Getting what you paid for

Great staff and snorkeling , don’t listen to the negatives if your frame of mind is right you will have a great vacation , learn to use the menu in the buffet if you don’t see what you want - the best omelettes in over 20 years of going south

Nice Snorkeling

The service was good, from waiters to house keeping. The food was ok but repetitive.The beach is small and not enough chairs. Unfortunately they had a big storm two days before we landed and there was a lot of sea weed (out to the end of the long pier). Rotting sea weed is disgusting. The fans in the rooms really need cleaning, they were brown. In general ok resort, everything is close and the people are friendly.

Amazing snorkeling off of beach!

The beach is small but steps away. Our room was spacious, we had beautiful views off the balcony. The staff was friendly but not always attentive. The only thing I didn't like was the food. There were only two places to eat and the buffet was small. It lacked variety from day to day. The options were rather pathetic.

Boring Boring Boring!

The physical hotel is nice - in relatively good repair. The housekeeping and groundskeeping staff are the best! Professional and friendly. The rest of the staff seemingly couldn't care less. The food is repetitive. I know it's Mexico but tacos every day?? There is one fresh food station only which results in long lineups. The rest of the buffet is the same day after day. The hotel does nothing to address the no smoking policy. They were in the bar, on the beach, outside the restaurant,  [... read more]in the pool. The hotel did nothing. A $10 taxi ride into town will get you a variety of food and entertainment....but I feel like the hotel should make an attempt. There is zero entertainment here...nothing. No music, no show, no effort. In fact, their motto should really be "we just don't try". Seriously, after dinner there is nothing until breakfast. We had enough after 3 days and left for an airbnb in town. This would probably be a great hotel if you were convalescing from surgery

Do not go to this resort!

I have been to Mexico, Cuba and Dominican several times. This resort by far was my worst experience. The food was scarce and consisted of mainly rice, and recycled chicken and beef. No sweet deserts were available, and locating a coffee cup, spoon or ketchup was a challenge. The entire resort stunk like a septic tank (literally waking us up during the night) and the rooms were moldy. The very worst was the toilet that leaked non stop, with no attempt to fix even after reporting this issue, thre [... read more]e times. The pools looked clean but one of the whirlpools was disgusting. The best part of the trip was that by some miracle we were not sick! lol

Would not recommend

I must say, I was disappointed in this resort. I found the food and alcohol to be substandard. The pool area is shaded a good portion of the day, the pool is ice cold, the beach is very rocky and the waves are so strong there was a red flag up all week indicating a strong undertow, not recommended for swimming. The house cleaning came daily but never removed any dirty dishes from the room.

Enjoyable

There were plenty of lounge chairs. Resort was very clean. 3 to 4 star food. Excellent wait staff. Room was spacious and clean. We had a beautiful view from our balcony although the bed was a bit hard. There were big rocks near the edge of beach making it slightly difficult to get in the water. The water was crystal clear which made it good for snorkeling. Saw plenty of fish from the pier.

Great value for the money

We stayed 1 week at El Cozumeleno in Feb 2023. The resort lobby and grounds were very clean. The staff were amazing. The food was what you would expect at a Mexican resort - buffet style; one dining restaurant that was tricky to get into. Drinks were plentiful and cold. We snorkelled, played mini golf, corn hole, bingo by the pool and dancing lessons. The people that stayed here were very social. When we walked the beach, we thought we had the best place along the strip. We had a great  [... read more]time. The room itself was cold (19 degrees - day and night). The first day we were there there was no hot water. But all in all it wasn't that big a deal.

Great overview and snorkelling

Bar service is the reason this hotel recieved this rating. Rooms are ok but no bar fridge and inconsistent cleaning even when requested. Ocean view was un-comparable though... Location is about 90 minutes walking distance from the centre of town... A long walk but duable. Buffet Food is not great... Not great at all. A La Carte was tasty but difficult to get a reservation. Finally figured out the menu at the buffet restaurant and was able to order shrimp and steak on the last night. Pool w [... read more]as cold as were the hot tubs. Both unusable. Vacation gets a 6/10

