stayed in this hotel only because of location next to Dive with Martin.The goal of our trip was to certify our twin daughters as Junior Open Water Divers.
Other option was Park Royal, which we wanted to avoid after a painful timeshare presentation and less than appealing food we experienced during the short visit.
We like to cook so the rooms with kitchenettes sounded appealing.

Room
First room they offered us had no kitchenette. Instead there was leaning fridge in the middle adorned with a cheap and dirty coffee maker.
We had to haggle with the lady up front to give us a room with a kitchenette. She wanted us to pay 50$ more per night for a room with ocean view. We did not accept it as we did not care for the view but cooking facilities they allegedly have in every room.
Next one had a hot plate stove with one not working but I have to admit they replaced it within one hour by cannibalizing a working stove from another room as they told me that they did not have a spare one. This one had even lower heat output, so instead of one fairly hot one, we got two warm ones. Great!!!! We ended up buying a single burner that worked in Chedraui.
Fridge would not freeze a bottle of water in the freezer and leaked water all the time. Shelves were missing, so it was hard to use.
There is no top light in the room so our dive lights came very handy to find things in the room at night. Otherwise it would be like living in the twilight zone.
Bathroom gets very musty as the air-conditioning does not reach it unless one keeps door open all the time
I nearly forgot about rock solid hardness of the mattress but it seems to be a standard fare in most of the hotels in Mexico. We solved it by bringing 3inch foam topper. It was worth it. It saved the day I mean the nights.
The room is small and when Murphy bed is out, there is very little floor surface left..
Clock radio listed in the Expedia room description was nowhere to be found.
Real hazard. There is an issue with plumbing and cold water pressure drops rapidly when someone opens cold water, flushes toilet etc. This results in a jet of very hot water surging in the shower. It could cause serious injury especially in a small child with more delicate skin.
Sliding door window has cracked glass and the screen holes kicked out in the lower part.
Kitchenette had a fairly large number of utensils including can opener, cutting board, toaster, coffee maker, blender etc. I cannot guarantee consistency between rooms and suspect that it is a hit and miss.
Shopping for food. We had folding dolly we use for our luggage and it came very handy bringing supplies from Chedraui – about 2 mile walk. Otherwise taxi would be 8 usd each way. It would put the independent cooking option in real question. We found walking a great exercise and family time. It felt very safe even at night.
This leads to another issue with this hotel – LOCATION. It is kind of luke warm. It is fairly close to town but still a significant walk and not far enough to have real beach. Personally I do not see many good reasons to stay in this area. Next time we will try an apartment in town or hotel down south on the beach. Dive with Martin or other shop will pick you up from most hotels once already certified.



Grounds.
Beach. What beach? There is no beach. It is a concrete platform covered with sand brought from somewhere else.
They try to keep it up by repainting things, so every afternoon we had to smell obnoxious paint fumes while playing ping pong or relaxing in hammocks.
They have few hammocks under the upper deck of the restaurant and the boards are visibly cracked and nails stick out. Do I need to mention that there is enough head clearance for a short Mayan guy. It is a real safety hazard.
Plaster is falling off from the roof over top story balconies on the upper level. Our had a bulge but others had big chunks of plaster missing. I was praying that it would not fall on our heads.
Activities.
There is loud music till about 5 pm and annoying loud bingo announcements. Thank God it is over in the evening. This is the biggest advantage of ocean view rooms. And a view of the gargantuan cruise ships instead of the ocean.JK
No kids club.
The only entertainment would be haggling with the timeshare people or getting soaked. On the positive side, they left us alone for the most time.
Many reviewers seemed to complain about the crowd from cruise ships. We did not find it to be an issue. The place looked deserted if anything. Few times we looked at the lights in the rooms in the evening and no more than third were ever on.
Air conditioning worked fine but it could be an issue on upper level in the garden building as the roof is a concrete slab and has no insulation. It also leaks as the marks on the ceiling indicated in our room.
Food. So overpriced that after looking at the prices we went out few times to nearby places. We stayed before at Casa del Mar and liked their soups. They went down hill too but not that badly. The friendly waiting staff is gone and 5 pm they would not serve us items from the dinner menu. I heard they are now under the same management as El Cid. I am not surprised at all.
This Hotel was a great disappointment. We like to cook and wanted to make it an learning experience for our kids using local ingredients etc. The kitchenette is so dysfunctional that I wish we had stayed in Park Royal after all and forgo all the hustle.
We chose it only because of the proximity to the dive shop. We got the certification taken care of and it was a great experience. See our review of Dive With Martin on Trip Advisor.
Next time we do not need to stay close by as they will pick you up from any hotel south of town. So if so far anyone has doubts, we will NOT be staying again at El Cid La Ceiba.

