Bahia Principe Escape Sian Ka'an: Great Resortse

Service was excellent Food was great Loved the room and private hot tub Lots of hot water Very clean Super staff! Only thing to get to the beach took at least 1/2 hour on the shuttle. Shuttle would do pick ups at 2 or 3 of the other locations. All four resorts shared one large beach area. Adult only had a specified area. Just need to factor in extra time to get to the beach and most of the a la carte restaurants.

Bahia Principe Escape Sian Ka'an: Another great vacation

This resort is our go to vacation spot, we have been back many times and keep returning because of the staff and the way they make us feel like we are the most important people at the resort. The four (4) pools are clean with lots of room for guests, and nice place to relax. The main buffet restaurant is the best with a large number of choices, there is never a line up for food, The resort also gives you access to the a la carte restaurants at both the Sian Kaan and the Grand. We would recomme [... read more]nd this resort to anyone who wants and relaxing adult resort at a smaller venue with no line ups for food or drink. The only downside was the ride to and from the airport (via Air Transat), this was our first bad experience but was also our first-time flying Air Transat. The trip from the Airport to the resort was a confusing mess and when they finally put us in a van it was overcrowded with no air condition, it was a terrible 1 hr. and 20 min trip...the trip back to the airport was not much better and again they over packed the van with too many people....... next time we will spend the $200 and get a private ride to and from the resort.

Sun Palace Hotel: First Class

This resort pays so much to every detail to give you the most amazing experience. Staff is so attentive and friendly we had the best stay. The resort and grounds were always immaculate. I would definely go back.

Krystal Puerto Vallarta: Mixed report

Our stay had some positives, the grounds were well kept, most of the staff was very helpful, despite the few that spoke very little English. The poolside activities were nice - yoga on the beach was great. The two bars that served did well to keep up with the hotel demands, but left one waiting 10 Deep in line often with one bar tender. I did experience some concerns: the back of our curtains in our room were covered in mould - leaving the room with a strong smell of mould. I came home wit [... read more]h a deep chest infection, I am certain is related to the mould exposure. The view from our room was quoted as “garden”, and it was overlooking the pavement area where from the height we could see the broken buildings, piles of garbage, and I watched one janitor duck behind the fake wall for a pee, then carry on with cleaning (without a hand wash ). My first breakfast I bit into a piece of toast that was mouldy. I did find selections that I could eat, but it was not what I expected for Mexican all inclusive (no shrimp - on any menu). The two sit down dining options were the highlight of the menus offered. Despite the difficulty to get signed up between 9-10 am at the lobby with long lines for that too. The elevator as well had constant long lines and you could add 20 min to your time to get to the room or out of the room. All in all, it is what we could afford and we know for next time to save up for a 5 star location. I would be worth it.

Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya: Great grounds, small beds and rooms.

Grounds and service was great. Beds and rooms were smaller than other all inclusive resorts we have been to. Rooms were not cleaned properly which is a shame as the shower had mold in the grout of the tile but when build was beautiful.

Krystal Grand Los Cabos: So disappointed!

This hotel is under new management since my last time there 4 years ago. One restaurant was doing renovations and not all of the others were open each night for dinner. The shower head in my bathroom had to be replaced after my first shower. They took out half the loungers around all the pools and still they were understaffed so guests often had to go to the bar to get a drink. My last trip included fun Carnival dancing and music during the day and more in the evening, but this time, nothing for [... read more] Carnival, just the Superbowl on a big screen. They no longer have the Spanish classes that I enjoyed. My coffee cup on the last morning had a big chip on the rim and I have a photo to prove it!

