You’ll find Cozumel to be an amazing island, especially if you’re looking for a fantastic all-inclusive resort experience that caters to everyone, not just divers. The Occidental Grand, nestled about nine miles south of San Miguel, offers a luxurious 4-star stay in a setting bursting with tropical life—think vibrant birds and iguanas in the lush greenery. The rooms themselves are spacious and well-appointed, located within a dozen three-story buildings arranged around open, airy atriums. Many of Cozumel’s renowned coral reefs and wall dive sites are just a short boat ride away, making it an ideal base for exploring the underwater world.
Getting To Cozumel
Reaching Cozumel is surprisingly straightforward. Even though it’s an island off Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, I found it quite accessible. My journey in November 2023 involved a relatively short flight from Chicago to Houston, followed by another direct flight to Cozumel. It was on a comfortable Boeing 737, so no small planes were involved. Landing on the island feels easy and efficient. You’ll fill out customs forms during your flight. Upon arrival, the immigration process is friendly and quick, even with a larger group of passengers. After passport control, you collect your luggage, pass it through another X-ray scan, and then head for ground transportation. It’s wise to have your transfers pre-booked; a representative from a tour company was waiting for me, which made navigating the airport straightforward and helped me avoid unsolicited offers from time-share salespeople.
When it’s time to depart, aim to be at the airport at least two hours before your flight. I found the check-in process at the airline counter to be very welcoming. There’s no departure tax from Cozumel. The security screening is also quite relaxed compared to many places; you don’t need to remove your shoes or take your laptop out of your carry-on. The Cozumel airport itself is modern, air-conditioned, and spacious, with plenty of shopping options available before your flight. Your carry-on luggage will be checked again just before boarding.
Reaching Your Resort
The transfer from the airport to the Occidental Grand is a pleasant, short ride of about 20 minutes by taxi or van. It’s worth booking this ahead of time to ensure a smooth arrival. As you drive, you’ll see the colorful streets of San Miguel, with a mix of local shops, homes, bars, and dive centers. Once you leave the town, the scenery changes to something akin to driving through a tropical rainforest. The resort is behind a secured gate, and your journey concludes at an impressive reception building where a welcoming hostess often greets guests with champagne. Check-in is typically quick and very friendly.
Resort Overview
The Occidental Grand operates as a self-contained resort, situated about nine miles south of San Miguel. Its secluded location among lush tropical surroundings means you might not even feel the need to leave the property unless you plan specific excursions. Even if you enjoy a lively atmosphere and variety, the resort offers plenty to keep you engaged. With multiple restaurants, sprawling grounds, two large swimming pools, a beach area, several bars, sports facilities, and a packed schedule of activities, boredom is unlikely. There are also special events happening every night, from fire dancers to shows and local markets, adding to the entertainment. You can often catch beautiful Cozumel sunsets from various vantage points within the resort.
Comfortable Guest Rooms
The resort features approximately 250 guest rooms spread across eleven elegant, well-maintained three-story buildings. Keep in mind there are no elevators, so if you prefer to avoid stairs, request a ground-floor room. My room was in Building 16, which turned out to be a great location, midway between the lobby and the beach, given the resort’s size. The rooms are spacious, furnished with two double beds, a ceiling fan, and ample US-style 110-volt electrical outlets. The dark wood furniture complements the limestone tile flooring in both the room and the bathroom, which is excellent for dealing with wet dive gear.
The bathrooms feature large, luxurious showers with excellent water pressure and plenty of hot water. Some guests might notice a slow drain in the bathtub, though this is often due to divers rinsing sandy gear. While there are no explicit warnings against drinking tap water, complimentary bottled water is provided in the minibar. You’ll find plenty of towels; just remember to use the designated beach towels, which you can exchange using a plastic card provided to each guest. Each room also comes equipped with a hair dryer, toiletries, an iron, and other expected conveniences. A coffee maker is included, though with the all-inclusive nature of the resort, all meals and drinks, including during room service, are already covered. Every room has a small balcony, and mine offered lovely views of the beach and sunsets.
