Barcelo Gran Faro Los Cabos: Good hotel but where was the Premium??

We booked the most expensive room thinking we would have a nice balcony with a good sea view where we could lounge, read and tan (as we have experienced at similarly priced hotels) . Our room was the furthest from the sea with a view of the garden and pools. The balcony was small with two hardbacked dining style chairs and a small drinks table. The balcony of the floor above kept the balcony mostly in shade. We spent little time on the balcony as it was uncomfortable. We understood that there w [... read more]ere four restaurants that one could book any evening for dinner. There were only two restaurants, a sushi "restaurant" (we were advised by another guest it was poor quality and personally I rate sushi fast food not restaurant food) and the main dining room which was a very good buffet but certainly not restaurant quality. The remaining two "restaurants" located side by side were open on alternate nights and shared the same staff. Neither was great (screw top low quality wine, dishes served resembled the menu name (particularly the Italian food). We ate at the restaurants a few times but were frustrated with having to line up each afternoon to book for that evening, we were advised by reception, upon arrival, to book early as the available restaurant space ran out early. We used restaurants outside the hotel at additional cost and bother. Our room was very nice and well serviced however the air conditioning had a minimum setting of 18C, we generally sleep at a lower temperature so we had to keep the ceiling fan running and put up with the noise. The bathroom had wardrobe style doors facing onto the main room which reduced privacy and did not limit noise at all. I do not recommend spending the extra money for a premium room.

Royalton Splash Riviera Cancun: Clean and Modern Resort with something for Everyone!

Overall, The Royalton Splash Riviera Cancun was wonderful. This resort is much bigger than what we typically book, however we had two teenagers with us, and we wanted to make sure there was plenty for them to do, and there sure was!! There are so many different things to do here that I don't think anyone gets a chance to do it all. While we were there, we used the lazy river and water slides, the scuba center, all the pools, the gym (which was amazing), the poolside games and activities (ping po [... read more]ng, Jenga, volleyball, water polo). We also went bowling twice and did the trampoline park. we did swim in the ocean, and although there was some seaweed on shore the ocean floor was sandy and soft and the water warm! We walked a long way down the beach, and I will say that this resort was doing by far the best on maintaining the seaweed cleanup. There was always something fun to do! For Dinner and Lunch we ate at the following restaurants (listed best to worst): Rio, Zen, Hunter Steakhouse, Smoke, Nibbles, Grazie, The Cave. The Cave was the only one that we really didn't enjoy- but I would say all of the food is great by all-inclusive standards, but nothing spectacular compared to our own cooking or restaurants at home. What we did love was the variety- which was much better than any other resort we have ever been to. The Buffet has an amazing selection of fresh foods, and the kids liked it the best! The cafe had wonderful coffee and pastries in the morning (but unfortunately, a pretty long line up). The coffee here was much better than at the buffet. we are early risers, so we joined the club of saving 2 or 3 loungers (for 4 of us) before 6AM each day. We did notice that you could always find a lounger or two, just maybe not in your preferred location. getting up early just ensured we picked our favorite spot. Another thing we did like about this resort is the layout. The resort is huge- but the layout makes almost everything convenient no matter your location. I don;t have much to complain about but the 2 things that put a bad taste in our mouth were 1) The wrist bands DO NOT stay on, our teenagers both lost one and had to pay $130 CAD to replace them. This is crazy, if you are going to use this system then get wrist bands that stay on while kids are doing the activities that your resort provides! we did end up melting the band strings which helped, but we had to continue to resecure them throughout the week. 2) The room layout with the see through glass shower and open concept bathroom was not ideal for us, our teenaged son and his friend. There was no privacy- I had to get dressed in the toilet room, and luckily after reading reviews I had brought a plastic shower curtain from home which we used to provide privacy for the shower. All in all, this is a great family resort that felt safe and secure and had fantastic service- I would highly recommend for families with older pre-teens or teenagers!

