Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Nice Vacation

We stayed at Sandos from January 23 - January 30. As with every place you go to, there is the good, the bad and the ugly. This was my 6th time in Playa Del Carmen, as we absolutely love it here. We always go to different resorts because we enjoy having new areas to explore. The good: This resort is huge, huge, huge. Just when you think you have seen it all, you find a new trail that takes you somewhere new to explore. The setting is absolutely beautiful, set right in the jungle amids [... read more]t mangroves, cenotes, waterfalls, and tons of foliage with numerous animals. With that being said, yes there are mosquito's....its to be expected. We brought bug spray with us, however there are numerous dispensers around the resort with bug lotion as well. The animals everywhere was so awesome! The rescue farm animals were so cute, coatis everywhere, many types of birds, mexican hairless dogs....so many animals! The monkeys were hilarious. But people need to remember these are very smart animals....keep your patio doors shut if you are not in your room (not just the screen) We watched 3 monkeys open a screen door, enter a room, play on the bed, steal their food and tip over their table before they left in a hurry lol. We were told by some staff that monkeys have enter rooms and taken magazines, sun glasses and even cell phones. We upgraded to the Adult only section and felt it was worth the extra money. Our room was absolutely beautiful and huge with a Jacuzzi on our balcony. We had zero issues with our room at all. The in room water cooler was a nice bonus. I recommend bringing a water bottle with you, just so you don't have to get a cup every time you want water. With the adult only upgrade we also had access to a nice quiet restaurant for breakfast & lunch. This was great because the first morning we went to the main buffet and it was super busy, and the people in there acted like this was the only food they would be getting for the rest of the week.....very rude, pushy and obnoxious! Its a buffet people, calm down....there will be more food! We also had access to the clubhouse by the beach which was awesome. They make the best drinks down there!! And mid afternoon there was lots of snacks to munch on (chicken wings, sandwiches, salads etc) pooltable and books upstairs as well. I recommend the upgrade if you aren't travelling with children. The staff everywhere we went were all great. We never ran into anyone who wasn't happy and polite. The bad: If you are looking for a nice sandy beach to swim in, this isn't it. There is lots of rocks in the water until you get out farther. We did read all the reviews and came prepared with water shoes so this didn't bother us at all. And because the water edge is so natural you can actually see all the tropical fish right at the edge of the water. We also got to see Sea Urchins when the tide went out! So cool. If you walk a few mins down the beach either way there is lots of easier areas to get in a swim. Also the amount of times we were asked if we wanted a massage both from the resort staff, and the other people who offered massages just beside the resort was verging on ridiculous! I get they are trying to drum up business.....but anyone laying on the beach or swimming isn't interested in a massage right then. And asking 7, 8, 9 times isn't going to change that! The ugly: We had zero complaints with any of the food from the restaurants, however half way through our stay my husband came down with what we believe was food poisoning (violent throwing up and diaherra that lasted for 3 days). We drank all the same drinks, and basically ate the same food. We narrowed down his sickness to coming from the Italian restaurant from dinner, where we didn't eat the same. I ordered chicken parm off the menu (which was good) but my husband just ate the pizzas off the buffet. It was definitely not a good experience and we lost a lot of time out of our holiday because he was sick. We've never experienced this before anywhere else. My only other complaint was about the room service. The first night we arrived we didn't get to the room til almost 11pm. We decided to order room service around 1am. My husband got a burger, and I got fajitas. Both were very, very good. So after my husband was sick for 2 days, he was starting to get hungry because he hadn't eaten ....so we ordered room service around 6pm. He got the club sandwich, and I ordered nachos and a quesadilla. His sandwich was pathetic, bread was hard, 1 tiny tomato in the center of all the bread and 1 tiny piece of chicken (I did take pictures) I got about 10 nachos with a huge bowl of guac and my quesadilla was basically an empty fried tortilla. Was pretty disappointing. The late night service was 100x better. Overall we had a nice vacation here. We loved the resort and the staff, but with him getting sick like that we honestly aren't sure if we would return to this resort just for that reason. Vacation time is too precious, and too expensive to get sick while on it., and neither of us have ever gotten sick anywhere else.

