Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya: Simply Amazing

I had my doubts as my last all inclusive was not that great. The Valentin Imperial Maya however was a very different experience. This place is beautiful, immaculate and well maintained. No detail is overlooked including the hotel stamp pressed into the sand on the outside ashtrays! ( and I don’t even smoke!) The grounds are stunning and the property design is very easy to navigate, We stayed in building three which was convenient to restaurants, the lazy river, the main pool and the beach. [... read more] We didn’t mind walking but there were golf cart shuttles easily accessible in all parts of the resort. I can’t say enough about the staff who were SUPER friendly and that includes everyone from servers, to gardeners, to concerige. The restaurants had little or no wait time. Our favourite stop was the Martini Bar which quickly became a nightly tradition! I can’t wait to return!

Royalton Hideaway Riviera Cancun: Amazing!

My husband and I came here for the first time for our honeymoon and I couldn’t be happier about this choice. Hands down one of the best resorts I have ever been to and experienced. From the moment you walk in to the point of leaving you are treating like royalty. The accommodations, food, staff EVERYTHING was truly amazing. I would definitely come back.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Holiday of seeweed

This was our very first trip to Mexico and it completely left a bad impression with us. The resort is wayyyyy too big to be comfortable as they seem to be understaffed everywhere. Every meal at the main buffet, we seemed to constantly clear up our own dishes, fetch our own flatware, napkins, or on occasion, beverages. I hate to sound petty but we’ve been to plenty of all-inclusive and this was just below standard. Our room wasn’t cleaned regularly nor was the mini fridge ever restocked. On o [... read more]ur first day of arrival, our son was sleeping in the room (when we were finally given our room key-check-in took hours so our first day was basically a write-off) and there as a knock at the door. Since he was sleeping, it took him some time to get up to answer the door and as he was about to open the door, a man just walked into the room unannounced! My husband inquired at the lobby and was told that there was no reason for anyone to enter our room. Because my sister was with us (and she speaks fluent Spanish), she was able to translate for us as much of the hotel staff don’t use or understand proper English. We were told that we would receive a courtesy for our inconvenience but that never happened. We just wasted a lot of our time trying to get answers. To make the trip even worse, the beach is completely UNSWIMMABLE. I wish we had known about the seaweed epidemic taking over the Riviera Mayan, we probably would not have booked this trip at all. The swimming pools (in abundance) are so shallow that the water was STEAMING HOT. Since the beach was unswimmable, the pools were overcrowded and we overheard several people bluntly blurt out that they were “just going to pee in the pool”. What a classy place (not!!). So I’m completely disappointed with our trip and feel ripped off of our annual beach holiday. We went with family so at least we were all together for the experience but still, I would have expected some sort of warning from our travel agent in regards to the swampland like beach. Utterly disappointing! As the days progressed and we were at least able to admire the beautiful gardens around the resort, we smelled the most disgusting stench. When we inquired with someone on staff, we were told that the gardens are watered with recycled water (as in recycled waste water). That was the most unappealing thought especially as there is a garden en route to the buffet so the appetite level dissipates quite quickly with the stink. Note to self-don’t drink from the coconuts that are offered from the gardener? Lastly, we needed the assistance from the Public Relations representative and again were frustrated that her English was so below par that we again needed my sister to translate. For what should have been a stress-free holiday, we were not impressed.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Resort

Overall our family had an excellent time, the service was courteous and friendly. The resort is massive, thus the shuttle buses were pretty much on time and efficient. Beach was awesome and restaurants were good. I recommend the Brazilian restaurant as the food and service were fantastic. The hotels downfall was the rooms ait conditioning. It didn't cool off the room at night and there was no exhaust in the washoom, thus making the room even warmer. Overall I would recommend this hotel to anyone [... read more] and would definitly return for another vacation.

Bahia Principe Explore Tulum: Great Family Vacation!