Again I do not want to trash the place completely as the enjoyment of vacations comes from warm weather, people and beautiful reefs.
I would not recommend staying there for anyone who plans to cook. Location so close to all the cruise ships could be a nuisance. This would be a great divers hotel but they want to make it into resort for which the location is poor and grounds too small.
Staying in all inclusive Allegro or Iberostar to name a few down south, seems a lot better option. It beats going out for every meal, waiting and dealing with surprises.
And in southern resorts they have a real beach made of sand delivered by the sea not a dump truck.

Our stay at El Cid La Ceiba was from January 12 to January 23. We stayed in a Studio unit for 1 week and a 1 bedroom unit for 4 nights. It is that one awful night on our first night that resulted in a 4 star rating, rather than a 5 star. There is much, much more positive about this beach hotel than negative, but our first night was dreadful. Our first night was spent in a studio, off of a short hallway by the elevator, on the first floor. The sound from noisy guests on the elevator reverberated down the hallway and into the room. The room smelled of mold and mildew. While that is not uncommon in the tropics, the problem was that we couldn't open our patio door to let in the sea breeze to air out the room. The patio opened onto the lawn in front of the outdoor Italian Tratoria. The place is flooded with lights. Noise, musty air and lights are not conducive to sleeping. We read some negative reviews on this site before leaving and I would be willing to bet that those folks were talking about these same rooms. Younger folks may find these rooms completely acceptable. But if you've got gray hair, these rooms are not likely to work any better for you than they did for us.

That's all I have to say that is a downside to this facility. Avoid the rooms on the first floor by the elevator and you are likely to thoroughly enjoy your stay. After that first night we complained to the front desk. By 11:00 a.m. we were moved into another studio on the second floor down on the end by the dive shop. The room location made a huge difference. After a week we moved to a 1 bedroom unit on the 3rd floor of the wing by the dive shop. The one bedroom unit was one of the nicest units we've stayed in as a time share.

CRUISE SHIPS AND DAY TRIPPERS: Another reviewer on this site complained about the cruise ships that dock at the port in front of the hotel. While this is one of the realities of staying at El Cid la Ceiba, we didn't see the cruise ships as a real negative. We enjoyed sitting in the morning on the balcony drinking coffee and watching the ships come in. Neither did we experience the beach or facilities being over run with day trippers, even when there were 6 cruise ships docked. We spent most of each day on the beach and there were never more than half the beach chairs in use. Most of the day trippers that we met were actually members of the crew. They were friendly and respectful. I've included some pictures from our balcony that shows the view, including a cruise ship. You can judge for yourself whether this is going to be an issue for you.

THE BEACH: If you are looking for a long sandy beach to walk you have to catch a taxi or cycle to one of the beach clubs on the southern tip of the island. But, If you are looking for a fairly quiet beach to relax and read, and a nice protected area to snorkel, than you are likely to find the beach at El Cid meeting your expectations. If you are new to snorkeling, or a snorkeling novice, you may not need to go anywhere else. If you'd like a little variety, Chankanaab National Park has a beautiful beach and snorkeling opportunities and is a short taxi or bike ride (4K) from El Cid. It's also walkable if you are in decent shape and enjoy hoofing it.

RESTAURANTS: Our experience has been that the restaurant associated with a hotel typically is not outstanding. I've always thought that it was due to their "playing to a captive audience" and not having to try as hard. The La Chopa restaurant at El Cid is an exception. We found the food, service and atmosphere to be exceptional. The breakfast buffet is not to be missed.
If you are eating in town, walk several blocks north from the ferry terminal along the seawall to the museum. Atop the museum the gallery restaurant has excellent food at inexpensive prices and a view of the Yucatan channel. If you'd like to eat where the locals eat, at local prices, turn your back to the ferry terminal and walk to 25 Ave. Look for "Mama Linda" between Calle 2 nte. and Calle 4 nte.

