allegro cozumel not that great

whobreyville Nov 8, 2009

The hotel was changing ownership the week we were there..or so they say. Only 2 restraunts open, with poor food quality, lot ... of repeat food selections, not always hot. Only 40 guests were there with us so service was pretty good. It rained a lot and the thatch roofs leaked...in our rooms as well as in the lobby and restraunts. Water was actually dripping in the food they were serving for lunch...gross. Drinks from the bar were good!! Rooms said to be updated...uh maybe the paint? Showers had poor pressure and heard some complain of no hot water. We had ants in our room and the rooms smelled...like a damp, closed up basement. Which really knocks you over when you get home and open the suit case. The stairs to the upper rooms were super slick and we fell and had bad bruises and pains...much like everyone else...so hold hand rails with both..yes both hands When it rains most of the sidewalks flooded..above ankle deep. Dive shop was good, lots of dive opportunity, as long as there is enough people signed up. Very close to the dive sites and they have several boats to take divers out. def. get a taxi/shuttle when you get there..only $37 for four people..and $24 on the way back to the airport.

NOT as advertised, miserable trip

TX divers Nov 6, 2009

We booked this trip based on the impressive website, like the advertised 4 restaurants, we got there to discover only ONE was ... open, and the food was awful. Whatever was on the dinner buffet, you would see the same food the next morning on the breakfast buffet. We were not expecting a 5 star country club, but we were disappointed the the rooms all leaked water from the roof, half our bed was soaked, and our clothes were covered in ants. The adventure course, kids activities and most bars were all closed. They are going through management changes and it seems no one knows exactly what's going on. It is convenient having the dive shop on site, but they would not take a group of 4 diving, said it had to be 6 or more divers before they'd go out. We love Cozumel and will go back, but for sure we will not stay at the Allegro!

Lovely hotel

Desmei Oct 20, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

We stayed at the Allegro/HVWS from Sep 25-Oct 3, 2009. It was my second stay, but my only experience with the First Choice ... crowd.The Allegro was lovely. I found the food to be quite good overall, except for the English-ness of the breakfasts. I visited Alberto the Omelette Guy a lot to solve that wee problem. The fruits and veggies were SO nice and fresh--hard to come back to green bananas and woody tomatoes in Ontario! The wait service was a bit slow, but the place was pretty full--they were really hopping. Our room was beautiful. We started out in a lower room, smoking, which is NOT what we wanted. We had to spend one night in the smoking room, but the next afternoon we were moved to an upper room, right beside the quiet pool. It was PERFECT. Nice comfy king bed, great AC, nice view from the hammock. The lunch buffet/Mexican restaurant turned into a late-night snack bar when the restaurants closed; that turned out to be our favourite place to hang out after dinner. The salsa/merengue music was pleasant, the breeze was beautiful, the bartender ([...]) was great.We only visited the beach bar, lobby bar, and Mexican restaurant bar and loved them all. There were some REALLY talented and entertaining bartenders, especially [...] who joined me for a drink. LOL They were pleased to make all kinds of different drinks and have a really good repertoire. There was also girl going around the beach taking drink orders during the day, so we didn't even have to get off of our lazy bums if we didn't want to. Dive shop! We're both new to diving, so we did the Discover SCUBA with Luis at Dive Palancar. He was absolutely WONDERFUL. He went over everything at the side of the pool, then everything again underwater. I panicked almost immediately, but he said to give him 4 minutes and he'd have me breathing underwater. He was so positive and enthusiastic...and he was right. I even got to go on a boat dive.The ONLY thing I didn't like about the resort was the entertainment. It was BAD. This is the only AI I've ever been to, so I'm not sure what the usual routine is, but I really don't like to be goaded into doing stupid dances around the pool, to play games on the beach, or otherwise interact with anyone I don't choose to. The British crew were intrusive, loud, and were really the only truly awful thing about the hotel. When I'm on the beach, I want to hear beach sounds, not "Chocolate" or stupid quizzes. It doesn't break my heart to know that First Choice will be getting out of there, because I love the resort itself.We had rented a car for the week as well, to offset the cost of cabs as we wanted to check out the island. We used Less Pay and were VERY happy with the people there and the price we paid.

