Barcelo Maya Colonial: Great family resort

The resort was the best we've ever stayed at. The staff was the best I've ever encountered. Food and drinks were great. The beach was nice, the snorkelling was great, many different fish. Would definitely stay again.

Dreams Jade Resort and Spa: Friendly Resort

The Now Jade Riviera lived up to everything I had expected. The junior suites were clean and up to date. We stayed in building 2 on the non preferred side and had a third floor room with a comfortable balcony and nice view above the trees. We did not use the pool because we spent most of the time on the beach. The beach was nice though a bit seaweedy, but it was cleaned off daily. There were a lot of rocks in the water In front of the resort so we walked a short distance to the beach in front o [... read more]f the adjoining resort when we wanted to swim in order to avoid stepping on rocks in the water. This was not as arduous as it sounds. The food was excellent and the staff very friendly. Do take lots of small bills to tip the staff. We planned one day trip off the resort to Mayan ruins and snorkelling. Unfortunately I was unable to go on this trip because I was suffering from a severe case of suspected food borne illness (cramping, vomiting, diarrhea and fever) on our fourth day at the resort. They would not refund my money for the day trip. The resort did take down the particulars of my illness when my husband went to tell them at the front desk, but no one made any effort to follow up with me to see how I was doing, nor did they send someone to clean up as promised (garbage cans and toilet - I mean I was truly severely ill) despite my husband requesting this and leaving a substantial tip. My husband and children were fortunately not affected and went on the day trip while I suffered in our room. This is the only negative experience I had - almost 48 hours of being severely ill. I had been drinking and eating very moderately and used only bottled water to brush my teeth - and all our food was from the resort - so at least an acknowledgement of my situation by the resort would have been nice. And the loss of the $103US for my share of the day trip which was booked at the resort was also disappointing. I am thankful that I recovered before having to fly home because flying in that condition would have been impossible. Other than my illness and the disappointing response to that, everything else at the resort was as we had hoped and a very pleasant experience and the staff in the restaurants provided very good service.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Great Resort

Very clean. Grounds, gardens etc were emaculately kept. Excellent variety of food. Only surprise was that Akumal was no longer part of the package. It has become premier only resort. A la carte meals were excellent.

Viva Maya by Wyndham: Great place within budget

This hotel is not fancy- rooms are basic but clean. The staff is incredible... friendly, helpful and welcoming. Grounds are kept meticulously. The beach is absolutely gorgeous, plenty of shade and enough chairs for everyone. Pool is a decent size, never seemed crowded and was always well maintained. Food was ok. Lots to choose from in the buffet, but some days better than others as each day a different nationality was featured. Lots of Mexican options if that interests you. A la carte r [... read more]estaurants were very good. We aren't big drinkers but what we did try was fine, not excellent but just ok. We would definitely go back here.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Barcello Maya Colonial

The hotel and grounds are magnificent. One of the best resorts we've been to over the past 20 years and we've been to many. Staff is always smiling and busy ensuring guests were well taken care off. A great facility for both kids and adults. Buffet served great food and the housekeeping staff always looked after us. We were asked by a number of staff throughout the week if we had any concerns or questions and if we had any suggestions for them. That is a first for any resort we've been to [... read more]. I do have a couple of comments. We arrived at 8:00 pm, along with another bus load of guests. The front desk was obviously not prepared as it took more than an hour to check in. Staff were running around, back and forth to a back room doing something. After a long day of travel the last thing we needed was an hour +++ wait. Our group included 10 people with two smaller children. We weren't impressed with that. Also, following our Monday morning orientation we were advised to go to guest services and schedule our al' a carte dinners which we did. We were told that nothing was available before 10 pm any evening until Friday. Out of five al a carte opportunities but could only use two. That was disappointing as these restaurants looked very good. But we all agreed it was a fantastic family holiday.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Fantastic

This was our first foray into the all-inclusive vacation market. The resort was clean and the workers very friendly. The guest services staff would do anything and everything to help make your stay as comfortable as possible. The food was marvelous and there was a great variety with eight different restaurants on the grounds. We spent our days at the beach. Water access at the beach was made difficult with the ocean floor being covered with limestone formations. There are sand paths that y [... read more]ou can follow that will take you to a swimming depth. There are natural coral formations as well as man-made barriers that attract many different fish species so snorkeling at the resort is very easy and the water depth within the swimming area did not exceed eight feet.

