Occidental Grand Cozumel - All Inclusive

Just returned from a great stay at the Occidental Grand in Cozumel. It was too short (3 nights) but the hotel was great! Because it's the off season (August), it was not especially crowded. I think adding to this feeling is the layout of the hotel-- rather than the rooms being in a big building, they are in multiple smaller structures that are more spread out. The buildings are connected by walkways that are lined with lush plants and trees. Iguanas sometimes hang out on the edges of the paths. The whole place was beautiful-- though my favorites were the beach and pool areas.The staff was very attentive and wanted to help with everything. We did a resort course scuba introduction through Dive Palancar (SO convenient that it was located right on the resort!). My boyfriend had gone diving once before but I never had-- [...] did a great job of providing an introduction and making sure I felt comfortable in the water. Later in the day we did the resort boat dive, at one of the reefs just off the coast. We went down about 40 feet! It was amazing. I would go back just for the sake of the dive shop!The beach is gorgeous and sandy. We met another couple during our dive course who were staying at Iberostar, and they said that their beach was more coral and harder to walk on the sand. I also liked that there aren't any other resorts immediately beside Occidental, so it feels more isolated on the beach.I just have to remove one star because of the availability of the restaurant reservations. We didn't try to make a reservation on the first 2 nights, so on the morning of the last full day, went to the desk around 8am to do so for that night. We were told that reservations couldn't be made until 9am. I asked if it were possible to make reservations early, since we had to be at the scuba class at 9. The staff person pulled up the schedule and said that everything was booked already. I'm not sure how that's possible since technically reservations couldn't be made yet...They were very nice and offered to contact the food and beverage manager, but we weren't able to get in at all. The food at the buffet was good and we were fine with it-- but just a disappointment.I don't want to over-emphasize that though-- it was the only disappointment. I would definitely go back!

I have traveled for many years.This is the worst place I have ever stayed. The rooms smelled horrible.The A/C did not work.

This is a beautiful resort and I will pay to stay at an ugly resort for better customer service. Worst customer service ever and I have traveled the world. See details of the trip below: Day one arrived- no bell boy or anyone to greet us except for time share guy- Alejandro who I thought was checking us into our room. We paid him $20 that we never saw again- even though we told him we were not interested in attending the 90 minute presentation. Next we carried our luggage up three flights of stairs and the keys did not work. Then our room was not a king size bed which is what we requested. When I mentioned this to the front desk they said they were full and we could move tomorrow if a room came available. We also had some guests cancel at the last minute and explained they were not coming and they were receiving no refund. Our friends tried to add there 1000 to our room to be upgraded and they would not transfer and they were very unaccommodating. Okay maybe I was tired so I went on about our plans- Food was buffets not that great. Air conditioning was horrible in our room. So day two my husband goes to book our reservations for the "nice" restaurants. They stated they were all booked all week and did not try to offer anything. I called and asked if we could go to another sister resort or even move rooms to another resort. They then were able to get us some dinner reservations- offered to move our room for us the next day. They did move us- yet now we were next to the disco that we could hear all night long and the room was smoking- yet the air-conditioning worked great. So yes beautiful place- "nice" restaurant excellent food and service. But will never stay there due to the treatment- It was as if they did not care and it was a horribly powerless feeling- being in another country and not getting what you paid for and then only if requesting to be moved to another resort did they try and accommodate us. Oh we were also told we would have a free room service of breakfast and something special sent to our room- this never happened either. We stayted at the iberia star and the friendliest staff ever! That is what I remember- how one is treated!

We had hundreds of small bugs in our room regardless of how much bug killer we sprayed, we just could not keep up with them. The room also had a terrible odor - musty and moldy - I was told by the manager that this was because we were in a wet jungle area. Finally, four days into the vacation our rooms were moved and no bugs or odor in the new room. We even brought a plug in odor killer and could not counter the terrible smell. The food was like camp food. You are limited to the number of times you are able to have reservations for meals other than buffet. After a couple of days of this - we gave up and had wonderful meals in town, worth the cost of the taxi. We have been to Cozumel several times and this experience was the worst.

If you sat out on the patio there was no privacy, although most would not want to sit out in that heat

Wow what a waste of time and money!!! When we arrived we could not check in for 3 hours even though they had a room ready. Did I mention we have a 14mth old baby with us and it did not matter no early check in they said. Then when we did get our room it was on the 3rd floor and the ac was worthless. Keep in mind we have a small child, so when trying to nap he is sweating. The next day after numerous trips to the front desk of trying to convince them the a c doesnt work right, they moved us but that didnt happen until thier 3pm deadline,and telling them we want to leave thier resort. So we carried all of are stuff to the next room, not the bell boy. That night and the next night we were awakend all night long to the sounds of drunk kids and grown men cussing at each other till 4am when security finally sent them to there rooms. Waking our baby up all night! The room was not bad but the floors in room and bathroom were so slick, especially when wet, that we slipped all the time, especially my baby! not good! accident waiting to happen! The bridge between rooms and beach and pool area was closed, what an inconvenience! We had to walk all the way around property to get to beach. I had enough of this inconvenient place and when i went to front desk to ask for help to get early flight out, they didnt know how to help me! unbelievable! So overall this trip was a disaster and we left a day early because of the frustrating circumstances we dealt with. So are 2500$ that turned into a $3000 trip was a waste of our time and are hard earned money and because we left early we were forced to pay another 3hundred dollars to get out a day early!! Not to mention when we arrived at Houston airport, while going thru customs, our next flight left us. We had to wait until 9:00p.m for stand by on next plane. Again keep in mind we had 14 mo old baby all those hrs in airport. A trip I will never forget! We would very much appreciate if you would consider reembersing us for the last day there, and the flight that left us. We go on vacation every year. Would love to continue our business with you, if you would consider helping us out.

The Hotel itself is very beautiful. The service is horrible. Not all the bars are open so you have to walk a distance in order to get a drink if you are on the beach. If you want extra pillows or towels you have to go get them yourself or you'll be waiting forever. No one seems to know what is going on and you can never get a straight answer from the staff. Might be better in the off season!

Great hotel with superior service. Spotless rooms were well built so you didn't hear any noise. Food was delicious and varied. Lovely beach and amenities. Would go back!

Great all-inclusive resort. Beachfront was beautiful, food was good, staff was helpful, and rooms were kept clean. Only a few minor complaints: bed cabanas not set up on beach during entire stay, no real ocean-front or even ocean view rooms, mosquitos were bad at night.

The grounds are stunning. Lush, tropical, lots of wildlife. Perfect location for snorkeling and diving since there is an on-site dive shop. The beachside restaurant is closed for breakfast and dinner. The rooms are sparse and the beds are uncomfortable, but the water pressure in the showers is great! There are no rooms on the beach and very few with a view of the ocean.