Excellent beach...ok hotel

Rachel Aug 31, 2009

The beach access is one of the best on the island. The "Quiet Pool" is loaded with kids just like every other pool. This is ... a great place if you have kids but not if you are wanting something quiet and romantic. Evening activities last until about 11PM and you can hear them in all the rooms. The rooms are noisier than usual for a hotel. While we were there, we went snorkeling with the onsite dive shop. We wish we had gone somewhere else because I have heard of much better experiences elsewhere. Also, beware of the VIP presentation that they bombard you with the second you get your room key. Food was barely acceptable but the staff were great. Would recommend the Occidental Grand for couples.

The Allegro is a kindergarden!

disapionted with allegro Jul 24, 2009

This hotel was marketed here on Orbitz as a great all inclusive dive resort called the Allegro. All inclusive, yes it is, the ... food was pretty good. 3 different restuarants to choose from. When you arrive at the Allegro you will realize that it is really called the White Sands Holiday Village. Apparantly, the holiday Village is marketed in Europe as an all inclusive kids resort. There is a pool with a giant pirate ship in the middle full of kids screaming all day. There is an ampitheatre with childrens productions going until 11pm that are so loud we could hear them clearly in our room at the opposite side of the resort. They put us in the VIP adults only section of the hotel with its own private pool supposedly kid free. Our room was nice but smelled of mildew. Great AC. The beach was nice, the dive shop guys were really cool. We felt isolated at this hotel. Its is a good 20 minutes from the town by car. I thought American tourists were obnoxious, now I know that stupid, loud, fat families come from anywhere. Oh well....the price was right and I had a great time outsid ethe hotel. Dint stay at the Allegro if you can avoid it. Thanks.

Overall, it was a enjoyable 5 days

Palancar Lover Jul 11, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

We go to Cozumel for the diving, and choose to stay at the Allegro because it was good deal, it has a beautiful beach, and it ... is close to the dive sites. As other reviewers have said, the Allegro is a very lively and children friendly resort. We were fortunate to be upgraded to the kid free "Royal Suites" area free of charge, because it was the only available room with a king-sized bed, thank you front desk staff. The room was clean and well maintained, with lots of hot water for showering. The buffet is good overall, I found the fish and other food items cooked on the grills to be very tasty. Try the grilled squid and shrimp seafood mixture, avoid the "Oriental" restaurant. Some of the staff are rude (including one of the bartenders by the beach), however most are okay. The staff at the desk outside the lobby do try hard to recruit for the Occidental "vacation club" membership presentation. We did not dive with the on-site dive operation, got a better deal elsewhere. The Allegro did not charge for us to be picked up from their pier by another dive shop. As you can see, we like great vacations and great values, and Cozumel and the Allegro did not disappoint.

PICK THIS ONE

Mancave Jul 5, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

Great stay ! We have been to Cozumel Four times and the two best were at the Allegro. Service (Gabriel,Armondo,Crystal and ... Managment)and Beach are top notch. If you want night life - go in town but if you want a relaxing vacation this is the place. The only things that I can complain about are the hard beds. Maybe a little more organized in the activities for adults and teens. They had lots planed for the little ones. We will be back.

Perfect for inexperienced travelers

2Soulsn1 Jun 16, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

The hotel is perfect for 1st time travelers and/or families with small children. It's all enclosed where you don't have a ... lot of people that aren't staying at the resort in your way. Nervous travelers will feel safe and comfortable here. There are kid-friendly areas and there are also adult areas. The food is versatile to please both picky adults and small children. The staff is very friendly and accomodating. The beds are hard, but they seem to be everywhere I go in the Carribean.

Adventure in Paradise

Maddog Traveler May 10, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

Swine Flu Panic killed tourism to this beautiful resort! It was a true shame that Management had let so many of the Staff go! ... 140 rooms but ony about 20 occupied! Staff was very grateful for us being there. We were treated like Royalty! An indescribable value! These prices won't last long when the scare is over!

