My wife and I are planning a vacation to the Cozumel
Tulum Coast Playa Del Carmen area. What are
everyones suggestions on the best all inclusive places to stay? Thanks for the help.

Dear Jon (no pun intended!) - My husband and I have stayed at the Diamond Village Resort in Cozumel. We had a wonderful time. The accommodation is very nice, the beach is good and the food was also good. (It was one of our best vacations). The island is very small and pretty quiet. There is, however, great snorkeling and scuba diving. Also, there is a ferry that takes you over to Playa del Carmen (Cancun side) that goes back and forth about three times a day. The ride is very beautiful and not very long (30-45 mns. - maybe less). Anyway, I would highly recommend the Diamond Resort if you are staying in Cozumel. Great food, beach and accommodation. Also, the price (for what you get) is quite reasonable.

If you have any further questions that I may be able to answer for you, feel free to e-mail me. I hope that you and your wife have a wonderful trip!

My Wife I have also stayed at the Diamond on
cozumel and had a great time, It is quite far away

from town, but that is what we liked about it. We

stayed at the Royal Maeva Playacar in march and had

a great time. There is much more action at this

resort and town is very close. They have free

snorkeling and one free tank a day for certified

divers. Either of these resorts would be a good

choice.

Have fun!!!

We stayed at the Diamond Resort in Playa Del Carmen and loved it. Fantastic beach, nice rooms with satelite TV, good not great food and free premium drinks served 8am-2am. Two lovely pools, one with swim up bar and plenty of activities. Excellent value for the price. Will definately go back there. Also suggest a walk up the beach to one of the local bars such as the Blue Parrot, great atmosphere and fun.
The Diamond in Cozumel is all of the above plus world class scuba diving. It is a little out of town, but if you're doing alot of diving one night at Carlos and Charlies will be all you can handle anyway.

We stayed at the Diamond Resort in Playa Del Carmen
and loved it. Fantastic beach, nice rooms with
satelite TV, good not great food and free premium
drinks served 8am-2am. Two lovely pools, one with
swim up bar and plenty of activities. Excellent
value for the price. Will definately go back there.
Also suggest a walk up the beach to one of the
local bars such as the Blue Parrot, great atmosphere
and fun.
The Diamond in Cozumel is all of the above plus
world class scuba diving. It is a little out of
town, but if you're doing alot of diving one night
at Carlos and Charlies will be all you can handle
anyway.

Yikes! I can't believe the responses endorsing the Diamond Resort chain. My husband and I were at the Playa del Carmen location a few years ago and got sick. A friend of ours stayed at the Cozumel location and also got sick. We think it was because the food wasn't on ice on the buffet table. We saw yogurt and milk kept cold, but not things like salads with mayo in them. By the end of the week we were eating only cooked meats and bread (which everyone cuts into-not very sanitary). The food overall was mediocre and the nightly entertainment was not worth viewing. The beach was fantastic and the shopping in town great. The grounds at Playa del Carmen were much nicer than the Cozumel location we visited with exchange privileges. It was difficult trying to get certain drinks mixed, so we ended up drinking Corona. Yes, cable TV was nice, but we didn't travel to Mexico to watch TV. We enjoyed an optional tour snorkeling at different places in the area. We won't return and have found a better all-inclusive in Jamaica (but the beach isn't as nice). Have you considered Puerta Vallarta? We've known several people to visit there and they loved it.

I'm sorry that you got sick at the diamond resort,
but my wife and I have never had montezuma's
revenge while we were in mexico. A few tips
1. Don't drink the H2O, this includes using tap
water to brush your teeth or wash your hands, don't
open your mouth in the shower.

2. watch out for drinks w/ ice(water again).

3. Lettuce has been washed in water, be careful!

4. Hepatitis vaccine is a good idea!

5. Make sure meat is cooked, and remember this is a
third world country, not the United States.

You cant guard against everything, but if you are a
little careful you wont have any problems.

The entertainment was not very good, but we went
for the beach, snorkeling, lack of crime, peace and
quiet and some of the friendliest people you will
ever meet. If this is what you are looking for the
Diamond or The Royal Maeva would both be great
choices.

Just got back from the Paradisus. Great place!
Lots of activities, food pretty good & plentiful (all day from 6-10), drinks excellent and plentiful
nice beach, snorkeling w/fish, nice staff. Horseback riding, spanish lessons, snorkeling & scuba lessons. Lots of fun!

My husband and I stayed at the Diamond Resort Cozumel in Nov. 96 and are returning again this Nov. for 10 days. We fell in love with the island, and loved the resort. It has beautiful grounds, good food and drinks and wonderful beach with good snorkeling. (Request a 2nd floor room... they have high "palapa" ceilings) A boat dock right on the beach makes it easy to go on fishing, snorkeling and diving excursions (the boats come right to your hotel!) This will be my fourth trip to Mexico (also been to Puerto Vallarta and Cancun) and Cozumel is my favorite location so far. It is beautiful, natural, and most importantly, unpretentious! Make sure you visit the Mayan ruins of Coba. They are less visited than Tulum and Chitchen Itza (which are also wonderful to see)and in the middle of a dense jungle. The feeling there is almost mystical. Have a great time -- you're making a great choice! Just make sure you stick to bottled water!

I have received conflicting information about this resort - nevertheless we have booked for February 1998. The good far outweighs the bad.

I have a few questions:

Do you think we have any chance whatsoever of getting an ocean view?

Is there any area that we should avoid for room allocation - i.e. near the kitchen - disco etc.

I will take your advice and ask for a 2nd floor room.
Do they supply equipment for snorkelling? /or is it better to bring our own.

We are a pretty active 50s couple. Can boogie with the best of them! We are hoping that this resort doesn't have swarms of 20 year old students.

Don't get me wrong I like 20 year old students - only problem is I work with them every day at the University.


If you get a chance I would really appreciate as much information as possible.

re: diamond resort -- we were there 2 years ago.
food is ok, breakfast is best; nightly entertainment amateurish; anything you want liquor-wise; very very friendly staff -- beach is great, snorkling is the best, boats leave right from beach dock. For the price, you will enjoy your visit very much. Take
insecticide, a jacket & sweatpants for the "northerners" that can blow in, some antibiodics, and make sure you are not allergic to the local bottled water (which has quinine). In town, you gotta go to Carlos & Charlies, and visit the museum for coffee on its rooftop terrace overlooking the harbour..forget the peasant shack in the museum.
spend your $$ on the catamaran trip, and enjoy.

I'm sure the types of guests at the resort varies
from time to time, but when we visited the Diamond
Cozumel last year, there was a wide range
of ages. From honeymooners, to families, to seniors
and all seemed to be having a good time.
Request a room as close to the beach as possible...the restaurant, "theater" and disco are
at the other end, so the closer you are the beach,
the farther you will be from any noise. Getting an
ocean front room is tricky, because of the layout of the place. Its not a high-rise hotel... its setup more like a low-rise village with just a few of the buildings right next to the water. Snorkeling euipment is provided free of charge, and is adequate, but if you have your own (better stuff) you might want to bring it. I agree with the previous posting that the "entertainment" was a little weak... its fun for a night or two, but then you need to look elsewhere!