Riu Emerald Bay: Awesome place for families

We loved our stay here! A family with two adults and two kids. The food was great; the grounds were beautiful and the view spectacular. Not too busy in May and we always found a spot in the shade near the pools or the beaches. The grounds are quite large so there were very few lines for food or drinks. My kids had a blast on the on-site water park and had so much fun in the waves. You can't beat the sun setting over the ocean every single night.

Royalton Hideaway Riviera Cancun: Service is incredible

Hotel is spotless, cleaning service fantastic and the service was a five star. My only complaint is the relentless harassing of attending a presentation of a time share (though they never call it a time share but that’s what it is). However, in saying that, they were only doing their job and took us saying “no” in good humour. But it was constant repetition to convince you otherwise. Never heard a peep about it after the first day. Spa was wonderful. 5 star on the spa services and staff. I would [... read more] go back.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Beautiful stay at the blue bay grand emerald

Myself boyfriend daughter and my sister had a wonderful stay staff was perfect food was great only thing we where disappointed with was the beach you could not swim in the ocean as there was so much seaweed the walk to the lagona is about 10 minutes from resort beautiful I would definitely recommend this resort

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Great plece

I travelled with family from may 3 to may10 . We had a great stay. The staff were amazing always there to help. The food was good and the drinks were great. The hotel is older and needs some updating. The beach was terrible you could not swim as there was to much sea weed. There is a luguna a short walk down the beach that you can swim. The is two large pools which are very nice Over all a great stay at the blue bay

Riu Tequila: The Best Ever!!!

Everything there was fabulous and I definitely would recommend the RIU Tequila to anyone. The staff, the lobby, the nightly entertainment, the restaurants, the beach. Definitely 5 star plus. Will definitely book with the RIU wherever I travel in the future!!!

Riu Tequila: Best resort I've been too.

Advise: Transportation from the airport to the resort may present a problem. Make sure you are on the shuttle list, otherwise, it will cost in excess of $400.00 for transport to and from the airport. There is shuttle service to and from the beach or if you chose to walk it will take approx. 15 minutes. I should state that the shuttle airport/resort thing maybe an isolated event. The travel agent is working to to resolve the matter.

Blue Diamond Luxury Boutique Hotel: A place of rest

My husband and I spent a much needed week of rest at BD. We felt at home as soon as we arrived. The most friendly/ family-like staff, super spacious rooms, food to die for, peaceful atmosphere where resting is easy. The spa area was an unexpected treat (sauna, beautiful steam room, cold plunge pool…), as was the unique cenote which we swam in daily. This resort is a rare gem. Don’t let the fact of next door construction discourage you from going to BD, you only notice it at first, it does not [... read more] negatively affect the stay in the least. Highly recommended for those who are in need of deep rest, quiet atmosphere, and many special treats.

Secrets Vallarta Bay: Not What We Expected From a Secrets

Our first visit to Mexico umpteen years ago was to a Secrets albeit a brand new one. Since then we've been to Mexico many times and several other continents so perhaps its we who have changed. Grounds are great and rooms very comfortable but that isn't enough for this level. With so many special events the resort is very noisy at night. Food was average across the board with only Oceana and the Mexican Restaurant rising above that. There was a lengthy list of small things such a a finicky t [... read more]oilette, tricky desk chair and inconsistent refresh of food items that illustrated a lack of attention to detail. Of course Mexican staff were amazing as they are everywhere. Also the location made it easy to access old town and the romantic zone. I don't think anyone would have a bad time here but it just wasn't that step up that we expected for a Secrets.

Catalonia Yucatan: Mexico Trip

The hotel food was extremely good, the rooms were extremely good as well. The cleanliness of the entire hotel was extremely good as they even washed down the sunbathing chairs nightly. The beach was small and very rocky with a lot of seaweed. It was close to the airport and a very safe place to walk around outside the hotel.

