We stayed at the Riu Yucatan In Playacar in 2006, really enjoyed it, but wanted to stay at a hotel on Cozumel as we wished to learn to Scuba dive and thought it best to do so on Cozumel as it was closer to the Palancar reef system. Booked through First Choice (UK travel agent). Flight out to Cozumel delayed by 2 hours, no reason given until actually in our seats on the plane, but made time up (1 hour) en route to Cozumel.
Landed at Cozumel airport, and was a nightmare compared to Cancun Airport, took over 1 hour for our plane to get through the immigration, etc (no other planes had landed at the same time, so no reason for the "go-slow").
Transported to hotel by taxi, check-in fine, no probs, and quick for luggage to be taken to the room. Given a room on ground floor in building 10closest to nighttime entertainment, etc.) so asked to be moved as we prefer to be above ground floor. Couldn't do so that night but was promised a move the next day.
Had a quick look around hotel grounds, very nice and subdued, watched the sunset , had first meal in main buffet restaurant and then went to bed.
Woken up early next day, and found a tarantula spider outside our room door! We really were close to the jungle!
Breakfast was OK, but thought the food was overcooked and quite dry. Also disappointed that unlike the Riu hotel no freshly squeezed fruit juices. Decent selection of cooked items, cold-cuts, cereals, etc. The waiter service was fine, no problems there.
First day at the beach and quite impressed. We always prefer to sunbathe on the beach rather than the pool. The beach area is fairly narrow, but there are enough loungers and shelters provided, so no battles for the loungers. The sea itself was perfect our first week, very clear conditions, plenty of fish to see, even just a couple of metres from the beach, no big wave action (unlike at Playacar), however this did change our 2nd week when the sea became quite dark and cloudy.
We ate lunch at the beachside buffet bar and the food was fine, decent selection for most tastes, even the burgers were very tasty, waiter service again was good. Nice views over the Caribbean towards the mainland.
One negative we had was with the poolside bar. For the amount of people using the beach/pool area, the bar simply wasn't big enough. They should provide a self-service area for people wanting water/soft drinks and the queues would decrease substantially.
The entertainment staff were very good, especially considering the amount of hours they work and the lack of facilities compared with other all inclusive hotels (no stage area).
We changed room the 2nd day, into building 16, top floor, and this was perfect for us. Closer to the beach area, and much quieter. The concierge (Jesus) was fine, tried the sales patter for the timeshare the first few days but once he realised we had no intention to attend a meeting he was great with us.
We spent most nights in the Main Buffet restaurant due to Mrs Tigger having a chest infection that was exacerbated by the air con in the specialty restaurants. Food here once again was perfectly satisfactory, nothing outlandish, just good honest food, and we always came out of the restaurant with full tummy's:)
Nighttime entertainment was unfortunately another negative at the hotel. The main entertainment takes place in the Square area (surrounded by waterfalls), and whilst quite picturesque, and very well ventilated (no problems with humidity) there is no stage area so the set-up is quite basic. Entertainment staff did very well though, getting people involved (mainly Canadians!!, are there really so many???), but form a purely personal choice we would have preferred the start-times of the shows to be a little later as it all finished around 10pm, and then the only options were to listen to an acoustic guitar player (very good btw), or go to the disco (not really our scene). Maybe a start time of 9pm would have been better to prolong the night, by 10pm, the hotel seemed to die on its feet:(
The first week we were there the hotel was probably 75% full of Canadians, the rest Yanks, with a small number of Brits. The 2nd week the Brits increased with more from Gatwick, and also a Manchester flight. The Canadians were great though, really enjoyed a party and greatly increased the atmosphere of the hotel.
As for our Scuba plans, due to Mrs Tigger suffering from a chest infection, necessitating a doctors visit, we could only have 2 boat dives. However, we were greatly impressed with the Dive Palancar staff (particularly Karen our instructor) and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.
We only did 2 excursions, both to the mainland to visit Coba and Xel-Ha.
Our 2 weeks finally came to an end, and once again we had to brave Cozumel airport, which was a real nightmare. Their ticketing system is not computerised and it is all done by pen and ink. It took around 1 and a half hours to check our luggage in, and try to eat at your hotel rather than the airport as we paid $20.00 for 2 cheeseburgers and 2 cans of Coke!!

Positives of the holiday and hotel;
Very well decorated hotel, nice location, decent food, friendly staff, nice fellow hotel guests, great Scuba Dive operator, wonderful weather (2 weeks sunshine).