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Not expected

As a frequent visitor of Bahia Principe Akumal, I was surprised to see the decline in the villas (housekeeping, repairs, etc.) but I guess that would be attributed to the on-going renovations. I unfortunately was not prepared for this scenario. Several days I had to call for towels, bath gel, hand soap and tissues. As for the pool areas, it was equally disappointing as most of the umbrellas were broken or some other style very difficult to assemble, in any case there were not enough to go arou [... read more]nd, my husband and I took a lunch break only to return without an umbrella, someone had taken it off our stand. The pool was cloudy and not refreshing. Pool bar did not have enough glasses or various drinks.

Las Palmas by the Sea: Great resort

The staff were all extremely friendly and happy. They went out of their way to remember names and make sure they greeted you with smiles. The food was good and no line ups. The weather was fantastic. The beach and pool areas were always cleaned as well as the hotel lobby and bathrooms

Grand Sunset Princess: It was a good resort.

Hospitality , entertainment, cleanliness , pools , rooms were great. Beach was okay, but expected . Food was not good , disappointed with the food . Al cartes were not good at all . Stayed for 7 days.

Crown Paradise Club Cancun: Great for young children!

The resort had lots of fun things to do for young children. There is a kids club that has a pirates ship water park with lots of slides, basketball court, movie room and crafts! There are a few pools and one which is somewhat indoor which was good when the kids had enough sun. The food and staff are excellent. Very clean resort but a little old looking.

Riu Emerald Bay: Breath taking long clean beach, you notice the very faithful RIU employees hard at work early a.m. and p.m.Peaceful, serene, many diversified families, security presence

Immaculate, clean, rooms/beds get cleaned everyday, friendly/helpful staff at Riu, grounds are immaculate, surrounded by nature, overall very clean, many activities happening during the day and night, never a dull moment, buzz everywhere

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Totally amazing resort

The hotel was very clean, We had a Junior suite, very large, We were two friends travelling together, so we had asked for two beds, but we got a king size bed, we asked to change rooms, but no rooms were available that night ,but they brought in a single bed, my friend took the single bed and found it to be very comfortable so we left it that way! The staff were very friendly in our building, in the lobby and in the restaurants nd buffets! The grounds were very lush and beautiful, well maintaine [... read more]d! The food was excellent with lots of choices, my friend needs glute n free and always managed to find selections she could eat!!

Barcelo Maya Riviera: We will be back!

This is not our first time at the Barcelo. The restaurants, buffets, gorgeous grounds, pools, rooms, and activities are all spectacular but the biggest reason we keep coming back is the staff. The Barcelo staff are top notch and, with a smile on their faces, go out of their way to ensure every guest has a fantastic vacation. With help from Maru Navarro, in the Premium Lounge, our vacation started long before we ever arrived. She was so wonderful and helpful, and went out of her way to ensure our [... read more] stay was perfect. We were hoping to see her when we arrived, but she was off for the evening. Leo her colleague took amazing care of us, so we had no worries. We also were able to stop in later to see Maru and thank her. So a big thank you to Maru and Leo! We will always come back to see you both! Other staff I'd like to highlight are Antonio from the French restaurant, he was so great, and helpful and did a birthday surprise cake for our friend. Maria Chan at the AO pool was always smiling, and happy, and had us all laughing. What a gem she is, Barcelo! We wanted to sit in her section all week. Deysi and Bredy from Rodizio were exceptional servers, and so efficient and kind. Norma and Jazmine from the AO bar were both amazing. We knew Jazmine from other years, and love to sit in her section. One night we wanted to sit out under the stars and that's when we met Norma and she took amazing care of us. Even when we weren't in Jazmine or Norma's section they still checked in with us to see if our vacation was going well and if we needed anything. Barcelo is lucky to have such caring staff. A big thank you to Sandra Villegas, Premium lounge, who took exceptional care in making us specialty coffees with latte art each morning. We loved them. Also thank you to the terrific team of, Lorenzo and Cristan in the Premium lounge, who helped us with our meals. To the staff at Barcelo, thank you again for make our stay a memorable one!

