BookIt.com Verified Traveler Robin from Indianapolis, Indiana

"Originally we were supposed to arrive on 12/26 but low and behold our state had a blizzard and our flight was cancelled. The soonest we could get out of the state was 2 days later. What we thought was a disaster turned out to be great. Called my travel agency and explained what happened, they immediately got on the phone to Marina El Cid and asked if we could change our dates of stay due to the weather. They said that would not be a problem. The Cancun airport is a little intimidating, once you pass through customs, KEEP GOING. Do not stop and talk to the hundreds of sales people trying to suck you into time shares. Go straight outside, many, many taxi drivers who are more than willing to take you where you need to go. Marina El Cid is only 25 min away. From the moment we entered the parking lot, it was complete paradise. Definitely pay the extra for the Platinum Club, it is worth it. Many, many advantages to having this. The resort is beautiful and these are the most nicest people you will ever meet. The resort had everything. We were treated like royalty the entire time. Something for everyone. Took a taxi into Porelto Muerles to shop one day, nice little town with many things to choose from, and barter with the owners. They love tourists. I would recommend the day of your departure to go to the front desk and ask for a taxi to the airport. Get to the Cancun airport at least 2.5 hours before your departure. flight . The airport is busy and lines for customs and security. Once you are past all of that, you walk into a shoppers dream. Tons of everything, dirt cheap and no tax. Can only buy so much though. We wish we would have been able to stay at least a month at Marina El Cid. Did not want to leave. This is definitely worth every penny."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Ralph

"el staff muy atentos, en especial nuestro mesero del restaurante mexicano el arrecife y en los desayunos, la señora que prepara los omelette, en el restaurante mexicano, la atencion buena, viajamos con nuestros hijos de 5 y 9 años y el kids club excelente, muchas actividades, muy recomendable, seguro regresamos // the staff is very attentive, especially our waiter of the reef and Mexican restaurant for breakfast, the lady who prepares the omelette in the Mexican restaurant, good attention, we traveled with our children aged 5 and 9 years and the kids club excellent, many activities, highly recommended, safe return"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler A Recent Traveler

"This resort is very relaxing and beautiful. We were spoiled the entire time. The staff is very friendly, and treat you like kings and queens. We can't wait to go back."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler A Recent Traveler

"Our stay at Marina El CID resort was amazing. The children had a great time at the pool with the the slippery slide and the adventurous cliff jumping. The beach had water sports such as boogie boards, canoeing and a ride with the family on the catamaran. Water shoes highly recommended. Slight sea weed, they clean up as much as they can. Clear blue water, white sand,stingrays and fish.
The food was good many restaurants to choose from. Need to make reservations in advance. Night and day entertainment for all ages.
The staff was very kind and accommodating. No need to upgrade to platinum package at ALL! Many chairs available at the beach and didn't really need it at the pool. We were in the water all day.
Took a shuttle to Plya de carmen Mamitas beach. MUST DO!!!! Great beach, Eat at the 'Kool' restaurant fresh sea food, yum! Then walk down to the fifth avenue and shop.
Highly recommend it for families with children."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Pamela Beach from Middletown, Ohio

"Wonderful Resort!! the grounds as BEAUTIFUL! pool is amazing, service by the staff was more than I could have ask! The spa is definitely a MUST! see Mary and Jimmy!
Food was just OK, but other than that, everything else was great. Diarrhea set in on about day 4-7, just part of going to Mexico, I guess. Better now that we are back home. Overall, wonderful place, would DEFINITELY go back, will probably take the kids next time. Plenty of kids, they would love it! Met lots of nice people, I think would much rather stay there than in Cancun, A little too crazy up there! I give it all 4's and 5's."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Mick McDade from Denver, Colorado

"We found the resort to be an excellent choice for our vacation. The food, service, and housekeeping, were very very good.

The kids club was well staffed and the children all seemed to be enjoying it. All of the kids were probably 6 and under.

