El Dorado Seaside Suites: New Building Not the Same

Have been to El Dorado Seaside Suites in the past and when booked for Dec 2016 saw the new building with the ocean front infinity suites. Just got back and wish we had booked Sensimar Seaside Suites which is the old El Dorado Seasides. The good news is we had access to Sensimar and the beach/beach beds as well as all of the restaurants. The view from the new building is spectacular and I did enjoy having a dip in the infinity "river" off the suite, The downside of the new building is you can h [... read more]ear everything in the suites. For some reason they built the rooms with adjoining doors (not sure why in an adults only resort) and you can hear everything. On one evening our neighbours had the TV blaring at 2am and it felt like it was in my room, and on another night they ordered room service and I could hear the cutlery on the plates. If you have stayed at the old Seaside Suites and enjoyed the small buildings and resort I would suggest staying there as it's less expensive and a little more quiet. As always with Karisma resorts the staff and food at both resorts was excellent!

Selection Riviera Cancun: Lovely resort

Staff very friendly all around a great place to vacation. Food & cocktails where great. Beach walks very enjoyable. Great place to meet people everyone's very friendly. Perfect place for a great getaway

Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Cancun: Great family getaway

We went on this trip with our 18 month old. The resort was small which was really great getting around with a toddler. The supper menu and service was very good. The kids menu was not great but the restaurant was able to make whatever you needed for kids (for us that usually included fish, chicken, rice, peas, avocado ...). Restaurant didn't open until 12 for lunch and did not have a buffet which was challenging for us due to our child's nap time. We used room service quite a bit - the food was  [... read more]good but very inconsistent (something would be missing or different than what we ordered), and sometimes took over 30 minutes to get breakfast. The beach is great - clean, calm and warm water. It was perfect for kids. None of the pools had an extended shallow shelf so that was a bit challenging. We had a 1 bedroom swim out room which was great during nap time, and gave us enough space as a family. The swim out pool was connected to a swim up bar and was heated and extremely warm. All in all, we had a great trip!

Sensatori Resort Punta Cana: Amazing Vacation

We stayed Dec 2 to Dec 9 in a premium honeymoon swim-up room 9102. We loved our room. It was spotless everyday, close to the swim-up bar and beach. Service and food were awesome. I would recommend this resort. We received the best service from Wander, Jose and Alexander the great.

The Fives Beach Hotel and Residences Playa Del Carmen: Wonderful Vacation

We travelled to Azul Fives in Mayan Riveria the last two weeks in November and had a wonderful vacation. Azul Fives is not a mega resort, which is a plus for us. The property does not have an extensive beach front, rather it is long and then swings wide at the front/street front. Currently there are 18 buildings with more under construction. The higher the number, the further you are away from the beach. We were in buildings 15 and 16 (we moved once) and depending on how fast you walk would [... read more] take about 15 minutes or so to walk to the beach or to one of the restaurants in the evening. As this was about the only exercise I got I wasn't too adverse to this. You can always call for a golf cart to pick you up and take you to the beach. The main swimming pool is at the beach but there are tons of smaller swimming pools surrounding all the units with a bar and restaurant close by. Room: We initially booked the deluxe room in Building 15. I must admit it was quite a shock but when I saw the size. We have travelled extensively to all-inclusive resorts where typically you have your bed, night tables, a dresser and usually either a small couch or a couple of chairs with a small table. Lots of room. The deluxe room has enough room for the bed and night tables on either side - no drawers or shelf. There is a small depth sofa type table but no drawers to put your clothing, etc. So if you tend to bring lots of clothing you will be hard pressed to put things away. I asked for 15 extra hangers in order that I could hang my T-shirts, etc. I know you don't spend a lot of time in your room and we did make it work but I was just surprised. Also, the air conditioner was not working properly and it took a couple of days to get it right. Coincidentally, we were upgraded to Building 16 the same day as the air conditioner was working properly to a 1 BR suite, so that solved the problem of the air conditioning and storage. Concierge: Each 4 buildings (approx.) has their own concierge to help you with anything you need from booking your dinner reservations, requesting hangers, ordering a golf cart if you need a ride, etc. This is a wonderful idea. You deal with your own concierge instead of having to call/go to the front desk all the time. Our main contacts were Carolina and Michelle. They were absolutely wonderful to deal with - so friendly and cheerful. Restaurants: Of course there was your buffet. We do not care for buffet as the food is never hot and this was no different. We had breakfast every morning at the buffet. Dinners were all wonderful, except for the buffet for the "heat" reason. Great variety of choice for dinners - Tapas, Sea Olive, Italian, Sushi, Thai, French, Flavours (buffet) and a whole variety of others for lunch. All excellent - just ask my waistline. Beach: There are a fair amount of loungers and shade at the beach. My complaint was that they are placed so close together, basically touching each other. They really should spread them out. More comfortable for everyone. The sand was fairly soft but a little more coarse by the water's edge. Small swimming area between two piers and a massive man made sand bag in the water; so this was a bit disappointing for us. Entertainment: This resort does not have a large auditorium/stage that you tend to see at the resorts. Rather most of the evening entertainment was done in the courtyard. We really enjoyed this. It was more street music feel. Live singers, bands, etc. A very nice way to enjoy the evening while having a drink. A casino night, Mexican night, market night was also offered in the courtyard. Loved it. They also had entertainment in the Sky Bar by the beach in the evening - ie Michael Jackson, magician, live band. Don't expect the big stage show, it is just a larger bar with entertainment. Jungle: The hotel was built around a jungle. There is a wonderful boardwalk from the higher numbered units to about mid point in the resort. If you are lucky you will see spider monkeys and other wildlife. It is lit up in the evening and it looks good and Flavours restaurant takes advantage of this view with lots of windows. All in all a great holiday. People very friendly and aim to please.