Grand Decameron Complex Bucerias Trademark: Comfortable, Friendly Resort

It is hard to describe all the spectacular features offered by this resort . Grounds are gorgeous and a joy to walk around in. Pools are well maintained and very user friendly. Staff is great and always willing to help. Rooms are basic but comfortable and clean. Food is plentiful and the buffets offer something for everyone. Weather has been spectacular both times we have been there.

Hilton Vallarta Riviera Resort: BEWARE....RAMPANT ILLNESS

My husband and and I booked the Grand Fiesta Americana resort in Puerto Vallarta months in advance with great anticipation of 5 ⭐️ accommodations in paradise. Upon arrival on January 24,2019, the resort presents well, but beyond the beautiful views trouble is lurking. Our initial room assigned was on the third floor, unacceptable as we had paid for an upgrade... after much discussion and negotiations we were placed on the 11th floor... perhaps a foreshadow of the trouble to come. Each da [... read more]y we would hear or see more guests becoming violently ill. By the end of the week there was empty lounge chairs to equal the numerous “do not disturb “ sign on hotel rooms. It was evident that something serious was happening, with management trying to mask the situation. Several days I witnessed a team of health and hotel officials testing the water ... hmmm! Personally, I did not feel well all week, but that last 24 hours was the worst as I could not stop vomiting/diarrhea on the way to the airport, at airport, on plane and now at home. While driving to airport, learned from Calgary couple that they had also been ill and had discovered from hotel staff that there was a rip in the water filtration purification system, eventually poisoning the guests. (Maybe not intentional but possibly for some time?) If this is proven, a Class Action Lawsuit should be launched from those affected guests. At least, a thorough investigation of this labelled 5 star resort should be conducted immediately starting with a complete shut-down, various levels of health, government, advocacy and travel agencies involved. Beautiful sunsets, smiling staff, modern room decor and wheelchair accessibility are all secondary to a guests health and well being ... This is a very, very serious situation that needs a LOUD VOICE for CHANGE! https://www.cristalstandards.com/en/claims

Las Brisas Ixtapa: Breathtaking

I have read so many reviews and for the most part, they were so true. The views are breathtaking, the service was outstanding. The rooms were cleaned daily. Slight repairs were being done by the pool area and the workers were respectful of everyone relaxing. (What do you expect when the sun beats down on the patio and salt is dragged up constantly, we saw very few people use the numerous showers available to rinse). We ate in 2 of the restaurants, la Brias 2 and the portafino. Both service and f [... read more]ood were outstanding!! The buffet has a range of food to suit ANYONES appetite so if you’re reading differently in here, those people are likely very unhappy in their lives and do nothing but complain anywhere they go. The beds were comfortable and plenty of pillows to choose from, 6 in total. We were so exhausted every day from the beach and pool, we had no time to figure out if our heads liked the pillows.... or if we even cared. George and Christian were the only ones we had a privilege of serving us poolside. The only thing we had to say was that we had to ask them to stop bringing drinks over every 10 minutes...LOL!! Holy cow the service is a 10 outta 5!! After calculating if we went out in Ontario, what we would tip, we adjusted our thinking accordingly and tipped daily. It was appreciated by everyone....including maid service, drivers... We went snorkeling at Ilsa Ixtapa and there are no words to describe the food, the beauty of the beach, the kindness of everyone around us. Wow, wow, WOW! We, every once and a while would see a cigarette butt left on our beach, instead of complaining in a review, we bent down and picked them up and tossed them in the many garbages around the resort....with our own. The only thing I can say which isn’t really a negative is, a tiny bit of back ground music other than the restaurants and buffets would be nice. It didn’t bother us because we had music on our phones and in our room. This resort is a perfect R&R resort. Never a rush to go anywhere or do anything. Yes, there are ALOT of stairs, but we felt it was a great way to work off everything we ate once and a while. We loved every second of every minute we spent there and will most definitely return. Las Brias is amazing!!!