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Fantastic Experience

This hotel is absolutely stunning. The grounds are amazing, super clean, staff is friendly, rooms where nice, again, very clean, beds comfortable. There was a lot to do, you could just hang by one of the many pools, you can choose to enjoy the beautiful beach, lots of loungers, never a problem to get a seat and usually where you want to be. Lots to choose from for the kids, kids club was convenient and available any day, water sports available, great team of scuba diver instructors, very help [... read more]ful, friendly and passionate! Food was good, many options for ala cart or buffets.. All around a great vacation, will definitely go back there!

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Great trip to the Bacelo Maya Resort in Mexico!

There is something for everyone at the resort. Lots of activities included, the beach, many pools, the Maya Mall and Plaza Mexicana were all great! The resort is very clean, and easy to get around. Walking from one end to the other was easy. The service was generally very good. In particular, we had excellent service at the Rodizio restaurant. The Guest Service rep we dealt with was very accommodating. The only negative about the trip was how the resort credit was applied. Upon check in, [... read more] we were given the impression that each room had a 250 USD resort credit to be applied to various items at the resort (bottles of wine, spa, bowling, etc.). This is not actually how the credit worked. The 250 USD was the total amount of the discounts offered on items purchased at the resort. For instance, if a bottle of wine was 800 pesos, you were charged 600 pesos, as a 25% discount was applied. We were under the impression that the 600 pesos was what would be covered by the credit. It was a little shocking upon checkout to find out that there were more charges to the room than anticipated. Other than that, we thoroughly enjoyed our trip, as did my Mother and our children (14, 2 x 18, 20) - I would definitely return!

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: First time in Mexico

Beautiful, clean and spacious room. Resort was well laid out and clean. All employees we super friendly and helpful. Lots of different options to do for everyone. A big variety of food to choose from. A very enjoyable experience and hope to be back soon!

Royalton Hideaway Riviera Cancun: Amazing Resort!

My husband and I have been to various all-inclusive resorts throughout the Caribbean and Hideaway Royalton Riviera Cancun was by far the best. The food, service, and accommodations were all top notch. We thoroughly enjoyed our week and fully intend on returning next year.

Akumal Bay Beach and Spa Resort: A real gem!

We spent a wonderful week at this resort in early March – – a young couple in their late 20s and my husband and myself in our early 60s. It could not have been more perfect! It's as though the resort has come up with a list of things that people hate most about all-inclusive resorts and they have completely eliminated those things from their service. There is no need to get up at the crack of dawn and reserve a spot in the à la carte restaurants. You just show up! There are four excelle [... read more]nt à la carte restaurants – – no limit as to how often you can eat there. In addition to that there is a wonderful sushi bar right on the beach, a 24 hour café and 24 hour room service. The buffet is excellent as well – – many varied and wonderful dishes to choose from. Simply incredible! We will be back !

Catalonia Playa Maroma: a week in paradise

A most fabulous week spent on the Mayan Riviera in Mexico at Catalonia Playa Maroma.Definitely one of the best hotels,beaches-walking in sand that felt like flour,warm ocean with great surf.So many things you could do-a coral reef to explore,a Mexican Disneyworld X carot,mayan ruins etc...However,you don't need to leave the grounds-great entertainment,food,drinks,restaurants,activities-even spanish lessons.Friendliest staff-always a smile,"with pleasure","halo".Walks from beach to hotel on jungl [... read more]e-like paths with relaxing music piped in and lit at night.Here one can be entertained by families of monkey like animals called coatis,beautiful fauna,wild birds-tucons etc. Five great restaurants to choose from and ocean views,clean modern room with great service-quiet,relaxing atmosphere.It was like being in another world for a week!