Selection Riviera Cancun: Fantastic resort!

Resort was exactly as described - swim-up room was great - food is fantastic! No reservations needed at most of the a la carte restaurants is a real plus - resort staff were all very friendly and helpful.

Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Cancun: Love this resort

Very family and baby friendly! Vacationed with a 9 month baby and very accomadating to us. Small quiet resort, beautiful grounds and great food. Staff is incredible, friendly, quick and always remembered our names.

The Fives Beach Hotel and Residences Playa Del Carmen: Wonderful Trip

We recently returned from a seven day visit to Azul Fives. We had a lovely time at the resort! The food was wonderful. Our favourite restaurant was the Sushi Restaurant. Staff were very helpful - in particular, Eduardo our concierge, Justina in the Brassiere restaurant and Paulina at the bar at Villa 15/16. The only negative I would say about the hotel is the distance one had to travel to the beach. We were located in the furthest villa (great room) - it took about 12-15 minutes to walk  [... read more]to the beach.

The Fives Beach Hotel and Residences Playa Del Carmen: Great Resort

I really enjoyed all aspects of this resort. The food was amazing. The staff friendly and nice. The room was great. The only thing I didn't like about it was the carts they drive around people in. There isn't enough room really for people and golf carts. They drive them very fast. And there are a couple without lights. They are electric so u can't hear them and they don't really slow down. As a parent I felt unsafe walking with my child in a stroller on those converted pedestrian sidewalks. And  [... read more]would run to get in the grass away from them. But all in all thumbs up.

Selection Riviera Cancun: Azul Sensitori, Playa DeCarmen, Mexico

Awesome resort. No complaints. People work very hard and are very friendly..and we have travelled to many resorts. people that complain about this place need to get out once in awhile. We have stayed at the Royalton and other top notched hotels and this one ranks up there with them.

The Fives Beach Hotel and Residences Playa Del Carmen: Beautiful, relaxing getaway for foodies!

My husband & I sincerely enjoyed everything about this resort- the layout, the restaurants, the rooms, the views, the staff, everything! We didn't do any activities offered by the hotel (besides the fire show, which was really cool!) because we mostly just wanted to chill and have no schedule or time restraints. But they did have a lot on offer, & a wonderful, engaging staff, so it was nice to know if we did start to get bored that we had options. We made use of the fitness center, which had new [... read more] machines & everything you need to try to keep up your fitness routine. All of the restaurants were excellent, with the only exception being Soleil. The room was massive, comfortable bed, fun towel animals every day, & only a few minutes walk from the beach. Everyone was extremely friendly, which made for an extra memorable experience!

The Fives Beach Hotel and Residences Playa Del Carmen: Great Resort

The grounds were lovely and the beach was great, the pools were good as well. All the staff were very accommodating and friendly. The rooms were pretty good, have had fancier rooms at other resorts but that wasn't a big deal. I must say the bed & pillows were awesome! Room service was very good and fairly quick. The food at the restaurants was fantastic, truly the best I have ever had at any resort. The evening entertainment wasn't that great, but that was not that important to us either. T [... read more]his resort is located close to Playa Del Carmen, it was very easy for us to take a taxi into town to do some shopping. If you are looking for a smaller resort and great food, I would highly recommend this resort.

El Dorado Seaside Suites: Great resort!

We really enjoyed our stay. Room was lovely with our own balcony and pool and jacuzzi. Grounds are beautiful. Food was good. Spa services were excellent. But most important are the Mayan people. They are so endearing. Always pleasant and helpful. And do an excellent job. We were celebrating our 50th annniversary and this resort and its staff truly made it memorable. Did not like the step coming our of our room. Both of us almost got hurt because we forgot about it being there sometim [... read more]es.

