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Coral Princess Hotel Reviews
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Comments: The Coral Princess is a very nice hotel and a great value.  The rooms were very clean and well maintained.  I requested an oceanview ahead of time but did not get one upon my arrival.  I asked the desk to put me on the waiting list and the next day they moved us to a great ocean view with a  king bed.  The staff was very courteous and well trained although the concierge gave me a very strange look when I tried to explain ice fishing to him. 

I would gladly recommend the Coral Princess hotel.

Comments: Just returned from CP on 10/4/03.  Although we were not offered the $200 credit with $100 deposit nor the $75 credit for a seven night stay (ours was), we had a wonderful time!  Several people impressed us:  Jose Daniel (waiter in restaurant), Pedro, Conchita, and Sapo were all very helpful.

I didn't rate the beach because at CP, they don't really have a beach in the conventional sense, but what they have is very nice.  You can see from the picture of the hotel, the "beach" is way above water level.   You can jump right into the water from the concrete steps or step down the metal ladder (which I did as I'm not a jumper-inner).  The ladder extends into the water by about three or four rungs -- at least during our visit.  There is a current and you should be aware that if you go north with the current, coming back by water will be difficult...stay close to the bank.  However, there are other places to get out and walk back to the hotel.  Snorkeling was great.  We put food in the water and the fish just flock around you!  Actually, when you go down the steps to the water, the fish will begin to gather as they are awaiting food.

We stayed in five different rooms during our visit.  We were first put in a room with 2 double beds.  Way to small for my 6'2" husband.  We were moved to a studio with a king bed on the 9th floor.  It rained the first three days of our trip but not continually.  During the night, our second room had some pretty major roof leaks and so we were moved next door about 2 AM.  The next day, leaks began in the second room.  We requested a move to the 8th floor.  Our final room was a 1 bedroom with kitchen, etc.  Very nice.  During all of this everyone was very nice and helpful and considerate.  Every time we signed for food and had a different room #, they probably wondered about us.

While it's rated a 5-star hotel, you must keep in mind that this is Mexico and not the United States.  I feel they do a good job of trying to accommodate with as many amenities as is possible for the location. 

We found the food at the hotel to be reasonably priced and very tasty.  We did eat in town and south of town.  Everywhere we ate, the food was good.  Particularily at La Morena and Prima (both in town but off the main street).  We also ate at Mr. Sancho's far south of town and it was very good too. 

We snorkeled at Chankanaab and Playa Corona (lots of sea fans).  Both of these places have access from the beach.  At the Chankanaab, there's a place where children could learn to snorkel.

From our hotel balancy, we watched a cruise ships arrived and departed.  One day 5 ships were in port.  Best to stay away from town then unless you really like crowds. 

We will definitely return and bring along our two granddaughters!

Comments: CP has lots of things going for it: location, staff and value.  I paid $68/nt on travel-center.com.  I got an ocean front room on request.  I e-mailed them ahead of time and they confirmed.  I also got a 10% discount on food and beverages for being a repeat customer.  I will sing the praises of several employees and in general the whole staff: Isidro(bartender), Pedro and Jaime(conceirge).  They were fantastic and make your stay a very friendly one.  Ask Isidro about the Iguanas,  they come out during the day by the pool bar and eat the hibiscus blossoms.  It's a hoot.  Rooms are like nice condominium rooms with hairdryer, shower/bath, shampoo, maid service, etc.  Good beach towels and cushions at the pool.  Food is good and reasonably priced.  Happy Hour is 2 for 1.  Snorkeling in front of the hotel is excellent, not much better on the island.  Very quiet resort.  I've been there in August and November and I've not noticed much of a difference.  Housekeeping apprec
 iates tips but it is not required to get good service, only a nice gesture.  We got great linen and towel presentions of animals, hearts and flowers.  Will return again and again.

