Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Very enjoyable time.

The resort was very clean and nice to look at. The staff was great and very friendly and helpful. The food for the most part was great although the Mexican restaurant (in Mexico) was very underwhelming. I would highly recommend the Oriental restaurant and Buffet. The group we went with had a great time overall and all stated we would go back. Negatives were that one day the pool with the bar was extremely cloudy to the point where I couldn't see my feet at the bottom of the pool. Also there  [... read more]was a strong smell of sewage at some parts of the resort including one of the pools. I would still recommend this resort to my friends as these are minor issues that are probably being resolved.

Barcelo Maya Tropical: Loyal Barcelo fan

This was somewhere between my 10-15th time at the Barceló in the Mayan. I've stayed at the Colonial or Tropicale each time. The grounds are beautiful, very well kept and the staff work really hard. The pool is the best I've seen and I travel a lot. Very clean, large and well kept. The food is very good at the buffet and a la carts but my favourite is the Japanese at the Mall - amazing! I only have a few things that annoy me. One is that wifi is free only between certain hours, usually during b [... read more]each time and only in the lobby. Who wants to walk back to lobby to send an email. I've traveled around the world, stayed in a little rom in a remote Greek village and it had free wifi. I don't think guests should pay extra in this day and age. Also, the rooms are too humid, our clothes and sheets felt wet. This wont prevent me from going back as we do our annual vacation there 17-25 people. Oh I am annoyed that as a loyal customer for over 15 years their computers only go back to 2012 so they can't see our loyalty oh and the front desk never picks up their phone

Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya: Lovely resort

This was our 3rd time back to Valentin and we loved it just as much as the other times. Resort grounds are lush and well maintained. Food is excellent with a nice variety of choices. Staff and management are easy to deal with, very friendly and accommodating. These folks work hard to please you. Rooms are cozy, private and quiet. Beach is clean with lots of chairs. As an adults only resort, you can find activity if you like it, or quiet places to relax. One of our favorite things to d [... read more]o is dance and the entertainment at the Valentin never disappoints. Each night they have a different theme in their central courtyard which makes it easy to engage and enjoy yourself. If you are not a dancer, just sit back and enjoy the evening. All in all, a great time!

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Awesome experience - highly recommended for couples/families

Great: Resort was incredibly clean. Staff incredibly friendly. Facilities well-kept and beautiful all around. Everything was at our finger-tips and people tried hard to accommodate any requests or concerns. My hubby found there to be far too much walking (other resorts this size have golf carts you can jump on and off of to get around more easily). This resort has busses that run along the back from one to the next... but they're not very convenient. I would definitely prefer a smaller resort  [... read more]in the future. The food was fantastic and there was always lots of selection. The Japanese Chef should be absolutely commended for his performance and I was surprised at how much I loved the food there (not having liked Asian food in the past). I don't think I'd change a thing about our trip if I could really... best beach I've stayed at along the Mayan Riviera (having stayed at four other resorts previously). Not-so-great: The excursion-coordinator failed to mention to us about all of the hidden/added costs when we booked one of our excursions. We elected to go snorkeling at Xhel-Ha and were told about all of the wonderful things we could do there... but there was no mention that after paying a huge amount to get into the park, all of the activities over and above snorkeling would be extra. We'd only brought $$ for photos and souvenirs and having no credit card with us, we missed out on several things we would have liked to have done. The front desk is absolutely terrible. The employees who work there speak very broken English compared to others we encountered, making every interaction with them frustrating and slow. At the airport and amongst other resorts, this resort has a reputation for terrible service at their front desk. I had to wait nearly an hour to get some American money changed into Pesos and check-in and check-out were very painful experiences.

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: If you like LARGE.....

This resort is among five others, under the Barcelo name. Each has their own uniqueness. The Maya Beach has arguably the best beach of them all, with warm water, lovely white sand & lots of beach chairs. The pools are clean, with no shortage of towels and have a different mood & age group at each. There are many premium liquors on hand, you just need to ask. The rooms were moderately up to date, but clean & well appointed. There were no issues with water pressure or lack of hot water. Cleaning s [... read more]taff always did what was wanted... just a few tips goes along way. Our king bed had great support & the pillows were fine as well. Having been to the Dominican several times, I was hopeful that the food would be a step or two above. But I was disappointed with quality. While I didn't starve, it was a pain having to eat relatively the same items each day. Although the three ala cartes we attended were a welcome change & the food was hot and well prepared.....namely the Italian, Mexican & the Japanese were a treat. Being limited to only three reservations should most certainly be extended. If there was one strong complaint, it would be the check-in process. Each and every traveler only wants their room in a timely fashion, after which in our case, consisted of being on the go for eight hours, before reaching the resort. And to then have to stand in line until finally getting our keys, which was well over an hour.

