Bel Air Collection Xpu-Ha Riviera Maya: Quiet resort

Not a lot to choose from. Two restaurants, one side was breakfast and the other side was dinner. If it got busy they opened up both sides. Only one lobby bar and one pool bar. Staff very friendly. Great for people looking to just relax.

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Tips & Tricks for a great week

“Tips & tricks for a great week” 4 of 5 stars Pending review This is the longest review I have ever written but there is a lot to say about this resort. Let me start by saying I have never stayed at a large all inclusive and this place, part of a collection of resorts, seemed HUGE to me. (It's big enough that trams run continually to transport the guests.) This was a girls trip & my companions were also put off - we thought we'd made a mistake in booking here. However, as the week progressed [... read more], it really grew on us & by the end we were a little sad to say good bye. So here's the major points...we booked with Air Transat and decided to take the included transfer to the resort. Because of the size of the property, the bus ride was direct both ways so no need to book private transfer to save time. We read in the reviews before we left that we needed to book restaurant reservations immediately upon arrival - the resort does not allow advance booking. Well, we didn't realize that immediately meant IMMEDIATELY so we didn't book until after dinner the night we arrived. Almost everything was booked or had very late dining times, like 9:30 pm. We were not happy. One of the reasons we chose the resort was the restaurant options but we took what we could get at that point. Fortunately, the first morning we ran into a lovely Irish couple who told us they had taken to just showing up and asking nicely to be seated. We decided 'what's the worse that can happen?' It worked! We were almost turned away at one, when we were very late for our actual reservation, but we could see available tables so we told them we would wait for a while. I think they could see we were determined so sat us quite quickly. The key to all this is to be polite. Staying at the Akumal gives you access to the restaurants at all the sister properties. We had spectacular meals at Alux, Arlequin, Maiko & Rodizio. Rodizio was a sleeper hit for us - we didn't expect it to be so good! None of us really enjoyed Pescador, which was a casual pick. We had buffet a couple times because we were off the resort a couple days and the buffet is good. Nothing compared to the higher a la cartes, but good. We had most breakfasts & lunch at Los Corales on the beach, which was also right beside our building. The weak point overall is the house wines. We are far from sommeliers but found only a couple of the reds were decent table wines - the white house offerings, a sauv blanc & Chardonnay were both barely drinkable. I would guess the reason is because the resort is trying to upsell to the wine list, which isn't a great for a resort of this level - the house wine should be okay. Where the wine failed, the amazing staff shone. We had outstanding service from all but standouts were Jorge at Arlequin, Gerardo at Rodizio, Hermelindo & Alejandro at Los Corales & Miguel at the Beach Bar Hut. Make sure you have pesos - you'll want to tip these guys. Onto the rooms...our room was fine. A little on the small side but clean and the bathroom was huge. We had 2 double beds and a daybed, which we used becasue the beds were true doubles. We lucked out and got building 83, right beside the infinity pool, a breakfast/lunch buffet & the beach. We are all major beach people so it was great to be so close. The beach itself is nice and well maintained but it's not much of a swimming beach. There are big booms, I believe to prevent erosion, that stop the waves from crashing into the shore and create calm, shallow wading spaces. We walked all the way down to the furthest resort and it was similar all along. The resort gives you a towel card to redeem for a beach towel. You can only do this at one pool, which is just silly. At the end of the week you have to return the towel cards. An aside, the whole thing is actually silly. Why not have towels available at all pools and then you could drop them off each evening and not have to deal trying to find somewhere in the room to hang big, wet beach towels? A couple last things...very few mosquitos. We all got a couple bites but we also didn't wear repellant. It was very cool at night even though it was warm during the day. None of us brought enough sweaters, wraps, etc, so you should pack them. We went to the disco on the property a couple times - it was quite busy and fun. The resort is really close to Tulum. If you want to save some money, you can grab a Collectivo, a local minivan, for 30 pesos right outside the gates of the resort. We also did a full day excursion with Edventure. I booked it via email after we were already there & it was a great day. Overall, we had a great time & we might even go back.

Bahia Principe Escape Sian Ka'an: Amazing Resort

Room, service and food A+. Buffet restaurant was fabulous, really no reason to go to specialty restaurants. Evening shows and bands were great and In the two weeks there didn't get duplicates. Shuttle buses to other area resorts with quick and easy.

Dreams Tulum Resort and Spa: Very good time

The hotel is very nice and the food was very good. It is very low key and good for families. I was a little concerned about the beach because of what I read about the seaweed but we did not have any problems. It was very nice. The staff was great - very respectful, helpful and pleasant. The only negatives I had was that the shower was never hot (luke warm at best); the pools were really cold, and we felt a lot pressure to join the "Hotel chain club". We really never had to wait for dinner (no re [... read more]servations) but the hotel was not crowded; but they are not very big so I would think in high season, it will definitely be a different story. Overall, we had a great time.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Great resort!