JOIA Paraiso by Iberostar: Incredible Holiday

I recently got back from a week at the JOIA Paraiso Iberostar in Mexico. It was absolutely perfect. All the staff from check in to servers to housekeeping were absolutely wonderful. The rooms are huge and very clean. The pools were great. They have a quiet pool of you want more of a relaxed feel. The food is very good. Buffet and restaurants were all great. The grounds are beautifully kept. The gym and spa we're super great. The only con I have is the beach. It's very rocky and roug [... read more]h with lots of seaweed. Aside from that it was a great vacation and I will be back for sure.

Riu Palace Costa Mujeres: Enjoyable 2 week stay, not sure if we'll return

All in all, the Riu Palace Costa Mujeres was a great resort. Will we return? Not sure. It’s approximately 45 minutes to an hour from the hotel zone and the city bus doesn’t go there. We were there for two weeks mid to end of April 2026. This was our 6th stay at a Riu resort, first time at a Palace. The perks of a Palace are worth booking at least once to give it a try but it comes at a cost. We noticed an upgrade in the alcohol brands and at the a la carte restaurants. The classic Riu’s were goo [... read more]d too. It all depends on how much money you want to spend. We booked an ocean view (sea view) room (not Elite). The room was bright and roomy but too far from the beach. The ocean view rooms are located on the 4th floor above the lobby. We never heard people walking in the corridor and never heard anything from the rooms beside us for the entire stay. The ocean view from the spacious balcony was nice and we could see Isla Mujeres but that was it. No other scenery, just the ocean (which was beautiful). If we return, we would request a partial ocean view facing the hotel zone. We had issues getting two clean facecloths multiple times during the first week. My husband requested more facecloths on the app, which housekeeping delivered quickly. Another time I submitted a request on the app for more hangers and two clean facecloths. Housekeeping dropped off one facecloth and no hangers. We ended up going to the front desk to tell them what was going on. This is also when I asked if there was anything that could be done for our uncomfortable mattress. I could feel the mattress springs against my bones. Housekeeping added a thick’ish mattress pad which helped some. It’s definitely time for the hotel to look into the condition of the mattresses and to replace them. The mattress we had at the Riu Caribe last year was perfect. A few days later I had to submit another request for facecloths on the app. This time I mentioned that there were two adults in the room and that we require two new facecloths each and every day. When we put our dirty linens on the floor to be replenished, I made sure to lay the facecloths on the floor separate from the towels so the housekeeper would clearly see that we needed two clean facecloths. We tipped well, every day! We didn’t have linen issues at a different Riu that we stayed at in 2025. If kids annoy you, don’t go to this resort. I could comment on the parents not teaching their spoiled children right from wrong, but you know who you are. Enough said. The sargassum was relentless. We’re beach people, we love the ocean. Out of the two weeks that we were there, we swam in the ocean less than 6 times. Very disappointing. Not the hotel’s fault. We’ll go to a different country next time. Beach loungers were always available. We wish there was more shade on the beach. The palm trees did a decent job but we had to move the lounge chairs to dodge the hot sun. We prefer palapas as they provide more consistent shade and protection. Watch out for palm tree roots in the sand. Be prepared to go up and down 75 steps each time you head to the beach or pools if you’re taking the stairs between the buffet and Square Garden/Cappuccino. We certainly got our steps and squats in over the two weeks. The entertainment staff were phenomenal. We would say that this team of very hard workers are the best out of all the resorts that we’ve been to over the last 20 years. The Entertainment Supervisor Emmanuel deserves recognition for leading such a great team. He was very nice and personable. We played games on the beach lead by Kevin, Dehsi, Alexis Sexy Sexy, Rebecca and another gentleman (can’t recall his name). Hi Dehsi…we miss you already. The entertainment staff were very consistent in following the games on the schedule which was great compared to a different Riu. They played at the beach, by two different pools and by a small sandy area along the walkway at the end of the stairs. They also played bingo in the late afternoon by the adults only pool. The buffet servers and chefs work hard. Everyone was very attentive. The first few days we sat in the open-air section but as the temperature got warmer, we ate inside the air-conditioned sections. We found that there were fewer screaming kids in the A/C areas. Rosario and her team were great as well as Jorge and Albert. We only went to two of the a la carte restaurants, The Steakhouse and Krystal. We went to each a la carte four times over two weeks. The food and the servers were phenomenal. Parents…if you’re going to bring your children to an a la carte, please teach them some manners and stop pretending they’re not with you. Let them know that it’s not ok to scream and cry like they’re at a playground. We went to Square Garden every night after supper. We always tried the mocktail of the day (with alcohol added) from the special cart. The servers are very talented. The specialty drinks were amazing. The bartenders Miguel, Andre, Mayu and Maya were entertaining and super nice to chat with. Miguel and Andre are the absolute best! We’ve never seen bartenders work as hard and efficient like they were. We were very impressed by them. We often sat in Isabel’s section. She’s an amazing server, always on the lookout if you need a refill and often checking if you’re OK or if you’d like some snacks. The staff from Square Garden made the most of our stay. They’re genuinely happy to be there and to be friendly with the guests. We didn’t go to many of the shows. We went to the Monday night crazy show twice. It’s a 45-minute show which was extremely funny and entertaining. They do games with guests on the stage and karaoke. The reception staff and the bell boys were very polite and accommodating. There’s nothing to do in the lobby except wait for your shuttle or sit and read or relax in the air conditioning. Lounge 24 is off of the lobby but you need make your own drinks. Good spot to grab a quick snack when everything else is closed.

