Occidental Grand Cozumel All-Inclusive, Adolfo Lopez Mateos

One of the three restaurants, La Piazza, was so awful, that many people complained. The pizza there was the worst one could possibly imagine it to be (even though one would probably have to try really hard to manage spoiling pizza). Their red wine came straight from the refrigerator, and it was as sour as vinegar. The service was bad; the serving people were not particularly friendly. The buffet at La Posada restaurant obviously has a list of problems with their food preparation, and certainly, the restaurant management. We complained about that after one of us got food poisoning, and had to take antibiotics to treat bacterial gastrointestinal infection. We made a number of suggestions (and some of the things were corrected), but it seemed there was always something unacceptable to observe there. There were flies sitting on prepared food, salads were not kept cold enough (and actually were re-used the next day in a different form such as tacos or made omelets with, if they were not eaten on the previous day), yogurts were just warm and not cold, serving spoons were missing sometimes, and people would either use the same serving spoon for several foods, or just use their hands. We saw that many times. All these factors make it very easy to get food poisoning and a serious bacterial infection. However, the people who serve in the La Posada were friendly and helpful. They just seemed not to be trained well, but did try their best. Even though we used bottled water there all the time, the tap water in the hotel was so smelly, it was impossible to brush your teeth with it. Another thing is that they use plastic glasses to serve drinks in the bars (and these are not just alcoholic drinks we are talking about, but sweet nonalcoholic drink like smoothies), and they re-use these glasses. The glasses which looked quite used up are rinsed with this tap water, and this could be another opportunity for bacterial contamination.

I enjoyed myself thoroughly. The staff was very friendly and helpful, the food was good, the diving was great. This is one of the only places on the island that I know of that will let you book just one dive or all four. You could even make it five if you can get four or more people to go on a night dive. The only major complaint I have is that secondary water is used for irrigation and the odor is downright disgusting. It drove me from enjoying my balcony more than once and it ruined some potentially romantic walks with my husband. A few minor complaints are not enough beach chairs and sun shelters on the beach, no tables to put drinks on, people saving more chairs than they can use, and allowing smoking by the quiet pool. Despite the few disappointments, I plan to come back again; this time with my teenage kids. They'll love the diving.

Our stay started out great with a quick direct flight and cab ride, and got better as the week went on. Check-in was a breeze as was the golf cart ride to our room. The room was very neat, clean and comfortable: Marble floors, bright colors, new furniture, bathtub and a separate shower. The grounds are very well kept and clean with lots of walking paths between the main buildings, room buildings and the beach. There is a separation of the main resort area from the beach by a path thru nature reserve full of wildlife. At the beach is the main pool, activities area and beach club restaurant. The beach is to die for, if you like snorkeling this is the spot. You don't have to take a snorkel boat out all you have to do in put on your gear and swim out 50 yards to see thousands of fish, barracuda, squid, and lobster. There is a dive shop and tour charter company on the beach but there’s no hassle from these guys at all. Lunch at the beach club is all you could ask for. Yes, its buffet style but you’re on a white sand beach with clear blue water and more selections of food and drinks then one would want, for lunch. The staff was great, very friendly and helpful. Everybody always greeted us with a hello, how are you? day and night... The restaurants were good, clean and the Mediterranean restaurant is the best by far. The breakfast buffet is huge and fresh with a cook at your disposal. The cocktails were available at 5 different bars on the property and they have a great selection; something for everyone. If we wanted to take a walk down the beach, to the East, the next hotel over is owned by the same company and their bars and restaurants were available to us as well. As with most resorts of this size and type they too had the "Timeshare" sales pitch. But for the hour we gave them, in return they gave us a rental car for 24hrs. It was at a discounted rate, but we would have not have got one otherwise. Taking a drive around the island and into town was worth the sales pitch as well. In the conclusion, we enjoyed our stay so much that we have bought another vacation package thru this hotel with a savings of over $500. and we are already planning our trip there next year.

This was my 2nd trip to Cozumel and my first stay was at the Reef Club, for lack of a better word - YUCK! But, on my second stay I stayed at the Occidental Grand and it was amazing. The staff accomodated in every way, the room was spotless and very comfortable and had an amazing view. The pools and beach were beautiful and so very relaxing. There are 2 pools to choose from, one right on the beach that can get a little rowdy and another further back and more secluded for those that want to unwind. You can upgrade your package to the Royal Club, which is its own private community located within the hotel. Its more like condo living there, you have your own restaurants and pool, etc., which is restricted to other non-Royal guests. If you're there for your honeymoon, that would be the way I would go. My boyfriend and I love to dive and snorkel and found the location of the hotel ideal for that. The hotel is a bit of a haul from the main town, but so close to all of the hotspots divers enjoy. Its on the most southern tip of Cozumel and is really removed from everything else, I parasailed and realized that beyond the beach, its basically surrounded by the jungle, so gorgeous. But, if you're looking for nonstop action, this might not be the place for you. If you're looking for gorgeous beaches, beautiful grounds, great diving, good food( I recommomend you make reservations for the more formal restaurants as soon as you get there, they fill up fast)and peace and quiet, I say book it! You won't be disappointed. I do have only one "Con", avoid the timeshare sellers, just be firm and say NO to everything they try to offer. They usually don't bother you after the first day, as they usually swarm new arrivals only.

