Cozumel Palace?

[travelswiss]

Does anyone know if the new Cozumel Palace has a beach area? If so, how nice is it? We want to stay at an AI, but would prefer not to be as far south as the OC or Iberostar. A great beach is a must for my wife...

Thanks!

TS

 

[Kat]

Hi, welcome to Scubaboard.

Cozumel Palace is the old Plaza Las Glorias. They claim to have a beach, but it's not like the beaches at the southern resorts like Iberostar & Reef Club. Cozumel Palace is also getting a rather low rating in the tour operators catalogs. It is coming in under Hotel Cozumel (old Brias)

 

[parrotheaddiver]

That remains to be seen..They have not reopended yet and everything was being revamped. PLG had a man made beach it was not what you might consider a "beach" but hopefully the Palace will have a small sandy area that you can relax on next to the water. Most of the beach areas at the hotels are man made.

 

[Kat]

I am very confident in saying that Cozumel Palace will not have a beach like the resorts farther south. It doesn't remain to be seen. Hoping the new Palace "will have a small sandy area" is not what most people would consider a beach. If you have ever been to Allegro, Reef Club, Iberostar or GC Occidental then you have seen a real Cozumel beach. Because travelswiss said "a great beach is a must for the wife", I am positive that the Cozumel Palace will not be what she has in mind for a beach.

 

[travelswiss]

Thanks for the replies. So between the RC, OG, Allegro, and Iberostar which has the largest "nicest" beach? I'm assuming food at an AI will be pretty much the same between all resorts from the reviews I've read. (many love them and many hate them). I'm happy with a salad with guac and free beer.

Oh yeah, and we're bringing our baby if that helps with suggestions...

TS

 

[parrotheaddiver]

I am very confident in saying that Cozumel Palace will not have a beach like the resorts farther south. It doesn't remain to be seen. travelswiss said "a great beach is a must for the wife", I am positive that the Cozumel Palace will not be what she has in mind for a beach.

Sorry Kat, I was answering the question from travelswiss. I guess we were answering at the same time but yours made it in first. I was mainly saying that the resort is not finished, and in Mexico anything can happen. I do realize in that area there are no beaches to speak of.

 

[Christi]

Thanks for the replies. So between the RC, OG, Allegro, and Iberostar which has the largest "nicest" beach? I'm assuming food at an AI will be pretty much the same between all resorts from the reviews I've read. (many love them and many hate them). I'm happy with a salad with guac and free beer.

Oh yeah, and we're bringing our baby if that helps with suggestions...

TS

I would recommend Occidental Grand over Iberostar in a heartbeat!

 

[Christi]

Hi, welcome to Scubaboard.

Cozumel Palace is the old Plaza Las Glorias. They claim to have a beach, but it's not like the beaches at the southern resorts like Iberostar & Reef Club. Cozumel Palace is also getting a rather low rating in the tour operators catalogs. It is coming in under Hotel Cozumel (old Brias)

How can they possibly be rating a hotel that is not even open? Palace resorts elsewhere have very high ratings and are known to be one of the best in the Mexican Riviera.

From what I have seen and heard from people in the know, Cozumel Palace will be very upscale and will have many ammenities.

Not directed at you Kat, this is directed at anyone who isn't familiar withthe beach/non-beach situation here in Coz. Don't blame the beach issue on the hotels. Whether a hotel has a natural sloping sandy beach into the water is dependent on their location. On the west side of the island, we have ironshore. Hotels in these areas have no choice but to make thier own beach, and most do a pretty nice job. They also have ladders and platforms built for easy access into the water.

The further south and east you go, you'll find beautiful natural beaches. It's a trade-off, location or natural beach...but in Cozumel it's hard to get both. Playa Azul and the Presidente are the hotels closest to town with natural beach areas, however, they are also the two most expensive and non-inclusive hotels on the island.

Of the AI hotels, I recommend in this order if location is most important:
Hotel Cozumel (optional AI)
Fiesta Americana (optional AI)
Cozemelino
Melia
Park Royal
Occidental Grand
Allegro
Reef Club
Iberostar

If food/beach is most important, I recommend in this order:
Occidental Grand
Allegro
Cozemelino
Iberostar
Fiesta Americana
Reef Club
Hotel Cozumel
Melia
Park Royal

*Cozemelino and Melia are at the far north end of the island. Taxi into town is $5 to $6 vs. $12 - $18 for the southern AI's. You'll be hard pressed to find a dive boat to pick you up at the northern hotels. If you plan on going into town alot, the cab fare is much less from the north and the north end of the island is beautiful.

I hope this helped at least a little and didn't confuse you more

 

[Kat]

Christi,
I was very surprised with the rating the Coz Palace got. I thought it would be higher too. However, I picked up a brand new Funjet Vacations -2005 Mexico book, at the Our World-Underwater show in Chicago on Sat. The hotel is listed at a 2 1/2 Park Royal got 2 & Hotel Cozumel & Reef Club got a 3. Apple Vacations has given it 4 apples, which is rated a little higher than Funjet, but still not great. The same as Fiesta Americana. (For a point of reference-Funjet gives FA a 3 1/2.) The major tour operators do get to tour the properties & get info before the public. They need to let their customers know what to expect before they book there. While not everyone may agree with the ratings, it is a pretty good indicator of what type of place it is.

I learned my lesson many years ago, on my 1st trip to Coz, about the beach. I did very little reseach, ok-none, and picked a hotel that looked nice. (No internet back then) The night before we leave, we get bumped to a different hotel. When we get there, it has no beach. I now research everything to death.

Sorry Parrotheaddiver,
I totally misunderstood your post. I'm rereading the thread today & I apologize for being so rude.

 

[Christi]

Christi,
I was very surprised with the rating the Coz Palace got. I thought it would be higher too. However, I picked up a brand new Funjet Vacations -2005 Mexico book, at the Our World-Underwater show in Chicago on Sat. The hotel is listed at a 2 1/2 Park Royal got 2 & Hotel Cozumel & Reef Club got a 3. Apple Vacations has given it 4 apples, which is rated a little higher than Funjet, but still not great. The same as Fiesta Americana. (For a point of reference-Funjet gives FA a 3 1/2.) The major tour operators do get to tour the properties & get info before the public. They need to let their customers know what to expect before they book there. While not everyone may agree with the ratings, it is a pretty good indicator of what type of place it is.

I learned my lesson many years ago, on my 1st trip to Coz, about the beach. I did very little reseach, ok-none, and picked a hotel that looked nice. (No internet back then) The night before we leave, we get bumped to a different hotel. When we get there, it has no beach. I now research everything to death.

Sorry Parrotheaddiver,
I totally misunderstood your post. I'm rereading the thread today & I apologize for being so rude.

Very surprising and I still disagree as to how they can rate a place that isn't even opened yet.

The 2 ½ rating may also very well be a typo since it is slated to be a 5 star resort and priced accordingly. Perhaps they were basing the ratings on the old Plaza Las Glorias...I probably wouldn't have even rated PLG as a 2 star due to the terrible service, and how run-down it was.

Anyway, thanks for sharing that info.