I wanted to do some scuba diving in Cozumel while my wife was on a trip with her alumni group in France, and I ended up staying at the Iberostar for a week. I had a personal recommendation for diving with Dressel Divers, who are located on the premises of the Iberostar, and the resort itself had good reviews, so staying there seemed like a win-win.
I enjoyed my stay very much! Compared to the mega-resorts of the Riviera Maya – which is where my wife and I normally go in Mexico -- this one is modestly sized, which has its pros and cons. One advantage is that you can walk all over the resort quite easily and quickly once you know your way around. From the beach to the area with the lobby, theater, spa, gym, and 2 of the a la carte restaurants is a 5 minute stroll. Another advantage of the modest size is that you see the same staff all the time, and they display the typical Mexican hospitality. The rooms are in thatched roof 2 level cabana-like buildings, with (I think) 4 rooms to a cabana. I requested and got an upper level room because I like to get a good view of the bird life in the trees.
One of the downsides of a modestly sized resort (compared to the mega-resorts) is that the food selection is not as extensive. The Iberostar has 3 a la carte restaurants (only open for dinner), a large buffet restaurant (near the beach), and a beach grill. (They apparently are renovating another buffet restaurant near the lobby, which was not open when I was there.) The Asian restaurant has a pretty big buffet of appetizers, then a limited menu of main courses. I loved the salmon so much that I ordered it both times I was there. In the Mexican restaurant, everyone is served a large bowl of delicious guacamole and chips, then you order off a menu for your main course. I had the cochinita pibil – shredded pork in a delicious sauce – on one occasion and the chicken enchiladas in mole for my other meal there. Both these restaurants are air conditioned. The other a la carte is a covered open-air area on the beach (providing beautiful sunset views) and serves barbecue. Your only choices are the appetizer platter, the meat platter (with 4 meats), and the vegan platter. You cannot order individual dishes, which is unfortunate, especially since the portions are enormous. I asked to only have 2 of the meats, but was told that it only comes as a combo. So I ended up leaving a lot of food. The BBQ was good – especially the pulled pork – and I appreciated that they have several choices for style of BBQ sauce. But unless you have a really big appetite, you may want to split a platter with someone else.
The buffet restaurant was open for all 3 meals, and offered a pretty wide selection of good dishes, although not as extensive as the mega-resorts. My only real complaint about the restaurants was that the wine was just not up to the standard of many other AI resorts, neither in variety nor in quality. There was only 1 red, 1 white, and 1 sparkling. I didn’t try the sparkling, but the red and white were both the label Alba from Spain, and were mediocre at best. The Mexican restaurant served a Chilean red that was a significant upgrade one time I ate there, but they were out of it the second time. But, seriously, a decent AI should have at least a rose and a couple of choices for red and white wine. Of course, there was a list of wines for sale, but – as is true of other AI resorts – they are ridiculously over-priced.
Other random comments: I never used the gym, but I did look in, and it seems well-equipped. Some days in the early evening, there is live music in the lobby, which I enjoyed. Check the app every day to see the schedule. There is a theater with live shows, but I never attended. The beach is nice, and the water is very clear. However, a lot of the bottom is quite rocky, so water shoes may be a good idea. Sadly, there is very little to see snorkeling off the beach. It’s pretty much all just a sea grass bed, although there are some schools of fish that hang out under the pier. There is not a lot of wildlife, but you’ll see lots of colorful birds, some coatis (who are quite bold, sometimes wandering around the lobby and buffet), iguanas, and non-native species like a small flock of flamingoes and some peafowl.
The on-site dive operation -- Dressel Divers -- deserves its own review, but in summary, I thought it is a good operation, but has the same downsides as others in Cozumel with whom I have dived on previous trips. Their boats and dive guides are good, but there are really too many divers per boat (20- 30) and per dive guide (7-9). Still, overall the experience was very positive.
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