My wife and I just got back from cozumel, and after reading the reviews about the hotel before we went I think that one thing is consistant in all the reading I did and that is the Beach is nice but their is A LOT of seaweed in front of it, not what you would want to swim in, However just a very small walk down the beach is a peir that goes out pretty far and keeps that water VERY clear and blue so I really would't give them a strike for that. Volleyball players beware, just about all of us that played on the court got banked up pretty good because there is some hard sand, dirt, or rock just underneath the sand. All-Inclusive package is very worth it. Golf player that want to play their course know this, take lots of balls. The fairway is hard, narrow, and a wall of jungle surrounds you... you don't hit it perfect and you will never find it. One thing that was pretty cool is that there were alligators at every hole in the ponds... one thing if you get a package and they tell you that golf is only a certain price make sure that includes the cart. We got a deal and they said golf was only 60 bucks, but they never said that the carts were 25 bucks a peice per person and that you had to pay that at the club. Overall this was a very nice hotel and I would most definetly stay there again.

My wife and I just returned from our first visit to Cozumel. For several reasons, we decided to split our trip between two hotels. The first 4 nights we stayed at the El Presidente and the last 5 were booked at the Sol Cabanas de Caribe (see separate review) but ended up at the Melia. Please note that while we do expect a certain degree of service and cleanliness, we are not overly picky folks and don't expect (or want) to be pampered. That being said...

We arrived at the Sol Cabanas at about 12:30pm after checking out of the Presidente and making the fun trip through town to the north side of island. We entered the lobby and presented our reservation papers that I had printed out. The fellow at the desk looked them over and asked us how long we had been on the Island, and I replied that we had spent a few day at the Presidente. At this point he left the room for a minute or so and when he returned, explained that he was giving us an "upgrade" to the Melia, which is owned by the same company. Sounded fishy, but he explained that it is a much nicer hotel for the same money, so we went for it. It never entered my mind to ask him why he would do this, but now I wonder big time. Be that as it may, we zipped up the street to the Melia and went to check in there. The fellow at the desk confirmed that the rate would be $109.00 per night and offered us an all inclusive package for an additional $30.00 per person per night. We don't subscribe to the all-inclusive lifestyle, so we did not pick up this option.

We were in room 442. This is about a half-mile from the lobby past the activity pool and up 3 flights of stairs. There are no elevators in this building, which made for interesting trips loaded with all our snorkel equipment. I didn't ask to be moved, so its my own fault for lugging the stuff up and down the stairs all the time, and besides, I could use the exercise. The room was not very large at all, but very clean and nice with a glimpse of the ocean from our balcony. No clock in the room, but the wake up calls worked out fine for us when we had planned activities in the morning. There are two pools at this property, one in the courtyard (activities pool) that is for both adults and kids, and one seaside for adults only. The activities pool was a bit on the chilly side, but I din't mid that one bit, i'm used to it. I did not find a hot tub, not sure whether or not there is one here. The beach was pretty nice, but I didn't care for the recliners. They are made with a blue nylon fabric that is comfortable yet they are not bands that let the sand through. Most of them had foot-sand piled up at then end, and that's a bit funky if you ask me. The ocean was easy to get in/out of from the beach, yet there isn't much to see here snorkeling. I did get to swim with a huge school of fish for a bit which we very cool. Not much coral to look at. Also the visibility was not as good as the other locations we visited. The towel were frayed and looked pretty old, but who cares, they did the job.

