The Explorean Cozumel - All-Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

2421 reviews

• 

  Caribbean Snorkling

  Daniel and staff were great and made the experience excellent. They were very accommodating, bringing drinks, snacks, and towels, along with everything you would need to snorkel. Whoot Whoot

  Feb 03, 2026
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  Fun in the Jungle

  My wife and I spent five rainy days in December at the Explorean. Overall, we had a good time and would consider staying there again in the future. The Explorean sits behind the Fiesta Americana (FA) resort, and Explorean guests have access to all of the FA restaurants and facilities. The good: Snorkeling right off the “beach” of the resort was fabulous. Plenty of colorful sea life including varieties of fish, rays, lobsters, and different corals. There is no real beach, so bring your surf shoes and don’t let the waves push you into the rocks. The included excursions were a good way to get out and see more of Cozumel outside of the resort grounds. The service in general was very good. Most of the wait staff and bartenders tried their best to make sure we were taken care of. The excursion staff were excellent at making sure the group stayed together and stayed safe. Big shout-out to Daniel for doing an excellent job on the snorkeling excursions. The seafood restaurant on the beach (Cevicheria) was superb. They only serve from noon-5:30 PM, but we enjoyed every meal we had there. The OK: Other than the seafood restaurant mentioned above, the restaurants were somewhat hit or miss. We found something to enjoy at each of them, but not always on the first try. Don’t be afraid to give up on a dish that isn’t working for you and order something else. The Explorean has a bunch of 4-unit buildings spread out in the jungle, which might be disconcerting for some people. The rooms themselves are spacious but a little sparse. No microwave, but the mini-fridge is restocked every day. You can let the housekeeper know if you want more of a specific snack or drink. Most of the items in the room were in good shape, but the makeup mirror in the bathroom had exposed wiring with poorly wrapped electrical tape over it. The excursions were also hit or miss. The snorkeling boat trip took us to some very nice areas. The other snorkel trip we did involved walking up the street a bit and drifting in the current back to the resort. Both of these were very safe and our guides did a great job. We also did the buggy tour around the south part of the island. This was fun, but the buggies don’t have windows or doors, and our buggy had a broken parking brake. This wouldn’t be a big deal if you’re going on jungle trails, but the whole trip was on pavement. You also don’t get a chance to stop and explore except for at a commercial beach area and a tequila store. The buggies have manual transmissions, so make sure someone in your group of 4 can drive stick. Our other excursion was a short bike ride to swim in a local cenote. Like the buggies, the bikes functioned but weren’t in the best condition. The cenote was small and didn’t have any real cave features. It would probably be a lot more fun to visit in the heat of the summer. Note that there weren’t enough buggies or bikes for the amount of people trying to do those excursions. This resulted in a scramble of people trying to get to an available bike or buggy. Sitting outside for dinner at the FA Mexican restaurant, we experienced dozens of grackles getting together in a tree to “scream” at the setting sun. This was a very interesting experience, but they were so loud it was hard to have a conversation. There are few signs around the resort and a distinct lack of maps or printed schedules. Prepare to walk around and explore or ask employees for directions. Some of the details can be found on websites that are only reachable through QR codes. Those codes aren’t available everywhere, so take a picture when you find them. The not as good: Check-in and check-out were smooth, but the front desk staff doubled as sales staff for the FA timeshares. They were fairly persistent, so we ended up avoiding them when possible. Not the resort’s fault, but we had rain several of the days we were there. The snorkeling boat trip was the worst, with heavy wind and rain while we huddled on the boat. Guests and staff were shivering from the exposure. Fortunately, getting back in the water allowed you to warm up again.

  Feb 02, 2026
• 

  Wow!

