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Hotel Cozumel Reviews 
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(formerly Brisas Hotel/Costa Club)
Onsite dives hop: Dive Paradise

click for more photos & availability

Comments: Hotel Cozumel & Resort (Formerly Las Brisas) is an excellent choice for those who are looking for a relaxing vacation without worries. The All Inclusive plan is a MUST. The food is above average wih a decent variety. Don't forget about the special Ala Carte Dinners that you can make reservations for. They are a nice change from the buffets (not that the buffets are bad). Juan Gomez (bartender) and Alejandro (waiter) were GREAT! The entire staff was very willing and helpful. Great dive shop and a really fun Activities Staff! A nice sandy beach with comfortable chairs just seconds from the bar. Go with an open mind and also open your wallet a little bit. Don't be that demanding American OR Canadian traveler who expects everything for free right now. Acknowledge them with a tip and you will be quite pleased. Don't forget the maid, we got fresh flowers every morning.

Comments: We decided not to do the AI because we wanted to eat in town alot & taste the island food. We sat by the pool a few days & bought our own drinks ($8 for a beer & mixed drink) when the waiter would come around to ask about drinks he would look very closley for the red braclets & if you didnt have one he would skip by you. Even thought we had just tipped him when he brought our drinks to our chair the 1st time. Was not very happy with the Hotel desk manager he to knew who was AI & who wasnt. The room were very nice, clean & big. We had some pretty flowers in our room every day, dont know if every 1 got flowers or not, but we tipped the maid any way. Just was not inmpressed with staff here!

Posted by scubatony on 09/10/03

It was just remodeled and is really and is a very pretty place.  Good access to the ocean but no beach really.  The pool is one of the nicest on the island and it is close to town and the market so no big taxi problems.  I had a freind stay there and it is one of the places I sometimes bring my costomers so in a nut shell.  GO FOR IT!!

Comments: I’d highly recommend Las Brisas!!   We paid $420 per couple for 4 nights, all-inclusive, which included transfers, international fees, etc., through Funjet.  Nothing else was tacked on.

Rent a car at lest one day and explore the island yourself – especially the East side.

DON’T rent from Cozumel Auto Rent (the company with a booth at Las Brisas).  Go with a world wide chain for better luck if you experience problems and get stranded.  When we were stranded, after getting the second Jeep (the first one broke down in the parking lot) “Flavio” either never answered or a child answered saying he wasn’t there.  Check out Hertz or Avis.  We paid $60 + $15 insurance for the hassles we endured, for 24 hours.

Las Brisas Hotel; Was EXCELLENT!  Nice, spacious rooms that were kept as cold as you wanted them.  **Negatives**  The reports on rock-hard beds are accurate. EXTREMELY hard. A mattress is placed on a cement slab.  Also, the advertised “gym” and/or fitness center is a start, but it is mostly old, cardiovascular equipment.  Nothing in the way of good weightlifting equipment.  I’ve already said enough on the car rental!! 

The food was average to very good.  I had no complaints.  Don’t miss the breakfast bar!!  HOWEER, the service was extremely slow where they served the meals.  Getting a drink refill, even water, was like pulling teeth!

The pool was at the perfect temperature!  Largest on the island!

I doubt you’ll find better snorkeling from the shore or dock from any other hotel.  We did take a snorkeling tour to several reefs off the island which was AWESOME!!  Other than taking a tour to the reefs, Brisas is where you should go to snorkel from the shore.

Employees aimed to please, were very friendly and did everything in their power to ensure you have a great time (except “Flavio” at the car rental place). 

The weather was PERFECT!!  It only rained two of the five days we were there for only 30 minutes each time.  Huge storms came in the day we left.  Lucky, lucky, lucky!!!

Take the ferry over to Playa if for no other reason than to just experience it.  It was fun and we found some good deals on purchases.

