This was one of the best vacations we've ever had. This is the first for an all inclusive resort and I'd do it again tomorrow. The staff was so friendly and the Entertainers absolutely do it ALL!!! With the option to "relax" by the pool or "play activities" it has something for every age group. We honeymooned in Cozumel 25 years ago and decided to take our adult children to reminisce.

The most difficult thing in Mexico is trying to get american money. It is accepted everywhere but if you need change or just cash in general, this country is behind the times. We thought we could charge most of our activities but that wasn't the case. We found very few merchants that would even run a credit card. Example: we hired a boat for the day ($400) they wanted $100 in cash and the rest they let us put on the credit card but that was 7/9/07 and today 7/18/07 it still hasn't shown up, very strange! They do have an ATM but it only gives pesos. I would take plenty of cash in the future...they have a safe in the room.

I agree with the other reviews that this hotel is very nice and we certainly enjoyed our stay. However, there were a few minor issues that I think are helpful to know when making your choice of where to stay.

FOOD: Absolutely wonderful -- fresh seafood at all meals, cooked to perfection. A very nice variety on all the buffets, very well prepared. I was also impressed with the extra effort they took for food safety. They had all cold food on lots of ice and warm food kept at a good temperature. They also changed out the food regularly. The only problem was that the drink service in the main buffet restaurant was very slow or non-existent. It would be nice if they set up some self-serve stations especially for coffee.

The food was plentiful and always available. We tried the pizzaria one night just to say we did and the pizza was wonderful, with very good service. We did not eat at any of the specialty restaurants.

DRINKS: Very good in all of the bars except for the main bar. I'm not sure why there's a difference but those running the main bar tended to be less friendly, slower and many of the drinks they prepared just tasted strange or off. I'd recommend using the other bars instead unless you want a snack when the restaurants are not serving meals. The snacks they served in that bar were just OK, not great but fine if you're really hungry. One strange thing that's good to know up-front is that this hotel does not provide straws or napkins with drinks. This won't be a problem for some but those who like frozen drinks should bring their own straws because it's very hard to drink a frozen drink without a straw. We ended up getting some from Fat Tuesdays and just took our own straws around the hotel whenever we were planning to order frozen drinks.

ROOMS: We were in building 14, regular rooms, not Royal Club. The rooms are very nice and large. None have ocean views but most have a nice view of the jungle. We did have a problem with bugs in both of our rooms. Mostly small ants in the bathroom but there are some large, black ants that those staying there should be aware of and try to avoid. One of the ladies in our group was stung by one of those in the shower and her toe swelled up. Bees were also a problem outside the rooms and near the outside bars. Although I find it hard to believe that proper extermination of the actual rooms wouldn't help with indoor bug control, the management said that since the hotel is surrounded by jungle, there was no way to avoid bugs in the rooms. If you are very bug phobic, this would not be the hotel for you.

Another downside to the rooms was that they were extremely dark. This made it difficult to apply makeup anywhere except for the bathroom, which also tended to fog up easily due to the high coastal humidity.

BEACH/POOLS: Very nice beach with plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas. You can snorkel right at the hotel but won't see quite as much as you would at Chakanaab or on the snorkel trips. The water is extremely clear so you can see your toes on what's in the water all around you. There is quite a bit of beach water activities to enjoy without charge. Both pools were very nice and clean, not too crowded. The pool activities weren't as plentiful as other Mexican resort hotels we've stayed in but the ones we saw/participated in were fun. The pool staff is very nice and friendly. The relaxation pool was absolutely silent so a great place for people wanting quiet time to themselves.

ENTERTAINMENT: The one show we saw at the hotel was amateur but fun -- an audience-participation event run by the staff. We spent time at the disco on both Thursday and Saturday nights. Thursday was lots of fun because the DJ allowed people to make requests. A huge variety of music was played so everyone found something they enjoyed dancing to. On Saturday, the DJ would not take requests though and only played the deep, rap-beat type music that seems to make dancers want to simulate sex acts on the dance floor. Those who are offended by such dancing or perfer other types of dancing should avoid the disco on Sat. night.

SERVICE: Service strangely ranged from absolutely wonderful to very poor. Most of the bad service was in the main restaurant and bar, plus some of the people running the front desk. Service at the pool bar, beach restaurant and disco bar was very good. Maid service was exceptional and they were very accomodating with the extra towels and water we requested. Jose and Martin in Guest Services were especially helpful and went out of their way to see that our needs were met.

