The Fives Beach Hotel and Residences Playa Del Carmen: Excellent Vacation

My husband, 19 year old daughter and I were here for a week and it's now our favourite resort! Food was outstanding, definitely not like usual all-inclusives (only one buffet) beautiful resort all around. Ocean does have rocks and vegetation in it, so that's why I gave pools/beach a 4 out of 5.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Great Stay

The food was top notch, rooms were nice, clean and updated, the grounds were kept very tidy. We were a little disappointed with the beach, sand was great and their was plenty of chairs but the water was not, we were hoping for the typical aqua blue water (Like Cuba or DR) but if you walked either direction for about 10 mins the water was beautiful.

Grand Sirenis Mayan Beach: Great Resort!

Very modern looking resort, well laid out and maintained. Our room was very nice, clean (adorable towel animals), pools and lazy river very clean, enough chairs available at pool and beach. Bar staff very friendly. Buffet staff at lunch and breakfast were somewhat lackluster, but dinner buffet and specialty restaurants were great. All food was tasty and a good variety night to night at the buffets. Beach was beautiful, but not long... no long walks here.

Bahia Principe Explore Tulum: Amazing customer service

Very nice resort although it was a little big for my taste. What I loved most was the service and the beach. The people were absolutely amazing, attended to your every need. Beautiful ocean front as well.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Fantastic resort!!!

This resort was simply amazing. I went down with my boyfriend last week and I do not understand the people who gave the resort bad reviews.Every aspect was perfect! pools, beach, food, staff, we loved it all and can't wait to go back. This was our first trip to Mexico and it was one to remember.

El Dorado Seaside Palms: Wonderful

The El Dorado is a 1st class hotel in a beautiful setting! Excellent service, food and staff made this stay wonderful! It is a smaller hotel and therefore we had a chance to meet and visit with people from all over the world! The sad thing is some of the nicest people are living so far away! Five restaurants to choose from (all gourmet).

Grand Sunset Princess: Very Nice Resort....good value for the money!

The resort was very nice, the service was always very prompt and staff were eager to please. The grounds were immaculately groomed and they had a lot of swimming pools. Getting a beach chair was never a problem, but we opted to stay at the Chill Out beach area, where we paid USD$13 and had access to better chairs and daily WIFI. The rooms were clean, we ended up getting the two double beds, which was great. The washroom was equipped with double sinks and a separate toilet and shower stall which  [... read more]made it convenient for two people to use facilities but still have privacy. The SAFE in room worked very well, which in some places is a hit and miss. The only complaint I had about our room #1205 is that the bed was very hard and the pillows were tiny….which made for an uncomfortable sleep…you would wake up with bed sores (and I am not a heavy person). I did ask for bigger pillows, but they just ended bringing me another small pillow. The other issue with our room was that we were right off the main lobby, which had a 24 hour bar very close by….and the noise from the bar went into the middle of the night 3-4am. I am a pretty heavy sleeper…so not too big of a deal, but probably not ideal for an lighter sleeper. The restaurants were very good, we never had to wait for a seat and the buffets had a good variety, both for breakfast and lunch. We had unlimited access to the specialty restaurants so we booked one for every night. The Italian and Japanese were our favorite. The steak house was not that great, it would have been nice to have a seafood option. The drinks were good, the wine was a little watered down, but they did serve premium liquors. Also the restaurants near the pool and beach area, were formal restaurants, enclosed buildings which protected the food, from birds and flies which I really appreciated. They also fumigated for mosquitoes nightly and we didn’t have any issue with bites. This is my 3rd time to the Mayan and I have to say the beaches unfortunately have really taken a beating from the Hurricane…I think in 2008 or 09….the seaweed is a real problem, they are manually trying to clear it every morning. Also the water is on the rocky and rough side. Overall I would rate the hotel a 8.5/10 and it was good value for the money and would definitely recommend it to friends and family. Sunwing on the other hand I didn’t have such a good experience. Our flight #4089 was delayed 3 hours on Feb 14th, we also had to wait over an 1.5 at the Cancun airport before we collected our luggage. There was then another delay with the transfer van to our hotel, we arrived in our hotel room at 3:15 am. On the return flight #4090, it was delayed 1 hour. Our plane landed in Buffalo at 5:30pm, I didn’t get my luggage until 8pm! My understanding from the Sunwing and airport rep was that it is Sunwing’s responsibility to ensure they have enough baggage handlers for incoming and outgoing flights. I was disappointed with Sunwing and probably wouldn’t use them for my next vacation.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Very Accommodating Well Managed Resort

The Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda resort was very well managed and most professional. The service was top notch and the staff were extremely friendly, fun, fast, polite and paid attention to your needs and details. We felt very safe and security was discreetly in place. The resort is conveniently located between Puerto Morelos and Playa del Carmen, making it only about a 30 to 40 min drive from the Cancun airport so you don't spend half your day travelling to get to your resort:) In the evening ther [... read more]e were 8 options as to where to eat. A dinner theatre,6 a la carte and of course the buffet...all provided excellent food choices...the best Filet (SteakHouse Restaurant) and Blackened Tuna (Seafood Restaurant) I ever ate!! Amazing!!! I just wish we did not have to make reservations thur concierge. With technology being so advanced a more efficient method could probably be developed. One nice thing formal dress code was only required at a few restaurants not all. Having the option to dine casual was nice especially for the men who often enjoying not having to wear long pants especially if it is hot:) Food for thought re formal dress code "A man can still dress formal in shorts...just travel to Bermuda:)" Entertainment was well organized and if you choose to be involved it looked like fun. We've been to many resorts where the entertainment staff were always pestering you to get involved but not here. The resort is divided into 2 sections,one closer to the beach and the other closer to the ocean. Depending on which tour company you travel with I think that is how it is decided which area you will stay. However if you choose to stay closer to the ocean just ask the worst they can say is no. We had no problem in them fulfilling our request and at no extra cost. Our room was in Building 1. The best I can describe it is that it was "worn" but most accommodating. We travel extensively and having a big soaker tub in the middle of the room may look beautiful but just does not work!! Our room had a separate bathroom with a great vanity that provided ample space to lay out all your ammentites. All our room really needed was an update other than that we had no issues. We go to these resorts for the sun and beach. The beach that everyone seems to make issues of the seaweed, well all I can say I have never been to any beach ever where there was no seaweed. I'm more concerned about the cleanliness. All the beaches in the area had seaweed but all resorts tried to manage it. The Blue Bay has a big tractor and in the early hours of the day the staff were always on task. One nice thing if you enjoy walking the beach you can what forever as long as you go to the right (towards Playa del Carmen) The beach was very clean and staff were eager to serve you and always picking up after those who do not:) The swing beach bar was always a great place to have fun and get some shade not to mention the great service and cocktails! Top shelf liquors are not part of the package we had but for more $$ this resort does have that available. Overall this resort was one of the best we have been to. We were just in the same area in November at a 5* resort. Doing a comparison this resort far exceeds the service and options. If having room service is important to you this resort does offer it but at a price. I often say you get what you paid for but in this case we got a lot more. Thanks to Shauna our superstar agent for helping us make yet another great choice!!

Dreams Sapphire Resort and Spa: Amazing resort and staff!!!

We absolutely loved our stay at Sapphire, one of the best resort we've been at! The staff can't do enough for you and always with a smile, the food was great also and the resort is kept so clean! Beautiful beach, awesome people, great entertainment and food....we'll be back I'm sure!

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Lots of activities

The resort is spotless. Staff are everywhere cleaning, serving and attending to guest needs. Lots of activities for all ages. We enjoyed the outdoor paddleball racket courts. great fun. Our favourite restaurants were the Mexican and Japanese. The Italian restaurant was disappointing at the fish main courses were previously frozen and tasted like cardboard. We travelled with our 20 something year old kids. they enjoyed the resort more than we did. they enjoyed the disco until the wee hours.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: No Complaints!

The resort was great. The hotel grounds were large but it was only a 10 minute walk from one end to the other. We were very pleased with the cleanliness of the rooms, they were simple but just what we needed. Very friendly staff, always willing to help and very accommodating. The beach was okay, definitely been to nicer beaches but as long as you followed a certain path into the water it was fine. I feel like the rest of the resort makes up for it. Overall, no complaints! I would definitely retu [... read more]rn.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Wonderful Vacation

Hotel was beautiful situated on lovely grounds. Beach and pool good. Staff very friendly and service good. Buffet and restaurants very good. Had a wonderful time and would return. Would recommend to friends.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Beautiful resort

It was my first time in Mexico. I really enjoyed staying at the resort. Everyone was friendly and there was so many restaurants you can choose to eat at. The beach was really nice to and how they set it up.

Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya: Acceptable

This is the 4th time to this resort. I was OK, just seen a lot of changes that did not make it worth the money spent. The people that work there area as always great to deal with. The food was just Ok, and the room was cleaned consistently, every day they forgot something

Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya: Valentin Imperial Maya Amazing!

My husband and myself loved the Valentin Imperial Maya Resort. We have been to many all inclusive resort and this has been the best. Great food, beach, rooms, staff and beach. We will be returning to this resort again.

Bahia Principe Escape Sian Ka'an: Beyond impressed!!