The Fives Beach Hotel and Residences Playa Del Carmen: Very large...first class!!

The hotel lobby was the most "unglamorous" of the whole resort...small, non-decorated. The rooms are extra large into 2 distinct living parts..kitchen/livingroom and bed/bathrooms! We swam our way each day from our room to the beach area..great connecting pools. Dining was great variety and first class. Wait staff took time to get to know you and remembered your preferences. Beach was long and great for walking. Azuls is more of a condominium setting than a public resort.

The Fives Beach Hotel and Residences Playa Del Carmen: Great vacation!

The resort was absolutely amazing. The service was excellent, the food was delicious and the rooms were beautiful. The resort actually is a condominium community and when the owners of the condos are not there, the rooms join a renting pool for travelers as an all inclusive resort. It was a very unique experience but we loved it.

The Fives Beach Hotel and Residences Playa Del Carmen: beautiful resort

the dining experience was exeptional, our room was the junior jacuzzi suite and was clean and spacious... but the show stopper was the beach and pool area, the sand was groomed every morning and the water warm and lovely.

El Dorado Royale: Amazing honeymoon retreat

Beautiful resort, Loved every second of the beach, pools bars, and restaurants. Staff were so pleasant and willing to accommodate you in anyway they can. Food was phenomenal and exceeded our expectations. Our room was gorgeous although a/c was very hard to regulate and we were on the top floor so next time I think we'd prefer a ground floor room.Just a couple complaints, the first one while 24 hrs room service sounds great in theory we were very disappointed on the length of time it took to get  [... read more]it. It took 2 hrs for us to get a cheese plate and fruit platter. We also tried to order room service for lunch one day and I was on hold for 30 min and never go anyone to place our order. While most restaurants are always accessible it would have been nice to enjoy room service in our rooms. The second complaint I had was we were not informed by anyone at the hotel that our shuttle pickup and flight times had changed. We spent an hr waiting in the hotel lobby and asked a few people until finally we found out our flight was delayed their for so was our pick up time. It would have been nice to have known so we would have planned to not check out and enjoy more beach time. Neither of these things ruined our trip by any means and we would definitely come back to this hotel. A Paradise Oasis for us it was!

The Fives Beach Hotel and Residences Playa Del Carmen: Great 7 days

Very satisfied with service and the hotel It was low season but restaurants were fully staffed and food was exceptional. Never had issues with booking....make sure you eat at the French and Italian you won't be disappointed Only one criticism was that smoking and E-cigarettes at the pool is allowed,

Sensatori Resort Punta Cana: Luxury R&R - Swim out or bust!

