The Fives Beach Hotel and Residences Playa Del Carmen: Amazing place

Every thing in this place is excellent , it was my best trip and my doughter thinks the same . The staffs really make you feel you are the king of the place. It looks like a dream place, I really recomBd it to every one .

Iberostar Waves Paraiso Beach: Trip to Mexico

We are lucky to got this trip,everything was perfect.Room was clear,food delicious ,beach nice,entertiment great.Stuff was very polite,always ready to help.We went with kids 2 and 8 years old,they were happy.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Fantastic Family Getaway!

We traveled to the Grand Bahia Principe Coba over the holidays and loved the resort, food and beach! Great for families and kids especially the pools which were not too deep and the waterpark area. Buffet was a huge hit with our children (4 & 7yrs) and the a la carte dinners were very accommodating to ensure our girls enjoyed (if your kids don't have adult palates they offer kids menus at the a la cartes). New Year's Eve buffet was out of this world (my DH would return just for this!) All the st [... read more]aff at the hotel were very friendly and helpful and it is really clean. The only issue we had was that the bar refill (water, beer, snacks) which were included in the package were not done consistently everyday so we had to often ask for these items. That said they always brought them when asked and it definitely didn't hamper our fun. Weather was great (although, they have no control over that) and we would definitely go back to this resort

Iberostar Waves Tucan: Iberostar Tucan Vacation

I went to the Iberostar Tucan December 15 for 1 week. Had a room closest to the beach and pool area. That was great. The pool is beautiful, beach amaizing and close to Playa des Carmen which is a must for shopping. If you g0 in the evening lots of nice restaurants and bars. The pool bar is gorgeous but set back and separate from the main pool area. The hotel is really set in a jungle type setting which isn't my style but the location of the room made up for it. Staff great and the food was great [... read more] too, even the desserts. Nice size, easy to walk back and fourth. Great for children because of the jungle. The room itself was perfect. The walkin shower great. Once again if your looking for a beautiful view from your balcony this hotel may not be for you. It is truly more of a jungle type view but the room was perfect.

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Nice resort

I'm a beach guy so I wasn't really feeling this beach. Man made and to small. Was kept clean so that's a positive. The food wasn't the greatest but was edible. Two others that I was with had gotten sick off what we believe to be the soup

Dreams Aventuras Riviera Maya: underwhelmed

Everything was just ok. Beach was very small and weedy, Restaurant options were limited and long waits to be seated. Buffet was ok. Little variety and often cold. Very noisy. Overall very disappointed.

Bahia Principe Escape Sian Ka'an: Mixed feelings.

The Sian Ka'an Resort in Maya Riviera was touted as a "5 Star" resort but came up short on several occasions. The food at the daily buffet was good and diverse, the pool side buffet had fewer offerings but still did a good job. The grounds provided privacy for our room balcony and our close location to the main gathering area was appreciated. And although you had privileges at other close by resorts there were never enough lounge chairs. Our resort location made you rely on their shuttle service [... read more] to get you to and from the beach...and many a times we had to "shag" (while waving money at them) for a ride back to our resort...."too far" was always their excuse not to take us. The nightly entertainment was very good.

Bahia Principe Escape Sian Ka'an: Every day is an exercise in patience

Nice looking resort but try to get a dinner reservation before 9:00 pm. Every trip to the reservation desk requires an hour of your time. Lobby bar closes at 10:30 even on New Years Eve regardless of the fact it is packed and guest's are enjoying themselves. Golf is not free, $100 for cart. My wife does not play and they charged $45 just for her to ride along. Private beech requires a long shuttle ride only to find out you cannot go in water because it is full of sea weed, and I mean full. Our p [... read more]ictures of this can only do it justice, absolutely the worst beech I have ever seen in 30 years of travel. Our resort had 452 Rooms and an estimated 220 lounge chairs. The leave the towel on a chair at 6 am game was in full effect. Concerns about these issues were taken up with our Air Transat representative and WERE NOT RELAYED TO THE HOTEL....absolutely butch ! Nice rooms, but they take your money and trow you to the wolves on your own. Bring a lot of tip money (and I mean a lot) because without it no concerns get addressed.

