TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

This is NOT all inclusive. We were asked to pay some hotel fee without which they would not check us in. The place has no beach, it is only good for snorkelling. The sea floor is all covered with slimy rocks. It gets deep almost right away. There is only one food place/buffet included in all inclusive. The other restaurant is extra. There is only one pool that is not big. The place is full of cruise people who come each day to spend their time there. It is right next to a port. Also, it is not a resort, it is just an over advertised hotel. Such a disappointment. Overpriced for nothing.

My wife and I really do like El Cid and have been coming here for over 20 years for the location, snorkeling and the ability to book without All-Inclusive. The biggest problem we've always had here is the air conditioners. They not only fail miserably at dehumidifying the air, they actually seem to act more like humidifiers, making everything in the room (furniture, bedding, towels and all of our clothes) always feeling damp. I know that they are soon closing for around a year for some greatly needed remodeling and hope that replacing these AC units is on their list of things to do.

It was a great holiday. The hotel has a convenient location including an outstanding view. The reps were friendly and resourceful. The servers were kind and polite, not to mention the bellboys. The music at the pool was really enjoyable. The food and room service were amazing. I had such a great experience!!

This was hands down the worst resort I have ever visited. The only 2 good parts were the snorkeling right off the stairs and the 5 mins walk to it from the cruise ship. I cannot overstate how bad of an experience I had. The resort should be begging and offering to pay people to come to this resort, value did not equal quality. First, service was supposed to start at 10am but I had to go hunt them down at 1030. When I walked into the bar area, a group of servers were all standing around and talking and laughing. I spoke a bit loudly and asked the bartender if service had started and he indicated yes. Within a few mins and after the wait staff looked at me, they decided to go to work. Second, this was all inclusive...not really. When I spoke with the bartender and asked about bottled beer, Tecate a Mexican beer, he said there would be an upcharge. How does that work?? I also inquired about a bucket of beers so they wouldn't have to run as much but that was another $30 upcharge. Third, I apparently made the service staff upset because I inquired about them actually doing their job. I never received any more service and when I did try to order a drink and food, the server never brought it to me and that was after waiting almost an hour.

The people working at the hotel are what make this stay special. Specifically, Ari (bellman) and Pedro (dive master) were fantastic! The rooms are nice and face the ocean, which was great. There is a tiny man-made beach area, since most of Cozumel sits on a reef, so there are no big sandy beaches to enjoy, but if you dive, this is a diver's paradise! The hotel is RIGHT at the cruise ship dock, so be prepared for that view all day, too. The grounds are quite lovely, and the hotel is fairly well-maintained. The hotel is about a $10 cab ride from the downtown area. The hotel itself is 3-star (be prepared for some things not to work), and they charge $50 USD per week for Wifi. Your cell service typically doesn't connect until you are outside the hotel grounds, so you are forced to buy their Wi-Fi. I was surprised to learn that most of Mexico's hot-spot destination prices are now comparable to visiting the United States. Aside from a few challenges and an unexpected price increase, this hotel was a pleasant stay, and the staff were warm, friendly, and helpful.