Ocean Riviera Paradise: Great family vacation

Just returned from an amazing week at Ocean Riveria Paradise. Clean, modern and well designed resort. Big resort with many pools and options, our 3 kids enjoyed the water slides, ocean pool and games room. Food was fairly good with many choices and no reservations (recommend going early to avoid lines) my only complaint would be that lunch options are more limited.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: So much to love!!

Not sure where to start....we loved everything about this amazing resort!! We loved how natural and eco friendly it was. From the cenotes to the reusable drink cups!! It’s a big resort so there is lots of walking from your room to the po and beach and then back up to the water park and restaurants. The pathways are beautiful with so much to see. There is wildlife everywhere. We loved seeing the mobiles, coyties, peacocks, iguanas and beautiful birds. The cenote and the jade river offer beautif [... read more]ul on resort excursions as well as the walking paths to the waterfalls and suspension bridge. We also loved the bike ride to the ruins. Aka iguana kingdom!! There were giant iguanas everywhere!! So cool!! My kids, 10 and 14, enjoyed the water park, pools and the beach! I do recommend water shoes for the beach as it is rocky and seemed to have a lot of sea urchins. The beach itself is beautiful with nice white sand, palm trees and plenty of lounge chairs. The water is a bit hit and miss. Some days it was seaweedy and a bit smelly in areas. Then the very next day it would be beautiful and clear. We loved all of the restaurants and food choices. The Riviera and the Japanese are must visits!! We loved all the staff and the local people. They were very friendly and professional. If you spend time on the beach the massage people get a bit annoying, but just smile and say no thank you. Just remember they are trying to make a living. We loved the beach photographers with the red shirts. We got beautiful family pictures. We also went out fishing for four hours though a company on the beach. Ask for Elias. He’s the best!! We stayed in the eco family penthouse suite. There was more than enough room for our family. The kids loved the big balcony bathtub and the double showers was great for getting ready at night!! The nightly entertainment and shows were very well done and great for the whole family!! There was always lots to see and lots to do. There was yoga, Zumba, aqua size, pool games and sports, bingo, beach volleyball happening all day everyday. We definitely recommend this resort and would go back in a heartbeat!!

Holiday Inn Huatulco: A great location in Santa Cruz

The Holiday Inn has the potential to be a great hotel. They are centrally located and within walking distance of the Santa Cruz beach and the walkway to La Crucecita. They did an amazing job of this walkway and it is a lovely attraction with a view of the ocean at the beginning and a view of the Sierre Madres as a backdrop. Breathtaking! The following are my observations during my two week stay at the HI Their dining room and bar staff has the potential for vast improvement. There was  [... read more]never a lack of servers but their appeared to be no direction provided to them. No server had a set number of tables and resulted in numerous servers waiting on you resulting in a chaotic serving pattern. Appetizers and main courses at the same time or appetizers after main course. However, the quality of the food served was always fresh and pleasant to the eye. Their wait staff made a concerted effort to be helpful and were warm and friendly. Suggestion: the arrangement of the breakfast buffet and the lineup at the omelette centre was convoluted. The buffet lineup should be reversed and the location of a single table directly in front of the omelette area should be removed. Special kudos to the following: Andres (young server), Andres (older server),Gabriel, Onofre, Rudolfo, Carlos, Israel, Edmond (chef), and special mention to the young lady (Adalid) who was exceptional. Also, the young man, Saul, who attended bar was good but very shy and seldom made eye contact; could attribute this to his young age. The potential to be good. The front desk was okay but not overly helpful. Maricruz was probably the strongest of the front desk staff. There was a lack of beverage mixes at the bar (tonic) for days and light beer on several occasions. It just didn't seem to be a priority. The rooms were spotless and the cleaning staff did a great job. Best beds and linens. Loved the darkening drapes. More effort to cleaning in the lobby and aisleways could be improved. However, the area adjacent to the bar was always meticulously maintained and they attended to the grass and plants daily. Biggest issue was the cleanliness of the pool and daily pool maintenance. The area was never cleaned the entire time there with one exception when they stained the far end of the pool deck. They have a big issue with bird and droppings on the deck, deck chairs, pool loungers and in the water. They did have a hawk whisperer, Abraham, come in two days a week for about one hour to scare the birds away, but as soon as he left the birds were back. I never saw anyone physically vacuum the pool, clean the pool deck, etc., and we were on the deck before 7 a.m. every day. Refrigerators in every room would be a plus. Some guests did have them them but it was a haggle to obtain. All in all, we would stay there again and feel some constructive input would assist them in making the Holiday Inn a definite gem. We love Huatulco! Toni Lucenti Visited March 05-19, 2019