Comments: Just returned from 4 days at the Coral Princess, wife and I and 2 boys 16 & 11. I can't say enough about the staff here. By the time you leave you feel like you are leaving behind your family. Even though Pedro is now in sales, he still looks out for his guests. We started in an jungle view room and requested an ocen view when available. The next day they had it waiting for us.

FACILITIES - Much better than most on the island, and what I would consider a really good value. The room was very clean, A/C worked great, pleanty of hot water and good pressure. The pool is not a giant water park style pool but more than adequate to relax in. We only ate breakfast and one meal here, preferring to go in to town most of the time. What we did eat was good and priced typical for a hotel.

BEACH - The CP is located on an underwater cliff/coral wall in about 10 to 20 feet of water. This is by no doubt the best snorkleing place on the island. During our stay we saw baracuda, 3 different types of ells, and tons of fish. You can "drift" snorkel and get out down the way at a ladder. The hotel kitchen will supply you an unlimited supply of bread to feed, and the fish know it and hang out at the steps waiting.

TO/FROM TOWN - Taxis always waiting, $5 to town each way for 4 of us. We rented a car in town from SMART. They were very nice, $30 for 24 hours on convertable beetle, plus $15 for liability. Found out that the hotel would make me the same deal so we rented from the hotel later on.

DIVE SHOP - My kids took a "Resort Dive" from Pepe scuba and I used this as a refresher. The shop was very accomodating and nice to work with and worked well with my kids. They aren't a huge shop with stuff for sale or prepared to repair your gear, but seem to accomodate the typical diver well.

The hotel is quite and laid back. If you are looking to party you will have to go to town. If you are looking for a good family hotel or great value for what you get, this is it.

Comments: We Just returned from Cozumel & stayed at the Coral Princess 6/17/03 -
6/24/03 & were pleased with our stay.
The Hotel is roughly 15 years old  &  needs some minor updating, but keep in mind that this hotel is typical of hotels on the island & you could do much worse. The staff is very friendly & accomodating, especially
Pedro & Miguel. Pedros recommendations on dining & local attractions were right on.
The grounds were generally clean & in order, however as mentioned above, they need some updating/maintenance to bring them to the standards we would expect in the states.
We booked a 3rd floor ocean view Studio (rm 312), and it was ready on time & in order, sufficient in size for 2, families would be better off in a
Coral Villa.
Some minor problems observed with  the room
1)light over bed inoperative
2)Bathroom sink drain was clogged
3)Light on right of bed inoperative
4)sliding glass door trim was loose
5)Blinds on sliding door kept falling off.

*Keep in mind however, none of these problems were reported to the front desk.They probably would have fixed in short order.

The snorkeling out back is superb, just as good as Chankanaab ,
& and its proximity to town & the airport is excellent.

Overall the hotel is clean, comfortable & a good value. I could do without the Time Share sales pitch from the Bellhops, but that seems rampant everywhere on the island. Enjoy & don't worry you'll be fine.

