Catalonia Royal Tulum: Underwhelming Vacation

Overall we enjoyed our stay but we would not return. PROS: Grounds, Customer Service, Rooms, Pool, Beach We stayed at this resort for 5 days and have to say that the customer service was impeccable! If we had questions or any issues (I.E. malfunctioning safe), we were helped right away or someone sent to our room within 30 minutes of placing the call for assistance. The resort grounds, pool and beach were all absolutely beautiful! Simply walking around on the resort grounds was a treat with  [... read more]the abundance of trees, ponds, birds, bridges and friendly local wildlife in the resort itself. CONS: Food, Sales staff, Beach, Night life Sales staff: there are a ton of staff in white uniforms that walk the grounds "ensuring your holiday is good", but the moment you respond or stop to talk, they start the sales pitch of how to cut out the middleman for your vacations and go through them instead. We had the exact same person approach us to have the same exact conversation each 2-3 times a day every single day we were there: "where are you from, hows the weather back home, how long are you here for, etc" trying to engage us into their 60 minute sales pitch. Food: we chose this resort based off the good reviews for food and we were very disappointed. We tried almost every restaurant (not the "exclusive package") and found they all lacked significantly in flavor. We even tried the room service and ordered the enchiladas and caeser salad our last night. It arrived very quickly but when I ordered, I mentioned that I was allergic to avocado and needed to ensure there was none in the dish - to which they replied that I was good and there would be no avocado. They then sent a side dish of guacamole on the same plate as my enchiladas. Not only could I not eat what I had ordered but when my husband tried to eat them, he said the filling was slimy (chicken and onions were the only filling) and it was tasteless and stopped after 2 bites. I shared the caesar salad with my husband, which was pretty good flavor wise but the pool of water at the bottom was less than appetizing. The only delicious meal we had our entire trip was at the Cancun airport on our way home (Guy Fieri's - so good!). Beach: a lot of seaweed! The sand and water were lovely and the beach setup for lounging was great. However, the amount of seaweed was surprising considering the reviews have not reflected much. It took all morning for the staff to clear beach of seaweed and by mid afternoon you were once again hopping over mounds that stretched the length of the grounds. Personally, I don't view it as a big deterrent for this resort but something to note for your stay. Nightlife: not a lot going on while we were there (Monday-Friday). They have a few bars open until 2am but it is a quiet resort so if you're looking for a party, you might want to look elsewhere.

Canto Del Sol: Ok resort

Buffet was ok same food as 4yrs ago. A la carte was good Rooms ok but they try to give you a crappy room unless you complain Activities not near as good as 4 years ago Hotel seems to mostly cater to time share people/seniors now which is fine if wanting a quieter place

Riu Cancun: Fantastic Vacation

The Riu Cancun is our favourite Riu property. The entire resort is spotlessly clean and modern. The grounds, plants, and beach are looked after with the utmost care and all staff go out of their way to smile and help in any way they can. The food is always fresh and there is a great variety of dishes and restaurants as well. The atmosphere is very relaxing and we felt completely comfortable and welcomed at the resort.

