Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Great Value and great staff

We travelled to BBGE in early June 2022 so it wasn't as busy as it could have been in Feb-March. PROS: Some of the best staff I've ever met. Food was really good. Steaks were top notch. We ate at the a-la-cartes every night except for day 1. Pool was large and beautiful. Never a problem finding a pool or beach chair. Room was comfortable and cleaned daily as expected. CONS: No lobby bar. Sports bar was lacking atmosphere. No swim-up bars, but beach/pool bars were close by. Long walk from [... read more] lobby/restaurants to most rooms. We went to the gym several times at 7am and there was no air conditioning and often no water or towels. Some days it was difficult to work out. We really enjoyed our trip and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the resort. Nothing is ever perfect but most everything was pretty darn good and that's what I expect from my resort. NOTE: At this time of year seaweed is accumulating on the beach daily and there were bulldozers and trucks hauling it away. Some days it was still good to be on the beach and we swam often. This was just a minor inconvenience due to the time of year we travelled. I think that in the busy season this beach would be awesome as it is much larger than other resorts in the area.

Iberostar Waves Paraiso Beach: Would not go back if you paid me

I will start with the positive: I was out of Canada and in the beautiful Mexican sun with friends. Cons and my experience with this hotel: Staff: I found many of them to be moody and not so helpful however of course not all. Rooms: nothing special but was just ok Pool: it was often dirty Room service: there isn’t any which was an issue and will explain below Beach: out of 10 days we had just one where there wasn’t an extreme amount of seaweed. I was gross! Food: buffet  [... read more]was decent but repetitive and felt I was eating same food everyday Hotel service: horrible- my 2 yr old broke a glass in room and it accidentally shattered so I quickly called front desk to ask to have someone clean it up. They said 10 mins max. And so we waited and called again and got same response and after 6 x calling and me getting very upset someone finally came which was an hour and a bit later. Kids indoor playground: I was initially pleased but if there is a rainy day and you need the kids to go there to play your out slot luck cause it’s only available to kids in the scheduled camp. Here we s my horrible experience: My 2yr old on my 7th day at resort developed a high fever. He was really hot so we called dr on-site and she was very worried as his vitals were not good and his fever was worrisome high. We had to bring him to hospital to possibly get intervenous if fever didn’t go down. It was horrible. Turned out he contracted a bacterial infection from the resort (her words) and he had sores down his throat and he was in a lot of pain. It was so scary to helplessly watch him and see my 8 yr old be scared for her baby brother. Now with that all said I went to general manager the next day and complained about this and explained that because he was in so much pain and still had fever and out of respect for other guests we couldn’t bring him in restaurant crying.. we were not allowed room service, or take food from buffet to our rooms, nothing so he basically could not eat cause we couldn’t get him food or us unless we took turns leaving. I complained that he either got infected from indoor playground or pool area and he did not care at all! He offered me a 25$ cabana! I was insulted that as my son was crying in my arms from the pain he did not care at all. And he said and I quote “It’s not my problem lady!” I was in shock and unbelievably upset for the lack of compassion for my son’s condition and what we were going through. He began to say I told front desk we left resort for day excursion which was a complete lie! That week we were all trapped in lobby due to the strong rain pours all day and night. We never left the resort except going to hospital. In addition to him making up that we left resort, he blamed my son getting the infection off site! I just could not believe my ears! Such a heartless person that was not even able to look into my eyes as I was on verge of tears for my son, my families experience and the lack of care from this resort manager and the resort. I tried talking to conceirge but she kept saying they had rules. I’m sorry but what rule cannot be adjusted to help a sick child that was in such need. The last three days were horrible as I was fighting with them to help me. No one should go to this resort because in times of emergency they will not care at all. And if you are will small children and in a foreign country with no one willing to help you it’s a horrible experience.

Iberostar Waves Paraiso Beach: Beautiful tropical gardens

The grounds were beautiful with tropical green vegetation and exotic birds. The buffet food was decent and a great variety. The main disappointment was the beach. Too much seaweed and unfortunately we went at the end of May and had rain and clouds for the most part of our stay. Thankfully we were with a bunch of great friends and made the best of it at the lobby bar.

Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya: Birthday Celebration

this was our 4th time to this resort and we were there to celebrate my husbands birthday. The CoVID protocols in place made us very comfortable. Masks were worn for employees in every area serving food and any other service areas. There was also Masks were also required for guests to enter the store and buffet, the a la carte restaurants masks weren't required. The service was fabulous. Our only disappointment was the housekeeping wasn't the best, coffee cups and glasses not washed, the beverage [... read more] fridge was not refilled daily and we had to request the water jugs several time to be refreshed. the beach was covered with the spargassum but the employees were working endlessly trying to haul it away, unfortunately the beach area was totally not swimmable. the pools and lazy river was so much fun! we thoroughly enjoyed our 2 week vacation.

Iberostar Waves Quetzal: Great experience

The hotel is well kept and expertly staffed. The rooms are immaculate and everything works. The beach is fantastic though the resort could do a much better job of clearing the sargasum like the other resorts seem to beat them at but not a deal breaker. The pool activities are well orchestrated and fun to participate in or watch. The jungle-walk as I called it is a path through the middle ground between the Quetzal and Tucan sides and id a fun experience, especially for kids. The howler monkies a [... read more]re a riot and the peacocks seem to own the place. It's all great! we would certainly return again.

Barcelo Maya Riviera: Our Favourite Resort

Stayed 2 weeks at Barcelo Riveria and the oceanfront rooms are modern, clean and spacious. The balcony is perfect for the view and to sit and enjoy breakfast from room service. The infinity pool is amazing roomy and refreshing. Lots of pergolas and chairs poolside and beach side. Always a nice breeze too. The al acartes convenient with varied menu items to please everyone. Top shelf liquor in the bar and plenty of chairs to sit outside and in the lobby to enjoy the entertainment. Planning to re [... read more]turn very soon! The Premium service was excellence.

Barcelo Maya Riviera: Barcelo Maya Riviera - Mexico

Barcelo Maya Riviera I hesitate to write a review as I don’t want this gem of a resort to be widely known (for purely selfish reasons). My daughter and I stayed at the resort from May 17 to 27, 2022. This was our second time at the Barcelo resort in Mexico, first visit was years ago. The Maya Rivera Adults only was AMAZING!!!! I can’t say enough good things about our stay. Service was exceptional, we got the premium level package and were so thankful for the room selection - no I am  [... read more]not saying the room number - haha. Thanks to management for hooking us up with the best ocean front view - wow! Pools are incredible, beach was clean and seating plentiful with shady spots. Drinks were yum with minimal line ups. The al a chart restaurants were terrific, our favourites were Japanese, Italian, and French - but really all the restaurant were 5 star. Loved the Fitness and Wellness (gym) facilities too. This is the place to be people!!! The service (wait staff, management, premium staff, housekeeping, and bartenders are top notch and so friendly. I will definitely go back without hesitation - and already thinking of booking again soon. Thank you Barcelo Maya Rivera - my favourite all inclusive ever (and I have been too many over the years). This resort may be the only one I go too in the future when visiting Mexico. Okay, don’t tell anyone else :)!!!

Ventus at Marina El Cid Spa and Beach Resort: Amazing Resort

The resort is amazing and will give 5 stars. The atmosphere and the ambiance is great. The staff and cleanliness again 5 stars. The food and the choices were awesome. The only thing I was not able to enjoy is the beach, because of seaweed all over the place. They do clean in the morning but you cannot swim. The odor is very bad. The rest if the resort is awesome. Will recommend..

Riu Tequila: Great Resort!

Clean hotel and public restrooms, really good food, comfortable beds and pillows and nicely decorated rooms, friendly staff, good drinks, beautiful sandy beach and turquoise water. Wouldn’t even know it was a pandemic at the resort, which was slightly uncomfortable. Meaning the Friday night Riu party - super crowded & guests arriving by the bus load to the resort, the foam party at the pool - super crowded and foam being shared by everyone in the pool, the buffet was mostly self serve and [... read more] some guests were not very sanitary in the food area.

Barcelo Maya Palace: Beautiful property, views, and people!

