El Cozumeleño Beach Resort - All Inclusive♡

3 star hotel, with 5 star employees!

10.0

My wife and I went El Cozumelñeo resort at the end of March into the first week of April. Only being about a 15 minutes cab or ride from the airport in Cozumel, The rooms are spacious and clean, while being an older hotel, we learned that the hotel is locally owned and operated by locals living there on the island. Our experience was amazing, the staff were extremely friendly and very happy to answer our questions about the resort or going into town with was also a short 15-20 minutes cab ride while feeling safe and welcomed. For Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner the was not only a buffet with plenty of options, including fresh fruit and salads but a grill with a chef working it for each meal cooking either eggs and omelettes for breakfast, for lunch and dinner , there was chicken and steak, tacos, quesadillas, as well as burgers and hot dogs. Also a QR code to scan that would show their menu of thing to order straight from the kitchen, like fajitas, chips and guacamole, with pico, and refried beans and ice cream. Two different pool areas with the bigger main pool having areas for smaller kids, deeper area for adults as well as a swim up bar. The staff were very nice and willing to make our trip unforgettable with constant activities and games, free mini putt, free daily snorkeling that was about an hour long with very good safety minded guide. There is also a playground for the kids to play on, as well as beach access with blandly of walkable beach. El Cozumeleño Resort may only be rated as 3 star, but all of the employees are 5 stars in our eyes. We can’t wait to go back with the kids an grandkids.

Great Snorkeling

8.0

We went with low expectations after reading other reviews. We are not picky people. Check in process needs to improve and not be so lengthy. We did precheck in and it still took forever. The hotel itself is beautiful on the outside and the lobby area. The rooms are all in need of desperate updates. We stayed in room 405. The view was incredible. The AC worked well and the shower worked well. We had issues with our toilet, and it took them 2 days to get it fixed. If you want a mini fridge, it's an extra $10 a day. You should bring your own shampoo, conditioner soap. The snorkeling directly out front of the hotel is incredible. The beach is big and beautiful. As for the menu, it is limited. The omelet station is great for breakfast, use the QR code to order off the menu for lunches and be in line by 7:45am every morning to get reservations at the restaurant for dinner. The roof needs to be fixed at the beach restaurant to keep the birds out better. Overall, our stay was good. I hope that the owners will start doing some much needed maintenance and updates and restore this hotel. It has the potential to be amazing. If you OK knowing this is a 2–3-star hotel with a 4–5-star staff, it's worth the price.

Solid getaway for the Price

6.0

We had been booked for Cuba but since that was cancelled most resort prices doubled or tripled when travelling from Atlantic Canada. Then we saw this resort come up at a really fair price. It was our first time to Mexico. A few thoughts from our stay - Pros - Staff are 5 star. Amazing people who work so hard. - Our room view was amazing even if only on the second floor. And the room was huge! Basic dated room but very clean. Some issues with plumbing (our room and public washrooms) but quickly resolved. - Food was really good. Buffet was repetitive but you could order off a menu and get chips and guac, fajitas, etc. Omelettes and tacos every day at the grill. - We booked the à la carte three times (have to be up each day by 730 am to get in line) but they served lasagna, prime rib, seafood pasta with mussels and shrimp, etc. It was great, worth booking. Men must wear long pants and closed shoes. - Drinks were fantastic. - Tour Desk was great and Roberto helped us book a nice tour! Cons - Check-in took well over an hour. - Beach was amazing for snorkeling but otherwise was disappointing. We definitely loved the fact that we could walk in the ocean and see stingrays and tropical fish everywhere. It was like being in an aquarium there was so much fish. But it was really narrow and not enough loungers. Not a fault of the resort but just not our favorite type of beach. - The lounge chairs were few and far between (both beach and pool) and the towel game was in full swing lol. - Entertainment was lacking. A few activities during the day but not much otherwise including music. Overall, for a good price would recommend.

Very Poor Customer Service

4.0

This hotel let me down quite a bit. The Buffet was very limited and the best was dried out and hard to chew. I'm not certain but it seemed that burgers left over from one day after simply brought back it the next day. Many times we had buggers that were very dried out and stale. This saddened me as I've been to a number of All Inclusive destinations and this is the first where I was truly disappointed. We had one day where we travelled the island and we decided to go to a local restaurant. That's where we finally had some amazing food. The next part is about the lack of concern on behalf on the Front Desk Team and related staff. In my opinion, the front desk staff seriously didn't care about us at all. For five days I informed the front desk that the AC screen/vent, which was very large, was partially dislodged and hanging precariously from the ceiling. I also indicated that I had no AC during that time. Finally, two days before our delarture the Vent and AC were repaired. Regarding Room Service: The Hotel's website clearly indicated that there was room service. The funny thing was that there are no phones in the rooms so we were wondering how could we call down for room service?? Because there was no phone, I personally approached the staff at the Front Desk and inquired about room service. They immediately "told" me there was no room service. I decided to show them the website using my cell phone but they simply shrugged their shoulders and said, Nope, there is no room service. In my humble opinion, they simplt didn't care. On the third day I discovered that my Driver's Licence was missing (I used it to rent the snorkel equipment), and when I inquired with the Front Desk (again), no one made any effort to check the various locations in the hotel. I even had to ask them to check the drawers under their desk because they simply had no interest in what I was saying. The worst part was that after 4 times visiting the Front Desk with my inquiries, someone finally told me that I needed to fill out a Lost Item form. Say what?? Couldn't they tell me that the first day?? I bring this up simply to let others know that the Front Desk Staff really don't put in any real effort to help the non Spanish speaking people. Again, this is just my perspective. The only saving grace about this hotel was the wait staff / servers. They went out of their way everyday to help us and make us feel welcome. Also be aware that this hotel closes down early. So if you're interested in have a few drinks or a bite to eat late in the evening, this is not your hotel. I personally will never go to this hotel again.

Beachside hotel with great views

8.0

Beachside hotel with pool, buffet, mini-putt and souvenir shop. The staff is exceptional and very helpful. Food was good but we did not get the chance to book the a la carte supper because we explored much of the island. It is very easy to get a taxi from the lobby. Our Air Canada rep Arturo was great!

Do Not Stay Here

2.0

I wish I could give this resort a zero. 1 is too high. I am not a picky person and I did read some of the negative reviews. My family and I love to snorkel so I figured we could overlook somethings just to have the convenience of snorkeling right from the beach. I was wrong. We had 2 rooms because we are a family of 5. Both rooms had an odor. One smelled like smoke and the other was a moldy smell. The beds were hard, but I could live with that. The shower had mold in it, there were stains on the wall and our couch was covered up with a blanket because you don’t want to see the mold or whatever it was growing on it. It was disgusting. The food wasn’t edible. The fish was like mushy jello, the chicken couldn’t be cut with a knife nor could you even chew it. The worst part was the bird issue. Birds would just sit on the food…poop, drop twigs, etc. absolutely disgusting. We left the property to eat because of this. The exercise room wasn’t as advertised. There was one set of ancient weights, 10 lbs and a few yoga mats with 2 exercise balls. There was one weight machine but it was broke. That’s it. Nothing like the pictures online. They never have enough towels for the guests. It was so frustrating. Let’s get to the snorkeling. Overall the snorkeling was okay. We saw some rays, an octopus and other smaller tropical fish. It was convenient to be able to just walk in everyday. I love snorkeling, however, next time we’d stay somewhere else and take a snorkeling tour. Staying at this resort was just not worth it.