Riu Santa Fe: Not so relaxing...

This was my first time to Cabo (which is beautiful) but one of many all inclusive trips. The scenery from the resort was fatastic and the location was great. You could see the water, mountains and were a short distance from town. Also not too far from the airport. But aside from that I don’t have too much good to say. The service at this resort was awful. I have been to many resorts and have never received such poor service. At all meals, wait staff very rarely (if ever) offered a drink, m [... read more]any times having to ask for cutlery, napkins, etc. When staff did offer service it was slow or forgotten. The staff weren’t overly friendly and some even seemed annoyed when you asked for assistance. Most of their English wasn’t great either. Most of the a la carte restaurants and bars were closed most of the time. At the main pool, there was only one of four bars open typically, which often resulted in a line of 10+ people to get a drink. I’ve never seen bar service done this way at a resort. Not a single swim up bar was open when I was there either which was disappointing. The resort seemed very unstaffed. Along the beach, there are vendors hassling you to buy their things. I understand this is the Mexican lifestyle and is often seen on many islands, but the hotel allows them to come basically right up to the chairs. I couldn’t even sit there and read a book without somebody asking every few minutes if I wanted to buy cigars, bracelets, braids in my hair, etc. I paid for a superior room which was extremely basic — I would hate to see what a standard room looks like. There was a shower only, extremely thin sheets and my balcony was facing a wall. I also requested a upper floor as I was a solo traveller and was placed on the ground. The biggest concern with this resort was how rowdy and party focused it was. I totally understand many people go to resorts to party but you couldn’t get away from it at this resort. People were yelling and screaming everywhere. 4x a week they have “riu pool partys” that are beyond loud and annoying when they run until 11pm. If you want quiet, request to NOT be in building 8, as the party was literally right outside my window. The weather was great and the food was okay — nothing spectacular but I always found something to eat. I definitely would not go back to this resort to relax. If you like to party, it may be for you! I talked to many other travellers while there and many had similar comments so I wasn’t alone in my opinions.

Fiesta Americana Riviera Nayarit: Best heated a pool in Puerto Vallarta

We were there on January 24 for one week with our grand children and enjoyed the resort very much . We had stayed at the Dreams before and this Dreams fitted our needs This Dreams rated 7 out of 10 and the Dreams we stayed at before was rated 2 where 1 is the best. It is not too big a resort which makes it easy to keep an eye on the grandkids . Rooms were spotless and large but the large bath tub in the middle of the room took up a lot of space and was never used b [... read more]y most patrons. We enjoyed the no reservations for the a la carte restaurants. Our favorite was the Mexican restaurant where the spanish coffee was made at your table The Buffet Breakfast had everything one would want. We found the service was good Warning : the bathroom toilet door is like a glass shower room door so if you want your privacy be warned. The internet was hit and miss. with a router in every other room. so I suggest if the internet is important you specify a room with the router. Internet was fine in the lobby. The activity pool was well heated and very clean. This made for our enjoyment of the place. Our grandkids spent 4 hours at a time in the pool. The infinity pool was not heated and that was evident as no one was in that pool. We paid extra for the water view and expected we would be close to the ocean. The building closest to the ocean is all condos. We could see a small portion of the ocean from our balcony but we could hear the wave crashing on the beach.The beach is excellent for kids Only two wines were offered a red merlot and a chardonnay. If you wanted another type that was extra charge. I would recommend this as a great family resort.

