Willar
Contributor
We chose the Iberostar Cozumel to be near great diving AND for family friendly features. I am an experienced diver, my son wanted to get certified, and the wife and daughter don't dive. We were not disappointed! The resort held up to all our expectations.
The room was not huge but we found enough room for a family of 4. Sure, a bigger room would be nicer but we didn't have a problem finding a place for everything. The room was very clean, the bed were typical of Mexican resort beds (a little hard) but not the worst I've seen. The shower was larger and nice with plenty of counter space. The little 'frig with drinks was a great feature. The maid did a great job every day.
We had a little leak in the A/C that caused water on the floor but they were very responsive. They offered us to move rooms but we chose to wait for them to repair the problem which they did very quickly the next morning. I give them an A+ for handling the problem as I've seen the "soon come" attitude too many places with no results.
The food varied from OK to Good to Very Good but never reached Excellent. Look folks, you're in Mexico, the food is NOT going to taste like home. (Maybe I'm preaching to the choir here.) Try something different. We always found something we liked at every meal. The best items are found at the grill, like fresh cooked steak, chicken, mahi-mahi, tuna, etc. every night, or at the Mexican side where they freshly prepare a nightly special item. You should give it a try. Now, we didn't like every single thing we tried as some things were too bland, but set it aside and go try something else. If you demand 5-star dining, look elsewhere.
The Mexican reservation restaurant was disappointing but it wasn't bad. We've had enough good Mexican cuisine to expect a little more, but it wasn't terrible. My son's Chicken Roasted in A Corn Husk was the best item.
The Steak House was very good. My Ribeye was very good, my son's tenderloin was very good, and my daughter's pork chops were very good. The service was nice and we decided this is the best dining in the resort so make this your special meal of the week.
Breakfast were very passable with lots of fruits, eggs, waffles, donuts, cereal, juices, and other choices. Lunch had plenty to keep kids and adults happy unless your main desire is salad. My wife felt the salad choices could be better, but I always found several good items. There was pizza, pasta, burgers, mexican, grilled items, veggies, and other assorted items. If you are vegetarian you should be in good shape, there are lots of veggies at every meal. If you have allergies, especially to onions, you might have problems since most foods are prepared ahead, many with onions.
The pools are nice and very clean. Swim-up bar was very good with some premium liquors but then other missing. I guess it's hit or miss on your favorites, just be flexible. Be sure to ask for the bartender's special. The wife said the margaritas were disappointing but loves the mojitos.
Dressel Divers was GREAT! We got my 14 year old son PADI scuba certified (after eLearning online) while we were there. I have been certified for many years and was cautious about training there, but they did an extremely thorough job on his instruction. His Instructor, Vanessa, a French girl, was extremely positive and made sure he knew everything he needed to be a good diver. She spent a greeat deal of time on buoyancy control. I would strongly recommend her for any diver training.
I dove with Bjorn (German) who had been there about 6 months. He was a fantastic guide in leading safe dives with a great positive attitude. He's a marine biologist who loves all the creatures found in the waters around Cozumel and great at helping everyone have a great dive. We were on one of two good sized boats going out 4-5 times daily. No matter which boat, the dive groups were 4-8 divers with a guide. When you or your buddy ran low on air, the guide shot an SMB until you are back on the boat while the rest of the divers continue on their dive. We had really long dives limited only by our air consumption.
I felt the whole staff at Dressel was very focused on outstanding customer service. I would highly recommend Dressel to everyone who wants great, casual diving with plenty of service and guidance. For those who just want a ride to the reef and to be left alone, you likely will be happier with one of the smaller local shops. I did see Dive with Martin picking up people here almost every day. Either way, Iberostar is a great place to stay because you are just 5 minutes to some of the best diving in the world. Personally, I could repeatedly dive Columbia and Palancar reefs for the rest of my life!
The beach was nice but we spent most of our time around the very nice pools. The beach is rocky so everyone snorkels off the pier. It works great because there are nice steps down to the water. There are hundreds of snapper, grunts, sergeant majors, chub, and a baracuda under the pier. Bring some bread for extra feeding fun! We also found starfish, flounder, and plenty of fun stuff for my younger daughter to spot. We didn't need any other outing to keep her happy in her desire to snorkel with the fishes.
The resort grounds are beautiful and the many creatures we discovered were thrilling to the kids.... frogs, iguana, peacocks, flamingos, cats, etc. The whole property was in good repair, cleaned, and well kept. The only experience we had with the spa were massages on the beach...an excellent way to spend 30-60 minutes!
All the staff we encountered were very helpful and friendly. After several trips to Jamaica and the "island time" slow attitude, we found Iberostar Cozumel to be refreshing. The service was very good and the staff is obviously well trained. We will likely return in the near future.
Is this a world class, 5 star resort? No, but the price is excellent and it is an excellent resort for the money, and exceeds some more expensive resorts in the Caribbean. For families, this is an excellent choice. Let's say it's a 4-star family resort, 5-star if you adjust for price-value. Email me if you have questions.
