Ocean Riviera Paradise: Great Resort

Great Resort, clean grounds, clean rooms, great food. Beach could use a makeover but overall great experience. The walkways were rough, moisture from all the previous week's rain had raised the stones which was a hazard for everyone walking but they were always working on fixing them. Resteraunts were good not great but buffet was always good and consistent.

El Dorado Royale: Simply the best!!!!

We just returned from our 14th ....yes 14th stay at the El Dorado Royale. We have been to other resorts on the Maya Riviera,but found EDR to be the BEST! The main reasons we love this place so much are: 1:The staff here are just fantastic and go out of there way to do whatever they can to make your vacation wonderful. Front desk:Francisco...always takes care of us Jimmy our dear friend. Spot:Celestino breakfast sever (we have known him for 15 years)!great worker and friend. So many othe [... read more]r severs have treated us so well.... Gregorio,Efran,Alex,Sammy,Humberto and our dear friend Jose. All the bartenders are fantastic,Darwin,Juan ,Jovany and Fucadus. Thanks again to you all for yet another amazing vacation. These people and many more keep us coming back because of the service and friendship you give us. 2: Every time we return there are always new and improved things to enjoy. This time they changed many of the menus,and the food in some of the restaurants was even better than in the past.We didn't think it was possible to improve the already great food ,but they did it! The new menu at Cocatel was one of our fav meals this time ,fantastic! And the mew menu at Kampai was so good !!!! Loved it before ...but loved the new one. Don't miss the sea bass wontons and the seared tuna!!!!amazing !!! 3: And the third reason we love this resort so much is the amazing fellow guests we have met over the years!!!This time was no exception....we had so much fun meeting all the great couples we did this trip. So many great couples ,can't mention them all ,but cheers to All the "Lynn's" and their husbands we met this time!! Also... Chelsea and Cody Cody and Chris And so many couples from England . We enjoyed meeting you all...thanks for the good times.!! Untill next time!!! Love Lynn and Larry Canada.

Catalonia Playa Maroma: Amazing Catalonia Playa Maroma

We just recently came back from our vacation for a week in this beautiful resort. Group of 6 arrived on June 17 to June 24. We we’re stunned with the pristine beauty of the beach. It was wide and long stretch of powdery sand. We’ve travelled every year to Caribbean and we always say that Cuba has the best beach elsewhere. But now we’re torn between Catalona Maroma beach resort and Cuba’s beach. Everyone was happy and satisfied with the rooms and services. Staffs are very accommodating an [... read more]d the animation teams are very nice and friendly. They will come up and talk to the guest after their performances. The weather that week was on & off rain and sunshine, but it didn’t stop us from enjoying the pool and the resort’s services and amenities. It would have been a perfect weather if the beach was calmer. We cannot swim because of the rough waves but we don’t see any sea weeds at all even in the shore. There’s a machine every morning cleaning the shore. The resort was very well maintained and clean. We love it! The food has so many varieties and taste great! Alcohol is not watered down. You can always ask to make it stronger. They used the branded booze. Our suggestion is to probably open up a 24 hours snack bar and livelier band before the shows for those people hanging around in the lobby after dinner. Overall, we really love and enjoyed our stay in this resort. We will go back again in the next few years.

Ocean Coral Riviera Cancun: Loved this resort!

We are getting married here in December and it was with a little apprehension that we went there 6 months in advance to scope the resort out. Couldn't be happy with the choice. The people, the food, the rooms, the location, the gardens, the wedding planner..everything was fantastic. I know my wedding here will (hopefully) go without a hitch!

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: A week in paradise

This is an amazing resort, if your looking for relaxation, quiet time then this is the place to go. The food is amazing, the service is above all, the pools are great. This was our 2nd time at this resort and if never fails. What are you waiting for book at the Luxury Bahia Principe Akumal now you won't be disappointed!!

Bahia Principe Explore Tulum: Amazing Resort

This was our first trip to Riviera Maya and I was skeptical about this hotel with recent reviews. It exceeded my expectations as staff were amazing. They work so hard and still are smiling and willing to help. They treat children great...always giving high fives or hugs or joking.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Great Vacation!

The hotel was a great spot for a week vacay. Very clean and well-kept, food was great and the staff were beyond amazing. Beach is small but very beautiful and pools were amazing too! Would definitely return!

