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.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Children fan

Perfect for family with children,service good,room perfect.we have absolut no proablem.dayli beer and the rest vas stock in to the mini bar.food vas OK. but not to much variety,to go in to the see you have to pass 4 feet of roacs. Exelent fly with aer transat.frendly people.I recomand this resort for family with children under 10 years.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Nice stay

My favourite thing about the BlueBay was the beverage choice, endless choices and unlike other places down south they offered many kinds that we have at home too. There was plenty of room in the pool considering it was so big. The smaller pooler was nice because it wasn't less crowded. Food was ok but service was great. Night entertainment was always interesting. Overall I enjoyed my stay and would go back !

Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya: Fabulous resort

The resort was absolutely beautiful! and the grounds were immaculate. Our room was very nice, spacious and clean. The beds were comfortable. We enjoyed the beach and pool areas. The restaurants were a la carte and the food was amazing. Our favorite restaurants were the French and Vietnamese / Thailand. Staff were friendly and the service was excellent. They provide 24 hr room service and shuttle around the resort for your convenience. We are definitely going to return to this resort on our next  [... read more]vacation. Thank you to our restaurant servers Alberto, Sergio, Jesus for quality service. Also, thank you to Imelda for great service at the pool bar. Amazing vacation!

Ocean Maya Royale: Great spot

This is a great hotel and resort. Solid 4/5. Pool areas were quite loud with music and atmosphere, but that's what we were after. Would return again. Food is great, service is lovely. Even though the weather was a bit cloudy, the hotel staff find lots of things for us to do. Nice that the hotel lobby bar is open 24 hours a day.

Ocean Riviera Paradise: Great Family Getaway

I just got back from Ocean Riviera yesterday and I can honestly say I really enjoyed myself and don't really know where these horrible reviews are coming from. People are extremely over exaggerating and its unfortunate because it therefore scares future guests. I was very nervous to come here after reading the reviews but I was more than pleasantly surprised. First off, I traveled with my husband and my 5 month old baby and we previously lived in Playa del Carmen so we are very familiar with  [... read more]the area/people, etc. Check-in upon arrival was quick and easy, we were given one key but that didn't bother us, everyone was very friendly. There are lots of timeshare people in the lobby and to be honest I assumed we would be left alone because we had a small baby but they continually kept coming after us. We did although just say no thank you and that was that. We stayed in room 2420 in the Daisy Family section, facing the trees on the back side which we actually preferred because it was very quiet and peaceful. The room is VERY spacious, clean, modern and probably the nicest hotel room I've ever stayed in. We called for a playpen once we arrived and it was brought up with extra blankets/padding within 5 minutes. We also had a problem with the safe twice and both times someone came up within 10 minutes. Absolutely NO ISSUES with air-conditioning. We kept it set at 22C the whole time and a few times I bumped it up to 23 because we felt cold and too cool with ceiling fan! No idea where these crazy air conditioning reviews are coming from. Bathroom is very nice and spacious although not much privacy for going to the bathroom due to slotted doors, not an issue for my little family but if you are traveling with friends just be aware of this. No issues with water, we had lovely hot water all day. Because we had a small baby we actually didn't attempt any ala cartes. So we ate buffet 3 meals a day. No complaints, staff was so incredibly nice, great service, always had drinks within 5 minutes of arriving. So much variety and everything was hot and fresh, I LOVED the pasta bar and my husband really enjoyed all the different mexican and seafood variety. Once again with the air-conditioning. We never ONCE felt hot or warm inside the buffet. It was always fresh and cool and very comfortable. Kids/Family Pool area was awesome, not too busy and we were always able to find chairs with shade. Great bartenders and great service! I did notice once a few kids dropped their drinks (mudslide type) inside the pool and therefore it got dirty but that isn't the hotels fault. If you want swim up bars then you have to know a few kids/adults might spill something in the pool and it clearly stated "Please do not move around the pool with drinks" so for those that complained about a dirty pool, well....that's just was happens when you have a few hundred people drinking and swimming around in a pool. We always found it refreshing and enjoyed our pool time. Walk to beach from kids pool area is maybe 5 minutes MAX, and that is with a small baby. People like to really over-exaggerate this point. Cleaning staff was great, everyday we had a nice clean room, mini bar was stocked daily (although the fridge wasn't ice cold). Overall this is all I can really comment on because with a baby we weren't really able to enjoy the night shows, bowling, casino, etc, but I think I wanted to share my opinion on some of the sore spots it seems other travellers complain about. I would definitely recommend this hotel and return, we spent a very nice week together and I think if we had been able to enjoy all the other aspects of the resort we would have even loved it MORE! Don't be scared to go, it is a wonderful place and just go to enjoy yourself. :) P.s - One night the local artisans come to the hotel and set up shop in the square. Take advantage of this people I can say as a previous local of Playa del Carmen they have good prices and are cheaper than 5th Avenue. This is a GREAT opportunity to get some awesome gifts to take home without having to leave the resort if you aren't interested in that.

