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Hotel overview
Location
Riviera Maya - BeachProperty information
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Hotel details
Hotel advisories
General policies & fine print
Check-in Policy - Hotel requires a credit/debit card authorization or cash deposit upon check-in for incidentals; this will place a hold on your funds.
Convention Policy - Individuals attending a convention cannot book this property for their stay. If found attending a convention, guests may be subject to higher room rates upon arrival.
Hotel Spring Break Policy - This hotel cannot guarantee a spring-break-free environment.
Transfer Policy - A price may display when children stay free, if your vacation includes transfer to your hotel.
General Information - Room taxes and service fees are included in vacation price.
Minimum night stay restrictions may apply.
Reservation changes may not be permitted unless authorized by the hotel.
Ratings & reviews
TripAdvisor traveler rating
8729 reviews
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Jun 11, 2021ALWAYS A GREAT EXPERIENCE!!!
We were already in Puerto Morelos when I had an accident and had to have surgery in the local hospital (which was a great experience as well). With that being said, I was required to stay longer so my husband booked us a week at El Cid for when I got out of the hospital. From the moment we arrived, we were treated with such respect. All team members were courteous, caring and kind and went out of their way to assist where they could. The grounds are beautiful, as always, the food was delicious and varied with different cuisines, and the rooms were meticulous. I have seen people on here complain and give El Cid a bad review because of the seaweed issue, but the hotel cannot control Mother Nature and they were doing their best to try to rid the beach of the neverending piles that continued through the day and night. It isn't fair to ding the hotel for this problem. My husband will be back this weekend with all our kids and grandkids for a family reunion and I am sad I cannot travel, but I know they will all have a great time!
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Jun 10, 2021
If you like your stay friendly, fun and full of nature, you need to visit this resort.
This hotel was above my expectations. All the staff were friendly and helpful at all times. Hospitality here is better than the places I have been to before. The atmosphere was perfect and the nature was definitely some of the most eye catching. Very happy with the stay I had. 10/10
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Jun 10, 2021
Great amenities and friendly staff
The hotel amenities were great! Four pools on the property, multiple restaurants to pick from, and the Mexican (lunch) restaurant was amazing! The staff was very friendly and loved the free tours available (bike ride and shopping trip to Playa del Carmen). Beware when you leave the Mexican airport, people will approach you to book tours, but it’s hidden agenda to sell you a timeshare.
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Jun 07, 2021Smells like a sewer. Food is garbage.
This place is horrible. It literally smells like a sewer from the rotting seaweed and polluted beach you can’t swim in. We parked our boat in the Marina for a few days and got wristbands for the facilities. I’ve been to all-inclusives before, and this is the worst one I’ve been to. The buffet is like food from a mini mall deli. All of it has no flavor and if you want meat you better like rubbery overcooked hunks of bio-matter. The booze selection is basic and nothing too shelf is on offer. Some staff, like the people at the marina were very very pleasant. They deserve a raise. Others were complete jerks. Twice waiters claimed my wristband was only a half day band and wouldn’t serve me until I got a manager involved. The wristband says “all day” on it by the way and cost $115. It would have been cheaper to just but drinks individually and order a pizza from somewhere else. I was leaving the boat to fly back to the US, and when I was leaving, security stopped me like I was a criminal and held me for 15 minutes because my driver didn’t have a checkout ticket. No matter how much my driver explained that I was not sleeping at the hotel in a room, they wouldn’t let me go. I was possibly going to miss a flight over their insane protocols.
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Jun 07, 2021EL CID SPA & BEACH RESORT
The staff, lodging, food, and atmosphere are above average, but the all-inclusive price is a bit steep and is not adjusted for resort members. The seaweed is back, and the smell is horrendous. Check the LiveCams in the Puerto Morelos area to see the extent of the seaweed. The night shows are fun, except for those on the convention center lawn area. Stay away from this area as we got severally bitten by insects and no amount of repellent worked. The enormous amount of itching and scratching were psychologically traumatic. Lots of daily entertainment for guests and their children. I did notice guests not wearing facial coverings when walking around the property, however, the staff were diligent in wearing facial coverings, which was good to see. I would have preferred to see more general disinfecting being done in common areas, especially considering the area verging on going into the red zone. That being said, the convenience of having free on-site COVID testing is the kind of service I expect from the resort management. I would like to see a better selection of beer being offered considering the price of the all-inclusive bracelet. I got bored of the one beer on tab after a day or two; as I am not much of a foofy drink kind of person. The social distancing requirement was not enforced in general throughout the property, nor at the pools or at the nightly shows, so if you are a stickler for following COVID requirements, you are on your own as I did not see staff enforcing the requirements not once.