Occidental Cozumel

The first thing i will say about this resort is that the negative press it gets is not called for. The staff were all very pleasant and did a good job. The grounds are immaculate. The restaraunts are very good. The food is perhaps not up to the standards of...

The first thing i will say about this resort is that the negative press it gets is not called for. The staff were all very pleasant and did a good job. The grounds are immaculate. The restaraunts are very good. The food is perhaps not up to the standards of a foodie but they were a lot better than other places my wife and i have been to. We were in building 16 on the third floor. The room was very clean and housekeeping did a great job cleaning it everyday. The building location was about halfway between the beach and the restaraunt/lobby. Some people have mentioned a lack of hot water but we never had an issue. A heads up that the taps seem to work backwards to North America so perhaps that was their problem. This is not a mega resort with endless activities for adults and kids so plan accordingly. The beach has been eroded quite badly by hurricanes but there is still lots of room on the sand. One nice feature of what beach is left is that part of it is shaded quite nicely by mangrove trees. If you go down by 7am and put your towel on the loungers you want they’ll be there when you come back even at 9am. We came and went all day and no one bothered our spots. Timing is everything for the buffets. If you are at the breakfast buffet by 830, the lunch buffet by noon and the supper buffet by 630 there is almost no line up. The breakfast and supper buffet are in a dining room with a small outdoor area and the lunch buffet is outdoors overlooking the ocean. Air conditioning in the rooms was not an issue. Outside temps were 27-30 degrees Celsius everyday and our room temp was always at 20 Celsius if we wanted it that cold. A cab ride into town was $20 US or 400 pesos each way. A drive around the island is worth doing. It only takes half a day including stops. Amazing how the ocean changes in only 6 or 7 miles. It goes from calm to big open ocean rollers. Lots of beaches to stop and walk on as well. If you do go to town we recommend Abuela Restaraunt. It’s a few block off tourist row so the prices are a little cheaper. Food is excellent as well as service. We would like to give a shoutout to Danny the dining room captain and his staff Karla, Isandra, Alisa, Chrissy and all the others whose names we didn’t get. Thank you for looking after us every day. We never did get our housekeepers name but management could check who worked building 16 third floor. On our second day there i had a medical issue that required being seen by a doctor. To my amazement the doctor came to see me in our room. Twice. Dr Garcia is the resort doctor and i cannot say enough good things about he and his assistant Enrique. Both times he came out after hours without question. We have travel insurance so we are able to bill our provider. NEVER TRAVEL WITHOUT INSURANCE! Occidental is also a great scuba diving resort with quick access to dive sites. Pro Dive is the operator on site and i will post separate review. We would definitely recommend the Occidental to anyone.

We were disappointed in the Occidental, mostly with the food. The grounds are beautiful and the rooms are fine if a bit run down. Staff is friendly but badly trained. The pool areas are great although you must claim your lounge before 8 if you want a decent space. The...

We were disappointed in the Occidental, mostly with the food. The grounds are beautiful and the rooms are fine if a bit run down. Staff is friendly but badly trained. The pool areas are great although you must claim your lounge before 8 if you want a decent space. The adult pool was nice with a fantastic bartender . 10+ ! The Maître D at the Coral specialty restaurant, Reuben was super. Now the poor. Food was dangerous ignoring the hot food hot, cold food cold rule. Food containers were left empty until a customer complained. How tough is it to notice there is no more bacon or that the dessert area is almost empty? The quality and seasoning of the food was very disappointing. Bland and oddly too much or too little salt. And how about some other spices? Also why get quality soft-serve machines when you put in poor ice-cream mix. Really poor! Our maid seemed to be deeply unhappy to be there. She just scowled at us. The room would eventually be cleaned (well) but the fridge was never refilled. Getting a reservation at the specialty restaurant was impossible. So we tried walking up. No chance at the Med or Mexican places even though they were mostly empty. Thank goodness for Reuben. In sum we enjoyed our week in Cozumel, a wonderful place . The Occidental wasn't terrible but wasn't very good either. Greatly preferred the Fiesta Americana.

