Occidental Allegro Resort Hotel

we were a party of 9. 4 adults, 3 teenagers and 2 ten yr olds. we were greeted at the hotel lobby by traditional music and a very welcome cocktail! the hotel was spotless and extremely weel maintained at all levels, the reps were efficient and friendly, food for the most part was good - but any all inclusive can get a little repetitive. would heartily recommend the mexican restaurant - just for the atmosphere alone! the staff were marvellous in there, thanks guys! we felt really relaxed, the children did their own thing, either the wavelengh club or off with their new found friends whilst we lazed round the pool most days. the beach is beautiful - and the activities are great value ( if not free!) i suggest that you try the complementary scuba lesson, the reef is a memory that will stay with me and my family for ever. arrived home today and wishing i was back already.

2 readers found this review helpful

What makes a good holiday ? I had always wanted to go to Mexico , not being a fan of Europe ,its english based holiday feel , and as a family enjoy venturing a little further a field.
So you want to taste the culture , see new things , get the sun on your back , maybe meet new friends and finally relax.....! Exactly and you could do that here in abundance.
Ok yes repairs and refurb needs to be to the roof , the swimming pool and the rooms need updating , i would imagine give First Choice two summers and it would be all complete.
The beach is excellant and the water is perfect ( not often you see Rays right next to your feet ), also enjoyed the beach voleyball , i would say the entertainment was ok , a lot of effoert was put in but bar Olly and Penny , there was a lack of real talent and that was noticeable .
The restaurant staff were slow at times , but generally ok , we encountered no rudeness , but staff were not as helpful as in Eygpt the year before , the first choice staff however were very good especially Charlea.
The 2 Mexican entertainment staff ( Carlos and his mate whose name i forget ) were brilliant and both very talented.
Also , found the American tourists very polite and friendly , a far cry from europe and its constant Eng V Ger battle.
5 of us went , Myself and my wife , our son 13 , step-daughter 30 and grand daughter whos was 2 , the hotel catered for all of us equally and we had a great time .
I recommend the visit to Tulum and Xel -Ha on the mainland , but do not do the Dolphin Swim on Cozumel - very overpriced and exposed if weather changes .
Cozumel Town is overpriced for the Cruise Tourists , so shop around !
All in all a great time , i would return and i am sure by this time next year , it will have been further improved....!

3 readers found this review helpful

there was ten of us that went on this holiday we got told it would be fantastic far from it when we first saw it it looked lovely from the reception are room was damp the bed was wet and we got bit every time we were it it it was full of fleas we asked to change rooms because it was just filthy they offerd to change it a day befoe we go the big pool we couldnt go in because it was so dirty we couldnt see the bottom of it so we stayed in the littel pool and that was just as bad i sat in it and when i sat up i had paint on my hands and the back of my bikini the pool had all green slim around the pool the kids club was terrible there were no air con the room was tiny all my kids couldnt stay in there beacuse they had prickel heat and it was like a sauna in there so we never got use of that food was allfull all goit sick we ate out allthe time it coast 1
£12000 to go to this [--] hole so u can see why i am very angry i have complained to first choice there trying to fob me off but i am going to see a solisitor i even had fleas in my case when i got home are clothes all tunred yellow in the pool entertainment terrible allniught alright if u had no kids because they wernt aloud in drinks terrible any way if i would have read up before i went i would not have gone we were told it was a new build the hotel had been there for ten years by god you can tell what they didnt say was first choicew has taken over and that it is going to be a first choice holliday village aventullay i would never book with first choice ever again

