Cozumel Palace All Inclusive Resort — Hotel in San Miguel de Cozumel

Okay, if you’re reading this, first of all, bless you. Second, I apologize in advance for the length, but consider this a spicy sweet mixed bag of vacation candy.

Let’s begin with what I now call The Great Cozumel Commute. It felt more like a travel-themed reality show than a transfer. Our four-year-old was up at 3:30 am. Two flights. One-hour bus ride from CUN to Playa Del Carmen. A slightly heroic two-block walk with bags and a small child. A 30-minute ferry ride. Then a taxi. It was like a poorly organized obstacle course designed by someone who hates parents.

But then we arrived and cue the sigh of relief. Cold towels, cheerful check-in, and a NA Piña Colada for our kid. The remodel? Stunning. Think LeBlanc Cabo’s chic little sister. Beautiful architecture, massive rooms, clean lines, and intimate vibes. Just perfect.

Food and drinks? More Moon Palace than LeBlanc, but hey, that’s also the price point and we knew what we were getting into. My favorite cocktail was a mezcalita with a dash of strawberry. Perfectly balanced, not too sweet, and full of flavor. It made me feel like I had my life together again.

Enter Rafael. Cue villain music. We’re Palace members, we’ve visited five times, and we specifically came to not do a sales presentation this time. We needed rest. We needed family time. We needed margaritas without manipulation. Unfortunately, Rafael came in hot. He pressed. And pressed. And then he weaponized the spa. Yes, really. Our membership said 50 percent of our resort credits would be considered spa credit. He told us 20 percent. Then offered 50 percent only if we did the presentation plus a tax discount. I wish I were kidding. We said no multiple times. He persisted multiple times. Eventually, like overtired toddlers, we caved so he would go away.

After that, the spa booking took 90 minutes. Then we headed to the playroom and were hit with some serious side-eye energy. The orientation felt less like a welcome and more like we were being interrogated on hidden motives. The staff member told us at least seven times that they weren’t a babysitting service, which we were very aware of. We weren’t trying to drop our kid off and vanish into the jungle. It just wasn’t the warm fuzzy start we were hoping for. Thankfully, by day two, everything was smooth sailing in the playroom and our son was treated with kindness and joy. But that intro? Oof. Felt like we were on trial.

Now let’s talk about the world’s weirdest massage. It was allegedly the number one recommended treatment, but I’m convinced it was secretly part of a prank show. There was oil, feathers, chanting, eagle jaguar snake symbolism, and a surprise flute solo. By the end, I wasn’t sure if we’d been healed or prepped for a Mayan sacrifice. I was whispering prayers to the Lord for forgiveness and wondering if my soul had just been bartered. Still, ten out of ten for dinner party story potential.

Now for the culinary highlight. The Italian restaurant. Normally, I avoid resort Italian food like the plague. I come from a loud and proud Italian American family and I have high standards. But this place was a delightful surprise. The service was impeccable. Ivan, the manager, is someone I would hire in a heartbeat. His leadership and hospitality are something Palace should be very proud of. The entire team exuded joy. The host greeted us like long-lost family. Eddie the sommelier was amazing. We produce wine ourselves and were honestly so impressed. He served us a beautiful Mexican wine that made us feel seen and celebrated. We went twice. Both times, we left glowing.

In summary, I’m giving this a four because the hotel, the people (most of them), and the vibes are worth it. But that missing star? She’s floating somewhere between Rafael’s clipboard and that haunted jungle massage.

Palace Resorts, you have something beautiful here. But please cut the pressure. Trust your hospitality, your people, and your product. They’re worth it. And your customers, especially the ones who keep coming back, deserve to feel...