Do a lot of Internet research, starting with other trip reports and Cozumel message boards, so you’ll know what to expect and what you’ll want to explore, once you get there.  Make sure to print out several maps of the island (where the good beaches and reefs are located) along with a map of San Miguel so you won’t be relying on a taxi driver to get you to where you want to go. 

While I’m a “newbie” feel free to email me with any questions on Las Brisas that you might have!

Steve
Kosar@ev1.net

Comments: i have been back in the states for a while now and all i think is about my trip everything i do i compare to my trip saying, to my self "this would have been better in Cozumel" or asking myself what i would be doing if i was their RIGHT  NOW!!!!!! and i owe it all to the great people of cozumel who made my trip the best thing i have ever done. and the best staff at the BRISAS i would go back just to hang out with them , the bartender Daniel was the best it got to the point all i had to do was tell him how many BAHAMA mamas i wanted and i would have it no problems o and the event staff was it the top of my list a GREAT BIG THANKS to MIKEY AND CLAUDEIO they are awsome!!!! ill see them agin.....

Comments: I just got back last night 7/3/03.... and had the best time of my life!!!!! the "entertainment staff" was really fun to be around...mikey & claudio ROCK!!!! and daniel the bartendar was awesome.... all we had to do was walk up and order a "pink thing" with alcohol or no alcohol and he knew what we wanted thanks to the 4yr old that was with us!!!! i will definitly go back there!!!!!!

Comments: Our 11th stay at this property (going back to when it was the Fiesta Inn).  Breakfast was OK but we always walked into town for dinner.  Beach area was nice, no problems with Dive Paradise.  Only complaint was the non-stop music that was everywhere (they even have speakers on the dive pier).  This hotel is trying too hard to be upbeat and Cancun-like.  Maybe we're unique, but we always went to Cozumel for the peace and quiet. 

Posted by Angie D on 07/02/03

I just stayed there in June and am going back in Aug...
and I really enjoyed it. It was a nice hotel, rooms and grounds are very clean, they've done a lot of re-modeling. It's close enough to town to walk or take a $30 peso taxi, very convenient that any dive op will pick up from the Brisas dock, the beach club is great with lounge chairs, palapas, a gazebo, a small pool and a "natural jacuzzi". The big pool and hot tub at the hotel are awesome! I didn't snorkel or shore dive from Brisas but 2 of my friends did and said it was pretty good.

I did the all-inclusive plan because it was only $40 more for a 3 night vacation. By the time I ate breakfast, lunch and enjoyed several frosty beverages, I was glad I spent the extra $40 to go all-inclusive. I am going back for a week in Aug and am doing AI again because it was only $80 more for a whole week. Yes, breakfast is included if you're not AI but lunch and drinks aren't and that can add up, so it's worth it if the cost isnt much more. I walked into town every night for dinner so I don't know if dinner's any good but the people we asked said it wasn't great.

The breakfast buffet was the usual all-inclusive buffet, but there was quite a selection of fresh fruits, juices, dry cereal, made-to-order omelets and fruit smoothies, pancakes, sausage and other various American and Mexican choices, assorted sweetbreads and toast, etc. Lunch was served at the beach club across the street, just so you don't walk around for 30 minutes trying to find lunch like we did. The first day, I had the fish fingers and they were disgusting, but the chicken fajitas and club sandwich I tried the next 2 days were quite tasty and of course the avocado dip was great! Drinks at the beach bar were quite strong and since they're small, you can order more than one at a time. There is another bar at the big pool, but I didn't hang out at that one.

Please let me know if you have any other questions! :)

Comments: I spent the week on May 25th in Coz @ the Brisas and he are my comments. ALL Inclusive
Rooms - Very Clean
Staff - Very Friendly
Food - Brkfast good, Lunch @ Beach Club Good, Dinner o.k
Pool - Sweet
Drinks - They will make whatever you want. XX & Sol on Tap.
Nightly Entertainment - None existent but hell I was there to dive n drink not full out party...Viva Mexico and Carlos n Charlies very busy..
15 minute walk to town, 3 U.S. Cab ride....2 mins walk from Grocery store if you need essentials.