1 reader found this review helpful

Myself and my boyfriend went here for 2 weeks at the end of september/ear;y october.
We booked the Royal Suites rooms, which cost a little extra to get the adult only pool, private beach etc.
Our first impressions were great. We were greeted by Charlea when we got out of the taxi, and as we were a royal suites guest, we were straight away escorted to our room with luggage shortly followed.
The room was bright, clean and the towel art with fresh petals was a really nice touch to the room.
Foolishly, we went straight to the welcome meeting without using bug repellant and were bitten horribly. My boyfriend got 30+ bites just from the quick half an hour we were sat there.
However, this is to be expected. You have booked a holiday that is set in the caribbean jungle. The whole island is only 10% populated! with that much jungle you cannot possibly expect there to be no mozzies!! I used Boots own brand bug repellant which was a spray on and as long as i coated everywhere with it, I did not get bitten.
We did not do any of the excursions as we did feel they were incredibly over priced. I wanted to do the Royal Dolphin swim with out any one else, even if it costed more but this was not possible.
The reps wer incredibly friendly and helpful, in particular charlea and simon.
The food is very repetitive. But lets be honest...This hotel is a 3* all inclusive. Its never going to be Gordon Ramsey standard!!
The breakfast was lovely. It was full english/american, with pancakes, french tost ( My favorite!) eggs, fresh omelettes made to order, toast,f ruit, cereal, croissants and a good range of fresh juice.
The only bad thing about the restaurant is that unless there was the lovely young lady who seats you at the greeting point, you would be ignored for several minutes by the staff, who would chat among themselves or set three of four tables before bothering to seat you, and you are asked to move if you seat yourself. However, the you lady there was ever so friendly, always said hello if she saw you in the grounds and was generally an assett to the hotel.
The Mexican speciality restaraunt was by far the best. The dishes were huge, and the waiter with the gold teeth was really friendly, smily and gave great service.
The pools could have been kept cleaner. This was no through lack of trying to clean them. At the Royal suites pool, there was someone there every morning without fail cleaning it for at least half an hour. however, the pools could do with a quick clean two or three times a day due to the amount of bugs.
Jesus who looked after the Royal Suites area was lively. After 2 days he brought me a fresh apple juice at the poolside or beach every morning without fail, followed by a cocktail he called Riviera Mayan, which was frozen melon slush covered with vodka shortly after mid day.
The grounds were constantly being worked on. Bushes being cut, grass being cut, pavements swept. And it showed. The place was always tidy.
The lunchtime menu was great. As its an open plan lay out with the outside and no doors, you do get birds walking into the restaraunt, but if you seat yourself in the middle, you are fine.
There is a fast food buffet which is great for burgers, hot dogs, nachos, chicken nuggets etc.
Then they prepare fresh meat, rice and pasta with lots of choice on the other side.
The whole time I was there I did not see one spider. There was one scorpion that was found crawling along the wall of the beach, but one of the reps came and got it and walked it far up the beach and threw it into the jungle. We saw a tortoise which was beautiful and the fish in the sea are amazing.
The beach is clean, with beutiful ft sand and always plenty of sunloungers around the pools and the beach, so there is no fighting about whose towel was on there first! There islways a lifeguard on duty around the beach area too. The sea is beautifully clean and crystal clear and always at a beautiful temperature.
I must admit when it as raining ( and guess what??? If you choose to go to mexico during the hurricane season ( IE September onwards) IT WILL RAIN!! THE HOTEL CANNOTHELP THE WEATHER!!!) there is not alot to do. and the adult bar is not all that good, but does have a wider choice of drinks there!
The terrace bar is lovely to sit in the evening and have a quiet drink with table service.
We didnt watch a full night of the entertainment, but could hear it from the terrace bar and saw parts of it. It looked very good, particularly the mexican dancers.
In the second week, I have to admit, thotel gotincredibly busy and the restaraunt service went completely down hill. we stopped tipping as we felt they just did not deserve it. they would take drink orders, and i would finish my meal before they brought them over, if it all. plates would not be cleaned away etc. however, i felt this was purely down to a lack of staff, which did improve the last 2 days.
we only went out of the hotel once. This was to go to the main shopping centre by the cruise ship dock. There is plenty of choice for shops and restaraunts there, and we managed to get all souveniers there too.
We got out pictures taken with some endangered macaw parrots.
The man who spends every day there does it for the love of these parrots. he brings them up and tames them so well that one layed in my arms like a baby for a photo.
I was execting it to be an extortionate charge to have the picture taken but it was in fact $30...This came with a frame too, or with out the frame, for the same amount, he will take as many pictures as you wish onyour own camera.
As for the Royal Suites...It was definately worth paying the extra. free DVD rentals when it does rain, free internet access, free books to read, the private pool and jacuzzi, nicer sunbeds, beach and poolside drink & snack service, nicer towels!! afternoon tea etc. However, it is incredibly annoying when people let their children run around this area and onto the private beach and this isnt well governed by the hotel with security.
I in particular paid the extra money so that I could have an extra relaxing holiday, and to have children running around, grabbing onto your sunbed screaming while playing had every other day was not very impressive. This goes for the people who walk a bit further down the beach and then sit on the royal suites beach and take the beach side service and laugh about it very loudly about how all these 'mugs have paid extra for this' is incredibly frustrating, as if i knew you could do that, I would not have paid the money, and just used the facilities anyway!
However, all in all, for the price it was a lovely holiday. It is not dirty, falli apart, smelly, and I certainly had no problems with unclean sheets or anything of that kind.
The grounds were lovely, the rooms clean, the pools spacious, plenty of sunbeds etc, lovely staff, good food ( if a tad repetitive) and all in all a very decent all inclusive hotel. It is not perfect by any means, but what hotel at this sort of price is??? if you want 5* quality and hourmet food, I suggest you up your budget a lot more.
Staff members who really stuck out was the buffet restaraunt host ( her name escapes me!) Fernando, the man with the gold teeth in the specialty restaraunts, Noe, and Jesus. They are a credit to that hotel and should be rewarded for their great service efforts.

