Iberostar vrs. Occidental Grand
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Mike
Contributor
SEE!!! I knew we were talking about it too much. I was planning our Occupy the OGC and when I went to check I found they are ready for us. The fat cat found out!! Somehow I think we may get a beating and no personalized fluffy bathrobe.....
Alright. That does it. cvchief, I'm coming to El Moro for those drinks courtesy of wsopfan. that IS the plan, right?
DazedAndConfuzed
Contributor
plus, OG's architecture is in the style of the conquistidors, while Iberostar has huts reminiscent of indigenous meso americans. Fat cats probably goes to OG thinking the huts in Iberostar won't hold their weight, but those huts are really strong cement structures strong enough to hold the typical 400 LB middle american vacationer.
coldwaterlloyd
Contributor
Do both these resorts allow other dive ops to pick divers up off their docks ?
Yes. The Ibero charges your dive op but for you it is free.
SolarStorm
Contributor
We stayed at the OCG in March last year. Had a GREAT time with much diving. One thing I should mention is that if you are thinking of the Grand or the Allegro is to contact Huub Moonen from Prodive hmoonen@prodivemex.com
I book the OCG through the web until I contacted him. He gave me a package that included the 2 rooms I needed at the OCG plus all of our diving. It was a package deal, and it was take it all or none. But the purpose was to go down and dive, so I don't know why I wouldnt take it. Here is my review of things:
Occidental Grand is a nice 3 star hotel. I should preface this with stating that we have stayed at the Barcelo Palace (twice), Dreams, and the Bahia Principe all on the Mayan Riviera, so these are my basis for comparison. I knew that the Grand would not be quite the same level of resort, but that is what I had to compare against.
First the Diving was great and the dive staff was fantastic. Small groups, surface when YOU are low on gas. Free nitrox. But the BEST part! They had the patience to get my wife certified. Her course here in Canada was very poorly done and the staff pretty much repeated all of the pool sessions for free. Then they had the patience and wisdom of a saint and provide semiprivate open water dives for her. As the one DM put it to her. "We are NOT leaving until you do this!" (my wife now loves diving but learning was not without her anxieties) They had no problem picking us up from the pier at the Grand, but a lot of times we enjoyed the walk down the beach to the Allegro where the Dive Shop was. They also had no problem taking my daughter and me to Punta Sur by ourselves so there was only the DM and my daughter and myself. Still one of my favorite dives. We didn't do the the throat as we got sidetracked by the eagle rays and spent to much time watching them overhead. Better than DT anyhow. I was also impressed the DMs would not allow a diver to take her camera until she could prove she had better control of herself on the dives. I agreed with the decision. Our gear was well cared for. The typical "Box" and wetsuits hung to dry.
the resort
Great: (5 stars)
1. Our room was clean, attractive, well located. We were in room 1816. One draw back. There were three of us in the room. Our fruit basket consisted of an apple, banana, and pear(?). We did get a bottle of wine, but there was only one wine glass for the 3 of us.
2. Repairs were rapid and professionally done. Our hairdryer broke, and our safe had a sticky digit that required reset twice.
3. Ollivos (sp?) the Itallian restaurant was quite nice! Great staff and food
Good: (4 stars)
1. Grounds were attractive, loved the jungle. Not that it really bothered me but I did notice the crocodile tracks in the sand to the north of the resort. Might want to post a sign?
2. Nightly entertainment. Was entertaining and the performers seemed to really enjoy themselves.
3. The steak house. This again was nice meal with friendly staff.
4. Bell hop. Friendly and good service
5. Serving staff at La Posada. Staff was friendly, prompt and polite.
6. Spa service. My wife and daughter booked two massages. They would not have done the 2nd massage if the first was not good.
7. Beach. Nice beach, cleaned each morning.
Average: (3 stars)
1. Bar. While the staff was always friendly, you need more than ONE bartender at the pool as this could get quite lined up. I would also invest in some fake wasp nests. Wasps are territorial and if they see a nest, a large majority of these will not hover around. At least this works here where the wasps are already a problem.
2. Drinks. Provide an option for top shelf liquor and I will be one of the first to pay for it. As it is, I tried a few drinks, then switched to beer for the whole trip. Not that my family drinks a lot, but one or two single malt scotches wouldnt hurt.
3. Maintenance. Repairs to the grounds seemed non existent. In two places someone had managed to punch out a section of the bridge railing. Aesthetically the red Danger ribbon wrapped back and forth between the posts look bad, not to mention the real safety concern for small children. The first section was broken a couple days after we got there, the send a couple of days later. So for at least a week, these remained in disrepair. They were still not fixed when we left.
