This trip was not sponsored or paid for in any way by Fiesta Americana or The Explorean Cozumel resort. All travel expenses were our own and these are our honest opinions. 

We were looking to take a trip to Mexico for Spring Break this year and stumbled upon a great deal for the Explorean Cozumel resort. We did some research and decided it sounded like it was worth a shot and loved the unique aspects about the resort like that it is more of a jungle view and that excursions are included. This is our honest and full review of our 5 days/6 night stay in March of 2023. It is important to note that the Explorean Hotel is within the Fiesta Americana resort and by staying at the Explorean, you get access to the entire Fiesta Americana property. Therefore, parts of our review will be for the Fiesta Americana resort as well. 

Table of Contents: 

1. Arrival
2. The Room
3. Food/Dining
4. Pool/Facilities
5. Excursions
6. Additional Optional Cozumel Excursions
7. Summary

Arrival:

A few weeks before our trip, we were contacted by the concierge to ask about our arrival time, food allergies, questions, etc. He helped recommend a shuttle company to get from the airport to the hotel and answered a few questions, which I found very helpful. Please note that we did book our stay directly through the hotel website – I read in some reviews that people who had purchased through a 3rd party site did not get contacted ahead of time and got poorer excursion choices.

The shuttle was very easy to find (Cozushuttle) after retrieving our luggage at the airport and had us at The Explorean in about half an hour. It was about $11/pp – we did not need to pre-buy tickets. We simply walked up to the counter and purchased our tickets with a credit card. 

Upon arrival, we were given a welcome beverage and sat down with the concierge to review our scheduled list of excursions. The hotel arranges a daily (included) excursion that is optional. These are pre-selected by the hotel. We were assigned: 

1. A guided bike ride to a close by snorkeling area
2. A buggy tour of the whole island which included a tequila tasting, some beach time on the west side of the island, and a stop at a picturesque viewpoint
3. Kayaking 
4. El Cielo boat tour/snorkel trip 

They do not assign an excursion on your day of arrival or departure. We elected to skip the bike ride and kayaking as we did not feel those were very toddler friendly. More on the other excursions later. After this, they were quite pushy with trying to get us to attend a marketing discussion regarding timeshares. They did let it go after we (firmly) declined, but be aware they will likely be quite aggressive in trying to get you to attend one of these “informational sessions”.

The Room:  

We opted for two double beds so Mila could have her own bed and we could skip bringing the travel crib. We used these bumpers which took very little room in the suitcase. The room itself is a decent size. They do not have any ocean views, as one of the appealing aspects about the Explorean is that it is tucked away in the lush jungle-type setting behind the Fiesta Americana. Our view was pure greenery and felt very secluded and quiet, which was refreshing for an all-inclusive resort. 

A few drawbacks of the room – there was no coffee maker in the room, the floor is all tile and there is a step in the middle of the room (this was more of an issue with our toddler, i.e. a few slips, especially when we arrive wet from the pool or out of the shower), and there is no TV. The no TV is on their website so we were aware of this before arriving. We don’t typically watch much TV on vacation, so it was not important to us, but I will say that having a TV to put on a cartoon while getting ready in the morning with a toddler can be helpful. 

Fortunately, the wi-fi was very good and we were able to use your electronics/tablets when needed. They do bring a small pot of hot coffee in a thermos with a couple of small baked goods to your room between 7-7:30 AM each morning and the buffet and coffee shop at the Fiesta Americana is typically open by 7:30-8:00 AM each morning as well. 

Food/Dining:

Explorean Restaurant:

Because the Explorean itself is quite small, they have only one restaurant and one bar. What was unique is that they serve an a la carte menu only (no buffet). We had dinner there twice, breakfast once, and lunch once. The food was overall good and they were very kind to accommodate some special requests for Mila. They do offer a kids menu but it was not available until after 1 PM for lunch. The other downfall was that it did take quite a long time to receive our food on a few occasions. Typically, this would not bother us, but when you have a hungry/cranky/tired toddler, time is always key! So we did eat a lot of our meals at the buffet from the Fiesta Americana as well. 

Fiesta Americana Restaurants:

The Fiesta Americana has one buffet (it was closed Sunday evening, which we were not told about, so be aware), a coffee/snack shop that has sandwiches, one bar, and 3 a la carte restaurants (Mexican, Italian, and a Cevicheria). We ate at the Italian and Ceviche restaurants. The Italian restaurant had a few tables outside with a spectacular view for sunset, although the food was mediocre. We preferred the food at the Cevicheria and the buffet. The daily buffet was where we had the majority of our meals due to the ease and speed of dining. We had many local specialties – cochinita pibil, freshly made tacos, quesadillas, chilaquiles, whole roasted pig, etc. The “theme” of the dinner buffet did change each night, so it was not the same food every day. 

They also do offer some “snacks” by the Fiesta Americana pool during certain hours, I believe from about 1-5 PM. We ordered nachos that were some of the best nachos I’ve had in a long time. 

A note on the drinks. Although we really did not drink much with our toddler in tow, I will say that the bar at both hotels offered top shelf liquor and the cocktails were very good. 

