Just returned from Cozumel. This was our first visit so it was hard to gauge the damage from Wilma. Ventanas came through well, being on the east side. Seems the brunt of the damage was on the west side of the island, Ventanas lost it's beach palapas, which they hadn't replaced. We loved our room, airy, clean, and comfortable, but definitely no frills. We enjoyed the peacefulness of no phones, no tv, and empty beaches. The staff, especially Arnhel and Coco, were kind and informative. The included breakfast was generous and tasty. We were drawn to the hotel's eco-friendly slant. However, the wind turbines were apparently moved when they were trying to install internet service, and for three days of our stay , the noise was deafening. Until they corrected the problem we listened to something that sounded like a cross between a speeding locamotive and a Harley on the roof, instead of crashing surf. And the surf did crash, too dangerous to swim on the island's east beaches while we were there! We also wondered about the amount of litter and debris on the beaches ( leftovers from Wilma, or always there?) We understood that the island's priority is rebuilding. Still, there's a difference between unmanicured (which we can appreciate) and garbage, which we didn't expect to find next to an "eco hotel". We also could have done without the silly jeep, dune-buggy, atv caravans from the cruisers and west side tourists. Oh well, unfortunately that seems to be tourism in this day and age. All in all, we still loved quirky little Ventanas and will most likely return!

We've just returned from a week at Ventanas al Mar. The staff is the most welcoming we've ever encountered. Breakfast was delicious every morning. The waves crash right at your door and the beach is deserted. What more do you need?

V.a.M. is on the unpopulated side of Cozumel and is the only hotel over there. It is drastically different from the town of San Miguel on the west side which is touristy and often inundated with cruise ship people. But San Miguel is great for a fun dinner out and some souvenir shopping. There's also a couple of good grocery stores to stock up for your peaceful visit to V.a.M.

The windward side (east coast) of Cozumel doesn't have regular electricity and the restaurants all close at dusk. V.a.M. runs on wind- generated power from turbines mounted on the roof. They work great and there's always power. However, when the wind is especially high you can sure hear them spinning. And of course there's also always the sound of the waves. So while you can expect a peaceful visit, do not expect silence.

We stayed in a two-level suite with our 18-yr-old daughter. There is a king bed and full bath upstairs and a futon with half-bath downstairs. It was spacious and comfortable. The views are unbelievable. The white walls, blue ocean and dramatic rock formations made it feel like we were in Greece.

Coconuts, the restaurant next door has good, fresh seafood, guacamole etc. We had several late lunches there which held us over for dinner. You can also get food to go which you can reheat for dinner. The wonderful folks at Ventanas al Mar make you feel completely at home and offer the use of their outdoor kitchen or even just a microwave if that's all you need. We were also given a small refrigerator in our room to keep the beer cold. There was fresh bottled water right outside our door at all times.

Argel, the manager, and Coco, the "go to guy" were wonderful, as were the four ladies in charge of housekeeping. You will be enchanted by their artistic flourishes. We also enjoyed the resident canines, Vanilla and Margarita.

Bring plenty of good books and maybe a deck of cards or travel chess set. No tv. We brought a portable speaker set for the ipod and enjoyed it. There's also a very comfortable outdoor living room.

We will definitely keep Ventanas al Mar on our list of most amazing places and will return.

We just got back from 5 nights at Ventanas al Mar and we love this place! Crashing waves day and night, amazing sunrises, total seclusion from the "busy life" and a caring, attentive staff. We arrived late, after dark, on our first night and were greeted by Coco, who acts as overnight innkeeper, handy man, all around helpful guy. He lugged our gear to our ocean front room (they're all ocean front rooms), showed us our lovely space and even got us a small frig for the stay, to keep beer and water ice cold.

The rooms have cathedral ceilings, all painted white, with some art here and there. Plenty of room in an armoir and dresser for your items, plus a table with a few chairs. Bed in our room was king size and very, very comfortable...no bad backs here! I slept great. Bathrooms are very small, with a shower and toilet together in one space, separated by just a shallow wall. But it works, it's clean and there's hot water (most of the time...we had to use another room one evening for lack of hot water in our room...but even that minor difficulty was met with staff there to assist).

Now to the best feature: sliding glass doors that lead to your own balcony over looking the sea. We were there 5 nights and saw only a few other guests. Most folks keep to themselves, with time at breakfast to chat with staff and other visitors. But back to the view...amazing. Even sunsets (sun sets on other side of island) are a delight since you can see the colors reflected in the clouds from your balcony. We had an unobstucted view north and south and even watched surfers at night hitting the waves.

Meals are just breakfast here, which is traditional Mexican breakfast of fried tortillas covered with eggs and salsa and toast or your choice of eggs/omlettes. I wanted cereal one morning and they didn't have any. Sure enough, the next morning they presented me with a cereal selection, with Argel, the delightful and helpful manager, heading into town to suite my carb needs. Other meals need to be planned elsewhere. But with our mini-frig and some good planning, we only needed to head into San Miguel a few nights for dinner. Coconuts is right next door for either lunch or dinner.

The staff is as charming as the setting. Though English for most of the staff is tough, they worked with what little Spanish I knew and what little English they spoke to accomodate whatever we needed, from more towels to a new light bulb in the bathroom.

We will return to this delight by the sea in the years to come. For future planning, here's a great hint: the owners are close to completing an outdoor kitchen, so staff might be available to prepare more meals or may offer the kitchen for guests to cooks their own meals.

venatanas al mar is the best kept secret on the island.........wait till you see the beach...........my wife and i would get up every morning to a wonderful breakfast hop in our jeep drive to the other side for diving (25 minutes of the most beautiful coastline in the world) return about noon and hang out on the beach the rest of the day..........coconuts next door has fantastic margaritas and food..........turtle season is magical on full moon.....we witnessed several lumbering up from the ocean to lay eggs.........ricardo the owner is so informative about the turtles and can hook you up with locals when it comes to diving or any other adventure.........swimming in the waves was a blast but is known for rip tides.........this is a place for travellers who appreciate being away from the crowds.......of all of our trips to tropical beach areas this strip of beach and coastline ranks #1 or #2 maybe behind the whitsunday islands off the coast of australia.......the corner unit which is two levels is a must..........ventanas al mar is well run, clean, and quiet..........the only place to stay on cozumel