4. Evening Meal, Posada. This was not bad, but not great either. Variety did vary, but you could usually find last nights supper at tomorrows lunch.
5. Maid service. While the beds were made, I am not sure if things like the table ever got wiped off as I could still see the beer can rings on the glass when we left. It was also a mystery as to what time the room would be cleaned at, and one day we were completely missed.
6. Mini Bar. If you are going to fill the mini bar every 3rd day. You need to put more than 2 beer in it.
7. Internet. A bit pricey for a slow connection. Used the in room connection only.
Poor: (2 stars)
1. La Posada and the beach restaurant. Please, give more than one fork and knife or have the staff quit taking them with the plates. . A spoon would be nice when coffee is served too. Also it was a mystery when we would get napkins or not. I suspect there were issues with the laundry. For over half the trip, we only got a napkin if we asked for it.
2. La Posada. Condiments and other items. Ran out of Peanut butter on the 2nd day. Never got replaced until 2nd last day. Would love some other fruit other than mellon, honeydue, and pineapple. Asked the bar man for one of his bananas once and he told me they were for the drinks. So I ordered a virgin Banana Mamma with no juice or ice, unblended. He looked at me funny and laughed. (I got the banana)
3. La Posada Breakfast. Very plain breakfast. Virtually the same menu except for the flavoured scrambled eggs that had last nights meat mixed in.
4. La Posada cleanliness. Saw a cook drop a pan on the floor and pick it up at start using it. Only when he noticed someone saw it fall did he then turn around to put it in the sink.
5. Front Desk. Only used the front desk a couple of times, but was less than impressed.
a. First time, looking for change for a $10. I usually give the bartender and serving staff a tip every time we get drinks. The guy at the bar said he couldnt change it and sent me to the front desk. The front desk sent me back to the bar. This was around 6:00 PM. The serving staff in la Posada finally had some change.
b. We were there for 12 days. But our keys all expired 7 days into the trip. I thought it might have been mine getting de magnetized, but all 3 keys needed rekeying on the same day. I ended up making 3 trips from 1816 to the front desk. Each time waiting in line as new guests checked in. The 3rd time they told me I could have had this done at the royal club (but I had no more keys to rekey)
c. My wife went to book more a la carte dinners at 8:55 AM. She was told they didnt do this until 9:00. So she sat at the front, waiting and watching the front desk staff member sit at the desk for 5 min. Then coming forward to make the reservations.
6. Medical staff. My wife was bitten on the toe by an insect of some sort. It swelled up quite a bit, turned red, but more importantly you could see a line of red across her foot, and 3 inches up her shin. Obviously some sort of venom from a spider or beetle. She did not see what bit her. The nurse told her take aspirin and have some tequila. (probably not a good combination) The swelling and redness did go down after 2 days.
7. Gym. Please turn on the air conditioning and fix some of the equipment. The rusted treadmill , and broken TV did not lend to a nice atmosphere. My wife is training for a marathon, and found the equipment less than usable.
Unacceptable:
1. La Piazza staff. While the food was OK, the service was HORRID. We ended up going 3 times as we were travelling with our 17 year old daughter who wanted pizza. The atmosphere open to the stars was nice. But you still need to be served! For the first time in all of our trips to Mexico, we walked out before our desert was served without tip. It was almost like the staff were doing their best NOT to look our way so we could order another drink. On the night in question, there were 4 tables with people and 2 servers.
Did not Use:
1. Pools.
2. Palancar Dive op.
3. Lobby Bar
I book the OCG through the web until I contacted him. He gave me a package that included the 2 rooms I needed at the OCG plus all of our diving. It was a package deal, and it was take it all or none. But the purpose was to go down and dive, so I don't know why I wouldnt take it. Here is my review of things:
Occidental Grand is a nice 3 star hotel. I should preface this with stating that we have stayed at the Barcelo Palace (twice), Dreams, and the Bahia Principe all on the Mayan Riviera, so these are my basis for comparison. I knew that the Grand would not be quite the same level of resort, but that is what I had to compare against.