Pool/Facilities:

The pool at the Explorean is definitely in need of some repairs. There were many tiles falling off into the pool. That being said, it did not bother our daughter in the slightest – she had a blast playing around there. It was very quiet most of the time and the day beds were first come first serve. We never had trouble getting a seat. It had a lot of shade from the greenery surrounding it, which is great to avoid sunburns, but it does mean a lot of leaves/debris in the pool. They do work hard to try to keep it clean, but it’s not easy with the amount of trees around it. 

The pool at the Fiesta Americana is much larger, and has several different areas of differing depths. There are two shallower areas perfect for kids and a swim up bar as well. They usually do fun activities for the family throughout the day. I did a yoga class and they did a few fun games in the pool to keep us entertained throughout the afternoon. They do also have cornhole and some card games/water toys you can rent out from the pool cabana. 

They do have a full service spa at the Fiesta Americana, but we did not utilize it. The prices were quite high (around $150 for a massage), so we opted to skip. 

The biggest drawback of the hotel is that, unfortunately, their beach club is still not being serviced. You can walk to it (it’s across the street from the hotel), but there are no cushions on the day beds or chairs and there’s no food/drink service. There is a small lap pool by the beach area that they do keep clean, but is also in disrepair. We only saw two people utilize it during our stay. It is also mostly a rocky area, there is very little sand to lay out on. We still went several times. There is a little cove where you can walk into the water with little ones. There is also a step ladder to get into the ocean and we heard snorkeling was very good around the hotel, although we did not get time to take advantage of that. 

Excursions:

Buggy Tour:

We loved both of the excursions that we did and this is probably our favorite part of staying at this hotel. The buggy tour entailed driving our own little “buggy” following a guide to several spots around the island. The tour was from 3-7:30 PM, so it was a lengthy adventure. I will say that we did reach some pretty high speeds and there was not an option to have a carseat. We held Mila tight and sat her in the middle, but probably not the safest activity if you have very young children. The island is not very populated and there is only one road around the island so we felt this was an okay activity for us.

They do take you to do a tequila tasting with the option to purchase some. We felt it was overpriced so we didn’t purchase anything but appreciated the tasting. They did have some water/sodas available for anyone not drinking alcohol. We then took a ride over to a local beach club on the west side of the island. They also had food/drink available for purchase but you did require cash as the credit card machines do not work due to poor cell/internet service. We had some snacks and some more beach time with Mila before heading to our final stop, El Mirador – a beautiful viewpoint also on the west side of the island. The guide took pictures for everyone and we made our way back to the hotel. 

El Cielo Tour:

The El Cielo tour was also such a fun experience. It was from 10 AM-2:30 PM. It started with a pickup in a charter bus from the hotel, which took us a short way to the Marina (about a 10 minute drive). There we loaded up onto a small boat (fit about 10-12 people and did have a small bathroom), and started the 40 minute ride to El Cielo. We stopped at a few well known snorkeling spots on the way, and saw some sea turtles and starfish (we alternated who stayed on the boat with Mila). Then we made our way to the famous shallow waters of El Cielo.

The waters here are stunningly blue and are very shallow – hundreds of feet away from the shore even. We coerced Mila to get out with us here as well, and she had a blast too. The waters are the perfect temperature and you can even spot some stingrays hanging around too. After getting back on board they did serve us some refreshments – a sandwich and some chips and guacamole and an assortment of beers/soft drinks/water. We made our way back to the marina and headed back to the hotel from there. 

Additional Optional Cozumel Excursions:

We booked a glass bottom boat tour through the concierge and they helped arrange a taxi for us. The company we used was called Envatours. We paid about $50/pp (under 3 is free). This was SO fun and our daughter absolutely loved it.  It was the best way for her to see some of the marine life without getting under water. 

There is the Atlantis submarine tour that we’ve heard great things about, but you have to be over 3 feet/4 years old to ride so we had to skip that one this time. It’s about $90 for adults and $50 for kids, so also a bit more expensive than the boat tours. We also considered the Chankanaab Beach Adventure Park nearby the hotel. They offer swimming with dolphins and manatees and have a calm cove for snorkeling too. We skipped due to time but would consider going next time. 

We did take the ferry over to Playa Del Carmen one afternoon – I do NOT recommend this as Playa was very crowded and much more touristy than Cozumel and is mostly full of souvenir shops and fast food/chain restaurants. Also, the ferry was PACKED coming back to Cozumel and we had to wait for 30-40 minutes in line to get on, which was not pleasant with a toddler in tow. I would skip and spend your whole time on the island itself. 

In Summary: 

Highlights 

1. Easy to get to from the airport. 
2. Excellent service and overall good food/drinks
3. Preplanned excursions included in booking 
4. Quiet, peaceful, not busy. Always a free seat at the pools. 

Drawbacks: 

1. Lengthy time to wait at the a la carte restaurants
2. Pools need some repair
3. Lack of sandy beach area easily accessible from hotel 
4. Basic room without coffee machine or TV