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Wonderful stay

Very easy to get around coba and to get to sister resort tulum, just hop on a trolley and your there, food was good, drinks good, the room was nice, good a/c never a sweaty night. Would definitely return.

Hyatt Vivid Playa Del Carmen: Great resort for quiet getaways

There are almost no flaws with this resort. The beach is on the smaller side, but clean, lots of loungers available, plenty of towels and decent enough drink service while you're tanning on the beach. We had one of the swim-up suites, which made things so easy for us, as we always had a quiet pool available for us to just slip into and cool off, we never once went into the main pool. (Shhh ... don't tell the staff, but we loved our late-night dips into pool. So refreshing after a great me [... read more]al!) The food at this resort is actually really good. Many options are available, plus room service (which wee never used as we like going to all the different restaurants and actually sitting down for dinner). We went to most of the restaurants at the Royal, as well as 2 at the sister resort 'Gran Porto' across the street. In our opinion, (food was so good, this was the only resto we went to twice) the best restaurant available at the Royal is “El Mediterraneo” ... all of our food was prepared incredibly, presentation and service was top notch. As luck would have it, our waiter on both occasions was Julio who was not only super attentive, but also remembered our drink order from our first visit. The second best, was probably “S'padas” at the Gran Porto. It's in the style of a Brazilian steakhouse, where all the food (read as meat here for all you carnivores) is brought to you on long skewers/swords. All the food was great, the only exception was that my wife fund some of her meat choices a bit tough (I think it was because the restaurant only had a couple of tables seated while we were there and potentially some of the meat sat too long on the grill). The service was also very attentive, our waiting staff was Marissa and Julio, they both kept us entertained throughout our meal. Julio even showed us a brief video, on his phone, of the "pineapple dance" while explaining its significance. Now, for about the only flaw which we see wit the resort, and many might disagree with us on this. We usually prefer to stay at slightly better resorts (4.5-5* and better), and of the reasons for this is that we like a certain atmosphere (and perhaps sophistication) in our choices of hotels. During the day, when everyone is out lying on the beach or by the pool, doing water related activities and visiting local sights or doing excursions it is understandable the everyone will be dressed down, appropriate for the activity. But at dinner, especially at a “diamond class” resort such as this, not having a dinner dress code (long pants and closed-toe shoes for men, and evening attire for women … but this isn’t usually an issue as most women dress-up all the time anyway), just does not make sense. I think nothing of packing along several pair of trousers (I have both shirts and pants made of linen for warm climate travels), and wearing these for dinner as I think that this maintains the upscale atmosphere which many resort restaurant try so hard to achieve. It’s not easy for resorts to operate a “classy” Asian/French/Italian restaurant in the Caribbean, so we as dinners should do our part to help them in at least maintaining the ambiance which they try so hard to accomplish. I am sorry, but few things ruin my dinner more then a man sitting one table away from me, wearing a tank top shirt, shorts made of cut-off track pants and flip-flops. Or a woman sitting down for dinner in a wet bathing suit, wearing nothing more then a soaked through white cover-up. We actually spoke to our reps at “The Royal” about this, and they said that they do not have a dinner dress code policy. Too bad, as we weren’t the only guests that noticed this flaw in this resort. Overall, the resort provided with a wonderful week … it is clean, room are spacious and well equipped, the hotel is large enough to have many choices and surprises (like the roof-top tennis court!) yet small enough that you can easily walk anywhere at any time, staff is friendly, food is great and drinks are cold and delicious. We give it 4.75/5* (We flew with Sunwing … upgraded to Club class … had a private transfer to and from the resort … and had a swim-up suite. All were well worth the money spent.)

El Dorado Seaside Suites: Amazing resort!

Blown away by the level of service and attention to detail. Average ratio of 1 guest for 4 staff very evident in how clean and well kept the grounds and rooms are. Dining was 5 star and inventive. Service was consistently friendly and warm. The rooms and pools were beautiful with fantastic view of the ocean. If you want a stress free, pampered vacation this is the spot for you. We will be returning to this resort again and again.