Comments: My wife and I have just returned from an "8" night stay at the Coral Princess.  Overall I would rate our experience a Very Positive.  The hotel room and facilities were all great. The room an ocean view studio with a king size bed was great for the both of us.  There was a small balcony which we used to dry our dive gear and sit an watch the sunset.  The cleaning staff was great..a few small bills here go a long way.  The food at the resort was very good....the night of the Island grill was fantastic.  Above all the people were the biggest plus..... always helpful and attentive.  Pedro and his brother Humberto go well out of their way to make sure you are taken care of.  They both were of enormous help with everything from restaurants recommendations to scooter rental.  The staff at the poolside bar were outstanding including the manager (name ???) ...always ready to help you.  We dove with there dive shop "Pepe" and found them to be very good.  We dove with "Abdeus
 " for all of our dives, including a night dive, which was fantastic, and he did a great job.  Frank the shop manager was great, always making sure we were taken care of.  His only problem is that he is from Pittsburgh and is a Steelers fan......well we all have problems.  The restaurants in town that we chose (there were many) were all great (La Veranda, and El Captain were the very best).  We also rented  a scooter and toured the Island..the beaches on the back side are great.   The only two concerns I had were with the time-share presentation at the resort and the time-share fanatics at the airport.  We choose to sit though the presentation at the Coral Princess because we like the resort but left the presentation a little jaded.  We were told at the beginning that they did Not want us to take a card and go home to think about it, but rather we were encouraged to make a discussion that day.  My wife and I do Not make large financial decisions on impulse.  If the resort and
  price are truly as great as they make it out to be, then is should sell it self at anytime.  Needless to say we did not purchase a time-share during our stay.  Also, please do yourself a favor and stay away from the time-share people at the airport (by baggage claim) at all cost.  They do there best to get you in front of them right when you arrive and no matter how sweet the deal is.... please remember that they want you buy there product. Please be very firm with them and do not let them sway you.  By the way they are also downtown at the pier to the Playa Del Carmen.  We would stay at the Coral Princess again....infact we are considering returning in July.   Mark

Comments: First, I'm pretty picky about where I stay and the service I get so remember that when you read this.  If you aren't picky these things won't matter to you.

We met the bell hops and they were nice but didn't see them for the rest of our stay.  I've read the other reviews and no one took the time to get to know us or socialize with our daughter or us, and we spent a whole week there. 

We just returned from a week at the Coral Princess.  We were there March 3rd-10th.  Overall it was a good experience.  We had a one bedroom suite with a king sized bed #707, it was  facing the ocean and it was nice, but the pull out sleeper isn't big enough for one adult.  Maybe a small child.  The maid did more than her fair share keeping it totally sand free ... cudos to her.

One thing that really bugged us was the wait staff at the outside bar.  They chased us every time we signed a bill.  They couldn’t seem to get anything right.  You'd think that after waiting an eternity to get the bill from drinks or a meal signing it once would be enough.  You must print your room number (after they had already asked us) print your name ... add the tip (they don't want you to forget that) and sign the bill exactly as it appears when you check in.  If you forget any of those things they will literally chase you and ask you a million questions and still have puzzled looks on their faces.  That really drove us nuts. 

The breakfast was okay (toast, Danish, fruit or juice) for us, there were no deviations from this to choose anything else with our free continental breakfast, and they weren't generous with the sweet breads ... get there early cause it might be lunch before you get served and much longer to get the bill even though there seemed to be ample wait staff.  They just seemed to be SO confused about everything.  I would ask for something and they would completely ignore me.   We tipped the maid and got super super service, so I recommend tipping her.  The prices were high for drinks wait until happy hour and get 2x1 between 5p-6p.  The pool had lots of bugs in it, I would know as I traveled with a four year old.  The beach was full of cigarette butts, I suppose there's no way to avoid that.

From what I've read here, most peole had a better experience than I.  But then again, I'm pretty picky.  We got no special treatment.  They were friendly but not overly friendly.  We asked about the pay $100 bucks on your room and get $200 credit, but they don't do that they said.  Our hotel meal/drink bill was nearly $500.

The dolphin fountian in the lobby wasn't working when we were there but the outside swim up bar was open ... um, can't think of anything else but feel free to email me with questions, I will give you all the info that I can!

Comments: We just spent 4 nights at the Coral Princess. It is nice, but much smaller than it looks in all of the photographs we saw prior to our visit.  The staff are nice- Pedro can help you out with anything you need to know.  If you are interested in lots of activities this is not the place to stay.  The pool is in the shade all day and there is no real beach to speak of.  You can snorkel right from the hotel, but it isn't nearly as good as other places on the island- not a lot to see.  We were fairly pleased but probably would not stay there again.

