Riu Flamingos: How do you spell fantastic?

I've been to a few resorts and hotels down in Mexico... Cabo, Mazatlan, Huatulco and (a long time ago) Puerto Vallarta. Last time we went to PV, some twenty years past, we stayed at Royal De Cameron and it was a lovely experience, so we decided to visit the town again for our 20th anniversary. This time though, we stayed at the Riu Jalisco and it turned out to be the best place I have stayed at, bar none. I should point out though, that it takes nothing away from our memories of the De Ca [... read more]meron. We visited again on this trip and it's still a warm and welcoming place. Everything at the Riu oozes happiness and comfort, the staff are all super well trained in customer service and smiles are as natural as the unending sunshine. The food is just top notch, really anything you want,cooked any way you want it and always delicious... you can't get any better than what these guys serve up no matter what the claims of the fancy restaurants are. The buffets are so good that you don't really have to bother with the specialty restaurants, we tried two of them but to be honest it wasn't worth the palaver of waiting for the dish to be brought to your table... I prefer to dig in myself! Waiter service was friendly and helpful, they were all well groomed and immaculately uniformed.They made sure your plates were taken away so you could carry on scoffing uninterrupted and believe me ... I did! Drinks came promptly and they had PR men patrolling to make sure you were happy with the way things were being done at the hotel. They also had a team of unobtrusive security men doing patrols and this, combined with the fact that the entire hotel area is gated access, left us with absolutely no concerns about safety. Rooms are spacious and clean and far enough from the entertainment area to stop you from being bothered by any late night noise. Amazingly there is hardly a murmur of noise after midnight in the residential area of the hotel.Slept like a baby every single night! The gym is modern and has everything you need . we didn't use the spa but there is a free (and very quiet) whirlpool tucked inside the building where you can ease away any aches and pains. The climate is very warm and humid ( about 30 degrees every day we were there) and you can get very sticky. The air conditioning in the rooms just about manages to keep things comfortable but your clothes can get really damp and it's hard to dry them out. Maybe it's best just to stay wet all the time! In my mind the best quality of the entire property is the beach, you can walk right in to the ocean across smooth sand and it's like diving into a warm bath, wonderful curative effects on your skin and your mind... heaven. Don't worry about grabbing a beach chair, there's more than enough for everybody They had evening shows which were excellent ... Abba, Michael Jackson, Mexican Indigenous dance show, Riu Party (which is a blast), and a talented couple who sang opera. You don't really need the shows to enjoy your evenings because just being there and absorbing the energy is enough We took in three tours, the daylong tour of Vallarta and tequila tasting wasn't for me but the second tour to the Mexican Village was enjoyable. The best of all though was swimming with the dolphins, the experience of a lifetime to be able to swim with them and rub your hand across their skin , something that will stay with me forever. I spoke with the hotel's PR man Carlos , a charming , polite and personable young feller who epitomised the professionalism of the whole operation.I told him I would write a very positive review and this is it. you can't get no better than this place, thank you for two wonderful weeks, I would recommend the place to anyone!

Iberostar Selection Paraiso Maya Suites: Recent stay at Iberostar Paraiso Maya

My family and I recently stayed at Iberostar and we can’t say it enough the place is amazing. From the cleanliness of not only the rooms but the whole resort to the amazing food and drinks. The entertainment team is amazing and they put on great shows and always have activities during the day. The resort is also great if you have kids. Star kids. They have interactive shows that they do with the kids, they then perform in the evening. They have kids water park and programs for them. The pools  [... read more]are amazing, the have a wave pool, lazy river and a great beach and all very clean. They also have a shopping centre if you want to do some shopping. The staff are very friendly and always happy to see you. Also for amenities, you don’t need to bring a thing, they have big bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, hair dryer, towels, robe, slippers. We did not see one bug and I have to mention the smell when you enter the lobby is amazing. We highly recommend this resort and we definitely will be returning.

Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya: Excellent Resort

Our recent stay was amazing! The resort was clean, the staff was friendly and the food was amazing! The beach isn’t great, but the pools (x3) made up for that! Beautiful spot, would definitely return!

Grand Riviera Princess: The Best Resort, a little bit of heaven on earth!!!!

The Grand Princess is the most Amazing place to stay. I would tell anyone go for your couples retreat. Go if you have a family with children. This hotel can take of everything you want, and may have not even thought about. Rooms are so clean, the beach is amazing. And the staff are far by the friendless people you could ever meet. We have gone to the Grand Princess, 3years now, and are planning number 4. Food is unbelievable. Staff will stop at nothing to be helpful.