We read a lot of reviews before choosing the Occidental, so we would like to share details of our time there. Hopefully you find some of this helpful. Overall we enjoyed this resort....but there are a few things I would like to share upfront, that we were disappointed with. I...

We read a lot of reviews before choosing the Occidental, so we would like to share details of our time there. Hopefully you find some of this helpful. Overall we enjoyed this resort....but there are a few things I would like to share upfront, that we were disappointed with. I will follow with the good stuff. - The tour companies' posted pictures are old and misleading. There is no beach left in front of the pool - the water is up to the wall. The trees and much of the beach were lost in the last big hurricane. Therefore the beach is much smaller than expected and you can only do long beach walks by walking out into the water in spots (but we still thoroughly enjoyed both the beach and walks). The sand is a bit course, with a lot of broken shells at the water's edge, so wearing water shoes makes getting in and out a little easier. They rake the beach daily though, which is great. The water is gorgeous!! Lots of space to swim, float or snorkel, and minimal seaweed. We saw rays, a starfish and a variety of colourful fish while snorkelling. - There is a well marked and large swimming area, but beyond that there is a lot of boat traffic with all the snorkel, diving and fishing tours coming and going. We enjoyed watching them, but just an fyi that they do cause some waves at times. - The regular rooms do not have balconies! They just have a railing in front of the sliding doors, with a sign that asks you to keep the door closed at all time to prevent condensation. So, once back in your room, you are stuck inside. (FYI, if considering an upgrade....the 2 Royal club buildings are closest to the beach, and those rooms have balconies.) - Our room did not have a fridge, as listed in the hotel "inclusions", but they restocked the water/drinks daily, provided an ice bucket with an ice machine in the building, and they offered full room service at no charge instead (which we never tried so we are unable to comment on). We found it a bit crazy in this day and age that there was not a fridge in every room; but they try to make up for it. - The resort became very busy on the weekend as it seems they offer day pass use?? We did not confirm this fact ourselves, but were told by others. Still not overwhelming crowds, but not quite enough chairs available so a few people were forced to sit on the sand. A bit frustrating as an overnight guest who has paid for the week (and the island has all inclusive day-use only facilities, so not sure why the overnight resorts need to offer this too). - Our biggest disappointment.....Our original pick up time for the airport was 2:30 pm, but was pushed to 5 pm due to a flight delay. At noon checkout we were told we could only use the resort until 1 pm ("time for lunch"), but then we must remain in the front lobby only - for four hours - ("and [they] would be watching") ....unless we paid an additional fee! (Approx $50 CAD for two but we (as well as most of the 20ish other people waiting in the lobby, which only had seating for about 8) were unwilling to pay out of principle.) We have had late departures from other AI vacations and always had full use of the resort, except our rooms of course, until departure time. Rather than providing good customer service to their guests, we felt unappreciated and unwanted. We were considering a return trip here, but this lack of kindness and consideration for their guests left a sour taste and we will likely not return. At the airport we met many people on our flight from other resorts, and all of their resorts told them to enjoy their extra time! Seems it is just Occidental that has this practice. It's too bad. - On the positive side, the resort is smaller and easy to move about (but it is a fairly long boardwalk across the mangroves to get to the pool and beach, for anyone with mobility issues). The entire resort is spotlessly clean and well maintained! The public/shared washrooms were always clean. The room beds are comfortable, the bathroom large, and we had loads of hot water. The staff are wonderful and very friendly! There are servers at the pool, on the beach, and during the evening entertainment. Food at the buffet is good with a decent variety of options, and we enjoyed our 3 a la carte meals (slightly better food and wine than at the buffet, in our opinion). Drinks are typically made with domestic alcohol, but there are a few international options if you ask. The sunsets are spectacular!! Be sure to go to the pool or beach to enjoy them! They had some activities at the pool area throughout the day. The evening entertainment is from 9:10-10pm outside, and was enjoyable on the nights we attended. There are no organised activities or entertainment between beach/pool time and the 9:10pm show though. It was very much a quiet older crowd (good for us) but not much for kids or teens/young adults to do.