Posted on 01/28/03
From: Steve Rosemeier
To: webmaster@travelnotes.cc

My huband and I just got back from our week long honeymoon at the Coral Princess (Jan. 2003)  I can't say enough about the staff, especially the bellhops, Pedro and Humberto.  There are fun and friendly and always there with good advice as to restaurants and attractions.  They even went out with us one night!  The waitstaff is also excellent, they are very on the ball with food, drinks, and tabs, and good with kids from what we noticed.  We spent most of our time snorkeling right outside the hotel because there were more fish there than at any other beach.  We got some great underwater pictures when people fed the fish bread from up above.  Our ocean view room offered a wonderful view of the harbor where the cruise ships come in, and we could even see the mainland.  The poolside happy hour from 5-6 offered 2 for 1's at a fair price.  It was great to sit there with the breeze off of the ocean while sipping on margarita's and Corona's and watching the sun set.  I would definately recommend this hotel to anyone who is looking for a nice, friendly, low key atmosphere at a reasonable price.

Comments: The Coral Princess was not at all what we expected.  We saw a rating of 4 stars everywhere, when we did our research.  I would rate this hotel a 2 1/2 - 3 stars honestly.  The lobby is very basic, nothing special.

The rooms are very small, especially if your travelling with kids, there's basically only room for the 2 double beds.  The hotel location was at the north end and there is absolutely nothing around here.  We tried walking to town one time, but you have to walk past a long strip of forested area, and believe me, you won't get past it without a few bites.  These insect bites are unreal.  My arm swelled and I developed a huge rash which wouldn't go away.  The allergic reaction spread to my lips and larynx.  After learning about the affects of these insects, I declined any tours that put me anywhere near the jungle, like the jeep tours or the ruins.  You would need a taxi to go to town, or rent a car.  Another thing you'll notice is the bed bug bites.  Every morning you'll be waking up scratching yours legs or armpit area, I thought it was just me but my wife and kids also got eaten. The swimming pools are very small scale and watch out if you have kids that play in there, they will get sick. because there is no chlorine in the pools.  The manmade beach, well what can I say about a manmade beach.  The hotel food was a disaster, we got ecoli bacteria from either the salad or grilled chicken.  My son had the fillet fish and he was fine.  My wife was admitted into hospital with a very serious problem.  We spent the better part of our vacation being sick.  From the pool to the hotel food.  Not to mention all the money that was used up during our illness, from the doctors consultation's at $50.00 US apop each patient, to all the drugs to treat the bacteria.  I will get reimbursed though, but that's not the point.  We went down there for vacation, and we expected a 4 star hotel and good food.  By the way, in Cozumel, the bacteria is in the food and not water like everyone thinks.  On the mainland, its the opposite.

Watch out for the taxi drivers, they wrote the book on fare ripoffs. There is a fare guide from zone to zone and I didn't see this until I was in the airport, so all that time during my stay, they were ripping me off.

Especially from the hotel to the airport which is just a five minute drive, he tried to charge me $14.00 USD.  I gave him $4.00 and walked away.

On the positive side, Ceasar the hotel manager was very helpful and supportive when we got sick.  He even stayed at the hospital with us.

That meant alot to me and I'll never forget his sincerity.  When you first arrive, you'll notice Pedro the bellhop and  Humbarto his brother, they are both very nice and cheerful individuals.  Too bad their the only one's, must be in the gene's.  Snorkelling is very good at the ironsteps behind the hotel, and there are lots of coral reefs along side the hotel, so you
could swim pretty far.

the suites are very nice, but I don't know how much they cost, so I can't form an opinion on value.  Hoping your stay will be much better than ours was.  Cheers!