Akumal Bay Beach and Spa Resort: We will be back...

We had a great time, the hotel is clean, the staff is friendly and the food was great. The ocean and sandy beach are amazing so we spent most of our days there. There is live entertainment every night and the lighting and ambience added to our experience..I really have nothing bad to say about Akumal Bay wellness resort.

Dreams Playa Mujeres Golf and Spa: Very Nice Place

Grounds were immaculate. Very well kept. Always saw staff cleaning and painting and upgrading. Rooms were awesome. Loved having the tub on the balcony. The kids played in it all the time. Bluetooth speakers, mirrors in the bathroom that swiveled to open up to the living area, and a rain head shower. The pools were large, water was kept very clean and warm. Really liked that there were 4 different pool areas to hang out in. Lets you mix it up. The kids water park was great. Could use a bar are cl [... read more]oser to it, but definitely gave some entertainment for the kiddos. The beach was OK. The restaurants were mixed. Mediterranean struggled the night we went. Food was good, but orders were wrong and took a long time to get food. Steakhouse on Secrets side was fantastic. Loved their food and service. Wish we could have gotten in to the Teppanyaki restaurant, but there was a wait just to get reservations and most of the line was there an hour before the reservations opened up. Restaurant was closed most of the days we were there as well. Not super convenient. Overall, one of the best resorts our family has been to with regards to food, service, and grounds.

Crown Paradise Golden: Another awesome stay

This is our 4th visit to this hotel and again they did not disappoint. This is an all adult resort attached to a family resort that we could also use for dinners etc. The staff here are wonderfully attentive. The beach area is great and the water is clean. We were there in November and the weather was hot and sunny. We enjoy this resort as it is easy and cheap to take the local bus into town.

Iberostar Selection Cancun: 5 star

The resort is spotless the food is excellent and the staff are helpful and friendly. The beach is well kept. Highly recommend this hotel. The hotel is about a 10 minute cab ride to downtown Cancún and ideally situated

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Brand Bahia Principe Coba is almost a 5 star resort

We stayed here from Nov 28- Dec 5 in Building no 22 which is very close proximity to the pool, grand buffet and lobby, 24-hour snack bar and kid's waterpark, not to mention 3 of the A La Carte restaurants are only few steps away from our building. I was with my 3 sisters and all of them were impressed by the quality of food and nightly entertainment except Thursday which is appointed for Mexican Fiesta at Hacienda. We took the Collectivo to Playa De Carmen to shop and also to see the show Jo [... read more]ya Cirque Du Soleil. We made friends with the people at Premier Club kiosk Arath, Ansel , et. al. Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Coba and would be planning to return next year.

Melia Puerto Vallarta: Great place to spend a week

The hotel was a quaint resort which I enjoyed. I loved the family atmosphere. I found a couple of the nights quite loud but not over bearing. The staff were very friendly and helpful. As a single woman I was very comfortable at the Melia

Dreams Riviera Cancun: Amazing Resort

Dreams is a quaint smaller resort with all the amenities that one could ask for. It still have a number of a la carte restaurants where the food is delicious. The grounds are immaculate with many winding paths to wonder. Would go back in a heart beat.

Riu Playacar: Beautiful Resort!

The hotel grounds are beautifully manicured and kept incredibly clean! Rooms are fresh, clean and as they're advertised. Food selection was fantastic and we really enjoyed the steakhouse - not needing to make reservations was a huge bonus! We went there twice and ate at the buffet the remaining nights - they even had a vegetarian section. Breakfasts offered a vast array of options from cereal to fresh fruits, custom omelettes, eggs any which way and a fresh juice station. For lunch, the sala [... read more]d bar was great as well as a full offering of hot foods or you could grab a bite at the grill by the pool. The staff is fantastic and always ready to please! We noticed that a lot of people don't tip the staff - take a wad of dollar bills and tip them - they'll all work so hard to make your stay enjoyable! Entertainment was great most nights - ending at around 11pm which is great for the crowd on a relaxing vacation. Those wanting a bit more nightlife could be shuttled to one of two other resorts just down the road. Loads of activities during the day - the staff is fantastic and not too pushy. This was our second time at the resort and we'd go back without a doubt!

