Occidental Costa Cancun: Small jewel!

Spent one week (Jan 31/19-Feb 7/19) at the Occidental Costa Cancun. My husband and I really enjoyed our stay. Comfortable rooms, good food (great variety), beautiful grounds and awesome Activity crew. There is something for all ages.

Barcelo Ixtapa: A resort with a mixed bag of excellent to disappointing

The internal structure of this hotel is very dated and needing both a design and repair overhaul. The bathroom especially was unbelievable. A large person would have to walk into the shower in order to close the door on the toilet/shower. Tiles were broken, cracked, grouting dirty and also broken. First impression of the room was "yuk" BUT the outdoor areas were beautiful and the location perfect. It is a resort that obviously caters more to the Mexicans and as such was interesting to stay in [... read more]. As several staff told us, it was originally a Sheraton and in those days was much classier! Built in 1983, it would appear that little has been done to the interior. Of 4 elevators, only 2 were working for the two weeks we were there though there was constant repair work going on on the out of action elevators. The working elevators screeched alarmingly at times! Food was good in two of the three specialty restaurants and average in the buffet. Disappointing that the Japanese restaurant did not cook the food at your table and the noise level in it was very loud. Staff were always pleasant and tried to be helpful but struggled with English ...but then we didn't speak Spanish. The beach was fabulous and certainly we were at the best place to go in the ocean. Would highly recommend that aspect. Despite our disappointment with the hotel interior, we might go back simply because the location is so perfect and we think we can rise above the poor room conditions.

Barcelo Huatulco: NOT "All Inclusive" Unless Upgraded to PREMIUM

Our Barcelo Huatulco experience was disappointing. While this Barcelo is nice it lacks the Barcelo branding we are familiar with. Here are a few examples: 1. Booking All-Inclusive at this destination doesn't really mean "all-inclusive." To really experience "all-inclusive" at this Barcelo means one must upgrade to "PREMIUM." The cost to upgrade to "Premium" is $35.00 US per person per day so $70 per day for a couple times seven days equals $490 US, converted to Canadian dollars roughly $650 [... read more]. For this extra $650 we could have had a King bed in an Oceanview room, premium drinks in our room refrigerator, premium drinks at the bars and wine at dinner. It was disappointing to learn the extra costs for wine at dinner, and that the Corona beer at the bars are reserved for "Premium" guests! 2. You have to stand in line EVERY DAY to book the ala carte restaurants. We were only able to get two ala carte bookings because most of the premium supper times are taken by the "Premium" clients. This means that out of the 18 meals we had at this Barcelo, 16 of them would have to be at the buffets, which gets old after 2/3 days. Booking the ala cartes starts at 9:00 am in the morning and several days we were there at 9:00 am, stood in line for 30-40 minutes and couldn't get a dinner reservation before 8:30/9:00 p.m. 3. The food facilities are only surfaced cleaned. The serving spoons in the buffets are not changed often enough. The sides of the tables feel grimy to the touch, as do the arms on the chairs -- seems these surfaces do not get washed which is very unsanitary (take your own disinfectant wipes!). The Barcelo Huatulco was rated 4.5 Stars. Our ratings: facility 4; systems/processes 2; and buffets 3. While the ala cartes were nice (Italian and Mexican) having to pay extra for wine at an all-inclusive isn't the norm.

Barcelo Huatulco: Sun always shines

Another great time. Sun always shines here. Stunning views from our room to the great food. Premium alcohol. Beautiful beach, terrific snorkeling. recommendations when families book please try and keep families together as it took us two days to resolve this problem. Second tip would be to heat the main dishes at the Italian restaurant properly. Food overall was great their main course needed to be heated thoroughly. Love the Japanese restaurant and seafood

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: We were very pleased with the resort.

