IC Cozumel

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes, was at the hotel for two weeks

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked a 1 King Bed Ocean View, received a 1 King Bed Ocean Suite the first week, and because of some work they were doing in the area, was further upgraded to a 1 King Bed Reef Suite Deluxe the second week.

How are the rooms?
The Ocean Suite was around 800 square feet. One room, including a couch and a couple of chairs in front of the bed, a large walk-in closet, a desk and a huge bathroom. Tub in the bathroom overlooks the ocean, and there is also a small balcony.

The King Bed Reef Suite Deluxe was closer to 1,400 square feet. Also one large room, with the main difference being a bigger living area, two flat screen TVs, and two bathrooms. Two closets in the Reef Suite, but much smaller and not walk-in. Bathoom is also not nearly as nice. The main selling point of the reef suite is a large patio outside, including a table, two recliners, and a hammock, with direct access to the beach.

There's generally a huge difference in list price between the Ocean Suite and the Reef Suite (usually almost $1,000 a night), but I don't think it is justified. Reef Suite wasn't that much better.

How is the exec. lounge?
None

Did you receive fruit / water?
Yes. Small plate of grapes, banana, apple, etc. and multiple waters.

Did you receive a welcome gift?
Yes. Bottle of wine and a plate of chocolate covered strawberries.

How was the minibar?
Positives and negatives. Big positive was that it was re-filled every single day. Negative is that the mini-bar (in both rooms) didn't really keep anything that cold.

Included 6 beers (Tecate, Tecate Light, Dos Equis), two Cokes, a diet Coke, Sprite, 1 Gatorade, Arizona Ice Tea, a Perrier, apple juice, pear juice, 2 waters, and then a whole bunch of alcohol...vodka, gin, rum, whiskey, and of course, tequilla. They were willing to adjust the minibar to preference (for example, more vodka and less whiskey).

There weren't any of the normal mixers you typically find, like tonic & soda water, cranberry, and orange juice.

What was good and what was bad?

Good:
*Hotel is extremely quick to respond to emails, and service there was great
*Great beach and reefs for snorkeling and scuba
*Two pools, including an adult only pool
*The onsite Italian restaurant, Alfredo's. Avoided the restaurant most of the stay, assuming the food would be very over-priced, but there isn't much of a difference in price between Alfredo's and their ocean side restaurant. Food in Alfredo's was excellent, as was the service and presentation.
*The main restaurants (beach bar & ocean side) were quite good. Chips and salsa are complimentary with every meal, there's a good range of food, including non-Mexican items, and the average check generally came to around 600 pesos (roughly $45), including a couple of cervezas. 2 for 1 drinks in the early evening every day.
*Gym, while not huge, had all the necessities and was very well air conditioned.

Bad:
*Avoid the spa. The masseuse was texting constantly througout the massage. That's not acceptable in any situation, particularly at the price being charged. While there was some air conditioning in the room, it wasn't very strong, making for a somewhat sweaty experience.
*Avoid the breakfast buffet. Went the first day, and for the rest of the trip, it was referred to as the fly buffet. Wide range of food, but the buffet is outside, and much of the food, including the fruit, is uncovered. I went for some strawberries and blueberries, and there was an explosion of flies and other insects. And then the check came. Buffet was 310 pesos per person (roughly $24). So the buffet plus beverages (two bottled waters and two diet cokes) and tip for two people came to over 900 pesos (roughly $70). One of the most expensive meals we had on the island, and it wasn't close to worth it.
*Ordered room service pizza one night, and it was horrible. Hard to tell if it just wasn't cooked enough, or it had been cooked but took so long to be delivered that everything had started to congeal. So if you get room service, get something other than pizza.

Other things to know
If you're spending any amount of time and want to do anything besides hang out by the beach and pool, rent a car. The location of the hotel is well south of downtown, and there's not much in the immediate vicinity. I reserved a car online before the trip at the Thrifty across the street from the airport, and had a very good experience. If you do rent a car, drive the speed limit. The policia has no problem at all pulling over touristas for going too fast. Parking is free at the hotel.

In addition to Alfredo's, for off-campus restaurants, really enjoyed Buccano's at Night, Kondessa, and Guido's. The Jean Laffite Pirate Dinner Cruise is a must do, but take a cab unless you have a designated driver. Coconuts on the eastern side of the island is also a good place to stop for lunch.

Mega is the big supermarket / superstore close to downtown. Went there for cereal and bagels to have on the balcony / patio in the morning, and also a good place to stock up on any mixers the mini-bar doesn't have.

There were mosquitos. The hotel provides some all natural bug spray, but it didn't seem to be very effective, so bring some Off.

Late August is not the hotel (or Cozumel's) busy season. Once the cruise ships pull out for the day, it is not unusual at all to be the only one having dinner in a restaurant. It also meant (particularly in the last week of August) that the hotel had a lot of construction projects going on (replacing hallway ceilings, rebuilding stone walls, etc.)

Would you return?
Yes