Occidental Cozumel reviews
8983 TripAdvisor reviews
Reservation Nightmare for a Dive Business Owner
jrmusmc73 (Webster, United States) on Mar 21, 2024
Your Reservations department needs a wake up call! I was looking to use Occidental for future stays with my groups from my Dive business. several of my people booked, and then 2 cancelled. The reservations guy neglected to charge the card I gave him for my room, until i called asking about it, and was instructed that there wasn't any rooms left.... Oh wait, yes there is one, but you can only stay 2 nights, go away, and then come back for 4 more, instead of the 7 day stay you requested a full month in advance! Then 24 hrs later, Oh we have a room for you for your full stay, but it will be $798 extra for the one nights stay... are you freaking kidding me?!?!? This was the Barcelo's reservations guys fault to begin with! Once i finally did get to the hotel, the front desk Mgr Walter was awesome and found my room for me to stay the full 7 days and it was only $340+ more..... My whole Occidental cost wasn't supposed to be more than $1300 without the dive package, and it ended up costing me over $2,500 in the end!!! ????Not only that but we own a dive shop on the Island, and my Instructor there that was with us, wasn't allowed on the property without paying an outrageous fee??And even was given a hard time just come to pick us up or drop us off at the front. I own a Dive Shop in Houston, Texas, at NASA, and will never suggest this hotel to anyone I come in contact with, or groups I bring to the Island of Cozumel!!!
We want to return even though there are some issues.....
Elizabeth D on Mar 20, 2024
We repeatedly heard that the water was filtered and safe to drink but we had drinks made with ice, then struggled with stomach issues the entire week and even after returning home. Every person we met and talked to said that they had diarrhea and stomach issues. There was only one white wine (chardonnay), one red, and one sparkling …. All lousy. I REALLY wish they offered a good quality Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc…!! The employees are friendly. Alberto and Leon in First Club were amazing, hardworking, and helpful. We did complain every day that our refrigerator was broken and nothing was done about it. The rooms were clean but did smell musty and damp. I struggled to sleep because the pillows smelled so bad. We didn’t have a screen door to our tiny balcony which would’ve been very nice. There isn’t a snack bar or way to get a bite to eat without being seated at a restaurant or buffet (or get dressed and go to First Club). The pool bar isn’t staffed well enough. We had to bring wet towels back to the room quite often because the towel person was either not at their post or had already left for the evening. The first club area is lovely, relaxing, and inviting.
Beautiful wedding on the beach...
hm3b (Larkspur, Colorado) on Mar 20, 2024
My stepdaughter and her fiance chose the Occidental Cozumel for their destination wedding and had their dream wedding on the beach. The wedding planner, Nadia Ortiz, is awesome! She communicated well throughout the process from the time we reserved, to our pre-visit to check everything out, to making sure every detail the bride wanted was carried out. Nadia was there and present throughout the whole day and evening and adjusted to some last minute changes flawlessly. Even though the beach was diminished from past storms (the photos on their website are not accurate) we were still able to have a ceremony at the waters edge and great photos (Tania the photographer was excellent!). Nadia truly was the key to our wedding and reception being everything the bride wanted. The open air venue right on the water couldn't have been more beautiful. The food for the rehearsal and the reception was excellent...but what really stood out was the service and all the employees that went above and beyond to provide our party of 50 a fun and memorable wedding. The resort is beautifully landscaped and tropical feeling. Several great areas for wedding photos. Everything was clean and comfortable. Where the resort could improve is in the maintenance and upkeep of their facilities. Some guests did experience a few issues with their rooms, but they were handled immediately. The decor is somewhat dated but clean. Again, the employees are the standouts at this resort. The buffet had something for everyone and the food overall was good...we loved the chicken and anything potatoes...also the cakes were delicious. Have I mentioned how great the employees are?! Nadia and Noemi made our wedding/reception everything the bride dreamed of....
Nice resort, but lacking a/c
jennjo1 (Ohio) on Mar 19, 2024
We had an overall good experience at this resort, and had a fabulous time in Cozumel. First of all, the jungle atmosphere and landscaping were absolutely beautiful. The rooms were clean and a nice size. The food met expectations for an all inclusive resort. The breakfast was great, lunch was nice- enjoyable to have the open air setting by the ocean. The specialty restaurants were all pretty good, and the dinner buffet was not very good. Service was excellent all around the resort. The evening entertainment was better than expected, we especially enjoyed the Mayan Show and Circus Show. The beach area was just ok, as other reviews state the area is small (which we expected). I was surprised that the water was murky all week and the water had very poor visibility. I could not even see my feet while in the water. Normally my favorite part of vacation is the beautiful clear water...we did not experience that at this resort. That could have been a weather issue, however, we did find find beautiful clear water on other parts of the island. My biggest complaint was the lack of a/c. The issue was across the entire resort. Most everyone we encountered had the same complaint. The temperature in our room never once got below 25 C (77 F). That made for uncomfortable sleeping, and the room always felt hot and humid. In addition, none of the restaurants or bars seemed to have a/c either. I am not sure I would return or recommend this resort unless the a/c issue is fixed.
Great time, but needs updates.
jollysarah08 on Mar 19, 2024
Never been to mexico and thought it was absolutely beautiful. My boyfriend stayed there four years ago and thought it had gone down hill. The rooms in all of building 17 never got down below 77 degrees in our room the whole time. There wasn't much for shade by the pool or on the beach when we went by other resorts and noticed there beaches had a bunch of shade. The other thing that was a bummer and we didn't know this before we went is that the tvs in the room for at night they only had 4 channels that spoke English and the channels didn't come in well. Pros: The staff was absolutely amazing, drinks were good and the food was not bad. To add to the the resort I would have snacks available for people throughout the day, add shaded options by the pool and the beach. Not everyone can handle the sun and it isn't good for your skin. Also the rooms need air condition. 75 degrees in a room is just awful especially after being in the sun.