The amenities were great. While the rooms are obviously not new, they were well maintained. The only problems we encountered was with the bath tubs that we found to be difficult to get in and out of especially for my husband who has leg problems. Walk-in shower equipped rooms would be at great asset for disabled people. The food was always fresh and beautifully presented. The best part of this facility is it's staff. They were always pleasant and provided excellent service, especially [... read more] the room attendants and the other workers.

Allegro Cozumel: Understaffed and not a quality resort

We travelled with our family - 8 in total. Our room was closest to the disco. Understaffed at the restaurants; no refills of drinks. Ice cream and coffee machine always broken. Pools were cold. Staff at front desk made no extra effort. Couldn’t get into a la carte restaurants. Buffet was so full one night we had to wait 30 minutes. This was supposed to be a special vacation and I’m disappointed all the money we spent to have a week like we did :(

Occidental Papagayo: a disappointment

The grounds were beautiful and the howler monkeys, iguanas, raccoons and skunk entertaining. But................6 single women travelling together would like the option of 2 queen beds per room vs 1 king and adding a single cot to each room just does not cut it for the price we paid for the trip. The compensation for this inconvenience was an extra a la carte meal that we had to practically beg for to get a reservation only to find the restaurant half empty when we arrived. There was one even [... read more]ing with a fantastic entertainer who played classical guitar and violin but otherwise very little activitity in the evening.

Barcelo Maya Caribe: Pretty much perfection!

The Barcelo may seem large but because it is made up by 5 smaller resorts put together, you have the benefits of accessing the other resorts' ammenities and the total beach is huge and offers different options from clear sand and water to coral for snorkeling. As well since it is in a cove, the water is somewhat calmer than more open areas. The food is exceptional including the buffets where fresh fruit, veggies and Mexican favourites were highlighted, and the a la cartes that are abundant and  [... read more]amazing. Beautiful grounds, cenotes to visit across the road, many activities at the resort made for an exceptional vacation. My son played volleyball everyday and we played tennis. Staff are kind and caring and hardworking. Unlike other resorts I never got the feeling any of the staff was looking for tips. And there was little to no waiting to get drinks and food. And unlike other Mexican resorts I've been too, this one I would like to visit again. The only downfall is the dolphinarium which is definitely unnecessary, sad and a black mark against an otherwise beautiful resort.

Palma Real: Amazing resort!!

It was my first time in Cuba and all I've gotta say is that it was legendary. Resort was really amazing, it had 24/7 snack bar (closes when lunch or dinner buffet is open) more than 5 bars (including 1 on beach). Palma Real also had different kind of shows arranged every night such as Cuban Show, romantic show, Aqua Ballet and more and Most importantly 'Havana Club', opens every night 2300-0300. I found it better than the local clubs as La Comprasita and La Mamba. I'd say rooms were about averag [... read more]e. Our TV did not worked but i wasn't there for TV lol so that didn't matter to me at all. Overall, if i'd ever get a chance to visit Varadero again, i'll be staying in this resort.

Allegro Cozumel: Great Resort

The food was good. There were a lot of nice activities onsite, like beach volleyball, aquagym, soccer, yoga. There was included snorkling equipment for one hour. There were a lot long chairs on the beach. The staff was nice.

Barcelo Maya Caribe: Beautiful resort!

