we just returned from an 7 nite stay at el cid la cieba in cozumel. the hotel was nice before hurricane wilma hit cozumel last year but now the improvements are unbelievable. the restuarant is all new and twice as big as before.the pool and bar area are improved and even the menu has been expanded. the most impressive thing about our stay was how the staff catered to our needs as well as special requests.
my family took advantage of their new spa area inside and out. we were able to utilize their new dive shop and our dive operator was able to pick us up at la cieba s new diveboat pier.
this hotel now has all the amenities. our room was large with two separate bathrooms ( which my teenage daughter really appreciated)
the room rates are very affordable as well as the menu prices.
we had 1 fullday of rain during or trip .the only time we left the hotel that day was to pick up a couple of dvd s to watch movies on the dvd player provided in our room.the hotel had everything we needed and it turned out to be a great rainy day for me and my family.
i highly recommend el cid la cieba and we cannot wait to go back to la cibe.

After reading some of the reviews about El Cid, I was so concerned about the accomodations that I had a couple of backup hotel options scoped out just in case. Well......what a pleasant surprise! Since this was a Fairfield timeshare exchange, our room was like a mini villa, with 2 balconies overlooking the beautiful blue Mexican carribbean. Our room was very well furnished and spotlessly clean. We woke each morning anxious to see what cruise ship had arrived and often watched them depart in the evening just before sunset. The private beach was wonderful for relaxing and snorkeling and even though cruise ship passengers have access, it wasn't overcrowded. The restaurant at El Cid was very good although we mostly went into San Miguel for dinner which had so many restaurant choices. Every one was excellent, especially La Lobsteria that had the most charming patio dining area. All in all, El Cid is the best on the island for location and accomodations because much is still under construction and re-modeling from the hurricane. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay there and were very comfortable.

My husband and I stayed here for our honeymoon! We had a GREAT time! The hotel was almost completely destroyed by the hurricane and has since been re-modeled. They did work almost around the clock on finshing their remodeling but we were never bothered by any of it. Our room looked brand new and was very clean.

We found the staff to be VERY helpful and friendly. Our housekeeper did a great job of cleaning our room and each day left a new creation of towels on our bed.

The hotel is close to downtown but far enough to get away for all of it. Our cab ride was only $4 to and $4 from town back to our hotel.

The cruise ships do dock right beside this hotel but they never bothered us.

The hotel has a nice private beach, swimming pool, and hot tub.
We had heard that we would be pressured into buying the timeshares but we never were. They asked if we would like to attend the presentation, we said no and were not ask again.

As for Cozumel, we found a lot of fun things to do. Snorkeling was BEAUTIFUL and so fun! We also did a LOT of shopping. We were told never to pay the price that they ask and it was true. On the main strip you can't really bargain but if you go back one more street they want to make a deal with you. We only took American money and that seemed to be what they wanted. There is not a lot of night life in Cozumel but you can always take a ferry for 12 dollars a person to Playa De Carmen and there seemed to always be a party there. We also found the food to be WONDERFUL! We ate a variety of local restaurants and the food was always good and reasonable. Just don't drink the water and you will love your stay here.

I would definitely say that this was one of the nicest hotels that we saw. We were very pleased with our trip and would recommend staying here. We are planning to come back in a few years on our wedding anniversary.

Cozumel still suffers from the hurricane last year. Many resorts and restaurants are still under construction. This construction can be disturbing, esp. when it's on a balcony or floor directly above your room! However, El Cid has mostly completed its restoration, and, although modest, stands out in Cozumel during this time. It was clean, and mostly cool. One night the air conditioner wouldn't work. Also they are having difficulty with sewage. But all-in-all, it was a comfortable stay, and only $6 (for 4) for a cab ride to downtown!