Bahia Principe Explore Tulum: Will not go back 😞

Amenities were good, don pablo restaurant was excellent, nice and clean grounds. Plenty to do. Beach was ok, plenty of rocks. We found restaurant, bar and tram employees were nice and friendly. Lobby and front desk and security people either did not care or were downright rude to guests. We spent almost a full day in combined hours trying to fix a mistake they made on booking. Separated a family of 6 into 2 separate villas. Made us pack and unpack and still did not get it right. Big cockroache [... read more]s in our room 2 nights in a row. TV was turning off but front desk did not send anyone even after I asked to replace it. Security guard turned off lights while we were still at diamond lobby without any warning and wont turn them back on so we can gather our stuff without stumbling in the dark. Front desk did not want to send anyone to turn on lights so we had to use our cellphones as flashlights. We did not ask a whole lot or any special treatment. This is the kind of service you will get. We had to make do with our vacation. Should have spent a bit more money to go to a quality resort.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Check in nightmare

Upon arrival at front desk were told room wouldn't be ready until 3:00, so came back at that time only to be told it would be another hour. Each time we came back time to availability was extended. After four trips back and forth finally got room at 7pm. Than AC didn't initially seem to work. Cooled the room off later but in middle of night discovered puddle of water on floor. Was fixed next day. Despite bad start food was excellent. Pools and beach good. Kids loved the iguanas and Coat [... read more]is roaming the property. Entertainment wasn't worth sticking around for.

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Wonderful resort, with exceptions.

This is my third time at this resort. It is a wonderful place. The grounds are beautiful, the beaches, although not Cuba type beaches, are wonderful, the people are mostly wonderful, the food is delicious and plentiful, and if you have good weather, it can be an overall amazing experience. For a 5 star resort, it does come close to offering the same treatments of what one would come to expect from a 5 star resort outside Canada/U.S. Except, there is no consistency. In the three times I went [... read more], this was the first time that I actually experienced 5 star service in every way. Having a personal butler was very nice. Ours was called Darwin. He was exceptional. He did not miss one day of looking us up and making sure all was well in our room/requests. He also left wonderful surprises for us a couple of evenings during turn down service. Another really amazing person was our mini-bar re-stocker named Felipe. He was a kind, compassionate and truly caring person. I had an accident on the 4th day of my vacation. I slipped and fell on the landing. It had just rained and the tiles were all wet. Despite my carefulness, it still happened. Everyone at the resort was wonderful in the way they took care of me, getting me to the hospital, accommodating special room service, late check out, etc. until my departure. It is a very pleasant place to visit. The choice of gourmet, a la carte restaurants is amazing. At this particular hotel, you can have access to all of them, and if you want to repeat a place, you can. We were booked for one every night, except that with the accident, we could only go to three of them. Maiko, a Japanese restaurant, has delicious food (although definitely not typical Japanese); Los Corales, a Brazilian restaurant on the beach, also offers delicious fare (mostly charcoal grilled meats), and an experience; Frutto del Mar, a seafood restaurant, had excellent fare as well. Top class food at each of them. Too bad we didn't make it to the other ones. The last time we went, we were in a 7 day hurricane, so we didn't dine out. Prior to that, those amenities were not offered. If you are a foodie, going to the a la carte restaurants is a must! Although the buffets are also well stocked with a large variety. Most of the food on their menus are good as well. Now, for the cons: this is the third time we visit, and the third time they didn't give us the room we paid for. Their website offers one or two beds, and we have always asked for two beds, but only ever get one king sized and one sofa bed. My husband slept on the sofa bed for several nights and got a very bad back ache. Our butler attempted to get us a second bed in the very small room we were in (they definitely have larger rooms, as in my past experience), but the mattress that arrived was not only broken, but filthy beyond measure. It was probably garbage ready, but they tried to use it. We refused it. This made me wonder, and I pulled off the sheets to the regular king sized bed, and lo and behold, the mattress was also filthy. I was shocked and disgusted that this 5 star resort were using such filthy mattresses for their well paying guests. There was also a problem with the floors. The bathroom especially, had sticky stuff on the floor by the toilet (anyone can figure this out), and they never washed it. Even after we complained at reception and to the concierge. They told us they don't wash the floor daily! The only time we saw an extra effort being made was after we spoke with our butler. The following day, the maid and what seemed like her supervisor came in the room and did a much better job of cleaning it together. The bathroom floor, however, although better than before was still not totally clean. So, being borderline OCD, this stuff drove me nuts. The last two vacations, prior to this one, the maids were very, very nice and thorough. They would also leave decorated towels on the bed after making it. Not this one. I felt she was lazy. She'd be in and out of our room within 10-12 minutes!! With the exception of when she came in with her supervisor. Two of them cleaning took almost 25 minutes... what a difference. In any case, this was most disturbing. If you have mobility issues, and need a wheel chair, bring your own. The hotel had to scramble to get me a wheel chair after the accident, and the best they could do was a broken one, which tested my husband's patience!! So bring your own. There are trolleys that take you just about anywhere you want to go on the resort. Also, if you get a butler like we did, he comes with a club car for personal service. Because I am unable to walk long distances, he was very helpful in this area. The first part of our vacation was wonderful. Also to keep in mind, they now have what the call "Premiere". These are vacation rental owners who have their own buildings and their own beach. If you are in building 47, you will be facing their dedicated beach and you are not allowed on it. There are two other beaches for you to use. There is an adult beach only by the infinity pool, and then a family friendly one, across from the pool closest to this building 47. Finally, I found this resort much busier than the last two times I went, and yet this was considered low season. I fear that these vacation rental people have crowded the place. They also have new adult only buildings, which of course add to the crowding. What bothered me most about this adult only beach was that chairs would be 'saved' as early as 6 a.m. and some of the occupants never showed up, all day long. We suspect they stayed at the infinity pool. So they reserved chairs that could be accommodating people who really want to be on the beach. There aren't enough to go around, so I can't imagine what high season would be like! If you are okay with a very large resort, lots of people, and questionable room cleanliness (every maid is different, but I wonder about the mattresses); then what the rest of this resort offers is amazing. I do wish I could return, but all to be seen.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Good / Great resort!