This is a huge resort! Very nice. Grounds well kept, pools are nice. We were in bldg 15 close to a pool but a lot of walking to everywhere else. Just be prepared to walk or waiting time for the tram. We did golden and can't say that the extra was worth it. We did have the robes and slippers, fridge filled were all nice but I think u get fridge replenished wherever u r. The private lobby, u still had to wait in that line and I would have to walk over there specifically to use the computer or bar  [... read more]when I had a bar closer to me at pool. Coba beach is nice, lots of fun waves! All in all, great vacation!!

Bel Air Collection Xpu-Ha Riviera Maya: Great Resort for Families

Great resort, the only two complaints I have was that the animals are noisy in the mornings and there was no sandy beaches on site. They shuttled you off to a local beach every 20 mins. The staff were very nice and attentive.

Riu Playacar: great resort

Very nice resort beautiful beach grounds are well maintained staff very cooperative the food was very good not too impressed with the steak house restaurant stakes weren't that great nightly entertainment and beach activities were excellent the one negative point about the restaurant was the vendors on the beach consistently day in and day out every hour of the day there were vendors on the beach walking right up to you asking if you wanted to buy silver sunglasses hats etc

Iberostar Waves Tucan: Hotel does not appreciate repeat customers

This was our 4th trip to this resort & probably our last. In the past, we have always contacted the resort with our preferred room location & they have been very accommodating to our requests. I emailed the resort again this year, 1 month prior our trip, requesting a room close to the beach, facing the pool. Claimed they would do their best to accommodate. When we checked in, the fellow at the front counter gave us a room in building 29 (farthest from the beach), facing a parking lot and the roo [... read more]m smelled of sewage. The worst location at the resort. They obviously do not appreciate repeat customers. We have never been treated so poorly. After crying & complaining he finally agreed to change our room but not until our 3rd day of our 7 day vacation. Meanwhile, there were people checking in after us that got much better rooms. Also upon checkout, we found to be treated in a very impersonal fashion. No thank you for choosing their resort, no hope you had a nice stay & no wishing you a safe trip home. The checkout clerk barely looked up to see who we were. Very unprofessional. On the upside, the resort is in a beautiful jungle setting with roaming wild life including their star attraction, the monkeys! The pool is huge & the staff do an excellent job at keeping it very clean. The beach is fabulous & is on one of the best locations in the area. The entertainment staff work very hard at keeping guests busy & welcomed. The resort did a fantastic job at renovating after the fire that happened in October. You would never know there was a fire. The outdoor restaurants & bars near the pool/beach area were very good for lunch & snacks. Main buffets had limited selection & always found the food to be cold. For us, the best specialty restaurant was the Steak House. The Japanese was good but Mexican was a disappointment. Cleaning staff did an excellent job as usual. Front desk needs improvement. This is our first time at writing a review & are being as honest as possible. We have brought & recommended many people to this resort over the years & are now contemplating spending our trip dollars elsewhere

Grand Sunset Princess: Huge but beautiful!

Disregard the negative reviews; as you can see on TA, they are few and isolated cases--they do not represent the majority. Ditto to all the positive reviews. Only a couple of recommendations to management -- should have more shuttles throughout the resort -- lots of walking which may be difficult for some. The resort recommends casual dress for the a la cartes however we say many wearing raggedy shorts and t-shirts and were allowed in ... ?? which is it; one or the other or both .. Great vacatio [... read more]n with warm, sunny weather.

Grand Sirenis Mayan Beach: Beautiful resort

The only complaint is that there was nothing posted anywhere of what was happening during the day, so not enough information. Also, there was a bad smell in the room but other rooms were fine. Resort, beach and entertainment were great. Food was fabulous. Would definitely go back.

The Fives Beach Hotel and Residences Playa Del Carmen: Azul Fives Shines

My boyfriend and I were graciously greeted by the staff upon arrival at the Azul fives in Riviera Maya, Mexico. Not only was the weather perfect, the service went along with it. From carefully taking into consideration my food allergies, to making sure that our room had a proper working lavatory (after a few incidents with the plumbing), the staff went above and beyond our expectations. Every staff member we talked to was smiling, in good spirits, and offered the best advise and service. Rooms w [... read more]ere clean, food was spectacular, beach and pools were glorious! What more could you ask for? We would definitely return to this resort should we have the chance.

Grand Riviera Princess: Better than expected for a big resort.