We just got back this week from our 10 nights stay at the Grand Bahia Principe Tulum. It was a fantastic trip for my wife, my two daughters (ages 4 and 7) and myself! We would definitely go back to this resort again. Checking in We arrived at the resort around 3pm via a Best Day tours shuttle after a 1hr15min drive from the airport. We were lucky because there was only one couple in front of us checking in. Checking in takes a bit of time because the staff make sure to explain some highlight [... read more]s of the resort on a map that they provide you with. If you are thirsty they will happily give you a cocktail, beer or whatever you fancy. A trolley will then take you and your luggage to your room. The Rooms We had a basic Junior Suite, I believe they call it. In villa 27 on the second floor with a balcony overlooking the nicely maintained grounds. The room was very clean and was a decent size. Nice bathroom and plenty of room for storage. Room included a stocked bar fridge. There is a safe in the room that requires you to take a key with you. We found it easiest to keep the key in our camera case when leaving the room. $40 charge if you lose it! The A/C worked great. The room was very very quiet at night! We didn’t have any bugs in the room or any issues with the room. There were two queen size beds pushed together so my wife and I slept on each end with the kids between us. The Lobby The lobby has recently undergone a renovation so it is nice and fresh! There are a number of things going on in the lobby. Things that we found to be important to note was the room to book you’re a la carte dinners, which can also be done via the Bahia app. The app and the wifi were not the most reliable. There is a desk with staff who may approach you. They are calling it a privilege club, but it is a timeshare sell. We were roped into it not knowing until we got to the presentation that it was a timeshare sell. We got a hat, couple of t-shirts, a few tickets to the Thursday night Mexican fiesta and a bottle of tequila so it wasn’t a total waste. Not a deal we were looking for; especially because they said we had to decide that day only. General Grounds This resort is huge! There are trollies running along the walking paths. It is worth spending the few minutes to figure out the trolley routes. We found there weren’t many trollies that serviced getting to and from the rooms to Tulum lobby. But there were many trollies going to and from Tulum and Coba lobbies. You need to take a trolley to get from Tulum to Coba, etc. Again, it is a huge resort and we found it beneficial to familiarize ourselves from the map how to get to the beach, pools, bars and restaurants. Especially with our four year old in the heat, we wanted to make sure we knew where we were going and if we could take a trollies to get there. The grounds are very well maintained and we enjoyed walking around and enjoying the palm trees and wild life. Like any resort, if you want a good spot you’ll have to get towels and bring your stuff down before breakfast. Please, if you are not going to use the spot don’t reserve it! Some mosquitoes flying around at night so bring bug spray. Note also there are bees flying around. My wife got stung. Might be a good idea to bring kids allergy medicine and an after bite/sting ointment. You’ll notice bats and dragonflies flying around in the evenings eating up all the mosquitoes! Restaurants There is one dinner buffet in the Tulum area. Such a great presentation of food and a great variety. We found the food to be very good quality too, not just good quantity. We discovered that the main buffet restaurant has an eating area that is air conditioned. We found this useful especially for breakfasts. Keeping the children happy during meals made it easier for us! The Brazilian restaurant near the small pool also has breakfast buffet, not air conditioned and smaller variety but it was nice because it was closer to our room. We tried the Mediterranean, Brazilian, Gourmet and Tequila restaurants. The food and the service at the Brazilian one was best. Tequila was the best venue. Bring your reservation slip with you. We found the snack bar by the beach was the best for lunch. Make yourself some tacos, grab a beer and enjoy lunch by the beach! Kids can serve themselves ice cream cones! The only negative thing about the restaurant experience is the service in the buffet restaurants. The staff were working very hard but it seems they were understaffed. Probably a cost cutting measure by management. Bars My favourite was the beach bar on the beach between the smaller pool and the main pool in Tulum area. Samuel was bartending while we were there. Really nice guy who took extra care in making the drinks. Swim up bars in the main pools are always fun. Lobby bars got busy at night but if a line formed it made it easier for the bartenders to serve everyone in fair order. Self-serve tequila bar! It was in the Tulum lobby bar area. What a great idea! Pools The smaller pool was a bit quieter and quite smaller than the main pool at Tulum. We didn’t go to this pool very much even though it was close to our room. The main pool was nicer, larger and more fun. Music playing, a swim-up bar, some fun pool games and more places to pull up a chair to sit and relax. The main pool at Coba was probably the nicest one because of the trees and bushes all around the area. There is a kid’s water park in this area too. Great place for the kids to play! Beach We knew ahead of time that the beach would be a bit rocky so we brought water shoes after reading other reviews. You will need water shoes! Because it is rocky it makes for some decent snorkeling. The swimming area of the beach is shallow so very beginner level, but fun, snorkeling. When we were there, around three half days the beach was not swimmable. A tonne of seaweed washed in. We were amazed how quick it washed in. But, we were also amazed at the great effort by the staff working for the company cleared it all away! They were there the entire time clearing out the seaweed. They also have a temporary barrier in the water to control the amount of seaweed coming to the beach. My wife spoke to one of the workers in the water and he said the seaweed has been especially bad since around February this year; hence the temporary barrier. It is a bit of an eyesore, but it really didn’t negatively affect out vacation. We still hung out on the beach pretty much every day! Our daughters swam in the ocean together without any issues with the rocks or seaweed. The bad seaweed days we just swam in the pool more! If you are after a place with a pristine beach you may want to look elsewhere to be honest. Not the resorts fault, it is what it is. Night Entertainment The shows at night were very well done. My wife and I enjoyed them just as much as our kids did! Great job to all of the performers! To summarize my highlighted points are: Resort is nicely maintained and very clean. It is a huge resort. Family friendly resort. Beach is so-so due to the rocks and seaweed. Snorkeling is good right at the beach. Fish and crabs to see. Bring water shoes, bug spray, children’s allergy medicine and after bite/sting ointment. Bring one more sunblock than you think you’ll need. Waterproof case for safe key, camera, etc would be handy. Familiarize yourself with the layout of the resort and the trolley routes. If you are not interested in timeshare, don’t waste your time with the ‘Privilege Club’ staff in the main lobby, even if they offer to give you free stuff. Go see the night shows after dinner! If you don't want to go off the resort or waste your time shopping, go to the shopping area near the entrance of the resort. Great little shops there, fun Mexican stuff for sale at reasonable prices!

