The staff members work hard to ensure a pleasant experience for their guests. The pools and beach are well-maintained. There are a variety of activities for everyone, including snorkeling right at the resort. We have searched and have yet to find a better value than El Cozumeleño. We just completed our third visit and are already looking forward to our fourth!
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Planned a two days stay in Cozumel as we were going to Riviera Maya and it was easier to visit the island of Cozumel . Picked this hotel as it was a recommendation from my credit card. I have read the reviews and yes the hotels is old and can benefit from some updates/upgrades but the view was STUNNING from our balcony.
Room was big and bed was comfortable, bathroom was big as well. Not many power outlets for cellphone charging(unplugged a lamp).
Hotel has two restaurants and the one in the lobby need reservations but you can order the same food through the beach buffet or just have the food from buffet. Food was ok, nothing fancy. Drinks were too sweet for our taste.
Check-in process took a lit of bit longer as they use a very old fashion system to check-in and it was very disorganized. Upgrading the check-it will be way faster and not such a long wait.
Two pools and two hot tubs, plus a kids pool, is a family resort but we barely encountered a kid. Find out many visitors just stay at the hotel because the views and beach-which is so clear and can see all the fishes around you.
Wish you had the option to darker the room as is a little hard to fall asleep.
If we had to go back will stay here again just because of the view and the beach!!
I went with my family (Wife and 2 kids) for a social event, we arrived the room that I requested wasn’t available (1st floor garden view) and they told us that it would be available the next day, they gave us an “upgrade” to the 9th floor to a suite that the AC didn’t work properly. The toilet seat was broken but the view was great. At the pool the allow and serve drinks in glassware, yes, glass!!! Of course because of this idiotic idea, my daughter cut her foot while swimming in the pool (not a good family vacation memory), the food was bad/terrible, the service was ok, nothing out of the ordinary. I’m sorry but I’m not coming back….
In the attachment picture you will see a glass next to the pool where my daughter cut her foot.
Oh where do I start? We had 3 rooms booked. Check in wasn't good because they don't tell you anything about what goes on - about events or eating or drinking or activities - nothing. You get a "pool towel" card to get a towel. DON'T lose this card or they'll charge you $25. The COVID test you need to go back to the US is $28/ test. If you can find it cheaper in town, do it because there are other places to get a 24 hr PCR test.
As you can see from the attached photos, this place needs upgrading badly. The pull out sofa beds are disgusting. Our room had ants. We didn't have any washcloths. When we asked for some, they said we weren't at a high enough level to get them. Then, when I reminded them we had 3 rooms, they reluctantly gave us 2 for the entire week.
The food was at most average & no variety. There are 2 restaurants - the reservation one & the buffet one. You can't get reservations because you have to reserve the morning of the night you want to use that restaurant. The beach bar, snack bar, etc are all one restaurant. Whenever we ordered something during the day for lunch, it took an hour to get the food. Breakfast was tolerable. We ate out most of the time which defeats the purpose of going to an all-inclusive.
The bars - they don't display their alcohol bottles so you don't get to chose the type of liquor you want. I've never been to a bar that doesn't display their liquor. One of our sons drank 8 Pina coladas one afternoon & wasn't buzzed at all. I don't think they have alcohol in the mixed drinks.
We ran into some friends from NY & the first thing they said was this place is horrible. We agreed. The staff really try, but most are barely bilingual which makes communicating challenging.
The 4 pools claim is a stretch. Look at the pictures - there are 2 pools unless they're counting the 2 jacuzzis. There aren't any "Thematic Nights". We were there for 7 days & we didn't see any of these.
Here are the few positives - the staff works very hard & keeps the grounds clean. They all wear masks & are friendly. The beach is nice. Victor at the lobby bar is very nice, but his cocktails don't have much alcohol either. David in the snorkeling office was the best person we encountered. He has a positive attitude & really tries to help.
If you want to be pampered & get great food & drinks, don't go here. Spend the money to go somewhere else.
