Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Sandos Caracoal is AMAZING

People were fantastic. We picked this resort because we love animals. We saw absolutely everything.. from monkeys on our plrch to iguanas. The food was awesome with lots to choose from. We would def cone back to Sandos :) thanks julia and maya for all your help !!!

Grand Palladium Kantenah: Fantastic Holiday

We loved everything about the Grand Palladiim. The accommodations, staff and food were amazing. The entertainment team were fantastic, always getting everyone involved. We will definetly be going back 😊

El Dorado Royale: Never going back!

We stayed in a swimup suite with a salt water lazy river attached. The lazy river did not really connect to the swim up bar. To get to the swim up bar you had to cross over a small wall. That area seemed to accumulate a lot of dirt and green matter floating on the surface. It was not pleasant crossing over. Although I would see the pool boys cleaning the lazy river every 2nd day that area was always dirty. Waiters servicing the swim up rooms with drinks was very rare and depended on sta [... read more]ff availability. There was always 1 waiter and bartender to wait for the pool and swim up area so service was slow. There were several restaurants on the resort but not all restaurants were opened. This created a problem with over crowding and long wait times. The day we arrived we were turned away from 3 restaurants due to long waiting times. The day we arrived the resort had 11 weddings and this created a problem because the staff's priority was to service the wedding parties. If you do decide to visit, be prepared to deal with the concierge, they are always contacting you to try to sell you a membership for their time shares. There is always an upsell, from mexican fiesta night to wine and food. The standard steak is flank steak and tenderloin but only available at 1 restaurant. Lobster is extra. Standard wine is their house, anything else you need to purshase. For restaurants that are open for lunch and dinner it is the same menu and it never changes. The portion sizes were very small and my husband always had to ask for double portions. The room service was limited and very rare was the food warm, waiting time was between 1hr to 1hr and 30 mins. Their desserts were not very good and tasted bland. They had a Mexican fiesta night and were charging the guests from 45 to 90 USD, they called it VIP seating. I have never come across this before in any resorts that I have visited. Fiestas are always for everyone and there is never a charge. Our room was always cold and damp, we needed 4 blankets to sleep well at night. The rooms were old and of desperate need of an update. The lighting in the bathroom was so poor it was difficult to get ready at night. The patio door did not lock and the tub looked like like it came from the 80's. I have visited many all inclusive adult resorts and for this resort I spent the most and was surprised on the condition of the resort. There was always a sewage smell throughout the resort that was hard to get used to.

Samba Vallarta: Great Small Resort

Samba Vallarta is a great small resort located directly on a lovely large beach. Loads of cabanas for shade, drink service and very friendly vendors....For a 3 1/2 star rating the buffet was amazing, always HOT and good variety to choose from. Only complaint was there was absolutely NO guacamole to be found which was very disappointing and they only supplied 1 coffee kit for your first morning....you had to buy any additional kits which I found very cheap.....although you could obtain coffee clo [... read more]se to the restaurant early in the morning but that meant you had to get dressed.....nightly shows were pretty cheesy and there was no lounge with music, etc. after so you pretty well called it a night. The week I was there the resort was filled with Mexican families....they were very polite and all the kids were well behaved. For a restful vacation it was a great get away....

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Not a 5 star!

Beautiful grounds, excellent food, but the rooms were very run down. Beach is not the best as the entire Mexico coast is dealing with a seaweed issue but they worked hard to have it cleaned up quickly. We did not find the service to be exceptional - it was a hit or miss. One night our server in the restaurant was very rude and sometimes people did not even say hello. Overall, a nice getaway but would not classify the resort as a 5 star. The gourmet restaurants were delicious but we enjoyed the v [... read more]ariety at the buffet.

Fiesta Americana Riviera Nayarit: Clean Resort

Hotel overall was nice, well taken care of, clean rooms, pools were great, beach was nice, staff very nice.Food selection was limited and not much variety, overall nice hotel but if your looking for excitement I would not recommend this resort.

Grand Decameron Los Cabos: Great resort!

We had a very pleasant week. The staff were very friendly and helpful. We ate at the buffet which was great food however wouldn’t recommend the al acarte. The wait to get served was very long and the food was mediocre. The hotel was very clean. If you like a small resort this is a good choice.

Ocean Riviera Paradise: AMAZING !!