Comments: We stayed at the Coral Princess July 28th thru August 1.  We had a WONDERFUL time. There were four adults and two children with our family group and it was an absolutely ideal spot for us.  It met all our expectations and then some. ( I had done a lot of research before going to Cozumel on accomodations, restuarants, things to do,etc.  The travelnotes board was so informative.)  Back to my review of the hotel....Upon arrival at the hotel, we were greeted with the most enormous smile.  Pedro, the bellhop, was the best!  He made quick friend's with my four year old and my nephew, six.  Pedro's brother, Humberto was great as well, super sweet to the kids.  You just can't beat that. A big Plus for this place are these two guys!  I told them right away that I had read about them on travelnotes and considered them famous, they just blush, smile and laugh. The little boys received so much attention from them that week they thought they were celebrities!  The rest of the ho
 tel staff were so helpful and kind.  Jorge, our poolside waiter,  will never be forgotten.  He helped us daily with our spanish.  Every morsel of food we had from the hotel was very good. Very clean room. Spotless in fact!  Very bright and cheery, cool, and the bed was not too hard.  We slept like babies. Nice size fridge in the room for cold bottles of water, pop, PB&J.  Our room was on the 7th floor with a simply spectacular view of the ocean, across to Playa Del Carmen and Cancun, and then back south towards town.  Watching the cruise ships coming in yet, not being in the location that was being saturated by its passengers.  Fantastic!!!  During our stay, we were told that the hotel was at about 40% occupancy. It was a very relaxed environment.  We did not have to worry about getting a great beach spot on or being too crowded in the pool   Yes, the beach area is man-made and originally we thought we might be dissappointed about that fact, however, we wouldn't have had it
 any other way.  The ironshore entry  to the water makes for great snorkeling right there!  Can't beat that either. Absolutely terrific, the kids loved this!  We fed the fish our leftover breakfast toast and they literally swarmed us.  Most of the people we ran into around Cozumel were staying at all inclusives and I feel like in a way they were missing out.  Coral Princess had everything we needed.  Pedro and Humberto were always near to help with info on a great beach club to visit or a nice restuarant to go to.  We rented a car right there at the hotel very inexpensively (with a tour of the hotel) and went to town or to the east side daily. Must do!!! When it was time for us to leave, we felt like we were leaving family.  This is a super place to stay and I would recommend that you give yourself a treat and stay at the Coral Princess!  You won't be sorry.  We'll be going back first chance we get, then again, and again.......

Comments: This is a very nice hotel.  Everything went smoothly from check-in to check-out.  One comment to make,  they gave us a different room than what appeared on our room card given to us at check-in.  I asked very nicely for an ocean view and they said no they didn't have any.  Well the room we were suppose to get was ocean view and there were only about 25 people in the entire hotel during our stay.  I just think they should have given us the room.  Anyway, the rooms are nice and roomy.  The AC is very good and water pressure good as well.

Pedro is a real asset and he loves it when you tell him you've heard about him.  What a smile!  Service is very good and the hospitality suite is wonderful when you have to check out at noon.  You can stay longer and freshen up before leaving.  The snorkling is great in front and I had no problem with the current.  The sunsets are absolutely gorgeous from the pool area.  This is a great spot.

Comments: We just returned from Cozumel on a RCI Exchange to the Coral Princess.  It was absolutely delightful.  We started out w/ a Jungle view, but after politely asking if there was an ocean view available, they were happy to comply.  What a view!  You get a bird's eye view of the pool and the surrounding Ironshore Reefs that surround the shore.  You can actually see Cancun from there.  The staff was always happy to see and greet you;  the poolside afternoon serenates were a delightful sound to the ear.  As divers, we decided to use the hotel's SCUBA shop on premises, "PEPE SCUBA".  We started with doing some shoe dives right from the hotel's steps, and it's great for all skill levels.  It's not deeper than 20 ft, but the sea life is very abundant, plus the dive times can go close to almost 2 hrs due to the shallow of the reefs.  Afterwards, we took the shop's boats to the surrounding reefs, on their boats.  Cozumel has the most beautiful reefs on this side of the hemisphe
 re.  We managed to log @ 15 dives with them.  One divemaster in particular, MANUEL, is an impressive character.  He cautiously makes sure that you understand all instructions and signal before each dive.  He knows where all the good stuff is; sharks, eels, giant groupers, lobsters, seahorses, and the splendid toadfish. 
The Coral Princess is a well maitained jewel just north of town.  You can rent a car (cheaper in town) or even a scooter (we did for $20.00usd per day) and explore SAn Miguel or what many other sites the island has to offer. 
When you return, don't miss the sunsets.  They are to die for (or fall in love again)

We will definitely come back next year.