Villas Vallarta by Canto del Sol: Good value for the money

An older 3 star resort, the room entry/closet/bathroom is strange design. Small TV. Having full access to the 4 star sister across the court/street makes it good value for the money, $950 Canadian (we booked 2 days before). The customers were mostly older couples the mid March week we were there. A few cloudy days but super warm, shorts only required even at night. The attached plaza has a number of shops, spas etc. I got $10 haircut there. Food was was good and always available. Surf and turf [... read more] restaurant was excellent. Very scenic with the mountains around you. Cobble stone roads in the old downtown, a bit of bumpy road on the .60 cent bus rides.

Royalton Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa: Very Disappointed. Not much Luxury!

I am so disappointed. Our LUXURY hotel was EXTREMELY Over Rated. I would not recommend this resort to anyone and will not book another Royalton resort. If you have any complaints, … perhaps you should upgrade! I paid for Luxury accommodations already, .. but they think you should pay even more! My biggest complaint was health and safety. Both of us had stomach issues and both got major chest / sinus infections while there, …no wonder when you never see staff washing or sanitizing h [... read more]ands. They go from dirty dishes to clean and put fingers all over clean dishes and silverware. No railings for the stairs and lots of drop offs at the paths and in the lobby. When asked about any services for deaf or hard of hearing, ... they do not provide any services like that. There is not even closed captioning on the televisions. They said there were subtitles but the only subtitles were in Spanish on the English channels. If you have booked this hotel, ... you will be ok and survive. We had an ok time (when we were not confined to the room with no closed captioned television). I was expecting to be wowed at a 5 star hotel and was disappointed I had spent so much money for nothing. Having 3 people murdered a few miles up the road the first night we were there, … made us nervous to do any outings. . Room The musty smell when you opened the door was the first indication there was trouble. It never did get much better during our stay. I am very allergic to mold and dust. This room had both! Took a finger swab above the television, … made my furnace room look clean! The room was very basic with 1950 laminate furniture that was peeling off. The “Jacuzzi" tub: that was advertised had 4 very corroded jets and the tub was not secured to the floor or wall, … making it tippy when empty. The tubs electrical connections were plugged in and very easy to splash water on! Shower floor was WAY too slippery with no grab bars. To top it off, .. the rusty hinges on glass door with no weather strip around the door left you a flooded room when the second rain shower was used. There were no chairs on balcony when we arrived, but they did bring at least a couple chairs. The maintenance building that was immediately behind us had a terrible hum noise that made sitting on the balcony not very fun anyway. The mangrove was not impressive but it did not bother me as much as the constant hum of equipment in the building. The hallways were EXTREMELY NOISY No nap during the day and maids carts with hard wheels going over the tiles at 7am every morning. At 4am one morning there was a man and 4 women in the hallway cleaning it... and talking very loud! Any noise in the hall sounded like there was someone in your room. Televisions do not have closed captions available. There was very little to watch anyway but anyone with a hearing impairment is out of luck! At least the loud hallways do not bother them! . Pool The pool area actually had lots of loungers, … and unfortunately lots of birds. It was hard to find a lounger that was not covered in bird droppings. Anyone that left any kind of food around invited 20 birds to pull it apart. They are so tame they almost dive bomb you. I would not let children in the water park. There were about 15 birds bathing on top of each of the palm trees that have water coming out the top. Full of birds and of course droppings. . Lobby and Public Areas The lobby was marred with an unusual amount of bird droppings as well. The couches were covered. The carpets were full of droppings but also disgustingly stained with spilled drinks that never did get cleaned up. The carpets were filthy all week. We watched a show from the balcony of the lobby. It was a nice view of the show below and the ocean out far. Unfortunately the wicker chairs are very uncomfortable ( and full of bird …t!) The worst part was is when it gets dark it is extremely difficult to see the steps on the deck. Brown deck and unmarked steps when it is dark is not a great combination, … both my friend and I tripped causing pain and discomfort for both of us. There are so many obstacles around the hotel to avoid, … you must be on your guard always. There are very few railings to assist and many places that have drop-offs very close to the paths. . Entertainment Very limited entertainment at night. Usually just a singer with a small band. There was a casino open from 6pm – 2am but we never did go there. . Smoking You are not allowed to smoke in your room or restaurants, … but everywhere else was fair game. They sell cigars every night at the entertainment venue. They bring you ashtrays at the bar if you want. . Restaurants Very pedestrian offerings. I was hoping for some authentic Mexican but the dishes offered are very lame. All edible but nothing special. Very little flavoring at all. I would have rather had Taco Bell! The stations at the buffet offer good breakfast omelets and fried eggs. In the evening you can have your fish and seafood grilled fresh. Sushi bar was pretty good. Watching them was glasses at the bar was a show in itself. They have this one at a time glass washer that they put the glass on. It has brushes and water flowing. Then they take the glass and put it into a bus bin with what I guess would be sanitizer. Then they take the glass out (usually with their dirty fingers inside the glass) and . Staff Here was the only highlight of the trip. There are some very wonderful staff. Very accommodating and friendly. Most staff was great but of course there is always a few.