Catalonia Playa Maroma: Wonderful Small Resort

Rooms were very nice and clean. Food was good, however buffet hot items often cold. Amenities were good for a small resort. Grounds keeping well maintained. On the downside, lots of areas in cement walkways, were cracked or elevated with potential to trip and fall. I did trip on one and stubbed my toe. Although there was a policy and note on all chairs saying you could not place items and reserve chairs, many people did so anyways resulting in never getting a lounge chair in the morning as  [... read more]towels were placed on them. This policy should be enforced by staff removing towels if no one on chair after 1/2 hour in morning. Also, one morning there were no clean pool towels resulting in many having to wait 20 minutes for a clean towel to arrive. There were no bars or ramps in pool to assist seniors walking into pool.

Krystal Grand Cancun: Be aware!

Dining – line up for every meal to report room number etc. to get access one-by-one. Same menu every day for Breakfast/lunch/dinner. Bars – Lobby bar opens at 1:00 pm and Beach bar opens at 11:00 am. Until 11am can not get even non alcoholic drink juice or else Ala carte restaurant – needs to be booked daily only for same day. Booking opens at 9:00am. I tried 6 days in a row, could not get it done even one time. Room – very small room, with no sofa, table etc. Only one (1)! Chair in the room  [... read more] Beach – Not enough chairs. beach is very crowded as it is open for public. Everything else was good !

Catalonia Playa Maroma: Amazing resort

Arrived, check in was quick.Check out took minutes. It was our second time at this resort.Dining and drinks were way above average. The hotel room was great ,grounds were beautiful,washrooms always spotless and the beach and pool area great. We had a wonderful trip.

Riu Flamingos: Can’t wait to go back!

Great stay in every way. The hotel itself was clean and well cared for. The grounds are so beautiful-especially at sunset! Food was good with lots of variety. We also enjoyed the entertainment every evening! The staff is our biggest rave as they all went above and beyond to make our stay comfortable. They were so friendly and welcoming at every level! We truly can’t wait to go back!

Iberostar Waves Paraiso del Mar: Great Resort

We enjoyed the beautiful grounds whether sitting by the pool or on the beach. You can walk for kms on the beautiful beach. The food was good, the staff were friendly and the room was very clean. All in all a great vacation. Thank you.

Bahia Principe Explore Tulum: Baha’i Principe Tulum

The hotel was very nice. The rooms we nicely renovated, clean and big The staff at the hotel were very nice and made sure everything was ok. The tours booked at the hotel were excellent and the shows were entertaining a 10/10 The best thing was we had access to Baha’i Coba a quick train ride away. It was nice to have the variety in restaurants and entertainment There were many pools to access and the beach was extremely nice and well groomed. The grounds were beautiful and there were s [... read more]mall wild animals running around that added smiles for all. We had no complaints while staying at this hotel.

