El Cozumeleño Beach Resort - All Inclusive

My wife and I went El Cozumelñeo resort at the end of March into the first week of April. Only being about a 15 minutes cab or ride from the airport in Cozumel, The rooms are spacious and clean, while being an older hotel, we learned that the hotel is locally owned and operated by locals living there on the island. Our experience was amazing, the staff were extremely friendly and very happy to answer our questions about the resort or going into town with was also a short 15-20 minutes cab ride while feeling safe and welcomed. For Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner the was not only a buffet with plenty of options, including fresh fruit and salads but a grill with a chef working it for each meal cooking either eggs and omelettes for breakfast, for lunch and dinner , there was chicken and steak, tacos, quesadillas, as well as burgers and hot dogs. Also a QR code to scan that would show their menu of thing to order straight from the kitchen, like fajitas, chips and guacamole, with pico, and refried beans and ice cream. Two different pool areas with the bigger main pool having areas for smaller kids, deeper area for adults as well as a swim up bar. The staff were very nice and willing to make our trip unforgettable with constant activities and games, free mini putt, free daily snorkeling that was about an hour long with very good safety minded guide. There is also a playground for the kids to play on, as well as beach access with blandly of walkable beach. El Cozumeleño Resort may only be rated as 3 star, but all of the employees are 5 stars in our eyes. We can’t wait to go back with the kids an grandkids.

We went with low expectations after reading other reviews. We are not picky people. Check in process needs to improve and not be so lengthy. We did precheck in and it still took forever. The hotel itself is beautiful on the outside and the lobby area. The rooms are all in need of desperate updates. We stayed in room 405. The view was incredible. The AC worked well and the shower worked well. We had issues with our toilet, and it took them 2 days to get it fixed. If you want a mini fridge, it's an extra $10 a day. You should bring your own shampoo, conditioner soap. The snorkeling directly out front of the hotel is incredible. The beach is big and beautiful. As for the menu, it is limited. The omelet station is great for breakfast, use the QR code to order off the menu for lunches and be in line by 7:45am every morning to get reservations at the restaurant for dinner. The roof needs to be fixed at the beach restaurant to keep the birds out better. Overall, our stay was good. I hope that the owners will start doing some much needed maintenance and updates and restore this hotel. It has the potential to be amazing. If you OK knowing this is a 2–3-star hotel with a 4–5-star staff, it's worth the price.

We had been booked for Cuba but since that was cancelled most resort prices doubled or tripled when travelling from Atlantic Canada. Then we saw this resort come up at a really fair price. It was our first time to Mexico. A few thoughts from our stay - Pros - Staff are 5 star. Amazing people who work so hard. - Our room view was amazing even if only on the second floor. And the room was huge! Basic dated room but very clean. Some issues with plumbing (our room and public washrooms) but quickly resolved. - Food was really good. Buffet was repetitive but you could order off a menu and get chips and guac, fajitas, etc. Omelettes and tacos every day at the grill. - We booked the à la carte three times (have to be up each day by 730 am to get in line) but they served lasagna, prime rib, seafood pasta with mussels and shrimp, etc. It was great, worth booking. Men must wear long pants and closed shoes. - Drinks were fantastic. - Tour Desk was great and Roberto helped us book a nice tour! Cons - Check-in took well over an hour. - Beach was amazing for snorkeling but otherwise was disappointing. We definitely loved the fact that we could walk in the ocean and see stingrays and tropical fish everywhere. It was like being in an aquarium there was so much fish. But it was really narrow and not enough loungers. Not a fault of the resort but just not our favorite type of beach. - The lounge chairs were few and far between (both beach and pool) and the towel game was in full swing lol. - Entertainment was lacking. A few activities during the day but not much otherwise including music. Overall, for a good price would recommend.