Negatives of Hotel and holiday;
Cozumel Airport (please join the 21 Century!!), bland breakfast, queues at poolside bar, nighttime entertainment finishing far too early resulting in dearth of atmosphere.

Would we recommend this hotel? Yes, but with certain reservations. For Scuba divers a definite yes. Wanting a very quiet time? Yes again.
However, this reserved recommendation would become a huge positive if they improved the poolside bar area, changed the times of the nighttime entertainment, and also improved the quality of the breakfasts.
A definite Yes if you are staying for a week, a maybe for 2 weeks.
See you there in 2009!!!!

I just got back from my stay at the Occidental in Cozumel. This was my first time to Cozumel, I stayed in Playa in December. I booked this resort because of the clear water and all the reviews of snorkeling right off the beach, as I love to snorkel. For reasons unknown the water was not clear at this time, it was very murky and did not become clearer unless you swam way out to the buoys or past.
When we arrived at the resort, they had a bottle of champagne sitting in a bucket and glasses there to help yourself. The resort only had one person checking people in, so we had to wait about 15-20 minutes to get checked in. Once checked in, our bags were loaded on a cart and taken to our room. Once in the room, we found they gave us a room with 2 beds, instead of the king size bed I booked. I called the front desk right away and she said they didn't have any more king rooms, they were booked to capacity, but I could get up early and be back to the desk promptly at 8 am the next morning to try to get a king room. I just didn't like that she couldn't tell me that they didn't have any more king rooms, just let me go and find out. The beds, horrible, very hard. If I slept on my side my hip hurt(its not that I am that old-35)
The food was average, I ate mostly at the buffets and ate at the pizza place a few times. I read that breakfast was the best meal and I didn't find that to be true. If you are going to go to the breakfast buffet, make sure it is early, otherwise food is luke warm or cold.(When we went early it was fine) All the restaurants are open and not air conditioned. Drinks were not that great. They mostly served a lot of Corona, which they had on tap. For the most part the service was decent, some of the staff were pretty friendly and some were indifferent.
I read on tripadvisor about Alberto's, so one night my boyfriend and I walked down the beach to eat there. Alberto's was fantastic, that was the best lobster I have ever had. My boyfriend at the grouper, which was also good.
This was my first time to Cozumel and I probably wouldn't go back, think it caters mostly to cruise ships and families. It was a decent trip, but don't think I will go back to the Occidntal or Cozumel, I just preferred Playa better.
Just one last note about flying:If you put you seat back and are comfortable, the person behind you is probably not too comfortable. I am 6ft tall and still don't usually put my seat back, unless there is an empty seat behind me.

Date: May 16, 2008
Reviewer: Trip-Advisor Member, Concord, New Hampshire

Our trip started off with our plane sitting on the runway for 45 minutes with the engine shut-off. No reason given. No delay notice. No weather problems. Once we approached our destination the plane circled the airport for 20 minutes. This caused us to miss our connecting flight. We could not get to Cozumel until the following day. Continental Airlines said "it was not there problem since it was weather related”. No weather problems in New Hampshire. We had to shell out another $500.00 for one night stay plus food in TX. We missed the first day of our vacation.

Once we arrived at the Cozumel Airport my husband lost his Ray Bans at security check point. Our transfer to the hotel, as part of our package, included being crammed into a small van with others from various hotels. We stopped at each one to unload people.

We were greeted at Occidental Grand with champagne, waited for check-in and told our room was not ready. Why not? We called ahead and told them we were coming the next day. We are told to get our free gift at the desk in the other area until room ready. We are greeted by a salesman trying to sell us "The Beach Club". 45 minutes of small talk. Told to meet with another salesman in the AM.

Finally room ready: We retrieve our luggage in lobby. No bellman around. We carried our luggage to our building. No elevators. We each drag 50 lbs of luggage to the second floor. Not advisable. Our room safe does not work. We called for help- on the third time they figured out it was the locking mechanism. The following night I got up at 1:30 in the morning and slipped on bathroom floor. AC unit is leaking water. They fixed it the next day.

For the most part: the staff is very friendly and helpful. We did hear some sarcastic remarks from "Alan" during pool activities. He called American's Gringo's, told people to say Gringo instead of Bingo and said "welcome to Cuba" to me. I guess this is supposed to be funny.

Because the hotel is placed in a beautiful jungle-like setting it is very humid. The doors are kept open in the buffet restaurant which never allows it to cool down. Doors were shut one night when corporate arrived to examine the property.

The food is average. Lots of veggies, fruits and pasta. We never got sick. The hotel's water is purified. Our doctor recommended, if we got sick, we buy Cipro (prescription drug in the US) in town. No prescription needed in MX. Also, a doctor is on site if needed.