Platinum Yucatan Princess: Not for Beachlovers!!!

The Platinum Yucatan Princess All Suites resort is a lovely resort with great amenities. Dining , rooms, activities, pools and grounds are wonderful. That being said, we were extremely disappointed with the beach which was the focal point of our trip as we are beach lovers. The beach is rocky, shallow, and entirely not swimmable. During the week we were there it was also very unappealing aesthetically, as it was full of seaweed and murky with none of the beautiful aqua blue that you would [... read more] expect at such a destination. Additionally, there was a foul smell ( sewage) that was constantly present. After day 2 we walked to the right to the beach to one of the sister properties. The beach was better there, but overrun with young families. Nothing wrong with children but we booked an adult vacation. This was the eighth all inclusive that I have visited in the Mayan Riviera and it was the worst beach I have ever seen . Because of this feature only, we would not stay again, nor would we recommend it to our beach loving friends. A word to the wise about snorkeling excursions. We booked ours though BD Travel, our West Jet rep. The 'Cancun Adventures" Tour group booked 9 catamarans full of people (30 each) , at 9 and again at 1. They took us all out on very turbulent seas, only to announce once we got to the reef , that it was too dangerous to snorkel. They should have cancelled the tour in advance . Instead they put the health and safety of their clients at risk in favour of the almighty dollar. We saw many young families with children embarking upon dangerous seas , knowing what was about to befall them as we had just experienced sea sickness, and people almost being bounced overboard. And nobody go to snorkel that day. This sort of thing gives Mexico a bad name. Time for us to take a break from Mexico for awhile.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Great resort! Amazing beach!

This resort is beautiful! The food was really good, the beach is one of the best beaches I've seen, the staff is very friendly. I workout so I thought the gym was excellent! The downside was it does get quiet in the evenings at this resort unless you go to the one resort night club which had a lot of people and good music, if you don't feel like clubbing though there is not much entertainment at night ,I wish the theatre shows were better, they were a bit boring. Also I did not like how there wa [... read more]s no free wifi.

Platinum Yucatan Princess: Great Resort

Very clean, well kept, pleasant staff and food. Beach needs some work as hard to enter with so many rocks. Manageable size as you can make it from the furthest building to the beach in 5 minutes. Great a la carte restaurants. The buffet breakfast got a bit tiresome but there were options...

El Dorado Seaside Suites: Very nice resort

This is a very modern resort and has different features than what were are use to experiencing. Very modern and nice decor from the lobby to our room. The infinity pool was amazing to have and we enjoyed it several time each day between main pool and beach. The food was the best I have had in any resort since we have been travelling for the past 13 years. The freshness and taste was amazing. The staff was supper helpful and friendly going above and beyond the task they had. I would r [... read more]ecommend this resort to anyone who is looking for a new experience going to an all inclusive.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Beautiful resort

Well kept and maintained resort. Staff were friendly and helpful. Food was delicious and plenty of variety. Activities and facilities were wonderful. Second visit to Grand Bahia Principe Coba and will return for another visit.

Royalton Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa: Best Vacation Ever !!

The Royalton was an excellent resort to vacation at. The staff, the grounds, the food choices were all amazing. We could not have chosen a better place to vacation. We had a very relaxing week which is just what we wanted. Everyone was very friendly and willing to help us in anyway they could. The weather was hot but there was always a nice breeze to keep you cool. The pools were clean and very refreshing. We walked the beach every morning after breakfast. The entertainment staff were ver [... read more]y friendly and always offering great choices of things to participate in. The room was very nice and clean. The buffet was lovely and had a very good selection of things to eat. All the restaurants we tried had excellent service and great food. The bars were all nice and had yummy drinks and the bartenders were all very anxious to give us whatever we asked for. It was just a great all around vacation and we would definitely go back to the Royalton in the future.