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Great family trip - Barcelo Maya Colonial

Overall, this was a great experience for our family. It was our first trip to Mexico and loved it. Fantastic pools, good food and plenty to do! Highly recommended! Hotel facilities were really impressive - although it was a big resort, it didn't feel like it. There was lots to keep our kids occupied. A la carte restaurants were fantastic. I do recommend these over the buffet, which was good but a little repetitive.

Dreams Jade Resort and Spa: Amazing resort!

Great resort, good food options, but hated that you couldn't reserve tables for large parties. We had 12 and had to wait 1-2 hours unless we went before the restaurant opened. Kids play area service was great liked that I could drop off my kids during the day. Very good staff all were friendly except one bad experience with BD travel person who dropped us back to the airport, he wasn't happy with my tip and said he didn't want it. Very rude and unprofessional.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Love the Resort

The resort is great. So much to do for children and adults the pools are great the kids pools and the slides. My grandchildren enjoyed all and the Cenote they loved the fresh water and the fish and turtles the beach has lots of lawn chairs palm trees and the Coconut drinks right from the coconut shell the food was fabulous at all the restaurants we ate at . We will definitely return. Thank you to all the Pleasant and hard working staff. Made us feel at home

Ocean Coral Riviera Cancun: Great resort

We have been to Mexico many times, and this resort will remain one of our favourites. It is a quiet resort without a disco! We were able to sleep through the night. The layout of the grounds is perfect for those with mobility issues. The staff were efficient and friendly. No reservations were required for the a la carte restaurants. The seafood and cheese was especially delicious. Sadly the seaweed wreaks the view, but they do their best to clean it up. If you enjoy quiet vacations with  [... read more]a beautiful stretch of sand, this resort is for you.