1 reader found this review helpful

let me say if you have already booked get your money back as soon as dont be tricked into staying with this holiday first choice will say everything is alright i am sure the good veiws have been posted to combat against the very bad ones it is most deffitently not alright it is hell trust me.not sure where to begin. resturants: every singleone roof leaks not just a bit but alot very dangerous celings fell in on 2 resurants in one week then patched up and fell in again .
food:very bland and boring kids menu is the worst i have ever seen but this hotel would have got one star if the lady who did ommlets at breakfast wasnt there v good
drinks: all drinks tasted of pool water now i know that it is all inclusive and its cheap plonk but if you cant drink it why bother we spent more money buying drinks from the shop across the road for kids and adults than anything else
ice screams: not included??????
bars:24 hour service not on your nelly ok nobody wants to drink for 24 hours but what kind of person turns the lights off at 10 pm the fans off up two flights of stairs which is the only way out when its raining so fast that cant see your hand in front of your face when there familys with young childern without notice on water soddend floors witch was dangerous at the best of times"they just didnt care"
pools: looks like they have realy tried on this one but got it badly wrong by opening before its was ready kids pool looked fantastic untill you saw the bottom of the pool was breaking up the joints in the water slide was hurting the kids when they came down the water sent all swimming costumes yellow had to be thrown away all pools full of baby frogs.and worst of all both my children got a skin infection which was caused by dirty water which has only just gone after 3 weeks back in the uk doctor was called in mexico cost 90 dollars only to find when we got home wrong mediecin
rooms: suposed have been full refubished not in the last ten years has this been done one couple was moved 4 times in 2 weeks ie roofs leaking damp infestation cleanliness dangerous.
service:they just dont care if you pay peanuts you get monkeys and the staff are on peanuts and who can blame them this place whants shuting down as soon as because someone is going to get hurt badly
entertainment: must idmit my son loved it but it was the same night in night out just 5 staff no outside shows but they did there best everything is done on the cheap once you are there the attitued is there not much you can do about it
maids: they make little things out of towels which is brilliant if only they could clean as good the sheets had that many blood stains on it looked like there had been a murder in them and the next day they would try and just turn them around totally disgusting
i could go on forever this was the worst 2 weeks of my life and it should have been the best please dont drop the [--] i made when i fetched my family here if you have booked cancel now forget about the money you may lose it is that bad