This is our fifth time at the Barcelo over 25 years Most people we met from all over are repeat customers, saying it’s a beautiful place, clean, and consistent. Noticeable was less waste of items placed in rooms, clean surfaces, staff wearing masks, new staff polite, attentive. It appeared there was less staff but perhaps because the hotel was not full. Always could get a spot. No issues. Supper time Buffet was not as impressive but restaurants are good at the Palace. Family oriented, pa [... read more]tience as they do allow toddlers in the evenings at restaurants. Not able to take advantage of beach as much this week due to heavy Seaweed presence from super windy days. Barcelo is established sporting an expansive concrete boardwalk all the way across all five resorts makes for a nice walk parallel to the water to sandier beaches towards newer adult Riviera Maya hotel . It’s is a relaxing resort, well maintained-good value for the price!

Catalonia Riviera Maya: TERRRIBLE RESORT

DO NOT GO TO THIS RESORT!! It SMELLS SO BAD, service is terrible. Food is gross. A terrible resort , the smell wants to make you throw up, even getting this resort for free you should still not go waste of time and money

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Disappointing

This was the first time we have gone to this resort. I’ll start with the good things about Bahia Principe Akumal. The staff genuinely work so hard at making sure the guests enjoy themselves and make them happy. The biggest asset this resort has. Whether it was COVID related or just the owners not putting money into the resort but it was really run down. Upon check in we were told we had a room with two double beds, however the other staff said they are more like twins and he was correct. [... read more] We stated we requested a king and would really like that as we could not push them together (although the staff told us to do that, but a massive light sconce was on the wall, preventing us to do that). The next morning guest services said they had a king bed in the best building #66, first floor with ocean view. Gorgeous!! Smaller room and in need of repairs and updating. Within a few hours we noticed how humid and warm the room was. We called and asked for maintenance to come look. The man that came said there was a water block and fixed it. It wasn’t fixed. We waited a couple more hours and called the front desk again. They Told us to wait in our room and would send someone again. We waited 3 hours and I went to the front desk again and they gave me their direct number to call instead of taking the tram up there. Still wait in the room until they came back. Two more hours and no one. I called the direct number and no one answered. Again I went to the front desk and was told the supervisor would come and we still needed to be there. The entire day was wasted waiting for no one. The next morning (now day three ) I went again to the front desk and stated it was 33 in our room and very hard to sleep. They asked me to return to the room for a supervisor of maintenance. Instead I asked for a manager of guest services. Andreas the manager came to the lobby to listen to what what was happening. He asked me to wait there and he would sort. Within an hour he had another room one floor above the current and he and I would go see if any cooler. He came in our first floor room and stated how hot it was in there and we all went to the room upstairs which was cooler. About 10 degrees cooler. He said to pack again and he would be back within the hour to move us and give us our keys. We were now almost at noon, a half day gone, the full day before gone and on our third room in as many days. Extremely disappointing. The view was even more gorgeous and kept saying that was the one positive about it. The restaurants were all very good, even the buffets. One note though, they are not air conditioned, so many around us including us complained about the heat and how sweaty we all were. Air conditioning in 37 degree temps is a necessity in rooms and restaurants. There was no relief anywhere. The beach’s are all inundated with seaweed and the poor staff are working consistently for 12-14 hours a day to try to keep up with it and get rid of it. Mother Nature gets the blame on that one. We had upgraded our trip to the adult only section only to be told once there by other guests that any adult can use the adult pool and not pay the extra fee for it, as anyone could use the beach and pool anytime. The pool was constantly packed and no loungers or chairs would be available unless you went out at 6am and out a towel on the chairs. Unfortunate it was that overpacked at that pool. We used the middle pool at the resort a 5 minute walk from our building. Or we used the beach. We had a staff member from the Prestige group at the resort. (A time share type of service) She was pretty demanding and almost harassing each time we came to the lobby to go eat. One day she even knocked on our door to ask us to go listen to the 90 minute presentation about us buying into Prestige and pay half of what we paid this time. We had to be abrupt and tell he we were not interested at all. The trams are a nice touch when they make all 4 resorts available to use. They come every ten minutes and at big resorts that’s a huge plus. Overall this is not a resort I would recommend at all. They need to do major improvements to most buildings, upgrade their air conditioning and was not worth $4,000. We had gone to Barceló twice before but was not available this time. We met another couple who also had been to Barceló multiple times and couldn’t get a week there and stated Barceló was far more luxurious, a much nicer beach and gorgeous rooms and cold air in them. After COVID we really didn’t know what to expect and we’re so excited to go away. Disappointment after spending that much money is very unfortunate. Out of 10, we would rate this a 3.5 or 4.

