Occidental Cozumel

Brandy Lawson

We've been here several times, but this time wasn't impressive. Our September 17-24 reservations were canceled with no notice due to renovations and we received no offer to move us elsewhere or any compensation. We rescheduled for October dates. Our first flight on Saturday was canceled, so we could not get there until Sunday. We called and were told it was no problem, as long as we stayed 7 nights. We then changed our return flights so that we could stay 7 nights. Upon arrival on Sunday, we were charged for Saturday night and told we couldn't check in until after 3. We mentioned that Occidental canceled our September reservations and that they told us on the phone on Saturday it would be no problem, but were forced to pay for Saturday night, nor would Alejandra allow us to check in until the standard 3pm check in. During our stay, we loved La Carreta and it's friendly staff, the Mexican restaurant was good, and the bartender at the adult pool was fantastic. The drinks were great and the diving staff was top notch as always. We stay in Royal, but Alejandra was never friendly and always acted like we were causing her to work. On prior trips, it was easy to change out beach towels. This time, they argued about trading in towels at the poolside, so we had to exchange at the Royal office. Sadly, I think this will be our last visit to Occidental since they obviously care so little about long time customers.

Jackie Boyer

Lucio was absolutely amazing in the Mediterranean and Mexican a la carte restaurants. He was so kind and funny and the whole staff worked so hard to make this a wonderful experience. The whole resort was lovely and a great quiet place for relaxation. The animals around the hotel were so great and really added to the jungle feel of the place. Highly recommend if you want Mexican charm.

William Holton

I had high hopes for the Occidental Resort in Cozumel, but our experience was deeply disappointing. The staff was poorly trained and unprofessional. We were forced to move rooms due to a major roof leak in our building (or so they claimed), yet the front desk staff treated us as if it was our fault. They even tried to charge us for the move despite it being their decision—completely unacceptable. The timeshare sales tactics were relentless and invasive. You can’t walk to the gift shop without being pressured with offers of discounted trinkets in exchange for attending a timeshare presentation. It felt predatory and cheapened the entire experience. We came for the diving, but even that was a letdown. The dive schedules don’t align with the restaurant hours, making logistics frustrating. Worse, they allowed visibly intoxicated divers on two night dives, which felt unsafe and irresponsible, seemingly just to chase extra tips. Additionally, some dive masters behaved inappropriately, engaging in overly suggestive, indecent behavior with older guests while aggressively soliciting tips. I sincerely hope this doesn’t happen when families with children are present or couples. The resort itself feels outdated for 2025. The rooms are far from modern, with no excuse for their poor condition. This place may have been decent years ago, but it’s clear it’s gone downhill. We won’t be returning and can’t recommend it to others.

Courtney Barnaby (Rudisill)

We have really enjoyed our stay so far! The thing that has made the big difference has been our service at dinner. Both last night at the Mexican restaurant and tonight at the seafood restaurant we were served by Sergio Montes, Luis, Miguel & Betto and Rafael. The food was delicious both nights and the service was excellent. Really attentive to our needs, super friendly & funny. They made both nights a great start to our vacation and I hope we get lucky enough for them to wait on us again!

Charles Kay

I have been coming to the Occidental Cozumel for many years and stayed at least 6 or 7 times. I come mostly for the scuba diving ( extra charge) which is always very good and Pro Dive has a shop on the property which is very convenient. The grounds are always well maintained, the staff is always extremely helpful and friendly and the rooms are always clean and comfortable and quiet. Although the room prices vary with the season, I have always found the resort very reasonably priced. As an all-- inclusive I would describe the food as adequate and OK but hardly like a 5 star restaurant. Person who might want a more upscale dining experience might think about paying more for the "Royal Level" on the property which has a private dining room and meals. But I'm not here for that so the usual dining has been fine for me. Unfortunately, the beach area has receded somewhat over the years, but as I'm not really one to sit on the beach it really hasn't affected my opinion of the hotel. But there still is a beach area and the pools are pretty nice. There is no question I will return in the future.