Which Resort?

[tkmo061]

I know this gets asked many times per month, but I'm going to give you the specifics of what I'm looking for. Have stayed (and dove) in Cozumel many times but was with my dive buddies so our needs were a little different. I will be with my non-diving wife and 12 year old son. Wants in order of preference:

Sandy beach with easy access for swimming.
Dock for me to get picked up by my Dive Op of choice
Not located North of or near downtown (close to reefs)
Reasonable distance from town (probably <10 miles)
Either AI or good restaurant(s) close by
Nice rooms
Some activities onsite

Right now I'm leaning towards the Allegro but am open to suggestions.

Thanks all,

 

[BrewingDiver]

How about Fiesta Americana? Short cab ride to town, activities available when not diving and great pools. Sandy beach is man-made but access is reasonably easy.

 

[richhagelin]

With those criteria, my two favorites are Fiesta Americana and Occidental Grand. Fiesta Americana is closer to town but still far enough south that all dive ops will pick you up there on the way to diving. FA is a little less classy and the food isn't quite as good, but is less expensive (get what you pay for).

Occidental Grand is a great operation. Good food, great service, nice beach/pools/etc. Farther south than you indicated in your post, but only about 50 yards south of Allegro.

Rich Hagelin

 

[5615mike]

FA.....who cares about the food. Eat in town. Cozumel has so many wonderful places to eat I dont know why anyone would ever go the AI route.

 

[diveborg]

FA.....who cares about the food. Eat in town. Cozumel has so many wonderful places to eat I dont know why anyone would ever go the AI route.

SOME people travel with children. AI makes sense for them. SOME people like the convenience of AI, especially for breakfast, lunch, snacks, drinks......

I would agree, FA meets the requirements of the OP.

 

[firstdive2005]

Hi just stayed at Park Royal. My wife snorkels. We found the food excellent. AI. Incredibly clean. The beach is a small thing, its very clean sand. Three pools. Good snorkeling. Also send them out to the money bar or corona for snorkeling. You can be picked up at the pier. There is a 2dollar charge. I was diving with Scubamau just down the street at Villa Blanca so I walked. The cab fare to town is eighty pesos. A PR there are nightly activities. There are shows also. Fire dances etc. They where pretty cool. have fun.

 

[mstevens]

SOME people travel with children. AI makes sense for them.

I always travel with my kid. He'd absolutely kill me if we didn't go to his favorite restaurants in town. Sure, AI makes sense for some people. Just don't assume that traveling with children is synonymous with that.

I'm with 5615mike - there are so many great, reasonably-priced places to eat in town that AI means you're missing out. The OP did include having nearby restaurants as an alternative to AI. No, there aren't any restaurants nearby if you're staying south of town, but it's definitely worth the taxi ride.

 

[Sue Sue]

I know this gets asked many times per month, but I'm going to give you the specifics of what I'm looking for. Have stayed (and dove) in Cozumel many times but was with my dive buddies so our needs were a little different. I will be with my non-diving wife and 12 year old son. Wants in order of preference:

Sandy beach with easy access for swimming.
Dock for me to get picked up by my Dive Op of choice
Not located North of or near downtown (close to reefs)
Reasonable distance from town (probably <10 miles)
Either AI or good restaurant(s) close by
Nice rooms
Some activities onsite

Right now I'm leaning towards the Allegro but am open to suggestions.

Thanks all,

My vote for Park Royal and why...
Sandy Beach/swimming: Yes a rather nice man made beach, not very large but not small. 2 nice swimming pools. The one close to the hotel is busy with activities all of the time. The one at the waterfront (access via underground/under street tunnel) is quieter.
Pier: Yes, check with your dive op for confirmed pick up and if there is a pick up fee. Access via underground/under street tunnel)
Location/Distance: In the El Cid area, reasonable cab fare to town.
AI/Restaurant I have stayed at 2 AI's on Cozumel. Wyndham-VERY poor food, but OK if you can eat the SAME thing EVERY DAY, EVERY MEAL, Literally. However, Park Royal was Good...Not Great, but actually Good. Husband and I did not try the restaurants on site as we did not pack for the dress code, but the buffet was satisfactory. Equal to a cruise ship buffet. The restaurants on site did look nice. Men need to wear trousers. Women-Resort casual-dress. Reservations, I think so...not sure.
Rooms Standard hotel room, had a balcony, Satisfactory
Activities Yes, there were some shows, pool activities, music.

The only negative I have is the Time Share presence. However, all of that mess can be avoided easily if you choose to do so. Just said no, keep walking.

Overall, DH and I enjoyed our 5 day weekend. We normally do not stay at AI's as we do enjoy visiting our special restaurants in town. However, for this particular trip going the AI route was actually perfect. We literally dropped everything and ran away from home to mend our weary souls two days after our sons wedding. We were numb and just wanted to escape and rest. Sat on the beach, casual meals at the buffet on site, no taxi's anywhere, a few days of diving....then home. It was exactly what we needed.

Regardless of where you stay, have a wonderful time ! Sue

 

[Tripod]

can anyone else comment on the Occidental Grand Resort? Specifically how their on site dive op is? I am planning a trip to Coz in April and the place looked pretty nice with a reasonable price. Thanks

 

[Martha]

can anyone else comment on the Occidental Grand Resort? Specifically how their on site dive op is? I am planning a trip to Coz in April and the place looked pretty nice with a reasonable price. Thanks

My husband and I really enjoyed our stay at Occidental Grand. It's been a number of years since our stay, but it still gets very good reviews, so I imagine it hasn't changed much. I can't really comment on the on-site dive op, we didn't use them. We used our dive op of choice, Blue XT~Sea, and they picked us up right at the Occidental Grand dock.