The central air conditioning is effective at keeping the room cool, though it can be a bit noisy. I sometimes used it in conjunction with the ceiling fan, especially to help deter mosquitoes. The rooms have a small CRT television with cable programming, though the selection and picture quality are just average. For peace of mind, each room is equipped with a sophisticated, electronically operated safe with a numeric keypad, which makes securing valuables very convenient.
The minibar is well-stocked with water, beer, and several types of soda, all of which are promptly replenished. They even paid attention to preferences, like adding extra diet sodas when they noticed I was drinking a lot of them. Housekeeping is friendly, efficient, and professional, often leaving creative towel and flower arrangements on the bed. The only minor complaint I had were the beds, which felt a bit firm, and the pillows were thin. However, any issues, like a faulty lock I experienced, were resolved quickly and efficiently.
Dining Experiences
The Occidental Grand truly lives up to its “all-inclusive” promise, covering all meals and drinks. Navigating the dining options can be initially confusing due to the variety. There are two main buffet restaurants: one a more elegant indoor setting, often referred to as “La Posada,” and another open-air option closer to the beach. Breakfast was consistently served at La Posada, while lunch was available at the Beach Club buffet when weather permitted. Dinner was also typically at La Posada. For a more refined dining experience, two specialty restaurants—a steakhouse and a Mediterranean-style option—require reservations. The number of reservations you can make depends on the length of your stay; a week-long visit usually allows for three reservations.
The food in the buffet restaurants is generally of excellent quality and offers a wide variety to suit all tastes. While not everything is exclusively Mexican, the themes often change daily. You’ll find a large salad bar, an extensive dessert selection, and enough choices to ensure no one goes hungry. Ordering sodas, beer, and wine is included, and you’re always seated and served by attentive staff who are happy to accommodate special requests. The acoustics in these dining areas are surprisingly good, creating a pleasant ambiance. Late at night, pizza is available at La Posada, though its flavor might differ from what American palates are accustomed to.
The two specialty restaurants are beautifully decorated and offer a more formal atmosphere, akin to high-end restaurants in the US. Reservations are necessary, and a dress code typically requires long pants and closed-toe shoes. The ambiance is indeed elegant, with meticulously dressed and professional waitstaff. The menus are à la carte, offering a choice of four to six dishes for each of four or five courses. Drinks are included, but you can opt for a bottle from the wine list, which comes at an additional cost. The house wines are complimentary and quite good. A unique culinary experience to try is the Mayan Coffee, prepared tableside with a dramatic fiery presentation.
Bars and Ambiance
The resort boasts several bars, with the main one located opposite the reception area. This central bar spans three rooms, including the bar itself and two adjacent seating areas perfect for relaxing, watching TV, or playing games. You can order virtually any drink here, all complimentary. The bartenders are consistently friendly, attentive, and skilled. The adjoining rooms feature older CRT televisions, so don’t expect high-definition screens.
Throughout the resort, the architecture and ambiance are consistently impressive and beautifully executed. Even the bathrooms are spacious, elegantly designed, and immaculately maintained.
Pools and Recreation
There are two large and inviting swimming pools at the Occidental Grand. One is situated within the main grounds, while the larger one is located by the beach. Both are gorgeous, and you’ll appreciate the relaxed lifeguarding approach compared to some places in the US. Ample loungers are available, and beach towels can be obtained by presenting your towel card. You can order drinks right by the pool, and there’s a schedule of activities if you wish to participate. During my visit, the pool water was refreshingly cool, much cooler than the ocean’s temperature.
Beyond the pools, the resort offers tennis courts and a dedicated kids’ club with excellent staff, catering to various leisure preferences. For those interested in excursions outside the resort, representatives from several tour companies are usually available in the lobby. They can be very helpful in providing insider tips and arranging activities like jeep safaris or other sightseeing tours.