The best thing (as well as the scariest) about this hotel was the fact that they include "discover scuba" experiences at the activities pool. I hadn't yet had the opportunity to try it, so I jumped at the chance. I twisted my wife's arm and she agreed to try as well, although she was apprehensive about the whole thing. Our instructor didn't speak English all that well, but I understood what he was saying just fine. He didn't really go over too much, just that to clear the mask, press on the top with the heel of your hand and breathe out through your nose. Also he had us take the regulator out and then clear that. A bit about the BCD controls. No problem at all for me. Anyway, I loved it right away. After making a circuit of the pool he said he was heading out for a few dives and we could go with him for a shore dive then a boat dive for $110.00 per person. Of course I was in all the way and my wife was not. Neither of us could believe that our instruction was so brief. I had read most of my brother's PADI book so I knew that there was WAY more to it than what we got at the pool, so I figured that there would be more instruction before the dives. Nope. Not one word about equalization, hand signals, holding your breath, water pressure at depth, buddies, ect. I was dumbfounded! If I hadn't read Ken's book, I could have easily damaged my eardrums, and I'm a musician! Anyway, we went on a shore dive by a wrecked plane and it was awesome. I know now what I have been missing all these years. We took a short boat ride and went under again and it was equally fantastic. We got no deeper than 40 feet, which was fine by me. I will be taking instruction here in Lansing for next time. Please understand if you or your kids are planning on attending this discover scuba course... its not entirely the best instruction!

They put wristbands on us when we checked in, I guess to let people know what "class" or degree of inclusiveness we belonged to. I asked the fellow if we really needed to wear it and he of course replied that we did. Mine lasted about 5 minutes. The staff were very friendly and helpful at all turns. Noone ever tried to sell us a time share or anything like that.

Didn't eat or drink here (expect the complementary water left by the maid every day) so can't review that aspect. All in all, It was a fine place for what we were paying, if a little inconvenient for the type of travelers that we are. The only way to our jeep that was parked about 100 feet away as the crow flies was to walk a half-mile around through the lobby entrance, unless we wanted to jump a fence. Which we began to do the third day there:)

We just got back from our sixth trip to the Melia in the past eight years, and as always, it was just terrific! While this resort may not be as huge and modern as those on the mainland, it more than makes up for it by being comfortable, quiet, safe, and extremely friendly. The people that work there are just tremendous, they can't seem to do enough for you. The food has gotten better every year, as has the variety. While it is not on the same caliber that you would find on a cruise ship, it is always very tasty. I am always amazed when I read a bad review of this resort, because we have never encountered a single problem in all of the years we have been going down there. We can hardly wait until next year!

We just got back from the Melia Cozumel the day before yesterday. My wife, myself, and two grandkids aged 9 and 10. I don't consider myself an old grandpa at 55; my 25 yo son came in from LA to spend the week with and scuba dive with me.
The hotel is somewhat off the beaten path, being the most northern one along the west coast north of San Miguel. The hotel appears somewhat older, but the rooms are gradually being upgraded (my son had an older room an I would not have been happy in it, but we had a newer, ocean-facing room overlooking the ocean and it was great). We found the food very good with excellent variety, the drinks with as much alcohol as we indicated, the meal options (buffet, grill, restuarants) more than adequate. The pools (adult and kids') were beautiful, clean, and well maintained. The staff was exceptional--always friendly, smiling, and all trying their best to be helpful. They taught the kids some Spanish and were extremely gracious to all the guests. Other reviews of this place had me a bit nervous about this, but we did not see or hear of a single encounter with an employee that was not stellar.
We meant several couples with kids who are there for their sixth or seventh return to this place! The reason (besides the above points) is the clear sense of the kids overall safety and security. Everyone felt the kids could wander around without fear of attack, harassament, etc. The Kids' Club is well run and my grandkids only participated as they made good friends with some of the younger kdis who were involved in the program. As a matter of fact, the 10 yo grandaughter (usually homesick after three days away no matter where we go), actually wept when it was time to depart for home! A first! All kind of day trip options are availble thrugh the lobby personnel; my sife rented a car to explore and go shopping. A cab ride to town is about $10, by the way. We visited several of the beautiful oceanside parks and I made seven scuba dives including a fantastic night dive. Loved it all!
If you need a fast paced night/social life, then Cozuemel is not for you. However, if you want a very reasonably priced, kid-safe, all-inclusive family resort, I would absolutely recomend the Melia Cozumel without any hesitation!
Bryan