The resort was amazing!!! The service was phenomenal, the food was THE BEST, and the shows..... omg the shows were to die for. Two words: Christian and Salvador. Those two showed that theater is their passion and love. They really made my trip amazing --- bravo. There are so many restaurants to choose from that you never get tired of the food. I could have spent an additional week there and still have something different and amazing every night. On the flip side, the beach was so-so . It was lo [... read more]ng but not wide and there was a ton of seaweed...but I do not fault of the resort at all for that as they really make a huge effort daily to clean up the beach as much as they can. The room service was pretty good, sometimes hard to order between 1030pm-1100pm as the show is out and everyone is trying to order at the same time before you have to pay extra for the Late Night room service. BUT do not fret, there are snacks in the Route 66 a la carte at night between 10pm and 2am or something like that if you're unable to get room service (I only found this out on the last day of my trip -- c'est la vie). Honestly this place deserves the 5* rating. Hands down the best resort i've been to. Lots to do, lots to eat, and so much fun !!

Akumal Bay Beach and Spa Resort: Well worth it

Beautiful view from everyone room, staff very nice and respectful, seaweed was awful but didn't ruin it for us, was worth having the wind to keep the heat bearable. Loved the food, one of the best vacations ever

Riu Yucatan: Great family vacation!

We just came back from a 9 day trip to Riu Tequila and we cant wait to go back. We travelled with our teenage daughters and stayed in two room side-by-side and we all loved our stay. The rooms were spacious and renovated, and had everything we needed. We were glad that we booked 2 rooms since the shower was see-through:) the hotel was a lot of fun with friendly stuff, great food and a lot of activities for everyone. Foam parties, aqua gym, aerobics ...the entertainment team was excellent. My hus [... read more]band and I are runners, and we were able to run In playacar on the 5.6km loop around the area, which was very scenic and safe. The hotel is also walking distance to playa del carmen:) We will definitely be back!

Bahia Principe Escape Sian Ka'an: Great stay

We really enjoyed our stay at the Sian Ka’an! We knew going into it that we would be about a ten minute shuttle cart ride from the beach and were completely okay with that! We are more of beach people than pool people so would make sure to pack enough stuff for the day because once we shuttled to the beach it’s better to stay there for a little while. The good thing is that Sian Ka’An guests have access to the entire resort. So we could have lunch by the beach at the Akumal. Having our own [... read more] private part on the beach was great with beach bars near by and people always coming around taking drink orders. There are tons of restaurants to choose from including two that only we have access to which we went to both and loved them (Maiko and Alux). We never really went to the Tulum part of the resort so mainly went back and forth on the cart between Akumal and Sian Ka’an as they are the two Luxury ones. The Sian Ka’an is very clearly an older crowd and although we are only in our 20s we liked having a place to stay which was more quiet away from everything. Staff were very friendly! We were very pleased with our stay!

Samba Vallarta: Family hotel, family activities, family meals...what a nice change of pace.

We chose Samba Vallarta for the hotel's small size and excellent reviews. After check-in we went straight to the beach, amazingly, we saw a turtle make her way up to nest...about a 90 minute process of digging a hole in the sand, laying her eggs, covering the nest up and then heading back into the waves. On our second day we moved to the 4th floor and loved our room with a balcony view...Jose at the front desk was so accommodating...thanks Jose. I also asked for a bed topper which made me qui [... read more]te comfy. The blackout curtains allowed us to sleep in until 8:30 every morning. We brought our own tea bags for the morning as some of the extras are not available here. Next time I'll bring some of my favourite coffee as well. The room coffee machine worked perfectly. Shampoo (excellent honey shampoo that we've had in other Mexican resorts) is supplied but bring everything else you need. We bought large bottles of water from the little store to add to the 2 smaller bottles that were supplied each day. Not expensive, and there are other things available like pool floats for kids, sunscreen, etc. This hotel for us is reminiscent of old beach vacations...family oriented, horses to ride on the miles-long beach, vendors selling everything from toys, dresses, mangos, coconut drinks, candy and other snacks to silver jewelry...helpful vendors, not pushy, providing a welcome service. At the Samba we had some of the best restaurant service I've ever had at a hotel. Professional, cheerful servers...kind to every age group and hard working to say the least. We were never disappointed by the food choices in the buffet...I give credit to the head chef for keeping the food fresh and plentiful. Tortillas, papaya, melons, salads, fish, pasta...something for everyone. We also tried the Italian a la carte which was excellent. The Mexican night was dinner outside with a show, set up specially, like a wedding might be. What an effort by the staff to prepare for, and so successful. We tip often and apparently they all share in the tips, so as usual, they are appreciated. The nightly entertainment was fun, especially for the kids...always including a game on stage to participate in. Early nights at this hotel...not a night life kind of place which suited us since we put in full days of wave watching, swimming and buying a few things from the beach vendors. I also had a great massage on the beach for $25 US. I know I could be critical of what might need fixing at the Samba Vallarta but I prefer a simpler place so I'm ok that it's clean and constantly being cleaned and cared for. I put emphasis on the family aspect because if you want a party this might not be the place. (Although... the drinks were very good...great bartenders at each bar including the beach...and again, great servers...Salvador and Alexander to name two we had a few times but I think they have high standards for hiring.) The first floor room we started with was a bit damp so we moved to the 4th floor and were more than happy after that. Sure they could use a bit of renovating but there's great water pressure in the shower, nice and hot... and the rooms were well kept daily.

