7/08 I recently went to Cozumel on my honeymoon and loved the Melia Cozumel. I have stayed at the Iberostar and Occidental Grand Cozumel in the past but I think Melia will be my top choice when I return to Cozumel next May. The food was great, very good Mexican food. The drinks were very good, much better than the other resorts. There is a separate adult pool so if you want to be away from kids or if you want your kids away from the bar it is ideal. Our room was very nice, clean, and the hotel staff is very helpful and everyone is polite and nice. The service in the restaurants is much better than at the other resorts. They had actual table service. I would very much recommend this hotel to anyone. Jen, IN

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5/08 Our family of four--me, my husband, our 19-year old son and 12-year old son--plus a friend--stayed at the Melia last week. The Melia was a great place to stay! I would rate the staff's friendliness and service as top-notch. Tip the bartenders and maids. Drinks were mixed well. There was some form of entertainment every night-we mainly skipped it but the teenagers participated and had a lot of fun. The buffet was excellent for breakfast and okay for lunch and dinner. La Iguana Grill serves "American" style food like burgers, fries, etc. for lunch at the beach or pool as an alternative, this restaurant and the Cafe Paraiso are worth making the reservations for at least twice during the week. The kids' activities pool was always busy, but not overrun with little kids as you might think. There are many activities there to keep people of all ages busy, including ping pong tables, etc. Hardly anyone swam in the adult pool, but the lounge chairs were always in useand the bar. The seagrass problem was evident most days, but the staff rakes it up off the sand early every day. For those who like to swim in the clear waters, walk about 100 yards south to the next hotel past the pier. There are water sports and many other things to do. But we found the best thing was just hanging out at the beach with some frosty drinks and then making the short walk to La Iguana for lunch! Great trip. Maggie, CA

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4/08 - My wife and I stayed at the Melia for in mid-April and had a wonderful time. The hotel is not a luxury resort, but it's clean, comfortable, quiet and well-kept. Rooms are nice with tasteful furnishings which do show a little bit of wear and tear, but nothing that would ruin anyone's vacation. I never saw a bug or any major damage.

There are two pools here, one activity pool for families and the other an adult pool with swim-up bar. The pools aren't huge but we never felt crowded and never had a problem finding chairs. Same with the palapas on the beach; there were about two dozen of them and we never had to get up early to save one for ourselves. The beach itself was long but not wide, with plenty of room to walk, swim or lay out in the sun.

The food at the buffet restaurant wasn't gourmet, but was nicely done. We ate there almost every night and never had the same food twice. Each meal there would be a chicken dish, beef dish, pork dish and fish dish with sauces changed every time, in addition to a few salads and veggies plus a small buffet of Mexican food. The bar next door also offered snack foods like chicken fingers and sandwiches all afternoon long. Tthe breakfast buffet in the morning was great.

We did try one of the two "gourmet" restaurants one night and were disappointed. The food was served in tiny portions and the waiters did everything possible to rush us out the door. Here's an example of the tiny food; I ordered steak and shrimp and was served 3 bites of steak and 2 shrimp on a skewer, like a kabob. Afterward, my wife and I went to the buffet to have a real meal instead.

If I have one complaint about the Melia, it's that it tries to be both a family hotel and a place for couples so it doesn't excel in either area. There are many good features for kids, like a playground and a little indoor club, but there's not much for kids to eat at the buffet. For couples, there is only one bar open at night and that's the lobby bar, which is very small and fills up fast. Melia needs to keep its outdoor bars open past 6 PM to give adults more places to mingle.

All in all, you can be assured of a nice trip at a decent price here. If you crave luxuries like huge rooms, infinity pools and gourmet food, there are other resorts that offer these things but you'll pay an extra $100 per day for them. For a combination of comfort and value, the Melia makes a great pick. John - TN