We stayed in a penthouse jaccuzzi suite in block 6 and were thrilled with it. The only problem we had with the room was the lock on the door to our patio broke right off (but it was fixed in a flash) and the toilet was a pain in the butt (no pun intended) to flush ;) The food was absolutely spectacular. Plenty of choice and everything was fresh. I have gluten and dairy allergies and upon check in I was given a letter that explained my eating restrictions. I just had to hand the letter to anyone  [... read more]working in the buffets (or at the a la cartes) and a chef would walk me through the entire buffet and point out what I could and couldn't eat. They even made me fresh gluten free rolls every morning! I'm not a big pasta eater but they'll also make gluten free pasta upon request too, it just takes 10-15 minutes extra for them to whip it up. Sian Ka'an was super quiet during the day, no music at 2 of the pools, you could almost hear a pin drop. Ideal for a lazy day of reading (or catching some zzz's by the pool). Most days, if we weren't on an excursion, we would head down to the Sian Kaan beach for a few hours, then head up to the Akumel buffet for lunch. Again, there the buffet was plentiful and sooooo delicious!! After lunch we spent most afternoons at the Akumel pool down by the beach. It had a bit more going on than our pool. No games or anything, but it was livelier than the Sian Kaan pool area. The pools were all beautiful but they were freeeeezing! Even in the heaviest heat of the afternoon, they were too cold to sit in for any length of time. I love swim up pool bars but we couldn't take advantage of any of them on the trip since the water was so frigid. We did the catamaran tour one day and it was terrific, windy, but that made it more exciting with the waves. The lunch they served was a fresh bento box (Yum!) and they have a photographer on board that will snap a bunch of pics of you (staged or candids) throughout the trip. Her name is Michelle Ackermann and it was absolutely worth the $50 we paid. We split it with another couple we met down there, and we received 30+ great quality photos (she emails you a link a few days after the trip). Again, in my opinion, it`s so worth it! We also did the playa del Carmen trip through the hotel. It`s an hour in a local silver jewellery store (way too long in my opinion), and 2 hours in playa del Carmen. We loved, loved, loved playa del Carmen, the food, the shopping, the people watching. If I had it to do over, we`d just get a taxi ($40 USD) and head directly to playa del Carmen. 2 hours wasn`t nearly enough time for us to do and see everything we wanted to, especially since we needed to go to the local walmart to pick up some supplies. We were rushing around and didn`t get to really enjoy all the town had to offer. All in all, it was such a wonderful trip though! With the other Bahia resorts included in the package, it was like 4 vacations in one! We`ll definitely be back!

Oasis Tulum: Horrible resort

not a nice resort at all , room was worst I've seen , AC dripped on floor , mold all in bathroom , not beverages in fridge , bottled water not available , shower drain plugged ( never fixed ) no hot water one day . pool ok , beach was ok ! had to pay for room safe !!! don't do this resort , save your money !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Nice Resort

A 1.5 hr bus ride from Cancun. Stayed in the Akumel portion of the resort. Very clean. Great service. Lots of Beach chairs. Great a la carte restaurants. Buffets were beyond expectations..lots of variety. Place never seemed to be crowded. Great service at the bars. Have been to resorts with nicer beaches...however beaches were clean...no sea weed as reported by others. Resort is ideal for couples looking for a relaxing vacation...it was not a wild time..my honey says it was "romantic". Only atte [... read more]nded one "show" at the resort...it was ok. Rooms were fine...comfortable beds with mattress toppers. The grounds are well kept and very clean..lots of wildlife at the resort. Trolleys are available to take you to other parts of the resort or to your rooms...it is a very large resort...there are 4 "campuses" at this resort.

Grand Bahia Principe Roulette: Third time's a charm!!

This is our third time at Bahia Principe El Portillo, first in 2007, and then 2010. We have always found the Bahia's a cut above for service and quality, this being our 5th Bahia over the last 8 years. The staff are generally accommodating and helpful to most reasonable requests, the food was of good variety and tastefully prepared and the other amenities like bars and entertainment equal to many Caribbean resorts. Of course the usual gang of idiots would save lounges by the pool and never show  [... read more]up until the end of the day, but hey, that happens almost everywhere. I suggest just taking the abandoned towels back to the towel hut as lost property, or just toss them into the garden!! The bottom line is if your are hard to please and You know who you are ... stay home!!!

Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Cancun: Perfect for families with young children!

We travelled to the Azul Beach resort in early February and were completelly satisfied when we left after 7 days. The staff clearly has been picked knowing they will be interacting with children most of the time. Everyone was extremely nice. Food was always good, sometimes amazing (Room service beef burritos were a favorite). No need for reservations for dinners / lunches and always plenty of booster seats and high chairs. Not once did we wait more than 2 minutes to be seated for dinner, and the [... read more] breakfast wait was less than 5 minutes. The crib / bottle warmers / steamers and strollers were in the room on arrival. Access to a doctor was incredibly fast when our son fell ill from a bug he caught on the flight there, and treatment adequate. The beach was wavy and windy first few days, but the last 4 were amazing. Clean up crew is on the beach each day to minimize algae. Access to covered beds on the was a slight annoyance, needing to stand in line for 30-60mins for access the next day, but well worth it. Concierge service was without reproach. The playrooms are a must to get out of the sun / occupy the older than infant/toddler stage. We didn't meet anyone having fell ill from food/water. Exceeded our expectations. We will be travelling back to this resort in the very near futur.