The room was decent size, bathroom, shower nice, beds hard, and air conditioning loud. The internet bandwidth is shared with 3 computers--very slow.

Activities were many and varied. Beach is small. I did not snorkel. I heard about the resident barracuda. The hotel gives free diving lessons. People loved it. Both pools were nice. Sometimes too crowded.

We ran into a few party-goers. One informed us he fell asleep either on the beach or the bridge (he couldn’t remember) and security sent him to his room. This same group was very loud in the restaurant. The staff immediately took notice and spoke to them. They eventually left.

We rented a Jeep for $66.00 per day. It was well-worth it. We traveled to the east side of Cozumel. Beautiful beaches. We visited El Cedral ruins. A lot of history, but a small ruin site. You have to know your liters to refill gas. Otherwise, gas attendant fills what he wants and takes extra money for tip.

Vendors are allowed on property to sell their jewelry and other goods. Some days cruise ship people pay to come hotel for the day. They eat and swim. This can be annoying since you may have to wait in long line for a drink or lunch.

I loved the island of Cozumel. The people are very friendly. We met very nice people from the UK, US and Canada as well. It's a nice hotel but I won't stay at the Occidental Grand again. I need softer beds, no hassles and cold quiet air conditioning.

We just arrived home from Cozumel yesterday. I'd like to start by saying we had a wonderful trip overall. We made some great friends and had a lot of laughs. This is how we felt about the hotel.

Airport:: We were warned about the people who would try to sell us time shares by the Air Canada stewarts on the plane. We just walked by and on to our bus. The ride to the hotel was air conditioned and comfortable.

Check In: We were one of the first buses to arrive at the hotel. We were told our room would not be ready until 3pm. I had requested a King size bed, and was told this would be no problem. We spoke to another couple around 130 (who arrived much later than us), and they advised us they were already in their room. (king size bed). We decided to go back to the lobby to try and check in. We did check in, although we were not given a King size bed. It wasn't a very big deal, though I was slightly annoyed at the time.

Room: The room did have a slight damp/musty smell, though I didn't seem to mind it. I noticed some very small bugs in the room and the bed was hard like many have mentioned. I actually liked the firm mattress. We were in building 12. It was a bit of a walk to the beach, but I did like the fact that it was a little out of the way. Always peaceful and quiet. Rooms were clean and spacious, and shower water pressure was wonderful.

Food: Overall, I would have to say the food was just OK. I'm a very picky eater and I found there to be a lot of fish on the menu. Having said that, I can honestly say that I did not go hungry at any point during my stay. I found the breakfast buffet to be the best, and the evening buffet always had a pasta bar to make your own pasta...The pizza was pretty good, and the other a la cartes were just alright (a little too "bunny foo-foo" for my taste).

Grounds: The grounds are excellent. It is quite evident that the staff work very hard to make sure the grounds are pristine. We really noticed a difference during the day we traveled off the resort and noticed dried up vegetation all around the island.

Entertainment: Although the nightly entertainment might be viewed by some as a little "tacky", we actually thought it was an excellent way of getting to know people and having a good laugh at ourselves. The entertainment staff worked very hard throughout our entire stay to ensure everyone was having a good time. We were especially impressed by Melisxa, Allan, and Genwardo(holy monkey)...sorry if the names are spelled wrong. These 3 actually took the time to remember our names...so I will not forget theirs.

Staff: Everyone was very friendly. No issues except for the time share people-to whom we referred to as vultures. They were quite pushy and drove us crazy at first, until we finally told them to leave us alone. We also had some issues with the AC representative at the hotel...they tried to rip us off BIG TIME with a car rental. Very quick to wash their hands of responsibility, and instead of owning up to it......advised us it was only a "joke". (something tells us if we agreed to paying $300 for a 4 HOUR car rental......they would have let us pay no problem at all).

Overall, we thought the resort was beautiful. It was our first trip to Mexico....We may return.....probably not for a while. We got a great deal, so for what we paid it was totally worth it. Just be careful off the resort, as people tried to scam us all over the place. Be expecially careful if you are putting gas in your rental car. We caught the gas attendant in a scam with another worker where he comes up to the car and asks the driver to turn on the vechile. While the driver is looking down, another guy pulls his hand from behind and hits the gas button so it looks as though they put all the gas in. There were 6 of us in the van....we totally caught them red handed and demanded they put in the rest of the gas...which they eventually did. They probably saw us coming a mile away...