Having stayed at just about every resort on the island over the last 30 years My wife and I were very skeptical about going back to Cozumel so soon after Hurricane Wilma. Thanks to Antonio's Wilma Album we decided this couldn't be that bad..not only was it not that bad..it was the best ever. The Melia has done an unbelieveable job in a short period of time. Just prior to the Hurricane the hotel sent employees from the mainland and other places over to Cozumel so immediately after the hurricane they started rebuilding. Many other hotels to date are either still not open or are way behind in rebuilding because of lag time in receiving insurance money. The Melia said, let's get this rebuit and open and we'll worry about the insurance later..they did and it's just perfect. The Melia Hotel Chains have deep pockets, and no expense was spared. The beach is beautiful, yes there are some rocks close to shore but a 3 minute walk to the north and it is completely rock free as far out as you want to walk or swim, nothing but sand. Melia's beach is clean, well maintained, trash and litter free and a totally unexpected and welcome surprise. Batenders would come to the beach take drink orders and then return with your drink. There was even an attendant who came around and wiped the sand off unused lounges.The hotel has undergone major rebuilding of the beach bar and restaurant, the indoor restaurant, La Isla is brand new and the nicest place to eat of any place I've stayed at in a long time. The food was always fresh, tasty..yes tasty, non-smoking, superbly staffed and a real pleasure. The first night we were having dinner one of the waiters leaned over to me and said he would go back in the kitchen and get me some ice cream if I wanted some. The melia has taken the AI concept and really improved on it. I never saw any employee not smiling or willing to help with anything you needed. Their policy of 100% Complete Guest Satisfaction wasn't only a motto, it was their only job. We had a delux room, which was described as garden view, and upon checking in I asked if it was possible to be upgraded to an ocean view, their response was "Would you like smoking or non smoking and do you have a preference on which floor you would like to stay?" $20 a night more is a no brainer. Again, what ever you want consider it done. The room was immaculate, the bath towels weighed about 4 pounds each, like something you find at the Ritz, and the HOT water was abundant. This is the only place I've ever stayed at on Cozumel where there was almost TOO much water pressure in the shower, you gotta trust me on this one, I was in awe. The rooms also have bathtubs. The bed was firm but not rock hard. The hotels south of Melia are in my estimation in a world of hurt. The Sol Calbanas is totaled and nothing has been done to it, the Playa Azul has no Beach, The Coral Princess is a joke and the Cozumeleno again has no beach, forget about them trucking in sand..if they did it wasn't even close to being enough to cover the limestone. For those of you who have stayed at the Melia before and are reluctant to return because you don't know if it will be the same, all I can say is it won't be the same..it is be much better than anything you could possibly imagine. For those of you who are loooking for a total complete pleasure shock, get on the phone to your travel agent and book the Melia. My wife and I left the 28th after a week stay and are sorry we didn't stay our usual 2 weeks, but you never know, but now we do, and so do you.

This was my third visit to The Melia Cozumel and the first visit since Wilma came by and may I say it is still a great place to stay. The rooms in the main building are big and clean and the all inclusive part of the stay is above average. If you are looking to get in the water, the seaweed still invades the beach every morning and the hotel has an army out on the beach trying to get it cleaned up. The pool areas were perfect as usual, and I believe they haved turned the volume down on the music around the pool. Arturo at the front desk aims to please. Watch for time-share people, apparently they were out in force at the hotel. Just tell them to get lost. The island is in great shape, downtown is 100% and the drive around the island to Mescalitos, Coconuts,Senor Iguanas, and Playa Bonito is a normal drive. I highly suggest dinner at Casa Denis and La Mission during your stay. If you do rent a car to tour the other side of the island make sure and have some Quesadillas at Senor Iguanas next to Mescalitos, they are the best in the world and the beer and food are priced great. Do not hesitate to head to Cozumel, it is a great place with great people.