The resort grounds are lovely and very well kept. The pools were good but be prepared to save chairs prior to 7 am if you have a preferred spot. Beach has some washout from recent storms but is still fine, shoreline is kept very clean and water is clear. Rooms...

The resort grounds are lovely and very well kept. The pools were good but be prepared to save chairs prior to 7 am if you have a preferred spot. Beach has some washout from recent storms but is still fine, shoreline is kept very clean and water is clear. Rooms are adequate and comfortable. Food is where the resort falls short. Issues with food being cold and some meats/fish being under cooked. Selection at buffet was quite repetitive. The Mexican and Mediterranean restaurants were good.

Excellent service, always welcoming and helpful. Friendly and professional staff. Good variety of food and drinks of all kinds. The lunch buffet restaurant looking over the ocean has a spectacular view. Clean and beautiful grounds well maintained. The wildlife is present and makes it magical. We will be back!

Ruben's Mediterranean dinner was superb. Highly attentive staff and dinner was delicious. Coral steak n seafood night was in a beautiful setting overlooking the water. Nightly entertainment very enjoyable. All friendly staff. Very welcoming.

It was a great holiday! Room very comfortable and lots of room for storage. Air conditioner blew a fuze a couple times but maintenance was there each time with 5 minutes. Food was good at both buffet and ala carte restaurants. Omar Moguel was an amazing bartender in the first...

It was a great holiday! Room very comfortable and lots of room for storage. Air conditioner blew a fuze a couple times but maintenance was there each time with 5 minutes. Food was good at both buffet and ala carte restaurants. Omar Moguel was an amazing bartender in the first club bar. He was helpful with guiding us to good shopping areas in Cozumel when my luggage was lost. He also makes the most delicious blended mojitos!!! Shayla was also helpful and checked in on us regularly to ensure all was going well throughout the week. Snorkeling off the beach was great! We saw rays and lots of fish, even a huge 4 foot Barracuda. Very little waves in the ocean. There were lots of beach chairs, towels and drink service on the beach. We suggest you bring smaller bills for tipping as it is difficult to get change. Awesome holiday and we will be back!

I must say that the hotel is good in many ways, but the best thing is that it's perfect for relaxing and diving. I came with my wife to dive. She loves it. She just got certified about three months ago, but she hasn't had the opportunity to dive in...

I must say that the hotel is good in many ways, but the best thing is that it's perfect for relaxing and diving. I came with my wife to dive. She loves it. She just got certified about three months ago, but she hasn't had the opportunity to dive in crystal-clear waters because where we live, visibility is a maximum of one foot. We went to the cocktail party we were invited to. The host, Héctor Vázquez, who is actually the diving coordinator, he is very helpfull, he help us to schedule our divings and clarify our douds about everything that concerns Diving activity. also the captain danny is amazing he and Héctor coordinate everything, the food was great the cocktail was very fresh because it was watermelón and hibiscus flower water. Waiter name Tovar was very gentle. so occidental best place for chill and dive. thank you Héctor for that lovely cocktail. we hope next time we can go.

Very nice stay, beautiful weather. I have 2 complaints. One - update your beach pictures as they are not accurate at all. Over half the beach has been washed away. Two - a bathroom should be available at the adult pool area. If you are located in the front of...

Very nice stay, beautiful weather. I have 2 complaints. One - update your beach pictures as they are not accurate at all. Over half the beach has been washed away. Two - a bathroom should be available at the adult pool area. If you are located in the front of the hotel it is a very long walk to use the washroom in your room. Wherever there is a bar you should have a restroom.