The natural beauty of the Occidental Grand’s grounds is a significant draw. The grounds are authentically tropical and feel very real, never artificial. You can spend hours observing the diverse birdlife and other animals, particularly in the scenic wetland areas.
Diving Facilities
Given Cozumel’s reputation as a diver’s paradise, many guests at the Occidental Grand are likely divers. The resort promotes having a PADI Gold Palm Facility, which signifies a commitment to memorable diving experiences, customer satisfaction, safety, and environmental awareness. However, the on-site dive shop itself is somewhat small and basic, not quite matching the overall luxury of the resort. There isn’t a dedicated changing area, and the “lockers” are small plastic boxes. Boarding the dive boats can sometimes be a hit-or-miss affair, and occasionally, the shop might run out of essential equipment like weights or locks. It feels like the dive operation, which is part of Dive Palancar and not directly managed by the resort, was an afterthought. This separate management might explain the discrepancy, but it still impacts the guest experience.
It’s worth noting that you don’t have to dive with the Dive Palancar operation. My tour operator contact mentioned arranging dives with other operators who could pick me up directly at the resort dock and provide necessary equipment. While having a dive shop on-site is convenient, exploring other options might be beneficial if the on-site facilities don’t meet expectations. Diving is not included in the all-inclusive package. Booking directly through the dive shop can be a bit challenging via email or phone; it often works best to arrange dives as you go. The cost per dive was around US$32, with a slight discount for purchasing ten dives at once.
Dive Boat Experiences
When diving with the local shop, you might not always be on the same boat or with the same dive master for all your dives. However, some dive masters make an effort to group preferred customers together. The boats vary significantly in size, from large catamarans to smaller vessels accommodating around eight divers, and even very small boats requiring a back-roll entry. Some of Dive Palancar’s boats are newer, while others show signs of wear. I spent most of my time on the Triton III, a boat around 45 feet long. While it was decent, it had worn or broken tank retainer clips rather than secure recessed holes for tanks, and lacked a windshield at the front. This led to concerns about tanks shifting and potential damage, as well as getting consistently sprayed in moderately rough water.
The tanks themselves are standard 80 cubic-foot aluminum tanks with US standard Yoke valves, and they are conveniently located on the boat. You don’t need to carry them. Larger tanks can be requested. The boats do not have compressors, and the Occidental’s dive shop doesn’t fill tanks; they are brought in from another Dive Palancar location at a nearby resort. Nitrox is available for an additional US$6 per tank, which is a reasonable price. However, Nitrox availability can be inconsistent, especially if there are logistical challenges like those experienced after Hurricane Ida, which affected deliveries from the mainland.
Standard lead brick weights are available from the Dive Palancar shop to check out and return daily. You can determine your required weight, but it’s advisable to visit the shop when it opens as they can sometimes run out. The weights come in one-pound increments and aren’t always clearly marked. If you find yourself short on weight during a dive, the dive master usually carries extra to assist you in the water.
Exploring Cozumel Dive Sites
Cozumel is a relatively small island with a concentrated number of reefs and dive sites. Your location on the island can influence the dive sites you are likely to visit. Since most boats return to the dock after each dive, especially around noon, they tend to favor sites closer to shore. Staying in San Miguel means diving closer to town, while resorts further south, like the Occidental Grand, provide access to renowned sites such as the Santa Rosa wall and various Palancar reefs and walls.
Cozumel is famous for drift diving, where currents can range from gentle to quite strong. Unlike surge, which can be unpredictable, Cozumel’s currents are constant and steady, feeling more like riding an escalator than being buffeted. This makes it essential for divers to stay together as a group with their dive master, or at least remain within visual range. You enter the water together, descend together, and follow the dive master, as they are the only ones who know the intended route and ascent points. When the dive master decides to ascend, they deploy a safety sausage on a line to indicate the surfacing location to the boat. Missing the dive master here could mean surfacing a distance away from your boat, though they will likely find you.