My wife & I just returned from a 7 day stay & we were quite pleased with the resort. Service was good, beach was almost 5 star, pools & pool bars were also great, buffet food was better than expected & restaurants were a good 4 star. If you are looking for complaints....there were none that really bothered us. WiFi was iffy at best,& mattresses were a little hard for us so if that's all we have to complain about I'd say it was a great holiday:)

Grand Sunset Princess: Very nice but can be improved

Overall the resort was good, the rooms, and pools were excellent. We upgraded to Platinum and the extra perks were nice, especially at the beach where we were always able to find lounge chairs in a good location. The food was hit and miss, some days excellent, other times lacking quality. Even the al-a-cartes were hit and miss. The resort was huge, but it wasn't a big issue for us. It was nice to have a walk in the evening after dinner. The shuttle was constantly running but they needed to add a [... read more]nother shuttle when raining or during meals hours when more people wanted to ride. The biggest plus was the staff working at the resort, everybody that we met were extremely helpful and friendly.

Riu Palace Mexico: Great resort---front office staff helpful

Grounds were immaculate ----public areas clean as staff was cleaning ongoing Staff friendly and very helpful ----good music and evening entertainment Food good---loved the linen table cloths and napkins.Housekeeping --super

Paradisus Playa del Carmen: Perfect resort

The food was amazing and had top shelf alcohol. The attention to detail in everything was great. Our two boys loved the kids club. The best part with the kids club is they did most activities outside of the "kids club". The service from everyone was great!

Grand Palladium Select White Sand: Loved it!

First trip to Mexico and had a great time! Jr suite villa room was very spacious, clean, well maintained. Filtered water throughout the resort so no water issues as found in other countries. The food was great (buffets and a la cartes)! Lots of variety, cooked to your liking, colourful displays, something for everyone! Staff very friendly and helpful. Lots to do, or nothing to do if that is your preference. Efficient travel options between resorts. We would stay at the White Sands again.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Fantastic Vacation!

This was our first all inclusive vacation in years, and it was great. We had been booked into the Colonial, however when we arrived, they were overbooked and we were moved to the Palace. Little did we know when we booked, there was a country music festival on the grounds (the other end of the resort past the Caribe/Beach), and the 5 resorts were at capacity. Amazingly, all of the amenities were not crowded. The pools were not crowded, there were always lounge chairs and hammocks available, and s [... read more]eats in the buffets were always free. Speaking of the buffets, the food was quite good - both selection, flavour and quality. Also, the staff in the restaurants were fantastic. In fact, we would always seek out one specific waiter - Yhashua. What a lovely young man. He is taking schooling on his days off for hotel management, and when we return in a few years, we hope to see him in a supervisory position! Also, whoever put Luis in charge of the 2pm pool entertainment was a genius - he was hilarious. Loved playing bingo with him, and my husband played pickup volleyball with him as well. The pools were very nice. I had the lap pool all to myself in the mornings. There were 2 gyms, 1 in the Palace and one near the beach by the Colonial/Caribe. That gym was far nicer and bigger than most gyms I've see here in Canada. It was obviously new, and the equipment was top notch. The room itself was also very nice... but we didn't spend much time in it. We did 3 excursions - Xel-ha, Rio Secreto and Ek Balam/Cenote - all of which I would recommend. We also snorkeled in the ocean right off the beach. There were lots of fish, and large sea turtles. Definitely bring your snorkel gear if you have some! We ate at 3 of the specialty restaurants - the Italian in the mall, the Brazilian in the Palace, and the French in the Palace. By far, the best was the French! If you get the chance, definitely eat there. We didn't think it would be for us, but everything there was amazingly delicious, and the staff were fabulous! All in all, great vacation, and we would return again! Now that we've experienced the Palace, it would be the resort of choice on our return trip.

Iberostar Waves Paraiso del Mar: Awesome resort

Huge resort. Great food. Nice rooms. Friendly staff. Awesome beach. Close to airport. Close to Playa del Carmen and close to Peurto Moreles. Huge pool but very cold. Has a little shopping mall on the resort and a convention center.

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Beautiful, truly amazing place!

My fiancé and I just got back from our first vacation together at the occidentail grand Xcaret. First off I need to compliment how utterly beautiful the resort is. The location and grounds are so beautiful. We were looking for a place that had a bit of everything (ocean, pools, animals, jungle etc) and we found exactly what we were looking for. Walking through the trails each day we got the pleasure of watching monkeys fly through the tree overhead, deer walking around eating, birds singing. Tr [... read more]uly an amazing combination of wildlife meets luxury. The staff at this resort are top notch. Everyone from front desk, housekeeping, bartenders, waitresses, bellboys, maintanence.....everyone was super friendly and amazing. The food was great, there was always a choice for everyone. We enjoyed how the food at the buffets would change daily so you weren't always eating the same things. We seriously had the most amazing trip and are starting to save so that we can come back again next year!

Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya: Beautiful Resort

My fiancé and I attended my friend's wedding at the Valentin. 24 hour room service was fantastic. The food was always good and prepared how you like it. The rooms were nice and clean and there were actually lounge chairs available by the pool and on the beach all day which was great.