This was my second time staying at the Barcelo Maya Caribe in Riviera Maya. The grounds and common areas of this resort are beautiful and well maintained. The beach is very nice and if any sargassum appears, they work hard to keep it cleared up. I loved that there were so many palm trees on the beach instead of man made palapas. The pools are a few steps from the beach. I never had a difficult time to get a lounger at either the beach or pool all week. There are many parts I keep disc [... read more]overing here. Mini golf, haunted house, bowling, wave runner, water parks...the list goes on. They are building a zipline course at the outter edge of the resort. The resort is quite large, but always walkable. They do have a bus to take you between the sections, but it really isn't necessary if you are able bodied. We ate at 4 of the ala cartes that we booked from our allowed ones, and paid to eat at the Brazilian restaurant (Braza). It was good, but I don't think it was any better than the restaurants we ate at for free. Enjoyed the swim up bar at the Caribe section, although we mainly were at the beach. Loved the bartenders in the Maya Mall bar. Jaguar disco was fairly busy a few of our nights, but a bit too much techno being played. Lovely sized disco with go-go dancers up high. The only downsides to this resort would be that they don't include unlimited wifi for a 5 star resort, and just find little places to skim a little off the top. They try to make you use a credit card for everything extra instead of being able to use cash, so if you use cash, expect it to take a long time to pay for things. The staff work very hard and are all very friendly. I highly recommend this resort for families or for a couple looking for a quieter stay. I would suggest it isn't ideal for singles as there really isn't a lot of night life. Overall a very good stay at a top quality hotel.

Palma Real: Solid place to stay!

We went on our trip Jan. 2019, we had low expectations, just from reading other reviews, but we got a good deal so took the chance! I loved the location, we could easily walk downtown etc. The beach access was awesome, with the bathroom/ bar/ snack shack right there. I’ve never seen beaches that beautiful before, they were well taken care of too. There was always someone picking up trash/ cleaning and there was always a life guard or security guard at night. The bars: always friendly ser [... read more]vice, I don’t drink a lot so had to request some “lighter” drinks. Only downside was they never had all the stuff to make the drinks they had on the drink list. Restaurants/ food: I am a super picky eater and I never went hungry. They had amazing fresh buns at every meal. We went with very low expectations of the food. We did take our own salt and pepper and I seen another couple with hot sauce they brought! Easy things that made it more enjoyable! Only downside was if you ordered a snack at night or the beach you would often get “ sorry we are out of that”... we also ate off resort a bit and really enjoyed everything we had! Hotel/ rooms: it is definitely dated, the elevator didn’t work ( I knew this before booking and we were on the third floor so it was fine). The room was fine, nothing amazing but we only slept there so we didn’t really care. The door locked and we didn’t have anything go missing or any problems. Only downside was sometime they would take the dirty towels and now leave clean ones, so we just used our “pool” towels, really no biggie! Staff: I took a huge suitcase of gifts, and handed them out to everyone from the front desk ladies, servers, room keepers and bar tenders. They have a hard time buying “stuff” so this is often more appreciated then money. We got amazing service our hole stay. I believe in tipping with some cash too and I have found this ensures awesome service. Pools: the water was super cold and we spend more time in the ocean. Entertainment: we enjoyed shows most nights, something to do! We also took cards and dice and spent time in the lobby in the evening drinking and playing games. Safety: I love Cuba, this was our first time and I felt so safe the entire time. We are bringing our kids back next year! ( we have been to Mexico a few times and Jamaica, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable taking my small children to those places if we planned on leaving the resort) we like to go explore and I felt so safe doing that in Cuba, we would wondering around the beach and downtown, all the locals were friendly and I felt 100% safe. At the hotel there was security at the beach at night, always someone at the front doors and again I felt 100% safe our entire stay. We plan to come back at stay at this resort next winter and bring our kids! We are already counting down the days!

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Great week spent with family

This is a very nice resort. Very quiet and relaxing. We attended a wedding and it was beautiful. I would definately go back. I wasn’t a fan of the beach. But we fixed that by staying by the pool. One thing to keep an eye out on. Make sure you don’t book while Crash my Playa is on. It’s a huge party/concert. It’s just drunk people everywhere with nowhere to even sit. I’m happy this was only on the first day of our trip.