P.S. Pedro still works as a bellhop, but now Humberto works in timeshare sales.  Tell them they are famous, they get a kick out of that!

Posted by Allison on 07/20/02

Just got back from Cozumel & the Coral Princess. Excellent service, prices are great. Try to get the new wing--rooms are larger and more modern. Also, request an oceanview, as the jungle view faces the road. One last thing--for about $50.US per night you can upgrade to a 2 room suite, complete with kitchen, separate living, BIG balcony.

Hope you have a great time!

Posted by dadrachen on 07/18/02

My wife and I have stayed at the coral princess 5 or 6 times. Staff is great, prices and facilities are comparable to a good U.S. hotel. Has a pool with a swim up bar, a palapa bar, a restaurant, man made beach with good snorkeling, mini refrigerators in rooms, and good food. We've never been disapointed.

Did I mention the staff was great. Ask any of the bartenders or bellhops if they know anyone named Pollo Grande.

Posted by Minn Don on 07/13/02

My wife just set me straight on this - Studios are like a typical Holiday Inn room with two double beds and a small balcony. We usually stay in a "Villa" which is a one bedroom (nice spacious room) with a kitchen, dining area, living room area with folding bed/couch, and a generous balcony off the living room with a smaller one off the bed room. The Villa is twice the cost of a studio, but it's way more than twice the space and if you stock the kitchen with stuff you can save some money on a few meals. All Villas are an ocean view. Check their page out if you haven't already, there's a few pic's to give ya an idea of what's what.

Posted by Sara on 07/12/02

have stayed in a studio room twice.  The first time there were three of us grown women, the second time there were only two of us.  We had no problem with three of us including two sets of dive gear and one gal who brought her whole beauty parlor with her.  There is lots of shelves and dresser space in the bedroom and an extra long vanity and cabinet space in the bathroom. There is also a small table to put more goodies on.  The only concern I would have is that they are only double beds.  Whoever doubles up has to be very compatible or you'll go nuts.  

By the way, one room was ocean view and one was jungle view and they were mirror images.  They each have a sliding glass/screen door with a balcony railing so you can soak up some fresh air but not actually sit outside.

The snorkeling has always been great (November, February, June, and December were my travel dates)and not a problem for any of us - including the chicken who doesn't like to put her face in the water!  I know my friends' two young boys (9 and 11) each snorkeled very well at the C.P.  

Have a great trip!

Well, I am definately a fan of the Coral Princess.  My friend and I stayed in a 1 bedroom and had way more than enough room.  The snorkeling outside the hotel is beautiful.  We snorkeled about 1/4 mile up from the hotel and it was great.  The current was a little strong but I am not experience (1st time snorkeling) and had no problem. And from Don's comments you can see the staff is great!  You'll enjoy those boys they are so helpful!  I plan to go back next May and stay there again.

Posted by Gary E on 04/05/02

Stayed at the Coral Princess in Feb. It's a beautiful hotel, with good food at the restaurants. Unfortunately, it too has an ironshore waterfront, and some wicked current. There is a man-made beach that is very nice, however.
Paridisus (far north end) also has a great beach, but the snorkeling is only fair. In addition to Ron's choices, I would suggest either LaCeiba, or Sol Caribe (or whatever it's called now) for natural beaches and decent snorkeling without breaking your bank account.

Posted by CJ on 03/31/02

I've been to Cozumel 3 times.  Twice I stayed at the Coral Princess and was impressed with the service.  I don't snorkel or dive, but my friends do.  They deal with the diving crew at the Coral Princess -- can't recall the name of the group. My friends highly recommend this group.  I soak up rays, read, relax, and receive excellent service on the beach while they are out and about. Have a fabulous time.

