Welcome to Hotel Cozumel & Resort in Cozumel Mexico. Prior to May 2016, I had never been to Cozumel. My first trip I really wasn’t sure what to expect, so I’m putting together this post to try and help all newbies to Cozumel not feel so lost!
This is Hotel Cozumel & Resort, the hotel side. The other side of the street is the diving site. But more on that in a bit.
The Hotel
This is the main lobby. The check-in desk is actually right behind me (so not pictured in this picture). There are 3 floors. 
This view you’ll see the check in desk to the far right, the bar almost in the middle, down the hallway right by the bar is the dining area for breakfast and dinner, and off to the left of this picture is where you get rental cars, etc. 
If you’re interested in renting a car for the island, there is a car rental desk right in the lobby as well as other excursions you can do while on the island. 
There are 2 ways to get across the street to the dive site. One is crossing the road, watch out for traffic! The other way is to go through the tunnel entrance. The tunnel takes you under the road. The morning I took most of these pictures it was before 7am and to get access to the dive site, I had to go through the tunnel. 
If you’re lost, don’t worry, there are maps that will help you around the complex located in different areas. 
Back to the main lobby, this is the bar. I don’t remember the hours of the bar, but I believe it was afternoon and for sure evening. There is a bar out by the pool, so that’s why I’m not totally sure about afternoon hours for the lobby bar. 
There is a hallway by the bar that leads to the restaurant. The restrooms (baños) are also located in this hallway. Anyway, the restaurant is open for breakfast and dinner. This is an all inclusive resort, so lunch is provided but it’s in one of the other two areas. 
Food is buffet style. They seat you and then you help yourself. Each night there is a “theme” but there is also a pasta bar, bread portion, etc. Breakfast you have the omelet station, dry cereal and milk, and other breakfast goodies. Basically if you walk away hungry, it might be your own fault. There is also lots of fresh fruit for both meals. Plus desserts in the evening. They also offer you ice cream at your table after dinner. 
This is the pasta bar. You choose your sauce, ingredients, and pasta out of the choices each night and they make it for you right there. 
The Rooms
Now the rooms you might be asking. This is a double room. The beds were queen sized. 
Another angle of the double room. 
We happened to be married so we switched to the King Size bed room. Here is what a king sized room looks like. 
The bathroom area is the same in both rooms. The sink is right as you walk inside the door. There is also a closet on the opposite side of this little area that includes a safe. You receive a key to the safe at time of check in. behind that door is the shower/toilet. 
I didn’t get in the double shower, but I can tell you that the shower in our king room was actually higher than floor level. Remember that when you go to step in and step out so you don’t fall. 
There is a balcony on the rooms of the pool side at least. I don’t know about the other side of the building. 
The balcony is great for sitting on every morning and drinking coffee and just enjoying the weather. But the balcony is also equipped with places to hang your gear, swimsuits, towels, etc. Speaking of towels, you receive a blue card for a towel at the time of check in. DON’T. LOSE. THIS. CARD. I repeat, don’t lose this card. It is $50 to replace. Ouch! This gets you a towel down in the pool area. Every time you need a clean towel, you can trade it out for a new one. These are blue towels, not to be confused with the white room towels. These are more for the pool area or even if you’re diving, although remember, don’t lose the towel. Then you go back down and return the blue towel for a blue card that you return at time of check out. So basically you need the blue card to check out, period. card = blue towel = card. 
Some of the balconies have the metal gates where the others have the concrete walls. I have to say I prefer the metal because as you can see above, we hung our BC’s there to dry. I would not hang your gear on the first floor, too easy for it to grow legs and walk off. 
This is the hallway. It is pretty easy to feel lost walking the hallways because they all look alike. Trust me, you’ll find yourself, I didn’t get lost . 
We giggled because we tended to avoid walking on the glass. Yes you can see down and up through that glass. That might be a hard fall… lol. I’m sure it’s safe or they wouldn’t have it, but it was a little scary…. 
This is the area on either the 2nd or 3rd floor overlooking the main lobby. This is where the elevator dumps you out. Like that… dumps. Then you have to wind through the hallways to your room. There are also stairs throughout to keep you from having to wind all the way back to here. The stairs will let you out around the pool area and then you walk to the lobby via the pool area. It really isn’t too confusing once you make the trek a time or two. 
There was an area here you could go I assume for better wifi? Although there is wifi in all the rooms. Sometimes the wifi varied but for the most part it was consistent. 
The elevators. They go to all three floors. 
The scenery was gorgeous. Now, one thing to note is the hallways are not air conditioned. The hotel is fairly open. The rooms and the dining room are the only ones that are air conditioned. Oh and the lobby bar. 
