Food at All-inclusives in Cozumel

[robint]

I know we all hear about the negative stuff, cold buffets, montezuma's revenge, etc. I think we should hear about the good stuff, too. Let's chat here about the CURRENT food situation at all the AI's in Cozumel. And please, if you haven't stayed there or eaten the food, no need to chime in with restaurant recommendations downtown.... save that for a different thread. Some people want and/or need to stay at an AI.

Anyone who has stayed and used the AI option:

food at Hotel Cozumel, Park Royal, Allegro, Palace, Sabor, etc.... we want to hear about it, photos of food great, menus great, please share your good and bad recent experiences!


robin

 

[mikeycanuk]

recent? damm I'm out.

but never again!!!!!!!

EVER.

 

[Zman96]

I have stayed at 2 AI's in the past 5 years. The Palace had good food. We found the Italian Restaurant to be good, the Asian terrible and the Mexican decent. The breakfast buffet was very good and the booze selection was top notch.
The other AI we did once was Hotel Cozumel. The breakfast was ok, made to order items (eggs) were very good, but many other things were close to nasty. The AI option at Hotel Coz is cheap enough to eat breakfast at the hotel, lunch/ snack after diving was ok and then go to town for dinner.

 

[PhilaDallas]

Stayed at the Occidental Grand a few years ago. Really liked the set-up of the resort. The food was acceptable, about what I would expect for the price we paid. We did not do any of the a la carte (did I spell that right?)restaurants, didn't want to deal with standing in lines or any other nonsense.

Stayed at Secrets this past June, and the food was average to very good. We had no problems finding a place to eat, or food to eat. The variety was adequate for a week stay. Pretty sure that the price we paid included the better food than from OG.

My wife and I were happy with both. I think next trip we will be more concerned with access to reefs and will move further north.

 

[robint]

I have stayed at 2 AI's in the past 5 years. The Palace had good food. We found the Italian Restaurant to be good, the Asian terrible and the Mexican decent. The breakfast buffet was very good and the booze selection was top notch.
The other AI we did once was Hotel Cozumel. The breakfast was ok, made to order items (eggs) were very good, but many other things were close to nasty. The AI option at Hotel Coz is cheap enough to eat breakfast at the hotel, lunch/ snack after diving was ok and then go to town for dinner.

so.... Palace was off a menu? 3 different restaurants?
Lunch offered? Menu or buffet?

Hotel Cozumel.... buffet every meal?

Stayed at the Occidental Grand a few years ago. Really liked the set-up of the resort. The food was acceptable, about what I would expect for the price we paid. We did not do any of the a la carte (did I spell that right?)restaurants, didn't want to deal with standing in lines or any other nonsense.

Stayed at Secrets this past June, and the food was average to very good. We had no problems finding a place to eat, or food to eat. The variety was adequate for a week stay. Pretty sure that the price we paid included the better food than from OG.

My wife and I were happy with both. I think next trip we will be more concerned with access to reefs and will move further north.

Secrets lunch and dinner buffet or restaurant menu? More details, please!

 

[diverokc]

I stay at hotel cozumel and find the food decent. As said above it is cheap enough to go to town for dinner everynight. Berta the omelette lady in the mornings is awesome. After the morning dives i go to the pool and get some fresh fajitas grilled up .
Be back in 37 days. Just booked hotel yesterday and got 8 nghts AI for two for $900 US. THat is cheap imho

Just saw your other questions. Hotel coz is buffet style, but has the omelette lady in the mornings. They have the grill going at the snack bar all day and a pasta bar at nght for dinner. So you can get something cooked fresh at all times during the day. At the snack bar around the pool they have pizza, nachos and chiken nuggets for the kiddos.

 

[robint]

I stay at hotel cozumel and find the food decent. As said above it is cheap enough to go to town for dinner everynight. Berta the omelette lady in the mornings is awesome. After the morning dives i go to the pool and get some fresh fajitas grilled up .
Be back in 37 days. Just booked hotel yesterday and got 8 nghts AI for two for $900 US. THat is cheap imho

so breakfast has cook to order omelets and regular buffet food?
lunch is a menu or buffet or combo?


Thanks for contributing. I always have friends looking to go to Cozumel who have kids and I always recommend Hotel Cozumel for them but I have no clue about their AI option.

 

[tejasdiver]

I have stayed at Casa Del Mar was AI is optional, busier times of the year they offered a breakfast buffet, and lunch and dinner was off a menu. Slower times the breakfast has been also included only off the menu. All the food was great, never had any reason to eat anywhere else.

Cozumel Palace was terrific. Italian, Mexican and Asian for dinner, the best part is NO reservations! But the biggest con is the dress codes, who wants to dress up on vacation in Coz? Breakfast and lunch was a buffett. They also offer a ourdoor grill , but never tried.

Hotel Cozumel is good for the price, the times I have stayed there, always have got under $100 per night for two people AI. Breakfast buffett was good, great made to order omlets. Lunch was served across the road at the beach restaurant, which was also a buffet. Dinner was a buffet, with made to order pasta dishes which were great. The poolside grill at lunch was nice. Pizza, quesadillas, chicken nuggets, nachos, and also grilling hamburgers. Always had no problems finding something to eat. If there was a menu available, I never saw it.

 

[PhilaDallas]

Secrets lunch and dinner buffet or restaurant menu? More details, please!

Robint is very specific about her requests. Good stuff.

Secrets was all off menu. Portions were sized so that wife and I each had app and entree, skipped dessert. Breakfast had a fruit, cereal, (questionable) meat and cheese, yogurt... on a buffet style. They also had a smoothie chef out in the mornings. For breakfast we never ordered off menu. Lunch was only off menu, but you also had access to sabor buffet. We did not do Sabor for lunch. Dinner was also off menu with three Secrets restaurants. The main restaurant was good, the french was very good, we ate dinner at sabor twice, once at the buffet (not great) and once at the mexican (okay). Last night we ate at the seafood place on Secrets and it was good.

Forgot to mention that pants (for men) are required for dinner. I wore sandally flip-flops and got away with it. There was some guy that got pretty upset about not being able to eat at the restaurant while in an A shirt.

Secrets also has room service. not that good, but not bad. Favorite part was the coffee shop. We would get coffee every night, only downside was the decaf was instant. Still, it wasn't bad enough for us not go back each night.

 

[driftin' by]

We've been to Iberostar, Allegro and Fiesta Americana. All were similar with respect to offering buffets with some al a carte options and made to order omelets in the morning. It's probably been 12 years since going to Iberostar but I've been to several on the mainland too and never found the food appealing. That may have change over time though.

We probably went to Fiesta Americana a half-dozen times on the AI plan back when they offered both AI and EP plans. We always found the food to be adequate to good but the secret was to simply ask for a menu when eating and ordering off it since the restaurants would be serving both AI and EP guests simultaneously. I haven't been in about 3 years but understand that management changed and they went to a strictly AI resort so I'm not sure how relevant my information is.

We have been to Allegro a few times the last being last November. This resort is bitter-sweet for me. While it has an amazing beach and you're close to the southern reefs, the food has always been just okay and the quality of service sporadic and very inconsistent. The other problem is that after 3 days and you need a break, it's a good haul to town for something different.

I have a lot of food porn I would like to add but don't have access to it at the moment.