I will start with the grounds of this resort... Absolutely Pristine! I have yet to be at a resort that has taken as much pride in cleanliness as this resort.
We had booked a Junior Suite deluxe swimout, which was awesome. I don't know that I will be able to book anything but from this day forward. It was lovely not having to pack a bag to go to the pool etc. walk right out your balcony and into the pool! Staff were attentive and pleasant.
I was somewhat disappointed with the "upcharge" for l[... read more]obster/shrimp. At every other resort I have been to, including in Cuba, these were items included in your cost. For the price that was paid for this trip, it would have been a plus to have this included.
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Lili37 -
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Barcelo Huatulco: Very disappointed
Lobby and hotel grounds- the hotel lobby, bar and grounds are very outdated and the only place that’s air conditioned is the premium lounge that you have to pay extra for. Not cool when you’re staying at a 4 star plus hotel.
Pools- there is only two pools and one bar. The pools are outdated and have black mold. It’s hard to get a spot. We went for a wedding and there was 46 of us. A few morning I woke up at 6:30am to get some spots and someone took 4 of our chairs. We would only reserve a[... read more]bout 12 chairs or so and we all shared. There was no activities in the pool, sometimes music but even that wasn’t good.
Rooms- the rooms are nice and spacious, we were on premium level, but some of the guests that weren’t premium had black mold in their shower ( we have pictures)
Food- the food was repetitive and always cold. The seafood was always cold which was cooked seafood that was suppose to be hot. All food was cold unless you got it from the grill which wasn’t good.
A few morning we had to line up for breakfast to get a table ( 15-20min)
The a la cart restaurants hadn’t to be booked and they weren’t all available at all times.
We booked Mexican for the second night we were there and when we got there they said we don’t have a reservation. One person in our group went back to the room and got the slips to show them. They did acoimediate us after. Ricardo Cortez The food manager was great and did everything he could to make our stay better.
We also went to the Italian which was surprisingly great food.
Spanish al la cart was horrible and it wasn’t Spanish food at all.
On the wedding day- the bride and groom paid for platinum package but they didn’t get platinum service.
The were told the chairs will be beige and they’re were dark brown. The decoration wasn’t what they were showed in pictures. When it was time for them to cut the cake they didn’t have a plate or a fork !! The groom had to put the cake in a napkin and give it to the bride with his hands. Come on now this is common sense stuff.
The dinner arrived cold as usual. The appetizer was cold. The main course was over cooked steak I believe it was brisket that was cooked to death. They were promised fillet. It was companied by powdered mashed potatoes not even real mashed potatoes.
Bar- one of the 46 guests had 1 year old daughter and asked one of the bar tenders for a bottle of water. The bar tender said since you don’t have a premium bracelet you can only get a cut of water not bottled water ( how is this hotel 4 plus stars)
Room service- only premium get room service everyone else has to pay for it. One might I was ordering room service and the gentleman in the phone told me I’m oderering too much and asked if there are more ppl in my room !! I said NO I have a teenage son who eats a lot.
Claudia lijehhulth, Flor Martinez form the premium lounge had incredible customer service and were always so polite and ready to help, They are truly great.
This resort should never ever be recommended to anyone having a wedding or anyone under the age of 65. I emailed Kevin from there, because the bride and groom were very upset and he still hasn’t emailed me back. I felt horrible for the bride and groom because the most important day of their life was ruined. They can never get that back.
I’m so disappointed that you guys would ever recommend this resort for a wedding.
Excertions- we booked the 7 bays on a boat excretion with the hotel not Sunwing ( what a mistake )
They told us there would be washrooms both for men and women. They said it’s a boat for 46ppl. I asked over and over again is it a nice, will it be safe? We had lots of kids in the wedding group and elders.
They picked us up at 10am in nice cars and took us to the marina. When we saw the boat we were all shocked. They told us to take life jackets that were scattered all over the boat floor.
They were all ripped, none of the buckles worked, and they smelled so horrible. They hadn’t black mold on them as well.
The sea was so choppy and the boat wasn’t the right boat for those big waters. Everyone got sick almost 90% were throwing up and sick.