Riu Emerald Bay: Great week

The hotel is very large and can get busy! Loved: pools, great food, nice walkable beach, view from the room Got tired of: waiting at the elevators, all the insanely ridiculous and inconsistent rules at the water park (never did end up going down a slide - no jewelry, not tall enough, not old enough, no zippers 🙄), very small store with very high prices. Overall had a great week - enjoyed Mazatlan, very helpful kind people, lots of fun in the pools and the beach!

Sandos Playacar Beach Resort: Outstanding Experience

The hotel is impressive as soon as you step into the main lobby. Check-in was easy and room was ready when they said it would be. Room was as requested by Debbie - higher floor, ocean view. The Adult only section was a great recommendation by Debbie. No issue in finding chairs at either the pool or the beach. Grounds were clean. A La carte, no reservations needed, were a great highlight to end each day. The Cup Cake Cafe satisfied when looking for various types of coffees day or night.  [... read more] Will return again

Iberostar Selection Paraiso Lindo: Enjoyed the Resort

Iberostar Paraiso Lindo is a wonderful family resort. Very clean, food excellent, staff friendly, very interactive, beach was excellent, no seaweed so far. Seen they did a lot with children. I would definitely recommend this resort.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Very nice resort

Rooms were clean. Staff was friendly. Very big resort but carts to drive you around. Nice pools. We only saw the early evening entertainment, but it was excellent. A nice touch to have earlier entertainment since we were traveling with kids.

Barcelo Huatulco: Second Visit to Barcelo Huatulco

Enjoyed our return visit to Barcelo Huatulco very much. Both times we paid a little extra for the ‘Premium Level’, which upgrades the stay to include express check-in in the air conditioned Premium lounge (otherwise its a lineup with everyone else that just got off the bus), wifi (otherwise there is a limit of 1hr/day), ability to book a la carte restaurants for dinner well in advance (otherwise there is a lineup starting at 9am to try to book for that day), preferred room locations, a quie [... read more]t beach lounge chair area (although many folks without the Premium bracelets were using this area), and access to the bartended Premium Lounge with better liquor and a limited wine selection, seating area with big-screen TV, and hot & cold food available throughout the day. The Premium Level isn’t necessary to enjoy this resort, but we appreciated these benefits. The two buffet restaurants offer plenty of choice and are open most of the day. We didn’t try the Japanese a la carte for dinner, but enjoyed the Mexican and Italian restaurants. The service in the Italian was the best and included a musician on the baby grand piano each evening. It’s a cheap 60 peso/10 minute cab ride into town if you want to go in and poke around, shop, or go for an off-resort meal. We were on the hunt for vanilla and found a wide variety of pricing and quality. Ended up paying 180 pesos for 1L of natural vanilla. We looked in the Chedraui (like a Mexican Walmart), but that wasn’t the place to buy vanilla, or booze. Last year we took a catamaran tour which was great and included snorkelling and a stop where a nice beach lunch could be bought... this tour is a pretty good excursion to do in this area. This year we did the city tour, which was OK, but a lot of time spent waiting around for the guides to herd the tour, and scripted stops to flog mescal, woven carpets and jewelry. Would definitely recommend this resort for those looking for a quiet destination. I would not recommend this resort to anyone with mobility limitations. We did see a couple of guests with wheelchairs and walkers, but the resort is not very friendly in this regard.

Royalton CHIC Cancun: Amazing Resort!

We just got back from a very restful week at the Royalton Suites Cancun. We were pleasantly surprised upon checking in, we received an upgrade to an ocean view room at no extra charge! Our room was modern and spacious along with a very large shower. Housekeeping was excellent and never missed a turndown. The food in the buffet was plentiful and lots of variety. We went to all the restaurants they were very good and we enjoyed the steakhouse more than once. We loved the cappuccino’s at the [... read more] coffee shop several times a day. The water, was crystal clear, and the beach, and sand was pristine. We will definitely be going back!

Barcelo Huatulco: Best beach waiters!

Although we were quite unhappy that our “free wifi” was only one hour a day, we were more than thrilled to have such great waiters deliver drinks to the beach! Even if we only wanted cups of ice and bottles of water, they never complained and brought us anything we asked for! The grounds were kept very clean and well looked after, the rooms were comfortable, clean and the A/C worked great! (Thank goodness!)

Las Flores Beach Resort: Nice stay at a nice place.

It is in a good location within Mazatlan ... central to everything. The rooms were very clean and the staff were all very friendly. The only issue I had was that I had to run the water for about 10 minutes before the "hot" water came to the shower.