Allegro :-(

shelcataline May 7, 2009

Our experience at the Allegro was not good. The service was poor and we found the hotel employees to be quite rude...with the ... exception of the food service staff and snorkel/dive staff, they were wonderful!! The food in the main restaurant was horrible nearly everyday. I thought I paid for a room upgrade only to find that there is no such thing once we arrived. The hotel was nearly empty and we were placed in a room just outside the kiddy pool area. (??) We asked to be moved and were accommodated, but then found our room to be somewhat dirty and had a problem with ants that were in and on our bed. If the hotel personnel and rooms weren't bad enough, upon our return, I found that the hotel had charged our credit card an additional $1083.48 plus 2% internation transaction fee for my PREPAID TRIP. I've now made 3 international calls to the resort and keep getting put on hold -- conveniently until after 5:00 p.m. their time when the accounting dept. closes. I'm now working w/Cheaptickets to get this amount credited. Pay phone in lobby is not user friendly and asking for help is like pulling teeth. The resort charges $150 to your credit card so you can make calls from your room at $6.00/min., the "tries" to reconcile the charges upon check-out. Internet is ridiculous and not even close to high speed. I took my laptop & after paying $80 to have a pass code to be able to use their "high speed internet" was only able to access the internet while sitting near the snack bar or main lobby. There was NO access from any room. If you are going here, don't pay for internet -- it's a waste of $80. The saving grace of our vacation were the wonderful people we met from all over the U.S.!! I would not recommend this hotel to anyone and strongly urge anyone thinking about this resort to look at others first before booking your trip.

great time

Snorkle mom May 3, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

We had a great time at this hotel with its incredible beach and staff was very helpful. The only downsides were the hard ... beds which is very normal in Mexico resorts and the food was just okay.

The good , the bad, and the ugly

Linda May 2, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

We had called Orbitz and the hotel directly and asked our 3 rooms be put together. They were not, the hotel was not crowded, ... and all we were told is "impossible". Then we could see an empty room right below our rooms. We asked to go para sailing, the hotel made they arrangements, and we were both injured. All we got was sorry the wind caught you. With a little care to detail and caring about their clients it could have been great. I got the feeling they didn't care.

Allegro Cozumel will see us again

Aggie Diver Apr 22, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

I have stayed at many all inclusives, and this is the best I have seen for catering to all ages. My wife and I are coming ... back with our children, their spouses and the grandkids. Everyone will have plenty to do, with enough staff to give the adults some time off. I have stayed at the companion Occidental Grand, which is also wonderful, but more for adults only. Dive Palancar, which services both facilities, is a professionally run dive operation equal to any on the island.

Just got back on 02-19-09

The Kecks Feb 22, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

GO HERE!! Before we left, I read many reviews on all kinds of hotels. GO TO THE ALLEGRO!! The ONLY drawback is the beds!! You ... sleep on a matress that is on a concrete slab.. solution, bring one of those small foaty blow up pool matresses. You can sleep on it at night and float on it during the day! Go fishing. It was $350 US for the full day of the boat. They take you anywhere.. fishing, snorkling, or just on a nice booze cruise. The boat is yours to do with as you please. The food was pretty good. Buffet every night with a different theme. Don't bother with the reservations only meals. It was chicken. I could of had more at the buffet. Plenty of pool chairs, hammocks, and bars everywhere. The entertainment was ok, but it was the same thing everynight. Try one or two nights and then you'll see that you have seen enough. Talented singers and dancers, but always the same zzzz. Check in and out was easy. The room.... was really small, the beds were like rocks, the phone didn't work (we wouldn't have used it anyway), no alarm clock (ditto), and funny enough, there was no water coming out of the hot water faucet on the last day. Plenty of cold, but no hot, maybe they wanted us to check out early?!? All of the staff we very friendly. The maintenace guys were like bees. They were everywhere working on making the place better, always working. Trip to town cost $15 each way, but the bell hop guy was easy to work with. The beach, like the hotel was spotless. The dive shop rocked. Snorkling was a must $30 each. Parasailing was a bit expensive $90. Get a bottom room though. The upper rooms have grass hut ceilings and from what we heard, they were a bit musty smelling. We were on the bottom and had no problems. Town was town. Been there, done that. Different t-shirts, same price. Tennis, basketball courts, and hot tub on the beach were not busy at all. A few topless "ladies" on the beach.(maybe should have kept their tops on.. only a [*] a mother can love???)not real good for the little kids. Manta, Barracuda, puffer fish, and all kinds of fish can be seen right from the dock. I hope the review was helpful. It was definitely worth the stay. HAVE FUN!!!!