Comments: We were pretty nervous about our last minute decision of staying at the Coral Princess.  I was extremely pleased!  The most important thing  to me was that it was clean and safe.  It was both, everyone working there was extremely helpful, staff was always cleaning the halls, pool area, etc.  Going to downtown was very easy, taxis were always waiting at the hotel ($3-4 us).  We rented a car two days and went exploring on the other side of the island, definately a must, one of the best days...

Drinks can be expensive, have a taxi stop at the little market, its blue and white, right by the airport road, on the left hand side of the road when going south. Beer is about 0.26 cents a piece!!!! 

We also did one of the snorkeling tours, Fury was the name.  EXCELLENT!  4 or 5 hours, they take you to two of the great coral reefs south of the island, all the pop, water, beer , &margaritas (after snorkeling) you want.... they stop at their own private beach, have dinner, watch the sun go down, play on various water toys.  A tour for all ages, we are in our 30's, collage kids, families with small kids, two retired couples (70's).

have a wonderful time the island will not dissapoint! 

Posted by Matt on 03/18/02

Hands down and fins up the Coral Princess has the best snorkeling for a hotel.  The water is 15-25 feet deep as you get in and the coral is from the bottom of the sea to the water line.  Great color, variation, and low current - most of the time.  Various fish, many eels, and yes dolphins are often seen at dusk swimming by the hotel.

Comments: Hotel was fine, we were not looking for anything fancy and we were very happy with it. Drinks were quite expensive all over the island which was a suprise to us so bring a big cup along to make your own. The snorkeling was great right off the hotel and I wish I would have brought a flashlight for night ($10 at pepes) food was good about same pricing as in the states and the hotel was very clean. I would tell anyone to stay there.

Posted by Cliff on 02/05/02

My wife and I have been members there since 1998.  Everything has always been as advertised.  Nice rooms, great staff, good food, good service, great pool, etc.  We took our kids for the first time this last June, the youngest stayed with grandpa & grandma while the rest of us dove.  The staff made a point of getting to know him, playing with him, etc.  I think you would enjoy it.

Posted by Mike in MN on 02/05/02

We have stayed at the Coral Princess annually since 94. I have only positive remarks except for perhaps the price of food and drinks...not the quality, just high prices.  25 pesos for a coke??? ($2.77) Give me a break. They do have a program for guests where you plop down $100, and get $200 credit on your bill...kind of funky, but it works. Just drop the prices and get with it. Also members of the timeshare get a discount (10%-20%) on everything.

My family and I could not have asked for a more beautiful place. The atmosphere and the staff at the Coral Princess was fabulours. They treat yo as if you are someone special! The bellhops Pedro and Humberto and also Tony were great with my son Dylan, who loved hanging out with them. Pedro even joined us for dinner and dancing one night! I recommend it to everyone!!! We thank you...

Posted by Cliff on 09/21/01

We are members of the Coral Princess...and enjoy it very much.  The studio rooms are available with either a king or 2 double beds and they have both ocean view or jungle view.  The rooms we stayed in have always had a small refrigerator that would hold beer, water, etc.  The man made beach is very nice although it is behind the retaining wall, the pools are very clean and well kept and the swim up bar is great.  You can do a giant stride into the ocean from the steps at the retaining wall.  The bottom step is two to three feet above the water.  The snorkeling is ok, and PEPE's dive shop on site has a good reputation with the people we have met at the resort.  You will also find the staff very friendly and accomadating.  If you have any further questions, send me an e-mail.

First, check the lodging reviews section if you haven't already.

With regards to your questions:

I don't remember if a king is available in a studio room, but I do not remember the beds as being small (the last time I had two beds, but I vaguely remember having a single bed the prior time.

