My husband and I just returned from a fun filled week in Cozumel. We stayed at the Melia (formerly Paradisus) the week of 8/3/03-8/10/03. I must emphasize this was our second stay at the hotel and knowing what to expect is always a benefit. I am not much into the negatives, always believing a vacation is just what you make of it, but I do have a few things that might be helpful to first time visitors. Much has already been said regarding the dampness in the room and I agree that the tile floors do get damp if you leave the balcony doors open, so simply place a towel on the floor in front of the doors and no problem. The room itself feels damp, but how could it not that close to the most spectacular ocean view. Hang your swimsuits on the balcony and by the following morning they are dry. Housekeeping is fantastic! The room was always clean and extra water was plentiful. I simply smiled and asked for more on our first day and returned each day to find ample bottled water and the most beautifully designed works of art on the bed. The male/female swan is breathtaking. These folks work extremely hard and we did leave a few dollars for them daily. Our sheets were changed at least twice during our weeklong stay. Leave your beach towels at home, as fresh towels can be checked out daily. Bring mosquito repellant with you and mist yourselves down each evening. The groundskeepers were out one evening close to midnight spraying, but remember you are close to the water and the mosquitoes are hungry too. The Melia has an adult pool with a swim up bar and Security will ask families with children to leave. No worries, the kids have their own area and are kept busy from sunup until sundown. They honestly have better social lives than the adults do. Drinks are not watered down and if you need a 'stiff one', simply ask. William the bartender is truly the best and makes a killer Bloody Mary. Ask him for the spicy version. Oklahomans and Texans just love it. Slip him a few dollars now and then and you need not ever ask for a refill. The beach area is cleaned daily and yes they do have a bit of a problem with seaweed, but they are trying. Not much you can do about Mother Nature. My husband and I noticed when the current was stronger it tended to get a little murky. By the last half our trip the waves had calmed and so did the seaweed. The beach area is ample and I promise they have the most comfortable lounge chairs in the world. If you are looking for the best snorkeling within walking distance, head south on the beach (about ten minutes) and follow everyone else. Take a little bread with you and watch the fish swarm. It makes for an excellent underwater photo. The gentleman from Seguin Texas could have not described the food situation any better. Don't be afraid to try out the formal restaurant. Yes, there is a dress code, but it is romantic setting and your significant other will appreciate the added romance. The piano music is such a nice touch. Be sure and tell Roberto hello from Deborah. The bars never closed early while I was there and for a mere $5.00 cab ride you can head into town for the hopping nightlife. Be sure and try out Senior Frogs and ask about the Melia discount. They had two for one the two nights we went. There are always a few cruise ships in town, however you will see more on Wednesday than any other day of the week. I would avoid shopping on Wednesday as the locals are less inclined to bargain with the tourists. Sit back and watch the cruise ships over breakfast and bring your camera as they are magnificent floating vessels. As you can see I could go on for hours. Please feel free to email with questions and just relax and have fun. The view is simply incredible and I can assure you fond memories of Coz when there is snow on the ground in the middle of December.

We just returned last night, and I came here to read on the Melia--as of yet, I have not seen the entire Truth about its' beach, so here goes:The beach smells awful! There is erosion and the hotel has put out sandbags, so there is not much room for chairs. The water is not just "not blue"--it is dark, ugly green! Possibly due to the pier, this seaweed and sad color is kept from the rest of area,as it can not flow past that obstacle. Lots of seaweed in the water at all times. The seaweed that washes up is dead plant material, and smells like sewage!This IS unfortunate, as the Melia is a nice hotel with a friendly staff. We stayed there Last year,so called for this year, and were sad that they did not have any rooms available until after August 10th, so we booked next door, at the Cozumeleno, instead.Imagine how we felt when we decided to walk next door and the smell and color repelled us so, we turned back! All of the people from there were coming to El Coz to snorkel.We had rooms in the new section of the Cozumelno and were very happy! We asked for rooms that were non smoking, next door and in the new section, and were accomodated on All points! The food is better at the Melia, but that was a small consolation for a blue, sparkling, clean beach area. Breakfast was very good, lunch was fine, but dinner was a little bland--however, by then we were stuffed from ice cream, queso and guacamole, and taquitos by the pool all afternoon, so we did not mind.Our air conditioning was not as cold as our 2 son's room was, so we called the desk and they sent someone to fix it within 20 minutes. The pools are great; one quiet,one with music, and we were very happy with the resort in general--lots of nice families there to chat with!Bring snorkel masks to Cozumel, as the hotels will only let them out for an hour at a time, and that is not Nearly long enough--we snorkeled for 3 hours one day and saw lots of varieties of fish in water that was only shoulder deep to a 5 foot person!Maybe the tides will turn and help the Melia--til then, if the beach is the thing for you, stay elsewhere!If you have ? or comments please write me at "annanick2@yahoo.com"

My wife and I were at this resort from 7-20-03 to 7-24-03. With just a few minor problems, we would give this resort an excellent rating. First of all, the staff could not have been more accomadating. All were very friendly and helpful. Our room ,#320 ,was great. We had an exceptional view of the Carribean from our terrace and the front door view of the garden area was very nice. As has been stated the humidity was very high and the tile floors were very slick. Not much can be done about this. No elevators in this building, so going up and down four flights of stairs was burdensome, at times, for us old folks! Due to the high humidity we would advise anyone with severe respiritory problems to take this into consideration.Food and drink were certainly never a problem. We dined three evenings at the Parisio, the formal cafe, and found the food and service to be excellent. It does have a dress code that forbides swimsuits, barefeet, etc. and reservations must be made at the front desk. No shortage of bars, but perhaps bartenders. Each bar had just one bartender' which may have been by design. Waiting for drinks at times took some time. La Isla the main dining facility is set up buffet style. There is however a grill where you can get custom order eggs, ommlets, pork chops etc. The buffet offered a good variety of well prepared foodWe probabaly will not return, but not due to dissatification. Simply because there are so many other places and things to see and do!

This was our first but not our last to the Melia cozumel Resort! Sure the rooms are a little damp...it's terrible humid in cozumel what do you expect? The sevice at the hotel was incredible. Any time we needed anything they were right there to help us. The shows in the evening were excellent. The food was not as bad as I had expected after all the reviews I had read. The ceviche was excellent. Our favorite were two bartenders Julio (the pool) is hilarious and works his tail off and makes great drinks, not watered down AT ALL !!! William at the lounge bar was the same. Last but not least was our trip guy( don't remember his name) We ask him to set us up for diving, snorkeling parasailing and ATV tour and he made sure we were taken care of first class.