Selection Riviera Cancun: Small yet provides all amenities

We stayed at this resort for 2 weeks. Jan.21- Feb.4, 2018. One of the things we look for when choosing a resort is its proximity to the airport. I absolutely hate having to travel 1 to 2 hours on a bus dropping off or picking up people. This resort is very close to the airport approx. 15 - 20 min drive. Perfect location for us. A very comfortable, clean full service resort. Pays attention to detail. A la cartes are true a la cartes with exceptional service. Outstanding food. We avoided the [... read more] buffet as much as possible as we find we tend to fill our plates too easily and too much. LOL But the buffet does offer much selection. One day I asked if they ever served onion soup. They said yes but offered to make it for me whenever I wanted. So I asked if I could have it the next day. They asked what time. The next day we went up to the buffet at the time requested and they were standing waiting for us. The soup was served immediately. Now that's what I call service! Thanks to the chef and Oscar the waiter. OMG the bread and pastries are beyond delicious. Hot, fresh right out of the oven. We usually ate breakfast at the Caribbean Restaurant which provided full service. Janet the hostess was extra special always greeting us with her beautiful smile and sweet personallity. The smoked salmon and eggs Benedict were beyond delicious. Mimosas were a treat as well as the bottle of Baileys sitting out to add that special touch to delicious coffee. A few things are extras ex. Tomahawk steak. We did order it one night. It was well worth the price we paid. I'd say the best steak we've ever had. Cooked to perfection. The same steak at a very popular venue we went to in NYC costs 3X's the amt. Drinks are okay. I'm not a lover of all those sweet drinks and they use those syrups which are not my fav either. The Mojito bar, up in the lobby area, use real fruit if you ask. Strawberry Mojitos are amazing. Can never go wrong with wine and beer which were very good. One thing they did serve was Captain Morgan "white" rum. First resort we've ever been to that had this usually the only Captain Morgan served is Spiced. At times they did run out of different liquors ie Crown Royal, 43 Liquor, Tequila Cream. When asked if they had any "maybe later". That should not happen but certainly there were lots of other choices available. Breakfast and lunch are also served directly on the beach. Nothing like being able to enjoy a meal outside with your feet in the sand feeling that heat on your body. At the Tapas restaurant there is no menu but the food choices served changes 3 x's a week.There are 6 different courses all small, delicious and very filling. One of our fav restaurants. The Mexican restaurant has a more relaxed fun atmosphere. They focus on entertaining their guests while enjoying a great meal. The Italian restaurant is also great. OMG the tiramisu is to die for.The Caribbean restaurant was another of our favourites. This is the restaurant that has full service breakfast as well. There is a bar just outside this restaurant where Louis the bartender provides exceptional service and whatever drink you can think of as long as his bar is stocked with what you request. There is excellent nightly entertainment in main lobby as well in an area just outside the lobby. We also spent extra to go to the Chic Diamond rated restaurant. They served a 16 course meal consisting of very small samples. The presentation was amazing and the service was over the top. We had lovely evening which lasted for about 2 1/2 -3 hours. I'm sill not sure what we had to eat as everything was very unique. I really can't say anything negative about this resort. It provided us with everything we needed for 2 weeks. We are beach people so we never laid around the pool. Beach drink service is provided if you wish to use it.The beach is constantly being freed of seaweed. We did not go into the water but that's just who we are. There were plenty of people who did. The beach is also easy to walk on in either direction. We meant many wonderful people mainly a UK and Canadian destination at least during the time we were there. I have no hesitations in recommending this resort.

Grand Sirenis Matlali Hills: No more Serenis ever again!

Please understand - we are not nit-pickers OK? We love Mexico and understand that some things are a bit different there sometimes. We were at this resort Feb.2017 and had a wonderful experience! We had a room in the new tower building that just opened a couple of mounts before. We loved the room and the view. So we went back Dec.2017 again. We didn't mind the hilly walkways to the buffet either. The room we got this time was a detached suit that had no hot water, door didn't lock, lights and the [... read more] safe didn't work and the rickety shuttle bus couldn't drop us off at our suit as it had no parking brakes and had to park at the bottom of the hill. The little buses were also thoroughly thrashed inside, no door-handles, the driver had to get out and open it from the outside and the seats were ripped out of the floor and tied together with the seat belts. We spent our first 2 days trying to remedy our problems but got the run-around from staff. Christian the little guy who wore the manager badge that week was totally incompetent. Finally we were given a superior suit in the new tower were we were before. The room was not cleaned, the floor was full of hair and dirt, the safe didn't work here either and we kept being locked out of our room as the lock wasn't working. The food at the buffet was always cold except if we ordered fresh from the chef. At the classy Brazilian restaurant our beer was brought to us in a can. We had to open it our selves and drink out of the can as we didn't get a glass. From the 5 course dinner we only got served 4 as the waitress forgot one step. Staff was nice but lacked any training and even they admitted that there was a lot of problems with the service. The pools needed better cleaning and there was always a shortage of towels, we had to hunt down the towel-dude and beg to get one. We were very disappointed with our second visit as we would expect better service from a hotel of this rating and we will not go there again.