Not happy

I am writing this on behalf of my parents. They have been to El Cozumeleno at least 3 to 4 times pre Covid. This year they travelled there for two weeks and returned on March 14th. The experience was horrible. They didn’t like the food as it was the exact same thing every single day to the point where they couldn’t eat anything without feeling nauseous or upset stomach. There was no entertainment like there had been in the past. Barely even any music. The service was extremely slow. The one  [... read more]positive thing is that the grounds were kept clean. With regards to Covid, well my parents are in their mid eighties, they both came home testing positive for Covid! Need I say more! Much to their surprise, when they arrived at the hotel, they were charged $182.00 USD and had to pay immediately. This was supposed to be an all inclusive trip. Other hotels there didn’t charge a dime extra. When I reached out to trip central regarding this charge, apparently the very fine print was at the bottom of the hotel voucher. They received this voucher after paying for the trip and no one made mention to this. I booked this for them online but we had spoken to trip central reps over the phone several times and no mention of this was made.The air Canada rouge flight was a terrible experience as the washroom sinks were plugged up with tape and they only had small packets of hand wipes. The bathrooms were filthy. As far as service goes, they weren’t even offered as much as a cookie on flight. Sad to say that this trip cost them almost double than usual but unfortunately it was the worst experience ever! As I mentioned, they are on old age pension and saved in hopes to have a good vacation, but it was the worst. They would appreciate some form of compensation at least the tax that they had to pay at the hotel!!! All of the people checking in at the hotel were very very shocked to have to pay this tax.

Great location but terrible food and service

The location was perfect with a nice beach and unbeatable snorkelling right out front of the resort. The buffet on the other hand is hands down the worst we had ever seen and we have been to over 10 resorts. 0 vegan options aside from the vegetables and rice which sometimes had old gross cheese in it. The service was also very slow and would take 30-60 minutes easily to get your food if you ordered a la carte. Some of the servers, particularly the females were very rude and made the experience e [... read more]ven more unpleasent. We would consider going back should they improve the food slightly and get more friendly serving staff because everything aside from that was very enjoyable. The bar closes at 11 for those of you who like to drink. COVID restrictions are non existent aside from the workers all wearing masks. The room we stayed in was very large and had a beautiful view of the ocean but we had bed bugs and cockroaches and I left the retreat with massive clusters of bed bug bites, but I suppose that may be common among many resorts. Overall, the resort is in a secluded and beautiful area with an incredible view of the ocean and has incredible snorkelling right out front of the resort, so we would go back for those reasons but the food, service and room issues with bugs were the major down side of our trip.

Low key, pleasant and relaxing vacation

The hotel is older, somewhat dated but not without charm. Very clean, staff is amazing, food was fair so no complaints. Bed a bit too hard for my liking but yet I slept well after a day outside in the sun, water. I do wish newer and more comfortable chairs on room balcony and perhaps wifi throughout whole resort. The resort is as pictured, no surprises. The beach and clear water was the best and where I spent most days. Again amazing staff, all wearing masks and cleaning always, lots of spa [... read more]ce throughout resort to keep distance. I had a good week.

It was an okay resort

The grounds were okay. Lot of rocks to climb over in ocean. The staff were very efficient and friendly. The food was repetitious and very limited choices. Extremely little entertainment. Difficult to obtain chairs or pulapos due to towels dropped on them early in the morning!

Perfect Family Getaway

The hotel was clean, extremely friendly staff, very accomodating. The buffet does not have a lot of options but the a la carte menu is a great idea. We ordered from that menu mostly for lunch and supper. The rooms are simple and have large balconies and the beds are very comfortable. I love how the resort is so close to the beach. Wherever you are, you can hear the ocean. It would be nice to have evening entertainment. There is movie night twice a week but aside from some music playing in the ba [... read more]r area and only until 10pm, there's no night life.The beach/sand and pool areas are always clean. All staff members are kind, thoughtful and want to make your stay relaxing and enjoyable. We will go back for sure!!!

Not the best.

Food sucked. Food ran out often. Listed amenities were not there ie. Internet or only available for extra costs. Staff was amazing though! Absolutely fantastic staff. Probably wouldn't go again. I need more characters so I'm just filling at this point.

Absolutely loved it.