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Meh

The staff at the hotel were amazing. The rooms were clean but the mini fridge was rarely restocked with the basics which was disappointing. The night life at the hotel was a huge disappointment and not much was going on. The seaweed was horrific. Did not even swim in the ocean based on how bad the beach was up-kept and used only the pool. They had multiple dump trucks attending the beach to get ride of the significant amount of seaweed daily. The gym on-site was fantastic! Food, me [... read more]h nothing special. Average at best. If your looking for a family resort this is not the place for you. Music selection at the pool bar had foul and obscene language, which was directly beside the kids pool. Minors were being served alcohol and puking in bushes creating a fantastic smell with the heat *eye roll*. Sometimes waiting for a towel at the pool took 30-40 minutes. Workers just walked away leaving a longline and frustrated people. We also did a boat tour with Adventures Cancun. Save your money. Food was something similar to a school lunch and the drinks were terrible. We were only permitted at the front of the boat and were only served drinks by one staff member. With 30 people on the tour you can imagine the wait times. Overall the resort was meh, I would not return.

Ocean Coral and Turquesa: Wonderful resort

Was very real looked after, food was amazing. The only thing l didn’t like was the fact it was so far from anything & the nitely entertainment was not anything to be excited about & not a lot of activities to do in the day time! The staff was very friendly.

Ocean Coral and Turquesa: Worth the wait!

After two and a half years of waiting to feel safe enough to travel we finally made it to Mexico once again! Upon arriving at Cancun airport we were pleased to see a small transfer van which took us directly to Ocean Coral & Turquesa Hotel. Room was on ground floor which was perfect as one of our trio has mobility issues and the elevator does not work that well. All hotel staff wore masks at all times and the buffets required guests to mask and glove to choose food items. The food did not di [... read more]sappoint - lots of fresh fruit always and good variety. Once you figure out the reservation system on the app (you still have to call guest services for reservation code?? ) all four a la carte restaurants were great, especially liked the Italian and Japanese cuisine. Because the beaches were not walkable and the ocean devastated by the Sargassum seaweed in most of this area we never saw anyone on the beach and only a few brave souls in the water. They work so hard to try to manage this but afraid it is a losing battle. We so wanted to see the beautiful crystal clear turquoise water this area is famous for that we booked a tour via Sunwing rep to visit Isle Mujeres. This was one of the most professionally run tours and beautiful ways to see the island; catamaran trip and snorkling then to private beach & restaurant. The water was clear and pristine and lovely. Most staff at the hotel were so helpful and accommodating - maid service terrific. The bartender at the pool bar clearly could use help as he was doing his best to keep up with the party crowds requests that he just ignored anyone else at the bar. Always felt safe and comfortable at this hotel and for the first time in over 2 years didn't worry about Covid concerns.

Royalton Hideaway Riviera Cancun: Wouldn't recommend

Pros- great staff Cons- terrible beach, short beach that is not long enough to go for a good walk, food was 3 misses for every hit. the hideaway is not as advertised. When you hear 'hideaway', you assume quiet and away from the noise. It is the exact opposite. Music starts at 7 am and goes until 10pm. Foam parties, balloon fights, drunken adults. Not at all the relaxing vacation we were expecting. Advisor said the beach was long and food was Excellent, which were my two must haves. Neither  [... read more]did the Royalton provide. I would have paid more for a better place and even reached out to the advisor questioning whether I should change. I should have listened to my gut, and trip advisor. I don't think my agent cared much about my concerns after booking.

Grand Sunset Princess: Awesome Resort!

My husband and I have been to many resorts in Mexico but we must say this one by far is our favourite. The buildings and the grounds are beautiful! We also enjoyed the deer and the monkeys right outside our room. It is a paradise for sure! We also want to mention Armando in the sports bar. He is so attentive and hardworking and deserves to be recognized. He made us feel special every time we walked in the sports bar! Thank you for that!

