We went to the MARINA EL CID from JULY 22-29, 2008. We are a family of 3 myself, my husband and my 11 year old son. This was our second time iin mexico, first time we stayed in Cancun, this time here. Check in was a breeze until the bellboy took us to our room, our room was in the 16 building which we loved one problem It had only 1 king bed, We went back down to the front desk, Aldo was at the desk he said the computer only read that there was only a need for one bed he even showed me the computer screen, but after about a 1/2 hr. We were back in building 16 in the Luxury suite we paid for and it was beautiful and spacious. No one approached us about time shares until about the 3rd day there because we were in the lobby wainting for the Rep. from OLYMPOUS TOURS, so we could schedule our transfer back to the airport. We sat through the time share meeting which took about 90 minutes, we said no thank you, and we received 2 free snorkel trip 2 for 1 massage at there beautiful spa, which I highly recommend & 1 discount coupon for a tour of your choice. The beach was cleaned everyday & seaweed taken away. My son loved the p[ool and the cliff diving. One thing he said the slide is made out of concrete, alittle rough coming down & yes with a pool that size it does get dirty with the cups but they were always cleaning the pool at night and very early in the mornings, I think they should restrict swimming during this time. We never had a problem getting a lounge chair and hut at the beach actually we had the same spot everyday, which we had a great spot so we coulod see our some at the pool and slide at all times. Alberto and Estephan were great beach bartenders very attentative to our needs they deserve a raise for as hard as they work, but being AMERICAN I believe in tipping for great service. The food at the buffets were good,I preferred having my breakfast down by the pool buffet better service and closer to our building and we went straight the beach. The food at ALKAZAR was great and if you stay for a week don't mis the dinner at the marina restaurant 4 stars all the way! We did not like the mexican restaurant at night by the pool, but trust me we did not starve or lose weight on this vacation. Water in the ocean was very warm, there are rocks so Please bring water shoes with you because yu don't want to miss out in swimming in that wonderful water. We never had a problem making reservations and if you travel agant doesn;t tell and you don't read the reviews the road leading to the resort is bumpy they are still under construction, this should not be such a complaint one you see this wonderful resort. Can't wait to go back to see the completion of the 5 star resort. one more thing i forgot t mention the water from the bathroom faucet as well as the shower does have a strong sewage smell, when this happens just go to the front desk and explain your concerns it will be remenied just remember your in Mexico! and have fun

We are from the UK and have kids of 9 and 11. On booking this holiday, my wife and I did the normal research on this site and did wonder whether we had done the right thing.
After spending 14 wonderful days here we came to the conclusion that other peoples expectations and home life must just be so good that NOTHING will ever satisfy them.Especially as some of the negative reviews were during the same time as we were here.

We looked at some of the complaints and compared them to our own experience.
Check In:
We are from UK so after a journey that was in the region of 15 hours, we were tired ,cranky and in need of rest. We booked in, and we told to go and see a "representative" who would talk to us about the hotel. Yes, it was a timeshare pitch, but in the 10 mins it took, she also told us about the hotel, restaurants and facilities. We made it quite clear that we were not interested in timeshare and that was that.
Rooms:
We had a 2 bed suite, and it was lovely, a room for us parents, the kids with their own room and a massive lounge area to chill out. A balcony fronting the sea from all rooms and a big jacuzzi bath ... what more do you want.
Restaurants:
The food was really good. Booking the non buffet restaurants was not at all difficult as long as you were organised. The Buffet, Alhambra, was some of the best buffet food I have had, and we have stayed in lots of all inclusive hotels. Always a huge variety to choose from. When you see some of the complaints you just wonder what on earth these people eat at home !!.
Beach:
The beach area is not as small and rocky as you might be led to believe from some of the reports. Yes, there are a few rocks, but you have eyes in your head dont you ? As for the seaweed, this resort is in the middle of a natural reef and therefore you get some. The hotel staff are brilliant at cleaning it up and it REALLY ISN'T a problem. It was never a problem getting sunbeds and we decided that some people must come on holiday just to find things to complain about.
Pool:
The only reason I haven't given 5 stars for this holiday is the pool. The only complaint that I have seen on this site that I really agree with is the pool. It is not as clean as it should be, the reason? The pool bar. I have never seen a pool bar where people take the drinks away and walk anywhere with the drinks. Kids, especially American ones !, seem to enjoy throwing green, red, yellow drinks all over each other whilst in the pool. Kids rinsing their half empty cups out in the pool so they can use them for water fights. Its DISGUSTING and the hotel should really stamp it out. In the morning the pool is full of broken, shreaded cups and is, as I said the biggest problem, in my opinion, the hotel has. In an attempt to keep the pool clean, they then pump it full of Chlorine, which turns any white on your swimming costumes a nice shade of green.
Location:
People moan about this hotel's location. If you are club 18 - 30, dont come here.... it's not for you, Go to Cancun where you can get all the nightlife you want. If in the evening you just want some simple entertainment and a few drinks relaxing then it is for you. No noisy watersports spoil the atmosphere but there is still plenty to do. The entertinment staff work really hard at getting you to relax.
Staff:
Absolutely no complaints at all. Yes, if you ask for something to be done it may take a while, but it gets done. I think some people (Americans) expect things done at the snap of a finger, but I find that being more polite sometimes brings its own benefits.
Overall:
great holiday, one of our best yet. My advice? relax into the pace of the resort. If ,as I said earlier, you want frantic.. stay in Cancun itself. This place chills you out and we wouldn't think twice about staying here again ...... If they clean up the pool !!!!!!

