We went to a friend's wedding in Cozumel last week and stayed at the Occidental Grand resort. My wife and I rarely stay at all-inclusive resorts, prefering to sample a regions cuisine. However, with the resort's five restaurants and fine food, we were well sated by staying on the premises. The decor of the property is suberb. The gardeing is beautiful and relaxing and the layout is well thought out. We spent a little bit more and upgraded to the Royal Club. The hotel within a hotel was everything it was advertised to be. Nelly, the concierge, took excellent care of us, the rooms were spacious, quiet and clean. The beach and activites provided by the resort first rate. My only complaint was that the gym equipment is dated and in need of repair and replacement. We will definately return.

This was our third stay at an Occidental Grand resort and this one (like Aruba and Punta Cana) did not disappoint.
Although much smaller in the number of rooms offered, the resort itself is spacious and the property is well kept. The buildings are not close to each other and most have balconies that provide some privacy.
Rooms and bathrooms are large and clean and our king size bed was very comfortable but the pillows however were quite hard.
The separate shower always had great pressure and there was no shortage of hot water.

The beach is large and kept clean with good sand and easy access to the ocean..
There are plenty of beach chairs and palapas for shade, but, as with most resorts, there are those selfish and ignorant people (most often Americans) who ‘reserved’ chairs at both the beach and the pool and hardly used them or, even worse, don’t use them at all leaving them empty all day.
Fortunately, there were enough chairs even during the busy Christmas week.
The main buffet restaurant (La Posada) offers a good variety and choice of food for both breakfast and dinner. The lunch buffet at the Beach Club also offers a good variety and choice of food.
Surprising was the variety and quality of the daily soups that one would not usually think of eating in warm climes.
What still amazes us is the amount of food people waste at the buffets. Adults and kids fill their plates and then, if they don’t like the food, leave it. There is always plenty of foods so why can’t these people learn to take small portions and then go back if they like it.
The Sonora Grill (Mexican) has high quality food and service with high quality steaks (cooked to order), mexican chicken and the shrimps as main courses. Appetizers are good too especially the hot (hot) mexican soup and the shrimp ceviche.
Los Olivos (Mediterranean) also has good steaks, calamari and a varied self-serve antipasti bar.
However, the night we went, good service was sadly lacking.
As the red and white wines are not a high quality in the buffets and a la carte restaurants, we recommend sticking with the sparkling wine.
As Royal Club guest, we were able to eat at the private La Calleta but the breakfast menu is quite limited. As such, La Posada is a better option. The Christmas Eve Special dinner was fine but two other dinners there were less than satisfying. The racks of lamb were tough and more like shoulder chops than racks.
That being said, the Chinese Noodles were excellent as were the Filet Mignons.
La Calleta does serve better quality californian wines and high liquors such as Hendrichs Gin and Johnnie Walker Green Label Scotch.
However, all bars serve premium liquors such as Grey Goose Vodka, Tanquery Gin, Glenfiddich and Remy Martin. You may have to ask for them but they were generally available.
I also fail to understand why some people (and we mostly know which country they come from) forget their manners when dealing with the bar staff. There is so much “Gimme” without so much as a “Please” and “Thank You”. Parents are as bad as their kids and it’s no wonder that the kids emulate the rudeness of their parents.
One of the best experiences with this resort is the friendliness and helpfulness of all the resort staff.
There is always an infectious and welcoming smile from them and they really seem to enjoy looking after their guests. That makes ones vacation even more enjoyable and relaxing.
It’s difficult to single out staff for a special mention as we were well served by all the staff and they do work hard and have long days. However, barmen Santos, Fredy and Victor looked g after us really well as did Juan-Carlos and his staff in the Sonora Grill.
Special mention to Nelly in the Royal Club who did everything possible to ensure we enjoyed our vacation.
The only real negative I have is that the Royal Club whirlpool was generally overrun by noisy young kids in the late afternoon and this impacted on the peace and quiet ambience of the Royal Club.
Overall, we had two enjoyable and relaxing weeks over the Christmas and New Year holiday season here. We question if the Royal Club is worth the additional cost especially as La Calletta was not up to the same standards as other Royal Club restaurants.
However, the extra services, perks and attention offered by the Royal Club does make it worthwhile.

This was our 4th time at this resort and second time at the Royal Club. This is a lovely resort and the upgrade to the Royal Club made our stay much more enjoyable. The Royal Club staff and service were excellent with a special thanks to Nelly the Royal Club manager. We stayed for 7 nights I dove for 5 days, two morning dives at 9:00 and 10:30. Dive Palancar made the diving easy and convenient although I have to admit the the diving in Cozumel has declined over the years ( so has much Caribbean diving due to a variety of factors).

Spent Christmas the Royal Club with family. There were nine of us, six adults and three young ladies. Absolutely terrific vacation. This was our second time here and it won't be the last. Plans are already in place for a return visit. The Manager of the Royal Club is a wonderful lady named Nelly who cannot do enough for you. She was instrumental in making this a memorable trip. If we asked for something she would somehow make it happen. Our rooms were large and very clean and we were provided with all the amenities. If we needed anything or something was amiss Nelly was there to sort it out.

This resort is beautiful, has lush foliage and is clean, clean clean. It seems that the staff are always vigilant to ensure it remains that way. The beach is has plenty of loungers and the water is terrific for swimming and snorkelling. We walked and played on the beach daily and always felt safe.

The bars never had a long line for service and they carried a nice selection of premium brands. It was also nice that the staff didn't always have their paws out waiting for a tip before providing any service. We certainly provided gratuities when we received special attention or service but we never felt that it was expected.

The food in our opinion was excellent. The main buffet had a good selection of local and international fare and how nice to have breakfast in a buffet with cloth napkins. Very classy. The specialty restaurants were also well presented, both in atmosphere and service and they all had a wide variety of choices to satisfy any pallet. The Beach grill was a treat where one could munch in a relaxed atmosphere on a great variety of tasty goodies.

The Royal Club restaurant managed to cater to us with a table for nine several times. Great menu selection, the food exquisite and the service excellent. We could also have early morning coffee or even breakfast and watch the day arrive if we desired.

All in all we have absolutely no complaints and would highly recommend this resort. It is a wonderful place to return to and to relax and be pampered a little. On reflection I think that it is the staff at this resort, from maids to managers, that make this place what it is. Bravo Club Royal!