Catalonia Playa Maroma: Amazing!!!

We had wonderful food...the people were so friendly and helpful on resort.....room was beautiful and view amazing. The only negative was that there was a "Priviledged" area to sit and eat and a different color towel to lie on at the beach. We were not made aware of this upgrade and I also did not like the way we went to sit for meals and they said you are not priviledged so you canno tsi there ....you have to sit on this side of room....we all ate the same food??...it was an all you can eat.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Excellent Experience!

Sandos Caracol was beautiful. The grounds were well kept, and tidy. The service was great. Beautiful beach, just not swimmable due to so many rocks. The room needed some TLC. It was very musty when I first arrived. The maid cleaned it up nicely the next day. A positive experience for sure!

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Best yet....amazing resort

I have traveled a fair bit and this hotel was by far the best I've stayed at. Rooms were very well cleaned and there was a great variety of a-la-carte restaurants since you also have access to 3 other resorts on the grounds. There were many pools to choose from including an infinity pool in an adults only area for those wanting a little more quiet. I can 't say enough about how helpful and pleasant the staff was. The beach had man made barriers so, although it was very windy and wavy, the swimmi [... read more]ng areas were nice and calm.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Fantastic resort

Upon arrival we were pleased with main lobby. We were less pleased with the rooms. They were clean but old, bathroom vanity was broken in many places and the shower was the same. The TV was something from the early 2000's if not the late 1990's. Our brother stayed in one of the updated rooms which seemed luxurious compared to our 3 rooms. The jungle setting that the resort was located in, was divine, with all the wildlife and vegetation. The service was lovely and so welcoming. The food was amaz [... read more]ing, but difficult to get in to some of the restaurants because you needed to be elite members or wait until they were finished dining. The wait is not always easy for young children. The pools were awesome and availability to cold drinks and snacks was great! The ocean view was beautiful but it was so rocky and so much seaweed you could not go out and enjoy the ocean. Fortunately, we did spend a day at its' sister resort (Playacar) which had the most perfect waterfront and that gave us hours of enjoyment. The cab ride was the only cost ($60) return trip which took all 13 of us, and only about 15 mins away. The buffet at Playacar was even more spectacular! The evening entertainment was very enjoyable and well executed.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Truly a tropical experience!

The resort was so beautiful! With all the animals roaming around you truly feel like you are in a the tropics. The grounds were well kept tidy and very clean. Sandos Carocol staff are wonderful and helpful. Unfortunately the room we were given had many issues. It is my understanding they are doing upgrades on the rooms at this time. Our room however was under some distress. The patio door and screen door could barely open. The bathroom sink leaked, the shelf holding the towels was falling off th [... read more]e wall. There was a screw on the shower floor that was sticking out which my foot caught many times.

Grand Palladium Colonial: Some Good, and some not so good...

The resort offers a lot of pluses and a few minuses... Plus: The resort is very clean, the staff are lovely and helpful, the grounds are beautiful and the beach and pools are amazing. Even at March Break, it didn't seem overly crowded -except perhaps at dinner time. Never a problem getting a spot on the beach or pools. Minus: Huge resort. A lot of walking. The carts make it easier so make use of them. But if you don't like to get lost in a big resort. Choose something else. A la cart restau [... read more]rants were good, but difficult to get tables. No reservations, but your entire party has to be there at the same time or you wait an hour + - even when table sit empty. Buffets are...poor. Esp. for dinner. Beds are thin mattresses on top of box springs, but clean, up to date, rooms. My free bottle of Tequila disappeared after a day...not sure where.... Overall, I preferred the Azul resort much better but I went offseason so it may be more expensive. BTW the teen lounge is a joke as is the wifi...don't expect either to keep your teens entertained OR to keep in touch with them via text.

