Cozumel Hotel Recommendations
- Thread starter Kris Staz
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Slym
Contributor
Awesome, pleanty of time then, I'll let you know What I think of it, I'll probably make a trip report with many photos and such... I find Allegro doesn't have many reviews except for what is on trip advisor, the ultimate dive experience info is pretty slim in terms of what you can look at online.
Willar
Contributor
I've stayed with my kids at the Iberostar Cozumel and the Park Royal, as well as staying at Scuba Club Cozumel with a hard-core dive group. My preference for the family is the Park Royal because it's closer to town and has good facilities for families (teens) to enjoy. If you want to be secluded and closer to diving, pick the Iberostar.
The Park Royal is near the international cruise ship pier with several restaurants nearby if you want to try something different. It's a short, cheap taxi ride to the center of town where most restaurants and shopping are available. The food was good but not great. There's a wide selection at the buffet so you should be able to find something you like at every meal, though the food was a bit bland (for our family who likes good Mexican food). I guess they don't want to offend people from the States. The table service restaurants were slightly better but nothing to brag about. The beach grill is pretty darn good for burgers and such at lunch. There are three pools so you have a choice of where you want to hang out, plus there's several areas to lay out on a lounger for sunning. There is a small beach but it won't win any awards for size or beauty. They have beach volleyball several times per day. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The rooms were good, nothing special, but they were clean. The view we had from the tower was very nice. We dived with Dive With Martin which is one of the very best on Cozumel. They are a short, 5 minute walk to the cruise ship pier. Outstanding service, good prices, and great dive masters. Overall, I would return here with family or adults-only because of location and because the reasonable pricing makes it a good value.
I've stayed at several Iberostar resorts in Mexico and have never been disappointed. Iberostar Cozumel is the farthest resort south on the island (I believe) which has the advantage of being extremely close to the best diving in Cozumel. It is a 5 minute boat ride to most dives and surface intervals are back at the resort where you can get a drink or snack, or just do a one-tank dive if you want. The on site dive op is Dressel Divers who are very competent but maybe a little too focused on watching over their divers. Dive boats are big but they divide into smaller groups when diving so I never felt over-crowded. My son did his Padi OW here and I felt they did a great job with him. The resort is bigger and more lush than the PR with lots of wildlife on the property. It also means more walking. It has a wide beach but it is mostly ironstone so you still don't have a picture-perfect sand beach. The pool is large and there is plenty of room for everyone. They have lots of activities for kids but it's probably focused at kids younger than yours. As for the food, just copy and paste what I said about PR above. Good, passable, nothing fabulous. Although I do remember having a very good steak there, and I would totally skip the Mexican as it was very disappointing. The only nearby restaurant I remember is a little place just down the beach - Alberto's? - which was pretty good. The rooms were good, maybe slightly bigger than PR. They are small buildings so you won't use an elevator but you might have stairs to a second floor unit. The biggest downside is this resort is so far from town that means you probably would only taxi to downtown once. And it seemed a little quieter (good or bad).
BTW, be sure to rent a Jeep and take a day to drive around the east side of the island with your family. There are several good family-friendly bar & grills with wonderful views and good food. Take your time and enjoy the drive and the views. It's a great way to relax with the family.
The Park Royal is near the international cruise ship pier with several restaurants nearby if you want to try something different. It's a short, cheap taxi ride to the center of town where most restaurants and shopping are available. The food was good but not great. There's a wide selection at the buffet so you should be able to find something you like at every meal, though the food was a bit bland (for our family who likes good Mexican food). I guess they don't want to offend people from the States. The table service restaurants were slightly better but nothing to brag about. The beach grill is pretty darn good for burgers and such at lunch. There are three pools so you have a choice of where you want to hang out, plus there's several areas to lay out on a lounger for sunning. There is a small beach but it won't win any awards for size or beauty. They have beach volleyball several times per day. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The rooms were good, nothing special, but they were clean. The view we had from the tower was very nice. We dived with Dive With Martin which is one of the very best on Cozumel. They are a short, 5 minute walk to the cruise ship pier. Outstanding service, good prices, and great dive masters. Overall, I would return here with family or adults-only because of location and because the reasonable pricing makes it a good value.