Barcelo Maya Tropical: Barcelo Maya Mexico - Mayan Rivera - Amazing!

My wife, daughter and I stayed at the Palace portion of this resort from Dec 20-30 2014. We had a junior suite room near the back section of the building closest to the Palace Main area. It was fine for us 3 adults, although the beds were a bit hard. Otherwise, it was very comfortable and everything worked great (TV, AC, fridge, etc.). Very nice to have a stocked fridge with water and pop and snacks which was free to take from! The resort is awesome. There is no lack of things to do or if you ju [... read more]st want to rest, you can do just that. I found my favourite spot by the Adults only Pool with it's own bar. The beach is great although we had some windy days where seaweed washed up. However the staff clean it up. All the buffets and a-la-cartes we ate at were great, with our favourite a-la-carte being the Caribe (Seafood). We had one small event where we had Japanese (the Tokyo a-la-carte) and my daughter got a bit sick that night from the Sushi. The cooked food was fine (cooked on an open cooking table where you sit around it and watch the Chef show), however we think it was the Sushi appetizer that may have upset her. One day of immodium and pepto-bizmo and she was fine. The facilities are very clean and always well kept. The shuttle tram that runs across the properties is great as it is a nice 15-20 minute walk from the Palace lobby to the Beach property. Very handy sometimes to use the free tram service. We loved snorkeling off the pier as many fish swimming around and even saw a sting ray! The staff is exceptional. From the maintenance to the cleaners to the cooks and restaurant staff - they are all incredible. They work extremely hard to make sure you are happy and have a great stay. We tipped wait staff every meal, as well as bar staff, room cleaning lady and others. They really appreciate it and work very hard. As I said, the food is great all around where the only problem we had was near the end, we were getting tired of buffets and eating too much! Had to start to cut down on the portions! We saw only one show and it was well done. We loved having the Church on site (at the Mexican Shopping area) as we went to Mass (Catholic) twice, including Christmas Day. A new mall has opened up on site with a few stores. It even has mini-golf, 10-pin bowling and a disco! Was very nice to be able to walk around there a bit to look around. Prices from the stores and numerous vendors on the grounds are a bit high, but you can find deals depending on what you are looking for. We booked 3 excursions via Mariana at the Barcelo Tour office as we wanted full peace-of-mind in the tour operators and that they are experienced and backed by Barcelo insurance and customer service. This may have cost us a bit more than going thru our Air Canada rep (we flew AC Vacations), but we were extremely happy with the results. We did a 1-day Coba/Mayan Village/Cenote trip, a 1/2-Day Tulum trip and a 1/2-day Rio Secreto trip. All are highly recommended. The Coba trip was fantastic with our guide being very knowledgable. It was the longest drive with about an hour an an half to get to our first destination from the hotel. The others were shorter drives. However, the Tulum 1/2-day was a bit short, that once you have some free time, you only have about an hour to roam or go back to the bus area/stores to look around. Considering it takes about 15-20 minutes to walk back from the Tulum site, this took away from our free time and made the Tulum trip feel quicker. However, our Guide was excellent. For the Rio Secreto, had an absolutely unbelievable experience that was fantastic. What an adventure and they have it very well organized and run. The only downside is the 20 minute very bumpy ride from the initial entry point to the Rio Secreto main area as the roads are quite rocky and uneven. We would strongly recommend this tour as it is quite remarkable. Our guide was fantastic as well. For all our tours we chose the private bus option (groups of no more than 12), rather than the larger groups (40-50). It cost a bit more but was well worth the more individual experience. To sum it up, we had a fantastic experience at this resort and would 100% go back again. Actually, this was my wife and I second time to the Barcelo Maya as we went there in Sept 2001 when the resort only had the Beach and Caribe properties (was much smaller). One note of caution - as soon as we walked out of the Mexican customs after arriving, we were greeted by a women dressed professionally holding a clipboard with a sign that had a few hotel names on it, including ours. We stopped to talk with her thinking she was a rep with the Hotel and was going to show us where to go to catch our transport to the hotel, etc. Well, after 10 minutes of listening to her explain the hotel and showing us a map of the area, she went into a sales pitch for the Xcarat resort where for $75 USD you could visit for a day. We said no and she was very polite and did not try to push it. So not a bad experience, but just a waste of 10 minutes as once we walked outside, we saw an Air Canada Vacations rep who had our shuttle waiting for us to go to the hotel. So if you travel here, just walk right past these people in the terminal and go outside to find your travel rep (Air Canada, Sunwing, etc.). Thanks very much to all the staff at the Barcelo Maya for an incredible stay and we will be back again.

