Iberostar Cozumel Hotel

We had the most amazing trip ever..The resort was beautiful...very tropical and lush...the food and drink was awesome and never ending...the people here have to be the most friendly we have ever met...great a la carte restaurants..wonderful buffets..especially the breakfasts!...Will definitely be going back as soon as we can!!

We stayed at the Iberostar the week of January 23 - 30. The hotel itself is quite neat in that the rooms are round with palapa style roofs. It's likely one of the neatest we've stayed in. We travel one week per year to a tropical spot and we try to seek out something out of the norm. The hotel itself is the typical all inclusive resort. I'd say the food was above average, and the shows were well done by the staff. The smell everyone talks about is definately evident around the theatre and tennis courts. It certainly didn't ruin our vacation though. Our brochure rated this one as a 4, and I would agree. The crowd is a little older as this is a quiet spot. If you are looking for night life, you may be disappointed unless you go in to town everynight, or are with a group. There is a disco, but it certainly won't keep you entertained every night. It's a little far from town if you like to venture, $20 US one way. It is however close to the 2 reefs for diving, 10 - 15 minute boat ride. As for my Canadian friends, we brought US $$, which is widely accepted, travellers cheques US and CA can be cashed at the hotel. However we did withdraw pesos from a cash machince. I got a 'much' better exchange rate.

This resort was ausome! My husband and I visited the week of Jan 18 2003. Our room was beautiful and spacious and we loved the hammock. The pool was big although cold but you don't mind once they start making the most wonderful drinks! The food was great and you could eat almost any time of day.The staff was by far the best out of any resort we have ever been to. If you don't have a good time here it's your own fault. We will go back as soon as we can!

My husband and I stayed at the Iberostar in Dec. and had an absolutely wonderful time. The staff was friendly and helpful and went out of their way to accommodate every request. Our only disappointment was with the beach area which really wasn't very nice. Due to the rocky bottom, getting in and out of the water was difficult. There was no such thing as walking barefoot in the shallow water; impossible to do. Enjoy!!!

I had a great time at the Iberostar. Although I went during the rainy season (mid-January), there were a few days of hard-hitting sun and temperatures above 28 degrees C. The food was plentiful however, by the end, I was looking for more "authentic" dishes. The room was good enough for 2 adults and 1 child. Most of the day was spent outside by the pool or the beach. A couple of words of warning with the beach: 1) bring water-shoes. I bruised the bottom of my foot walking on the rocks by the shore. I found out later that they offer sandle-like water shoes with towels upon asking for them but they're kinda flimsy. Take an off-road tour of the beaches. Going through the jungle is amazing. The coral shoreline is breathtaking. We used Pantera tours and the guide was very knowledgeable with the history and the area. I highly recomend Pentera tours. Nothing like drving through a jungle in a jeep. Once all that was done the driver dropped us off at Senior Frogs in town for an hour for free drinks. Or you could use it to check the place out. After that, he dropped us off back at the resort. Back at the resort... The entertainment was ok. Nothing spectacular, but you could see that the actors tried their best. The drinks were very good. The bartenders were very knowledgeable with the different types of drinks that I threw at them. The steak house was good. Ya, the steak was a little thin but did it every melt in your mouth! The Mexican restaurant featured Lobster. Couldn't pass that up (nor everyone else in the place that night!) The service was great. Because we had a child with us, we needed a high-chair. Only twice out of number of times did we have to ask for one. They were usually bringing one over when we were seated. The pool was really nice. The pool bar was packed with people who didn't believe in sunblock, what a bunch of red lobsters!

Stayed week of January 5th to 12th. The hotel was wonderful. Check in staff was friendly, I highly recommend that you have the bellboy take your luggage to your room, it is hard to find rooms first night, especially if you arrive at night. Rooms were very clean and spacious, we had a second story room with king sized bed, we heard that the lower floor rooms didn't feel quite as big since they did not have the high ceilings like the top floor. The bed was extremely hard, but no big deal. Mini bar was well stocked. Did not rain when we were there, but roof seemed to be good enough I doubt it would have leaked. Washroom was bright and spacious and showers were powerfull and hot! Main buffet restaurant was good, as far as buffets go. Mexican restuarant was okay, steakhouse was delicious! Make reservations more than a day in advance! Pool area was good, pool bar was great. The free scuba lessons by the pool are definetly something to try for those non scuba people. Snorkeling in front of resort was okay, some fish, a couple of star fish and small stingrays, lots of jellyfish when we were there, but nothing to be too concerned about. Be sure to wear flippers or water sandals, it is too hard on bare feet. Taxi ride to town $20usd/trip, ferry to Playa del Carmen $17usd round trip/person. Not much more in Playa del Carmen than San Miguel, did not take bus to Cancun, but would next time. Shopping is very expensive in both places. Chankanaab park was good, it was very windy when we were there so getting in and out of water for snorkelling was treacherous, go on a calm day. Went on a snorkel tour, booked through Sunwing Rep. was okay, but not as good as advertised (no 'Tropical lunch', not 'all day'), glass bottom boat tour did the same as us, for the same price (3reefs, 2hrs) only difference was they had glass in bottom of their boat. Glass bottom boat advertised 2reefs, 2hrs, they got more than they bargained for, we got less! There was an obvious sewer like smell by the tennis courts, but it did not penetrate far enough into the resort to be a concern for us. Tennis courts are excellent aside from smell. We flew Allegro airlines, made it alive, but would not do it again, small planes, no headphone plug ins, no televisions, always late!! All in all, great resort, friendly staff, good vacation, would go back again!