Iberostar Selection Riviera Cancun: Amazing resort… but …

We just returned from the resort and loved almost everything about it. The service and staff in the restaurants and at the desk were unbelievably kind and attentive. The food was great. However the pool bar was completely the opposite. We knew the beach wasn’t great and specifically when to be at the pool bar. Aric was the only bartender who was friendly and attentive and worked incredibly hard to keep up because it was mostly only him. The rest of the time it felt like I was inconveniencing  [... read more]them asking for a drink and waiting way too long. The members only pool had two bartenders and two servers for minimal people and were standing around doing nothing. We had a swim out room that connected to the pool bar and that was great but there were rarely any servers taking care of the swim out areas. Overall it’s a great resort but we may not be back because of the extremely poor service at the pool bar.

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Very nice resort

Very good resort and all the staff are nice and accommodating. Just the food is average. Need more selection of international dishes…it’s seems some menu are just repeated everyday. Fine dining booking is limited. We stayed for 7 days only 1 fine dining we experienced.

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Wonderful resort - concerns about reduced services

The hotel grounds and services were amazing, as expected from other Bahia Principe visits in other countries. The one main issue was what it seems are reductions in services. Not sure if it's seasonal, or just during a slow period, but during our stay, the Akumal buffet was closed for dinners, and at our last night, the Tulum buffet was as well, and we ended up going to the Coba buffet which was a step down from what we'd expect staying at Akumal. We also noted that the snack shops would cl [... read more]ose early, and from past experiences, there would always be a spot that was open overnight in case you were hungry or missed dinner. We had no such options during our stay it seems. Otherwise, it's a wonderful location, staff were great, just the amount of services available seemed to be reduced. Not sure if it's due to external factors or due to declining visits from guests. It did seem the resort was well below normal occupancy, not busy at all.

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Great experience in Bahía Príncipe Resort !

My sisters and I had a wonderful time together with the rest of the family. Great bonding , excellent service ! We had a chance to visit and explore each resort . Your staff are most polite and accommodating . My only dislike are the number of lizards we encountered and those animals with long tails that looked like cats and raccoons , I’m afraid of them ! Others , everything is excellent!