Grand Palladium Kantenah: Great Family vacation

Just spent a week down at the beautiful Grand Palladium resot in Riviera Maya, Mexico with my wife, 2 kids, as well as the rest of our 20 member family. Highlights: Plenty of beach chairs - never had to go hunting for chairs or deal with people stealing chairs The pools! - the pools had everything for young kids (safe pools with water slides) and large pools big enough for fun for people of all ages including the great swim up bars. The size of the resort - because the resorts are all connecte [... read more]d, it means you have access to all the restaurants, different pools, sights, etc. Activity Center - the activity center is absolutely incredible. Good turf fields for soccer games, nice tennis courts, basketball courts, etc. Natural Pool - a natural pool fed by the ocean that includes fish - great for young kids learning to snorkel Drinks - We have been to a couple of resorts and the drinks were made with quality ingredients and delicious Beach - The beach had nice sand, a good amount of waves and was very secluded. It was also not populated with vendors trying to sell stuff. Daytime activities - the entertainers were great at getting the resort involved in games/fun Lowlights: Food - with 13 restuarants and a high rating I was expecting a better range and quality of food. The breakfasts were fantastic, the meat was delicious, but the side foods (veggies, rices, etc) were rarely good. Travel - with the larger size of the resort and abundance of activies, it also meant a lot of walking time from location to location. They do provide travel between locations, but travelling with 2 kids under 5 meant a lot of walking. Night-time entertainment - This is definitely a family style of resort and means the night time party life is lacking. Kid Zone - we checked out the kid zone and were really dissappointed with the lack of supervision and activites for the kids. All in all, definitely a beautiful resort that I would recommend to any family looking for a safe location to visit.

Excellence Riviera Cancun: Beautiful Break

The resort could accommodate people with mobility issues. If you choose to take a family or friend who has difficulty with stairs or requires a wheel chair, this is a resort for you. Almost all venues, accept the beech are wheel chair friendly. You cannot make sand stable enough for a wheel chair, but the pools, hot tubs, and all but one restaurant had easy entry access. On the first day we had some confusion about room cleaning. I called the front desk and they put us on an early morning daily [... read more] schedule. After that, we would go to breakfast and upon our return our room was cleaned, towels changed, etc. The hotel was laid out very well making finding locations, restaurants, activity areas, etc. easy to find. We participated in air rifle shooting and archery although there were many other activities running all day and into the evening. There is a small gym; it had about eight cardio machines and a variety of dumbbells, plus major muscle group machines. I would like them to add a machine capable of allowing pull -ups and chin- ups. Every evening musicians and bands would come to entertain us.These activities occurred in the early evening and later on into the night. All shows were tasteful and entertaining. I was especially impressed with the early shows, starting around 6:30 pm, as we like to go to bed early. The staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming. We had a problem with a broken item in our room, I called the office, a repairman arrived within 15 minutes, completed the repair quickly and departed. We received a call almost immediately to enquire if the repair was completed to our satisfaction, which it was. There was a lot of seaweed on the beach, but that is the weather not the resorts fault. There were almost always enough beech towels and usually good seating, whether by the pool or at the beach. My family and I, particularly enjoyed long walks on the silky, sandy beach. We had a wonderful holiday and would seriously consider this resort again.