The room was not huge but we found enough room for a family of 4. Sure, a bigger room would be nicer but we didn't have a problem finding a place for everything. The room was very clean, the bed were typical of Mexican resort beds (a little hard) but not the worst I've seen. The shower was larger and nice with plenty of counter space. The little 'frig with drinks was a great feature. The maid did a great job every day.
We had a little leak in the A/C that caused water on the floor but they were very responsive. They offered us to move rooms but we chose to wait for them to repair the problem which they did very quickly the next morning. I give them an A+ for handling the problem as I've seen the "soon come" attitude too many places with no results.
The food varied from OK to Good to Very Good but never reached Excellent. Look folks, you're in Mexico, the food is NOT going to taste like home. (Maybe I'm preaching to the choir here.) Try something different. We always found something we liked at every meal. The best items are found at the grill, like fresh cooked steak, chicken, mahi-mahi, tuna, etc. every night, or at the Mexican side where they freshly prepare a nightly special item. You should give it a try. Now, we didn't like every single thing we tried as some things were too bland, but set it aside and go try something else. If you demand 5-star dining, look elsewhere.
The Mexican reservation restaurant was disappointing but it wasn't bad. We've had enough good Mexican cuisine to expect a little more, but it wasn't terrible. My son's Chicken Roasted in A Corn Husk was the best item.
The Steak House was very good. My Ribeye was very good, my son's tenderloin was very good, and my daughter's pork chops were very good. The service was nice and we decided this is the best dining in the resort so make this your special meal of the week.
Breakfast were very passable with lots of fruits, eggs, waffles, donuts, cereal, juices, and other choices. Lunch had plenty to keep kids and adults happy unless your main desire is salad. My wife felt the salad choices could be better, but I always found several good items. There was pizza, pasta, burgers, mexican, grilled items, veggies, and other assorted items. If you are vegetarian you should be in good shape, there are lots of veggies at every meal. If you have allergies, especially to onions, you might have problems since most foods are prepared ahead, many with onions.
The pools are nice and very clean. Swim-up bar was very good with some premium liquors but then other missing. I guess it's hit or miss on your favorites, just be flexible. Be sure to ask for the bartender's special. The wife said the margaritas were disappointing but loves the mojitos.
Dressel Divers was GREAT! We got my 14 year old son PADI scuba certified (after eLearning online) while we were there. I have been certified for many years and was cautious about training there, but they did an extremely thorough job on his instruction. His Instructor, Vanessa, a French girl, was extremely positive and made sure he knew everything he needed to be a good diver. She spent a greeat deal of time on buoyancy control. I would strongly recommend her for any diver training.
I dove with Bjorn (German) who had been there about 6 months. He was a fantastic guide in leading safe dives with a great positive attitude. He's a marine biologist who loves all the creatures found in the waters around Cozumel and great at helping everyone have a great dive. We were on one of two good sized boats going out 4-5 times daily. No matter which boat, the dive groups were 4-8 divers with a guide. When you or your buddy ran low on air, the guide shot an SMB until you are back on the boat while the rest of the divers continue on their dive. We had really long dives limited only by our air consumption.
I felt the whole staff at Dressel was very focused on outstanding customer service. I would highly recommend Dressel to everyone who wants great, casual diving with plenty of service and guidance. For those who just want a ride to the reef and to be left alone, you likely will be happier with one of the smaller local shops. I did see Dive with Martin picking up people here almost every day. Either way, Iberostar is a great place to stay because you are just 5 minutes to some of the best diving in the world. Personally, I could repeatedly dive Columbia and Palancar reefs for the rest of my life!
The beach was nice but we spent most of our time around the very nice pools. The beach is rocky so everyone snorkels off the pier. It works great because there are nice steps down to the water. There are hundreds of snapper, grunts, sergeant majors, chub, and a baracuda under the pier. Bring some bread for extra feeding fun! We also found starfish, flounder, and plenty of fun stuff for my younger daughter to spot. We didn't need any other outing to keep her happy in her desire to snorkel with the fishes.
The resort grounds are beautiful and the many creatures we discovered were thrilling to the kids.... frogs, iguana, peacocks, flamingos, cats, etc. The whole property was in good repair, cleaned, and well kept. The only experience we had with the spa were massages on the beach...an excellent way to spend 30-60 minutes!
All the staff we encountered were very helpful and friendly. After several trips to Jamaica and the "island time" slow attitude, we found Iberostar Cozumel to be refreshing. The service was very good and the staff is obviously well trained. We will likely return in the near future.
Is this a world class, 5 star resort? No, but the price is excellent and it is an excellent resort for the money, and exceeds some more expensive resorts in the Caribbean. For families, this is an excellent choice. Let's say it's a 4-star family resort, 5-star if you adjust for price-value. Email me if you have questions.
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