Bahia Principe Explore Tulum: Absolutely amazing!!!

We went for our honeymoon. They upgraded us to an ocean view. A.C. was not working so they happily switched us to another ocean view, they even moved our luggage for us. Amazing service, very clean, great food. I honestly cannot complain. A big shout out to Arcangel our amazing bartender.

Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya: Great resort!

The resort was very good for an all inclusive compared to resorts in Cuba and Jamaica that I have been to. The food was very good, tasty and the specialty restaurants were a nice break from the buffet. The Brazilian restaurant was our favourite. For breakfast or lunch there were plenty of options. You can get lunch at the beach barbecue, main buffet, or the pool restaurants. The resort has 2 sister hotels, we were in the Mayan Beach, and could easily have breakfast and lunch near the pool ar [... read more]ea without walking to the main buffet. Resort is large, lots of walking but good shuttle service. The beach...you NEED WATER SHOES.. we chose the resort for the off beach snorkeling, and it is very rocky as expected. With water shoes there is no problem. We saw the turtles off the beach, even just looking in from the shore. Some fish. In June, Mexico is hot, very humid and hot hot. Water very warm. Loved the skybar, sitting out in the evening. Lots of pools and choices to swim. Rooms are very large...BEWARE...bathroom is open to the main room, so no privacy. Loved having a concierge sitting at each of the buildings who can help with any thing. Saw monkeys and lots of iguanas all over the resort. Very eco friendly resort. Oh, they try to sell you time share....they offer you freebies and then say you need to attend a 2 hour tour of their new hotel. They ask you every day.

Barcelo Maya Tropical: Excellent value for a no frill vacation

The grounds are impeccablely maintained. The rooms are clean, the beds comfortable and the air conditioning is strong. The food at the buffet was fresh and delicious. It isn't fancy but you certainly will not go hungry. There is a something for everyone. We didn't go to the a la carts because the buffet was so varied and fresh. The drinks are strong and tasty. The shows were entertaining. Above all the service was incredible. I will absolutely be back to barcelo maya tropical

Bahia Principe Explore Tulum: average

Hotel is old. I feel they have to hire more personal. Our room was cleaned after 4PM every night. Beach is very good and safe for children. A lot to do with kids ( dolphins, waterpark on the territory of resort).

Allegro Playacar: Beautiful Beach and location!

We stayed at this resort at the beginning of June. The weather was extremely hot and humid and we had some heavy rainfall during the week. The resort is on a beautiful stretch of the beach and close enough to walk into Playa del Carmen (25 minutes). The grounds of the resort is very beautiful and tropical. Many birds can be seen and heard. The thatched roofs of the "bungalows" were unique and lends to the tropical feel but were not very practical since some of the roofs leaked during the hea [... read more]vy rainfall including the unit we stayed in. We were moved to another unit but the bedding configuration was not what we initially had and requested so this meant another room changed 2 days later. Miscommunication from the front desk was the cause of the delay which was inconvenient for us to live out of our suitcases for 2 days. The standard rooms were on the small side with no dresser and only 2 small shelves in the closet for your clothes. There was a safe for valuables. The renovated glass enclosed shower gave good water pressure and air conditioner worked well. Rooms were clean and the beds were comfortable. Overall the staff were friendly and courteous, there were various activities by the main pool or on the beach during the day. There were stretching on the beach to cooking shows to bingo. The majority of the activities were family oriented. It seems that most guests were Spanish speaking the week we were there. Lots of beach lounger at the 2 pools and on the beach. No problems with towel exchanges. Initially we found the food at the buffet was below our expectations mainly because of the mass production and having to keep the food warm as the dinner and lunch opening hours were very generous, example lunch was available from noon to four p.m. however we always found items to try and and enjoy. We did not encounter any stomach problems but we avoided the salads but enjoyed all the various delicious fruits served. The Mexican and Italian a la carte restaurants meals were very good although the menu descriptions of the foods differed somewhat from what we actually received. Very good service at the buffets. Overall we had a relaxing enjoyable week at the Allegro Playacar.

Ocean Riviera Paradise: Great family vacation

Resort was great. Large but areas never felt crowded. Rooms were spacious and clean. Wifi was very good throughout resort including the beach. Food was good and plentiful at the buffet. A la carte restaurants (we ate at the steak House, Mexican, route 66, and Italian) were really good as well and did not require a reservation except for the Japanese restaurant. Hotel grounds were​ plush and clean. Pools were great and service at the bars was good as well. Kids club amazing and the waterpark wa [... read more]s a nice added touch.