Hubby and I traveled here from Sept 3rd to Sept 10th for our 4th year anniversary. We just got back from a 7 nights stay and miss it dearly already. 10 days would have been perfect, I think. Usually, we get bored of resorts by the 5th or 6th day and long to go back home... but this place was just so relaxing, we didn't want to leave. So here is my review: Reception: Check-in was a breeze. We got a private car from the airport to the resort so we were the only ones checking in at the time. We  [... read more]were greeted with cool towelettes and sparkling wine, given our towel and room cards with info on the hotel and amenities. A bell boy whisked our luggage on a golf cart and took us on a short tour of the premises to our room. Room - #8102 - Luxury Double Swim out, Adults Only - Block 8: We were welcomed with a plate of fresh fruits and a bottle of champagne on ice waiting for us with a banner at our door wishing us a Happy Anniversary. What a warm welcome that was! I think we had the best room of the resort. We were a quick swim or 5 to 10 steps to the Adults only swim up bar. Hubby and I don't like to bake in the sun so our room was perfectly shaded for most of the day except in the late afternoon. The room was modern and clean. The maids did an amazing job cleaning as well (we only requested the room made every other day). We always had plenty of fresh, clean towels. Our fridge was also always kept stocked with a variety of water, Cokes, Fanta, Sprite, Coors and Heineken. If you're nice to the gentleman, he will give you anything you want and at any quantities ;p. Gourmet Village: I love the fact that they made sure guests' hands were sanitized before entering a restaurant and ask for allergies before being seated. We always had plenty of food to chose from. One would never go hungry there. Sugarcane was where we ate most of our breakfasts - huge variety of yummy food. Fresh fruits in abundance. Mimosa station and coffee station were great. The machine made great Café con Leche and Cappuccinos! We ate most of our lunches at the Lighthouse which also had a good variety of also yummy food and an Ice cream cone bar! :) We had dinner at only 3 of the 7 restaurants during our stay - K23 for our anniversary dinner was an experience in itself. You have to experience it yourself as I can't explain the concept... lol. Hubby liked the Burger joint and the Italian was just ok... There was a pork roast on the Friday in the gourmet village centre which was fantastic. We also had the Lobster dinner at the lighthouse which was very romantic. The coffee shop was really nice and free during the time of our stay. Not sure if it'll stay that way but it was great to have for a late night pick me up. Spa: As part of our booking, we had a 1 hour complementary hydrotherapy session per day but we only did it once. It was quite the experience. So relaxing that the rest of our day was shot after that... lol. I spent the day reading a book, falling in and out of sleep on our terrace day bed. Beach: The Ocean was rough so we didn't spend much time at the beach but walked it a couple times... it is beautiful, the waves were really strong and the flag was yellow or red on most days but it was absolutely magnificent to watch, listen to and dip your feet in. Grounds and amenities: Impeccable. The staff is always working around the clock to keep the place spotless. Gardening, mopping, cleaning is always happening. There are always golf carts going around if you need a lift anywhere on the resort. Entertainment: We never did attend the shows or the Vino Vino bar at night but preferred enjoying ourselves in the village square with a cup of nice tea or coffee listening to the violinist and on a couple of nights also heard the signers signing renditions of ABBA. They were quite good actually. CONS: If there was anything that might have tainted our experience at this resort, it might have been the concierge service. Although a great service in essence, they need a better system to get organized when booking services for patrons. 2 of the 4 bookings we made for dinner reservations were never made... which was really no big deal but a little embarrassing when showing up for a dinner we had no reservation for. Also, I would recommend they be provided with a booklet which includes set prices for excursions and other activities. We tried booking a golf excursion but were never given a set cost so gave up on the idea. The other thing that irked us during our stay -- and this in no way caused by Sensatori -- were other guests... If you want to be drunk, loud and obnoxious, go to the communal "party" pool. Please respect others guests staying in the swim outs. Most of us enjoy a quiet, relaxing vacation to read books and laze under the sun. Although it only happened on 2 occasions, it did put a damper on our stay. You would also think to respect other people's swim out area. Albeit right across the swim up bar, this isn't an invitation for you to park yourself at someone else's terrace or leave your empty glasses and makeshift ashtrays on. Some guests really need to learn some respect, manners and proper etiquette. And parents: please keep an eye on your children, there are a lot of swim out rooms and it would only take a moment for them to have the bright idea to go jump in one. The Gourmet village is also not an obstacle race track for them to go wild in. There are so many ways they can hurt themselves and others or even worst, wander off and get lost. Finally ending on a good note, special shout outs to Ali (Food and Beverage director, I think he was) for making the romantic Lobster dinner possible and Julian, our swim up bartender for making the most perfect Mimosas, Candy Crush Lemonades and Pina Coladas every day. To the Sensatori staff and management teams, thank you for making our 4th year anniversary so memorable! We wanted a relaxing getaway and really got our money's worth. Until we meet again!

Sensatori Resort Punta Cana: Disappointing resort

This hotel was billed as an adult luxury 5 star resort. In fact, we found it to be disappointing on many levels. Many people with whom we spoke said that it did not measure up at all to the other Sensatori resorts, and that they had booked it based on the reviews of the other locations. This location had only recently opened and we too booked on the reputation of the chain. There were many, many details that looked like they had been rushed just to make the opening deadline - showers that did [... read more] not drain, faulty air conditioners, paint peeling off the walls, plaster crumbling in corners, dried out grass and incomplete landscaping with some plants already dying, bathroom doors that had swollen and would not shut (one of the public bathroom doors had even come right off its hinge!). If we had not known it was a new hotel we would have thought that it was looking worn and needed updating. The communication level amongst the staff also needs work. We were told by our agent that we could ask for an upgrade once at the resort, but when we did the reply was that our agent was the only one who could do that, while the resort could not. Our rep from Sunwing was not very helpful either. We informed him of the issues and he said he would look into it but we never heard from him again. He was more interested in selling tours than in solving problems. The front desk staf were not very well trained to pamper their guests. I jokingly asked whether there was a welcome cocktail and they said they had forgotten all about it! And when we asked to have our luggage brought to the room, we waited almost 1/2 hour before we went in search of it - it was on a cart outside our building with two porters just chatting. When we informed them we were taking our luggage to our room there was not even the hint of an offer to help. They simply watched us unload our bags and take them upstairs to our room. The gourmet restaurant and coffee bar were not clear as to whether they were included or not - it gave the impression of being a very transitional and not well thought out service. And finally, we found it very upsetting to discover that the resort shares the grounds with a second resort, Nickolodeon, which is a family resort! There were children everywhere, including the lounges and nightclub, and they were allowed not only to be there until late into the night, but to climb on the furniture and be rowdy. The same went for the shared swimming pools. To re-cap: physical facilities sub par; service sub-par; falsely billed as something it was not i.e. luxury adult resort. A very disappointing holiday.