Sandos Playacar Beach Resort: Good Resort - Large Beach, Decent Food, Mediocre Experience

The beach was large and had lots of chairs and space (the resort was quite empty) The food was good, the burrito and crepe place was amazing but the buffet had cheap meat but lots of options and a good breakfast. The overall service and feel was poor, half the staff was not very happy or accommodating, if you showed up a minute late or anything they would not serve you. This was one of the weaker points of the resort for sure. We only had the bottom tier bracelet but really a third of the re [... read more]sort is for higher tier customers, which was annoying even though it wasn't a big deal. The rooms were kinda run of the mill, same as every other okay resort. We did have an incident where some woman's panties (clearly not mine as I am petite and they were large) appeared hanging in our bathroom while my hisband and I were out in the morning, which was quite disturbing. The rooms were adjoining so we were not sure if it was staff or other guests but we were not pleased. Either way, after expressing our extreme disgust and numerous complaints we were moved (well we moved ourselves and packed everything up - how fun) to move to a higher tier section of the resort. The room was almost identical and I think we got to go to another smaller buffet in the morning but I really don't think there was a difference. Also some staff memever between me arriving on the bus to going to my room broke my suitcase (the handle could no longer be pulled out to roll so now it's trash) so that's another negative. All in all I think this is a meh resort, wasn't worth what I paid but kinda what you expect from this price point in Mexico. I will not be going back.

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

Good resort but not on par with the Grand Palladium in Mexico. We spent 2 weeks here in April 2017 and had a very nice time but this resort did lack a few things. First, there was a great lack of evening entertainment and the resort seemed to be in business for the sole purpose of selling wine. Our 1 bedroom jacuzzi suite was AMAZING and the food in every restaurant was beyond our expectation. However, every time we turned around they were trying to sell us wine...even the house wine that is in [... read more]cluded with the all-inclusive. Upon check-in we were given the wrong room, a step down from what we paid for. This was corrected the next day but not without a 2-day inconvenience. The service was top notch and above what we could have expected. The food was an A+++. Any and all issues were dealt with immediately and with great care and if it wasn't for the constant attempt to sell us wine it might have been perfect. We have visited the Palladium on 5 occasions and were never pestered to purchase wine, or anything else. We prefer the laid back feel of the Palladium and the much more available night life that they offer over the Azul but having said that, the Azul was a solid 5*.

Hotel Marina El Cid Spa and Beach Resort: Wonderful Staff

Hotel was very nice. Wonderful friendly staff. Avoid timeshare people in front lobby...some can be very pushy. I asked at front desk which one was the concierge to book dinners. We loved the pools and to walk abit around the grounds. The beach is to be desired...has alot of seaweed and was a bit rocky in water...wear water shoes. But plenty of chairs on beach and cabanas. Plenty different foods at buffet at every meal...something for eveyone. We ate at to a la cart dinners....was not to ex [... read more]cited about meals....mexican and the marina (seafood) thought there would be more variety. We tipped just about everyone so bring alot of small bills. They are adding on many new bulidings so it will be much bigger resort. We do enjoy smaller resorts so we may not go back but we did have a good time. Also wanted to add the small town of puerto morelos, a small fishing town, is good for a walk or bike ride in to do a bit of shopping. We walked the beach but didnt enjoy it..too much seaweed and difficult to walk on.

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Occidental at Xcaret

We stayed at the resort for 7 days. A few disturbing things happened. 1. A 3rd floor balcony fell off onto the ground. (no one was injured thank goodness) 2. While in the main dinning room buffet a pot light fell from the ceiling crashing to the floor. (again no one was injured) 3. At one of the pools a very foul odor (sewage) would appear. On a good note the staff was very kind. Our room was great and very clean. Food was good and I enjoyed having 3 buffets one in each area so  [... read more]we didn't have to walk from one end of the resort to another as the resort is large. The wildlife and vegetation were amazing. Having 3 areas to sit back and relax 2 pools and the ocean was very good. Not much poolside service people had to go to a bar for refreshments(not a big deal for me) We were told the Hotel was in the midst of being a Barcelo. Not sure if it meets up to that standard yet. For anyone who likes adventure the Xcaret is good and a 5 min. walk. I thought for the money it was a little much as we aren't the adventurous type. I was told it would take 2 - 3 days to get through it. We took 5 hours and went back for the show in the evening. It was $98.00us each.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: A really wonderful resort with so much to see and do!!