Breathless Cancun Soul: Celiac Disease warning

We recently stayed at Breathless Cancun Soul Resort & Spa from April 28 to May 5. Overall, I would describe the experience as mixed. There were definitely positives, but also several issues that significantly impacted the trip. The resort itself has a great location, clean, modern design, good energy, and many staff members genuinely tried to be helpful. We had previously stayed at another Breathless property and had a very positive experience, which is why we booked this trip with fairly hig [... read more]h expectations. Unfortunately, one of the biggest negatives was the Unlimited Vacation Club presentation experience. What was initially presented as a 90-minute breakfast presentation ultimately became a multi-day process involving more than 10 hours of meetings, discussions, contract review, cancellation research, and follow-up conversations with managers attempting to retain the sale after cancellation. The amount of vacation time consumed by this process was far beyond what we expected and became a significant source of stress during the trip. Another issue was that during the final two days of our stay there was active construction taking place directly outside our room in the hallway, including persistent drilling noise until approximately 4 PM daily. We were never informed in advance that construction would be occurring during our stay. While we understand maintenance and upgrades happen, some advance communication would have been appreciated, especially at a premium adults-only resort. The most concerning issue involved gluten-free dining consistency. My wife has celiac disease, and we repeatedly communicated this throughout the stay. Staff did attempt to help, however the handling and understanding of gluten-free options appeared inconsistent across restaurants. For example, on our first night at Spumante, my wife ordered the Fungi Risotto which was marked gluten free. Two nights later at Fish Nets, she ordered another risotto dish also marked gluten free, only to later be told the risotto was actually not gluten free. At that point, it became clear that she had likely already been exposed to gluten earlier in the trip, as she had been experiencing symptoms consistent with gluten exposure. This resulted in illness, medication being required, and ongoing stress around meals for the remainder of the vacation. To be fair, we fully understand that there is always some level of cross-contamination risk when traveling with celiac disease, and this is something we routinely manage successfully both at home and while traveling elsewhere. The concern here was less about the existence of risk itself and more about inconsistent information, education, and understanding surrounding menu items that were specifically identified as gluten free. There were still enjoyable parts of the trip, and many staff members were friendly and worked hard. However, the combination of the prolonged sales process, construction disruption, and gluten-related issues significantly impacted what was intended to be a relaxing vacation. I would recommend the resort to travelers who enjoy a lively atmosphere and modern property, but I would strongly encourage future guests to be aware of the vacation club sales environment and to ask detailed questions regarding dietary accommodations if gluten-free dining is important to them.

Paradisus La Perla Adults Only Riviera Maya: Great time!

Staff, room, activities and restaurants were exceptional. Beach was not very good as there was considerable seaweed washed up on the shore making access difficult. The pool though was great with numerous activities (and cocktails!).