Hotel Xcaret Mexico: Nice Resort

Was there last year and enjoyed it so much we went back again. Resort and people are nice, food is excellent. Changes from last year to this year I didn't like we're the changing timetables and reservation changes at various restaurants. The room was not ready in time. The room we stayed in the A/C did not go below 23c at night even though it was set at 18c. I complained, they sent a repairman. I used Google translator. It seems the hotel controls the limit, I feel. They gave us a fan which help [... read more]ed. They also offered a different room in a location not suitable for us. Funny how the room got cooler by almost 1c a night. Our last night it was 18c. We left our room at 24c during the day. Yes we will go back. Great place, great amneties, never crowded at pool or lagoon settings.

Hacienda Encantada Resort and Spa: Amazing resort

We spent 2 weeks at the beautiful Hacienda Incantana The resort is amazing ,the staff are the best ,great service ,very helpful and friendly. The food was incredible. The room was very spacious and the bed was so comfortable and everything is so clean. We had a wonderful time. Claire and Daniel from Edmonton

Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya: Fantastic vacation!

We stayed at the Grand Sirenis for 1 week March 14-21st. It was absolutely wonderful - accommodations and food were fantastic and the staff were outstanding. Always willing to go that extra mile. We would definitely go back again. Our entire family (including our teenage daughters) loved it! Jennifer did a great job at arranging all of the details for us.

Riu Palace Baja California: Ultra Modern

First impression was it looked out of place next to its traditional style sister hotels. The welcome was warm the staff friendly and the room was excellent. We were on the 3rd floor which could be floor 4,5,6 depending which lift you used. The hotel was spotless and staff were always cleaning. The food in the buffet dining room was good and varied and fresh. The alacart restaurants were a bit hit and miss with the service, they forgot to serve our main course in one. I put this down to the st [... read more]aff being relatively new and the hotel. Was fairly full as it was reading week in US. Pools were great warm and clean. Gentle games were layed, the more boisterous stuff happened in the sister hotels. The beach was kept clean and tidy but you could not swim in the sea, this was a big disappointment for us. Evening entertainment improved over the week but a cool wind blew through the entertainment area in the evening, you needed to be seated near a patio heater. A very enjoyable stay over all and you could not fault the hotel on its cleanliness.