An important thing to be aware of is that this hotel charges a fee for a late check-out -- something we've never encountered in all the nice Mexican resorts in which we've stayed. This may not affect many but it could make things more difficult for those who use tour companies with set charter flights that go out late. Strangely, the "non-negotiable" fee kept changing, depending on who we talked to. In the end, when we spoke to the manager, we were told that Occidental has a "non-negotiable" $50 charge for checkouts after noon. However, when I commented to one of my travel partners that we should avoid Occidental hotels in the future for this reason and mention it in our Tripadvisor review, he promptly agreed to allow us to stay in one room until 2pm without a charge.

LOCATION: This hotel is very far from downtown but in a beautiful, secluded location. Taxi to downtown was $20, to Chakanaab was $10-12. Taxis are very plentiful so you won't have to wait. There is no shopping or anything else to do around the hotel but the hotel has a nice gift shop with reasonable prices.

All in all, it's a very nice place to stay but not a 5-star given the minor inconveniences.

30 June- 7 July was our 4th year @OGC and it was the best yet. Upon arrival the manager asked if we have ever stayed @ the resort before and when we told him it was our 4th visit he said thank you for coming back and upgraded us to the Royal Club. The Rotal Club is basically the same room but you get room service, a DVD player, a private pool area and a private dining area.
The resort: Great landscaping, Iguana, turtle and crab sightings are a daily and fun sighting.People complain that you have to cross the swamp to get to the beach....SO! It's a 30 second walk on a bridge over a mangrove. The beach is entirely smooth white sand no rocks. The buffet food is, well buffet food. I have read alot of reviews complaining about the food. Well folks what did you expect Ruth's Chris, Chipoltle, Panera Bread??? Breakfast is by far the best of the meals the fresh grilled burgers at lunch are good also and the Pizza even improved this year. The best part of the Pizza bar was no mosquitos this year!!!! In years past the walk to lobby bar and dinner @ the Pizza bar was like going to a blood drive, not this year though. All of the bartenders, servers and managers(especially Manager Raul) are all super friendly. By mid week when I would be seated for breakfast the servers would ask if I wanted the same drinks as yesterday and I would come back to my table and there would be sitting my pepsi and Iced Espresso. TIP YOUR SERVERS!!!!!! It is money well spent. When the bar gets busy and the bartender, whom you have tipped, sees your drink empty he takes care of you before taking care of the line.

The Rooms:
Yes they do have a mildew smell. We simply brought 2 air freshners and placed them in our room and in a day we couldn't smell the mildew. A/C units kept the room chilly and aren't as loud as everyone says they are. Great shower,slippery floors be careful!! No tarantulas in our room as some other guest have reported here.

The diving:
We didn't use the dive operator on the resort, Dive Palancar. They are an excellent operator but this year we chose an operator who dives with no more than six divers and lets you get max bottom time. Our dive master was called Scuba Tony and for 4 of the 6 days we were the only divers on the boat AWESOME! There isn't a bad dive in Coz and remember a bad day of diving is better than a good day of work. If you dive make sure you hit the Dahlila reef.


If you have any specific questions please drop me a line and I will answer.

Matt
Baltimore MD USA

Husband and I stayed at Occidental Grand for 3 nights to celebrate our birthdays. We booked on funjet.com and received good rate & perfect travel arrangements!
Our stay was very enjoyable and we would rate our vacation as above average. The personnel, beach, pools, and dive shop on premise are all excellent! My husband went diving twice & I snorkeled on the 3 hr. snorkel trip. We both had fantastic times and enjoyed the Palancar dive shop convenience!
Breakfast & lunch are the best meals; lunch gives you the choice of burgers, delicious grilled fish, meat, or chicken, and salads. Breakfast offers made to order omelets & waffle maker, as well as delicious fresh fruit, cereals, etc.
Dinner was very disappointing; the specialty restaurants were bland and the buffet very limited. (you get one reservation in a specialty restaurant for each 3 night stay) We recommend walking over to the Occidental Allegro next door for dinner, swim-up bar, & nice whirlpool. No one asked us for ID, but if you bring your room card you should have no problem. The dinner was better at that buffet. (be sure to sit in air-conditioned room!)
The maid will keep your refrigerator stocked with water, canned beer, and soda if you tip in advance!
The bar drinks can be very weak; we feel they water down the hard liquor! You can get cans of beer at the lobby bar only; worth the walk! Otherwise beer is from a tap and rather flat. We didn't mind the bridge leading to the beach & big pool. The swamp has turtles which gather under the bridge and are fun to watch.
The exercise room is lacking but the spa services, specifically massages, are great. I actually walked over to the Iberostar resort next door (past Alberto's restaurant) and had a nice work-out in their fitness room.
Be careful about going to the beach after sunset; the sand fleas are treacherous!
Overall, our vacation was fun and relaxing, and we would recommend this resort.