InterContinental Presidente Cozumel Resort & Spa

Beautiful Hotel. (Mexico). Snorkeling and diving on site. Exceptional staff at all levels. Clean. Has a little more work to recover from the hurricane, but you won't notice during your stay.

My wife loves this beach. She snorkels frequently, and she sees barracuda, puffer fish, etc. The staff is wonderful, but they are pushy regarding the time share. I get tired of being harassed about it. We stay at this hotel 3-4 times per year. The breakfast is delicious. The beds are heavenly.

El Presindente is a fine hotel with a welcoming staff and a great location right on the reefs south of San Miguel, Cozumel. I think that the food is somewhat overpriced for the area. Additionally to eat in town you need to take a 90 peso taxi ride both ways. There is little to do after dark and the room TV's only carry a few US stations. They could use a mariachie or jazz band in the Roma restaurant playing after dinner for entertainment.

I used to dive in Cozumel in the 1980's but always opted for cheap dive hotels near town and never stayed at the Presidente. While the Presidente slightly shows its age, it's been renovated nicely over the years and reflects the IHG InterContinental standard of finsh out and service. It is gated and sits far enough away from town to provide a sense of destination. (The President of Mexico was arriving the day we departed, so that gives you a sense for the standard the property has on the island.) It's a 10 minute taxi ride into town; 90 pesos. Beach and water activities: We spent most of our time on the beach but did do a snorkeling trip and beach dives (barracuda, spotted eagle ray, lobster, octopus in less than 30 ft right off shore). Scuba Du is onsite so you can do beach dives or take their boat dives to various locations. They are VERY safety-focused so bring your log book and have some recent dives under your belt. Pay cash for a 10% discount. Great sandy beaches with either shore or stair access, plenty of snorkeling space. Corals aren't great but there are critters, particularly at night. The Scuba Du office in the hotel may or may not be open regardless of posted hours but they have the beachside shop staffed all day. It's a well run operation with comfortable boats and experienced dive masters. Pools are elegant and well stocked with towels and staff to help. The white beaches are well maintained, raked 2-3 times per day. While it was windy at times we never noticed blowing sand. Dining: Service is generally good. All purified water and ice, don't worry about eating and drinking. We found the main restaurant to be a little pricey and thought the italian place was slightly better in quality and value. The italian place also had a wonderful classical guitarist performing. The main restaurant has a great view and very good fare nicely presented. Desserts at the main restaurant are average but the freebie after dinner sweets were awesome. Don't expect an extensive wine list: I asked for something in a red wine and was offered "merlot or cabernet." Slightly disappointing. The beach side grill has very good sandwiches (we went back for the BLTs) and fruit plates. Breakfast was good (omelette station and great fruit selection on the buffet) but expensive. Next time we'll take a taxi into town to the grocery store (lots of Costo brand items) and pick up excellent pastries and fruit for pennies earlier in the trip. In room: Nicely designed, contemporary Mayan, and well appointed. Turndown service with fresh flowers, they mop the floors daily and provide plenty of bottled water. Satellite TV with US programming with French and Spanish channels. I'd recommend a room in the 5000's with a beach view. They provide organic insect repellant but we never felt the need to use it. General: Very helpful staff. There are some sales people from The Club (not IHG people) who try to snag you on arrival to sell a frequent stayer kind of membership. Other than that, you simply ask the concierge or front desk, they are friendly and very helpful. Occupancy was very light during our stay so I don't know what it would be like if they had 200 rooms filled. It is a great place for a beach vacation, suitable for families (tennis, pools, playgrounds, some kids activities) for a quiet getaway. Not a place for spring break tequilla shot parties. The flocks of parrots and millions of fish I saw in the 80's are gone but the Presidente is still a great destination. We found it quiet and beautiful and will definitely return.