Hotel Emporio Ixtapa: Week in Paradise

We stayed at the Hotel Emporio for the first time last week. Our experience was wonderful, from the service, the food and the facilities. Our room was located on the second floor (no view), it was large with a king size bed, small fridge, large bathroom with shower with plenty of hot water. The hotel and grounds were very well kept and clean, staff were constantly cleaning. The food was very good, just not a large selection. The staff from the bartenders, the waiters, the lifeguards, were all v [... read more]ery pleasant and attentive.

Playa Los Arcos: Very nice Place....Very authentique Mexican Vibe!!!! Beautiful

Nice older hotel....Well maintained ...authentique Mexican style....small and comfortable...Food was good....not 5 star quality but very good all the same, and who cares anyway when you are so close to lot's of very inexpensive restaurants that you can try out just around the corner!!!...air conditioning great!!! bed very comfy!!! Pool nice and clean....Right on the ocean!!! And RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THE ACTION...Close to everything you could want....Market...Big box stores...Restaurants... [... read more]Malecone...Buses....Super location if you want to experience true Mexico....lot's to do close by...Uber is always just 2 minutes away (never waited more than 4 minutes) Overal....will be coming here again! Good value for the price we paid!!!! Just wishes we could have stayed longer! The only thing I was disapointed with....was the service for coffee refills....they never refilled my cup once...and I always had to ask for more....I hate that...Drinkers get a drink without even asking...but us coffee drinking always get the short end of the stick!!!! That is my only per peeve!

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Can’t wait to go back!

Occidental Xcaret destination is the most beautiful the resort I have ever visited. The grounds, pools and beach are amazing. The food is delicious. The rooms are clean and spacious. I can’t wait to go back.

Tesoro Los Cabos: Great resort

We loved being in the middle of town and being able to walk to great shops, restaurants and bars. The food is very good at this resort. We chose the all inclusive package. The only annoying part is that even though you are wearing a bracelet they make you sign for every meal and drink. We even had a server knock on our door because we forgot to sign for a bottle of water.

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Be careful with what you eat

The resort is beautiful, but it is not 5 star. I got food poison on day 2, my two kids ( 16 and 21) also had some stomachache problem. The food is underwhelming. The room is musky and bed is damp. The entertainment is good though. The service is pretty good for the most part. We had an excellent Butler, his name is Armando. He took care of us while we were not well, brought us champagne, candle ,essential oil and a dehumidifier.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Nice resort!

Rooms nice. Food was really good including both buffets. Lighting could've been better in the restaurant's... they were too dark in the evenings. Beach was constantly full of seaweed but hanging out at the pool was fine.

Platinum Yucatan Princess: Stuck in the 1970 s

The staff were friendly and accommodating. The restaurants were subpar ,thankfully the buffet was top notch. The drinks were hit or miss ,room service was very slow 45 minutes and cold but all in was still fun...

Buenaventura Grand Hotel and Great Moments: Nice small resort

The hotel was very clean. My room was a good size with good views The bar staff were excellent. The restaurants were ok but could use a bit more variety. I would recommend this for people who like to walk uptown and don’t expect a 5 star hotel

Paraiso de la Bonita: Peaceful Retreat

Zoerty is a small resort with lots of elbow room. The "rooms" are large with separate sitting, bed, and bath rooms. Our Italian themed room had a balcony that included a splash pool and double sunbed. Although it could do with a minor refreshing the room was clean and the maid service was excellent. We enjoyed the presence of wildlife and "tamelife" like parrots, peacocks, coatimundi and iguanas. The food was up to fine dining standard with choice to suit almost every taste. The staff at Zoetry  [... read more]is professional, helpful and friendly. Service in the restaurants was mostly very good. There were a few occasions when service was slow and a little inconsistent. I had the impression that some of the servers were learning on the job. However, in no way did this affect our enjoyment . Other reviewers have mentioned the issues with seaweed on beaches in this region. The reports are true and there were a few days when this would be a negative for beach people. During the days when the beach was clear, you will enjoy the white sand, clear water and a smooth sandy coral free bottom. Zoerty is a quiet tranquil resort, a great retreat from boisterous crowds and loud music at the typical all-inclusive.

