Review of El Cozumeleño Beach Resort 3*

I CAN'T WAIT TO GO BACK… The negative reviews here are baffling to me… I would recommend looking deeply into the reviews and considering both sides. I have no complaints whatsoever about this resort… My guess is that people are more motivated to write a review when they've had a negative experience, than to write a good review when satisfied. In addition, some people's expectations based on experiences at other larger corporate all-inclusives would obviously be different. Personally, I'm not even the type to stay at a resort, I prefer exploring on my own and enjoy smaller local places; however, even given my bias against a large all-inclusive, I was thoroughly impressed and couldn't ask for a better experience. Let's start with the staff… all of them were extremely friendly, accommodating and eager to please. I do believe that if you attempt to speak Spanish with them (though most speak English quite well), it helps develop a good rapport. In addition, an occasional tip of a dollar or two (even though it isn't "required") goes a long way in getting even better service. In several cases, I made genuine friendships with some of the staff, and on future visits will be meeting with them outside of the environment just to hang out and learn about their local culture. Many complaints centered on the food, which I do not understand, either. Certain things weren't to my taste or perfect, but overall the food was very good, and in some cases were excellent. The formal meals requiring reservations were particularly good, and I was impressed enough with a couple of dinners that I requested to speak to the chef and also went to the kitchen to thank the staff. The food far exceeded my expectations, and I did not have one meal that could be considered "American food" other than a pizza ordered through room service, which was quite good. The rooms are fairly basic, but it's a beach resort vacation — who really cares what amenities are in the room? It's only being used to sleep if you're there to enjoy the beach and water and sand. As long as it is clean, not much more is needed, and my room was clean, well-stocked, and I have zero complaints in that regard. Many guests complained about the temperature — once again, I had no problems with the air conditioning in the room, and while it can be a bit warm during the day in public areas, a quick dip in the pool or ocean cools one off quite effectively. There is adequate WI-FI in the large lobby area, and it actually reaches out to areas on the deck, near a couple of the pools, and even the casual restaurant. Again, when on such a vacation, I don't know who would want to be stuck behind a computer or on their phones in their rooms. I was able to communicate easily with people back home when I needed to; the rest of the time I was in the water and enjoying a drink, so I didn't really need WI-FI in my room or in the sand. I saw a couple of reviews where persons complained that the WI-FI signal was only available in a small, cramped lobby area. That just simply isn't true. The lobby is quite large, with plenty of seating for people who want to congregate, play chess, or sit at the bar, and the signal was available throughout the area. All in all, it was a wonderful vacation, at a great resort, with incredible staff, very good food, and an excellent setting. Hopefully you will balance your perception of the negative reviews with that of those who did not have such an experience. With only one single exception, no one I talked to had anything negative to say while at the resort, and most were thrilled. I met several people who had been going there for many years, some that go multiple times a year, and as seasoned travelers have nothing but positive things to say. I intend to join them, and I will be visiting Cozumel and the El Cozumeleno for many years to come, hopefully one or two times a year, without hesitation.