BOTTOM LINE: We would stay again at El Cid La Ceiba in a heart beat. We also would not hesitate to recommend El Cid La Ceiba to a friend. Just avoid those four rooms on the first floor by the elevator!

The El Cid resort/time share chain took over this hotel following Hurricaine Wilma. Unlike there other properties in Cancun, Mazatlan and Europe, this hotel has limited size and accommodations. The rooms, the concierge, the front desk, the maids, and the location are great! The senior Concierge David Jardin was especially helpful, he called me prior to my arrival, and set up numerous tours that left me free to just relax. Keep in mind his commission can be steep. My Mother booked the Nautilus submarine, and walked over for her 90 minute trip. The Concierge commission on that trip was almost $40. We booked the great tours with him for the Polaris ATV, as well as the Chichen Nitzen day trip. HE IS TOP RATE, and also gave us GREAT restaurant recommendations.

However, the small pool, small hot tub mediocre food, lack of a real bar, tiny gym, and tiny faux beach are problematic. The rooms are great! The one bedrooms suites boast stellar view, and large rooms with small hot tubs, and big bathrooms.

The lack of elevators in the time share/suite portion of the hotel is a limitation that in addition to the many stairs mean the hotel is generally unfriendly to the small children, and infirm senior citizens. This is good for quiet, but the lack of a real bar, and emphasis on diving make this hotel distinctly middle aged. Most/all of the guests during my stay were here for the reasonable all inclusive, or the time share. Also based on the lack of crowds, and empty dining room the Hotel's 11 story tower appeared to be only about half full.

There showers on the villa side of the hotel were great, but hot water did not flow from the sinks, and there were numerous complaints about cold showers in the tower.

We visited El Cid La Ceiba from Dec 2 to 8, 2012. Of our over 20 visits to Cozumel, this was our first visit in December. The weather was fantastic. Since Cozumel is a tropical climate you expect hot and humid weather. Not so for this visit. It was 75 in the daytime and 65 in the evening with very little humidity. We did not use the AC once and slept with the balcony door open, using only the screen door. It was great to have the fresh sea breeze and the sound of the waves -- very relaxing.
The grounds of the hotel were in fantastic shape -- the best we have ever seen. Kudos to the management. Our room was spotless and the maid service was its usual excellence, something we always can count on from the rooms manager, Esther Zapata. Checking in is always our favorite part of the trip as either Natalio or Arcadio takes charge of our luggage and and Babiana greets us like returning family. Then it is off to La Chopa to have some Dos X's and snacks looking out over the beautiful Caribbean. The very best part of a stay at La Ceiba is the feeling that you are returning home and the staff at La Chopa is the warmest and most professional you will encounter, especially if you are returning. This is the epitome of Mexican hospitality. The service and quality of food was outstanding and represents one of the best values on the Island.
Roberto ( food and beverage manager) Chrisanto (La Chopa manager), and Jorge (assistant La Chopa manager), run a great bar and restaurant. It is always a pleasure to see the wait staff and bartenders again. Alberto, Fausto, Luis, Eli, Armando, Benecio, MIguel, Vicky, Williams, Pedro, Willberth, Paulino (bar) Miguel (bar) Guadalupe (Bar) and Leo (beach bar) and the others are the heart of why we keep returning to La Ceiba.
It was a festive atmoshere and the other guests that we talked to: singles, couples, and famillies with small children, all were having a great time and were planning to return. We took advantage of the Cocay Spa massages and the romantic dinner for two on the pier and as usual got great value for our money. These are two treats well worth the extra costs.
We did not go downtown on this visit like we normally do, especially Sunday evenings at the Plaza Del Sol, but we discovered a mini downtown at the Puerto Maya Pier (This is where the Carnival ships dock). It is only a few blocks south from the La Ceiba and is open to the public, unlike the International Pier (Royal Caribbean ships) right next to the La Ceiba. There are great little shops, restauurants, bars, and activities similar to downtown -- and only a five minute walk from La Ceiba.
We had visited La Ceiba in April, 2012, and the new manager, Andres Maillard Coronel, had just arrived. This trip we were able to visit with Andres a little longer and told him what a great job he has done with the hotel. Rest assured that the La Ceiba is in very good hands.