We had to cut our trip short and come back. When we got back to the hotel we told them and they said that they don’t understand what black mold is and we got a great deal. 49 ppl and we payed $30 each and $15 for kids.
The hotel didn’t care that this was a safety issue with life jackets that are ripped and don’t have buckle that work. Honestly this resort is a 2 start at the most in every way possible. Food, grounds, service. Every single person in our group was unhappy. Most important what was suppose to be the best day in their life for the bride and groom was completely ruined by horrible staff at Barcelo.
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Buenaventura Grand Hotel and Great Moments: Great hotel
This hotel is small compared to some, but that just means excellent service. The waiters are especially friendly, hard working, and always there when you need something. Very clean, good food, nice beach, and a short walk to the Malecon.
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Snowbird23 -
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Krystal Grand Los Cabos: Beautifully located Resort
Family of 3 LOVED our stay at Krystal Grand! Food was incredible and the staff were constantly watching time food was out on buffet and changing food for freshness. Delicious choices and many options for all. Staff were ALL very kind and helpful. We definately missed a 24 hour snack bar option. The resort closed down at 10pm I believe...perhaps 11 but I can't remember - and there was a lot of construction going on cutting a cement walkway apart but we were not overly bothered as we went off reso[... read more]rt for day trips often. I enjoyed the options in the gym. We booked ocean view which we had, tho the angle of our room did not allow for sun on our balcony which we missed. We are familiar with the area so transportation access was simple on main road in front of resort. Gorgeous flat beach to walk to various places or sit and watch the waves. We spotted whales and rays jumping. All aspects were great and we would definately recommend this as a nice quiet resort in a great location for both San Jose and Cabo San Lucas options. If the price stays reasonable for a smaller resort, we would go back next year but I would not pay too much as I am aware of the options at other resorts in the area.
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Riu Caribe Cancun: Caribe
Hotel was very good. The food was excellent and staff very good. The only disappoint was lack of entertainment The odd show didn’t start until 9.45 pm to late for us over 70s. I think this hotel is geared for young people. A comment on Sunwing. The transfer bus back to Airport had some really drunk people aboard. Bad language and very loud music was in my opinion and others not safe for driver and other passengers. Most people agreed that the Sunwing Rep should have dealt with it as some very [... read more]scared. I was tempted but decided not to interfere as I didn’t wand major confrontation.
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Ocean Coral Riviera Cancun: Some good, some bad
Quick trip from airport to resort (less than 30 minutes). However, location of resort was not in place where you could walk into Puerto Morelos. It was over 3 km on busy, narrow road to walk out to main highway to get public transportation.
Pubic areas - well maintained, lots of seating
Beach - not swimmable due to the large of seaweed.
Room - large and clean, but regularly no hot water and lack of water pressure.
Pool - little space around the pool (narrow brick area), so the chairs[... read more] are pushed up against each other and cannot be moved. There are very little places to get any shade at the pool and the few umbrellas are not effective. Had to go out at 6 am to get chairs.
Activities - very few activities at the resort. The standing activities did not always occur or the stated planned location.
Restaurants - food was very good in all restaurants, with the exception of Route 66, which was terrible. Walk up to the specialty restaurants without reservations was great, only a few minutes to get a table.
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Decameron Los Cocos Guayabitos Ramada: Awesome Resort
This is the best vacation that we have had yet. The resort itself is well kept and the rooms were very clean. Love the adult pool which is a plus. The food was okay but we got by just fine. The people in the town are very friendly. We felt totally safe there.
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Trombone -
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Grand Sunset Princess: Amazing Resort
Beautiful grounds very friendly staff.service was excellent. Food was very good something for everyone. Entertainment was very good. Staff very knowledgeable. Pool was excellent.Excursions that we’re booked were amazing.Resort bedrooms were kept very clean.rooms very spacious. Would recommend this Resort to anyone.
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David -
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Barcelo Huatulco: Amazing beaches
Well to be quite honest, I have visited huatulco many times over the last decade. But have always stayed at dreams. This was the first time at the barcelo, on recommendation of our travel agent. Now any other time, we would have been a little disappointed. Unfortunately this was our destination wedding. With a group of 29 that booked with Kevin and another 20 who had come from over seas just to be there for us. Now considering the amount of people in our group and the amount of money that was ma[... read more]de from our group. I expected to be treated a lot nicer than we had. And by nicer I mean I felt like a second class citizen. Myself and all of my guests noticed as well. We will all be writing a scathing review on our own separate blogs about our experiences. We were not impressed at all. The only two respectful people that tried to be a little more accommodating was the food and hospitality manager and our wedding coordinator.