Platinum Yucatan Princess: A great time

Enjoyed the resort very much. They are new, but trying really hard to deliver on the whole experience. Always lots of chairs by the pool...great modern feel to the place. Would recommend. The staff were really great.

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Ok vacation, not a 5 star

The resort was ok not very welcoming or going above and beyond for people. It took 3 days to get the room fridge replaced, not all of the rooms accomodated the number of people we had and the restaurants were long waits up to 2-3 hours, the pools were so cold you could not swim in them. noone was in them.

Grand Sirenis Mayan Beach: Nice resort but nothing special

Overall it was a nice clean resort but the communication barrier was tough. I found that some employees would go above and beyond to help out and answer questions where as others did not. The beach was nice but rocky. Pool area needs more seating.

Sandos Playacar Beach Resort: Great hotel

Great food and friendly staff and lots of activities for the kids. The resort was perfect for our family group of 15. The only recomendation I woudl have is that they need better transportation to and from the rooms near the lobby and and pool/beach. The walk was nice but a little long.

Excellence Riviera Cancun: Awesome resort

The grounds,buildings,beaches,pools and everything else was amazing.The service was second to none and all the people were very friendly.We also loved the 24hr room service.The way they up keep the hotel you would think it was new,I would be scared to try some where else now in fear of big disappointments.

Grand Palladium Kantenah: Amazing Trip, Amazing Resort!

I absolutely loved the resort - the rooms were updated and very nice. The food was great. And I was able to find a wifi connection in the room as well as all over the resort. Highly recommend this resort.

Grand Palladium Colonial: A resort that lived up to all my expectations!!

I loved the landscape and scenery and the wildlife! The resort was immaculate and the staff very helpful. The beach was lovely and the option to walk long distances while still on the property was much appreciated. (Especially when thirsty as there was a place to stop for a drink at either end lol) I recommend the resort to families and couples alike. We were a family of 5 with 2 young adults and a teenager. Many activities to chose from and no shortage of restaurants to try out.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Excellent Stay!

We arrived on time, but had to wait for other passengers before the bus could leave from the airport. When we arrived at the hotel, there was not much of a line up for check in. Got checked in in few minutes(upgraded with a VIP upgrade b/c of repeat booking with Bahia.) All the amnesties were excellent @ Coba. Food was excellent, but would be nice to see different varieties on different days. La Carte restaurants were really nice. Many to choose from! Kids enjoyed the swimming pool and the kids [... read more] water park area. The resort area is really huge! There is no issues catching a ride in the golf cart to cruise around the resorts. Akumal is the closes to the beach, but we had no issues catching a ride to the beach any time we wanted. Overall, excellent and memorable trip.

Grand Palladium Kantenah: How can they mess this up?

A very good resort for families. The rooms were good, the beach very good, the activities are well planned, the food is a very good mix for both children and adults. The grounds are expansive and well maintained. The problems are all related to check in and check out. Check in took about 1 hour! We were then driven to our building and dropped off WITHOUT OUR LUGGAGE. We were told that our bags (left at the lobby) would be brought around later. What were we do do until the bags arrived? The bags  [... read more]took over an hour to be delivered to the room. While we waited for the bags, we used the instructions given us at check in to set the code for the in room safe. Naturally the instructions were incorrect. I would have read the (correct) instructions on the safe but my reading glasses were in my bag back in the lobby. The bags finally arrived and the bellhop had the nerve to expect a tip! Check out was very slow. Two bus loads of visitors was checking out but the only staff on duty was extremely slow and his work was incorrect and required several revisions. Although we were issued 2 towel cards, and returned both cards to the check in person, I am watching my credit card statements to make sure that they do not charge us for "lost towels"!