Barcelo Maya Colonial: Gorgeous resort!

What we love most about the hotel is the accomodation. We were a bit upset when we got there because we ended not getting double occupancy room as we reserve and end up getting one king bed. But the place itself was beutiful. Washrooms are up to date. Cleaning staff come everyday and change our towels and linens. Foods are amazing and unlimited so as the drinks and bars are all over the resorts.

Royalton Hideaway Riviera Cancun: Nice place

Very nice rooms Small issues w restaurants being slow w meals. Seems like management was still working on staff preparedness. This resort is relatively new and I would suspect the management will have the kinks worked out by the time we return

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Incredible Value

Beautiful resort with very high marks from us regarding the quality of friendly service- very clean- comfortable rooms- great variety and quality of food from the snack bars- buffets and the Ala cart restaurants.We will be returning for our 9th time sometime in the future.Love it and the staff make it special*

The Fives Beach Hotel and Residences Playa Del Carmen: Some pluses, some minuses

I'm writing this for my 19-year old daughter about her recent trip to Azul Five with her 25-year old cousin (I researched the resort and they spoke to me about it afterwards). Overall the resort is very nice. They were upgraded for free to a 1-BR suite - king bed, with pull-out sofa bed in the living area, small kitchen, and jacuzzi. Overall service was good, and several times maids left towels with flowers rolled up into animal shapes. They very much enjoyed seeing wild animals there - monkeys [... read more], iguanas and a sort of small boar. The resort is not far (but a $20 cab ride) to Playa del Carmen - they used the local public shuttle buses to get there and also to Tulum ruins (MUCH cheaper and pretty easy to do). The beach was good, and a bit outside of the hotel area they were able to rent seadoos. The resort attracts a lot of couples (marriages) and families with young children. Negatives (and some positives). They have a bunch of specialty restaurants, meaning that the buffet is limited and runs out of food later in the eating time. My daughter is vegetarian and the place had some veggie main dishes in most restaurants. They very much liked the Thai restaurant but felt that the Italian restaurant was ordinary and, overall, the food was not outstanding. Last year we went to a 4-star Bahia Principe in Samana - their buffet was outstanding (though access to the sit-down restaurants was more limited) and my daughter liked the food there much better. While there is room service, you are very limited in the number of dishes you can order (once they returned late from Playa del Carmen and could not order enough for dinners for the two of them) - strange for an all inclusive, even if it is understandable that they want to limit waste... There is some construction going on and it is poorly planned. For example, they had a lot of noise coming from work being done on the suite above them during some days. In other places we've been, construction is done mainly in the low season when entire blocks of the resort are closed down, to limit noise for clients. They said that the beach area was not real big and they could not use the beach in front of an adjoining resort. What they were told is NOT true - according to Mexican law, all beaches are public ("federal martime zones") up to 20 meters beyond high tide - you have the legal right to walk along and use the beaches in front of the other resort, as their clients have the right in front of the Azul. So for those who like longer walks along the beach, know your rights! As they went in January, pools were quite cold - apparently there is just one heated pool that they did not find and try. Overall assessment from my daughter - not bad but they probably would not return. It sounded better for couples and maybe older people as the price was pretty good (I'd give it a try myself given their description). Below I'll give their characteristics, not my own...

Akumal Bay Beach and Spa Resort: Small well managed resort

Good facilities, very clean, nice beach and grounds. Great snorkeling (turtles, reefs, lots of colourful fish). Also has a spa and gym, hydro therapy pools, in room jacuzzi tubs, very good a la carte restaurants, lots of organized actvities. Close to Mayan ruins at Tulum and Coba and many other nearby excursion opportunities. Overall a fun and relaxing place for couples and families

Riu Tequila: Beautiful quiet Resort

We travelled to this resort December 28-January 4/16. This was are second time here in 4 years. I have stayed at the viva azeteca in Playacar as well. And also have stayed at the Bahia in akumel as well as many other resorts in the Dominican Cuba and puerta Vallarta. The food is the best I have had anywhere. The buffet is the best. Al le cartes are ok but don't compare to the buffet. The rooms are clean spotless yes a little bit dated but nothing like Cuba rooms. The grounds are emaculate. So lu [... read more]sh beautifully kept. Great location you can walk bike or taxi into playa Del Carmen. Very safe area to be out in. Playacar is a gated comunity. All in all it was a great holiday and I would foresure return. Like this resort better than the other Riui resorts. This is like a mexican hacienda the others like Vegas. We will be back some day.