Our family has been visiting the El Cozumeleno Beach Resort for the past 20 years, and each time we go we are met with a new disappointment. During our recent trip we learned that the resort is in bankruptcy, so it may not be around much longer anyway, but in the event that they do find a way to pull through, below I have outlined the pros and cons that both travelers and the ownership of the hotel should take heed of.
Pros:
- Resort is relatively cheap/affordable for an all-inclusive
- Resort is close to the airport and city center (~10 minute drive), but also far enough away as to be somewhat secluded
- Nearly every room has an ocean view
- Pools are in good condition and provide areas with access to shade
- Access to a sandy beach and clear water
- Great snorkeling
- Pools are open all the way until 10 pm
- Staff are for the most part friendly, and they work hard to make the best of the poor conditions created by lack of resources from management/ownership.
Cons:
- Signs of disrepair are evident across the resort and exist at an unacceptable level (see photos of the couch - which looks like they pulled it from out of the ocean and the mattress - which has indentations so deep where people lay that it actually makes a W shape)
- Insufficient staffing is evident, particularly when it comes to the kitchen - see notes below about the wait time for food you order
- Only air conditioned space is your room
- Nightlife is nonexistent and honestly impossible because there are no inside spaces with air conditioning (so sitting inside is intolerable) and there are no insect mitigation efforts so you get eaten alive if you sit outside
- Food is very low quality, especially if you visit during a less popular time (so the better the deal you got in your booking, the worse the food will be).
- Food selection is very limited (i.e. many of the food options listed on their website are not in use - e.g. the snack bar, half of the cocal restaurant, the oasis bar) and the resort was constantly running out of the limited food (and drink) selections they did have. Also, they don't let you serve yourself at the buffet, so you can expect to have your portion sizes limited. In general, our group felt as though they were constantly limiting out food consumption.
- Service is slow. If you try to order food, expect to wait about 45 minutes - regardless of the item ordered.
- Basic resources are limited (e.g. bars would run out of cups, so you had to wait when trying to get a drink, tissues are no longer provided in your room, etc.)
- All entertainment (i.e. the "shows"/fancy dinners that they used to hold every other day) has been discontinued.
- Drinks are of very low quality.
Based on the above factors, I would highly recommend:
To other travelers, to find another place to stay as I believe this resort will be nothing but a disappointment.
To ownership/management, to start addressing the aforementioned factors while you still can, because we really don't want to see the end of the El Cozumeleno. This resort has so much potential if only it were just better taken care of.
To the El Cozumeleno ownership and management, I would highly recommend taking action to improve the conditions of the resort before it's too late
Words can’t even begin to describe how incredibly amazing the El Coz is. If you are scrolling the reviews…… here is your sign from the universe to just BOOK NOW!!! The hotel staff are absolutely awesome, from the grounds keepers, to the housekeeping staff, the waiters & bartenders (they all work so hard…and are fully masked up & the hot Cozumel sun). The resort is very safe & Covid friendly-staff are constantly sanitizing and wiping down surfaces, taking temperatures upon entrance & very careful & cautious. Huge shout out to David at the activity center, he was was such a joy….Kind and friendly and took incredible care of us! Angel (our beach server, and restaurant server was OUTSTANDING!!!) Roberto at the tour desk was wonderful and took exceptional care of us and answered all of our questions! We literally had 0 problems and our stay was very restful and relaxing! Our drinks were wonderful & the food was delicious every night at the buffet! The inside restaurant was INCREDIBLE!!! This was our second time staying at the El Coz and definitely not our last-our family had an incredible experience both inside the resort and on the beach & in the water. The snorkeling is amazing and the views will take your breath away! There are so many different types of species of fish to see & observe right there on the beach! Beautiful picture perfect views from everywhere!! Our little boys (ages 7 and 11) lived their very best lives and didn’t want to come home! They loved the El Coz so much, we are already looking at dates in December and planning on coming back!! The El Coz is our family, our home away from home & I literally shed a tear when we left this morning! It’s always hard to leave!!! Thank you El Coz for allowing us to vacation at your beautiful desert & for the wonderful family memories that were made! You are AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL, KIND and we look forward to returning soon!