I worked in the hospitality industry for many years in New York City – in many five-star and four-star hotels and restaurants; I know what is expected and not expected of the personnel at a luxury all-inclusive hotel and resort. Last year, while on vacation in Cancun, we went to the Moon Palace to hear about their memberships. My wife and I ended up buying some pre-paid all-inclusive vacation packages to see the hotels before committing to any membership. My wife made reservations the beginning of the year. Even though the pre-paid trips were only for three days / four nights, we wanted to extend the vacation to six nights / seven days. There were some issues with the reservations via the website, and we had to call the front desk to resolve the issues. At that time, we were assured that the rooms would be adjacent to each other. Each of the rooms came with $750.00 USD credits to use at our discretion. On check-in, the receptionist was very professional, but he informed us that they did not have any rooms adjacent to each other – unless we were on the fifth floor, and that would be an additional $69 dollars per room per night. I was also informed that the "activity" taxes and park-entrance fees were also not included in the $1,500.00 credits that we had. There are a lot of limitation as how to use your credits. The credits also expire on the fourth day of your visit, and the credits cannot be combined between rooms even though we are one family. My wife, four children and I. We scheduled a swim with the dolphins for our children; my wife and I were not allowed to enter the facility because the facility is an all-inclusive – even though we did not have a need to drink or eat as we were guest at the adjacent hotel that offered us those services. The final bill had a $10.00 donation attached to it. It was included without asking me whether I would want to donate it. I asked the receptionist to send me the final bill to my email address. We also found out at that moment that transportation to the airport was not included. (Even though the website indicated that you provide transportation to and from the airport / hotel). The customer service representative, with a condescending demeanor, was asking me to show him where my reservation said that it was included. At this time, we were anxious to get to the airport, so I just asked for a taxi and I asked how much it would cost for the transport. I was told $400.00 MXP. The taxi driver charged me $30.00 USD - clearly more than $400.00 MXP. If I had had more time, I would have demanded to speak to the general manager, but at this point, I just wanted to get my family to the airport. We were very specific about transportation to and from the airport when we looked at hotel reservations since we were scammed in Cancun the year prior, and we did not want to have that issue again. The Cozumel Palace hotel first billed my credit card an amount, and reversed it and re-submitted a different amount. No one could explain to me why that was done. I asked for the general manager’s information, but every single person avoided to provide me with it – even the Director of Operations – who just completely ignored my email request. On average, my wife and I spend a lot more on vacations. So it is not about the money, but the experience that my family and I have. The biggest problem that I have is when I feel that a company is trying to “nickel and dime” those experiences. NONE of the restrictions were explained at the time that we bought the all-inclusive vacation packages. It is a shame because the resort had a wonderful staff at the hotel – all were very courteous and friendly; some even went above and beyond what was expected and required of them. It is the bureaucratic company policies that let us with a bad taste about this hotel. My recommendation is for you not to buy any memberships; I would prefer to spend my money on a company that actually values their customers and they are true to their word when they sell vacation packages /...

This hotel and the experience it provided was absolutely incredible. I could not recommend a better all-inclusive resort, and many guests we spoke to who have been to the island before but stayed elsewhere agreed this is the best place to stay. It was relaxing, fun, and worth it for the price. Would stay here again in a heartbeat and will recommend it to any friends or family looking to go to Cozumel. Truly would not have changed a thing! More details below if you’re considering booking here and want to know more about it. — First of all, the all-inclusive price is legit and worth it. We could have stayed at the hotel 24/7 and not spent a dime anywhere else. All-inclusive really means all-inclusive — breakfast, lunch, dinner, tons of snack options, drinks, room service at any hour, etc. are all included. If you’re looking for a more “authentic” experience to see the island and immerse in its culture, I’d say maybe this isn’t the right place for you. Cozumel Palace definitely feels luxury and like you’re on a relaxing vacation, so if you want to do tons of adventures and not spend a ton of time at the hotel, you might get less out of the hotel experience. We did a mix of both and did some more educational and cultural activities in the middle of the island across a few separate days, so it’s not black and white. — The hotel is beautiful. Our room was clean and spacious, and housekeeping came daily (thank you so much to those staff members, by the way). I recommend staying on the 3rd floor and above if you can, the noise from the pool can be a little loud at times, especially during the entertainment sessions. It’s always quiet by bed time, but if you’re conscious of noise that might be smart. Our room was also down on the left side of the hotel away from the pool, so we found it very peaceful! The view from the room was gorgeous too. — Next up is the food. It was VERY good! Tons of options for breakfast, good snack food by the pool, and multiple options for dinner. Our favorite was Momo, the Asian restaurant, but the grill buffet they set up by the pool for dinner each day was also consistently excellent. Drinks are also fantastic, they taste great and are made with good alcohol. I’m someone who’s always concerned about food poisoning and unsanitary food but I never worried about it here at all. The food is fresh and isn’t left sitting out for long. Sometimes “all-inclusive” comes with the caveat of bad food, but that’s not the case here. We were very well-fed and always had great choices to eat. — Next is the service. The staff at this hotel are absolutely wonderful. By the end of our trip, many of them knew us by name and went out of their way for us. Every single person who works at this hotel that we encountered was friendly and helpful, I can’t praise them enough. I hope they’re paid well, they really deserve it! It’s worth it to bring extra cash for tips, they go out of their way for the guests. — Lastly, as I mentioned above this hotel has everything. The activities are great and we could have never left the property and been entertained the entire time. You can get snorkel and paddle-boarding gear for free and go right off the docks. There is no beach, so if you want to stay on a beach specifically this isn’t the place for you. We felt perfectly happy without it though, as the pool, snorkeling, and other activities kept us very entertained. The entertainment staff is awesome and they have things like daily pool volleyball, bingo, dance shows, water shows, game nights, etc. so it really is fun for all ages! — Writing a long review like this isn’t usually up my alley, but when we were researching places to stay we weighed the reviews VERY significantly. Take this as a push to stay here, we will not stay anywhere else when we come back to Cozumel! My boyfriend has been to the island before and stayed elsewhere but agreed this was everything we wanted and more. Thank you to the hotel staff for making our experience so...