The challenge with this system is that you can’t simply extend your dive if you have ample air. It’s generally not allowed, especially if there’s current, as you could drift away from the boat. Dive masters typically begin their ascent around 35-40 minutes, with most dives lasting about 45-50 minutes total. The dive sites themselves can be spectacular. However, the diving experience can vary even at the same famous site, as reefs are large, and boats don’t always moor in the exact same spot. Depending on your drop-off point, you might encounter breathtaking vistas or less-than-exciting sandy plains. For instance, on three dives to the Santa Rosa wall, the first was spectacular after a ten-minute drift to the wall. The second dive offered no wall view, just a long drift over flat seabed. On the third, a specific request to be dropped off at the wall resulted in an immediate visual of its splendor.
The diving conditions in Cozumel are often excellent, with strong currents contributing to exceptional visibility, often reaching 150 to 200 feet. It can feel like swimming in an aquarium due to the clarity. If you’re used to vertical walls found elsewhere in the Caribbean, Cozumel’s reefs offer a different experience. They are characterized by massive coral heads and formations with numerous cuts, gullies, tunnels, and swim-throughs, creating a dramatic and visually appealing diving environment. As of my visit in late 2023, the reefs were in excellent health, with minimal coral bleaching and overall robust condition.
Marine life is varied. You’ll see the typical Caribbean species like parrotfish, damselfish, angelfish, groupers, spiny lobsters, giant crabs, moray eels, French grunts, and various rays. Occasionally, you might spot a splendid toadfish, an octopus, a turtle, or if particularly lucky, a nurse shark. While some divers report seeing other shark species, they weren’t encountered during my dives.
Resort Services and Amenities
Electricity is reliable; the resort maintained power even during tropical storm conditions. The reception area is elegant and staffed by responsive and helpful individuals, most of whom speak at least passable English.
Wireless internet access is available in all guest buildings, but it is not free. You need to purchase access by the minute, hour, or day. For a week-long stay, the most cost-effective option was a weekly pass for around US$80, which provided reliable, though not overly fast, connection. Three public computers are also available in the bar area, also requiring a purchased access time.
Cell phone usage can be expensive. My AT&T plan charged around US$1.99 per minute for calls and a very high rate for data. Attempts to make calls back home were unsuccessful.
Security is a strong point, with the resort being gated and featuring good lighting and discreet patrols, ensuring a feeling of safety at all times.
Vendors occasionally set up stalls within the resort grounds, offering arts and crafts such as jewelry, wooden boxes, and embroidery. Most vendors speak some English. Payments are accepted in US dollars, and some take credit cards. Prices are generally negotiable, so it’s advisable to haggle and maintain a degree of skepticism to ensure fair pricing.
Overall Value and Recommendations
While a week-long vacation naturally adds up, I felt the trip offered excellent value. My stay, including flights and all-inclusive amenities, cost approximately US$1,300 per person. This covered a very comfortable room, all meals, and drinks. Adding 13 dives each, plus nitrox, cost about US$754 and US$84 respectively. A highly recommended jeep safari excursion on the last day added about US$200, with transfers costing around US$74, not including tips. Tipping guidelines aren’t rigidly defined, but dive masters generally expect tips after each dive or couple of dives. Bar tips can be placed in the tip jar, and tour guides for excursions also expect tips. For other services, it’s at the guest’s discretion.
The Occidental Grand on Cozumel is an elegant 4-star resort set in a lush tropical environment, conveniently located south of San Miguel. The rooms are very nice, and the architecture and facilities, including the two wonderful pools, are first-class. The all-inclusive nature means excellent food and drinks are readily available. What isn’t covered are extras like diving or certain water sports and spa treatments. While the on-site dive shop and facilities are basic, guests can arrange dives through them or other operators. Overall, the Occidental Grand provides great value and a beautiful setting, and I would certainly consider returning, perhaps hoping for an upgrade to the dive facilities.