Barcelo Puerto Vallarta: Not what I expected

The hotel was nice, considering an older building. Clean rooms. Had issues getting linen had to ask for it everyday. We had a note on our bed 3rd day in to use our towels more than once and shut of all electricity when leaving room to save on hydro..eg A-C and fans. Also only changed sheets every other day if asked if not they would change them on 3rd day. Problems with wi-fi all week and we paid for it. Food was ok.The beach area was terrible, very small and a lot of small boats sitting there, [... read more] waiting to take you out to see the whales, and snorkeling. The under toe was some what bad and everyday. Entertain was good a show every night...but no disco's. When we went it was last minute received a little break on the amount..but not worth the $$$$. Won't go back to that resort.

Grand Palladium Select Costa Mujeres: Very Disappointing

Everything, Food, Entertainment, Beach were a long distance from one another. No nightlife, no bars, no atmosphere- nothing to do as weather was just terrible. Golf carts needed to get to places were in very short supply, especially when it was raining and had to wait around for one to pass - usually full. Beach restaurant and/or bathrooms too far away from beach area that was very crowed. Beach was very nice though, but had to be there quite early to obtain chairs and umbrellas. Supposedly "Qu [... read more]ite Pool" had many crying and loud children. The wait staff, especially Carlos, was very good and attentive. The Poseidon Beach Buffet restaurant was okay, but food choices limited and in short supply. Fuentes one of the wait staff was very good. The rooms were spacious and English T.V. Channels were available. If you took a room on the ground level, it was like grand central station with everyone passing your balcony area to get to he beach or restaurant. "The Village" restaurants were excellent and would recommend, altough getting to the Village you had again to rely on transportation there and back. In very short supply after 9:00 p.m. I would not choose this resort again. It was brand new, open just over 2 months previous, and not a full capacity. I am sot sure what it would have been like if full.

Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya: Outstanding

Great resort, supurb food, georgeous beach, beautiful rooms, exquisite restaurants, friendly service... honestly everything was wonderful... only thing that would have been nicer would be to have extra lounges at the beach... other that that our trip was Fantastic.. what more could anyone ask for...

Holiday Inn Resort Los Cabos: Very nice resort with friendly staff.

We just go back from a wonderful week at the Holiday Inn Resort Los Cabos. This is our second time at the resort and we will go back again next year. The rooms are very clean, the food was good and the location is perfect. San Jose del Cabo is a half hour drive north of Cabo San Luscas, in a very quiet and safe area. It took only 20 minutes to get there from the airport, a real bonus. The town square is full of lively restaurants with nightly music. On Thursdays they have an Art Walk which start [... read more]s at 5pm and goes until 10 pm. Well worth the 20 minute walk from the hotel. The beach provides miles of walking, although not safe for swimming due to strong riptides. The grounds are well maintained and there are plenty of loungers to be found. We even saw whale spouts and flukes from the beach.

Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay: Best resort in Mazatlan!

Absolutly best resort! Very privet and quiet. Beautiful grounds,Great swimming pools, Excellent service and great food.Not much entertaiment so if someone is looking for that , should try something else. Other than that highly recomendet !!

The Fives Beach Hotel and Residences Playa Del Carmen: time of our lives

We were a group of fourteen neighbors and we had the best time, service was friendly and our rooms were kept immaculate. The pools were great, and lots of things to do at the beach, which again was very clean. The food was outstanding, never a dull moment for any meal. the staff at the pool bar went above and beyond to keep us happy. I would come back to this resort in a heartbeat. Bravo!

