We visited Cozumel in March 2016 and stayed at the Islamar vacation rental location for a week. This location is a great place to stay. Cozumel is dominated by the Cruise Ship industry and Islamar is far enough removed from the crowded areas to give guests an authentic experience of the community apart from the tourist crush. At the same time, if you want to partake of the touristy stuff, it's a 20 to 30 minute walk to the oceanfront and the downtown core. And if you don't feel like walking, there's always taxis coming and going and it only costs a couple dollars to get there. The apartments are spacious and clean, and the grounds provide a nice quiet spot to enjoy the sun and pool. The neighbourhood has everything you could possibly need, grocery stores, a bakery, restaurants and bars that are popular with the people who live here. A great perk for guests who stay at Islamar is access to the PalMar beach club. Beaches aren't a big draw in Cozumel, but the snorkelling and diving are great, even snorkelling from shore. So while there are a number of access locations to the water, there are very few places that offer a sandy spot to sit with beach chairs and umbrellas. And the few that do exist are pretty crowded. That's where the PalMar beach club really shines. It's located about 6 or 7 km from the apartment, a nice and easy bike ride away and there's all the amenities you could want. Beverages and snacks across the road from the sandy beach front where tables, chairs and loungers are available, and then you can have a leisurely swim and snorkel right there. We've been snorkelling in several locations in the Caribbean, but nothing even comes close to this. I doubt you'd have a better experience on a boat excursion out to deeper waters.
Sherri is a wonderful hostess, and her staff are extremely friendly and helpful. They were available to answer questions and help, yet we felt completely free and comfortable and never felt crowded or surveilled. They even helped arrange bike and car rentals for us. There were several services provided that exceeded anything we experienced at other rentals, namely cleaning every second day, our sheets were changed 3 times over the course of the week and there was always an abundance of towels available. A small suggestion that might be a great addition to the comforts would be to have a small supply of kitchen linens (a couple dish clothes and towels), some dishwashing liquid and a bit of plastic wrap.