This hotel let me down quite a bit. The Buffet was very limited and the best was dried out and hard to chew. I'm not certain but it seemed that burgers left over from one day after simply brought back it the next day. Many times we had buggers that were very dried out and stale. This saddened me as I've been to a number of All Inclusive destinations and this is the first where I was truly disappointed. We had one day where we travelled the island and we decided to go to a local restaurant. That's where we finally had some amazing food. The next part is about the lack of concern on behalf on the Front Desk Team and related staff. In my opinion, the front desk staff seriously didn't care about us at all. For five days I informed the front desk that the AC screen/vent, which was very large, was partially dislodged and hanging precariously from the ceiling. I also indicated that I had no AC during that time. Finally, two days before our delarture the Vent and AC were repaired. Regarding Room Service: The Hotel's website clearly indicated that there was room service. The funny thing was that there are no phones in the rooms so we were wondering how could we call down for room service?? Because there was no phone, I personally approached the staff at the Front Desk and inquired about room service. They immediately "told" me there was no room service. I decided to show them the website using my cell phone but they simply shrugged their shoulders and said, Nope, there is no room service. In my humble opinion, they simplt didn't care. On the third day I discovered that my Driver's Licence was missing (I used it to rent the snorkel equipment), and when I inquired with the Front Desk (again), no one made any effort to check the various locations in the hotel. I even had to ask them to check the drawers under their desk because they simply had no interest in what I was saying. The worst part was that after 4 times visiting the Front Desk with my inquiries, someone finally told me that I needed to fill out a Lost Item form. Say what?? Couldn't they tell me that the first day?? I bring this up simply to let others know that the Front Desk Staff really don't put in any real effort to help the non Spanish speaking people. Again, this is just my perspective. The only saving grace about this hotel was the wait staff / servers. They went out of their way everyday to help us and make us feel welcome. Also be aware that this hotel closes down early. So if you're interested in have a few drinks or a bite to eat late in the evening, this is not your hotel. I personally will never go to this hotel again.

Beachside hotel with pool, buffet, mini-putt and souvenir shop. The staff is exceptional and very helpful. Food was good but we did not get the chance to book the a la carte supper because we explored much of the island. It is very easy to get a taxi from the lobby. Our Air Canada rep Arturo was great!

I wish I could give this resort a zero. 1 is too high. I am not a picky person and I did read some of the negative reviews. My family and I love to snorkel so I figured we could overlook somethings just to have the convenience of snorkeling right from the beach. I was wrong. We had 2 rooms because we are a family of 5. Both rooms had an odor. One smelled like smoke and the other was a moldy smell. The beds were hard, but I could live with that. The shower had mold in it, there were stains on the wall and our couch was covered up with a blanket because you don’t want to see the mold or whatever it was growing on it. It was disgusting. The food wasn’t edible. The fish was like mushy jello, the chicken couldn’t be cut with a knife nor could you even chew it. The worst part was the bird issue. Birds would just sit on the food…poop, drop twigs, etc. absolutely disgusting. We left the property to eat because of this. The exercise room wasn’t as advertised. There was one set of ancient weights, 10 lbs and a few yoga mats with 2 exercise balls. There was one weight machine but it was broke. That’s it. Nothing like the pictures online. They never have enough towels for the guests. It was so frustrating. Let’s get to the snorkeling. Overall the snorkeling was okay. We saw some rays, an octopus and other smaller tropical fish. It was convenient to be able to just walk in everyday. I love snorkeling, however, next time we’d stay somewhere else and take a snorkeling tour. Staying at this resort was just not worth it.

First time to Cozumel...its good to read reviews, but don't rely on them. We are not picky and always see glass half full. HOTEL is locally owed - no time shares non sense, no one sells you things you don't want...full peace of mind. Hotel: one word...OLD...definitely needs serious repairs (bathrooms are priority and leaking roofs) Rooms are clean, beds are comfy, kids had two extra large clean cots - perfect. Every room has an ocean view. Beach: clean blue water, compare to resorts right beside us. The best for snorkeling - right where you swim, fish comes to you when you give them bread. Returning travelers were prepared by coming with own snorkeling gear, we will do same next time. Angel, fish, barracuda, octopus, stingray, needle fish...right there. Daily , for free, you can book bike trips, or guided snorkeling . We went every single day, some days were booked, you have to be there by 7am lol, but we still came for 12 when class was to go, some people book and dont show up, so we still could go. Lots of fun...small compact grounds, everything you need within 2 min walk - pool table, pin pong tables, mini gym, activities, bars, food literally there since 7am to after 10pm . Restaurants: one beach buffet and one alla carte. Beach buffet has new dishes coming up every two hours, but what people didnt pay attention to (too much booze in their system) there is a QR code on napkin holders and wall beside the bar - you can order anything from grilled fish, to shrimps, to deserts, etc.....just asked. People didnt know about it, therefor are complaining here about "plain food". WOOF One word or two - delicious, fresh and there for you. Tips: yes they expect $1 or two, but its up to you, you still get your service just as good. City tours and places, those are crazy buggers. Store at the resort: EXPENSIVE. If you must go and get some, take taxi for $10 to town and go to their grocery story - prices 60-70% cheaper. If you must pay in store on site, pay cash. Not sure if its their internet an issue, but lady who works there, likes to swipe two machines and charge you twice by saying "first machine didnt go thru". So watch your bank statement. One lady we met there had bad experience, after long fight, she got her money back next day. Gifts, if you are leaving some gifts for workers, you need to leave a note as well - state your name, room #, and description of item. Cash is always a king, no notes needed :) Workers: working extremely hard, grounds are clean, restaurants are clean, cleaners and staff is amazing. However, SHAME ON MANAGEMENT and CHEAP OWNER (fix this resort as your beautiful house down the road from the hotel) - your leaking roofs on March 17-18/2026 are unacceptable - YOU have to invest money and fix this beautiful building, club house roof, beach buffet (priority) - put some plastic shingles first than your palm hays (see resort near you has it done properly) - this way birds wont destroy it and if over time something gets old, at least you don't have a meal under open leaking skies. Poor kitchen workers get up so early to cook and then water runs allover their hard work and they are busy saving food,re-cooking and CANT help customers as mush as they could, not their fault - ITS yours, dear owner. Remember first rule of management - its always your fault. Next time you have meeting with meal, don't sit inside of alla Larte restaurant, come and dine with us, customers, in your damaged buffet. Big BOO on management, but workers are great, but agree with some reviews here , some workers are grumpy - younger skinny lady with glasses at reception, need to change her attitude. Cant talk to people like this Definitely will return when hotel is fixed