My husband and I just returned from a 3 night 4 day stay. The grounds on this property are beautiful and immaculantly kept. The front desk staff are not the most friendly or helpful, but all other staff members from the restaraunts to houskeeping were all very nice and very helpful. The rooms were some of the best we've seen in Mexico. Very clean and no smell from the plumbing, which we've had trouble with in the past from other nearby resorts. Both their private beach area and the pools are well kept and very clean. Our only real complaints are pretty minor in the grand scheme of things, but something to be aware of none the less. 1) The food is average to just below average. If you choose to eat lunch much after 1:00pm the food on the buffet is luke warm at best. The two specialty restaurants, which require reservations, are really no better than the buffets. Again, the service is great and they try really hard to please you, but if you're going for spectatular food, this is not the resort for you. The best place we found to eat was the pizza place, open for dinner between 6:oopm and 1:30am. 2) Check out time is at 12:00, which is pretty standard. However, most resorts offer guests with late afternoon/early evening flights, some sort of hospitality suite to shower and a place to store your luggage. Instead, we were told we could pay an extra $50 usd for late checkout (5:00pm). When we questioned this and brought up the hospitality suite; that's when they said they could accommodate us. However, the hospitality suite looked to be a room that the staff had been using. The beds were unmade, the shower and toilet were filthy and there were used kleenex and dirty towels on the bathroom floor. No clean towels, no soap, etc. We went ahead and used it for the sake of time and then told the front desk afterward. To our knowledge, they did not take any action, nor did they seem bothered by what we had told them. We also requested that they store our luggage between noon and four o'clock. They asked what airline we were using and when we told them they said they only store luggage for Air Canada passengers. We again questioned this and they said they would make an exception and go ahead and store it for us. Overall we had a very nice time. It's a very relaxing resort. If you're going to Mexico to just lounge and you're not looking for any type of exciting nightlife, this is a great place. However, if you're looking for a ton of activities or nightlife, this is not the place. Hanging out on the beach and by the pool is about all there is to do. They do have a disco on site, but it didn't seem to get a lot of action. They also have a great dive shop and the snorkeling tour to Palancar, Colombia and Hollywood Reefs was great and well worth the $41/per person. Outside of that though relaxing is really the primary focus of this property. We would return again if we were coming again as a couple for a relaxing week, but if were to bring our children or if were looking for a ton of stuff to do, we'd look for another resort.

We researched various locations throughout Cozumel looking for a great place to stay, and made the correct decision. The grounds are beautiful, the staff very friendly, and rooms clean. The location from town is a bit far, but I don't think it is a deal breaker, 15 minutes and about 15 dollars, so no big deal. The food was great, and there are several places to choose from on grounds. The poolside location is great, and the service was incredible.

We spent 5 nights here for our honeymoon. The hotel grounds were lovely, and the rooms were very nice, comfortable, clean. Everything was well maintained and the employees were very friendly and helpful (though heavy accents were difficult for us at times). Loved lunch down by the beach everyday and the pools are beautiful too. Being a young couple, we could have used a little more night life, but for families it is a nice quiet atmosphere. The buffets had a good variety & were open long hours. Our downside to the resort though was the difficulty & expense of going anywhere else. cab ride to downtown was $15 one way, so we didn't leave the resort much- there is not much within walking distance.

Dislike: We were a group of six and rented three rooms. All three rooms stunk of mold and mildew and our request for room changes were ignored. By the end of a couple of days it wouldn't matter because everything we brought with us now had the mold and mildew smell. Neutral: Food. Buffet food is just that - nothing fancy and lukewarm. Like: Grounds, pools and beach were all well kept and very nice. However the smelly rooms and the fact that most of the employees are on commission with a timeshare really left a negative taste. I would not recommend this hotel or stay here again.

I came to the Grand Cozumel on my honeymoon and it was AWEFUL! First off, we paid extra to stay in a conceirge level room. It is supposedly a step up from a standard room and you have a conceirge to help you. We checked in and our itinerary asked for a 2nd or 3rd floor room with a partial view. We had booked it 10 months in advance. We received a 1st floor room with a view of a chain link fence. The room smelled like mold and mildew and was very damp (it was Novemeber so the humidity wasn't all that high). Not a faint odor, a strong smell mind you. We turned on the AC to ventilate and dry it out, but the AC made a terrible grinding noise and did not remove the odor or dry the air. The conceirge was gone for 2 hours, so couldn't help us. A manager was unavailable to help us. We went to eat at a buffet and all the food was cold and not restocked. That night we also were treated to cold food at another restaurant. Plus, you have to make reservations days in advance to eat at a restaurant! It is not worth the money! We've stayed at Palace Resorts twice and they are FAR BETTER! Stay there instead.

My wife and I spent our week-long honeymoon at the Occidental Grand Cozumel, and we had a great time. We spent most of our time lounging on the beach and by the pool. Our room was great. The drinks were great, and the food (mostly buffet style) was good. There are a couple of on-property restaurants (separate from the buffet dining area), which are open on scheduled nights, and those were decent (the steak restaurant was the best). The hotel staff was fantastic, except for the "concierges", who were annoying at various points because they were trying to lure customers into talking to the time-share salespeople. If you stay at the Grand Cozumel, just work with the rest of the hotel staff other than the concierges. You don't really need to do anything through them anyway. They have a specific person who handles car rentals and tours, and the front desk personnel can help with everything else. The beach and pools were great, but make sure you take bug repellent for the sand fleas. We had a number of bites, but this is apparently a common problem in most beach-front area on Cozumel and elsewhere in the Caribbean. There are a lot of free activities, too, such as wind surfing, Hobie Cat sailing, snorkeling, etc. You can also book other water-related tours with the beach activities people. We went on a three hour snorkeling tour, which was awesome. Overall, we would definitely go back to the Grand Cozumel (bug spray in hand and a firm "no" to the concierges).