I've stayed at several Iberostar resorts in Mexico and have never been disappointed. Iberostar Cozumel is the farthest resort south on the island (I believe) which has the advantage of being extremely close to the best diving in Cozumel. It is a 5 minute boat ride to most dives and surface intervals are back at the resort where you can get a drink or snack, or just do a one-tank dive if you want. The on site dive op is Dressel Divers who are very competent but maybe a little too focused on watching over their divers. Dive boats are big but they divide into smaller groups when diving so I never felt over-crowded. My son did his Padi OW here and I felt they did a great job with him. The resort is bigger and more lush than the PR with lots of wildlife on the property. It also means more walking. It has a wide beach but it is mostly ironstone so you still don't have a picture-perfect sand beach. The pool is large and there is plenty of room for everyone. They have lots of activities for kids but it's probably focused at kids younger than yours. As for the food, just copy and paste what I said about PR above. Good, passable, nothing fabulous. Although I do remember having a very good steak there, and I would totally skip the Mexican as it was very disappointing. The only nearby restaurant I remember is a little place just down the beach - Alberto's? - which was pretty good. The rooms were good, maybe slightly bigger than PR. They are small buildings so you won't use an elevator but you might have stairs to a second floor unit. The biggest downside is this resort is so far from town that means you probably would only taxi to downtown once. And it seemed a little quieter (good or bad).
BTW, be sure to rent a Jeep and take a day to drive around the east side of the island with your family. There are several good family-friendly bar & grills with wonderful views and good food. Take your time and enjoy the drive and the views. It's a great way to relax with the family.
Park Royal might fit the bill - very nice pools etc.
Brules
Contributor
I will mirror the above two posts in saying the GPR due to the fact you have a wife and 16 y/o non divers with you. You are essentially me with 1 less kid. 
We have been going for years and my kids are 15 and 11. They love the place and are kept busy all day long with tons of activites.
I prefer the PR for all the reasons Willar said.
In addition - they have an excellent activity staff that will keep the 16 yr old busy all day and out of parents hair if they so choose. They actually do nightly shows that are actually quite good (and funny). It is the closest AI to town that is above avg food and drink wise. I dont agree with the ppl who booo AI's. I have done both and prefer the AI for ease of use, ESPECIALLY with non diving spouse/family who are not being left at the hotel and having to deal with buying/paying for every little thing while you are off diving lol. I did that to my wife on our honeymoon..........big nono!
Downsides to PR:
- VERY hard to get a king bed. Otherwise all rooms are 2 doubles lol
- front desk staff can be a bit.....ahole'ish - weird as every other person there is the nicest best people ever lol
- Beds are hard (stnd for Mexico)
- Cruise ships are right out front (I dont mind and like watching them leave at sunset)
- small man made beach - we dont mind as natural cozumel sand tends to suck IMHO (full of rocks and coral etc)
Other upsides:
- you will have the chance to meet a LOT of people from other countries there - the Royal Park company sells timeshares all over central/south america so you will see families there from all over. Take advantage of it - I love meeting people from far away places.
- shopping mall next door (cruise ship mall)
- property isnt a mile long like the southern hotels
We have been going for years and my kids are 15 and 11. They love the place and are kept busy all day long with tons of activites.I prefer the PR for all the reasons Willar said.
In addition - they have an excellent activity staff that will keep the 16 yr old busy all day and out of parents hair if they so choose. They actually do nightly shows that are actually quite good (and funny). It is the closest AI to town that is above avg food and drink wise. I dont agree with the ppl who booo AI's. I have done both and prefer the AI for ease of use, ESPECIALLY with non diving spouse/family who are not being left at the hotel and having to deal with buying/paying for every little thing while you are off diving lol. I did that to my wife on our honeymoon..........big nono!
Downsides to PR:
- VERY hard to get a king bed. Otherwise all rooms are 2 doubles lol
- front desk staff can be a bit.....ahole'ish - weird as every other person there is the nicest best people ever lol
- Beds are hard (stnd for Mexico)
- Cruise ships are right out front (I dont mind and like watching them leave at sunset)
- small man made beach - we dont mind as natural cozumel sand tends to suck IMHO (full of rocks and coral etc)
Other upsides:
- you will have the chance to meet a LOT of people from other countries there - the Royal Park company sells timeshares all over central/south america so you will see families there from all over. Take advantage of it - I love meeting people from far away places.
- shopping mall next door (cruise ship mall)
- property isnt a mile long like the southern hotels
I just got back from my third stay at Casa Del Mar in the last 9 months. I really love everyone there.
The hotel is on the no-frills side of things, but they do offer an all-inclusive food and drinks (including alcohol) option for $42/person/day. They have a nice but small pool and are physically attached to Cozumel Marine World via a bridge over the main road. They have their own dock they leave from for diving trips, so you can grab breakfast and walk a few feet to get on the boat. You're almost always back from diving by 1pm at the latest.
The restaurant is open serving various menus from 7am until 10pm every day. Food is fine. Not outstanding, but totally serviceable, even for a NYC food snob like me.
The staff is all completely top notch and the whole experience they provide makes you feel like you're paying more than the just $99/night for your rooms. They also frequently offer packages that include hotel, the all-inclusive option and diving.
