Cozumel Resort(Brisas) Trip Report

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plmbrok

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Location
Near Austin, Texas
This is a rather lengthy report, but due to past stories of bad occurences at Brisas I felt it only fair to tell allthe good stuff we enjoyed.

Cozumel Trip Review Dec 6th to 13th
Cozumel Resort ( Brisas)


This is my 13th trip to Cozumel and by far the best ever.

Continental Airlines delayed our vacation due to snow in Newark. After a 15-minute late arrival in Cozumel at 11:45 am CST on Saturday, December 6th, the North wind welcomed us with 68 degree weather.

Do not use the “vans” from the airport (Taxis are not allowed in airport for pickups- only drop offs), the airport vans charge twice as much ($22.50) as walking 400 yards out of the airport and using taxi pickups. Taxi fare for 3 people to Cozumel Resort (Formerly Brisas) was $10.50.

We were welcomed to check in early without any hassle. The 5-minute check in at Cozumel Resort was very smooth and well coordinated. Our first impression of the resort upon arrival was much better than anticipated from all we had read on line. The grounds were very clean and manicured, there was very friendly staff everywhere( All with smiles- Never see that in the US anymore) to greet us and assist with any questions.

After moving into our room, it is “Margarita time”; with 3 locations for drinks and food- All Inclusive,
In 8 days we never felt we could not get service, food or drinks we desired. A special thanks to Mike at the pool side for a complete orientation of the operations, what to do & what not to do, areas to stay away from, “Inside Tips” to enjoy the resort facilities more, a complete schedule of events through out our stay and the willingness to help with anything we needed (Even if it was not in his job duties- He would go & find someone to assist us).

Our room was very clean, NO odors and with 2 double beds there was adequate room for 2 Adult females and 1 Adult male. The beds were freshly made and not hard like the beds we have tried to sleep on in the past at other places in Cozumel. Fresh water was furnished daily and we were not restricted to one bottle daily. We had 3 bottles through out the week. Air conditioning worked great and kept the humidity comfortable in the room. All rooms have a large balcony with hanging areas for wet suits and clothing as well as a table with chairs to overlook the pool.

The pool has a designated volleyball game area, a wonderful hot tub, a kiddie’s pool and a large area for adults with loungers and chairs. There were ping-pong tables, billiard tables, a tennis court and shaded seating area for eating, drinking or observing others in the pool activities. Tropical birds are in a large area to add additional beauty. The bar and grill pool side offers hot hamburgers, fries, hot dogs, nachos and all beverages. All food here was always hot and delicious.

Everyone enjoyed a welcome smile and hello from the security guard before proceeding to the well-lit tunnel under the street to a private beach for seaside noon dining (This tunnel is very much appreciated when traffic is non stop on the street above). The seaside dining was first class with fresh soup, fresh guacamole, 4 salads, fresh vegetables, steamed vegetables, 4 meat dishes (Beef, Chicken, Pork & fish), 4 types of fresh fruit and home baked breads.

There is a seaside fresh water pool or a designated swimming area with buoy lines for salt-water swimming, snorkeling or scuba diving. Underwater is very alive here. During the day we saw spotted eels, rockfish, trumpet fish, flounder, spotted rays, crabs, puffer fish, grouper and hundreds of colorful fish. Snorkeling at night we were able to observe lobster, sea urchins and nocturnal only fish. Overall, a wonderful, private place to enjoy the crystal clear water with very easy access in and out.

The best for last- Evening Dining. We were very impressed and pleased with every evening meal. Beverages are available prior to dining if desired at the lounge area with a large screen television.


Fresh soup, 2 blocks of cheese to dress dishes with or snack on, complimentary wine with your meal and a wonderful selection for dining. Choices were Filet Mignon, Rib eye, T Bone, Lamb chops, Pork chops, Filleted Chicken Breasts, fresh Salmon filets, whole White fish, steamed vegetables, rice, potatoes au gratin, shrimp& steak kabobs, shrimp & fish kabobs, Snapper, Fresh vegetables, fresh baked bread & rolls, 3 to 5 cakes & pies for dessert and wonderful coffee.

