We just got back from another week in the Coz... This time, we stayed at the Hotel Colonial and heard about it from the Sunwing vacation packages online. With no recent reviews and little info on the web, I was a little apprehensive but that all changed once I got there.

The hotel is located a stone's throw from the main town square... restaurants, shops and nitelife are all within a couple minutes walk. All the must-visit food venues like La Chosa, Pepe's, Tony Romas etc are all right around the corners. Dive shops are all over the place. I dive with Aqua Safari (and highly recommend them) and although they are a few blocks away, the walk is nice in the AM.

Now, back to the hotel.

There are three floors. The elevator is still out of commission, but likely could not hold both you and your luggage at the same time anyway. The stairs are wide and easy. If you have lots of stuff or bad knees, just book on the first floor and you will hardly notice the climb. The view is great. The disco (previous posting) is loud, but the AC drowns everything out. It is loud but works ok if you shut the bedroom and bathroom doors to trap the cold air in the bedroom. Nights in FEB/MAR offer cool breezes so you really don't need it.

The rooms are very spacious... we had a suite with a mini kitchen. No cutlery, pots or plates to speak of so just buy some disposables at the grocery stores when you stock up your drinks and snacks. The fridge/feezer looked NEW and work perfectly.

The suites feature a LARGE sitting area with two couches looking towards a big window with shutters. The dining area is slightly smaller on the other side of the room with a window/shutters too.

The bedroom has two double beds, a dresser, night table, drawers and large cupboards with ample storage. Glass louvred windows and an AC run along the top of the room. Drapes are included for privacy although nobody can see in. The TV is ok (no remote) and is on cable with several english (US) feeds of movies with spanish subtitles... The beds are comfortable... really!

The bathroom has windows, a shower and toilet. The counter is large with a full-width mirror and lights. The water does not smell and is clear (still don't drink it). Usual mustiness is solved with a Glade plug-in)

The floors are all tiled and kept VERY clean by the maids (tip them daily). While we are on that topic, the whole place is VERY clean. It is not a resort by any means, but it was as clean and well-kept as any major resort I have stayed at.

Lots of soft lighting outside the rooms and along the open air halls that get you to the rooms.

No bugs, creepies or crawlies to be seen anywhere.

The front desk guy is nice but speaks only a bit of english (you should take some spanish before going anyway...) You can lock up valuables like ID, tickets and spare cash in their safe (in a sealed envelope with your initials on the masking tape). They have free "medium speed" internet on a PC in the lobby for you email and MSN freaks (like my wife).

The breakfast is ok for a quick coffee and fruit or sweatbread but you can cross the street and eat at Cocos or almost anywhere for about 5$ USD each and be full!

There is only one thing... the street that gives you access to the hotel is pedestrian only. If you have alot of stuff (eg bags and dive gear) you will be a little tired after slugging it all from the taxi or shuttle to the hotel lobby and then up the stairs. That is the only thing I missed about other hotels I have stayed at. But not a big enough deal to discount this place.

Remember there is NO POOL. If you want to swim at a beach, you should take a taxi, scooter or rent a car and head up the highway (you need to explore the island anyway!) to one of the many beach clubs... lounge all day and just buy drinks and some munchies. You can swim anywhere downtown if you have watershoes and don't mind the rocky coral shores...

Anyway, the hotel is great. Not luxury, but you are not paying for luxury. I don't think you will be unhappy here if you read all this review and still are interested. I have not left anything out.

Oh, some beach clubs are still closed (destroyed by the hurricane)... other are open again. Chankanaab park is still closed and if you take a scooter along the old beach road (destroyed), you can see all the destroyed resorts like the El Presidente. Rumour has it that the $$ backers have walked away and it not being re-built. If you see the pics of the damage, you won't believe how much re-building has already been done around the island and downtown. The cruise ship piers are still destroyed, but the Ultramar ferrys are moving passengers on and off the island to the anchored ships.

PS: BEWARE OF ALL THE TIMESHARE SCAMS IN MEXICO. MOST ARE SCAMS AND THERE SEEMS TO BE AN INORDINATE AMOUNT PITCHING THE MAYAN PALACE (CANCUN / PLAYA DEL CARMEN). Visit ---- and ---- BEFORE you fly south and get an idea about what lies you will be told before you accept the invite for a 90 minute presentation and free swag... we wasted a full day on this "90" minute scam and barely escaped with our wallets. When I googled the place back at the hotel, I was so thankful that I was not sucked into the scam.

Enjoy Cozumel... I will be back again next year and although I plan to rent a condo and bring my kids and outlaws with me, I would not hesitate to stay at the Colonial again if it was just my wife and I again. I hope this helps you decide a few more details of your trip.