Dive Paradise - Good folks, 6 dives never the same location twice. Eric is a good DM.

Rented Tracker $ 50.00 U.S 24hrs - Rentadora Aguilera - No Hassles

Comments: Enjoyed our stay at the hotel very much. The rooms are clean and comfortable. The racks for hanging of wet suits,equipment etc out on the balconies were much appreciated. We had a nice big king size bed but it was pretty hard as the box spring is a concrete block. We did manage to sort of get used to it but was a definite drawback. We found that the food quality wasnt too bad usually but was inconsistent and often came with the wrong sauce or was cold. We decided to eat in town most times which we found to be the best. The restaurant Aquario on the way into San Miguel became our favorite with a nice table beside the water!(dont let the loud music from the bar up front scare you as the rear restaurant is quiet and relaxing). The beach at Brisas is small but quite good. The water drops off to about ten feet deep along the shore with excellent snorkeling along the shore reef. It would be a great place for someone to learn to scuba dive as the sea is pool like right at
 the hotel. We definitely would stay at the Brisas again.

Posted by buster on 03/14/03

Stayed at Brisas 3/2 till 3/8 was very pleased.  Nice beach and pool.  Went all inclusive and for the cheap price it was well worth it. Food was good. Found that the resturant at the beach was the best during the day.  Place was very clean even had fresh flowers in the room everyday.  Staff very helpful and friendly.  Friday night Mexican party was great.

Comments: I stayed at Las Brisas from Feb 7 to Feb 14.  I was very pleased with the service I got at the hotel.  I did have a few problems with my room (tv when out, toilet backed up, etc.) but they responded to these problems immediately.  One thing I must mention,  the patio doors have very good locks on them.  One afternoon I went out one the patio to relax, after my walk into town.  I made the mistake of closing my patio door completely!!!!  I was locked out on my patio.  Fortunately, I was facing the pool and someone I knew was out by the pool and I yelled at her to tell the front desk of my problem.  Within 5 minutes, I was back in my room.

The beds are in fact on slabs of concrete, so they are a bit hard.  The food was good, but it could have been hotter - temperature wise.  Otherwise ok.  I went AI and was glad I did.

The staff was very friendly and helpful.  I would return to Las Brisas again!!!

Posted by Kindra on 02/17/03

Was there last Oct. - they changed the name the week we were there!  It was great for the $$$.  We got the all inclusive and found the food satisfactory - nothing spectacular.  Loved the lime soup!  The rooms were clean, but we had to keep the AC on high and the thermostat at about 55 degrees in order to keep the "dew" from forming on everything in the room - even making the tile floor wet and SLIPPERY!  We dove and used Emilio's TLC diving - Emilio is wonderful!  The pool is huge and has a hot tub in the middle - tried that out once or twice and all rooms face the pool area.  They have a open air beach front restaurant with lounge chairs actually down on the sand.  The "beach" is artificial, but you can snorkel off of it.  The hotel is across the street from the beach area, but there is a tunnel that goes under the street that takes you to the beachfront restaurant, beach, and dive shop safely.  Overall, we had a good experience there and would go back.  Staff was friendly and was able to answer any questions we had.  Have a good trip.  

Posted by Tammy on 02/16/03

We stayed at the Brisas in Jan.  It was very nice.  The staff was there willing to help with any problems.  2 out of our group went diving everyday and used dive paradise at the beach.  Walked to town everyday.  Not very long of a walk.  Good spread of food, if you like the food.  Very quite.  I would go back there again.