Krystal Grand Nuevo Vallarta: Krystal ... good holiday destination

We just returned from a 10 day vacation at the Krystal. The good.... Carlos and Giovanny!!! you guys are excellent bar tenders thanks for the great service and ready smiles. The room was excellent , the maid service was excellent Carmen did a fantastic job as well! Also the guys at the snack bar and the girl that does the food service there are fantastic I wish I got their names. The so so... the food was not bad but the service was really disorganized it seemed no one has a specific area t [... read more]o look after so they were always running into each other. I think the management needs to work on that. Also, get rid of the cat out of the "O" I found that a little un healthy. The grounds are really pretty but get rid of that green pool, make the walk way on the far side and put out more beach chairs. Even the walk ways into the resort or down to the beach are way to narrow and with the sharp edges your just looking for people to break their ankles! The bad.... no chairs, people reserving chairs on the beach and the pool then not using them all day. The daily newsletter says its a no no but no one does anything about it. I witnessed guests removing towels and getting yelled at by others when they come back 3 hrs later for their chair. Its vacation, no one should set the alarm for 5 am to go get a chair and that is what alot of people do! I would make it a no no to do that its a first come first serve basis to bad if you have to enjoy the sun from a different angle ... but please put more chairs on the beach you have over 400 rooms, and 2 people per room as a minimum you need 800 chairs not the 300 that you have. The beach could use at least another 100 chairs, just have a look next door at the Riu they have lots of beach chairs so no reason why you cant have enough for all of your guests.

Grand Decameron Los Cabos: Great food but...

The hotel was clean and well maintained. There were lots of available pool and beach chairs. The servers and cleaning staff were great. However I was unaware of the premium option. There were areas of the hotel that were not available to non premium guests. The fee to upgrade seemed to high for the extended options. So we missed out on the rooftop pool and did have to pay a fee for wifi. There was entertainment nightly though we choose to give it a miss mostly. All in all a very quiet resort wit [... read more]h very good food.

Grand Palladium Colonial: Highly enjoyable experience!

Went to Grand Paladium Colonial with my husband and five year old. Greatly enjoyed ourselves. The food at the a-la-cartes was great! The buffet was well-appointed with great variety. The grounds were lovely and well kept. The way the resort was situated was great too! In short distance, we had rather immediate access to the kids pool, the main pool and the ocean. The swim up bar was in its own spot so those who liked to drink a lot had their space. We had access to two other resorts as well whic [... read more]h meant that we didn’t have to eat in the same place twice. It is large but that was not a detractor for us. Having visited a few resorts, this was hands down our favourite so far. We’d definitely go back. Highly recommended!

Iberostar Selection Playa Mita: Very Enjoyable

A very nice complex with a great walking beach and very nice grounds. Lots of pool activities with support staff. Specialty restaurants were good but not exceptional ... enjoyed the food at the French the most.sport casual attire is all that is needed at the restaurants. A large Hilton resort currently under construction next door. Would definitely go back some day.

Riu Dunamar: Review Title

The Riu Dunamar in Cancun where I recently spent a week was amazing; my beef is with Sunwing; our flight home was supposed to be a direct flight and it was not. We were lied to by several Sunwing reps when we complained, ruined the whole experience for us, never booking with Sunwing again.

Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya: Valentin - January 15-29/2019

Air Transat to and from - very good Ground Transport - direct, very good. Check In/out - very good Room - central location. Very good. Food and Service - very good. Towel service - very good. Grounds - immaculate. Beach/Pool - Too much competition for a lounge chair and umbrella. Not enough loungers for the number of guests. Staff - very good Bar Service - very good. Entertainment - very good.

Krystal Ixtapa: Krystal Ixtapa

It was all acceptable but the resort appeared to be lagging a bit in maintence. In our room we had broken furniture, light bulb out , air conditioner that was either full blast or off with nothing in between, tears in the curtains. The staff was excellent and did what they could to make our stay nice. The pool area was fine. The food services were not as good as we have experienced in 6 other resorts with the exception of Bogarts restaurant which was exceptionally good. No major complaints.

JOIA Paraiso by Iberostar: The best

The best vacation ever. Risently we return back from our vacation trip, adjustad with help of Tripcentral. It was above all expectations. Agents help was very professional, highly qualified. I recieved max information and good advices without waist of time, Plus price was very loyal. Hotel and service are exclusively good, above all our expectations.Definitely recommend it for vacation.