Barcelo Solymar: Rooms need updates

We had 2 phones in our room- neither one worked. We had maintenance in our room 3 days in a row to fix the toilet as it would not flush. The patio door on to the balcony was so hard to close you had to push with both hands

Occidental Papagayo: Disappointing resort

This was the most expensive all-inclusive I have been to and for the money we paid, it was a great disappointment. By no means is this a 4 or 5 star hotel, more like a 3 if I'm generous. The hotel has reduced its service to the bare minimum. I would say the cost should have been $1500-$1600 not $2200!!!! King bed in the room when 2 beds were requested. The manager response was they only advertise king but this is not true, their site lists king or 2 double beds. Another excuse was that there's [... read more] only a few and it's on availability when you CHECK IN, not when you book your vacation (no sense). A small single was shoved beside the king as an alternative. Very small buffet which is OK if it's good food, but it was not. The food was bland, cold and generally the same thing every day. Usually there were only 3 fruits, 3 desserts per day. Ice cream was set out in bowls and if they ran out, too bad for you. A la cartes were hard to book and we only rec'd late bookings. Of course we arrived to empty restaurants so why did we have to take late bookings? They've cut back on staff - only one drink server at the main pool, and sometimes only 1 or 2 in the restaurant. Hard to get mimosas (a staple at breakfast usually) and even asking for champagne at dinner was a no no - they would charge for it even though you could walk through the lobby and get it at the bar. The entertainment team (which finally showed up on Thursday) played some games but other than that, not very enthusiastic. The rooms need TLC; they had running toilets, faucets ready to break off, no water pressure in shower, key cards constantly not working. I will not return to this hotel nor recommend it to anyone.

Barcelo Solymar: needs upgrades

Grounds were well looked after. Buffet waitress and cooks were great Food good But the resort needs alot of general maintainance.But for $1055 i guess it was worth the money.I would say it should be a 3 star.

Occidental Papagayo: Lovely weather, not a hotel for group getaway

The views at this resort are one of the best selling points along with the majority of staff. The weather also helps This resort would not be a great location as group getaways due to the fact that there are only 10 rooms in the resort have 2 beds, despite there indication of deluxe bay view having 2 beds or king. This would be designated a couples resort not adults only. The rooms need some updating. Wifi intermittent and most of time not functioning in the rooms, malfunctioning room key cards [... read more]. The food at the buffet was mediocre and service at the beginning of the vacation was pretty sparse. Difficult to get into the a la carte restaurants with line ups every day. Of all my vacations with my girlfriends, this was my most disappointing.

Barcelo Puerto Vallarta: Not great!

It's a small resort in middle of nowhere. it's 40 minute cab ride of downtown Puerta Vallarta. the rooms need some upgrading and there's always repairs going on. The buffet is limited and lacking in the variety of food. I am a beach person but spent the whole week by the pool. the beach is not great for swimming or laying in the sun. the loungers are in the shade for most the day and the waters are rough for swimming. Housekeeping lacked since everyday I had to go hunting for wash cloths, [... read more] face towels and a bath mat. even after leaving a generous tip the service did not improve. this was my first time to this resort and would not go back. overpaid for the service received.

Barcelo Puerto Vallarta: Not what I expected

The hotel was nice, considering an older building. Clean rooms. Had issues getting linen had to ask for it everyday. We had a note on our bed 3rd day in to use our towels more than once and shut of all electricity when leaving room to save on hydro..eg A-C and fans. Also only changed sheets every other day if asked if not they would change them on 3rd day. Problems with wi-fi all week and we paid for it. Food was ok.The beach area was terrible, very small and a lot of small boats sitting there, [... read more] waiting to take you out to see the whales, and snorkeling. The under toe was some what bad and everyday. Entertain was good a show every night...but no disco's. When we went it was last minute received a little break on the amount..but not worth the $$$$. Won't go back to that resort.

Palma Real: Great resort

The hotel grounds, public areas. As well as the pools were great. I still can't believe how good the food was. Fish, chicken, shrimp, and the snack bar even had fries. The hotel staff was very friendly. Hotel has a great location as it is right downtown. However watch out for people who aren't very social. That could seriously effect how much fun you have. But that isn't the fault of the hotel. It is just the luck of the draw, when considering who stays at the hotel the same time you do.