But prior to having had an almost all out brawl in one of the a la cartes because there was a system error while booking, when half of our group was asked to leave until we produced our receipts for the booking that they didn’t seem to have. No one even asked how we’re were. Especially since the day of our arrival we were stranded on the highway on a sunwing bus for almost 3 hours while there was a protest happening. Now I understand that may be out of sunwings control but what was not, was to be prepared. So after 3 hours all the passengers had to disembark and walk a km and a half with luggage in hand through protestors over obstacles to another bus.
Now I could go on and on but the more I think about the angrier I become. So I will leave with this, thank you so much for recommending this place, I hope you hit quota in sales and just to let you know we have 3 more weddings and a yearly family trip that will have approximately the same amount of people per year. And that business we will be taking elsewhere. And it’s a shame because we have been going with trip central for years.
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Private -
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Hotel Xcaret Mexico: Fantastic Resort!
We really enjoyed our stay, lots to do and staff were amazing! Food was great with lots of variety. Lovely spacious rooms very clean! Only small drawback was the beach is small. Also we could has done without
the timeshare crap.
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Private -
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Friendly Fun Vallarta: Great Location
Hotel was nice location on the hotel zone. Walking distance from shopping,dining, nice beach etc. also bus and taxis very easy to get. Our room was basic but very clean and comfy, no fridge, bar etc. They did ask us if we would like to upgrade for $35US per night, we declined as we don't spend much time in our room. Also required us to give credit card for 1000 pecos for damages which we would get back when we left. Hotel food was pretty good for the most part we found out that if you ask for th[... read more]ings they amazingly appear like bacon, good guacamole etc. Very friendly staff, pools were very warm. Staff will bring you a chair, umbrella or table and place it where you like on the beach which was nice. Lots of activities to do at the resort. Must have been the time of year we went (just after Easter) lots of local families on vacation there. Lots of kids in pool until late at night. Luckily there was an adult pool. Met lots of Canadians.
Not a quiet resort often loud music thumping and often two conflicting speakers.
Overall, I still think it was good value for the money and we would return in the future.
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Serena -
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Riu Flamingos: Amazing
The resort was very good I would stay again but flying with sunwing most likely not they were not very friendly and made us check our carry on under the plane and made us weigh it also cause they said we were not allowed having a back pack and a small suitcase was not allowed above the plane when were told we could have both one under the seat and in the overhead very dissapointing.
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Secrets Huatulco: Enjoyable resort ...
Hotel: Very satisfied. Well laid out and easy get around based on the size of the hotel. Great views.
Rooms: Bright and very clean.Would try next time to possibly upgrade room to higher level because of noise from the open air bar,and also for a better view. We were on level 4 with a jacuzzi tub.
Food: Very good including room service. Would be nice like most resorts where the Market Cafe would be open for supper. Sometimes a nice option as you might not what to go to a restaurant every n[... read more]ight. A lot of people we spoke to felt the same way.There were several restaurants to choose from and we never had to wait in line or book reservations. Not a great selection of "premium" liquor at the bars or if available would run out.
Staff: Quite pleasant, extremely helpful and very hardworking.
Beach: Beautiful views.Sand very "coarse" and difficult to walk on or swim. Did not see anyone swimming.From the previous reviews we read, we did expect this. Pools well laid out and no problem getting chairs.
Location: Pleasantly surprised how nice the surrounding area was including the infrastructure.Went to town and enjoyed it very much. Felt safe and not pressured by local vendors.