set of with a party of 38 to get married in white sands holiday village.first cock up was when we got to cozumel airport after a 10 hour flight was the cleaner took the visa forms off the plane so we all had to fill forms out when we got there chaos.when we got to the resort there was 3 wedding groups there at the same time so it was a bit busy trying to get your key and when 1 of my party did and opened the door to find the already occupied and laying on there on there bed.nice start.the food was basic at night (no indian nights) the breakfast best bit was the omelette.now to the beer it was like **** you wouldnt get drunk if you had a barrell a night.we didnt get telled when we booked it 14 months ago and spending over 38000 pound it was the last 2 weeks of the summer and it rained and rained and what do they do for you when it rains nothing.the resturant bar shuts at 10pm and they turn the fans off and lights off which when its dark health and safety would love it if they had 1.after 10 you are suppose to go to the adults only bar which stunk of damp or go and watch the singers and scratch like hell because of the mossis and at 11 oclock when it shuts you have to take your kids home because theres no where else to go.we got married on the 21st a perfect day appart from the rain yet again we went to the reception bar for drinks but the little waiter behind the bar woulndt open it not even for the guest until we complained.if you go into cozumel for a change of the rain go before 7pm because it shuts after the boats leave.the staff start smilling and being kind hoping you might give them bigger tips.would i go back again no .am right saying tho last choice holidays good luck to the candians whos turn it is now

When we booked the holiday we was not told it was the rainy season oct through to dec so we arrived to very heavy rain in fact most of the holiday was rain.when the sun got out it was hot but there was little of it.Perfect place to go if you wanted to get eaten alive by mosquitoes my husband and i were quite lucky we took plenty of repellent and covered ourselves from head to toe every day but some people were bit from head to toe.The people were friendly,the accomadation was damp smelling and we couldnt get our clothes out of our cases because they became damp.The hotel was downgraded to a 3* while we was there.Many people were complaining and leaving the hotel in our first week there.We took american dollars,if you wanted to go into the only town in cozumel it cost 20dollars for two people 4 people 17dollars each way.The food was just ok not a lot of choice no fruit only melon and if you was lucky you might see a banana.The trips were quite a bit pricey but i did go swiming with dolphins.Entertainment was not to bad during the day unless it rained then there wasnt any and nothing to do.Night time entertainment was not good.I have to say the best part about the holiday was we met lots of nice people.Would we go back? NEVER.

Very Recently returned from our 16 day holiday in Cozumel, Holiday Village White Sands.
My wife & i took our four young children to white sands after being strongly advised and booked with First Choice. We paid for this holiday 5 months before departure and we all was very excited about going , having not done any thing like this before.
When we arrived after a very long flight from Gatwick at the holiday village we straight away thought paridise like you see on the tv, however not as all what we were told by first choice.
The whole complex is built on a swamp next to the sea, so you can imagine what the mosquito's were like there, ( lots, lots. )The first day there my wife and our kids were bitten in the day over 50 bite's each ( and we not joking), we after using repelant ( jungle formula) the problem just got worse and worse each day. The local shop there sold us several makes of sprays and roll on
's however nothing stop us getting bitten all the time. The complex did not have any insect / mosquito dusting programme inplace at all, which was the talk of the holiday amoung us british there for the first week. Some couples and family's move off the site to another part of mexico in the first week after complaining to First Choice, however this was not easy to do and we had to stay there.
It was a joke to First choice and the hotel company saying that yes you got bitten but just get on with it, BUT the fact was no, it was disscusting. every where you went in the park,, beach, rooms, toilets, breakfast, lunch & dinner we got bit and not just a few times but over and over again.
All i can say about this place is to you all, is that it was very unpleasant sll the time would not reccommend going unless you can cope with the mosquito's that are in swarms all over this park and that will bite you in place's that you can not even imagine even with you clothes on.
please, please, please have a good think before you go.