They're definitely aimed at divers, but I think your family would be plenty happy with the pool area in the mornings while you dive. It's an excellent option if you don't want to break the bank.
Home | Casa del Mar | Cozumel, México
The hotel is on the no-frills side of things, but they do offer an all-inclusive food and drinks (including alcohol) option for $42/person/day. They have a nice but small pool and are physically attached to Cozumel Marine World via a bridge over the main road. They have their own dock they leave from for diving trips, so you can grab breakfast and walk a few feet to get on the boat. You're almost always back from diving by 1pm at the latest.
The restaurant is open serving various menus from 7am until 10pm every day. Food is fine. Not outstanding, but totally serviceable, even for a NYC food snob like me.
The staff is all completely top notch and the whole experience they provide makes you feel like you're paying more than the just $99/night for your rooms. They also frequently offer packages that include hotel, the all-inclusive option and diving.
They're definitely aimed at divers, but I think your family would be plenty happy with the pool area in the mornings while you dive. It's an excellent option if you don't want to break the bank.
Home | Casa del Mar | Cozumel, México
Or hire a taxi. I used to rent or borrow from friends a vehicle to do the around the island excursion, but I got tired of having to be the designated driver. The last five or six trips that's what we have done. Hiring a cab isn't much more expensive than renting (it may be less), and the drivers we hired took us to all our favorite haunts and waited for us as long as we wanted to stay. It's a great way to see the "wild side".
nodakdive
Contributor
I've stayed at CDM many times, but never AI. Thanks for posting the rate. It was $39/day the last time I looked. What I like about the place is that it splits the difference between a big resort and a small hotel. My non-diving, resort type friends like it. From the room furthest from the restaurant, it's less than 1 minute to get to the restaurant. I timed it. Also, they don't charge for other dive ops to pick you up, and they have lockers for your gear, and rinse tank etc, right on the dock. A taxi to town is 80 pesos. I don't have any problem with their food either, but we have supper in town almost every night.
Sue Sue
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Kris, What is your budget level ? $-$$-$$$-$$$+. How many Bedrooms do you want ?
Double S
sharky60
Contributor
Actually, Occidental Grand might be a good choice. It's pretty far south, so getting to and back from the dive sites is quite quick.
I THINK Dive Paradise is on-site dive op, but not sure. Most other dive ops will pick up at their pier, so on-site dive op is not that necessary.
they have 2 pools, one on the "interior" of the property, and one on the beach, with a restaurant there also.
Not sure what it's like now, but we stayed there several years ago and it was very nice, huge room & bath, beautiful property, the food was very good at every meal, not the same thing day in and day out on the buffet's. Not much for nightlife down there though and getting to town by taxi is quite expensive ($20+ each way). I'd suggest renting a car a day or two if you want to get off the property and explore.
Staying almost anywhere near town, you will probably get back to the hotel between 12:30 & 1:00 after a morning dive.
I don't think the El Presidente is AI. But it is VERY nice, Cozumel's only true 5-star hotel. We visited some friends staying there last year and had dinner at on of the restaurants ... excellent.
If you want to stay close to town and could rent at El Cantil, it might be a good choice.
I never hear much about the place that used to be Plaza las Glorias ... Cozumel Palace? but it looks nice & and is close to town, right next to El Cantil.
I think the newly remodeled Fiesta Americana is AI. NIce property & beach. Fairly good snorkeling in the area.
I'm pretty sure Hotel Cozumel has AI options. Very nice pool area, close to town.
I THINK Dive Paradise is on-site dive op, but not sure. Most other dive ops will pick up at their pier, so on-site dive op is not that necessary.
they have 2 pools, one on the "interior" of the property, and one on the beach, with a restaurant there also.
Not sure what it's like now, but we stayed there several years ago and it was very nice, huge room & bath, beautiful property, the food was very good at every meal, not the same thing day in and day out on the buffet's. Not much for nightlife down there though and getting to town by taxi is quite expensive ($20+ each way). I'd suggest renting a car a day or two if you want to get off the property and explore.
Staying almost anywhere near town, you will probably get back to the hotel between 12:30 & 1:00 after a morning dive.
I don't think the El Presidente is AI. But it is VERY nice, Cozumel's only true 5-star hotel. We visited some friends staying there last year and had dinner at on of the restaurants ... excellent.
If you want to stay close to town and could rent at El Cantil, it might be a good choice.
I never hear much about the place that used to be Plaza las Glorias ... Cozumel Palace? but it looks nice & and is close to town, right next to El Cantil.
I think the newly remodeled Fiesta Americana is AI. NIce property & beach. Fairly good snorkeling in the area.
I'm pretty sure Hotel Cozumel has AI options. Very nice pool area, close to town.
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