Although I work in the travel industry and am used to hearing differing opinions (and taking them all with a grain of salt) I must admit that I was a little concerned before my trip - after having read some of these reviews. After having spent a week (05-12 Jan/2003) at the Iberostar Cozumel my overall impression was very positive. I loved the little thatched huts - so much more character than a regular North American style building. True, space was a bit tight in the room (it's hard to imagine more than 2 adults plus 1 child fitting comfortably). The surrounding gardens are lovely - and left a little bit wild - so you get the feeling of being in a civilized jungle complete with peacocks and flamingos. I am a very keen beach person and was at first not too thrilled with the coral/rock situation along the waters edge...water sandals are a must. It is possible to have a good swim off the dock, and I have rarely seen so many types of fish within plain view so close to shore (I guess this is the trade off for having to walk on rocks). Rest of the beach area was great - lots of shady palms, palapas and plenty of space out on the open sand. The staff was friendly and efficient, and the activities/entertainment crew was fun and energetic. Evening entertainment was a good combination of little skits/musical/traditional dance and audience participation. It felt a bit more casual and relaxed than stuff I've seen at 5*hotels. The smells? Yes it smelled like being in a jungle mostly although I didn't find it all offensive or overbearing. The "other" smell was a bit more of a problem - I could smell vague sewer smells immediately near the tennis courts. I liked this hotel, and would go back (even though I usually make an effort to see new places). I would also not hesitate to recommend it to my clients - obviously not everyone would like it here; but I have a feeling that a lot of people like myself will absolutely love it.

My husband and I stayed at the Iberostar Cozumel December 1st through December 5th 2002 and had a great time. The rooms are beautiful, the resort is spectacular, and we really felt like we were in paradise. The resort is much nicer than staying in a typical hotel. The resort was clean and the staff very friendly. We had perfect weather while we were there. We went snorkeling right off the pier and saw many beautiful fish. We did have a couple of dislikes. The food at the buffets was mediocre but the restaurants were excellent. We will definitly bring snacks from home next time. The beach right when you get in the water is very rocky at places, so be careful. I had some trouble getting out of the water at one point because of the rocks. We went to Chankanaab one day and would highly recommend to everyone to go snorkeling here. It is reasonably priced and the fish are just breathtaking. We would definitly stay at the Iberostar Cozumel again. We plan to visit again soon.

Family members from 3 states met for a get-together in December. We all had a super time thanks to excellent service, staff, food, and facilities. Be sure to bring bug repellant if you go to the beach area. Although the resort sprays nightly, they do not spray the beach area and sand fleas are thick. Can you believe that they actually rake the sand along the beach everyday! Our grandkids spent some time in the children's program, and the staff could not have been nicer. Taxis are a fixed rate, so going to town or other spots was easy - best if you have a cab full. The gals in our group all had their hair braided and beaded ($15 in town but $40 if done at the resort). We all felt truly pampered and special the whole week we were there.

Stayed at Iberostar Cozumel in December 2002--our third experience with Iberostar chain and as always--excellent!!! Service was superb everywhere: front desk, entertainment team, waiters, bartenders, maids, scuba shop, e.t.c--everything we could have possibly wanted was done for us. Rooms are really neat--little huts--we liked it, but beware, when it rains roofs of 2nd floor rooms can be leaking (really wasn't a big deal for us, we just moved to the other side of the bed, but I can understand it might bother some people :-). Also because walls are pretty thin you really hear your neighbours--again was not a big deal for us, but something to keep in mind. Definitely try to get rooms away from disco (too noisy at night), from dive shop (too noisy in the morning), from tennis cort (smells bad), and try to get a second floor (first floor rooms seemed really small and dark). Food was great--liked buffet the best. Lobster night is a must! Snorkling by the hotel good but not great--bring some bread or banana--you'll get attacked by fish! :-) Entertainment team works so hard and is great--if you are an active person make sure to participate in all sports they have going on during the day (and they have a lot!)--it is really fun and you meat a lot of people. Nightly shows were OK, some better than others, some excellent (Mexican night). Beach is nice and pretty long--we walked for miles! Resort is super clean and has the cleanest beach on the island (they clean it every morning). There is a lot of lizards, iguanas, flamingos, peacocks, e.t.c on property--they are so much fun--peackocks come all the way to the swimming pool and sit on your patio when it rains :-) Overall a great resort with GREAT SERVICE--strongly reccomend!