Just wanted to drop a note to say this was a very nice place to stay. The staff were incredible and friendly and the location of this hotel made it a simple trip to downtown. I have stayed at nice hotels before but found this experience at the Melia to be more relaxing for some reason. The all-inclusive option made it easy for a family and a person never had to worry about misplacing a billfold or having money. The food options were plenty and I think I even gained a few pounds so there's your proof.
Nice jon Melia staff and we'll see you another time

My wife and I got our first shot at a vacation without the kids in almost 15 years, and decided to revisit Cozumel, in spite of some warnings about Wilma damage. Our goal was to get her SCUBA diving comfort level up. It is our fifth trip to Cozumel, and we still love it despite the commercial development that has come with the HUGE increase in cruise ship traffic.

In the past 15 years we have stayed at El Cozumeleno, both when it was smaller and EP, and more recently with its big addition and AI plan. We have also stayed at El Presidente (EP) twice (it was gutted by Wilma). We always looked at the Sol Melia as a possibility and decided to try it this time. We went on an Apple package that was AI (all-inclusive)for 6 nights.

We loved the place, and I would say it is a cut above El Cozumeleno in food quality and variety (we were there about 3 years ago with our kids) and is a quieter, more adult, less loud (late) pool party place. The facilities and decor level are similiar. Tipping was of course appreciated and accepted, but unlike El Coz (three years ago)was not obviously encouraged with tip jars on the bars everywhere (I didn't see any at the Sol Melia, and when I gave a tip it was "gracias senor" and put away quickly, so no one else felt guilty) I think this is a nice approach for the "all-inclusives" to take.

The Cafe Paraiso is their "reservations only" fine dining restaurant and we ate there three nites, all excellent. I don't remember ever asking for anything (like an espresso, or a brandy) after dinner that they didn't accomodate quickly. Same for pretty much every request throughout the resort. They aim to please.

The only major drawback to the Sol Melia is the water clarity in front of the resort. I believe because of the large concrete jetty to the south (at the north edge of El Coz's beach) the water in front of the Sol Melia sort of "eddies" and is usually full of brown "stuff" making snorkeling there undesireable. I think the stuff is probably harmless dead vegetation, bark, seagrass leaves, etc. but is ugly, and a sharp contrast to the aqua beauty of the water just south of the jetty in front of El Coz, Sol Cabanas del Caribe (closed...Wilma) and Playa Azul. We had to walk 1/4 mile south to those beaches to enjoy the snorkeling.

Also, we got more than a little pressure to hear a "membership" sales pitch for an hour or two from a saleslady from Sol Melia. She kept calling our room, and we kept putting her off, hoping she would get the idea. I finally went to the front desk and told them that I once accepted a free two night stay at a time share in Breckenridge with the requirement that I listen to the pitch (I didn't buy), but I paid for this trip , and I didn't want to buy anything else. She left us alone after that. This is a bad thing to have to do on vacation(unless it is free). They should ask you at check-in if you are interested and if not, drop it instead of hounding you.

All in all, however, we had a great trip; the Island and city of San Miguel are in great shape, (with a few exceptions), and the people are as wonderful as ever. The dive service "AquaWorld" at Sol Melia was also very good, with our divemaster Alex giving us very personalized attention. We also dove several days with an independant PADI dive operator named Victor Brito who was outstanding. Punta Sur road is still washed out so you can't visit the lighthouse, and Chankanaab Park is still closed, but we've been there, done that. The diving was real nice and water clarity was better than we had in Belize last spring.
We had dinner at Prima Trattoria (downtown) one night and it is still out of this world. Try the Seafood Combo Fettucine with garlic/oil sauce. The conch fritter appetizers are excellent too.

We used to rent cars from Aquila, but they are out of that business since Wilma, so we went to Less-Pay (at the Hotel Barracuda), and got good service. We went to them once before, and while their cars aren't perfect (few are on Cozumel) they are considerably cheaper than the agents in the hotel lobby and easy to deal with. We rented a VW Pointer Hatchback with manual trans and air for about $38 a day including insurance. Playa Mart on the main drag had better souvenir prices than most others.

Go to Cozumel. They are ready for you. Sol Melia is an excellent All-Inclusive, as long as you don't mind a short walk for clearer snorkeling. We don't golf much, but the course looked great and is right accross from the Sol Melia and walking golf is included(but carts are extra, and nobody walks).