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Comments: Excellent hotel for divers.
A bit noisy (noise from the permanent traffic on the road in front of the hotel), but excellent configuration and location for divers. All rooms have a view on the sea, nice sunsets, etc. The room is just a few meters from the dive center (Blue Angel), the pool and the beach/shore.
Special kuddo to Blue Angel. Very professionnal and knowledgeable.
Excellent equipment and divemasters (especially Ramon and Matt).
Always choose the smaller and faster boats !
They did all they could to accomodate all my requests (I am both an advanced diver and a photographer and therefore I always have particular requests). I also enjoyed very much the unlimited dives from the shore. The one-day Cenotes trip (Dos Ojos) with Matt was also an excellent experience. I look forward to visitig again in summer time to go with Alejandra ("the boss") to  Holbox to meet the whale sharks !

Posted by scubatony on 12/16/03

subject: nice place

I visited the upstairs rooms 2 nights ago and they are very nice. don't know about the lower floors but the top looks great! The dive shop is in repair as we speak and they have opened one of the rooms to use as a temp shop for now. Don't let the remodel stop you. It is a nice place at a fair price with a great location and wonderful view. cya soon
Scubatony

Posted by DocV on 12/14/03

Was there over Thanksgiving.

Work so far is mostly exterior, although a few rooms on the top floor are nearing completion.

Outside, pool has been painted, small sand area constructed and enclosed, natural wood partitions & drying rack on built porches & fresh thatching installed & the like.

Redone rooms have that big tub that is so ideal for rinsing gear removed and an attractive shower installed. Slipperly tile removed from floor and replaced with an adbode type covering that includes a small stone mosaic. Fresh paint .

Free in-room safes are mostly delivered, but not all. None was yet installed, and they told me it would be some time before this project was completed.

Have fun.

DocV

Posted by Panchita on 12/10/03

they have 12 of their room remodeled already and they have in-room safes now. I'm staying there in January.

Posted by corki on 12/10/03

Went by there last week and all kind of renovations going on....will be staying there from 22Feb-12March

Posted by Golda on 07/29/03

The grill right next store is great and open early enough to get breakfast before your dives.

Manual and Alisa work there and make just about anything you want.  We'd even have them make us a little something to take on the boat while stopping in between dives.

You won't be disappointed with their breakfast or lunch.

I think Rock N Java is too far to walk to. Papa Hogs is good too and we walked there for breakfast on days we weren't diving (too lazy to get up any earlier then need be).

Have fun!!

Comments: JUst have to comment on the LORENA - it has been sold and the new owners are getting things done!   http://www.cozumel-hotels.net/la-reina/index.htm

So much work is going on - but it didn't hinder our great time there.  Did some great diving with BLUE ANGEL DIVE SHOP the on-site shop - FABULOUS DIVES!  http://cozumel-diving.net/BlueAngel/instruct.htm

I consider both a great bargain and will return whenever I can for more fun in the sun!

This hotel is just what the diver wants - great on-site dive shop, great access to the water, great shore dives -  great sunsets - all rooms are OCEAN VIEW!  - GREAT PRICES - not far from town - what more could a diver ask for!
Hey I will see you there! 

Posted by Christi on 05/13/03

Lorena is a great place (for divers especially)...I received an e-mail from someone guessing that there was something about the Lorena that I did no want to post because I replied "you have mail."

NO, there is nothing to hide about the Lorena.  I was simply providing assistance and information to a friend.  I work closely with the Lorena hotel, simple as that.

The Lorena is a great place if you are not looking for a 5 star resort. It is perfect for divers or those who just want a clean, safe, quiet place to stay with a few ammenites such as AC, pool, ocean view, and maid service.

I do not work off of commissions, but recommend this hotel based on the ammenities, price, and services.

Posted by Len on 05/06/03

all dive ops will pick you up there, whereas your options are very limited if you stay at CP.  That said, if diving isn't a big issue, the CP is really a nicer place to stay.  There is no beach at the Lorena, just a tiny (read 20 ft. X 20 ft.) sand area not connected to the water.  Entry into the water can be quite difficult if water is not calm because there is so much surrounding coral, etc.  Also, the pool at the Lorena is not very nice.  Very small.

I really like the Lorena, but it should be taken for what it is -- a diver's hotel and not on the same level of luxury as the CP.  Also, Lorena only has a small beach grill that is sometimes open and sometimes not.

Posted by Coz Gal on 05/06/03

I just stayed at Lorena April 10-20 for the third time.  While I wasn't a diver when we originally started staying there... it certainly suits the diving community perfectly, but also the non-divers.

The grill next door was open everyday we were there from early in the morning for the divers to approx 4pm (depending on business).  The food is delicious and they are very accomodating.

Everyone was extremely accomodating!  We love this hotel.  There is a nice pool on the edge of the caribean for those who are into sunbathing (which I am) and I love that I can just jump into the ocean right in front and see some great sealife snorkeling.

I have since become a diver (can ya blame me) and we use Blue Angel... we love them too!

All in all we have a wonderful experience with Lorena, The Castaway Grill and Blue Angel.  Lorena is not fancy but always clean.  The smallness of the hotel lends to its intimacy and personal touch.  When we got there, our balcony door did lock properly so we asked Luis to fix it and he promptly did.

They furnished us with bottled water everyday, and ice chest and ice when we asked.  There were four of us that stayed in room 201 and 202 (shared door between rooms).  Nice big rooms.

We can't wait for our next visit there.

Have fun ~ Golda

P.S.  While we were there we met the new owners of Lorena.  Arlene has sold her controlling interest to these gentlemen.  They seem very nice.  I hope they make some needed physical improvements while maintaining the charm of it.