Las Palmas by the Sea: Best place to stay in PV

Our stay was fantastic, the hotel is older but clean and very well kept. ALL STAFF are friendly and good at remembering everyone's name. Francesco who works in the spa went above and beyond for our family. Between the six of us we used the spa 17 times. We will never stay anywhere else.

Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Cancun: Azul does it right.

Our experience was beyond expectations. We stayed at Azul Beach Hotel from January 29-Feb 5 2018. We received impeccable service starting with our concierge Jacob, and the dining was five stars. Very gourmet and healthy. Don’t think you will be receiving American style huge portions. If you are hungry order an appetizer too, the menus are designed as multi course experiences. Drinks were awesome. Lots of signature drinks with fresh fruit and herbs. Our kids (6M and 3Y) had a great time at Azul [... read more]itos play area and we used the nanny service twice. The ladies there (Tonya, Azi) were so great. The beach was glorious with white soft sand and the beach cabanas with butler service were a real treat. You can reserve one once during your stay and it is lovely. The pools are well maintained and the kiddie pool is awesome- large and lots of lounge chairs for both adult and kid sizes. We never were short of towels or beach or pool chairs. We are definitely going back.

Royalton Hideaway Riviera Cancun: Beautiful Resort

The buffet is excellent and incredible choices and quality and the restaurant Doraldo has excellent sea food. I tried the sea bass and I think it was the best sea bass I ever had. The property is very well maintained and the service on a whole were very good. The hotel seems environmental concious and was discontinuing the use of straws in drinks. I enjoyed staying at the Hideaway which is the adult-only section. The view from the lobby is incredible with the panoramic view of the ocean [... read more]!! I would go again!

Isla Mujeres Palace: Small Resort with a BIG Heart

We just returned from a week at Isla Mujeres Palace resort. What a Great small resort! Our stay began with a catamaran ride over to the island. Once we arrived at the resort, we were greeted with a tropical drink, a flower and a cold towel by the front desk staff. They were very friendly and got us checked in very quickly. We were taken up to our room which was very clean and comfortable. Every detail and amenity has been thought out, from the OPI toiletries to the bar stocked with ful [... read more]l sized bottles. If you need anything at all (like another bottle of wine) it is just a phone call away. We took advantage of room service every morning, ordering a pot of coffee, which we found was a great way to start our day while getting ready to go down for breakfast. There is one restaurant on site as well as a snack bar. We had breakfast and dinner at Azul, the main restaurant. Breakfast was either buffet or you could order from the menu. Dinner was menu with Daily Specials. We never had a bad meal. Flavours were amazing and portions were perfect. The wait staff were extremely helpful and very attentive to our needs. Lunch was served poolside at the Ceviche snack bar. Our favourites were the boneless chicken wings and the pizzas made in the wood-fired pizza oven. The quality of the food as well as the caring staff made this and outstanding experience. We took advantage of our resort credits to do the Chef’s Dinner, the Romantic dinner on the beach and a couples massage. The Chef’s Dinner was the BEST! We were served items that I would never have tried, but they were outstanding for presentation and flavours! Professionally presented, masterly designed, this is a must do!!!The romantic dinner on the beach was great! They served surf and turf with appetizers, salad and dessert, all within a beach-side romantic setting. A great experience! The one thing that we adored most about this resort was the intimate feel. With it being only 62 rooms, it is much quieter than the larger resorts. You get to meet the other guests, and they and the staff quickly become your friends. As you walk through the resort, the views are outstanding. The halls have wide spaces facing the ocean, with many areas to sit and relax. The overall feeling of tranquility and beauty assist with relaxation and enjoyment. The one downfall has nothing to do with the resort, but their neighbours. This resort is between two properties that bring day visitors by the multiple boatload to party, eat and drink. Although unfinished, the property to the north looks to be developing a waterpark which we fear this will bring additional noise and chaos to the Palace Resort. The properties are very close together and we worry about the loss of those features that the Palace staff work so hard to achieve. Overall we would highly recommend this small, intimate resort to any couple looking for a quiet, romantic getaway. You will be treated very well, enjoy wonderful meals, meet fantastic people and actually have the time to finally enjoy that good book you have been waiting to enjoy for so long.

Ocean Coral Riviera Cancun: Beautiful Resort

The grounds were beautiful and well kept! The staff were amazing and so was the food. We thought it was the best resort that we have been to because the staff were so friendly and willing to help in any way whatsoever!

Moon Palace The Grand Cancun: Best resort for parents and kids!