Posted by Captain Ron on 02/15/03

Doug,  We've been staying there since it was the Fiesta.  They have made a lot of changes.  I think Its still one of the best places for the money.  We were there in Nov.  It was fairly quiet all day long.  Rooms are clean and staff was friendly.  We don't eat there but some of the other guests said the food was better than usual.  Its a short walk to town.  E mail me if you have any questions.

Comments: Wonderful stay and many improvements since last visit. Have been going to this hotel for many years and we were very impressed. Improved beach area with a small pool, massages by the ocean, access to the water much better. Diving pick up right at the hotel pier with Dive Paradise. If you like to snorkel you can do that there also or get picked up for a snorkel trip. We always have had wonderful service and our only complaint is the guy with the microphone by the pool....too loud. Lock boxes in the rooms, hair dryers, and nice balconies overlooking either pool or ocean side. We never do the AI plan there because of the food everywhere else on the island. Breakfast is included however either way.To sum it up.... location to town, best deal ( price has been about the same for 10 years), and security are why we go back. I would prefer air only and find our own place but for the money you can't miss.

Comments: Stayed at the "new" Brisas the old Costa Club.  We thought the place was great.  We got a good deal and thought everything about the hotel was fine.  We did not go all inclusive and did not eat here very often.  The pool food had only burgers, but we did have a breakfast buffet which was good and only $10.
Location was very good.  Not in town but only a 15 minute walk (about 3/4 of a mile) or a $3 cab ride after a long day of diving.  Actually after a large dinner the walk home was just the right distance to work off some of the meal.
Rooms were decent, nothing spectacular but not bad.  Service was always good.  The pool is by far the best on the island.  Also the beach across the street was very pleasant.  Had a dock for pick up to go diving or snorkle right there.  Side note, not a fan of dive paradise.  They messed up with us and cost us a night dive.  Still mad at them, they are not very organized.
All in all a definite recommendation.

Posted by Pam on 01/15/03

We just got back from Coz. Stayed at Brisas for 10 nights. Location was perfect. 15 minute walk to town. 5 minute walk to Chedraui (grocery store).  Nice beach area across the street, which was easily accessible by tunnel.  Good access for snorkeling or diving. Huge pool.  Food and service improved greatly during our stay. Ely, the master chef, started working at Brisas the day we arrived. Food got better everyday. The activity directors organized activities.  They had cooking classes, salsa lessons, casino night, karioke, pool volleyball etc. I think most of the guests were divers and went to bed early. I know we did!!  Rooms were average. Beds were hard. Maids were great. She kept us well supplied with bottled water and towels. Rooms are very clean. Overall we had a great experience at Brisas and would return.

Posted by Di on 12/28/02

I just spent 2 weeks at Hotel Brisas November 30th to December 14th.  If you go down to the posts from December 14th and 15, I wrote a series of trip reports and talked about the hotel. There are about 5 or more parts to my report so go down to where you see Hotel Brisas as the subject.  Hope it helps.  I had a blast!

Posted by cervezaleo _[:-]q on 12/04/02

All rooms remodel in last year & half, new

Posted by marykay on 12/04/02

Hotel Brisas has recently changed hands again and it looks like it added a pool on the beach side as well. We also do not do the AI because of the great food all over the island. This year breakfast is included for European and AI plan. It is a beautiful and clean hotel with great access to the ocean via a tunnel that is very nice. We also love the proximity to town. They have safety deposit boxes at the front desk etc....Try to stop in at the Rockin Java restaurant on the way to town. Great fresh food and the chef salads are wonderful. If you have any other questions email me.

Comments: We were there the last week of July for a week.  The hotel is clean, and the rooms were the quality equivalent of a Howard Johnsons.  The beds are very firm, since they are mattresses on top of concrete.  A/C worked great.

Housekeeping was a little sloppy - one day they would bring only one bath towel for the room, the next day, they bring two but forget the bath mat.  We got around those minor problems by using the pool towels you can check out in the lobby.