Comments: I just returned from a week's (prepaid) stay there and will not return.  My first room had a patio door which wouldn't unlock.  We asked to move, and were given a room with no hot water (complicated by the fact that the entire hotel was out of hot water for a few hours that day).  The NEXT room had hot water, but no air conditioning for most of the time.  The one time that the air conditionor DID work, the room became uncomfortably cold.

We had THREE rooms, none of which were satisfactory.

The Lorena would be a pleasant, basic hotel if more attention were paid to maintenance.  As it is, I found it unacceptable.  I don't consider myself particularly fussy, but I do expect doors that open, hot water and air conditioning that works.

Posted on April 7, 2003
From: Margo 

Jidan, 

Thank you so much for organizing our trip to Cozumel.  Hotel Lorena was GREAT!!! The view was awesome and diving was great!!! We had a great trip. Thanks... 

Margo Deal

Comments: Just got back from 12 days in Cozumel.  We were booked for the entire time at Hotel Lorena but left after just ONE night.  It was horrible.  While the staff was friendly and the view was great, those are about the only good things I CAN say about that place.  Our first room they gave us was horrible with a telephone wire running across the entire room on the floor (although our room had no phone!) and the lights in the bathroom did not work.  Our second room, was only slightly better, until we woke up at 5 am and discovered the A/C had turned off sometime during the night.  We moved to Villablanca the next morning and had a wonderful vacation! (Look for my review there!)

Posted by Jim Wilson on 02/05/03

they may now use the name La Riena?  It is small, with only 22 rooms, but newly remodeled and has bathtubs.  Very reasonable and a nice owner/operator.  All over look the ocean with a private balcony.  The others are nice also but cost more.

Comments: We stayed for 3 nights the 3rd week of Jan 03.  This hotel was reasonably priced and overall a good value.  The rooms have 2 double beds that are a little flat.  Excellent ocean views on the upper floors.  If you are a diver looking for a bargain place to stay, look no further.  If you want a beach with other stuff to do at the hotel, this isnt the place.  I think the price is just right and would recommend this place to other divers.  The dive shop right next door, Blue Angel, was EXCELLENT.  They rented very good equipment (some regs had dive computers), good boats, nice staff, serious dive masters - they dive 7 days a week, even on their off days. In my opinion, better than Papa Hogs down the street. 

Posted by Christi on 01/23/03

Lorena (La Reina) is a great little hotel.  Right on the water, all rooms have a full ocean view with private balconies, air conditioned, cable tv, phones, pool, great shore diving in front of the hotel and a pier and fresh water rinse tank for your gear if you are a diver.  

Have a great trip!

Comments: Hotel Lorena is a lovely little find, and any return to Cozumel will see us staying at the Lorena again.  It is a small, clean hotel with large airy rooms overlooking the ocean, and we loved sitting out on the balcony, watching perfect sunsets through palm trees and across the waters.  The hotel staff were very pleasant (although the Anthony/Antonio of previous reviews will not be there, for reasons that are not worth attending to at this point) and the manager is a very friendly guy - although, we terribly undertipped the very friendly and helpful maid upon leaving because we only had exactly enough cash to get us back, so anybody who goes to this hotel in the future and has read this review, please add a dollar or two of tip for us - it will be much appreciated by all.  The amenities are minimal (a television, slightly noisy but very useful air-conditioning, clean towels, bottled water, a nice little swimming pool we never used) and it is not a place for mingling
 or planned activities, but we would not have made use of more amenities or more mingling: it was simply perfect as a base for diving.  I don't know about the dive company immediately next door - we used Papa Hog's, which is a 3 minute walk down the road, and I would certainly use them again (see our review of Papa Hog's).  The hotel is certainly convenient to both locations.  The town, San Miguel, is a good twenty minute to half hour walk away from the hotel, and we did the walk every night at about sunset to go into town for dinner - it is a mostly pleasant walk, past a lighthouse and several beaches; on most nights, we would take a cab back for around 3-4 dollars.  Taxis pass the hotel frequently, so those who do not want to walk can certainly grab a cab just about any time.  In any case, it was nice being out of the town - San Miguel boasts a delightful museum which should really be visited, but otherwise it caters mostly to the cruise boats, with rows of shops selling tr
 inkets or silver and all of the resort restaurant chains (Carlos n Charlies, Senor Frogs, TFI Fridays, etc.).  Had a dreadful, overpriced meal of chewy substances at Lobster Cove, but enjoyed stodgy pasta at Pizza Prima, and really enjoyed 2 pleasant meals at Restaurant Costa Brava - our favourite, though, and the place we returned to for our last night, was Restaurant La Choza: if you can bear to eat fish after enjoying their company all day underwater, this place served delicious seafood with lovely soups.  Frankly, we enjoyed the walk into town and appreciated the relative quiet of the hotel without ever feeling isolated.  I highly recommend the Lorena and look forward to returning.

Posted by Cara on 07/12/02

Stayed there last June (2001)....

not real fancy, but very clean. Rooms large, but if the ac wasn't so loud, you could here the traffic on the road, it is just a few feet back from the main highway.  Anthony was the manager when we were there and he was wonderful. They had a microwave, coffee pot in lobby and a little room with a frig, and all were for the use of anyone staying there. Only has like 22 rooms so very small. We were on second floor. Small pool, but clean. Steps into water or little sandy area to walk out into water.  Pretty good snorkling. Had a few satellite tv channels  ie CNN etc.  Oh no frig in rooms, but they will give you a cooler, free ice and free bottles of water.  Email me if any more questions.

Posted by corki on 12/12/01

Its a 2 min walk North of VillaBlanca. We stayed for a week this year and will be their for 3 weeks in Feb....

Posted by Phillip on 10/21/01

has all of that.  I