We had a great time at Marina El Cid! We are a family of 4, 2 kids, 8 and 13. We have been to 7 or 8 other all inclusives and travelled all over the world.

We had a Platinum 1 bedroom suite, in building 15, ground floor.

We booked our trip through Vacationstogo.com, and they got us an american express package.

FLIGHTS: Frontier Airlines from Denver. On time, great seats, they rock.

TIMESHARES: What timeshares? We read alot about these on the forums, but we didn't get approached once. No pressure, though we did see a small amount of people in the mornings on what seemed to be timeshare tours. If they do approach you, just say no.

THE PEOPLE: The employees at this hotel clearly have alot of pride in what they do. They work hard, every one, and have smiles and genuine happiness. We built a rappor with several waiters; Enrique, Juventino, Boris, Javier at the Arrecife hotel.

TRANSFERS: American Express representatives, met us outside security, led us to a van, seamless, calm, wonderful. Hotel was 20 mins from the airport. The turnoff road was bumpy and went through a mangrove swamp, but the hotel was paradise. The road means nothing, it is inconsequential to the hotel experience.

CHECK-IN: Platinum Club check-in was seamless. The kids sat down to watch the big flatscreen tv, a butler brought us all cold towels, drinks of our choice. The concierge gave us our keys, orientation to the property, told us that if we wanted the butler would unpack our suitcases, but we said no thanks. We reserved palapas for the next day and dinner at the Arrecife Mexican hotel that night.

PLATINUM CLUB: This was fantastic. We got beach front rooms, the concierges helped with everything, and they were all about customer service. We had reserved palapas, reserved everything, and we were treated like royalty. Worth every penny, and we felt special. We also requested and got a dvd player in our room, and every night the kids checked out a new movie and the concierge gave us popcorn. Platinum club was all about the people, and they were great.

ROOM: Our room was fabulous. 1 br apartment with a master br, 2 bathrooms, and a murphy bed. We asked for a rollaway and got it. Maids cleaned every day, and fridge was filled. This room would cost $1000 A night not including meals in Hawaii.

BEACH: White sand, turquoise water, and yes, as you went deeper, the floor was covered with hard ground. That was ok, though, because if you took the patience to snorkel and really watch the ecosystem, you could see wonderful sealife. The pier with the massage had great fish all around for snorkelling.

SCUBA DIVING: Our 13yo daughter did her open water dives at the Marina Dive Center. She had done her course work back in Colorado, and just needed her practical PADI dives. My husband and I are conservative experienced divers, and we accompanied her on every open water dive. We can unequivocally say that Jose, the dive instructor is an excellent teacher that dives safely and doesn't take risks, and has alot of fun too. He sees all. Coco the divemaster was great also, as well as the rest of the crew. Prices were reasonable, though slightly higher than in Puerto Morelos, but worth it for the safety and fun. The more dives, the cheaper it gets. We think they were GREAT!!!!!!!!! BTW, there is a National Park Reef just offshore from the hotel, and it is in beautiful shape!

THE FOOD: We really liked the Arrecife Mexican Restaurant for dinner, it was our favorite. Breakfasts were awesome. You could have eggs, smoothies to order, or quesadillas if you wanted. They always had excellent salsas. Lunch also was good. The Mediterranean/Thai restaurant was pretty, but we didn't really prefer the menu, but salad bar was nice and so was the service. We enjoyed the Marina restaurant. The only restaurant we didn't enjoy was the dinner buffet at the restaurant near the lobby. The food seemed bland, though the pasta was good. Let me tell you though, I didn't lose weight on this trip, so I can't complain that much.

BARS: The drinks were good, but there were very few waiters serving drinks at the beach and pool...you had to get your own.

SWIMMING POOL: What can I say but fun and awesome!

All in all a great trip, and even though we don't usually repeat hotels, we might repeat this one.

If you go to Marina el Cid, we hope that you will have as great a time as we did!

We stayed at El Cid for a week in July. We really liked the property. The service was outstanding. The resort is very clean and well kept. We were in an ocean side one bedroom suite and it was great. Very modern, great shower, great bed and linens, oversized balcony, great mini kitchen. About the only thing they need to change are the old fashioned tvs.

The food was excellent. They really need some sort of beach grille though and another restaurant choice would be nice. We started to feel like we were eating the same thing all the time. Alcazar is truly a five star experience. The main dining room off the lobby was more like a mainstream buffet (loud and too bright) and just not our thing. 24 hour room service is great to have. We always had breakfast and lunch at the restaurant by the pool and both were consistently excellent and the service was outstanding.

The work-out facility is great. Cool view of the ocean as you run on a treadmill or hop on a stationary bike. The spa is also very nice. My only negative with regard to the spa is that you cannot use the locker facilities, such as the steam or sauna, unless you are having a spa treatment...unless you want to pay $35. Every resort I've been to allows you to use the locker facilities as a guest of the resort.

The pool is great. The "cliff jumping" is a lot of fun for kids and adults. They have plenty of chairs and service from the bar on occassion.

The beach is nice but not huge. Don't expect to go on any long beach walks. They do a nice job of "sweeping" the beach every day and keeping it nice, but it's just not very long. The color of the water is not what you see in Cancun or down by Tulum. It is more blue rather than turquoise. There are a lot of rocks in the water unless you stay closer to the Marina side.

With regard to tipping, they say you don't have to tip unless you feel you have received outstanding service. We did feel like that was the case and tipped some waiters, bartenders and maids. They really worked hard to make it a nice experience and we felt they should be rewarded for doing so.

We also never felt like the resort was crowded, even though the occupancy rate was in the 90% range while we were there. The resort is also easy to navigate since it is not as large.

Overall, a great place to stay.