This hotel has a very unique and beautiful design, the use of stucco, rocks, rough woods, plants and flowers used in the design is exceptional. Much of the furniture is also by the designer of the hotel. We were there during our tenth anniversary and stayed in the Zapote suite, which is a two level suite taking up the top two floors of the hotel. The living area, dining area, and full kitchen are on the first level, with a large outside terrace. There is an open air counter between the kitchen and terrace, which has a large dining table and chairs, and a grill built into the wall. There is also a hammock swing and a small plunge pool. Upstairs is a large bedroom with a comfortable king size bed and a large, two sink bathroom. The bedroom has satellite TV and a C/D player. A glass wall separates the bathroom from the outside, and there is a large granite tub outside that has access from the shower and from the bedroom terrace. The glass wall was a little unnerving at first, but the hotel is the tallest building for blocks, so no one can see in. There is a screen you can roll down to cover the glass, if you wish to use that. One terrace outside of the bedroom has potted plants and flowers all along the top of the terrace wall, a bench and a small table with two chairs. The second upper level terrace has a larger table and chairs, a hammock and a full size washer and dryer, but we didn't do any laundry.

Both levels have louvered doors in the outside walls and there was never a lack of a breeze. The bedroom has a remote control operated A/C unit high on the wall over the bed, there is none on the first level, but the breezes cooled the rooms well enough. The stairs to the upper level are unusual - kind of like the stairs going down to a ship's cabin - and took some getting used to, but that didn't take long. The floors are a unique blend of smooth stone and rock.

This suite was really more like a condo - the full sized kitchen has a side by side fridge with an ice/water dispenser in the door, stove, microwave and a full compliment of utensils, cookware, plates, glasses, silverware, etc. The living area has satellite TV, C/D player, DVD player and a surround sound system. There is also a selection of CD's, DVD's, books, magazines and games.

The hotel is located on Av. 5 Sur two blocks behind the Punta Langosta mall, nestled in a neighborhood. It is easy walking distance to shops and restaurants. The neighborhood is completely safe, we enjoyed walking around it in the evenings.

Memo is the owner of the hotel and he lives in part of it. He is a very gracious and accommodating host. There is no lobby to speak of but there are two comfortable common areas, one with a cold/hot water tub. Breakfast consists of excellent traditional Mexican dishes, pancakes and french toast. There is no menu to choose from, but the dishes change daily and are delicious.

Staying there was an excellent experience.

An excellent contemporary looking place, ideal if you're looking for something different and unique and not just another hotel. The rates are very decent considering the service and warm private atmosphere. Close enough to the sea and just a few blocks away from the downtown area. We loved it and enjoyed our stay very much.

The only reason I didn't give Mi Casa a lower rating is because the manager, after I expressed my displeasure, refunded our money so that we could stay elsewhere. We booked at Mi Casa because we're independent budget travellers and prefer to stay at small, unique places.

We booked the Tamarind room for USD $55/night, and paid everything in advance via paypal. It was our first few nights on a 10 day Mexico trip, so I thought it'd be perfect to stay in a nice room with a patio and porch, as the internet photos looked lovely.

However, when we got there, I was dismayed to see that the Tamarind room is basically in the basement, as another reviewer on here noted. I should've listened! What's the point in staying in Mexico if you can't see a thing out your windows? I didn't expect it to be ocean-view, but I thought I'd at least get to see something. Wrong. White walls, almost like a prison-compound.

I asked if there was anything else, and we were shown a room with limited ocean-view, but at least it didn't feel like a prison. When I asked to be moved at no extra charge, though, he refused. So we went elsewhere, and found an ocean-front room with a great patio for $90 USD/night.

Two other things you should know:
1. This is not on the main strip. It's not too far away, but, if you're like me and you love to spend an evening sitting outside watching people passing by, stay at the Bahia like we did. Mi Casa is in a very residential area.

2. The manager (who didn't introduce himself, so I have no idea if he's the owner or not), isn't there all the time. We checked in around 4 pm., and were told that he'd only be at the front desk for another half hour or so. When I asked how we'd get help if we needed it--or even just dinner recommendations--he shrugged and said he'd be somewhere on the property, probably. That made me uncomfortable.

We stayed a week with our two boys ages 17 and 15 and all had a terrific time. We had the top-floor Zapote suite with the adjoining Mora room which gave us a huge amount of space. The views from the 4 (or 5?) private balconies were great and the architecture is just amazing. Memo is a wonderful host (he speaks perfect English so no worries if you don't know any Spanish) and the staff were very friendly.

The (king) beds were firm and very comfortable, the rooms were very clean with lots of good towels, soaps, and shampoo. Although it was quite warm the last few days of our stay we never turned on the air conditioning, preferring to open up the windows and enjoy the nice breezes. The hot breakfasts that were included were all very good and varied from day to day.

The kitchen is more than adequate for preparing the odd meal with a 4 burner stove, full-size fridge, and counter-top oven and microwave. There's a good selection of cutlery, cooking utensiles and knives, but a rather limited selection of pots and pans. There are no laundry facilities for guests, but there is an inexpensive laundry nearby.

If considering booking only the Zapote suite, be aware that it's two levels and to get up to the upper level (where the bedroom and only bathroom is located) you have to climb up a fairly steep set of stairs. In fact, it's more like a ship's ladder than stairs. Visually very stunning, but it would be difficult if you had any mobility problems. We got used to it fairly quickly but some people might find it an issue. The adjoining Mora room provides another bathroom and bedroom on the main level. The other rooms that we peeked into looked nicely furnished and attractive as well.

We rented a car for our stay and on-street parking was easy to find. But if you're without a car there's lots to do within easy walking distance. The Chedraui grocery store is an easy walk, but there are several smaller stores within a block that sell basic groceries, beer, and snacks.

There is meant to be wireless internet access for guests, but they had just changed their wireless setup and we weren't able to get it working during our stay. I wasn't too worried about it since it kept the boys' MSN time to a minimum!

In summary, I think that Mi Casa en Cozumel is a gem and I'm sure that it's going to be a lot harder to book a room here in the future as word spreads.