The entertainment staff tried really hard to get games going both in the pool and on the beach.

The Beach itself was nice although the Ocean is rocky and full of seaweed. The staff made every attempt possible to keep the beach clean and organized. The resort can't do anything about the Ocean! Plenty of loungers available at all times of day although not a lot of shade around the pool.

All in all, the resort exceeded our expectations and both the food and service were better than all other all-inclusives we have been to.

"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Paul from Los Angeles, CA

"Great stay June 2012. 4th time visiting the area resorts. Nice family resort with private beach area away from the chaos of Playa del Carmen or Cancun. Would return again and highly recommend for families with small children. Kids Club is a wonderful service that allows kids 4-12 to be supervised while the parents can have quiet dinner or afternoon for two.



"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Laura from Salt Lake City, UT

"This resort seemed to be good for families. My husband and I went for a relaxing week and didn't love it. The beach is not good at all. The resort is in a large coral reef area which supposedly is good for snorkeling but the beach is sooo rocky. You can't walk out there without water shoes on. That was a huge bummer. The food was good for about a day. Then it just gets old and is low quality. I still have the runs and I got back 2 days ago. There are only two restaurants and the mexican restaurant didn't even have burritos, enchiladas, or anything! It was weird. Good food and good beach are the most important things and I was unsatisfied with both. really everything else though was great. the pool was awesome. The staff was amazing and very on top of it and it was very clean, beautiful resort. I wouldn't go there again but only because of the food and the beach."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Vincent from Arcadia, OK

"The only downside is the food starts to taste the same after a few days. The pool was GREAT!!! We have 3 boys 10, 12, 13 and they had a blast jumping off the cliffs and slide. The entertainment staff was great! We would return!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Jason

"Great place for the kids of all ages. Mine are 15, 12, & 8. Kids will always find something they like to eat.
If you would like your room to get below 75 degrees do not stay here.
If you are looking for fine dining do not stay here.
If you are looking for a HARD bed, this is the place for you.

The pool is great and everyone that works at this resort will try to please you but they can only work with what they have. This place seems to be running on a smaller budget than the other all-inclusive resorts. If you have ever stayed at one of the Palace Resorts please do not expect the same experience here.

Your kids will love this place but you will need to take another weeks vacation when you get back to get over the back pain from sleeping in the hard beds."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Patty W. from O\'Fallon, IL

"Our family of 5 stayed here for 5 nights and had a fabulous time. The resort is beautiful and the service was second to none!!! We have never experienced such fantastic, courteous and absolutely amazing service. The food was outstanding in all of the resort restaurants! Every staff member from the desk clerks, house keeping, bar, restaurant, waiters, room service... you name it, they all went above and beyond to make sure your every need was met and did so with such courtesy! The only, and I mean only, slightly downside is while the white sandy beach is beautiful as is the view of the ocean... there was a constant flow of kelp/seaweed in the water and onto the beach. we were willing to over look this because of the outstanding service and other beauty found on the resort itself. we literally felt like royalty. if it's in the 'cards' for us, we will be back!!!!!!!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Lewis Chu from Bellevue, WA

"Overall very good and satisfied. We wish it has an outdoor hot jacuzzi."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Gwen Canady from New Berlin, Wisconsin

"We Booked The family Room disappointed to Find out that a Family Room is Just a Standard Room with an Extra bed in it!!! We Spent a lot of money for this Vacation and were Not Pleased! And don't be fooled by the $600 Resort Credit!! It's NOT a resort credit. It's partial credit ($25-$30 off) to be used for Off Site Activities. Overall, the resort is clean, staff was very friendly, entertainment was good, food was fair - although my husband did get sick after eating seafood. It's a small resort, but everything was well organized and easy to get to. It's close to the airport and a nice place to take a family if you prefer a smaller resort. We were just not happy with the room and resort credit."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Cheryl Argento from Calgary, Alberta