  We are a couple in our 60s who stayed in mid-January. The hotel was supposedly fully booked but it didn’t feel like that at all. No issues getting a lounger, Bali bed, excursion or meal reservation whatsoever. It truly was an enjoyable experience, the best we’ve had at an all inclusive in a very long time. It was about a 30 minute ride from the airport and check in was very quick. A green smoothie was offered, which was refreshing. There were also pastries available which was very welcome. We did sit down with a representative who explained some of the amenities while we were waiting for our bell hop. She didn’t identify herself as such, but she turned out to be a timeshare rep. I knew about this due to reading up on reviews before coming down, so be aware. She wasn’t overly pushy but did want us to book a breakfast meeting. We said no three times and then she gave up. We weren’t giving the room that I had requested (double beds on the second floor). We went back to request another but they’re weren’t any available. Unfortunately or fortunately, out room had a significant water leak coming from the AC condenser? In the ceiling, that caused a huge mess and a small bit of the ceiling falling down within a few hours. We had to wait until the next day, but we were switched to the exact room that I had asked for. It was amazing! The balcony jungle view was lovely and we spent a lot of time sitting out there. The room was spacious. It had wardrobe which was roomy enough for our things. The fridge was well stocked with drinks and snacks. The sink counter space was generous. The toilet is in a separate room. Be aware that you should not be flushing your TP as it could cause issues. I did forget occasionally but never had an issue. The shower was never hot when I used it, not sure when a great time would be to use it. The pool area is serene and never was crowded. The pool was sparkling clean and very refreshing. The hot tub was actually hot! The restaurant / bar is right beside it and it was always easy to get a drink or snack. There’s a small breakfast setup in the mornings that featured muffins, rolls, pastries. Sometimes tamales and hot chocolate. There’s also a pastry case that has a pretty good selection of treats, sweet and savoury. We only ate at the restaurant once, the first night that we arrived. The food was absolutely delicious! Service at the front desk was very good and we had no issues with communication. They offer money exchange (we were using pesos). Be aware that the smallest bill is usually a 50. I tried getting 20s but these were very rarely available. The bars didn’t have them either. I was looking forward to the excursions and we did appreciate them. We were given our week’s schedule at check in. We opted for the Chankaanab tour. You have your choice of travelling by bike or foot (15 minute walk). I’d been in the early 90s and it’s completely changed. It was very commercialized and VERY pricey if you wanted food or drinks ($18 USD for a margarita). The snorkeling wasn’t really that great. If you’ve never been, you should probably go. Jassiel’s guided tour of the Mayan village was the highlight. There’s also a sea lion show that may be of interest. Otherwise, I found that it was probably two hours more than I wanted to spend there (4 hour duration). We also did the buggy tour which was very nice, basically a tour of the southern half of the island. There was a 10 minute stop at Punta Sur, and then a stop at a beach club on the east side. Again, expensive for any food or drinks and too much of a layover. I wish we had stopped at the lighthouse instead. It was a nice drive though and nice to experience the mostly unspoiled beauty of that side of the island. We didn’t do any of the other tours. The weather was too windy on the day of our El Cielo tour, they do not reschedule that one within your week. We were offered chankaanab again or a bike tour, but declined. There’s a bike ride to a nearby cenote offered. I ended up just walking for 25 minutes to see it for myself. A bit disappointing, it doesn’t have the crystal clear waters you would expect. I also just walked south down the adjacent road. It’s a nice walk as there’s not that much traffic and the scenery is pretty. You can use the bikes for your own adventure if they aren’t all in use for their excursions. They’re actually in decent shape. We loved being able to have full use of all of the amenities at the Fiesta Americana. The pool area was lively and we had fun participating in some of the games. I loved all of the lounge areas and the swings. Service everywhere was good and friendly. The coffee corner was fabulous, great specialty coffee and ice cream. The restaurants at the Fiesta were really good as well. The Asian was our favourite, followed by the Mexican. I tried the Sushi as well which was good. The only miss was the Italian, we didn’t care for either of our meals, but the view was great. The breakfast Buffet with the ocean view was sublime. There was a nice selection of anything that you could want and we were never waiting for our coffees. Service was quick and efficient. The speciality coffees are also available here, which was very impressive. A basket with a carafe of coffee and two banana bread muffins was left outside our room every morning. We very much appreciated this! The one criticism I have is the quality of the drinks, the cocktails just aren’t very good. I’m not sure what the “fruit” juice is that’s being used but any fruity drink wasn’t enjoyable. One day they offered fresh coconut and pineapple drinks for $150 pesos. This was disappointing, other all inclusives I’ve been to usually offer this for free. The only cocktail I enjoyed was the espresso martini. They would run over to the coffee corner to have an espresso freshly made. The house reds were a Chilean Merlot and a Cabernet Sauvignon, not bad and usually my go-to drink. If you like to snorkel, this is the place to do it! This was so much better than chankanaab! You’ll see fish just about anywhere in front of the resort, but there were hundreds of fish of different varieties just at the footings of the pier on the north side. I’ve never seen anything like it, they were everywhere. Bring some bread and you’ll be swarmed, it’s incredible. I had my own gear. The resort does have gear available to rent. The shows at the Fiesta were pretty good. We enjoyed Circus Night, the fire show and pre-Hispanic night. There was no pre-show for kids and they were mostly early starts between 7-8. We loved it! We rarely return to the same resort but we’re already making plans to return to this one. It was such a great experience. We loved the amenities, excursions, and the kind and wonderful staff. We can’t wait to be back!

  Jan 31, 2026
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  Snorkeling!!

  Stay in the Explorean at Cozumel, great experience for snorkeling activity the hotel provide!! Armando and his crews gave great service and make sure everyone safe on the boat trip! 3 differences snorkeling spots was included, so much fun. Highly recommend.

  Jan 24, 2026
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  More snorkeling than expected.

  More snorkeling than expected. Informative guides and lots of drinks and snacks. Took longer than expected to get to sites

  Jan 24, 2026