We had stayed here before and had high expectations, we were not disappointed. The location is excellent just a short taxi ride from town but enough to make it feel you are not in the cluster of the rest of hotels on main strip. This hotel has its own small enclosed beach never crowded, scuba shop on sight. The service is out of this world, the staff cannot do enough for you and they are genuinely happy to assist. The room was cleaned daily and turned down at night, lots of towels and abundance of toiletries everyday, room service is excellent. The beach, pool and facilities are immaculately kept this is place is hidden gem and feels like paradise (close enough for me). The food is good but not excellent, great presentation and service but very over priced - go to town for value and better selection. Last time we were here was during May a few years back, I expected it to have changed and perhaps be busier but the vibe of the place remains the same - relaxed and friendly and the Hotel was very quite for whatever reason this hotel never overly busy (good for guests). If it's a quiet relaxing beach vacation for couples and families it is perfect, not suited to the younger crowds looking to party late, the bars closed around 11pm no loud music except for on our first night there was a wedding reception. We were lucky to be upgraded from pool view to ocean view they offered this without us asking. This is a perfect place, we look forward to coming back soon. The downside for us was having to leave... their food and drinks are over priced. They are affiliated with some kind of time share so there are "tourist advisors" sales people trolling around offering a free breakfast to listen to their pitch, we did not bother with that and saying no to them gets it done unless you like to be sold a time share for a free breakfast just politely tell them no thanks. Just remembered another cool thing that might seem simple but a lot of hotels get it wrong - beach towels in abundance take as many as you need - no need to sign for them just leave on beach chairs, no regime of lining up signing for them and they never ran out always available, this hotel gets a lot of the obvious simple little things right that a lot of places fail on, the staff will ensure you enjoy your stay.

Great place to unwind, particularly for scuba diving. The staff, food, and rooms were all really great. A little aged, but still a very nice facility. The Scuba Du dive shop on site provided excellent dive masters and equipment. We're going back, hopefully soon.

BEACH AREA AND WATER WAS GREAT. THE FOOD WAS VERY GOOD, ALL MEALS WE ATE THERE, SOMEWHAT EXPENSIVE THOUGH.

fantastic dive trip. Our third time at this hotel. Unfortunately the hotel was empty but our experience was excellent. The service was excellent, food for breakfast and lunch was outstanding but we did not have dinner there. The spa was small but the service was attentive and efficient. The hotel was emaculate and friendly. It is a great family or dive venue but there is no nighttime action, dining,dancing, music, etc. The town is a short cab ride with shops, good dining and cruse ship tourists if one is looking for something to do. We never felt in danger despite what we here about Mexico. I would go back tomorrow and it was a tremendous value. Diving and snorkeling should not be missed and the dive operation located at the hotel, Scuba Du ,is outstanding.

We have been going to Presidente since 1995, 1 to 3 times per year. We have renewed our vows there twice on the beach and hope to do it again in 2013. Until last week we had always had resonably good weather. Last week, hurricane Rina headed for Coz on the 2nd day of our 8 day vacation. The hotel recommended that we leave the island and did everything in their power to make that possible. We took the last hopper plane to Cancun and stayed at Presidente there. While it was nice, there is nothing like Presidente in Coz. They also booked our return flight for us the next day to get as close to home as possible. We drove the rest of the way back. For those of the guests that could not find a way off the island the hotel had a well organized plan for their safely and comfort in the ballroom of the hotel. As it turned out the hurricane was not as bad as expected and we really wish we'd stayed. We'll be back in April to finish the vacation, however. If you can afford it we highly recommend the beachfront rooms around Room 5114. The view is breathtaking and you walk directly out to the beach and palapas. I've been to many islands but I have never found water the many colors you see from the beach there. I always enjoy the food there, especially the fresh fish (even for breakfast). If you're looking for nightlife, its a short cab ride to town. What we love most is sitting by the restaurant at the edge of the ocean in the evening, watching the sun go down together while drinking one of their great drinks. This is the place we go when we want to escape from our high stress world. This time the hurricane had different ideas but at least we got 2 1/2 great days. I highly recommend you try it.

We love this hotel and stay here every year. It is by far the nicest hotel on the island with a two great restaurants, one being superb. The staff is very helpful, while the private two beach sections are great for diving and snorkling. The rooms are very nice with outstanding air conditioning.