Secrets Mirabel Cancun Resort and Spa: Great Resort

This was a great spot to spend a vacation Staff were amazing, food was great. Rooms need a bit of a upgrade but really who spends time in the room when you are on vacation Absolutely no issues or complaints. Would go back in a heart beat

Catalonia Grand Costa Mujeres: Absolutely amazing

I have been to this resort last Feb 2022 and it was recovering from COVID. It was an okay experience. However I decided to go again with my family and we had a great time. Food, staff, entertainment and cleanliness of the resort was all 5/5. Will definitely go again!

Akumal Bay Beach and Spa Resort: Our favorite place

Finally able to get back to ABBWR after the covid years and AirTransit dropping the resort. Booked thru Air Canada, chose Premium Economy which was pretty good altho no extra bag allowance like AT. And they do not combine weight of luggage as AT does. For example, i am usually a kilo or so over, hubby kilo or two under. AT takes it. AC makes you open up your suitcases at the check-in and move till both at or under weight. Really? Ride to resort long. Makes way more sense to drop off the fu [... read more]rthest people first as the highway is not designed to make frequent stops. So they start down the highway from the airport and have to cross all lanes 5 times to enter all the resorts. Very time consuming but we suck it up. Check in easy and we got the room we requested; ground floor bldg 1. Forgot despite being there 5 times how badly the rooms are furnished. they are nice looking but completely not functional. you get 2 12" drawers and hangers so high up i couldn't reach them (but i'm really short). Nicely designed bedside tables and room table are lovely but useless. They are planning a reno, i sure hope someone puts thought into storage so your room doesn't look like a cyclone hit it the whole time you are there. There are 3 shelves where the safe is. And yes, add a full length mirror!!!!! ladies like to check out their outfit before dinner. Seeing the top of my head isn't enough! Food was as usual, good but not excellent. I love you don't have to reserve your specialty restaurants. If you go by 6pm, you can get it. If you wait till 8, you will probably have to wait. Snorkelling right off the beach was excellent. Saw rays, and a turtle. If you go down past the snorkel frenzy at Akumal public beach, there is a little cove which is where we saw the best underwater show. Akumal town itself is the same, a couple lovely stores and some practical ones where you can pick up stuff you forgot or souveniers. 5 minute safe walk on the beach. Nice and low key. Sargassum was bad a couple days and fine on others. Noticed that last time we were there when sargassum was really bad, ABWWR had excellent cleanup where Secrets was awful. This time, Secrets was doing a fantastic job cleaning up the seaweed where ABWWR flailed a bit. It is what it is. All in all still my favorite place for the size of the resort, the low key atmosphere and 10 second walk to the beach/ocean.

Ocean Coral Riviera Cancun: Nice resort. I would give it a 3* unless you pay for "privilege"

So many bugs (sand fleas, gnats, mosquitos) we came home bitten. We were put in the "Daisy Club" which is for children (I love children but was not the pool I was looking for). It was very difficult to book a la carts unless you paid extra to be "privileged", it was difficult to get a lounge chair at any of the adult pools. All in all, It was a somewhat nice resort but the beach was so flea infested and full of seaweed that we could not walk it. If you are a smoker/vaper, be advised that Mexi [... read more]co is a SMOKE FREE COUNTRY! Love the sun but will NEVER go back to Mexico....... customs is brutal! You would think that getting off of a plane in Mexico, they would possibly consider welcoming their travellers as we are a big part of their tourism economy.

TRS Yucatan: Great resort if you don't need a beach

The beach has largely washed away and the bathrooms were designed for style rather than function (shower and toilet doors leave gaps when closed, pedestal sink is ridiculously deep and does not hold water). The pools are sometimes loud with music and group exercise. That's the end of the negatives. The service is excellent everywhere. The lobby bar makes excellent drinks and coffee. The TRS pool bars are better than you'd expect. The TRS restaurants were all great. It is very easy to get a ri [... read more]de anywhere on the resort if you don't fancy walking. The non-TRS pools were not busy at all.

Barcelo Maya Riviera: The most beautiful resort

The room was super clean, very modern. The view from our balcony was spectacular, great view of the ocean. All the restaurants were good. Bars and drinks were all top end.We will definitely will be going back again!!