Weather: Fabulous. Sun every day, not a drop of rain (went thru a lot of "sunscreen")
Sunwing: Angry customers on the last day....The Sunwing representative at the resort was one of those people whom you hardly saw and when you did always seemed to be in a hurry to be someplace else.On the day of departure there were delays because of the "ice storm" in Toronto.We were quite aware of this thru social media and understood the chance of delays.The problem was the Sunwing representative was nowhere to be found and the info in the binder at his desk was not changed until noon (we were to leave the resort at 10:30 am to go to airport).This caused a lot of frustration and angered many people.Someone said a "new" Sunwing rep did appear for a short period of time but was very inexperienced as to what was going on.We finally boarded the aircraft at midnight to head home.The pilot was concerned as to whether we had been waiting in the airport that whole time or if we were at the resort. He was genuinely quite concerned for the passengers.I think most people could have dealt with the delays, but not having a "Sunwing" rep on site made many people very unhappy.Fortunately we were able to stay at the resort all day rather than being stuck at the Airport. We were given vouchers at the Airport for food and a small discount off future travel.The hotel staff were very helpful during this delay and answered many questions because the was no representation from Sunwing.
Most people we spoke with seemed to really like the Hotel. Just a few minor changes or upgrades would put it over the top....
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Barcelo Huatulco: Needs Improvement
Though rooms were clean and resort grounds well kept,
food was just average. Most hot dishes were overcooked and way too salty. I have had much better quality at other 4.5 star all-inclusive resorts in Mexico in terms of food, entertainment and service. This resort isn't truly all-inclusive as you need to pay extra to upgrade (to become a "gold" member) for WIFI or room service food which is ridiculous. Also booking dinner at "better" restaurants in advance is only permitted for gold membe[... read more]rs. I would rate this resort a 2.5 or 3 at best which is generous.
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Walto Chronkite -
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Riu Flamingos: This Resort Needs More Staff
The restaurants and buffets simply need more staff. Because of this, I have to rate the service delivery as poor. Other all-inclusive hotels that I have been to have staff that are friendly and really want to provide service. Not here. They appear resigned to the fact that they will never be able to handle the work load, and just do what they can in their shift. This poor service was evident in the main buffet, as well as the a-la-carte restaurants, with the exception of the Italian restaur[... read more]ant.
Washrooms were also scarce. There were no washrooms for the main buffet, and 2 other restaurants. The closest washroom was on the floor above.
On a more positive note, the pools were great; the activities staff worked hard; the nightly entertainment was superb, and the bartenders were able to handle the high demand.
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Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Bad food
Had diarrhea every day. Food was bland and nothing special. We ate at every restaurant. Salt water pools were great. There really isn't a beach as it is man made. We attended a wedding and unfortunately the meal was served in a private room which was exposed to the outside and it was very hot and humid.
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Grand Sunset Princess: Relaxing vacation
Resort was wonderful. I upgraded to the platinum rooms and they were spacious and comfortable. Platinum service was excellent and the private pool relaxing. The beach did have a lot of seaweed. Whatever, still better than Lake Ontario. Anyone complaining is spoiled and unappreciative of nature. The platinum area of the beach was well serviced and lots of shade.
Food was mediocre, but I always found something. The best a la cartes were mamma Mia and La Fluer. But it’s all subjective. Stop b[... read more]eing picky and appreciate the lovely surroundings and hard work of the people who get up everyday to work to ensure we have a nice vacation. Tip! Don’t be jerks. These people get paid pennies compared to us, if you can afford to go to an all inclusive you can part with a few extra dollars to appreciate their efforts.
I would go back again. I got the vacation I wanted and loved every second.
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Debbie.lorne -
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Selection Riviera Cancun: Great resort
The grounds were well kept, the resort was beautiful, the a la carte were great but buffet was cold and poor food choices
We loved the pool but the beaches were way too much sea weed and not able to get in ocean has was very poor and vpold not even see your feet in there
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Sandos Cancun: Second time visiting Sandos Cancun
This was my second time visting the resort, but this time I went solo and enjoyed every minute of it. Felt safe the entire time!! Roxy from the pool is a sweetheart, was greeted every morning withe a big smile and hello!! Everyone there is very nice and helpful.
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Barcelo Maya Colonial: nice resort
Very nice resort. Beautiful grounds with beautiful beaches. Food was excellent. Service was good except at the pool bar where we were ignored but solved that by leaving the pool to go the the bar just behind the pool bar where the service was much better. Coffee bar was excellent for coffee and service.