Barcelo Maya Caribe: Amazing resort!

Everything was very clean! From the hotel room to the grounds, dining areas to the beach. We were very impressed with this resort. It's a huge resort with a big mall, mini golfing, bowling and many water activities. We were disappointed in the snorkeling. Food was excellent in the buffets and the Japanese restaraunt was amazing. The other restaraunts we ate at were the Mexican and Italian, also very good.

Grand Palladium Kantenah: Best family vacation!

We went to this resort during the Christmas holidays with our 3 children (13, 9, 7). My husband and I have high expectations when we travel and I have to say, that other than the food and the beach this resort surpassed our expectations. The rooms were clean, the grounds and pool area were beyond clean. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. This resort is very spread out, however, they have a train shuttle and golf carts to take you wherever you want to go. It was extremely efficient. On [... read more]e of the great things about this resort is that we never felt the need to leave and go out on excursions (we did spend one day at rio secreto, however). The "People of Palladium" did a great job running activities and entertaining the kids and adults all day long! Not to mention the amazing sports centre they have for the kids and adults to do so much! The beach at this resort was not great. There was a good 10 feet or so of coral in the water before hitting the sandy bottom. It hurt the feet to cross over. I would recommend water shoes if you plan on spending time in the ocean. The pool was massive and with all the activities going on, the limited time we spent in the ocean did not seem to phase our kids. Other than the Mexican restaurant, the other "a la cartes restaurants" were nothing special. The breakfast buffet at Kentennah was good as well as the dinner buffet at Colonial. The coffee from the Espresso bar was great! We will definitely be returning to this resort next Christmas break!

El Dorado Royale: Great time at this resort!

This was out 3rd time to a Karisma hotel, specifically the El Dorado Adults Only Gourmet Inclusive. The food is top notch and the service is second to none. We were on the Casitas side but had access to the full resort. All parts of the resort have a personal concierge in their section who will take care of anything resort related for you such as booking a candlelight dinner on the beach or having a bath drawn and champagne brought to your room on your anniversary night (actually I think they a [... read more]ctually do that one automatically). There are pool servers and beach butlers. On the Casitas side there are a few more perks and each section of 12 rooms has their own pool and bartender. The beaches have a lot of coral but we were able to find some great sandy sections to walk out and swim near their artificial reef they are building for the environment. And with the coral we had some great snorkling and saw some cool fish. One person we were with saw a stingray! I would totally recommend this resort and if you can afford the upgrade to Casitas you will not be disappointed. The resort is as advertised!

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Very good resort

This was my second time at this resort! Very clean and well looked after. Staff are very friendly and food was great. Everyone was very helpful. Lots of ala carte options and no limits if how many we could use. Never had to scramble for a beach/pool chair as there were lots! A ton of wildlife too... Only complaint were the evening shows... They were mediocre. Overall a great time and I will be back for sure!!

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: awesome resort

this was our first time in Mexico,but not the first time at a Barcelo...but this one at Riviera Maya beach was super clean and the staff was very friendly....food was ok lots of choices we always found something to eat..pools are very nice and clean,the best beach was at the maya beach resort just sand,and if you like snorkeling infront of the tropical and the palace is a good place to go to see lots of fish,stingrays and sea turtles...

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Barcelo Maya Colonial

Everything was to a high expectation. The food was excellent. The complex very clean. and people was friendly an polite. Pool and Beach was kept clean at all times. Definite will go back again. I Had the best time of my life.