First the Diving was great and the dive staff was fantastic. Small groups, surface when YOU are low on gas. Free nitrox. But the BEST part! They had the patience to get my wife certified. Her course here in Canada was very poorly done and the staff pretty much repeated all of the pool sessions for free. Then they had the patience and wisdom of a saint and provide semiprivate open water dives for her. As the one DM put it to her. "We are NOT leaving until you do this!" (my wife now loves diving but learning was not without her anxieties) They had no problem picking us up from the pier at the Grand, but a lot of times we enjoyed the walk down the beach to the Allegro where the Dive Shop was. They also had no problem taking my daughter and me to Punta Sur by ourselves so there was only the DM and my daughter and myself. Still one of my favorite dives. We didn't do the the throat as we got sidetracked by the eagle rays and spent to much time watching them overhead. Better than DT anyhow. I was also impressed the DMs would not allow a diver to take her camera until she could prove she had better control of herself on the dives. I agreed with the decision. Our gear was well cared for. The typical "Box" and wetsuits hung to dry.
the resort
Great: (5 stars)
1. Our room was clean, attractive, well located. We were in room 1816. One draw back. There were three of us in the room. Our fruit basket consisted of an apple, banana, and pear(?). We did get a bottle of wine, but there was only one wine glass for the 3 of us.
2. Repairs were rapid and professionally done. Our hairdryer broke, and our safe had a sticky digit that required reset twice.
3. Ollivos (sp?) the Itallian restaurant was quite nice! Great staff and food
Good: (4 stars)
1. Grounds were attractive, loved the jungle. Not that it really bothered me but I did notice the crocodile tracks in the sand to the north of the resort. Might want to post a sign?
2. Nightly entertainment. Was entertaining and the performers seemed to really enjoy themselves.
3. The steak house. This again was nice meal with friendly staff.
4. Bell hop. Friendly and good service
5. Serving staff at La Posada. Staff was friendly, prompt and polite.
6. Spa service. My wife and daughter booked two massages. They would not have done the 2nd massage if the first was not good.
7. Beach. Nice beach, cleaned each morning.
Average: (3 stars)
1. Bar. While the staff was always friendly, you need more than ONE bartender at the pool as this could get quite lined up. I would also invest in some fake wasp nests. Wasps are territorial and if they see a nest, a large majority of these will not hover around. At least this works here where the wasps are already a problem.
2. Drinks. Provide an option for top shelf liquor and I will be one of the first to pay for it. As it is, I tried a few drinks, then switched to beer for the whole trip. Not that my family drinks a lot, but one or two single malt scotches wouldnt hurt.
3. Maintenance. Repairs to the grounds seemed non existent. In two places someone had managed to punch out a section of the bridge railing. Aesthetically the red Danger ribbon wrapped back and forth between the posts look bad, not to mention the real safety concern for small children. The first section was broken a couple days after we got there, the send a couple of days later. So for at least a week, these remained in disrepair. They were still not fixed when we left.
4. Evening Meal, Posada. This was not bad, but not great either. Variety did vary, but you could usually find last nights supper at tomorrows lunch.
5. Maid service. While the beds were made, I am not sure if things like the table ever got wiped off as I could still see the beer can rings on the glass when we left. It was also a mystery as to what time the room would be cleaned at, and one day we were completely missed.
6. Mini Bar. If you are going to fill the mini bar every 3rd day. You need to put more than 2 beer in it.
7. Internet. A bit pricey for a slow connection. Used the in room connection only.
Poor: (2 stars)
1. La Posada and the beach restaurant. Please, give more than one fork and knife or have the staff quit taking them with the plates. . A spoon would be nice when coffee is served too. Also it was a mystery when we would get napkins or not. I suspect there were issues with the laundry. For over half the trip, we only got a napkin if we asked for it.
2. La Posada. Condiments and other items. Ran out of Peanut butter on the 2nd day. Never got replaced until 2nd last day. Would love some other fruit other than mellon, honeydue, and pineapple. Asked the bar man for one of his bananas once and he told me they were for the drinks. So I ordered a virgin Banana Mamma with no juice or ice, unblended. He looked at me funny and laughed. (I got the banana)
3. La Posada Breakfast. Very plain breakfast. Virtually the same menu except for the flavoured scrambled eggs that had last nights meat mixed in.
4. La Posada cleanliness. Saw a cook drop a pan on the floor and pick it up at start using it. Only when he noticed someone saw it fall did he then turn around to put it in the sink.
5. Front Desk. Only used the front desk a couple of times, but was less than impressed.
a. First time, looking for change for a $10. I usually give the bartender and serving staff a tip every time we get drinks. The guy at the bar said he couldnt change it and sent me to the front desk. The front desk sent me back to the bar. This was around 6:00 PM. The serving staff in la Posada finally had some change.
b. We were there for 12 days. But our keys all expired 7 days into the trip. I thought it might have been mine getting de magnetized, but all 3 keys needed rekeying on the same day. I ended up making 3 trips from 1816 to the front desk. Each time waiting in line as new guests checked in. The 3rd time they told me I could have had this done at the royal club (but I had no more keys to rekey)
c. My wife went to book more a la carte dinners at 8:55 AM. She was told they didnt do this until 9:00. So she sat at the front, waiting and watching the front desk staff member sit at the desk for 5 min. Then coming forward to make the reservations.
