Wow, we must have gone to a different resort than where some of these critical reviewers were. The only thing I can think of, maybe they are confusing the Grand with the Allegro, which I can then understand where the criticism of the food might come from. This is a first rate, well run, GORGEOUS resort. My wife and I, along with another couple, spent 10 days here, and enjoyed everything the resort had to offer. Can you find some things to be critical ? Of course, but I have yet to stay at a resort on this level where you can't find something you wish was a little better. Here, in our opinion, the consistency of the drinks could use some attention. But after that, we had very little to complain about. We had second floor rooms, 1/2 way between the lobby and the beach. We enjoyed eating at all the gourmet restaurants, as well as the buffets. Not once did we walk away hungry. I would not hesitate to recommend this resort to our friends. What more can you ask for ??

We stayed at the resort January 17-24, 2004. After reading the postings for this resort I was ready for problems. BUT we had a fantastic time, you are in Mexico so do not expect 100% Americanized food. We stayed on the 2nd floor nearest the beach; the building are all made of brick to resist rot and storms. If you left the patio door open the room aired out nicely, so all of "the sky is falling" about the rooms was certainly managable. Head back to the room after a day at the beach and then turn on the AC.The service was very good, they will do anything for you. The ribs were very good, the pork chops were incredible, I wish I could make them that way. When the Pizza area was open we found FRESH pizza to be awesome. Ask for what you want, be clear and they will try to make it. The kitchen was out of green olives (oh no, the sky is falling again).Drinks and the food at the beach bar were vry good and you could not ask for a better view.Drinks were good and they will try to make anything you ask "tastes good to me" is a common response to "make me your favorite drink".Not alot of night life; but between the Disco, the beautiful grounds and the beach you should be able to find something to entertain yourself with. And if a 1:30 am closing time is to early; head to Senor Frogs, the are open until 6:30 AM. We were there on a "mild" Wednesday night and it was very crazy. The MC really works the crowd. Head to the eastern side of the island with a rental car; the beaches are very nice. If you cannot find a private area for tanning and fun; you must have blinders on.Hi to ROOS of Monticello if you read this, nice Bob Dillain. Also a hello to Tulsa, Mr. Canada and the dirty dancers on Friday night that I only heard about; DARN...Also if you are interest in learing scuba, look up Adrian at the Dive Shop.Look forward to our next trip...

We had an absolutely wonderful vacation. Our room #1835 was fantastic - clean, quiet, and no musty odor. The maids were attentive and came to our room two or three times a day - unbelievable.

We were provided with a hospitality room our last day at the resort #1118 - it smelled musty. Also, overheard a couple requesting their room to be changed to a quieter location. My point being, that it may be the luck of the draw as far as being satisfied with your room.

The water was the clearest water I've ever seen. My husband is not a big beach fan but he learned to snorkel & sail and we spent more time at the beach than we had on any previous vacation.

There is an extensive selection of food. If you can't find something edible then you're just looking for something to complain about. The food isn't gourment but let's face it, it's a buffet.

The service was fantastic. The wait staff was incredibly friendly. We had several waiters attend to us during our meals. We never lacked for anything. Our drinks were always filled. There was next to no wait for drinks at the bars.

Now for an injection of reality - the resort wasn't busy the week we were there. The last day we were there we heard it was filled to capacity and we were glad we were leaving. It was the only night (our flight left very late) we had to wait in a line for drinks. My husband and I both agreed we would not have been very pleased with waiting in long lines for drinks.

All and all we had a great time.

Note: Do NOT take the bus tour to Chichen Itza. It was long and painful and a waste of a vacation day. We enjoyed the ruins but would have sprung for the airfare if we had know the trip would take 6 hours to get there with a stop a tourist trap and another stop an absolutely awful restaurant. We got on the ferry at 7:00 in the morning and we weren't back at our hotel until 10:00 at night.

My husband and I just spent 8 days at the Occidental Grand, and we had a great time. I have read the positive and negative reviews, and I can understand some, but not all of the negative. Just so you know whose opinion you are getting: we are in our early fifties, have been to Cozumel several times since 1980, my husband dives and I do not, and we're not much into night life. The facility and the beach are beautiful. The buildings are lovely, lots of tile, and there is a small army employed keeping up the buildings and the grounds. Beach is good for walking, with other resorts a 10-15 minute walk in either direction. Snorkeling off the beach is not that great. You can see some fish, but certainly not anything like what you can find at other places on the island. As others have written, it is possible to be given a room that smells really bad. We were originally given a first floor room (1713) that smelled really bad (musty, mildewy, whatever). But when I said we couldn't stay there we were moved to a third floor room - and no more problem. They know they have a problem with those rooms, but haven't found a solution. We had no issues at all with the food.
All three meals are served buffet style, and there is a substantial variety. Anyone who lived on bread and bananas had to be amazingly picky. For example, for breakfast there were about eight varieties of sweet rolls and croisant-type items, lots of fruit, yoghurt, cereal, and custom made omelets. Breakfast and dinner were better than lunch, generally speaking. Most nights had a theme to the dinner. Wait staff was very friendly and helpful. (Mixed drinks a bit nasty - combination of cheap alcohol and mixes). Would I go back? Maybe. Again, the place was beautiful and food was fine. This would be great if you were a diver looking for a nicer place to spend your surface time, or if you wanted to really just lie around pool side and soak up the sun. (they did have kayaks, catamarans and wind-surfers, if you like that sort of thing). It was a bit too isolated, if you want to visit the rest of the island, which we did. It felt like you could have been at any resort in the Caribbean. Great if you want to ease your way into being comfortable outside the USA. By the way, most of the other guests were from the northern US or Canada. Young couples, families, middle-aged couples.