Occidental Grand Cozumel

It was a great experience. Eleven three-story gold-toned concrete villas with 24 beautifully furnished luxury rooms in each. Dark wood, rattan accessories, all with a balcony with 2 chairs and table, marble and stone floors and bathrooms, soaking tub, glassed-in shower, double sinks, stocked mini-fridge, hair dryer, iron and ironing board. All in all a very comfortable room.

Chilled champagne and a cold towel were offered as you checked in seated at a desk. The grounds are lush, the staff quite well trained and eager to please. Service is, at times, spotty or slow, but always with a smile. As guests here we had access to all the resort activities and venues at Allegro (the sister hotel next door) but they did not have access to our hotel.

The daytime activities revolve around the beach -- a free form 4 foot deep pool with some shallow areas for kiddies or sunbathing is surrounded by lounge chairs, market umbrellas and palapas at the edge of the calm water beach. Music plays throughout the day and the staff encourages you to participate in pool games. A storm had just come through and had eaten away a goodly portion of the beach -- a large open-air palapa serves drinks and buffet lunch. Hobie cats, kayaks and snorkeling equipment are complimentary. Diving at Allegro Resort (sister hotel next door) is complimentary, but equipment must be rented. There is quiet pool and bar closer to the villas. Nights are quiet with little entertainment and a disco that my be lively, depending on the crowd. It is a long way and a $15 cab ride into town, but the advantage of staying here is that the beach is better and dive sites are close by.

Food venues included a buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner in an air-conditioned restaurant with waiter service - an outdoor pizzeria in the evening -- an A/C steakhouse -- and another restaurant that offered Mediterranean and Mexican dishes on a rotating basis. Due to low occupancy no reservations were required and strolling musicians went from on restaurant to another during the evening.

Given a few more months, this resort may become the best and most exclusive resort in Cozumel with a perfect location on a sandy beach just minutes from Palancar Reef and its wonderful underwater work. Definitely a resort to be watched !!!! We will return. 7/28/03 We did return - Read the next journal ' What a difference a year makes".

As we drove in, we saw that the vegetation had taken hold and was so lush. We were excited. But the greeting when we arrived at the resort desk had changed -- we were not offered champagne and cold washcloths, and the plastic bracelet we must wear has international telephone advertising on it! What happened here??????

My intent is not to discourage you from coming here, but rather to prepare you for small problems that can create stress when arriving after a long trip or with high expectations of a 5-star resort. Making you aware will help you to deal with them more quickly and allow you to enjoy your vacation to the fullest.

This time, the resort was booked to capacity – 50% large Mexican families, 25% American families, and 25% couples, with very few Europeans.

All restaurants, except for the buffet and the pizzeria, require dinner reservations. Each restaurant allows only 12 people per half hour to be seated. There are three restaurants – quick calculations show that only 1/3 of the guests can be accommodated on any given night. The reservations must be made in person starting at 8am. By 9am, there are no more reservations available. Guests start lining up at the desk by 7:15am.

No more free diving and snorkeling trips included – you must pay for them now. Snorkeling equipment can be checked out for 3 hours daily and must be returned after each use. This year one must obtain a "day pass" to go to Allegro. You no longer can make dinner reservations there either.

Only one waitress serves drinks by the pool and beach – you must stand in line at the service bar in the palapa restaurant. Shady areas at the pool and beach are spoken for by 9am.

Otherwise, the resort is more lush because the vegetation is a year older – the grounds are well landscaped and manicured. Rooms are incredibly clean. The beach is starting to replenish from the sand bags that were placed there last year after the storm. Workers are friendly – speak English in various levels of expertise. Food is good, not gourmet. Brand name liquor is available by request, but there is only one red and one white wine served free of charge.

Entertainment of some sort takes place each evening – a Mexican trio wandering through the restaurants, a duo in the lounge, a trio at the plaza with dancing and cocktails, a Mexican show, and, of course, the late night disco.

Occidental Grand is still one of the better all-inclusive resorts. We regret that it did not rise to the level of Royal Hideaway. Will it happen or did they lose their chance?? Moan and groan and you’ll spoil your vacation; learn to play by the rules and it’ll be wonderful.

A self-serve salad/antipasto bar is laden with beef carpaccio, prosciutto, melon and shaved Parmegiano Reggiano, artichokes, grilled vegetables, hearts of palm and bread sticks. You are given a choice of three soups and pastas are served in large very delicious portions. My favorite meal is rack of lamb done with herbs and served with a rosemary-wine reduction sauce. Garlic Shrimp (sometimes served as a special) and Filet Mignon are a close second.

Tiramisu is great – just like in Little Italy. Peaches and Cream is served in a cookie basket – not very large, but very very delicious. Service is leisurely since all is cooked to order – the atmosphere lends itself to lingering. Espresso, cappuccino and even specialty coffees with liqueur will round out a great evening. Wine by the glass is included – there is a wine list (for a charge) but most wines on it were not available.

There is a dress code – men must wear long pants and sandals are not allowed. Do get up early to get a reservation here – only 12 guests are accepted each ½ hour. It fills up quickly. Enjoy!!

Typical American breakfasts of omelets, waffles, pancakes, bacon, sausage and fruit and cereals are served along with Mexican specialties of beans, quesadillas, tortillas, sauteed meats, onions, peppers, potatoes and plantains. Europeans will feel at home with a variety of hams, sausages, cheese and freshly baked breads, croissants and sweet rolls.

