It's hard to imagine a place more suited to the water-lover than Cozumel. Snorkeling, SCUBA, whatever ;floats your boat is here. El Cid La Ceiba is nicely located to take advantage of the water but is not too far from land-based activities for the
more +non-mermaid or -merman in a family. The resort itself is on a spit of land facing the cruise harbor. While large ships may block some view, there is still plenty of horizon and turquoise water to enjoy. This also puts the resort within walking distance of the cruise shopping area as well as small markets along the main drag.
The beach is a little small, but has lots of sandy area with palapas and lounge chairs aplenty. There's a separate beach for adults-only, but, of course, traveling with kids, we never visited! The cruise ships offer day passes to their passengers, but they did not overwhelm the beach even at Spring Break. My kids, ages 7 and 9, loved swinging in the hammocks. There is a very small pool where they met many other children, a really interesting international mix. The staff plays a lot of 80s and 90s dance music which, oddly, I really liked. There are plenty of activities, typical painting, Spanish lessons, etc. I liked that there was no pressure to join in the activities if you don't care to. There are stairs down into the ocean directly off the beach front and awesome diving and snorkeling right there - maybe 100 feet form your room - astonishing! Take a pack of the crackers from the dining room and crumble them into the water to become the most popular fish in the sea! The dive shop is literally a window on the dock next to the beach. Major convenience.
Speaking of the food, it is good. True, there is not a huge buffet with endless choices, but my picky 7-year-old consistently found something even HE could eat. The bar service was excellent with drinks staying consistently strong (for the grown-ups) and lots of imagination for the kids. They were enchanted by the virgin; versions of Mom and Dad's drinks. Rooms are okay, smaller than most American hotels, but normal-sized in our Caribbean/European travel experience. Literally, we only slept in the room and spent 99% of our time outside!
In short, we came to laze around with our kids and to enjoy the waters of Cozumel. We didn't want to pay a fortune. El Cid La Ceiba hits a nice middle ground of plenty to do for water-lovers without extra expense for lots of fancy food choices. Its relatively smaller size gives a nice, safe feel for a family with younger kids.
Date of Stay: 04/08/2009
Children in Party: 2
Accommodations Dining Kids Play Area Money Value Pool & Water Fun Staff
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El Cid La Ceiba Beach Hotel
