My husband and I just stayed at the Grand from March 12th-19th and we had an absolutely wonderful time. We were a little skeptical after reading some of the reviews but now I am convinced that some people just cannot be pleased. I don't know how anyone could have a bad time at a place like the Grand. It was paradise. The grounds were absolutely beautiful and impeccable. We also had fun looking at all of the geckos and iguanas that are throughout the property.

The food and drinks were also excellent...especially at the specialty restaurants. The reservation system may put some people off but we never waited in line for more than 5 minutes and were able to get reservations for 4 out of the 7 nights, which was perfect for us. The Mexican themed restaurant is right on the water so it was nice seeing the sun fade into the horizon and listen to the waves while eating your meal. This restaurant had a lot of seafood choices. Los Olivos was an Italian themed restaurant...the food here was so original and unique, not to mention delicious. Sonora Grill was our favorite, the food here was unbelievable. I had the Mahi-Mahi dinner and it just melted in my mouth. We didn't have a bad meal during our entire stay and never had a problem finding a drink.

The rooms are just huge and always clean. Our maid did an excellent job and we always had some sort of new arrangement and fresh flowers scattered throughout the room. The shower was the best feature, it is huge and now I want one just like it for our home!

We did a few excursions such as shopping, snorkeling, and deep sea fishing. Snorkeling was definitely our favorite. The water was incredible. When going into town we just took a taxi. It was $17 there and $17 back but went with another couple so we just split the cost. You can rent a car while you are there for fairly cheap but we decided not to seeing as we only went into town for one day and driving in town is just so crazy we decided to leave it to someone who knows what they are doing. The pools at the Grand were also wonderful...they are cool to the touch but like any pool are warm once you get in them. And believe me after sitting in the sun all day it feels really good to cool off. We swam in the pool quite a bit and my husband even took a scuba class in the pool and then was able to go scuba diving in the ocean. There are also tons of activities all day long so there is always something to do if you want....beach volleyball, water volleyball, aqua aerobics, trivia, and one day we even learned how to make Mayan style guacamole. Best guacamole ever!

I could go on and on but the bottom line is we had a great time, absolutely wonderful and cannot wait to go back!

I had a wonderful time. The rooms were large and comfortable. The food was good in the specialty resturants especially the mediteranian. The buffet was so-so. The facililty is very beautiful and spacious. They could use more beach chairs. The one thing I did not like was that they let people come down to the beach and reserve chairs by putting a towel on them. Numerous times I noticed chairs in a prime spot sitting empty for most of the day. People would go out to the beach to put the towel out as early as 6 AM. I know this is the fault of seriously rude people but the hotel could discourage this practise.
I do plan to go back. After discussions with people I met on the excursions I took this was the best all inclusive in Cozumel. I was there 2/12/05 to 02/19/05

We just got back from staying at the Occidental grand. I have to say that after reading all of the bad reviews I was very worried. I was picturing rude staff, noisy and musty bedrooms and terrible food. I think those people must just have impossibly high standards or something, because I found the place to be beautiful, with very very attentive staff. From the moment we got there everyone went out of their way to accomidate our every wish. We were given Champange and a ride to our room. The manager gave us a complete tour of our room (very fresh smelling by the way) and the house keeping staff had made our towels into little animals. Every night the maids brought extra towels and chocolates, they also cleaned our rooms spotlessly ( and I have high standards) and turned down our beds with flower petals. The grounds were beautiful and well lit. My husband loved that everywhere you went there was a bar making very good drinks. In fact I think he is still walking around home hoping a pina colada will magically appear. As for the food. It was actually pretty good. The hamburgers for lunch were freshly grilled and the breakfasts were great too. I can't really say much about dinner, Cozumel has MANY great places to eat and we went into town every night to experience some local cuisine. (Prima's is not to be missed) All in all we agreed that the hotel was a great place. Yes their car rental is more expensive, but that is almost always the case, just rent a car in town, it is much cheaper. If you are worried about service, a small tip to the maid and bellboy goes a long way, after all these guys work hard! This was a very quiet and romantic place and we are already planning for our next stay!!!
(sorry if words were spelled wrong)

We stayed at this resort February 26th to March 5th.

Our travel agent booked us through Air Canada Vacations and we were very pleased with the efforts of Air Canada’s representatives at both the airport and at the Grand.

Some have stated that check in could be handled better, and perhaps it could, but when you have left -12C temperatures in the morning, standing in line with a glass of champagne in +26C for ½ an hour doesn’t really upset me too much. It’s also a good chance to get acquainted with others in line.

The grounds are immaculate, and the layout adds to the peaceful and relaxed atmosphere of this resort. We did take a walk down the beach to the Allegro and although if I were 30 years younger the Allegro might be my choice, we were very happy that we chose the Grand.

Having not stayed at the Royal Club I can not comment on it’s value, we felt very pampered with our regular room. I guess a plus for the Royal Club is ease of making reservations at the three restaurants that require them, however we never had to stand in line any more than five minutes to make our reservations.

I recommend all aspects of this resort, but the food was probably the highlight for me. The specialty restaurants are good but not nearly as exciting as eating at the buffets.

The breakfast buffets were tremendous. Something for everyone, as much as you wanted and some dishes I would not normally associate with breakfast. Not all dishes are marked as to what they are, but you had to try them, and they were always good. The down side to not knowing what your eating – “How would you order it another time?”.

Lunch was mostly at the Beach Club buffet. The variety was good and for the most part quality as well (some of the best burgers you ever tasted).

Dinner at the buffet was varied and of excellent quality. Again, not all items are marked as to what they are.

Had a couple late night meals at the Pizza place. It was good, but I guess because of the cheese, not quite what we’re accustomed to.

All the bars were excellent, all the staff hard working, friendly and courteous (including the front desk staff).

I highly recommend this resort and can’t wait to get back.