Riu Flamingos: Ri-U, Not for Me

Ri-U?- Not for me I start with saying I am a 40 something female solo traveler that has stayed at many resorts, so that may alter the review. I had never stayed at a Riu before, and probably wouldn't again. However this was a recently renovated resort- no complaints about most of the cleanliness (often no toilet paper and sticky walk along pools), but for the most part they were doing their best to keep up. It was very busy and loud, but the staff seemed to do their best to follow the crow [... read more]d- although I didn't notice any poolside service- basically a serve yourself system, but no shortage of bars to be able to do that. Cons: -the food is mediocre at very best. I looked forward to going home for fresh food-which I have never yearned for in Mexico before. Every meal every day is a very limited buffet and the same thing ad nauseum. Very dry and overcooked meats swimming in seed oil (I prefer animal based diet so this was disappointing, but not surprising) and cold. The life is sucked out of it so there's not an ounce of moisture to even keep it warm in a ceramic dish under a lamp. -there are 5 restaurants and they rotate which ones are open - you CANNOT reserve. You must line up at 6pm and luck of the draw If they are full by the time you get your shot or you've wasted your hours. After 3 nights of standing in line BEFORE 6pm, I got a buzzer and was seated at 730pm one night, and 830pm the next time. Not worth it in my opinion, other than the cut of fat I was served was warmish-definetly not hot. (I only tried the Steakhouse as the others were either closed or the menu was not anything I would be interested in) -not much for activities unless you are a child. Quite boring if you are into being entertained or taking classes. (The Fit instructor for stretching and such is great, I recommend doing those programs when offered) -coffee machines are often down so if this is important to you (it was to me!) You'll be walking some loops to get some or find a cup -there are 4 rectangular pools separated by lounge chairs, nothing exciting- none of them over 4ft and the water is super warm and unrefreshing. (I am 6ft tall so water just above my thighs is just annoying) -smooth tiles everywhere- ridiculously slippery! Seen many falls, super hazardous -the smell of their 'natural zen' chosen air freshners and soaps will overwhelmingly waft you in the face every time you open a bathroom door- to me it's disgusting, but that's a matter of preference to natural or unscented cleaners (also, if your coochie is sensitive, the toilet paper is bathed in it) -speaking of toilets, whoever designed a square bowl gets a D- (it's very ?y) -Big Brother is watching everywhere ?  PROS: -if you have mobility issues, it would be convenient location because it's all one place, nothing to explore to find scenes or ramps (good non slip shoes are a must) -as mentioned above, the Fit classes are decent (Arranza is a gem) -it is newly renovated so still clean and in good shape -you will never have trouble finding a lounge chair, there has to be over 1000. That's the view. Chairs. Everywhere. -the sand is hot, the ocean is warm (this time of year), and conveniently located right outside the resort -you can walk to Bucerias in under half an hour by following the path, it's quite pretty when you get to the end of the strip and into the garden EXTRA INFO: I don't drink and I don't do the night life, so not sure about alcohol or White party- it was very loud a few nights with young people drunk and screaming, but the shows themselves are pretty quiet- you have to sit under the stage or you can't barely hear at the back. (I'm ok with that!). Same shows must rotate the whole strip because I haven't been to this side since 2024, and the Grand Palladium in Punta Mita had the same ones. If you enjoy lush scenery and greenery, great food, animals (who doesn't like a lizard to join you once in a while!) or hidden trails to enjoy some private zen and nature - this is not the resort for you. If you are new to traveling, have kids, mobility issues, just wanna have a "good time"- Riu Jalisco might be your fit! All in all, it was 'ok'. One of the cheaper getaways so I can see the appeal, But I wouldn't be in a rush to come back any time soon. HEADS UP:  Pink tarp massages outside the resort are a little bit cheaper than the resorts ($500 pesos and Riu is $630) It is an ok massage, I went twice and would have booked a third, except- I can't prove it of course, but I am 99% sure my change purse was stolen there because I literally went from my room to the massage, and then it was gone. I unfortunately had quite a bit of money and my room key in it because the plan was to pay for 2 massages and grab a couple souvenirs before my last day. The front desk manager said that was not uncommon occurrence. -Taxi prices are exuberant!! Get someone to call you an In-drive or download APP and get picked up outside the gate. Literally ¼ of the price.

Barcelo Maya Palace: 1st and it was Great Family Resort

Everything was excellent. Ourselves, Son and his family had an excellent vacation at Barcelo Maya Palace. Helinda our server from the bar was absolutely great. She was able to take all 7 of our orders and never make a mistake. Four adult drinks and three childrens drinks. She always check to make sure we were OK and kept in mind the childrens needs as well as ours, going to the trouble to find where they were to see if they wanted something. We couldn't ask to be better looked after by the pool. [... read more] Thankyou, Helinda (I think her last name was Lopez?) Thanks for the memories, Pauline.

Royalton Splash Riviera Cancun: Amazing Resort!!!

We had such a wonderful experience at Royalton Splash Riviera Cancun! From the moment we arrived, the staff made us feel welcomed and taken care of. The resort is beautiful, clean, and perfect for families; especially with children. The water park was a huge highlight for my kids, and there were so many fun activities throughout the stay. The food exceeded our expectations, with lots of variety and great quality at the restaurants and buffet. The entertainment team was fantastic, always frien [... read more]dly and energetic, and the overall atmosphere was relaxing while still being lively and fun. A special thank you to Eden Nail for all the help and support throughout the booking process and during our stay. Everything was smooth and well organized, which made our vacation even more enjoyable. We created beautiful memories and would absolutely recommend Royalton Splash Riviera Cancun to families looking for a fun, comfortable, and stress-free vacation in Mexico!