Canto Del Sol: The happiest day of my life

That was yesterday, when I checked out of this third rate, fourth class, chintzy, cheapskate operation that they have the nerve to call a hotel. If this is a four star, then the Motel 6 is a ten star. Walk with me through the two week experience I've just endured , stick with me and you'll save yourself a lot of grief. As you approach the resort, a sunset orange and cream highrise soars from the beach, just gorgeous, then as you get closer, another highrise in beige, immaculately  [... read more]clean and oozing luxury climbs up next to it. Then you turn off the main road and your heart begins to sink a bit, there's a ramshackle property squeezed in between these two elegant properties. As you approach it along a road that looks like an earthquake has just rolled through, you realize that this is the horror show that you are going to be dropped off at. Canto del Sol. Most of the businesses , shops, etc on the ground floor are boarded up or are masseuses/ pharmacies that ply their trade, and they were all friendly folks trying to scrape out a living in a hardscrabble environment, talk about thorns between two roses! The hotel part itself is quite a nice looking place but the haciendas, studio apartments called Villa Vallarta , a place that they've recently acquired, are like something out of a Pancho Villa black and white movie.. dirty, dusty, forlorn and neglected. I honestly thought we were checking in at a funeral parlor when we got to the lobby , the lobby where our troubles began the moment we stepped foot in the place. Although we thought we had booked into the main hotel, they took us to one of the "studios" ( and let me tell ya! it wasn't MGM) . It was furnished as sparsely as a Mexican prison cell and contained a king size bed, when we had ordered two queen size. No couch.. nothin' The headboard of the kingsized bed served also as a kitchen countertop, as the bed was slid under it to make some room. This studio had a kitchen in it that would have kept Gordon Ramsay in expletives for a month or two. So, unimpressed we crossed the earthquake zone to get back to reception (because all of the studios are in the "Villas" dump of a building), to get them to change us to the room we wanted and thought we had paid for. Now it gets interesting, the front desk manager says " no problem, we'll move you to the main building. Being experienced in these sort of bait and switch operations I had him confirm that there would be no extra charge . With my wife standing next to me he said that there would be no extra charge, so we moved our bags to the new room, which was OK but still starting to show wear and tear . Tipped the lobby guy 50 pesos and then he told us that we would have to go back to the front desk to get the key change. Once there the desk manager told us that there would be an upgrade charge of ... wait for it ... 760 US$ for the move. Of course I told him that I would be paying not a dime and now that I was in the new room I was going to stay there. His response? "We will call the police, oh! and by the way, Welcome to the Canto del Sol." The bellboy urged us not to get the police involved as we would probably have to pay them off as well as the hotel. so we suffered the first night in the prison cell with the fridge making a noise like a jet engine and the air conditioning pounding like a meat locker with no off switch. The next morning we're talking with the Sunwing agent who was about as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike in his dealing with the hotel management. He said that they just wouldn't budge and were insisting that we stay in the cell. I had to take things into my own hands . After a morning's argument with the front desk manager and the guest relations guy and us showing them the actual photo on the website, they finally partially relented and offered us a downgrade, would you believe it? A downgrade to a room in the welfare section of the hotel that had two queen beds but was so far away from the main action center that you almost had to take a cab to get there. We reluctantly accepted this compromise because the downgrade was better than the original ( but they didn't offer a refund for the downgrade!) Time to take a breath and give you my first words of advice. Don't expect any help at all from the booking agents, not because they don't want to but because they are powerless to do anything from a distance. Don't expect any substantial help from Sunwing 'cos Canto's hotel management doesn't respect them or their business AT ALL. You're on your own. Now we're settled in it's time to take a look around the place. As I've said , the hotel itself is OK.. maybe a two star at best but all of the furniture is old and battered, the washrooms are constantly blocked, closed or under repair (the pool washrooms were out of order for the entire two weeks we were there) The elevators are powered by a donkey turning a wheel somewhere in the basement, so slow you could climb ten sets of stairs in the time it takes them to cover one floor. Don't go to this place if you want handicapped accessibility, the stairlift doesn't work and even if it is working, it only goes up one floor and the one elevator doesn't have any room for a large wheelchair. One unfortunate couple were left stranded getting to their room and had to go OUTSIDE the building to find an elevator that could get them to their floor. Just another sign that the senior management at this place don't give a rodent's anal aperture about guest services. The domestic staff were quite nice although they themselves are on a strict economic budget. They restrict the number of towels they place in your room, no hand towels or washcloths, the cheapest soap imaginable, you couldn't get a bubble from it if you poured 7UP on it. The bed linen was so old and limp that you could spit through it NO ice machines for the guests in the entire place, no coffee machines in the rooms ........ , and the gym? Well the gym in Sing-Sing penitentiary is probably better equipped that this tiny little rabbit hut, strangely located next to a fabulous set of covered tennis courts where you had to pay to play. Anywhere you had to pay extra, they paid attention to. I'll take a moment to tell you just in case you think I'm being overly critical but I didn't encounter ONE guest who was happy with the place in the entire two weeks! And now we turn to the food. The buffet food was 90% INEDIBLE, I wouldn't feed it to my dog, although ironically dogs would probably like it 'cos it's mainly cold and mush. Just absolute canteen garbage. Pastas and potatoes were in heating trays that barely got them tepid and the meat that they served came from animals that weren't slaughtered, they must have just given themselves up. The bacon, eggs and hotcakes saved the day but the bacon was rationed like it was a refugee camp, sausages came from some animal we haven't yet discovered up in Canada. As for the specialty restaurants , we went to the Italian and they somehow managed to serve up a plate of stone cold ravioli (being able to do that in itself take some special type of incompetence ) The Lasagna they boasted of wasn't as good as the one we buy regularly from Costco and to be honest it looked like it HAD come from Costco. These cooks wouldn't last a half a day in Vancouver. We went a second time to the Italian (it being the only option of avoiding the buffet ). I ordered a dish that was a variety of three pastas and believe it or not they managed again to mix in some COLD tomato penne in with the two other types.. it's physically impossible to do that but somehow they pulled off the terrible task. Another guest had been to the Asian restaurant and in chatting to us told us that it was the WORST Asian food he'd ever had in his LIFE.. so we gave it a miss in favour of the Mexican palate. On a bit of a tangent ,Mexicans don't do beef very well and the one piece of carved beef I had at the buffet would have made a nice sole for my leather shoes. The menu at the Mexican place was no great shakes either, better food at Taco Bell that's for sure. The seafood in the tortillas was old and way past its "best by date " but you could stuff it inside yourself if you had a good appetite. The final scene at the Mexican restaurant leads me conveniently to the wait staff and the bar staff at the place. At the end of a mediocre spread, my wife gave the smiling waiter a 500 peso note and asked him to bring back 400 in change (I figured an $8 tip for a $40 so-so meal was pretty good) but he disappeared with the note , pretended that he'd forgotten about the change, mumbled and sniggered with the other staff (who were too slow to realize that I understood Spanish) and he walked past us about 5 or 6 times before I asked him where our moolah was. He acted offended, suddenly couldn't understand a word of English (or Spanish for that matter) and sarcastically said that he'd sent the note to the hotel next door for them to make change , none of the other waiters intervened so I lost my rag and told him to give me my money back. He didn't want to, of course, but he made the mistake of waving it in front of my face so I grabbed it and told him in both Spanish and English that he would be getting sweet F.A. from me for his "Ladrona" type behavior. He was not a happy camper but I was, 'cos I'd got my money back. I reckon that these guys see a gringo and figure that 500 pesos is chicken feed so most of them won't complain. Wrong person muchacho! So folks, there you have hard story on the food quality and the real nature of the staff. None of the staff in the entire complex will break up large notes for you , not reception nor the bell boys. They are especially reluctant to change US$ notes (because then you'll be obliged to give a bigger tip if they don't ) If you do get one to grudgingly change say, a 100 peso note, then you'll only ever get 80 back 'cos that's the cost of doing business down there. Even the banks won't change notes in P.V., so my advice is to get a big wad of US$ one dollar bills before you leave and you can sprinkle them around as you see fit . They seem to be happier getting greenbacks than those worthless pesos, plus you'll be able to spend what you've got left over when you get home. And finally a bit more about the hotel environment, the beach is unswimmable because of the strong undertow ( and it's like that in the two glamorous hotels either side.) The general locality gets pretty seedy off the main road and there are homeless camps on scrubland vacant lots , failed developments and eyesores just steps away from the luxury. You have to be really careful while walking because there's holes and bumps in the sidewalks, missing manhole covers, cobbles that can turn your ankles and parapets that fall a foot and a half to the roadway I would not go to this place again even if they offered it to me for free, if a judge said "one month in jail or two weeks at the C*ño del Sol , I'd take the jail without a moment's hesitation. Some may disagree but that's the way I saw it. As for value, well we paid $5300 for the two weeks , Take out air fare of around $1500 Vancouver return for two adults and you're left with a hotel bill of about $3800, which works out to 270 bucks a night ( one night of which you don't get any food) I wouldn't pay a dime more than $50 a night for this place, even all inclusive (in fact you should pay less for all inclusive) But truth is I wouldn't even pay a single dime 'cos I'd never ever stop at the place again It won't be here in a couple of seasons from now even though there's a tourist boom on.