Hotel Marina El Cid Spa and Beach Resort: Great place to relax

Platinum Experience. Great pick up from the Cancun Airport, personalized Platinum check-in, personalized concierge services and two butlers service in your residence. All these were awesome, as well as express check-out. No standing in lines. Rooms are extremely clean and turn-up and turn-down service from housekeeping top-notch. Very helpful staff all around the property. The whole property is very well maintained and looks like employees are really taking pride in their work. Foodservice is ad [... read more]equate, nothing too fancy and the buffet fare is above average. On-location restaurants are listed here in the order of our preference: Hacienda Arrecife, La Marina, Trattoria D'Gulio, Akat, El Alcazar, Ile De France and finally Kobo. If you like good Japanese fare, Kobo is not for you, typical resort "Tepaniaki" restaurant - show and the dinner. Nothing to speak of. Now to the cons, the Internet service is atrocious, if you think you will do "some work" or even do some "medium" web cruising, forget about it. I enjoyed being almost unplugged for two weeks, some might not be so happy about it. When talking with resort staff and management we were told: that if you want a better internet connection, perhaps invest in some Elon Musk's Starlink. Not so cool. And the typical "Vacation Club" sales pitch. If you do not want to waste a few hours of your "beach time" - state up front that you are not interested and won't be participating. They claim "no pushy sales tactics" but the reality is different. We did not plan to attend this "show" but wanted to help our concierge (as they are getting some referral bonuses). So, two days before our departure we went for it. After 30 min of a bureaucratic boondoggle, we were passed to "our" sales rep. Nice chap, very helpful, gave us a lot of info on the area (Cancun, Puerto Morelos and down the Mexican Riviera). Then we had 90 min "presentation" and finally an "exclusive" tour of the facility (that we had already been using for two weeks). And back to the "sales office"/"members lounge". He makes his pitch, we say no, he is confused about why we refusing, goes away and brings his "boss", who, in turn, makes his pitch, upping the offer. Our answer is still no. Confusion. He claims he understands and goes away. 15 min later he comes back with the "best offer ever" straight from the General Manager of the property. And guess what? Our answer is still no. More confusion. Both salesmen claim they understand and pass us to the "quality manager" to process us out. The guy is irritated as we still refuse to even entertain their "best offer in the world". He actually becomes borderline rude. Finally, we are out of the Sales Factory. Makes you wonder if such refusal at the beginning of the stay would affect the rest of the vacations there. Would they be less helpful? I want to believe not. To summarize - great stay, great weather (two straight weeks of sun and over 30C). Shout out to our Concierge Abel and Buttler Gerson - gents - you have done an enormous job! If we return to Marina El Cid it would be because of you! Thanks for the fantastic vacations!

Viva Maya by Wyndham: Amazing Resort

I love everything about our vacation in Viva Wyndham Maya. The food, the resort, the beach. It’s awesome and would love to come back. I was skeptical at first reading bad reviews I’m glad I found this resort thru Trip Central.

The Fives Beach Hotel and Residences Playa Del Carmen: Horrible experience

Firstly, we were checked in by a trainee after a full day of traveling and it was not a great experience (names were mixed up, passports being stapled to the wrong person's file, long wait time). Then when we went to the room I thought maybe they forgot to mop the floors because it looked like mud stains all over and the a/c wasn't working properly. We complained the same night and nothing was done. I went to see if they could switch rooms the next day and was told nothing was available until t [... read more]he day after. After switching rooms our ceiling bathroom started leaking water. Maintenance came to fix it and said it was due to the bucket of water of the ac being overfilled. We have 2 young children so moving again at this point was not convenient. Apart from the room, half of us adults (8 in group) got traveler's diarrhea for 3 days while we were there. In addition, my two young girls got hand foot mouth disease so they weren't able to brush their teeth or eat for multiple days. They may have picked this up from the Kids Club? I'm not one to complain and I've been to over 15 all inclusive resorts before and this was my first bad experience. Needless to say, we are all very disappointed with this resort and want your travel agency to be aware and see if there's anything you can offer our family for the inconvenience and health problems we experienced during our trip.