Secrets Huatulco: Would not recommend

Secrets Huatulco - things that were good: amazing ocean views from all areas of the resort; pools were larger than we expected and very nice; the French, Italian and Japanese restaurants had good food and service; house wine was decent; housekeeping did a great job with rooms serviced in a consistently timely manner every day; towel and toiletry supplies were generous and kept up. Now for the not so great stuff: lobby area is unimpressive; on arrival we received a cold bottle of water and hot [... read more] cloth - nice touch but where was the bubbly?; check-in seemed a bit chaotic because many people were in the lobby, and no staff member showed us to our room - they just pointed us in the direction we needed to go; check-in was for 3:00 (we got to the resort at 2:00) and we didn't get our room until around 3:30 and then still waited for our luggage for at least half an hour; had to go to the desk on our own to follow up on the when our room will be ready - no pager or call; no robes in the room; chintzy mini bar which was not replenished daily; the rooms are tired and run down - furniture is old and scuffed along with chips in mirrors, etc.; furniture in lobby is worn and dirty - even furniture in the Italian restaurant needs an update - ripped cloth and dirty; ground care is lacking; general upkeep is lacking; very poor lighting in the room at the sink area where one needs light to apply makeup; food at the buffet was ok and due to rumour floating around the guests we avoided the Oceana restaurant; none of the bars are inviting enough that you'd want to hang out and enjoy a pre-dinner drink; on the day before we left there was algae growing in one of the pools and the pool pumps were not working - nothing was being done about it and the algae just kept multiplying. Generally, our assessment would be that it seems this resort is in financial difficulty and the Hyatt needs to redo the whole place. It isn't representative of a Secrets experience as we've been to Secrets resorts in the past. We usually go to Excellence resorts who consistently win awards so that is our primary benchmark.

Secrets The Vine Cancun: Our stay

Staff from restaurants, pool, house keeping, valets extremely beautiful and hard working, spa staff , very pushy with sales for vacation, and a bit too much, food Amazing but not 1 day of lobster. Had to leave resort for lobster. Bought expensive bottle of crystal champagne, for my fiancé birthday he was celebrated with a beautiful decorated table and restaurant staff sang beautiful happy birthday. ( he was pampered) very nice. 1 big negative was the night entertainment needs a PEP. Few nights [... read more] nothing after 11pm😢 . Overall clean and beautiful resort with amazing chefs and staff.

Fiesta Americana Riviera Nayarit: Beautiful Resort!

The whole resort was just beautiful. It was low season and therefore there were many chairs available on the beach and poolside. Not much entertainment at night. Food was good at all of the restaurants (some open only on certain days). The good thing was that you didn't need reservations. Not much choices for drinks; we were looking forward to having shots, but none offered.

Platinum Yucatan Princess: Resort is beautiful

The hotel was very nice and well kept. Swim up is definitely worth getting as the main pool is always packed and very loud so when you want to get away and enjoy a pool, having a swim up is worth it. Food was good at the restaurants but if a man does not have pants and closed toes foot wear then your only food options are the buffet or sitting outside at the steak house, food at steak house is not the best. Buffet is definitely where it’s at. Front desk staff isn’t very helpful they always s [... read more]end you to the concierge for help instead of them answering questions. Gym is ok, equipment is older but did the job for the week there. Beach front has a lot of seaweed as I read in other reviews but was still nice to relax and enjoy the view. Use neighbouring beach for better access. Also, neighbouring hotel is huge and has a a sports bar where you can play pool etc. which was nice. Overall I’d give the hotel a 3.5/5 and this is more because of the lack of service and staff wanting to help. There are some great staff who will help and show they enjoy their job.

Barcelo Maya Tropical: Beautiful Stay

Great from start to finish ! Room was exactly as promised, great location on the property - we did Premium Level - highly recommend - large property but, you can either choose to walk far and venture out - or stay close to your building and will still find everything you need. Food was good, lots of variety and always available - pools - SO many pools - and great grounds. Great for families and couples alike - would bring our family here for a family vacation hands down. Woul [... read more]d highly recommend.