The Sens Cancun: Not the best

Not my favourite resort or experience. Shuttle pickup from Cancun airport took close to an hour to leave. Check in was fine, hotel rooms shabby and bathroom could use maintenance. Concierge staff were friendly enough, most of the other staff were pleasant. Beach dirty, not often cleaned up from the day before. Other guests would leave cups and plates and they wouldn't be cleaned up. Not enough beach chairs; it was a race everyday to get anything decent. Had a black top go missing from our room a [... read more]nd my daughter's purse also go missing from the lobby while waiting for the return shuttle to go home. Food at restaurants good; Le Petit Chef a fun experience. Also did the Captain Hook pirate show which was really fun. Unfortunately, I wouldn't return to this resort nor recommend it.

Grand Sirenis Mayan Beach: Honest rebiew

This resort is better than the reviews you will read. I just returned from a fabulous week at this resort and everything was great. Food was good except the Mexican restaurant. Pool bars were excellent and the sky bar was amazing

Riu Caribe Cancun: Amazing resort

My group had a great time at Riu Caribe! The grounds were great, no complaints on the food and given the size of the resort, everything felt like a stone's throw away. There are 4 foam parties a week, so if you like dancing and having a good time, this is the place for you! The Riu does a great job separating kids areas from adult zones, so everyone can have a great time without any conflict. The beaches were raked every morning and there were plenty of chairs to sit on. I am definitely going ba [... read more]ck to the Riu Caribe!

Riu Lupita: Riu Lupita Playacar

A smaller scale hotel. Grounds were very nice and well kept. Our 4th Riu and everything one expects from them. Room was nice, Atmosphere was nice, service was very good. A more intimate setting which made for a relaxing getaway. Moises and the bar service was excellent. Buffet was first class with special mention to Marco and his crew in the mornings and Maria and her crew in the afternoon. It was easy to have fun with all the staff from Riga, who took care of our room to Olivia and others  [... read more]at the front desk. Activities group have a tougher task getting things going in a smaller venue but do a good job getting participation in spite of this. Special shoutout to José at the Beach Club. A bonus this time was the foreign exchange desk. Hassle free with great service taking away the headache of having to find a bank to get this done. Lastly the food and chef staff have not disappointed us yet at any Riu. Well done.

Wyndham Alltra Playa del Carmen: Great experience

The resort was very clean and maintained. Excellent service. Very close to 5th Avenue and other attractions. Food was good overall. The resort is an ideal size so walking to the rooms are nearby. Would recommend. The resort is almost on the beach, but is quite rough so I would not recommend swimming.

Villas HM Paraiso Del Mar: Lovely resort, great staff!

Our week long stay was so well managed by the hotel staff. They're kind, on point, understanding and we're always present. They were attentive to the beach, welcoming at all meals, and kept our suite immaculate every day. Great location -- nice walks into town, and gorgeous walks to the sandbar and shallow beaches. They helped us organize outings and had plenty of great recommendations to enjoy Holbox.

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Typical large resort, beautiful grounds but food and service are lacking.

We came to this resort as another family member booked it. We booked a regular room and were hoping to upgrade or get a second room but we were told it was sold out and to come back few days later. We went back few days later but we could not be offered anything better or another room again. We might be spoiled but we found the food not very good, repetitive and not flavourful. We had to wait for 3 days to get our first a la carte which was essentially the same kitchen shared with the buffet [... read more]. The service was also lacking. We often came to the buffet an hour or so from opening. There was no cutlery on the tables and we had to wait for any type of service. Our highlight was our last a la carte at Italian restaurant Capri. Our waitress, Navitidad, provided the best service that we experienced at the resort. The beach was rocky and few members of our family hurt their toes. The best part of this resort are the beautiful grounds and activities. If you do not care for service, food, or ability to upgrade your room, go for it. We will be looking elsewhere for our vacation next year.