I’m going to start with the negatives however the positive far outweigh anything negative. The resort is getting old, the stairways have broken concrete and are in need of paint and repair, the rooms are very clean but the AC is very old and ours broke while we were there. It needs some money put into it to bring it back up to par. That said, the staff are absolutely amazing. The pool and eating area are right beside the ocean. The water is so clear and aqua, we loved snorkelling in the pristi [... read more]ne waters. There is a brake that prevents seaweed and harsh waves from coming into the resort area. The kids activities could have been better and there wasn’t any entertainment when we were there however far from a dealbreaker for us. We travelled with our 3 girls aged 8, 13 and 14 and it was a most memorable trip that we would be happy to do again. Cozumel is pretty safe as far as Mexico goes. We rented a car and toured the island and Mayan ruins. Next time we will go downtown. When you arrive at the airport and after getting through border security and customs go straight to your Air Canada rep (if you are lucky enough to fly with them). She will be waiting outside wearing a red Air Canada shirt. She will get you setup with your shuttle to the resort (only 10 minutes away). Otherwise you risk getting bothered by the ATA (Dreams) time share people or other taxi services that you will have to pay for. Also, there will be an Air Canada rep at the resort everyday twice a day to respond to any questions or info on coming back home. Bring lots of US$ singles and tip the workers (room service, servers, cooks etc…) they make your stay wonderful yet they are paid so little. A little goes a long way. Also bring Mexican Pesos and or US$ to pay for any outings. Everything runs on cash. The workers wear masks but we didn’t have to for anyone concerned with Covid. If you don’t like what is being served at the buffet there is a menu you can order from that has more American style food. Be prepared to wait a while longer if kitchen is busy. Also bring some closed shoes, long pants and t shirt or long sleeves to reserve and enjoy The Veranda fancy restaurant. You must reserve your spot starting at 8 am with Roberto near the front desk. Roberto can also set you up with any car rentals or outings you want to do. When dealing with the front desk, see some of the older more experienced employees if you want it done right. I am a bit emotional writing this as it was such an enjoyable experience. I hope you enjoy it too.

Great experience!

The staff at the hotel was very helpful and friendly! The building and room, as well as the dining area were very clean(I'd only suggest they lay out table cloths or mats before serving our meals). We enjoyed our meals. I went with my sister on a sibling getaway and we genuinely had a marvelous time. If I end up going back to that particular location in Mexico, I'd choose to stay at this hotel.

Excellent resort

Check in was quick just be aware there is an island fee of about $50/week. they take a room deposit of $150 which is returned at the end of your stay. Everything was very clean, all staff wore masks and were continually cleaning the floors as well as the tables and chairs. Staff was very friendly and were constantly asking, at the beach and pool, if you wanted anything to eat or drink. They served people the same whether or not they were being tipped. The snorkeling right off the beach wa [... read more]s good however if you went down the beach, go in by the Westin hotel and you could just float along the reef back to El Cozumeleno. The option of an a la carte supper was great, food was excellent with a lot of variety and the menu changed every two days. The service form the wait staff was awesome particularly the Maitre D - Jaime. Testing for covid was easy with a rapid test result in 2 hours and a certificate provided for proof. We would definitely go back.

El Cozumeleno Beach

The Hotel was big in size very clean. The location was good and the beach and pools were beautiful, the ocean was clean and gorgeous. The food had no taste and often had no real limes, I saw cans of pineapple instead of fresh pineapple. Lack of variety of food. The kitchen ran out of guacamole almost everyday and no fresh avocados or mangos was available Only one choice of wine( house blend) even though there was an empty Merlot bottle advertised. Great with omelette stations and great worker [... read more]s.Loved that they brought in the espresso machine as the one in the bar kept breaking. The workers was friendly, safe,efficient and hard workers. I did noticed that the supervisor or managers seemed unfriendly and harsh towards workers. The hotel rooms was spacious but run down. Leaking air conditioning Water pressure was bad in the showers. The Ceilings had water damages and smelled like mildew.

Nice small resort!

Pros. Very clean everywhere. Rooms in the older building are huge. The staff was amazing. Very efficient, very helpful, very friendly. Small resort so easy to navigate. You could book an a la carte every night. The food there was very good. Beach was kept clean. Good snorkeling right off the beach. The water was clear. Very nice clean pools. Close to town. Good WiFi in the lobby. We did enjoy our stay. Cons. Check-in was terrible. Took almost an hour. Beach was VERY small. Only 21 palapas for [... read more] 250 rooms. The buffet was very limited. Food was just OK. No night entertainment (because of Covid?). The beach to the left or to the right was not walkable. Tons of seaweed. Always a sewer smell in the air. There is a water treatment plant just down the road.