Catalonia Royal Tulum: Amazing resort

We've stayed at all the Catalonia resorts on the Mayan Riviera and this is hands down the best of them all. Let's start with the beach, which is amazing. Clean, beautiful white sand, no rocks. The grounds are natural, jungle like setting, well kept, with roaming coatis and iguanas. It is an adult only resort and we founded to be relatively quiet. Entertainment was good, in particular the girl only Cuban band and the acrobatic dancers. Staff was friendly and they worked really hard to provide a g [... read more]ood service. Food was fantastic, lots of fish and healthy meals. They cater mostly to the European market which is in many respects a positive thing. No food or drinks are being served in the pool. Location wise, the resort is right by the main highway connecting Playa Del Carmen with Tulum. You can hop on a Collectivo (minibus) running every 5 minutes for just a $3 trip to Tulum or Playa. It is a safe and quick mode of getting around. Tulum is nice and off the beaten path. Buy your souvenirs and booze from Playa! Avoid the duty free, it is way more expansive than buying from the grocery store or Walmart. Twice a week the souvenir stores in the resort have a sale.

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: A Great Getaway!

I’ve been to Bahia Principe Akumal three times now. Each time was terrific. The resort is beautiful, the service is always excellent, the food is good and the beaches and pools are great. The folks there are all very friendly and attentive. The resort is very clean. The are attentive to any issues one may have and do their best to accommodate special requests. It has both areas for families with children as well as adult only sections. The entertainment is excellent. There is a variety of thi [... read more]ngs to do outside the resort which you can safely signup for. I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to have fun or relax and just getaway.

Dreams Sapphire Resort and Spa: Great resort

Small friendly resort with great service. Restaurants excellent with plenty of choices. Preferred club pool a piece of heaven - quite and serene with exceptional service. Main pool very busy and noisy - great for kids. Beach fantastic but seaweed a problem while we were there making access to the ocean impossible. Rooms pretty standard for Mexico. Great for families or couples. Lots of evening entertainment and great main bar area with lots of seating and efficient service.

Bahia Principe Escape Sian Ka'an: Honeymoon trip

My husband and I bought our son and daughter-in-law a honeymoon trip to this resort. I am so pleased with the special treatment they received and how happy they were with the resort! My husband and I got married at the Bahia Principe Esmeralda in Punta Cana 5 years ago and loved it there too! Booking was easy with Trip Central and their tips and information were very helpful! Thank you for making the kids honeymoon so fantastic Trip Central! A very pleased Mom!

The Fives Beach Hotel and Residences Playa Del Carmen: Excellent family resort

We loved the hotel because was a low rise and everything very close to each other. The rooms are well equipped for babies and toddlers , beds very uncomfortable. Amazing gourmet dinning . Great room service. Beach was not our favorite.

El Dorado Seaside Suites: Beautiful place to escape!

Amazing resort, amazing food, amazing staff, amazing time. The list goes on, but really this resort has it all. After coming home, I'm suffering withdrawals from the relaxation I got from being there. The resort has a stunning view and setting- we stayed in the portion with the pool balcony which was an absolute treat to cool off in and escape the sun. The pool(s) were just as much fun and nicely shaded towards the evening. The beach at this portion of the resort was definitely more for loun [... read more]ging on the beds- the sand is made up of many small shells. We would walk to the sensimar portion for a softer sand and a more beach-y experience. Staff is incredibly friendly and attentive. There were always employees tending to the cleanliness and appearance of the resort- regardless of what they were doing they would acknowledge your passing. Everyone there really wants you to have a nice time. Many interactive events take place daily such as coconut painting, dancing, live music, etc. The only okay experience we had was with room service taking a long time or not getting us what was ordered; don't get me wrong- very worth the wait. Anywhere you go on this resort for food is absolutely unreal. I was blown away by the food at every single restaurant we tried. Klay talay is well worth reservations. I needed a vacation more than anything and I got far more than I could have ever expected. This is the perfect place to unwind and remind yourself what relaxation feels like!