Riu Emerald Bay: Excellent vacation at the Riu Emerald Bay

The Riu Hotel Emerald Bay Mazatlan was our first visit to a Riu Hotel. We recieved our check in on the bus on the way to the hotel which was a bonus. I personally do not like heights and had hoped to be on a lower floor. We were on the 16th floor and I thoroughly enjoyed the views from our room. The last night we upgraded to the zaccuzi suite and now we would definatley book a zaccuzi suite for the whole vacation next time. The suite was beautiful. At first glance the hotel is very impressive. T [... read more]he hotel is situated at the north end of Mazatlan away from the noise and crowds of the golden zone which was great for us. The hotel overall is very clean, the rooms, pools, grounds and beach area very very clean and well decorated. There were ample beach and lounge chairs, we never went without. The staff is amazingly friendly and quick to serve. The guests were also well behaved. No waits at the buffet, only twice before dinner we waited for the elevator to go up from the beach and a very short wait at the bars if at all. Anytime we had an issue like a burnt out light bulb, mini bar or even when we broke a glass it was promply attended to and the front desk called within the hour to confirm our issue had been attended to. The buffet at breakfast, lunch and dinner were delicious with many choices. We had dinner at the asian and the Mexican restraunt. The asian restraunt was the best asian food we have ever had at any resort we have stayed at in Mexico. As far as the construction, in the day there was little interuption from the noise. It was interesting watching the workers from our room. I am sure the additional services will enhance experiences at the Riu. I have absolutley no complaints except having to leave to go home. I would highly recommend this hotel. I would for sure stay at the Riu Emerald Bay again and all other vacations anywhere I would will have a preferance for a Riu hotel. I should mention Sunwing was great, we took 2 excursions. One was the city tour our first day and the information on Mazatlan was extremely informative. The second tour was the Sensation catamaran that showed us the ocean view of the city. Both tours were excellent. The only improvements maybe would be the enertainment and check out. The entertainment was at times not suitable for children and the dancing music was repedative. The cultural enertainment was very good, but the entertainment could use an upgrade. Big lines at check out, but when it was our turn it was quick, efficient and perefct timing. The wait and congregation in the lobby gave us time to say our goodbyes to the friends we made. There is no comparision to other hotels in Mexico we have stayed. Thank you Riu for making our first visit to Mazatlan amazing.

Camino Real Zaashila: Wonderful Hualtuco

Smaller resort with best views and a well set up layout Balcony to pool to the ocean all close, great if you don't like a lot of walking Best lunch with a great view Service excellent. Rooms are a good size but starting to get a bit dated

Grand Palladium Kantenah: Disappointed

Our first Air Transat all inclusive stay at the Kantenah 2 years ago was very enjoyable, as we were with a group of approximately 70 family and friends for a wedding celebration. This most recent vacation went very well until we arrived at reception. The room we were assigned had 2 double beds, which was not acceptable. We upgraded to a junior suite with a larger bed. Upon arrival at our room, we found it un-made, requiring cleaning from the previous occupants. We returned with our luggage to [... read more] reception and were eventually moved to another junior suite. Other than being tired and hungry from the day's travel, we finally got to our room at 10:15 pm. Everything went quite nicely for 2 days until we returned to our room at approx. 12 AM to find the bathroom and immediate area flooded from the 3rd floor above. Cosmetics and medications were ruined and everything else was soaked. Now it is 1AM and we are moving to another suite. Needless to say our vacation is losing some of the sparkle we had been anticipating. Other than talking to the customer service manager about our experience , we continued on with our vacation hoping for the best. We like the Palladium Kantenah and hope to return next December. I know we don't live in a perfect world, but the lack of concern was less than encouraging. We expected more from a five star resort. Disappointed!!

Royalton Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa: Fantastic resort

Totally recommend this resort. Had a little mix up with our rooms for the first couple days but they ended up resolving it. If you want top notch food options, quality and service I’d totally recommend this place. Coffee/dessert/ice cream shop is amazing, all included as well. Also like the fact you don’t have to carry a room key (your bracelet is your room key)or towel card with you, total plus. Beach had some seaweed but I hear it’s because of a recent hurricane from another area and th [... read more]ey are trying their best to keep it clean. Definitely coming back to this resort! Tip: If you need two queen beds in your room call hotel before showing up to let them know or you’ll likely end up with only one king bed.

Bahia Principe Explore Tulum: Love this resort!

This was my 6th visit to Bahia Principe Tulum, and it did not disappoint. The resort is clean, impeccably lush and very well kept. There is as little or as much to do as you would like. There seemed to be more rocks on the beach and in the water this year than I remember in the past, but we managed to find a favourite place on the beach for our daily swim. They have lots of chairs and palapas on the beach and pool bars in close proximity. The food and beverage is top notch although we order [... read more]ed the same drink at 3 different bars and got 3 different drinks. The customer service is very good and if you leave a tip here and there the service is excellent.