If your booked through here, this is where they display the pictures of the resort divers. 
The tunnel and Across the road.
Okay, now to the tunnel to go across the road. This is the only time I took the tunnel, for these pictures, it was also 7am and that was my only access across the road. All the rest of the time I just crossed the road. 
There are no elevators for this. It’s all stairs so note that if that is something you need to avoid.
This is the lunch dining room. You either enter from the street entrance or else from the tunnel entrance. Lunch is served buffet style as well. 
You can sit under the ceiling or else under the umbrellas. 
Diving Accomodations
This is the street entrance. One entrance is through the dive shop, Dive Paradise, the other is through the doorway to the left of Dive Paradise. Either way will get you to the dive area/food area. It’s all connected. 
This is the back side of the dive shop and as you can see the restaurant as well. 
At time of check in you tell them you need a locker key. Then you get a locker to lock your stuff up down at the dive site. Grady recommends not leaving your regulator or your dive computer in your locker. Also note: if you take gear up to your room, remember to bring it back so you can dive the next dive. Just saying… I may or may not be talking from experience. I’ll let you decide. 
Here are the wash basins as well as the showers. Use the showers, avoid the wash basins. If you wonder why to avoid the wash basins, ask Dan La Due about what happened to him. The showers are good though to use to rinse your gear off, especially if you’re shore diving. 
As you proceed down the brick road you’ll get to the end of the dock. This is where you get on the boat to go for off shore dives. Usually they’ll tell you where to congregate so you’re ready to go. Remember, our group gets our act together and we’re on the boat with gear in 5 minutes or less and that’s 30 people or more. Be prepared! 
Those boards entering the little pavillion there, they bow. I would avoid walking on them, especially if they’re wet. Again like the windows in the floor, I’m sure they wouldn’t be there if they weren’t safe, but it was scary to see them bow when people walked across them. 
This is off to the right of the little pavilion area where you board the boats. You’ll go down through that little Quonset hut looking thing to enter the dive pool area to enter the shore dive area if you choose to do a shore dive. I would recommend it the first day to make sure you have enough weight and for a night dive for sure. 
When we had our afternoon dive we laid in the lounge chairs waiting for the boat. It was nice to relax! 
These things were interesting and we wanted to see them work. I can’t really tell you much about them. 
This is the entrance to the little pool area. The waves knock you around, but I could stand above water. I was probably chest deep standing and I’m 5’7″ if that tells you anything. 
Okay, so not the best picture, but between these two rocks is where you enter the shore dive. I think going over the wall my tank stuck up out of the water (ack shark!) but otherwise I was pretty well fully submerged going over the wall. I think you immediately drop 20 feet once you’re over the wall. 
And this is the best spot for sunset photos! if that’s your thing.
Okay, back to the hotel. 
The hotel is gorgeous at night too! Just saying! 
As you walk out of the lobby by the desk, there is a little gift shop. 
The Pool Area
But then there’s the pool area! It’s gorgeous! 
This is in the middle of the pool… well off to one side but it’s fully in the pool. 
Every morning they were out there cleaning the pool. 
John P says that you’re supposed to kiss this ladies derriere if it is your first time to the resort…. Just passing along information… 
The pool wasn’t deep at all. I’m pretty sure 4 feet was max. 
This is the snack bar. You can eat lunch here or just get a snack, plus this is where the other bar is located. They have different featured lunches, plus tacos (chicken, beef, fish) plus fruit and salad and all kinds of things.
There is a salon where you can get massages, etc. They were boarding this up the last day we were there in May, so I’m not sure if they’re remodeling or what. The next dive trip will have to inform us. 
This is the area you get/return your towels. I’m not sure what else they offered but maybe excursion type packages, etc. 
Every night there was something different on stage. There was a movie, there were shows, just all kinds of entertainment. We had some friends go in June and there was a Mr/Mrs Cozumel contest thing going on. Usually it starts up of an evening. 
This is the hot tub. It hurts if your legs are sunburned. Speaking from experience. I actually sat with my butt in the hot tub and my feet up on the side. That’s hard to do but the water felt good everywhere except on my legs. 
There are also tanning shelves. Basically you’re in like 6″ of water so you’re in the water, but you can lay and work on your tan. 
And that is Hotel Cozumel & Resort. I hope this helps for anyone who wants to go but is unsure what to expect. I asked a lot of people about food etc before we went and no one really told me much, so I wanted to try and help out other people who may be attending for their first time. If you’re returning, then obviously you’re a pro! Give us some other hints/tips/tricks/etc! And this post is brought to you by the word etc.