Hotel El Cid

[rgerman95]

Have a chance to go to Cozumel this fall and was wondering what experiences people have had at Hotel El Cid La Ceiba Beach.

If you've stayed there, I'd appreciate any info positive or negative.

Thanks

 

[robint]

We stayed there several years ago and though we liked the hotel itself, we hated that it was next to the cruise ship pier. The traffic was horrible, the taxi cabs blocked the road constantly, we had a hard time finding a parking spot for our rental car, and cruise ship people took over the pool area during daytime (wasn't a huge issue for us as we were gone diving most days). I wouldnt' stay there again, personally.

robin

 

[Butch Fries]

It is next to the cruise piers, but the "cruceros" are gone by about 5 or 6. We've stayed there many times. Rooms are spacious and include a refrigerator, and it's very clean and well kept, with a friendly staff. It was completely re-done after it was damaged by Hurricane Wilma, so the rooms are newer. It also offers shore diving, and although you won't see anything spectacular, it's a good place for a "warmup" dive and the night diving there is enjoyable. Another advantage is that you're pretty close to the reefs, and if you do a night dive at Paraiso it's only about a 5-minute ride. The one drawback is that the on-site restaurant is OK for breakfast but pretty bad otherwise.

 

[Darol]

The food is good if your all inclusive, they use a menu for your choices.
Some of the restaurant wait staff are less than useful, especially the "Tall Guy", you will know who I mean.
The room I had sucked, unless you like a view of a tree.
The ships are way too close, you can hear the intercom, and diesel generators.
If your getting a great deal, and just looking for a place to sleep, go for it.
If you want to relax, and feel like your on vacation, try the Cozumel Resort...

 

[HeathL17]

Was just there a week ago for 8 days.... other than "some" (not much) traffic from the cruise ships, it's a fantastic place to stay. I dove with Babieca (the onsite op) and had a fantastic time - Louis was a great divemaster. They only have one fast boat, it's nice, but it fills up quickly so make reservations early.

As far as the hote, it's a nice hotel - rooms are great and clean, beds are nice, and there is plenty of room.

 

[sharky60]

La Ceiba used to be our regular hotel until the prices went up with El Cid's time share introduction.

we loved the place, being close to the cruise ships was never a problem. We enjoyed the people watching show.

the hotel is very nice, the staff is wonderful, the food was always very good, they have reworked the grounds and lobby since we stayed there, it is much more "resorty" than it used to be, less rustic.

nice beach, some very good shore diving out front. I don't know how much, if any of the airplane is left after Wilma.

 

[la_diver]

Have stayed at El cid the last 5 times in Coz . Enjoyed every miniute of it. Just returned last week from a week of diving. We are always welcomed " home" by the staff upon our arrival. The cruise ships don't cause any problems, gives you something to watch early in the morning. Taxis are always close by, never had any trouble getting one. The onsite dive op Babieca is very good, Luis the divemaster is excellent, wife does not want to dive with anyone else. Ditto to what Heath and Sharky said, except we have been getting great deals through our connections. If you want a better price on diving just go thru the time share and tell them NO.... cuts the price just for listening but the timeshare can be a pain. Bring JOLLY RANCHERS.... the group at Babieca love them. We are looking at going back in Nov. as well. Hope this helps. By the way Heath are you feeling the withdrawal pains we are feeling. 5 to 6 months without a fix is too long. Hope this helps. Good diving

 

[Butch Fries]

Sharky60, Wilma moved the plane about 150 feet south of where it used to be. There isn't a great deal left of it but it's still home to some interesting wildlife on a night dive.

 

[rgerman95]

I appreciate all the feedback. Thank you all.

 

[djanni]

We stayed there 4 years ago and will again this August. We liked it. Large rooms. We had a separate bedroom plus 2 baths and a kitchen. Walking distance to some resturants. There was a cruise ship there for some of our stay but we hardly noticed a crowd and taxi's were readily available.

It's a time-share for us. The all-inclusive is optional and we typically decline it. That's a positive.