Bahia Principe Escape Sian Ka'an: 5 Star Vacation - Great Deal

We just arrived back home from the Luxury Bahia Principe Sian Ka'an and really can't think of a single thing that we did not like about our trip. The travel was great both ways on Air Transat, the hotel was very clean and modern, the people were terrific and attentive everywhere we went, the food was amazing, the weather was perfect (mid March) and the pools/beach were fantastic. It would be hard to find an all-inclusive vacation better than this without spending considerably more money. Tons of [... read more] things to do for the active vacationer and excellent facility for those who just need a place to relax and unwind. We'll be going back soon for sure! Where else do you get the benefits of 4 great resorts in one package.

Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya: First Trip to Mexico

This was our first trip to Mexico. No expectations, but after having read many reviews and doing some research, we were anticipating a wonderful holiday at a 5-star resort. Check-in was very disorganized - we were booked into the Riviera Maya side, but were dropped off at the Mayan Beach lobby, which was not a problem, but then we (not the staff) were sent back and forth between the lobbies trying to arrange the keys (and with automated key cards, I don't understand how this was even an issu [... read more]e). Our room wasn't ready until 3 pm - again, not an issue. We spent the time having lunch and exploring the grounds. Once our room was ready, we were transported by shuttle, and the driver made it very obvious he wanted a tip as he waited for several minutes after depositing us and our luggage into the room. Not very subtle. HUGE rooms! Having stayed at several other all-inclusives down south, we were amazed at how big the room was! Lots of space and very clean (our housekeepers were fantastic). The (over?) abundance of food was incredible. We couldn't believe how much food there was, at all hours The main buffets served almost anything you could think of, and the themed nights were charmingly presented (including decorations and waitstaff in costume). No complaints. We went to 2 a la cartes (the steakhouse and the Japanese); both were recommended to us and both were delicious. The main pool (Riviera Maya side) was always busy and, in my opinion, too full of kids. Yes, I realize this is a family resort, but there is a dedicated kid zone (complete with pool and playhouse), so I was confused as to why so many activities were kid-oriented at the main pool. We have been to resorts where there is no dedicated kid zone, so it makes sense that the main pools are filled with kids, but this resort has such an area. The entertainment staff were enthusiastic, especially with the kids, but not in the in-your-face obnoxious way, which was appreciated. The lazy river was also a nice little change. The nightly entertainment was excellent! We thoroughly enjoyed every night (we did not stay for the one night that brought 4 couples on stage) and were very impressed by the sets and costumes. We heard from others who had been to this resort before that they have been performing the same shows for the past 8 years, so perhaps the choreography could be a bit better, but overall very good. In general, the staff were friendly and polite, but they did not go out of their way to be sociable. Our only real complaint was with the concierge. Not necessarily with the two that we dealt with specifically, but how our evaluation was dealt with. Both Natalia and Ruben were extremely polite, friendly, and helpful. After booking our a la cartes and chatting with them on several other occasions, they asked us to fill out an evaluation for them. We agreed, as they had been very nice and helpful. The following day, Natalia approached us (actually, called out to us as we were on our way back to our room from the pool) and asked us if there was a problem. We said no, and asked why. She told us that she and Ruben had been called into the office and "gotten in trouble" because we had rated them so low on the evaluation scale. My first thought was that I had mis-read the scale and accidentally reversed the numbers. But she continued, saying that because we did not give them a perfect score, they were now at the bottom of the rating our of all the concierges. She asked that if there was no problem, if we could please re-rate them and give them a perfect score. As the scale was only 1-4, it was not a fair rating system anyway. She told us that if there we no problems, we should give them a score of 4. If there was a problem, to let them know and they would fix it. We were shocked for several reasons: 1) We could not believe that we had been approached by her about this, 2) We could not believe she was actually TELLING us to give them a perfect score, and 3) We believed we gave a fair rating. Never in all of our trips down south had something like this ever happened. It was completely unprofessional and unnecessary. Evaluations are personal and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. A 1-4 scale is hardly indicative of rating performance, but if the concierges are going to "get in trouble" over not getting a 4 out of 4, the scale should simply be a "Good" or "Bad". Ridiculous. Overall, we enjoyed our stay, but with the number of other resorts in the area, probably would not stay here again.