We just returned from a visit at the Melia Cozumel. This was our 3rd stay at a Melia resort. This was also our first international trip since Covid. My husband, our 7 year old and I were on the trip.
We had a very enjoyable time with many wonderful things to say.
Pros
1. Beautiful beach with soft sand and clear water. I could float out there all day and all rooms seem to have a view. No seaweed while we were there, but that is probably weather dependent
2. The snorkeling at the resort next door. We did this daily and this was a perfect spot for our 7 year old to snorkel the ocean for the first time. Lots of fish, not much coral
3. The staff- the animation team is the best. Mary, Johanna, Susie, Geovanni and Caesar all made our vacation more enjoyable. They are wonderful people and seem to love what they do. Every staff member on the resort is always working hard and friendly. Too many others to mention.
4. The shows- we really enjoyed the nightly shows. The circus, the fire show and the Mayan show were our favorites.
5. The activities- We enjoyed mini golf as a family daily. I always participated in the water aerobics and dance classes. My husband did archery and would have done more if not nursing a bum elbow. The pulled the kids out to do special activities which our son adored. This is in lieu of a kids club at this time.
6. Our room- We had the premium one bedroom ocean front suite, 2nd floor or the tower. The room was perfect for the 3 of us. We had the tub on the balcony (the hotel site is not clear about this). The view was great. Housekeeping serviced everyday and was very good. (my only recommendation is in the wonderful shower, the water leaks from under the door and we had to use towels everyday to stop a flood, so this needs improving). This type of room also includes the use of the reserved beds on the beach. Book early and for all the days you want in the beginning of your stay)
7. Location- Very close to the airport, but no airport noise. Very close to downtown ($7 cab ride and cabs are plentiful).
8. On site covid tests- easy and quick. Email with a pdf to upload to Verifly (I recommend this as it will make your return trip at the airport much simpler) and the front desk prints paper copies the next day for you which you also need.
Cons
1. Food was overall good, but not as much variety as we usually see at an All-Inclusive. Some of this is related to covid, but the space used for the buffet does not have room for them to add more options even when they are at more capacity. Tex Mex night was burgers for the main feature. The menu on the app was not reliable for what was served. The Paraiso and La Iguana A la carte restaurants were very good. Make those reservations when you arrive as well. We thought you could only book the day of, but that left us without reservations some days. The buffet does not open for lunch until 1:00. The snack bar gets pretty backed up from 12:00-1:00, so if you have "hangry" children, it will take about 30 minutes sometimes to get your order
2. The app- Corporate Melia needs to work on this. Not great.
3. Bars don't open until 11:00. It is usually 10:00 at other all-inclusives we have been to.
We would definitely come to this resort again, although we feel like we were probably spoiled with low occupancy due to covid. Cruises have not returned to the island yet, so we were probably spoiled with low crowd levels in town too. A snorkel trip to Playa Car reef is a must. Beautiful, huge coral. It is a 30-45 minute boat ride from the ferry dock, and can get bumpy, so gauge the seas if you decide to go. Covid protocols were all excellent.