Crown Paradise Golden: This resort blew us away!

This resort was above and beyond what we could’ve asked for! The grounds were tidy, clean and very well kept. The food was outstanding in every aspect and the alacarts were to die for! The beach was clean, the waves were great and we were even served drinks on the sand. We will not book anywhere else from this point on - amazing experience !

Grand Decameron Complex Bucerias Trademark: Good and bad

Did not get building we requested, after being there 5 times, wanted one by the beach and got the one farthest away from the beach. Food was okay, never hot, and no more meat carving stations. There were more loungers so didn't need to get up super early to reserve although many people still did. Lots of activities. Had a medical problem day we were leaving and was treated well by dr, the nurse was very caring, and the Transat staff helped my husband and went above and beyond, wish I got his [... read more] name but I was not doing well.

Selection Riviera Cancun: Pleasant resort

It was pleasant but unless you go to the premium section, it doesn’t qualify as 5 stars. On the plus side: excellent barmen and waiters, always helpful and generally friendly staff; clean grounds, great swimming pools, generally good food with enough variety. On the minus side: rooms are a decent size (we had the family suite) but are rather long and rectangular so that each room success each other along the long axis, ending up in a smallish balcony ( but with nice couch seating and cushi [... read more]ons). The beach is ok, a lot o seaweed during our stay but they worked hard to clear it fast.

Catalonia Riviera Maya: Great resort!

I stayed at the Catalonia Riviera Maya from March 1 to March 8, 2019. Overall, it was a very good stay. Here are the pros and cons: Room - The room was great, clean with lots of storage and a comfortable bed. There were problems with the toilet which were fixed on the second try. The sink stopper wouldn't stay open and it drained very slowly, but I never asked to have it fixed. Food - It was an interesting mix of food. There was some very good food and some really not very good food. Overa [... read more]ll, the buffet was adequate although smaller with less choice than buffets I have seen at some other resorts. But there was always lots to eat and it was fresh, although not always hot. Breakfast was very good. The a la carte restaurants were very good, with Bloved standing out as the best by far. If you have the option to upgrade to Privileged for a reasonable fee, do it and have lunch at Bloved as often as you can. The view is amazing and the food is excellent. Dinner at Bloved was also very good and our server, Lucas, was great fun! Room service - Don't order from room service unless you really have to. The burgers were not very good and you can't order breakfast from room service unless you do so a day ahead. I was ill one afternoon/evening but could not get soup or toast delivered to my room, unfortunately. The pools - They are great. The privileged pool was wonderful and you could watch some of the entertainment at the main pool from there. It was also fun to go to the two main pools and watch the entertainment more closely. The entertainment staff at the hotel work very hard and go above and beyond. The beach - The beach was ok. There were lots of chairs on the beach and the sand was nice. But the beach was small and the water was not great for swimming (lots of sea grass). There was not much that could be done about the sea grass although the staff spent countless hours trying to clean it up and carry it away. If the beach is the most important thing to you (it is not for me), then you will find it does not compare to the beaches of Cuba and the DR or even some other beaches in Mexico. Entertainment - I saw two shows - the Mexican show and the Broadway show. Both were excellent and I heard that Lion King was too. There was music and dancing in the bar outside the theatre before and after the shows and karaoke night was fun to watch. I never made it to the disco. Staff - All the staff were excellent. Very friendly, very helpful and very attentive. Spa - The spa was beautiful and I had a great massage from Angelica who also applied some soothing treatment to my sunburn. The hydrotherapy pool was very nice too. Accessibility - Although accessibility is not an issue for me, I have friends for whom it is an issue so I always try to evaluate it. Much of the resort is very accessible (lobby, rooms, showers). But there would be some areas that you could not access (unless I missed something). For example, 3 of the a la carte restaurants and Bloved are up a set of stairs. There may be an elevator I did not see but you would want to ask specifically about this. Overall, I would give this resort a 3.5 to 4 star rating.