"If you have never stayed at an all inclusive, this would be the perfect resort to start with. It's only 6 years old, the rooms are nice, it's very clean and it's a short walking distance from your room to anything on the resort, including the lobby, buffets, pool, gym and beach. The pool is perfect for young families with the slide and cliff jump and a kids club as well. The beach is in an inlet and isn't as clean as some but you can still walk for a long ways past the Marina, very clean and good snorkelling towards the Marina. The breakfasts and lunches are excellent, the dinner buffets could be better, but how much food does one need to eat really? Quiet at night, one nice beach bar that stays open, no snacks at the pool or outdoor burger/snack bars, but I would imagine this alleviates alot of clean up and food on the beach. The spa was worth the visit, I had a great massage. Service could be a little slow in the restaurants, but overall a fantastic resort. IF you are looking for a quiet family get a way at a nice resort, stay here!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Lori from Lancaster, PA

"We just got back and had a great time. Our kids are 7 & 9 and they loved the cliff jump at the pool. The event staff did a great job having a few daily activities at the pool, like water volleyball and some kind of game like balancing on a surf board and kayak races. They did have a Kids Club, but it seemed that is was mostly for the younger kids, like 3-5 years old. Friends we met at the resort said they do a fantastic job. They also had an event at 9pm each night like a magic show or fire show either at the pool or the convention center. We never did make them as my kids were too tired to go. The music was good and with the swim up bar and another next to the pool getting a drink was no problem. We did have to get up very early to save a few lounge chairs at the pool as they were taken up very fast. The beach was fine, but in places it's a bit rocky. We did take a kayak out and my son loved the boogey boards. You can only make 1 dinner reservation/day and only up to 2 days in advance. Make the reservation at 7am for the following night if you want a decent time - like at 6:30pm. We thought Alcazar was the best restaurant so we ate there twice. The buffet was also good. They had so many food choices. It was really a great family vacation."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Steve Cauduro from London, Ontario

"we are frequent travellers and decided to try this resort for march break, our kids are 12 and 10. This was a perfect spot for a family vacation. lots of items fo rthe kids (including a well run kids club). the pool was perfect for all ages and the staff is very friendly. the food was moderate but plenty to choose from. kids can run around freely. if i had a negative, it wold only the saving of chair around the pool. i even got up a 6:15 and they were all taken (and most wer not even used). If they fixed this, but publishing a rule that any towels/shoes etc are left at night then they would be removed and placed in a specific area, then this trip would have been perfect. the staff goes out of their way to make sure your needs are met. "

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Jennifer P. from Columbus, OH

"We just returned and had a wonderful and relaxing vacation. We've been to about 5 all inclusives around Mexico and this was definitely the smallest resort. The kids LOVED the cliff jump and slide and we (parents) loved getting to relax and have full view of them at all times while lounging around paradise! The only thing I will note is although most of the staff was wonderful, some of the staff was very indifferent which we have NEVER experienced in Mexico. Anywhere else in the world and it probably wouldn't have been noted but we've been VERY spoiled in Mexico and it certainly wasn't all, or even 1/2 of the staff. Another thing to note is that we paid a lot less here than for other 4 stars that we've stayed at so when comparing options, be mindful if one 4 star is a few thousand dollars more than another 4 star. We'd return in a heartbeat at the price we got and would love to go with additional members of our family with younger kids."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Chris Claassen from Kansas City, MO

"The resort seemed to be understaffed in all its restaurants during our visit. Food was mediocre at best. They need to have more snack food available around the pool area. You had to go into the restaurants and be seated in order to get something to eat. The room was clean and the staff was friendly and Puerto Morelos was a great little town to visit."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Gabe Carter from Kelowna, B.C.