I recently visited the white sands resort in mexico with my family for my 18th birthday for two weeks. There was twelve of us and after reading some of the reviews on this website the majority of us were put off and very worried about what to expect once arriving there.
When we arrived the rep Simon was very polite and helpful,we left our luggage out the front whilst the hotel staff took care of it and escorted it to our rooms whilst we had welcome drinks and also a meeting to greet us.our first impressions of the resort was nothing of what we expected.It was very clean and seemed lovely and we could not see at all what people had been complaining about.
The rooms were also very clean,a maid comes everyday and tidy's up, makes the beds and leaves you clean towels they were also very polite.
Everynight there was a different theme in the restarant and the food was really nice there was a choice for everyone, the waiters and waitress's were all very friendly and they really did work hard.
during the day there was plenty to do,in our group there were young children so the wave length club was perfect for them as they do all different activities with young children. they also do adult activities from volleyball to water polo and golf.there was a wide range or stuff to do and even down on the beach there was snorkelling,kayaks,jetski's and plenty more,and you will find that most of it is free as it is included with your holiday.
the entertainments staff were fantastic and also tried their hardest and put their efforts into putting on a great show everynight for the guests. they also have local bands and dancers come into the hotel and perform on certain nights.
during our stay we did take a trip to the local dolphin encounter and we all had the most amazing time. most of us took part in the adventure swim and some of the family went in the encounter. i would recommend to anyone that this is the trip of a lifetime and its money well spent as it was an experience to remember!!!
the only downfall i would say about the resort that for the future could be improved would be,in our group travelling were a 16year old and a 17year old and after 11 o clock when the entertainments finished there wasnt nothing really to do as the only bar open was the adult bar and you had to be over 18 years old to enter so it was a bit disappointing as most of our group were adults and not young children, so for the older teenagers this was the only problem we had as we could not travel into town everynight as there was a large amount of us the cab fares would have been expensive.
the final thing is that you need to take plenty of insect repellent for the mosquitos as yes you do get bit, you are in mexico and you do need to expect that you are surrounded by jungle.some people asked while we was at the hotel to be moved to mainland mexico but honestly this problem can occur in any country you just have to expect it as you are in the caribbean, just stock up!either buy skin so soft which is from the avon this was even recommended by the local doctor as the troops even use it in iraq its that good. or Autan which was sold in mexico that was very good too.
apart from that our holiday overall was amazing and we would definately go again and recommend it to anyone. for all the bad reviews i have read i would definately not listen to them as we are a really down to earth family and it really does depend on your own opinion, we found that some people complained over anything and everything and can be really fussy.

Holiday White Sands is Butlins for people with passports! Even the entertainment staff wore red coats. The flight with First Choice airways was pleasnt enough, we flew Star Class, and the food was good, the staff lovely and although the in flight entertainment was limited, it was certainly good enough. The transport from the hotel was well organised and effiicient. The hotel greeting was with drinks and although the signs all said Occidental Allegro, it was at least a pleasant start. When we arrived in our room things just started to go downhill. The room was dirty and smelt of damp, and was very very small, no cupboards, no drawers for clothes. We asked the First Choice rep to move and they did this with good grace, thank you to Simon. We moved rooms the next day to one that was still small but at least was a tad cleaner. The problem was sleep or lack of it.
The nightly entertainment was overley loud and if Bingo, and Karaoke was not for you, the sound system was so loud, you had no choice but to listen to it, sleep was not an option. The childrens entertainment was at best Ametuerish with little or no variation, and listen to it once and you will hear the same stuff night after night.
The food was no better with the same dishes being offered night after night just with a different sauce and new name. The selection both for lunch and dinner was montonous and very disappointing. Not a four star all inclusive at all. The drinks varied in quality from very flat tasting of chlorine, to just flat and not nice. It might have been all inclusive but if it tastes nothing like it should, who wants to drink it.
The staff from First Choice could be divided into two camps, those that were friendly, and those who had little interest in their job and guests were an annoyance to their socialising, and free holiday in Mexico.
The child friendly status is just one water setting that kids can run and play over like a playarea. Great for the first few hours on the first day, after a few days, the novelty wears off, the climbing available was at $20 for two goes, hardly all inclusive.
The trips all had a "hidden extra" that you did not get told about, and that was transport. You had to get to certain places yourself either to meet the coaches or to get there. I went to the submarine. Any trip away from the hotel required the use of a taxi which as a nice £30 round trip and even if you shared a taxi with another family, instead of it being £30 between you, the driver would just multiply familys by £30, making £90 some trips. There is nowhere to walk in the evening due to remoteness of the hotel. The only "local " shops know this and this is reflected in the price of anything you buy.
Th really great thing was the swimming teachers, they were patient, understanding, did a fantastic job, really commited, and excellent. It is a shame that some will be departing for pastures new. Thank you to Lisa and Anthony.