Selection Riviera Cancun: Would go back

Grounds were nice - rooms clean - food excellent - easy to navigate - pools large and clean - entertainment was one of the best I've been to - the only downfall was the beach was not that great for swimming - you need water shoes

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: great holiday

From Jan.7 to Jan.14/16, we had an excellent time. We took our son, and daughter, and there spouse's, and three grand daughter's,age's 7,9,12. We found the hospitality at the Grand Xcaret, outstanding, and we never had a bad meal. The rooms are a bit dated, and need a face lift, compared to the pics that are shown in the brochure, but they are clean. The grounds were kept clean, the pools clear, and the entertainment fair,depending on your liking. We spent a lot of time in Xcaret Park, located n [... read more]ext door, which had excellent show's, with a jungle atmosphere. We swam through all three cave's which was awesome, and went to the evening show at the park, which was the history of the Mayan people(2 hr show) a must see. Over all I would rate this resort, a great family setting, with plenty to do. Bye the way the snorkeling at the beach is awesome.

Dreams Jade Resort and Spa: Great vacation

Good food - no reservations needed and never waited for a table. A la carte dinners every night. Nice room, comfortable bed. Free wifi all over the resort and international calls. Nice pool area with friendly staff.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Wonderful Experience at the Riviera Maya

We had a fantastic week at the Sandos Caracol Eco Resort, a wonderful experience ... Something new and different. This place has incredible jungles,mangroves, the cenotes, natural wells with crystal clear water. The priority is to protect all those natural wonders. Many animals live freely on the property - coatis, raccoons, sereques, iguanas ... there are monkeys, macaws, donkeys, and deer...most of these animals were rescued and very well taken care of. You have paths all through their jungles [... read more], well indicated and safe to walk...just fantastic...you need days to walk them all... Our room was comfortable, well equipped : a safe, fridge with all kinds of drinks, nice bathroom etc... The food = fantastic - the buffet place was our main destination, but we also tried the Italian and Mexican restaurant- both excellent. We also tried the Riviera on the beach. Lovely view and food. But there is also a Mediterranean, a vegetarian, and a Japanese restaurant. Bars all over the place... People are nice and helpful... 2 swimming pools and an aqua park , tennis, and also bicycles to experience a whole special road around the property including Mayan Ruins ... The only disappointment for us - the beach... nearly non-existent, very small and when you try to go into the water, you better have your special water shoes... But overall.. a fantastic experience and close enough to and from Cancun Airport.

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: A true 5-Star Leisure Family Resort

In the family resort category, it is a true 5-star resort although some areas need to be improved to the reasonable level. The facilities are well maintained. The room equipments are working mostly. There are always some things do not work such as lights, plugs... The service are friendly with very capability. Food quality is well maintained in high standard. Comparing with its neighbour Coba and Tulum which are 4.1-star, the Bahia Principe Akumal can be a true 5-star family resort.

Grand Palladium Colonial: Fantastic resort

This was our first time visiting the Grand Palladium in Mayan Riviera and we were not disappointed. Great weather,clean rooms, wonderful staff, amazing food something to appeal to everyone's taste buds. We were able to go to a different al carte every night without having to make reservations. The resort offers free Wi Fi though you may find it slow depending on where your room is. Evening shows were terrific and the best part is you can see two every night if you choose one at the Colonial and  [... read more]one at the Riviera since you have access to four resorts. Plenty of activities for all ages walking, water aerobics, beach volleyball, paddle boats and amazing pools to swim in. The spa was incredible, my husband and I had a couples massage and it is a must. Only negative thing I could say is the time share people really are a pest Would we return to this resort, absolutely

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Beautiful well maintained resort

This resort is part of a complex of 5 resorts owned by Barceló. If you want a resort that has everything then this is a great place - this place has it's own shopping mall, club, bowling alley and lots of a la carte restaurants to choose from. Our only complaint is that it was a little bit too big and full of people for us (having only previously travelled during low season to smaller resorts), but we also traveled during peak time where the resort was 95% full (so maybe not so much a complaint [... read more] as it is an observation!). All around really good experience, good price for an all inclusive with lots of amenities.

Dreams Sapphire Resort and Spa: great!

This place was awesome! Beach, pool, Dylan Mikey, Luis were so much fun and great at getting people to participate on activities like games and volyball...no complaints about anything. Everyone that works there is great!