Not a prude by any means. This resort is small...not a bad thing. If you have been to "Riu" or "Iberostar" resorts...dont expect this to be anywhere close. The big resorts have around 1000 guest..are newer and very modern. This resort had around 200. So while you get a personal feel and really get to know you fellow guest dont expect alot of choices for the dining option. It is really hit or miss.
The adult pool mostly has americans getting their "drink on." Also gets wild at times...while the "family" pool mostly had locals in it as I think the resort rents it out for groups.
Getting a drink around the pool is easy or at the second beach bar....well until one day I found 50+ trying to get a drink at the beach bar...it turns out this resort offers folks from cruise ships to pay to visit for a beach day....leaving the folks staying here getting second hand treatment.
The small lobby bar has a bar tender named "Freddie" nice guy and very good at what he does....the night entertainment in the bar is kinda cheesy...with a piano man.
Food in the buffet is the most popular....breakfast...has a omlet station and Christina is good but not much of a talker....Dinner again...hit or miss ...the little old cook is not very nice....I wanted a tortilla for the fahita meat he made and he went off in spanish then turned his back on me....sorry....then a nice lady who spoke spanish ordered one for herself and he was all nice.....Jerk!
We had a Jr. Suite...it was very nice....floor 11...AC that could frezze ya....Nice! Our room attendant was nice and very greatfull when I tipped him...they also have turndown service...
The guys at the front desk are slow and one young man does not speak english so if you get him you will be there awhile because he has to run it all by the "big" guy.
So, it is what it is....the price for what we got was reasonable.....if you want nothing special but a good get a way...here it is....but understand you will see alot of drunk fellow drunk americans making butts of themselves.....one night a drunk american ever came to blows with a hispanic patron because the american took the hispanic guys girls bar stool....So if you can take the good with the idiots this is really not bad for the money.

great staff and the best beach in cozumel but the hotel is in need of remodeling esp. the a/c, its not bad by any means. food was good but limited choices. you must rent a car and see the other side of the island with great little bars and rest., playa bonito and cocunuts were a blast. only real negitive would be the pool and beach bars both close at 6pm should be open later

I just returned from this hotel in june 2009. I traveled with two other friends and we were so impressed. First of all, it is a smaller hotel and we got to know many other guests. The spa visits were wonderful, professional, and reasonablly priced. The staff is great. Everyone was helpful. The wait staff and barenders go out of their way to make you comfortable. The housekeeping staff worked nonstop to keep everything clean and pleasant. I would recommend this hotel to anyone wanting to relax and enjoy the beauty of the beach. The food was okay, breakfast was good, the snack bar was mediocre, but the evening meal was not to my liking. The town had many decent restaurants so enjoy a night out. The entertainment was cute. The beds were hard, but clean. There was never any pressure to buy into the time share program, outdoor excursions, or tipping. These employees smile all the time and are happy just to make you comfortable. When you tip employees, they thank you and you feel good about it. Our room was ocean facing with a nice balcony. It was quiet at night.

My husband, my 18 year old daughter and I were at the Melia June 19 for a week. It was a great week, with no problems at all.
We have been going to the Melia for years, but never went in June and we were a little nervous because we thought it might be too hot. It was not. The water was warm and clear and we went snorkeling several times right in front of the hotel. Not one piece of seaweed was seen all week and our nightly walks on the beach to see the sun set were so nice.
Our only complaint last time we stayed her (2008) was the food and there has been some improvement in that area, but there still needs to be a better variety and more Mexican food ... that is one of the reasons you go to Mexico!! the hamburgers and nachos etc. at the beach bar were perfect for a quick snack or even lunch and the view from that bar is breathtaking. We did not eat at the 'reservation only ' restaurant because we refuse to live by a clock on vacation, but we heard wonderful things about the food there.
There is prime beachfront at this hotel and lots of chairs both under palapas or in the sun. Some of the beach charirs need replacing as they are looking a little tired and many were broken, but there were still always enough for everyone who wanted one. One day my husband and I dragged our chairs down to the waters edge and just relaxed. It was great watching the sunset from there.
We stayed in the 3 story building on the water, as we always do, and had a deck with a jacuzzi on it. We spent many hours in that jacuzzi having a drink and just watching the cruise ships. The room was huge and always made up as soon as left each morning. We always had pleanty of clean towels and extra towels upon request. We would leave $2 each morning on the bed and our maid left flowers and towel animals in return. There is a mini fridge in the room that is kept stocked daily with beer, water and soft drinks. The entire hotel is kept very clean. You can always see someone sweeping the common areas and raking the beach each day.
My daughter and husband played beach volleyball and water polo and my daughter used the jet skis a few times ($55 for 30 minutes) and she loved that! There are lots of things for kids of all ages to do and the Melia does have a very active Kids Club for the little guys. There are dance classes and areobics in the pool each day or you could just relax, like I did , and tan, read and have your husband bring your drinks!!
The bartenders and waiters are WONDERFUL. They work so hard to make sure that you have a great time and they work for very little money. Even tho this is an all inclusive hotel, a few $ here and there as appreciation for good service is a nice thing to do and you will get even better service each day after that. Antonio, William, Alberto, Ignacio, Estaban and many others were so attentive to all of our needs. Cozumel is a beautiful island and we love the shopping and the restaurants off the resort, but quite frankly, we go back year after year because the warm, lovely Mexican people that work at this hotel. I am sure you will feel the same way.
A few Tips:
> bring bug spray. At night the mosquitos are pretty fierce, especially on the beach. Save yourself some itching and bring some OFF
> If you snorkel it might be a good idea to bring your own equipment. We had trouble getting the masks to fit right and you can only have the equipment for 2 hours at a time. It goes back to that 'not living by a clock' thing.
> The beach bar closes at 6:00 which is unfortunate because there are so many people that want to watch sunset (about 7:00) ~ be sure you get 1 or 2 drinks right before 6:00 if you are going to stick around and watch the sun go down!
> Bring insulated mugs and have the bartenders fill those instead of using the smallish plastic cups as the drinks to not stay cold very long in those.
I am booking our 2010 trip back to the Melia this week .... :-)