Occidental Grand Cozumel, Mexico

Location: B+
Amenities: B
Service: B
Fun Factor: B+
The Food: B

Best For: Families of all ages.
Date of Stay: December 2007

The Lowdown: The Occidental Grand, located on the island of Cozumel in Mexico, is a great spot for a family getaway. Although smaller and quieter than many of the big resorts The Occidental Grand has plenty to offer. Our 2 bedroom suite was spacious with a large second bedroom for the kids and their own bathroom. As the resort is not large the pools and beach are only a short walk from your room. There are lots of options to keep the whole family busy including an active Kid’s Club, snorkeling, beach volleyball and, my favourite, relaxing by the ocean.

Kid’s Comments: I liked the food and it was a lot of fun! We played a lot of sports and tried snorkeling. Having the restaurant on the beach was awesome and the shows at night were really good. (8-year-old boy and 4-year-old girl)

Top 5 Things you should know about Occidental Grand Cozumel:

1. The Property: Although the resort is small there is still tons to do. My husband loved the many options for adults to get involved in friendly matches of everything from ping-pong to darts to beach volleyball. Everything is in close proximity and the kids can come in and out of the kid’s club as they please as we would see them a lot. Selfishly, I loved the fact that there was drink services right to my lounge chair on the beach. A real treat.
2. The Food: This one was split down the middle. My picky eater ate hardly anything. Not that she was unhappy but a diet of scrambled eggs and french fries for a week is not ideal. I thought the food was OK but, due to the size of the resort, there wasn’t much selection. The homemade nacho chips and guacamole were delicious though. On the other hand my husband and son thought the food was amazing. My boy’s like their buffets. 
3. The Kid’s Club: My kids had a blast. However, there were only about 7 kids and they just happened to all be around the same age. They spent tons of time on the beach, boating, playing sports and swimming. But, because the resort is small I think a lot depends on the mix of kids.
4. Night Life: If you’re looking for a wild and crazy time I don’t think this is the place from you. There is a nightclub but we never went nor did any of the other folks we met as all of us were traveling with our kids. However, there were shows almost every night and they were great. A special treat for the kids and the parents.
5. The Beach: The beach was nice and the water was beautiful but, like the resort, the beach is small. It never seemed to matter much as it wasn’t crowded.