Food -- Brought back memories of the cafeterias in high school and college.  We went AI and the food is buffet style w/ variety, but you those chicken thighs you see on Monday, will be at lunch the next day and one or two nights later as well.  Always out of coffee at breakfast.

Drinks - Try the mango margaritas at the bar.  Really different and made well.  Bottled water is readily available for the asking at the bar and restaurant.

Staff - Very polite.  Prior postings indicated rude staff.  Nothing like that at all.  Perhaps the other guests acted the part of the "ugly Americans" and were treated accordingly.

Location -- Not too far from town.  But you must use a tunnel or cross the street to get to the dive boats.

Diving -- Dive Paradise operates at the hotel.  Some divemasters are better than others.  The lockers at the pier are free but are not vented.  Your BC or diveskin will start to smell after one day, even if you rinse them in the freshwater showers.

I would probably stay at ScubaClub Cozumel (across the street) the next time I go to Cozumel.  Smaller, quieter hotel w/ good dive operations.

Comments: We stayed 6 nights in July, 2002.  Got a good deal through an all-inclusive vacation package.  Even if you don't eat many of the meals, AI is still the way to go in view of dining costs on the Island (close to N. American prices).  You will end up saving money.
Location: Very good.  Walk to town is 20 minutes, a little less if you rush, more if you stroll.  Can get hot and sticky, so attempt in morning or at dusk.  Very close to Chedraui, a Mexican version of Super Walmart; also close to the move theater.  Use Chedraui for supplies, as well as on-site cheap baked goods.
Hotel: Well maintained, clean and kempt.  Courteous staff and good service. 
Food: Pretty good.  Variety could be improved, but they offer both Mexican and American-style food.
Services: Make use of "free" (with AI plan) tennis, table tennis, gymn, pool (as in billiards), bicycles, and snorkel gear.  DJ at the pool can get corny and repetitive (they played Enrique Iglesias over and over and over again), but it's all good fun.

Comments: Stayed at Costa Club 18 May to 24 May, 2002 with my wife and two adult aged daughters.  We are all divers so we went there to dive, not hang out at the beach or pool.  This was a return visit to Cozumel.  We stayed in Oct of 2001 at the Iberostar.  Ibero was first class in all respects.  We realized that Costa Club would be a step down.  Generally Costa Club was clean and well cared for.  The pool was nice.  Rooms were clean and large enough.  Maid service adequate.  The walk to downtown was a bit farther than I imagined from reading previous posts to this review board.  We made the walk about three or four times during the week.  We went All Inclusive.  The only problem with Costa was the food.  It was really bad!  We saw the same meat prepared differently several days in a row.  They always had rice, but after my daughter found worms in it we were afraid to eat it.  The fruit looked good, but usually was tasteless.  Cereal was always stale.  There was not very much variety.  If you get tired of omlettes or scrambled eggs for breakfast and hamburgers for lunch, you are out of luck.  We actually went into town a couple of nights to find a restaraunt for a good meal.  Maybe the food problems only applied to the AI plan.   I saw some people ordering off the menu and the stuff didn't look too bad.  AI plan included the bufet onjly.  Drinks were not very tasty either.  Problem is that if you are a diver, you really don't have time to walk to town for lunch between dives of at breakfast.     Saturday night of arrival they had a "private party" by the pool.  Loud booming music till way past midnight.  No concern at all for the guests that were not able to sleep, which had to be every one of them.  Thank goodness it was only one night.    Good proximity to Dive Paridise which is right across the street.   The Costa Club beach across the street was under construction so only a small area was available.  If you are a beach person avoid Costa.  IF you can get past the food problems the place was generally OK.  I
not go back as I feel that a place like Iberostar is worth the extra money.  

Posted by Greg on 04/12/02

It's the common term for the type of rock that lines the shoreline.  The Costa Club has a man-made beach with ladders to get out of the water.  We had a lot of fun snorkeling along the shoreline (it's 15 feet deep right at shore) in between dives.  We saw eels, octopus, shrimp, crabs, spotted drum (juve and adult), etc...

