EL COZUMELEÑO BEACH RESORT — Hotel in San Miguel de Cozumel

I will start by saying that the staff are amazing. In particular, Roberto in Tour Services, Omar in Guest Services, Santigo from the Wait Staff, and Fernando from the Bell Stand could not have been more welcoming, helpful, and just plain pleasant to speak with.

The beach is also a highlight as the pier on the north end provides a sort of break wall, keeping the seaweed at bay and the water an amazing place to swim, snorkel, and just enjoy the day.

Unfortunately, this is where the accolades end as this resort is in desperate need of updates, basic maintenance, and basic amenities.

We spent the first 3 days in a room that, while large, was devoid of hot water, a working television, and had an internet connection that worked sporadically at best. The sheets on the bed(s) were old, bleach stained, and very thin; the same could be said for the bath towels when we had them as often housekeeping would neglect to replace them when cleaning. The balcony chairs had broken strapping making them impossible to sit on and only a single electrical outlet was available in the entire room. It took some time, but eventually (2) rooms opened up and we were moved. These rooms, while more modern, still had the same issue w/ bath towels and the hot water was something that came and went during our entire stay.

The food ranges from average to stunningly awful. The main place to eat is the buffet in El Cocal and with the exception of the fruit borders on inedible. Main dishes are rubbery, often cold, and seem to have been on the serving line for very long periods of time. Side dishes such as beans or potatoes are "hardened" and other offerings did not appear any more appetizing. The main restaurant is open for breakfast and offers a slightly upgraded version of the aforementioned buffet. It also offers the ability to order from a menu that can be accessed through a QR code at each table; the problem here is that almost none of the items on said menu are available; on a daily basis we were told things like chorizo, burgers, sandwiches, etc..., all things listed on the menu provided by the resort, were not available. Dinner in The Veranda is by reservation only and their will be a line at guess services by 7am every morning so be sure to get there early lest you'll be stuck w/ the buffet. The dinner is not bad; certainly not what I'd call fine dining (although amusingly they do require men to be in pants and closed toed shoes. Old boy who acts as host will deny service to someone in golf shorts and polo, but let a dude in wearing sweat pants and crocs), but if you are looking for a quiet evening that doesn't include going to town to eat, it'll do. As for room service; it is not offered at this time no matter what they may say to the contrary. We had actually heard before our trip that this was the case and reached out to them to confirm; we were assured all rooms Ocean View and above would have access to room service but despite numerous attempts, we were never able to actually succeed in ordering. Excuses given ranged from "closed for the night (it was 6pm) to staff is busy.

A few other notes to include. The lobby bathroom is literally falling apart as the stalls are so warped and rotten that doors can't be locked and the entire thing shakes and sways when anyone opens them. The smell doesn't help either. The lobby has far to few places to sit and the "bar" is nothing more than a concrete slab that'll showcase ants while waiting on your drink. The same can be said for the pool bar. Outside seating is limited, specifically when it comes to tables; what few they do have are all cheap plastic w/ the same style of chair. The pools are colder than the water from the showers and are often dirty w/ leaves and other things that fall in throughout the day and the "kids" activities such as mini-golf (painted concrete) and game room (missing pool balls, broken paddles), are pointless.

This place has lots of upside given their staff and the beach, but until/unless some serious upgrades are made, spend your money anywhere else...

There's a reason their website doesn't show the insides of rooms. The hotel is a tale of 2 different versions. You have the chance to stay on the nice, updated side or the run down, dated side.

Check-in was very slow. We didn't get all the info regarding towels or safe key. We found out hours after check-in that we needed to put a deposit down for towel cards for the quantity of towels your room needs along with a key for your safe in your room. You go to a different building on the west end of the resort, exchange your cards for towels. Towels can only be exchanged there from 7am to 7 pm. On day 5 of our stay, we were yelled at for not turning our towels in even though our kids had been swimming after 7, and no one was available to exchange the towels back for our cards.

We got put into the dated side and stayed in a room on the 200's level. The bed was like laying on a box spring. Absolutely no padding. We heard many people complaining about sore backs and hard beds. The air didn't work well, and it took until about day 3 of our stay to feel like our room was cooler than outside.

TV didn't work. It turned on, would work for 4-10 minutes, then would go black. I mentioned it at the front desk, and they said they'd send someone up. If they did, I don't know. It never worked.

No mini fridges in the rooms.

Bathroom looked straight out of 1970's hospital. Poor lighting. Ceiling dripped water right in front of the sink. We were able to get it fixed the first day. We wore our sandals in the shower because the bathroom was always damp and gross feeling. We left our bathroom light/fan on constantly to get rid of the moldy smell.

Towels on the dated side were threadbare with holes in them. Not big enough to even wrap around a normal adult. No wash clothes or extra hand towels were provided. Amenities in the bathroom included two glasses, two bottles of water, some bars of soap that didn't have any scent to them, two shampoos, and a lotion. I would suggest bringing your own shower toiletries completely.