Just Okay

Jeffrey Dec 30, 2008

A friend of mine who lives in Cozumel told me the food and rooms at the Allegro were just okay but we would love the beach! ... My friend was right on. The pros of the resort are: Very attractive grounds, the best beach on the island, and activities that are well coordinated. The cons are: average food, if you are not a 1st club member you are likely to be placed in a room nearer to the lobby (and further from the ocean). The problem with that is the nightly entertainment at the theater is very loud. So forget going to sleep early. Our room air conditioning did not work but the resort staff at the front counter said it did so... too bad. Maybe the 85 degree December weather felt cool to them but it was downright uncomfortable in the room trying to get ready for dinner. Sub tropical humidity doesn't help either. The only other problem I had with the resort was that it was focused pretty heavily on children which is great if you bring kids. We did not and a more adult oriented resort would have been better for us. They have a whistle that sounds like a steam train that goes off every few minutes at the kids pool. You can't get away from it. To conclude, we were not entirely disappointed with our stay at the Allegro. We just concluded that the local staff really does not care about the guests needs. Tipping helps a great deal.

Pushy concierge

Michael Dec 23, 2008

The Allegro Cozumel was mediocre at best. The check-in process was painless enough. I think the bus boy was peeved that we ... didn?t use him to deliver our luggage because he insisted that we moved our vehicle to the parking lot. The room was fine, with a hammock on the front patio for naps. It was a very cookie cutter all-inclusive, with subpar food, even in the Asian and Mexican restaurants. Evening entertainment was dismal, with a one person band as the regular show. Two bright points, the water was calm with sandy beach (not silky sand though) and the mojitos were decent (gracias Armando!)

The staff was wonderful ...

Shana Nov 14, 2008

The staff was wonderful but only 1 pool was open and only the buffet for meals. We are very,very displeased to say the least. ...

Great Place

Letizia Oct 13, 2008

Would recommend to a friend!

The Allegro Cozumel was a great place to stay. The staff was very friendly. The hotel grounds were always kept clean and ... the food was also good. I am a bit of a picky eater but always left the table full!! We didn't need to leave the hotel grounds for anything but they do have a car rental place in the hotel if you want to venture out. The island if very beautiful. Over all it was a very good experience.

Return Quest

Janet Sep 2, 2008

Would recommend to a friend!

We stayed at the Allegro 2 previous times and enjoyed both visits. It had been 8 years since our last visit from our last ... visit in September 2008. There had been several great additions, splash pool, all day snack bar, mexican resturant, jet skis, glass bottom boat, para sailing and more. When we checked in our room was next to the splash pool which we were not happy with because we came to Cozumel for a nice relaxing , quite get a way. We asked the front desk if we could move to another room that was in a quiter area. Ther were no other rooms like ours available so they let us stay in a VIP room for no extra cost. It was in the perfect area of the property that was quite and relaxing. I do want to say our original room was nice and would be fine for our next stay but would like to be away from all the activities. We made note of room numbers that we would like to say in for our next trip.

Very Crowded

Twila Aug 12, 2008

The check in was a disaster. We did not get the room we thought. The front desk clerks were rude. I didn't get to check in ... until 5:00 PM, and was told I would have to change rooms the next day. The resturants were good.