6. Medical staff. My wife was bitten on the toe by an insect of some sort. It swelled up quite a bit, turned red, but more importantly you could see a line of red across her foot, and 3 inches up her shin. Obviously some sort of venom from a spider or beetle. She did not see what bit her. The nurse told her take aspirin and have some tequila. (probably not a good combination) The swelling and redness did go down after 2 days.
7. Gym. Please turn on the air conditioning and fix some of the equipment. The rusted treadmill , and broken TV did not lend to a nice atmosphere. My wife is training for a marathon, and found the equipment less than usable.
Unacceptable:
1. La Piazza staff. While the food was OK, the service was HORRID. We ended up going 3 times as we were travelling with our 17 year old daughter who wanted pizza. The atmosphere open to the stars was nice. But you still need to be served! For the first time in all of our trips to Mexico, we walked out before our desert was served without tip. It was almost like the staff were doing their best NOT to look our way so we could order another drink. On the night in question, there were 4 tables with people and 2 servers.
Did not Use:
1. Pools.
2. Palancar Dive op.
3. Lobby Bar
Been in Cozumel three times and my last two stays were at the Iberostar. Had no problem whatsoever with the facility itself as well as Dressel Diver who provides diving services at the location. Rooms are great, food is excellent, the place never feels crowded and the dive shop is fantastic. If you are expecting a beach similar to Playa del Carmen, you coul dbe in a rude awakening. The beach itself is OK but access to the water is better with tropical booties as you step on rocks, etc. You can access the snorkeling area by using the jetty and the ladder.
Diving...Dressel normally has three large diving boats and other dive ops can up there if you prefer. If you book your dive package on their website, you will save 20%. If nitrox certified you get free nitrox upgrade (As per the Allegro and Grand).
After talking to some folks who had been at both facilities...what I got was that the rooms were probably a bit nicer at the OCG (I found room and service were still very good at the Ibero), food was better at the Ibero and diving with Dressel allowed you to visit many sites (as per their daily schedule posted on their website) comparing to the dive ops at OCG where folks visited many times over and over the same few sites as new divers kept showing on a daily basis and wanted to see very specific sites.
Have a nice trip
Diving...Dressel normally has three large diving boats and other dive ops can up there if you prefer. If you book your dive package on their website, you will save 20%. If nitrox certified you get free nitrox upgrade (As per the Allegro and Grand).
After talking to some folks who had been at both facilities...what I got was that the rooms were probably a bit nicer at the OCG (I found room and service were still very good at the Ibero), food was better at the Ibero and diving with Dressel allowed you to visit many sites (as per their daily schedule posted on their website) comparing to the dive ops at OCG where folks visited many times over and over the same few sites as new divers kept showing on a daily basis and wanted to see very specific sites.
Have a nice trip
Last edited:
Hello
I am planning to go to Cozumel in October this year and after reading so many reviews I don't know where to go anymore! The Occidental is rated a 4 stars and seems to be a nicer resort with nicer beach. It seems like the food is so so ( is this still true; I saw many old reviews???). The Iberostar is a 3 1/2 star and it seems like most people like it, including the food. The Occidental is cheaper to book. So.... anyone can give me advice on where I should go? I am planning to dive with my daughter who is newly certified. It seems like both dive shop (dressel and Palancar) are well recommended. Any advice? Other places to suggest??? I also looked at the Park Royal Cozumel but usually I like smaller resort than that. Would appreciate any suggestions!
Thanks
France
I am planning to go to Cozumel in October this year and after reading so many reviews I don't know where to go anymore! The Occidental is rated a 4 stars and seems to be a nicer resort with nicer beach. It seems like the food is so so ( is this still true; I saw many old reviews???). The Iberostar is a 3 1/2 star and it seems like most people like it, including the food. The Occidental is cheaper to book. So.... anyone can give me advice on where I should go? I am planning to dive with my daughter who is newly certified. It seems like both dive shop (dressel and Palancar) are well recommended. Any advice? Other places to suggest??? I also looked at the Park Royal Cozumel but usually I like smaller resort than that. Would appreciate any suggestions!
Thanks
France
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