"This was my first trip to Mexico, and my first all inclusive trip. I liked the fact that the resort wasn't too big. Everything is close. If you want to do excursions, I would recommend Selvatica (it's only a half day, and it's close to the resort). Playa and Cancun are only 25 minutes away, and Puerto Morelos is a five dollar cab ride (it has some decent gift shopping, great snorkeling, and some good restaurants)."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Robert J Reeves from Stratford, On

"We had a great time, the weather was good but windy every day. The food was so so, the pool was very nice. The beach was great and the workers kept it nice and clean. The Spa was also very nice. Lots of walking, great shows, and we were always waited on."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Jennifer from Toronto, ON

"We travelled Febrary 13-20, 2012. We travelled as an extended family...myself, my husband, our two children and my parents. Now, for the hotel...unfortunately our first impression was not a great one, but it did get better. We opted for the Platinum Club, which, for us, was a great deal. My husband absolutely needed internet access for work, and we enjoyed the ease at which we could book reservations at restaurants. We also took advantage of the lounge and treats that are offered there and we reserved the beach bed as often as we could! Anyway, when we got to the hotel, we went straight to the Platinum Lounge to check in. They were very friendly and came to help us right away. However, it seemed they didn't know that my parents were travelling with us and we were assigned rooms at COMPLETELY OPPOSITE ends of the resort. This was EXTREMELY frustrating, as I had sent an email to the resort a week or two before we arrived. While I did receive a response explaining they couldn't guarantee our rooms were together, there appeared to be NO RECORD of my email or request in either of our reservations. Furthermore, they just kept telling me they couldn't guarantee room placement. I can understand no guarantee, but it truly seemed to me there was no attempt made to meet this request. My parents spent the night in their assigned room and switched the next day to the building next to us. It was closer, but it wasn't great for us, as usually when we travel together the kids are able to walk down the hall or next door to their room and visit as they wish, but they couldn't do that during this vacation. Moving on....our room was fantastic! We got a one bedroom platinum suite and there was lots of room for the four of us. Our room was literally twice the size of my parents' Junior suite and we had a kitchenette, TWO bathrooms and a separate bedroom. The balcony was lovely. Our only complaint was our location...we were in building 14 overlooking the adult area. This was supposed to be a 'quiet' area, but this was a joke. At the end of the day, adults without kids would congregate in the hot tub and drink and get rowdy. My kids were usually ready for bed by 8:30 and often the party was still going on in the hot tub. There was also entertainment by the hot tub a couple nights a week and it literally woke us up one evening. I know, people aren't suppose to go to bed at 8:00 on vacation, but when your kids don't switch time zones and wake up at 5:00 every morning, you're ready for bed at 8:00! The hotel was very clean, the food was great everywhere we went...everyone in the family always had something to eat! The pool was amazing...my 7 year old went up and down the water slide HUNDREDS of times and my 5 year old loved to swim all day. We spent lots of time at the beach and in the pool. The pool was cool, but the weather while we were there was SOOOOO hot, the cool pool was welcome by all of us. The staff by the pool and in the restaurants were all wonderful. They were friendly and helpful and considerate. They generally would go out of their way to make sure you were comfortable and happy and would happily get you what you needed. We did tip, not always always, but often. All of the staff worked very hard and deserve the extra something. The kids club had lots of activities for the kids, but the location for the club was TINY. The staff was AMAZING and they weren't inside a lot, but my kids didn't enjoy this kids club as much as others. I think the main problem was the space. My kids are both on the shy side, and once there were 12 or more kids in the club, it got squishy and my kids don't really enjoy sitting shoulder to shoulder with kids they don't know. In the past, when we've been away, my kids have been standing at the door step waiting for the kids club open. This year, they never asked to go. As I said, the STAFF were AMAZING, but the facility was less than ideal, especially during busy weeks, which this seemed to be. Overall, we all had a lovely vacation. We enjoyed the sun and the sand and the food and the location is amazing. Would we return? Probably not, as we have stayed other places we enjoyed more. However, I would recommend it as it's beautiful and clean and friendly and safe. If you can get a good deal, go for it!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Robin from Franklin, Wisconsin