Royalton Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa: A wonderful week in the sunshine!

Everything you could need or want at this resort. The staff are so helpful and welcoming. A really great week. Ramero, Salvador and Yvette awesome! Coffee Cafe and ice cream bar staff rock. Some seaweed on the beach but to be expected in May. Pools clean and entertainment great.

Iberostar Selection Paraiso Lindo: Great Resort

Pros: Beautiful resort, good food, comfortable clean rooms, family friendly, friendly staff, lots to do. Cons: Seaweed on the beach, smoking allowed everywhere We went beginning of May to avoid spring break crowds and enjoy less rainy weather. Our weather was fantastic. Windy weather most of the time caused us to not be able to do much snorkeling like we hoped, but kept us cool when visiting chichen Itza and while walking around the resort. We were able to eat at several alacarts but p [... read more]referred the buffets. The nightly shows were pretty good and the wave pool and lazy river and volleyball poolswith the other pools were very enjoyable. We enjoyed the variety of restaurants and buffets. Loved that they had tacos and crepes at the mall and fast food bar at the beaches open all day. A bit of a drive for most excursions, but all doable. We saw Chichen Itza, visited an underground river cave and cenote and sailed to isla mujeras. The only downside was the beach. It was full of seaweed so we were not able to swim in it all week. We tried the last day when seaweed was minimal but it got tangled in our hair and was tough to clean out.

Iberostar Selection Paraiso Lindo: Great week at the Iberostar Lindo

The Iberostar Lindo is the middle resort of five so it is a large complex with lots of walking from beach to lobby areas but not far too walk across resorts and there are lots of carts that will drive you back and forth. This was our second trip to an Iberostar and they did not disappoint with their customer service - they truly have this important aspect figured out! Having your own concierge per building is wonderful, we were in building 50, closest to the beach and Jorge was a great help to u [... read more]s on several occasions. Other positive points include the beach bar and food stand right on the beach- they had the best burgers and fries and Johnny was a great bar tender as well as Julio. The Star Café made delicious cappuccinos and the food overall was very good. The main buffet was never crowded, the hostess was great and the breakfasts were amazing. We ate in the steakhouse twice, the Japanese and the Italian a la cartes. We were less impressed with the Brazilian restaurant that was at the Beach resort- that could be why, it was not the Lindo and we did notice a difference in quality of both food and drinks away from the Lindo. Humberto and Franco were part of the animation team that we met and the evening shows were quite entertaining. Our room was comfortable and clean, our housekeeper was efficient, creative and the fridge was always stocked. The Sports bar was a nice touch with lots of screens to watch hockey games and they had good wings. There is a shopping mall across the street but still on resort property that had lots of selection- we never left the resort. Although we didn't use it, the gym looked amazing and there was so much we could have done to keep busy. The grounds staff worked so hard even in the extreme heat. The only negative during our trip was the beach- there was so much seaweed. The resort did their best to keep it removed but this is something they cannot control- anything within their control was top notch, thankyou!

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Great family resort

The resort area is huge, well maintained, very clean and groomed. What we liked it has a loot of greens, palm trees, bushes, you can find the shade anywhere. The transportation works really good, and staff a is very helpful and friendly. Anywhere we went we found a great service in this resort area. Kid’s waterpark is safe, being monitored by the life guards all the time, our son loved it! It will be great for kids up to age of 8-9 years old. The only issue is if you’d like to stay a while [... read more] then you have to reserve an umbrella much earlier, because a lot of people just come right in the morning and put their towels on the benches under the tents and umbrellas and leave. I guess, the staff can’t do anything about it. The beach of Coba was all covered with seaweed, which was very disappointing for us, as we are prefer the sea site and the beach. We had no access to the water, nor from Coba nor from Tulum hotel’s area. We went to Acumal hotel’s beach, which was clean for swimming and beach. But we couldn’t use their equipment. The buffets and a la carte restaurants were great, the food is really testy and has a lot of variety. You can find almost everything. I would definitely go back if the beach will be clean.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Fantastic Resort!

This was the first trip we took to Mexico and we are so glad we went! The Grand Bahia Principe Coba was amazing and the hotel staff were extremely friendly. The rooms were large and very clean! The fridge was restocked everyday with beverages and snacks which was great! The hotel was huge but we made it around on the shuttles to the neighboring hotels with ease. It was great that we had access to those properties as well as their restaurants, each hotel had something unique to offer. T [... read more]here were several pools that we visited which were awesome. We did go down to the beach however there was a lot of seaweed at the time which couldn't be helped. The crews worked really hard all day long clearing away the seaweed so that everyone could enjoy the beach. The dining was fabulous! We went to the buffet and they had every kind of food you could imagine. We really enjoyed our time at the Coba and would highly recommend this hotel. We plan on going back again next year!