My family and I (2 kids, age 11 and 7) love nature and animals. This place had both. The grounds of this resort are so lush and tropical and the animals everywhere were amazing. The staff are really pleasant and kind and went out of their way to accommodate our special dietary needs (Vegetarian and Celiac). The room was newly renovated and the beds were so great. We had a new Signature Eco Junior Suite. There was a king bed and another room for the kids where they had a bunk bed; bottom bu [... read more]nk was double size, and the top was single. There was even a trundle drawer for a third bed for a third child. We needed to request extra hangers as when we arrived there were only 7 to hang all our clothes. There are two WC's and two showers with frosted glass doors. The plumbing was alright but the water pressure wasn't great and my long hair took forever to rinse. Not a big deal - it was nice to take things slower anyhow! We were on the third floor and had no bugs in the room as per my request at booking. We did have a little gecko (not much larger than a quarter). He went under the bunk bed and we never saw him again. Kids thought that was fun! The food was superb. Buffets were constantly overflowing and the choice was big. The A la Carte restaurants were really great although we only tried El Templo (Japanese Teppenyaki) which was dynamic and delicious, the Italian, La Riviera (Mediterranean), and La Salvia (Vegetarian), our absolute favourite. La Salvia is right by the ocean and we were hugely impressed by the selection of really great gourmet vegetarian food. Even for meat-lovers, there is great choice and you really can't pass up the view of the ocean with it's crashing waves at dusk. Although the resort seemed to be aware of gluten intolerance, they didn't offer much up for desserts at the buffets. There was not one bread, cracker, or dessert that I could eat. Even the ice cream, I was told, had gluten in it. I didn't want to risk trying just in case! The rice pudding seemed safe enough, however one day, barley was substituted for rice but the food label wasn't changed; it still said Rice Pudding. I made the mistake of eating four spoonfuls before realizing I was eating barley. (Anyhow who has Celiac Disease knows the severity of this mistake). That's my only complaint about the food/buffets; if you have food allergies, you really do play a guessing game. The fruit was a yummy alternative however which I didn't mind in the least! The mango and pineapple were so sweet. The drinks in this resort were the best we've ever had. All the bar staff were incredibly friendly. My kids loved Chicken Itza (the non-alcoholic smoothie)! The entertainment was great. Excellent theatre. Comfortable seats, really modern, with great lights and sound. My only complaint is that the music was ridiculously loud. So loud that it hurt our ears. Every night the shows were so loud. We saw four out of seven shows and spent the other nights exploring and playing cards in the lobby. Beach is lovely. Lots of great sand to play in. The surf is stronger than Holguin in Cuba or Punta Cana, DR. There is a lot of coral and rock in the water so you need surf socks. There are pockets of sandbars that you can get to without water shoes, but if you want to wander or play, I'd recommend surf socks or water shoes. The vegetation and animals, like I said already, are really what is memorable about this place. The eco activities and the friendly staff make it a truly unforgettable experience. I highly recommend this resort to any family with children.

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Great Resort

Hotel was very nice, Rooms were clean, well maintained, great shower. Some noise from other patrons late at night. Grounds are well maintained. Our room in the 4000 level was centrally located close to the pool, beach, buffets. The beach in front of the Maya Beach Resort was great, well maintained, lots of chairs. Great selection at the buffets, but no fresh mango. A la carte restaurants, Japanese was the best. Front desk service, check-in and check-out was adequate but could definitely b [... read more]e more efficient. You would think that large resorts like this, with many vacationers coming and going, would have this figured out.

Iberostar Waves Paraiso Beach: Fabulous Resort

I booked my vacation with trip central as I have before with great experiences.We went to the Iberostar paraiso beach on recommendations from a friend and was not disappointed.The rooms are just right in size and very clean.The workers in the buffet are very friendly and have a good selection changing things up every night .The pool area is well kept and the staff come around to make sure they include you in activities.They also have a shopping plaza on site where you can purchase jewelry clothe [... read more]s etc along with a free ice cream parlour coffee shop and burgers a disco for adults.All in all this place is like heaven always cleaning and maintaining things .I will definatly recommend this resort to anyone going to the mayan Riviera thanks

Ocean Coral Riviera Cancun: Simply perfect

This hotel was amazing!! All the pictures you see of this resort are true examples of what it actually looks like. Check in was smooth and our room was ready. We enjoyed everything this hotel had to offer. There were 4 pools you could choose from depending how much activity you wanted. We spent time in all except the kids pool. The staff is amazing and are always willing to serve. They communicate very well in english. Food was good always something to please everyone. Liked how the evening acti [... read more]vities are set up. There was always a family show then if you wanted to stay up there was always something going on at the pool party bar!!

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Excellent Trip

This hotel was great, lots of room and many trails to walk on. The staff was amazing right from the start the grounds are beautifull especially when the monkeys were out and the food was just delicious. Would and probably will return to this hotel.