El Dorado Seaside Suites: Beautiful Resort!!

We just returned from a week at El Dorado Seaside Suites. We were there from July 1 - July 8 with a group of 40 for a wedding. The resort is beautiful, very well kept. They are always working on the grounds. Service was amazing, from room service, at the buffets, sit down restaurants, bars and beach service. Service is quick. Especially nice being handed a cup of fresh fruit, drinks or a nice cold towel at the beach was very appreciated. We always were able to get a day bed or 2 and loung [... read more]ers. Shuttles always coming around. We ate at most of the restaurants and the food is amazing!! Most nights the restaurants did their best to accommodate our large groups that we ate in. We really enjoyed the Seaside Market for breakfast, lots of choices. Room service was usually pretty quick, 30 minutes or so and always very good. I know many in our group ordered a lot of room service, always enjoyed having room service 24/7. Maid service for us was generally good. The odd time we had to ask for fresh towels and toilet paper. My only disappointment was that not once did I receive towel art. I was looking so forward to it too. Always left a nice tip for our girl too!! Our bar fridge was filled each day!! I knew from reading posts, to keep our room on "dry" and I passed that info along to our group as many had a lot of moisture in their rooms at the start. Our room was always so cold, for some reason we could not adjust our room temp even when we used the remote. However, sometimes that cold room was really nice. A lot of people in our group had issues with hot water. They did come and fix our shower so we had hot water. Our bride had an injury, they called the resort doctor in at about 11:00 p.m. at night for her. He was very nice to deal with and took the time to deal with her injury. He also saw her again the next morning to check to make sure everything was ok. This happened 2 days before her wedding!! Needless to say, our bride wore fancy flipflops!! In general the resort is beautiful, they work so hard, never stopping!! We all had a great time!! The food, service, drinks, staff, everything was fantastic. The staff will do what they have to in order to accommodate any requests. The odd issue, but you will get that anywhere, so I can't really complain about anything. I would highly recommend the resort.

Bahia Principe Escape Sian Ka'an: Most Amazing Serene Resort Ever!

This hotel is absolutely amazing! We were in HB 11villa , was very good location . The staff are incredible Isaac was just amazing and so helpful and Rosario and Luna for the animation team ! Our butler Karime was exceptional made our time very special ! The A’ la , cartes had the best service and my favourite was the Alux ! The rooms are clean and the pools ! I NEVER GO TO THE SAME RESORT TWICE BUT I AN COMING Back to this one !!! Loved the beach never had any problems with transportatio [... read more]n there was one there to take us to any resort we wanted as we had access to all of them !! THE BEST trip EVER !! ❤️ Julio and Gaby are the nicest people made my days so happy by the pool and CARLOS AT the beach bar ! Love them !!! THANK YOU SIAN Ka’an for my best trip ever !

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Great family vacation

Grounds well kept, room AC not very powerful and warm most of the time but lucky ceiling fan was full blast, food was dynamite at the buffet and the four Ala carts we went too the food and service were great. I didn’t like how most huts and prime pool lounge seats were taken and I’m a early riser at 6am. It would have been nice to have access to specialty coffees early AM instead of coffee machine that seemed to act up from time to time. Overall great for young families.

El Dorado Seaside Suites: Amazing Resort

The hotel was amazing. Everything was clean and well maintained. The staff were all very polite. Overall, we had an amazing stay. The only complaint we have is the walls were very thin, and we could hear everything from the neighbouring rooms

Barcelo Maya Caribe: Amazing resort!

The resort was absolutely beautiful, the gym, the spa, the mall, the grounds,"I can go on", was immaculate and the food was great. The only downside I saw was the beach, it wasn't the greatest but with that said, it wasn't the fault of the resort. I will definitely travel to the Barcelo Maya again in the future. We had a great time.