Getting an a fridge in your room shouldn't be a problem at all (They are the small dorm room type fridges, so they easily move them from room to room if for some reason yours didn't have one).  Obtaining an ocean view room shouldn't be extremely difficult, but I would try to see if you can get confirmation of this in advance.  I have stayed via friends that have a time share there, so I have never had to fool with this myself.

I have never seen the swim-up pool bar actually open, but the normal poolside/beachside bar/restaurant has decent food (not spectacular, but not bad either).  The waitstaff and roomservice at the Coral Princess is pretty good, but it is not designed to be an AI resort.  It is a 2 or 3 dollar cab ride from town, so you have easy access to the restaurants there for dinner.

The bottom step by the ladder is only 2 or 3 feet above the surface of the water.  The depth is probably 12 to 15 feet at the hotel.

Posted by Sara on 06/19/01

I don't know diddly about the Fiesta Amer. but I LOVE the Coral Princess.  It's true that the beach does not go down to the water - it's an artificial man-made - but BEAUTIFUL area. There are plenty of lounge chairs and the waiters serve you as you soak up the rays.  You can also get a massage (at a modest price) right there on the beach.  There is a drop down to the water though and we enjoyed snorkeling right off of the beach.  The service at the hotel is unbeatable!  I wouldn't change my reservations if I were you. Happy traveling!  

Posted by Scott & Lisa on 06/18/01

June 2001

My husband and I stayed at Coral Princess for three nights. The rooms were nice, the hotel itself was very nice. The beach right off the hotel had great snorkeling. We liked it better than Chakunabb because it was much less crowded. The staff was accomodating and made our stay nice. The only negative thing was the car rental people there at the hotel. We rented a car for a day. The day we rented the car, they had us sign a statement acknowledging the rental was $45.00 US dollars to be paid by Mastercard. When we returned the car the next a.m., they wanted us to pay $45 CASH or $50.00 by credit card, stating the exchange rate had changed from 8.75 pesos to the dollar the previous day to 10 pesos per dollar. I checked with the front desk and found out they were not telling the truth, the exchange rate was still 8.75. At any rate, after much arguing and hasseling, we only paid $45, but I would not reccommend renting from them. I felt like they had every intention of cheating us had we let them get away with it...or not continued to argue. Everything else about the hotel was great. We got a $75.00 food and beverage credit with our MLT package which covered breakfasts our entire stay, dinner one nite and several drinks.

Posted by Bwest on 04/22/01

Connie,

I have stayed at the Coral Princess for the last 5 yrs and am headed back there 6/8 for another week of heaven.  The hotel is very nice and the staff are wonderful.  There are 3 bellhops, Jimmy, Pedro & Humberto.  Get to know these characters Pedro & Humberto are brothers.  They will take very good care of you..I usually bring them items from the states and tip them pretty good when getting there and upon departure, I give them all of the overstock of candy bars and popcorn that we bring with us.  Isidro is an older gentlemen at the outside bar.  He's very nice.  Pepe's dive scuba is on site.  Small fast boats and great divemasters.. Ask for Emmanuel.  Him or Domingo are usually the main to.  Jeff runs the shop for Pepe.  Sorry to ramble on too long.  Feel free to Email me with any further ?'s Brad !

Posted by charlie on 04/12/01

Check the trip reports section if you haven't already for information on the Coral Princess.  

I agree with Krissy that the water is probably too deep for your six year old, unless he/she has a flotation device and is supervised.

Just to clarify they do have a "beach" in the sense that they have a man-made sandy area near the water.  But as Krissy mentioned the only access to the water is through a ladder.

While I haven't eaten there too much, I have never had a problem with the food (This is not attempt to condem the food with faint praise, I just wasn't focusing on food at the hotel).  As you evidently know, there are numerous excellent restaurants in town for dinner.  The hotel staff is excellent, I can't say enough good things about them.

I'm sure you will have a great trip!

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