This resort has something for everyone. We bought the "Select Adult Only" package and were quite pleased with the exception that many of the restaurants were for the "Royal Elite" only. This was disappointing as it eliminated 3 or 4 of the restaurants most nights. We've been to all-inclusive resorts many times and this was the first time both of us got sick - on different nights in different restaurants. Not sure from what, so we were very choosy about what we ate. With the exception of [... read more] getting sick, the food was good. The main buffet restaurant ("International") had very limited meat choices for dinners; we were use to resorts where each night they had a different specialty meal (roast beef, or turkey or pork etc) Unfortunately the International was limited to pan fried flank steak or small pan fried chicken pieces every night. The Italian restaurant was great - we had our best meal here. Unfortunately, in our 10 day stay this was only open to us once and it was for "Royal Elite" members only on the rest of the nights. The steak and seafood restaurant was also nice and we visited it a few times. Only the Japanese food restaurant required reservations which was nice. We did go to the Japanese restaurant and the culinary show was enjoyable to watch. The food was acceptable (not exciting, but not bad either) I liked the fact that you could enjoy quiet, activity, loud music, or what ever you liked as there were separate areas. They did a great job with having designated smoking areas throughout the resort. It was very progressive in that they asked smokers to not smoke around the pool areas or other guests and they had signs up explaining the dangers of second hand smoke. It would have been great to also have these on the beach. The beach was nice, but no matter where you went, you were inundated with foul cigarette smoke. The only non-smoking area on the beach was way way at the back (not even really on the beach actually), and as the wind blows off of the ocean, the non smoking area was where the smoke would blow. Non smoking in the beach area would make this good resort a great resort. For areas where they did have segregation between smokers / non smokers - it would have also helped to enforce the smoking to the designated areas as some people didn't regard this rule. In general though they are moving in the right direction to restrict smoking as much they already have The "select" area had its own "adults only" pool which was nice. Generally quiet and relaxing. Unfortunately some people would bring there own music and speakers and blast away loud heavy "music". This meant ourselves and other guests had to leave in order to find peace and quiet. I'm not sure why these guests felt that they could impose their musical tastes on the rest of us - but this is something I wish the hotel staff would control. I also liked that they had re-usable cups, no straws or lids and organic/recycling throughout the resort. The beds were also very comfortable as well as the pillows (I'm a pillow person). The only complaint with the rooms was there were no drawers to put your clothes in - so I kept many of my mine in the suitcase. Other than getting sick, we'd definitely go back again.