Overall a good value and will consider returning when planning to return to Cozumel. Overall the beach and pools are much better than the others in the area. The rooms were clean and so were the grounds. Most of the staff was friendly, although there were a few bartenders who were less so. The food was consistent with other local establishments in the area, we found it a little bland and we are not ones to handle spicy foods. We did find the hotel needing some repairs, like the steps were chipped to the point of showing rebar. The beds, while advertising two per bed, seemed smaller than a full. The pools were large, cleaned daily, and had lots of capacity. The beachfront was one of the best for Cozumel. There was plenty of day activities for all age level and the three staff that did the entertainment were solid, engaged, and very positive. We stayed 7 days in March 2026

The location was great! The water was clear. You could see twenty feet down. Great snorkeling, beautiful beach, however where there is rock it gets covered by seaweed and then causes it to smell like a lagoon. The seagulls poop everywhere. The cleaning staff will not wash off the sun beds u less you tip them. They peck at your food and fly around the buffet area. It’s gross. The atmosphere was definitely for the older crowd. Quiet at night. No music, karaoke or games. Other than the mini golf. The rooms are so disgusting! Especially on the original side of the resort. I requested a room change every day we werethey’re and every day they had checkouts. The customer service desk people were crabby, not pleasant. They said no to everything! I requested two blankets because our room was so cold but would only give us one. The rooms are so dated! No refrigerator, no phone to call the front desk, no iron or ironing board or coffee maker. We got charged way too much for this stay. Not a great value in my opinion. The buffet was never refilled with fresh food, dirty and sloppy area. Again, we had to ask for everything. Salt, pepper, condiments, ect. The manager Julio was emailed by the gal who checked us in and never left us a message in our room or got back to us. No cares about good services. The bar tenders and waiters were the only good thing about our stay!

I was really looking forward to this stay because I remember this hotel being one of the best in its class years ago. Sadly, the reality was a huge letdown, and I won’t be returning. Our terrible experience began right at check-in. Ms. Fatima and Mr. Julio were exceptionally rude—they mumbled insults under their breath, completely ignored our questions, and made the whole process drag on unnecessarily long (around 2 hours). They didn’t bother to explain basic but important things, like needing keys for towels, the safety deposit box, or other essentials. It set a negative tone from the start. The staff in the bars and restaurants were genuinely nice and tried their best, but they all looked completely exhausted and overheated. There wasn’t even a fan at the counters to help keep them cool while working—it’s no wonder attitudes suffer when employees are treated this poorly. We later heard from others that this hotel is notorious for mistreating its staff, which might explain the front-desk rudeness. As an all-inclusive, the food options were surprisingly limited and repetitive. We only discovered there was a “secret menu” at the kitchen by chance—if you know to ask your waiter for it, they can bring those items. Some dishes even require ordering the day before, but none of this was communicated at check-in or at the restaurant. It felt like hidden rules designed to frustrate guests. The beachfront setting is beautiful, and the rooms are spacious and comfortable—that’s about the only positive. Everything else needs serious improvement in service, transparency, staff welfare, and variety. And btw, I’m still waiting for my deposit for beach towels!!!!