We had four people in our room. We were never given enough towels. They'd take all we had and leave 2 every day. One day, we were out of toilet paper, and they didn't leave any, and they didn't leave us a hand towel. When we asked at the front desk if we could get some, we were treated like an inconvenience and had to wait for someone from housekeeping to bring the missed stuff to our room. It helped knowing some basic Spanish when we did see housekeeping and could ask for items missed.

The servers we interacted with were great. Shout out to Emanuel for always checking in with us and making sure we were taken care of. The food was okay and on par for an all-inclusive - not anything to get excited about. The food was better when ordered off the menu and tended to get served much faster if ordered beach or poolside. We tried to get a reservation in the restaurant almost every day, but by 8am, they were always fully reserved. Also, don't worry about packing specific clothes for the reserved dining if you do manage to get a seat. We saw many shorts and open-toed shoes go in and out for dinners.

After day 4 of our stay, we ended up leaving the resort for most meals. We enjoyed the 2 Lobster house locations and Pancho Burger located a short walk away.

Our kids enjoyed the ocean and pools available, but the hot tubs never ran and were pretty slimey. The loungers need to be reserved by 8am, or you'll never get one. It seemed that some people left their towels on overnight, which I've never seen allowed at other resorts. I saw people get kicked out of loungers and then watched the chairs not get used by the people who had "reserved" them all day.

There wasn't any nightly entertainment, so the place was pretty dead by 8pm. I suppose that caters well to alot of the retirees staying there, but wasn't terribly exciting for the kids in our group (aged 10-14).

If you can somehow guarantee you get a room on the updated side, it might not be a terrible place to stay. But we've stayed at much nicer places for...

This is the 3rd and last time visiting this resort. Only highlights are the beach and friendly staff. The first room we were put into on the north end of the property was horrific. Sheets stained, shower with mold and rust build up on the counter, there was absolutely no wifi. The TV only showed one channel and it hardly came in and was only in Spanish. Obviously I didn't come to cozumel for the TV however to unwind at night I like the back round noise. After 3 days we were moved into the rooms on the south end. Rooms were better ish. TV works, wifi is still spotty at best. There was no hot water for showers, we had to ask 2xs for towels to be replaced after it was cleaned. The water in the shower also did not turn off, so the water runs all day and night. Tried to order roomservice, no response went to the front desk they said we had to come down to order but they were done at 9pm, so we couldn't. The nicer restaurant in years past you could order breakfast off the menu. Well now they only have 3 options eggs, scrambled eggs, or an omelet. The buffet has always been sketchy at best. Drinks are made with the cheapest booze available. Sometimes one of the bars will hide a bottle of jim beam or Absolute vodka, and you have to specifically ask for it, and even then they don't give it to you. There is one nice table to sit outside. However folks camp there all day, even if they are eating or swimming so there is no where to play a game with the family. The pools are a nasty green. They have been actively working to clean it, but has remained green. That's goes right along side the smell of sewage over the majority of the resort. The facility itself is in dire need of update and fixes. My husband walked past the fountain today and a tile literally fell on the back of his foot. Someone has since picked it up and put it exactly where it fell from. Wonder who's next on that one. Tennis balls have no bounce. They need to be replaced. The mini golf course is not covered in fake grass, no it is painted green on top of the cement. It is not level so regardless of how you hit the ball it's not going that way. Kayaks and life jackets need to be replaced. Jackets no longer provide the safety they are suppose to. How about dinner with reservations? To get a reservation before 9pm you need to be down to the desk before 7am. Even then you won't get in until 845. Remember there is a dress code, sometimes depends on who's working. The man won't let anyone in with flip flops or beach attire. He requires men in long pants and dress shirt, but keep your baseball hat on! Ladies don't wear your swim suit. If the woman is working you can pretty much wear anything but swim attire. The food; again in years past was much better. Steak is not tender like we are use to, and be careful of the toppings they put on it, not to my liking. Do not ever get the seafood pizza. Ughhh. I took one bite of my husband's and had to spit it out. To me it taste old, mushy and spoiled. Was so bad. Only one elevator works, sometimes. So take the stairs. Well be careful because they are falling apart and you might hit a metal bar holding them in place. Bed sheets and chairs, and counter tops are stained. Mold in the bathroom. Lastly, when checking out my husband was asked "how was your stay?" He told him it was awful and had complaints. He was told, "oh ok." Nothing was done about it. According to Google, a local couple owns this resort and few other places on the island. I strongly encourage you to do massive upgrades to your facility to include plumbing, elevators, stairs, bathrooms, showers, pools thoroughly cleaned, paint, purchase updated sports equipment and have some decent food to eat. Never reuse the same buffet food from the previous meal or day, it's unacceptable. To the staff, thanks for being kind and helpful but to the owners and management you need to take stock in your resort and do major upgrades or i suspect families like mine that have been coming here for years will no...