"The staff were very friendly. I never heard no to anything that I asked for. The beach is not very nice in front of the hotel. Alot of seaweed and rocky, but on the other side of the Marina the beach is very nice and water is very clear and beautiful. The food is so, so. The service is great!!. FYI you have to get up very early in the morning in order to get a good chair in the sun. Getting up early is well worth the beautiful sunrise that starts your day!!. You are very removed from everything. You will pay for taxi services to the small city of Puerto Morelos. I suggest taking the city bus for .60 cents instead of a taxi for $10. Just ask the travel guys in the hotel, they were very helpful. Have a great trip!!!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Diane C from Duxbury, MA

"Not a great experience.. travelled with our 2 kids, ages 6 & 9.... got there at 2:30 and had to wait until 5:30 for our room and they also offered us an upgrade for an additional $350.00 .. no snack area around the pool for kids to grab a quick bite..etc.. buffet was very boring.. not a great selection.. have stayed at 2 other all inclusives in Playa del carmen & cancun and they were soo much better!!. Half the staff did not understand english.. the front desk was very unhelpful & indifferent. Wound not go back.. would not reccomend to friends or Family."

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"Clock at varios places. Found bugs on the balcones"

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"I love the place, specially swim pool, boat, yoga, food.
However my husband do not like the Internet bad signal, beach full of rock."

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"Overall, the stay was good. Amenities in the room could have been improved."

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"It was a great experience for me and my family. Facilities and food and service were excellent. I would highly recommend it."

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"We just llovediza oye stay , everything forma serviles to animation to property Washington just perfect¡,, Vera clan and friendly Resort , tañes to all of you"

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"Hi, I am Lilit Belluyan, I was in El Cid with my family 6 days and never forget my experience.It is excellent place for everybody, if you have chance to go there just do it. Oh my God , I can`t even find just one bad thing, people, beuty, cleanliness,food, everything was 100%.I love it,I love it, I love it !"

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"I just returned and the hotel was great! The place was beautiful and supre clean. All the staff was very friendly and the food was very good. LOVED IT!"

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"The 'honeymoon' suite was just a reg. suite so if your used to a larger or upscale suite don't book this one. There was a lot of dust on the lamps and drapes and couch's were soiled and had burn marks on them; even in the larger suite we paid to upgrade too it was still not as nice as some of the other 'suites' in the area. This was our first trip to this hotel and vacation in Mexico about 3 times a year and for the money we would much rather stay at the Now Jade next door when visiting porto morallas. The Service was great In the Platinum Club and everyone was friendly but if you need a drink be prepared to walk to the bar as the beach service is not service at all. The Spa was nice and relaxing but on the small side and noisy at times. over all it is a nice hotel but not for us, seems like a good family hotel with all the kids activities they had."

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"I took a group of 17 to El Cid last week and we had a fabulous time. The food was great. The service was excellent. Everything was perfect!"

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"Great place for famiy reunion! Activities for all ages.Place is immaculate! Difficulty getting resaervations in resturaunts. Great location as my famuily came from different parts of the country.Transfers smooth! Beautiful setting and superior photographers on site. Enough variety in food in buffet areas. CLEAN< CLEAN< CLEAN Thanks to bookit for the recommendatin ande arrangements!~
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"We had a wonderful stay and was happy with all the activities for the kids, the private beach, pool (although very cold in December), great room, food and wonderful service.
I would only tell bookit.com patrons that the $600 credit is non-existent really. You have to spend $$$ to get any of those credit dollars so it's not worth it. We figured as much so we weren't dissapointed, but if anyone is counting on getting a spa service or upgrade, you can't use this credit unless you spend additional funds."