Fiesta Festival on Friday night- Poolside dining with wonderful food, well choreographed dance show of Mexican heritage dances , Audience participation acts, Karaoke in Main dining hall was a blast

Thank you to many wonderful Cozumel Resort staff who made our stay so Excellent:

Roberto – Manager- Attention to detail & always concerned we enjoyed ourselves

Martin- Front desk with answers to everything

Enrique, Daniel, Miguel, Luis, Leticia- Wait staff, Bartenders, Very friendly

Mike- Entertainment staff, Helpful, Friendly

e mail if you have any specific questions at Rramsey7@austin.rr.com
 
:yea: We are leaving Monday for the Cozumel Resort but we are not using Dive Paradise. I am very glad to hear the hotel and food were great we also opt'd for the AI which I was very nervous about since everything I had read was pretty much neg. We had stayed there before but only had breakfast and lunch which we found to be ok. The only question I have is our dive op is picking us up at 7:45am :snooze: and I was wondering what time they start serving breakfast.:morning:
Thanks
:sunnyday:
 
You sure you don't work for them? It sounds like a commercial. IMHO you might have a liitle more weight with the review if you had some things that weren't perfect in there.
 
close to my Aug. experience, for the exception of food and _some_ of the stuff - they were trying to give me a hard time cause i was not wearing badge. But it worked out at the end. Breakfast was nice, but in a week we were fed up with the same set of products.

Will see how it will be this time - i heard that even though the name has been changed in last 3/4 months 10 :) times - same people are working there...

we will go to brisas/ReeefScape/whatever-name-they-have-now on Wednesday night.
 
Yes, the hotel report was a little flowery but I'm glad plmbrok posted a GOOD report about Brisas, aka. whatever the name is today. Too many people talk about how bad the food is without thinking about the people who read these reports and base their entire decision on where to stay on every negative comment. 10 people could stay at the same place and every one of them would have a different opinion about the food, the grounds, the rooms, the staff, etc. I believe that your personal experience on vacation, especially in a foreign country, is based on the attitude you have. You can either be a loud, rude, demanding Ugly American and treat the locals like pond scum and your personal servants, or you can adopt a laid-back, I'm in their country on vacation, whatever happens, happens attitude. My bet is the people who fall into the latter category will have a MUCH better vacation than the former!

I stayed at Brisas twice over the summer and both my experiences with this hotel were very similar to plmbrok's report. I ignored everyone's negative comments about the food, the hard beds and the rude staff and chose to stay there based on price, proximity to town and amenities. I stayed AI, and while I can't vouch for the dinners because I ate in town every night, breakfast, lunch and the STRONG drinks at the bar were quite tasty. I enjoyed being able to just eat at the hotel for breakfast and lunch because I was hopping on the dive boat every few hours. And the facilities for divers were great--free lockers, 2 rinse tanks and 2 showers to rinse off in. I had no problems on either of my stays and I think the hotel is a great value for the money, especially considering its proximity to town and comparing amenities to the other AI's farther from town. I don't work for the hotel, as I'm sure plmbrok doesn't either--but I always have a fabulous time on vacation and I'd be happy staying in a shack if it meant I was in Cozumel! It's all in the attitude, people....

So plmbrok, thanks for both of your reports--I enjoyed your diving report as well--and I'm glad you had such a great time on your vacation! :)
 
7:00 am was official time, but we seated as early as 6:30 -2 mornings
 
Thanks for your wonderful report on Brisas we are heading down to Brisas on the 20th Dec and we were a little worried about the food and everything .So reading your report made us feel better about booking with them! Thanks!
 
I think this property is a great place to go on a DIVE trip. The facilities are fine. If I am taking my non-diver wife with me and want a nicer facility then that is a priority. If she let's me go on a dive trip without her this is the place where I like to stay. It is close to Chedrui for basic supplies and close enough to town to walk for a good dinner. The last time I was there I stayed at PLG due to a package trip, the view was nicer, but the room was not.

Dnhill
 
What did you find was appropiate for tipping in Brisas? are you expected to tip for every drink you get?What is a good amount to tip for drinks? for food? We have the all inclusive.
 
We tipped $1-2 for breakfast, $2-4 for lunch, $3-7 for dinner.
Drinks tipping was done according to how long we sat in an area & had drinks. Drinks are small but potent. You will notice that the employees serve several different roles during the day. They will learn your name & what you drink quickly.

Have a great trip
 

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