El Dorado Royale: Gourmet is included

I was skeptical about the gourmet included, but most of the food really was more than routine. I liked the smaller portions, every dinner was 3 course (app + main + dessert) and I was pleasantly satisfied, not stuffed. Kampai for lunch had larger portions. Tried all restaurants except Santa Fe (can't comment). Did 5 course at Fuentes on Tuesday without wine pairing (just had table Chardonnay), and 4 course Canadian Beef demo with wine pairing (careful, that's 4 or 5 glasses). Service was very go [... read more]od, only 1 waiter was unenthusiastic (but still fine, not rude). Liked the morning tours and evening shows (Mexico Lindo was best show, ranch tour was best morning). Shout out to Gerry at Tucanes pool bar, very good and consistent all week. Would recommend Tucanes pool as less busy. 50% of the time you could still get a chair by lunch (not always). Room A/C kept room cool but damp. We discovered a setting which did dry a little more, but kept forgetting to use it. Getting a golf cart taxi was sometimes difficult, going to the stop by the main clubhouse worked best. Would consider upgrading to casitas next time depending on cost, but our room was fine and closer to restaurants and shows than casitas (bldg 08xx), without any noise. Took evening shuttle to Playa del Carmen, thought it'd be too short, but was enough time to walk around 5th avenue and have dinner (otherwise get a taxi for $400 MXN +/-).

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Good resort!

This is hotel is regular....too far to be 5 stars..beach lot stones... corridor entrance apart is very dirty.Food is ok...Service not to bad...Location :1 h 30 minutes away from airport is bad....

Barcelo Maya Caribe: Love Barcelo Maya

The Barcelo Maya is a huge resort with one of the greatest beaches on the Mayan Riviera. Staying in the Caribe section was a great choice. It is close to good pools, best beach area, the Maya Mall, buffets... Room was very comfortable and well maintained. Food was good with a lot of choice. All service is friendly and professional. You are made to feel special. Easy to book many excursions and activities in the area and you can get to local areas by bus very cheaply. Lots of families with childr [... read more]en.

Barcelo Maya Caribe: Barcelo Maya Caribe a Family Best Bet

This resort is just a fabulous place to bring a family. There are a lot of fun play areas for children who love water. The beach is spectacular. Rooms were very comfortable, with great showers that had lots of hot water and great water pressure. Bedding was very nice. Good maid service and mini bar service. Food at the resort was good with a lot of choices and many that were geared for kids. Bar service was very good. The rooms are close to the best beach on the resort, to great pools and water  [... read more]play areas, the Maya Mall and restaurants. Easy place to get to all the attractions in the area and also to Playa del Carmen.

El Dorado Royale: excellent resort

Very satisfied with our week's stay at El Dorado Royale. Grounds are impeccable, staff are extremely courteous and friendly and will do anything to accommodate guests. Food and drinks are excellent and a great choice of restaurants. Many pools available for different tastes. We were made to feel very very welcome and special by all staff. I was disappointed with the void of cultural music and atmosphere, at times had to remind myself that it was Mexico this was evident at most of the restaur [... read more]ants which made for a dull ambiance at times. And a small thing: a lot of the beach lounge chairs were in poor condition and uncomfortable especially in the Royale section.

Ocean Coral Riviera Cancun: Wonderful Vacation

Myself, my husband, our 6 month old son, my mom and my great aunt stayed at the Ocean Coral and Turquesa from June 2-9. I have been to a few resorts before, but this one topped all. The food, staff, rooms and layout were all amazing. Our biggest concerns going to the resort revolved around our son. We wanted adjoining rooms with my mom and aunt so that we could have the baby napping in one room while we hung out in the other. We wanted the resort to be small enough that getting around with  [... read more]a baby was easy. We wanted to make SURE that the food was good so that no one got sick. We wanted a crib. ALL of these needs were met and we couldn't be happier. There are 4 pools at the resort, 3 of which we visited. At the pool that has the pool bar, there are shaded king size cabanas that worked out perfectly for our little family, so our son could stay out of the heat. I only have 2 negative comments. 1. At 10pm on our second last night there we were in my mom's room with our baby sleeping in our room. Through the monitor I heard a noise in the room so I went to check it out...There was a MAN in the room changing a light bulb. I was very freaked out. I don't know why they would send someone at 10pm at night. He sad he knocked and didn't hear anyone, so he probably assumed we were out at a show or something, but I think it is INSANE that he came in. We could have been sleeping and wouldn't have answered. More than that, our son was in the room! Needless to say, I didn't sleep well that night knowing that the staff can just come and go as they please. 2. There needs to be a bit more shade. Other than that very scary incident, our trip was amazing.