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"Our family of four really enjoyed our trip to the Cancun area of Mexico. We were however very disappointed with the high-pressure sales people at the airport. I wish I would have had that information before our trip. We got through customs and were looking for our transportation when an airport employee asked if we needed help. I told him where we were staying and he directed us to another airport employee to tell us which transportation will take us to our resort. He then started his sales pitch that didn't stop until we gave him $40 for some kind of 'discount' for a trip to Tulum or zip-lining or swim with the dolphins. All we had to do is sit through another sales pitch about a time share. Ugh! It was a horrible first impression of Mexico. We finally got away from him after about 20 minutes of arguing about not having enough time to do any of the things he was trying to sell.

We got our transportation from Best Day Travel and were very happy with their service. The resort was wonderful and all the employees made you feel relaxed and kept you as busy as you wanted to be with plenty of activities. Soccer or volleyball on the beach, water aerobics, crazy hour (probably the most fun) and plenty of other activities. The food was wonderful in every restaurant. There was plenty of variety and the quality was great! Our room was very nice. I have to say that the shower was probably my favorite feature in the room. The cleaning staff was nice and very friendly. We met a couple of very friendly iguanas outside of our room almost every morning as they sunned themselves. The beach was clean and the water was clear. We took kayaks out and went snorkeling as well. They had a show around 9:00 every night (except Sunday I think). Mayan dance or the fire show or the circus show. All the shows were very entertaining and didn't last too long. We also hung out at the beach at night to enjoy the sars.

It was a great trip and would recommend this resort."

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"We just returned last night from a 7 night stay at this resort. We really enjoy it because you can go into Cancun, Playa Del Carmen and/or Porta Moralis in a very short time. All the staff was very friendly and made sure that everyone from children to adults had activities they could enjoy. We sat by the pool everyday and were able to socialize with people from around the world, we even met a couple that lives about two hours away from us! Another great experience at Marina El Cid!! We will go back and recommend this resort to our friends.All the staff was very friendly and made sure that everyone from children to adults had activities they would enjoy. Another great experience at this resort!!"

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"I will never return to Marina El Cid. The first 2 nights, the air conditioning didn,t work. The lock on the door, broke an the 4th night, causing my wife and I to wait in the hallway of the 5th floor for 1 hour before they decided they couldn't fix it. They entered the room through another room to get us back into the room and we had to wait for a locksmith to come and fix it in the morning. We were on the 5th floor and the elevator broke and after a night of entertainment, had to walk up to the 5th floor to get to our room, to find a beetle sitting on our bed. I called the front desk and told the clerk of my disgust of this hotel, and I felt he didn't care, because he kept saying yes, then said anything else, and hung up."

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"We stayed at El Cid for one week 8/22-8/29. It was our first time enjoying an all-inclusive beach resort and we are officially hooked! Our family of 4 (kids age 11 and 6) had a wonderful time at El Cid. The resort is on the small side which we found very nice to be able to keep an eye on the kids. You also don't need to walk very far to get anywhere. The pool/waterslide/cliff was great fun. Our 6 y/o son really loved Kids Club. The week activity schedule was nice to have so that each day he could decide what activities interested him. A special thank you to the staff in the kids club; Nune, Sarah, Radha, and Laura were all so kind and made my son always feel welcome. Overall, all (and I mean all......front desk, cleaning, landscapers, bartenders, seaweed cleaners, etc) of the staff at the resort always greeted us with a smile and an 'hola'. We were pleased with the food quality and selection. It was fun to be adventurous and try some new and authentic foods. Be sure to make your dinner reservations a day or 2 in advance. Our service was always good and Francisco at the main restaurant was very welcoming, friendly and efficient."

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"My husband & I, along with another couple experienced an all inclusive resort for the first time. We really liked this location of El Cid due to the seclusion of the resort & beach area. You can walk on the beach into Puerto Merulos.Great products & prices. Staff was great,pool & rooms were clean. We tried all the resturants & disliked all the food offered there. We are very open to trying different foods, but stick to the buffet. We declined all offers for listening in about time shares. We were ready to sit by the pool, relax & have a drink immediately. Staff is great about going around offering drinks. We are returning there again this upcoming year. "

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