Iberostar Waves Paraiso del Mar: Incredible resort vacation

The resort was everything we could have wished for. The staff friendly and helpful and always ready to go the extra mile. The setting beautiful and lush. The food was delicious and great variety. Everything was so clean, the rooms, pool, dining areas, walkways. We would certainly visit again!

Grand Palladium Select Costa Mujeres: Very nice resort with lots of potential

We stayed at the Grand Palladium Costa Mujeres from March 12-19, 2019 with our two kids (5 and 7) and had a wonderful time. The resort is brand new, beautiful, clean and has modern amenities. The rooms are large, well equipped and no need to worry about a room key as your access wristband serves as your key. There is reliable wifi throughout the resort, which can be both a positive and a negative for obvious reasons. The resort is quite large, so depending on your room location, cer [... read more]tain areas of the resort can require a 5-10 min walk. We were happy to walk, but others should be aware there is both a cart path and a canal transport to move around the resort if needed and you are willing to wait for an available ride. The grounds are well-maintained and will be even more impressive as they further develop. For those not staying at TRS or in the Family Selection section, there is access to 2 pools and the splash pad, Our kids loved them all, with lots of activities at the main pool and the beach pool is particularly impressive looking with beach access nearby. Service was wonderful at all of the pools, with friendly staff always available. There are restricted access areas such as the pool on the TRS (adults only) side of the resort, the Family Selection pool and the travel club members pool - this is unfortunately the most visually appealing pool and the one you will see featured most prominently in photos of the resort. It would be preferred if these areas were open to all guests, but as long as you are aware of the restrictions when purchasing your package, it is not an issue as there are lots of other great areas on the resort. There was no shortage of seating near the pools, but the staff is also good at collecting towels to prevent guests from reserving seats while they are not actually at the pool areas. The beach area is excellent, with the resort having left the natural growth on the beach intact. The water is clear, with no red flag days for our entire visit. The water does get deep fairly quickly, so parents should be aware of this. Costa Mujeres is expanding rapidly, so you can see several resorts under construction in the distance, but it is still quite beautiful and very safe to take a long walk down the beach past the other resorts and undeveloped areas. There is bar service on the beach, but during our stay it was generally under-served so it is advisable to grab towels and drinks on the way to the beach. The food was generally very good during our stay, with us eating at the main buffet for breakfasts, the beach restaurant for lunches and the a la carte restaurants for dinner each night. All a la carte restaurants as well as the coffee shop/cake bar, sports bar, sky bar and theatre are located in the "village" area, which is definitely a highlight of the resort. The village area is located at the front of the resort and combines a cobblestone street, open air patios, restaurants and the theatre to create a hub of activity. During our stay, we understood the resort was running at 75% capacity and it was clear they were still learning their way in the restaurants as they were staffed accordingly. The food was generally very good, with the steakhouse, thai and mexican restaurants being our favourites. No reservations are required for the restaurants (with the only exception being the teppanyaki bar), so there was a wait for tables in some cases of up to 45 min. There was no shortage of space at the bar during the wait, but in some cases up to 1/3 of the tables were empty despite the wait list. This will undoubtedly improve over time, but people should be aware of this as the resort is still in its beginnings. In all instances, staff were polite and accommodating throughout the resort. There were lots of options for entertainment, with activities at the pools, games areas, theatre shows and beach shows in the evening (fire show, pirate show). Overall, we were very satisfied with our trip to Grand Palladium Costa Mujeres. There are areas where the resort is still working things out, but that is also reflected in the pricing as compared to similar established 5 star resorts in the area. We would definitely consider returning in the future and would recommend this hotel to others.