Barcelo Maya Grand Resort: Beautiful resort

The resort was beautiful with clean pools and friendly staff. We stayed at one and used the facilities at the other four. Food was amazing and plentiful. The only downside was the seaweed was in full bloom and you couldn't get through it to get in the ocean. Staff tried to clear it but it literally was impossible to clear . All resorts along the beach had the same issue. Over all was a great experience. Again pools were great beach was not but not anything the resort could do to change it [... read more].

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Truly beautiful

Our family or 3, two adults and one 2 and half year old went to Coba mid-May. It was our first time going to Mexico and to an all-inclusive resort and we were amazed at how well-ran this place is and how everything is so convenient for us. I did about 2 weeks of intense research prior to booking this particular resort, on tripadvisor, speaking to coworkers, youtube, etc, and decided to try Coba. I have about 5 coworkers that have been to this very same resort, all with 1 or 2 small children a [... read more]nd every single one of them said excellent things about this place. The receptionist who was very friendly and patient at listening to a steaming traveler who was still wearing Canada weather leggings at 31 degree humid Cancun weather at 1pm in the afternoon. I made a request to be closer to the ground level, close to the main lobby, and close to buffet, and on the quieter side. She took my request and we got settled in building 22A. The room had working AC, working mini-fridge, a working TV with 60 channels, the room was very clean and had shampoo/conditioner/body wash/body lotion. We chose a suite with 2 separate beds and it came with an extra single bed, and it came in handy because we are not used to the hot weather, so the 3 of us took one bed each to rest sometimes. The room had great blinds and we were able to close off the metal doors on the balcony and layers of thick black out curtains, and the room was very dark and dark enough to let all of us take naps. The mini fridge was replenished everyday, although we only drank water and probably 1 or two pops throughout our stay. Food: the buffet selection was impressive and had everything. There were different themes each day such as Asian, Spanish, etc, and that'd be the focus of some of the dishes, but there were also staples that do not change from day to day, overall the food selection is guaranteed to satisfy every consumer. Foods were fresh and I was always impressed at how MUCH effort is put in the kitchen to deliver such grand selection of food on time, 3 times a day, everyday. Although some dishes did not taste great (for example, their Asian noodles) or sometimes the dishes needed a bit more seasoning, but I am not mad about it at all since there's so many things to choose from and I'm not looking to have the best Chinese stir fry at a Mexican resort. There is only children section and my toddler liked their sausages and pancakes. We only stayed at the resort but we did go and dine at Tulum, I'd say Tulum had smaller selection of buffet and the food quality was about the same as Coba, though Tulum buffet had better decors in the dinning hall, but that's really besides the point. We had 2 choices of a la carte, and as per recommended we choose Mashua (Japanese and Peruvian fusion) and Cozumel in premiere lobby. We enjoyed Mashua way more, the red tuna was the best dish I have ever tasted, hands down. The waiters at Cozumel, Roger and another younger gentleman, gave us better service. Speaking of service, every waiter and waitress at buffet were friendly and quick, and they do work very hard. Tips: not mandatory, but we had about 25 $1 US bills with us for 5 days 4 nights trip, and we gave out pretty much all of them to wait staff, hotel staff, lobby receptionist at check out (there was only one guy doing the check out and there was a huge line). I`d like to address the smell I heard from several travelers and it also concerned me prior to going, when I went there, I realized the smell was there only in the early morning on two different days in specific areas, and it quickly diminished after we leave the area, or it goes away after a while and it never bothered us. The second thing I want to address is the seaweed on the beach. Akumal side of the beach had less seaweed on the day we went there and Tulumn had more, certain parts were ok but certain parts of the beach had long stretch of seaweed. Did it bother us? Not at all. This part of mexico isn't know for its beach, so we gladly stayed in the pool. Speaking of pool, every pool close to the edge is children-friendly, and some of the deeper areas only reach to about an adult's chest area or lower, I think this was designed with safety of swimmers in mind. Interestingly enough, the pools in Coba were a lot cleaner than Tulumn's. Tulumn's pools had sand and other small things such as leaves in there, not something that bothered us but it was just a mere observation in comparison to Coba's pools. The children's waterpark was fun and my boy had a great time playing with smaller slides on the sides and going up and down the stairs, and lifeguards there are very vigilant and they aren't afraid to tell children to stop rough play or do unsafe activities.

Secrets Playa Mujeres: Beautiful

Secrets :Playa Mujeres was an amazing resort. The staff were friendly and fun to be around. The food was awesome. No shortage of drinks. Our room was spacious and the turn down service was great. We would return.