El Cozumeleño Beach Resort - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

7827 reviews

• 

  Would not recommend in its current state.

  I promised I would do a positive first. And I promise this is not AI generated. Outside cleanliness spectacular, including the pool and lobby. New Years Eve, was pretty much only time we had half decent food. The only time there was a show. Snorkeling tour a must. Outside beach and pool service especially Paulino and Santiago. was spectacular. Beautiful Christmas and New Years Eve decorations. Now for the rest and real story behind this resort. Activities - I have worked at a couple of resorts in the Caribbean, in my younger days, so truly know it is hard to get people to participate, but there was absolutely no efforts made here. Activities was listed every day, we didn't see any activities staff engaging with the guests. We had to ask to be included in the snorkeling tour. One day it was raining, no challenge of indoor bingo or anything to help those fun guests. Staff rude to the young adults with us. They finally put up the beach volley ball net on day 4. at the request of a couple younger active guests. Bars - closed at 10:30 and it was the lobby bar, although stated in the amenities open until 11:00pm. They played football every night like it was a sports bar, and when asked to change to the Juniors Hockey Canadian game, they said someone took the remote home. Swim up pool bar, opened one day, but none of us knew until later in the day. Pools - yes there are a lot of them. Very clean. Temperature - it was so cold that it was like taking a cold plunge every day, was refreshing to cool off in it. Hot Tub - Luke-warm. Food - I can say that New Years Eve was the only night we ate with good options. and it was decent. I have been able to manage in the past attending resorts that have minimal food varieties, but the varieties were almost inedible for dinner. The fresh vegetable options only happened 3 times. Tough on vegetarians. 2 of our group got sick, we never left the resort to eat, so this would be the only place that would have made us sick. Thankful for the pizzas, the French fries we ordered were ok if you got them fresh otherwise inedible. You can order chips guacamole and pico de gallo, One A La Carte, with not many tables so first come first serve to sign up at 8 in the morning. Chicken was rubbery, fish was mushy, would suggest the pasta. I would say this resorts food was worse than Cuba. Breakfast, was hoping for fresh fruit from the islands, daily. A couple of days, canned pineapple was the choice. .Nightly shows as advertised - none - except New Years Eve, Bar staff - 90% were great. Asked if they had a better tequila they granted it, and they do have good Absolute Vodka, just have to ask for it, Everything is served in plastic cups, unless ask for glass, even in the Lobby Bar. One issue with a staff member was addressed and we never saw him again. Rooms - in serious need of a good reno, hot water wasn't always an option, the view was spectacular. They were as clean as the housekeeping staff could get them. The stairs going up to the rooms deteriorating and crumbling daily, getting dangerous with the rebar showing and in serious need of repair. If you want a quiet, do nothing but chill on the beach, eating mostly pizza and wait in the line up early for the al la carte, not so great rooms, no kids club, non engaging activities staff, well I guess you would like this place, maybe not for the price though.

  Jan 06, 2026
• 

  OK for a day pass but don’t stay here

  We were in town on a cruise and did a day pass through Resorts for a day (dot com). The pool is beautiful, service was exceptional - Rene Carlos (or Carlos Rene) took excellent care of us. The food at the buffet was BLAH. Carlos got me freshly made chicken quesadillas from the kitchen which were excellent but the buffet was garbage in my opinion. Drinks from the pool bar were also great! A great place for a day but not for a longer stay.

  Jan 06, 2026
• 

  Excellent resort to relax

  Paulino was an amazing waiter while we sat on their beach relaxing away. Food was very good also. Water is clear & good for snorkeling.

  Jan 03, 2026
• 

  Misrepresented, Unsafe, and Unhygienic – Our Worst Travel Experience

  We stayed at El Cozumeleño Beach Resort for 6 nights (Dec 20–26, 2025) as part of an “all-inclusive” vacation package. Unfortunately, this was the worst travel experience our family has ever had, and the resort was materially misrepresented. Safety & Health Concerns A strong propane gas smell in and around our initial room; maintenance later acknowledged it was a previously reported issue that had not been resolved Unsafe electrical connections (a light fixture visibly spliced with electrical tape) A seized balcony door, requiring force to open and raising serious egress concerns Moldy, dirty showers and toilet seats, with persistent odors in the rooms Broken stairs and deteriorated walkways throughout the property No visible fire alarms, smoke detectors, or fire extinguishers Each night, the resort turned off most lights and closed services around 10 PM, effectively forcing guests back to their rooms Around 11:30 PM one night, prolonged loud honking woke guests; with no alarms present, many believed it was an emergency—only to learn it was a garbage truck honking to signal the hotel During the stay, both my wife and I developed rashes, which improved only after returning home—raising serious concerns about environmental and hygiene conditions. Hygiene & Food Handling A blood-stained towel was delivered by room service Buffet food was reused across multiple days with minor changes (e.g., lentils reappearing as lentil-and-corn salad) When requesting pancake syrup, a waiter served a partially used container taken from a neighboring table Room-service dishes were left on a 7th-floor railing in a windy area above an active guest walkway—a serious safety hazard. I moved them myself to prevent injury. “All-Inclusive” Misrepresentation Alcohol options were very limited and low quality The swim-up bar was never open We later discovered an unadvertised “secret” food menu that was only marginally better than the buffet The gym is not functional Advertised free access to Mr. Sancho’s Beach Club was unavailable; we spent approximately USD $90 on taxis only to find it closed Time Lost, Extra Costs & Attempted Resolution We were required to change rooms three times and spent over two days of our six-day vacation trying to resolve issues with the hotel and our travel provider. We were offered the option to move to other resorts, but only by paying an additional USD $4,000–$7,000, and the quality of those alternatives was unclear. Given the circumstances, this was not a reasonable solution. Ultimately, we stopped using the resort and paid out of pocket to spend time off-property just to salvage the remainder of the trip. Final Thoughts A few individual staff members (notably Hugo, German, and Federico) were kind and did their best, but the issues here are systemic and managerial. Most guests we spoke with were unhappy or underwhelmed. This resort is not as advertised. If safety, hygiene, and honest representation matter to you, do not stay here.

  Jan 02, 2026
• 

  Overall I was satisfied! I would definitely go back!

  Resort was super easy to get to from the airport. It is a little older, but the staff was great! The buffet was good, needed a little more variety. We loved having lunch and drinks brought out on the beach to us!! Sit down restaurant was great too. Room was always cleaned very well. Noise was not an issue at all. We were greeted at check-in with a drink, which was very nice. They also provided a photographer for a 20 minute photo shoot. Even though it rained on our scheduled day, the inside pictures we took were very nice. They even give you one free, and the fee for the other pics are extremely affordable. I would recommend upgrading the room from the section we were in (510). It seemed to be the older section of the resort. Not horrible, not dirty at all, but looking at the pictures from other rooms available, I would upgrade next time. The beds were pretty hard to me, but I do like a softer mattress. Pillows were comfortable. Bathroom was huge!! No iron or ironing board in the room. I’m sure we could have called for one, but just didn’t bother. We only booked one excursion and that was the 5 hour snorkeling trip. I would not recommend that trip. I did not realize when I booked that there would be as large of a group. The staff for the boat was great, but there were so many people trying to snorkel that you could not enjoy the experience. We prefer a smaller group to snorkel with. The food and atmosphere on the boat was fun but way too crowded for my taste. If you are looking for no stress and to take your time and enjoy snorkeling, try a smaller boat.

  Dec 31, 2025