El Dorado Seaside Palms: Nice Hotel but Too many mosquitos

Hotel was nice, swim up suite is great with pool bars you can swim/walk to .Rooms are nice, but loud air conditioners and bar fridge Concierge services, but they don't do to much... talk a good plan, to no effect A Lot of un-maintained palms, so be careful of falling fronds and coconuts. Water at beach is only a couple of feet, so if you like sitting instead of swimming, you will like this restaurants where OK, nothing to special and Mexican should be sooo much better in Mexico, poor service [... read more] and food, with all kind of people waiting inside the restaurant for a table.. on large guy would not even move to let us out.. Italian was the best! You also have to get up early (5.30am) to get bed on beach and by 8 for a decent chair.. No bars in lobby 's, and very little entertainment, just band or singers in sea side bar... not enough chairs and tables for everyone.. We liked the hotel, but would not return, as there are too many mosquitoes and they do not spray.

Riu Vallarta: A+ For Effort

The staff were all friendly & acommodating overall. The variety of food offered would please anyone, however I found it to be a little plain. The pool area was nice but the beach was great. The entertainment was your standard menu

Krystal Ixtapa: Nice enough

The resort was clean and well maintained. The a few concerns ... explaination at check in was quick perhaps too quick. Found ourselves unable to know where to go for a meal initially or where things were on the resort. Had to take a fair bit of time to go thru the printed material given at check in. Food at this resort was never very warm even if you got to the dining room as soon as it opened. Variations of the same thing over and over. Their a le cart restaurant Bogarts is fantastic. Staff ar [... read more]e excellent and friendly. Beds are comfortable and the rooms pretty standard.Resort had 50%tourists the rest are locals. There is a shortage of deck chairs and if you don't get down poolside and save ones by 7:00 you are out of luck

Bahia Principe Explore Tulum: Wonderful resort

This was our third stay at this resort. It offers all sorts of day trips off the resort if you wish to do so. Has assortment of activities on the resort offered also. The cafeteria always had assortment of foods to choose from, something to the likings to everyone. Room was always clean and equipped with clean towels/ facecloths. No complaints

Emporio Cancun: Great resort.

If you want to have a quiet time and a great beach, this is the place to go. There is only a couple of down sides to this resort. 1. There isn't a place to sit and socialize after dinner. 2. There is only one restaurant that you can book. However it is a great restaurant. (Italian). 3. There isn't any nighttime entertainment. The positives: 1. The beach is amazing 2. The service is also amazing. 3. The food is excellent.

Iberostar Waves Paraiso del Mar: Amazing Resort

Exceptionally clean resort. The staff are responsive and courteous. We had a great time. It is a large resort so doesn't seem crowded at all. The excursions that are available provide something for everyone. I will gladly return.

Las Brisas Huatulco: Very Unique Resort

The hotel was great. Not fancy but the setting was unlike any resort we had been at in the past. Very unique as it has little villas set in the hill sides with all Canadian people as guests!!. Staff were great and very friendly.

Grand Decameron Los Cabos: Small resort packs a punch !

Royal Decameron has a unique vide ! Very friendly , something always happening , the social directors Mayo & Rudolph work endlessly to keep you busy & entertained. If you so choose. The front desk staff Serafin & Bruno kept me informed with all their local knowledge. José in the pool side restaurant is a consummate profession server , and Erik at the buffet was on top of every whim. Joselin the lifeguard kept us safe 🤪 Omar kept us hydrated. 🍹& happy ! There is definitely larger reso [... read more]rts in the area , but royal Decameron has heart & a genuine desire to provide impeccable service. I highly recommend this resort & intend to return .