Service is helpful, but the staff seems overworked during the busiest hours of 8-10am. Even at breakfast time, these tables have double cloths that are changed after each use. It would be nice if coffee and pastries were offered in the beachside palapa for a couple of hours -- this may help to ease the crowd at the buffet.

Lunchtime is the most quiet, since most guests eat at the beach. A full array of salads, pastas, vegetable, fish and meats are offered and service at this time is attentive and friendly. At times, they even leave a full bottle of wine on the table. There is a more varied choice here than at the beach.

Nighttime greets you with themed buffets – Mexican, Italian, Oriental etc. Food is constantly replenished and freshened – bar service is slow since it is a central bar the services the three restaurants -- but wine glasses are quickly refilled.

My biggest complaint with this restaurant is the bright lighting at night. A more intimate choice is the porch that surrounds the restaurant. A few tables are candlelit and more romantic but you forego air-conditioning. You may even hear music from the plaza if you choose the proper night to dine here.

This summer, Grand Cozumel was in the process of building a dock -- getting aboard will be much easier than wading in and climbing aboard in hip-deep water.

The advantage of this location is that you are no more than 5-10 minutes to any of the reefs. Dozens of dives are scheduled every day from 9am-7pm. Dive masters are geared to service the recreational diver. No more that 6-8 divers per guide. They encourage you to set up your own equipment but are willingly available to help or to do it for you.

Certified divers are kept separate from resort course divers. Since the dive boat returns to the resort after every dive, you have the option of going right back out for a second dive or to schedule it later in the day. A nice option if you are vacationing with non-divers or your family. You can also opt to do shallow dives only, which appeals to many beginners. Instruction is given clearly, the reef is accurately described, safety measures and hand signals are gone over and interesting marine life is pointed out during the dive. Since most of the dives are drift dives, you do not tire easily and can cover lots of territory.

We've been diving with Dive Palancar for two years. We've seen gardens of starfish of all sizes, barracuda, rays, eels, turtles, sharks, grouper, coral heads, brain coral and fans. We've even had the pleasure of being accompanied by two show-off dolphins on our trip out.

Snorkeling, glass bottom boat and fishing trips are scheduled daily. Catamarans, kayaks, snorkeling equipment, and boogie boards are free to guests of the resorts.

At Dive Palancar, we "negotiated" a private glass bottom boat for our trip at $45 per person. We went from 9am to 1pm with our guide Alfredo, nicknamed Parito (or Pirate!). He's been a dive master for 40 years and really knows the reefs. He brought along a cooler of soda, water, and beer for the trip, and a snack of chips.

The great advantage of having your own group is that you can decide how long to snorkel at each spot and the glass bottom boat lets you see even during the trip from one spot to the next. A canopied top provides some relief from the sun.

On the way to Columbia Shallows -- our favorite reef -- we saw four rays, a turtle, and the usual coral and schools of blue tangs. There's no effort to this snorkeling. A drift moves you along the reef and tons of inquisitive fish were kissing our masks and swimming along with us. We followed a turtle for a while and saw a barracuda in the distance.

"El Cedral" has towering coral heads and "El Cielo" is mostly sandy, but has so many starfish of all sizes -- we saw well over 100 of them. Between the snorkeling stops, Parito tried to find sharks for us, but it didn't work out (though I swear that I saw one). We did see a wahoo.

On the way back, we had the pleasure of being accompanied by two show-off dolphins. It was the best snorkeling experience ever -- hope it's as good for you.

Fortunately, on this visit there was no evidence at the main dock downtown of any timeshare salesmen. There is, however, major construction work changing the area along the water into a pedestrian mall.

Back to shopping - the shops that appeal to Americans are all along the waterfront, BUT before you start, walk all the way north about 5 blocks. There you'll find Los Cinque Solos in a renovated building with a variety of shops. But best of all for the non-shopper - Pancho's Backyard !!! Don't be fooled by the small café on the street at the entrance. Do walk all the way to the back. Here you'll find a charming restaurant. The non-shopper can be dropped off here to be met later - much later.

Pancho's has so much charm, and the food and drinks are excellent. Arched, recessed cutouts in the wall display Mexican art. A open-air garden area has smaller tables with umbrellas, or if you prefer, you can sit adjacent to this area under large ceiling fans.

Waiters are happy and helpful and offer suggestions freely. Portions are large - fajitas sizzle in the pan, spicy salsa is served with freshly made tortilla chips, and margaritas are typically Mexican (no margarita mix - only freshly squeezed lime juice). Prices are reasonable and I noticed plaques on the wall from DIRONA and Chaines de Rotisseurs - both prestigious organizations any restaurant would be proud to belong to.

While the non-shopper is settling in at Panchos, you can wander through the shops at Los Cinque Solos - you can find most everything that is sold elsewhere in town here, except expensive jewelry, which you want to purchase from an internationally known company. T-shirts of all kinds, towels, bags and hats with logos, Mexican crafts, silver jewelry, perfumes, liquor, tequila, shot glasses are here, and one section even had furniture, decorative lighting, and wall decor with a true Mexican flavor.

You'll both be happy with this 2 to 3 hour shopping spree.