Posted by Tom H on 04/11/02

For diving, costa club is pretty convinient.  Dive paradise operates from the dock right across the street.  They also rent tanks for shore diving which is easy especially at night. As far as the hotel,  It's has always been clean with the only complaints heard is the beds being a little hard. ( I didn't notice.) Don't do the all inclusive as there are way to many good restaurants in town. The walk to town is about 15 minutes or a $3 cab ride. the beach is Iron shore with sand brought in. They do have the best pool on the island.
Check out this link for a view of both.

Comments:   Stayed first week of April . Food and even fruit didnt appear fresh.The taste was worse though. My son and I gave up on the food after a couple of days even though this made it inconvenient.They wouldn'nt even serve acup of coffee until seven AM.This really hurt after the all night Construction going on right outside our balcony 24 hours a day.Finally after numerous pleas for mercy had to cause an uproar in lobby with manager to get it stopped.Pool was very nice.Our balcony door lock was broken,tv didnt work well and A/C was marginal.Coz. was beautiful,dive operation top of the line but  WILL NOTstay at costa club again.Also some of the staff were unpleasant as well as the construction crew.Tried food at fiesta amercana before and after a fishing trip.Very good but pricey.Will go there next time to stay but will avoid fishing trip.

Comments: Overall, we had a nice stay. The rooms are big and clean. Balcony was lovely. Pool was HUGE, but pretty cold. Jacuzzi was cruddy and/or broken during our stay. Poolside DJ was annoying, but chairs & shade trees were lovely. We ate chips & salsa poolside EVERY day. Beach is held by retaining wall -- small, but nice. Lots of coast to explore & can snorkle up to lighthouse -- a couple blocks away. Location is a major plus because it is so close to town and the grocery store. Since we're vegetarians, we ate at a great place called RockinJava, on the left side of the street on the way to town. We didn't get inclusive, but should have because we had the expensive buffet some days for convenience's sake. Food was ok. Loud hallways -- lots of slamming doors and talking. Cleaning staff was great, but the rest weren't very friendly or helpful. Seemed like they were annoyed by us. Made us feel kind of uncomfortable. Cable tv was fun - lots of old American shows. Loved Chanankab -- take a cab - don't try to walk like us (too hot, too long). Don't support the caged dolphins. We'd give them a good rating, all things considered, and might return there again because of the affordibility and big pool. Probably, though, we'd go to Playa del Carmen next time. Coszumel seemed consumed by Cruise ship clientel (we're not divers, so that didn't appeal to us either).

Comments: Just returned from 9 nights at La Costa. If you want peace and quiet DO NOT stay at this hotel. There were few college age customers, mostly older adults who liked to party BIG TIME! I don't mind having a few brews but it seemed like every night i.e. past midnight, there were enough hard core revelers, who thought being rowdy was a lot of fun, and thought nothing of disturbing others. Problem was I was there to dive and had to get up  early each day and would be awakened by the party crowd. To make matters worse each and every day there is a DJ at the pool who likes to spin disco, techno, music (if you want to call it that) from noon till late evening. Highly intrusive, constant boom shocka locka, throbbing, pulsing bass beats. Bring you ear plugs folks. I was there on a Continental package which did not include meals. Breakfast buffet was good but pricey, lunch at the beach was a better deal and much more quiet. Staff was helpful, the pool is the biggest, the jacuzzi is a plus, the hotel  is close enough to walk to town, actually a pretty good deal overall,  yes the beds are hard, but not a problem. The problem is the rowdy patrons and neverending disco beats.
Other than that I had a good time. Unfortunately due to the increased number of cruise ships and who knows what else  I kept asking WHERE ARE ALL THE FISH??? I hadn't been to cozy in about 7-8 years and man has it changed. Kinda sad but it beats the cold weather blues and is safe.

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