Everything at the Grand was top notch!! Best place we’ve been, and probably the only place we’ll go to again. Never ending activities-day and night, great Service everywhere and Fantastic food at all the a la carte’s, and the rooms were amazing!! Large jacuzzi tub, an oil diffuser, CHi bathroom products and your own bar and fridge that are restocked daily!! The only minor complaints I have would be that the beds are only doubles, not queens. And the beach is not the greatest if you’re a [... read more] beach lover. But those are minor setbacks for my family!! Pay the extra $$ to go this Resort, it’s truly amazing and you won’t spend an extra dime aside from tipping. (Which I hope you all do! 😊)

Royalton Hideaway Riviera Cancun: Awesome resort

The resort is just 15 mins from Cancun airport. Great buffet restaurant with excellent selection of food. Room is spacious and clean. We booked the hideaway adult only section. I like the resort's lay out, all restaurants are central near the lobby. Only watched one magic show on our final night, it was really professional and surpassed my expectation.

Grand Palladium Kantenah: Oceanfront oasis

This was our 5th stay at the resort and our 3rd in the Mayan suites. We go for the beach and love the oceanfront room. The resort has changed their buffet style so we will likely not return. They used to have theme nights for dinners, which offered variety, but they now have the same dinner buffet selections EVERY night. Food at each breakfast and lunch location is also the same everyday. We did try 2 a la cartes, which we enjoyed very much, but we prefer the more relaxed experience of buffets.

Barcelo Gran Faro Los Cabos: Average

We found that this resort is just an average resort. Clean, but very dated. Staff was friendly enough and tended to our needs. Bed was horrible, sloped with springs poking you. Any issues we had upon arrival were tended to in a timely manner. Food was good, with a lot variety. Snack bar was in need of quality control. We had chicken wings with feathers still on them. Was going to send picture but not sure where to post it. In general it was at best okay!

Riu Palace Pacifico: High expectations!

Hotel is very nice, well maintained and clean. As it was a fair bit more price wise than the Riu Vallarta, I had high expectations all around. The pool area was nice as was the beach but there is a shortage of bathroom facilities with only one by the pool under the buffet area and the other off the lobby area. Main Buffet had a lot of variety, the lunch buffet at the Toscana restaurant was poor as nothing is kept warm enough. Poolside barbecue daily was good! Ribs there were delicious. Tri [... read more]ed two a lacartes, and liked the Steakhouse so much we went back a second time. Hotel catered more to the senior crowd and we’re not quite there yet so maybe in a few years it’ll be perfect!

Grand Oasis Cancun: 'The Entertainment Resort'

Very large, spread out hotel. A lot of walking. Not many public washrooms and bars are also very spread out...not everyone wants to hop in the pool to get a drink all t he time. I would suggest upgrading to the 'black band' as many nice restaurants not accessible with the blue band. Neither are premium drinks which was a dissappointment. The rooms are clean but the hotel infrastructure (our room was close to the beach) is not and many items need updating like bath tubs, fawcetts, etc. The l [... read more]obby is beautiful. Food isn't terrible but it's not a 5-star menu. Our teens loved it...we felt old (in our late 40's).

La Isla Huatulco: Dont pay full price

The hotel itself and beach club looked really nice but overall poorly managed. Room key rarely worked - We were locked out of our room 3 times for an hour each time. Running out of food and alcohol was the norm at this all inclusive. The location was great, close to town. Was great to have bikes (when the tires werent flat) staff was great at hotel. Beach club not so much. Usual wait for a drink was 30 mins and it wasnt busy. Food took an hour and a half and still forgot my daughters order.  [... read more]Cant swim at beach club beach due to undertow. so we basically used the hotel as a base from which to explore the towns and bays nearby. Luckily we did get a great deal on the price. Overall i would go back to huatulco again but just not to this hotel.

Fiesta Americana Puerto Vallarta: Quaint, friendly, relaxing

This small and quaint resort was wonderful in every way, except there is next to nothing going on in the evenings. It’s an older crowd of people here, most are 50+ and all the resort would have to do is convert their outdoor taco place at night into a small dance floor and have a DJ playing some familiar tunes from say 7:00-10:00. That would be all that was needed to turn this excellent resort into a fantastic resort.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Relaxing Good Time

Very spacious, well groomed and maintained resort. Staff is super friendly and accommodating. They go out of their way to serve you. No complaints about the food, it is abundant and always fresh. Pool areas are neat and tidy, lounge chairs and palaps are comfortable and relaxing. Beach area needs a little work, primarily more beach and less rocks. In fairness to the resort, it can not control the ocean and sea or its currents. I particularly liked the five dollar taxi shuttle service fares [... read more] into Playa del Carmen 5th avenue this resort offered three different times daily. What an excellent way to see how old and new Mexico meet and mingle. This is one hot holiday well worth the investment. Thanks again Trip Central, your still top shelve.

Oleo Cancun Playa: Friendliest resort!

The Oleo Cancun Playais a smaller almost boutique hotel. They are building a new lobby but the construction was noise was minimal at best. The room was exactly as depicted on their website. It was stylish, clean and spacious. Your resort bracelet is your room key. No need to worry about cards. A/C stays on in your room all day if wanted and no towel card required. There are currently 2 a la carte restaurants, and one buffet. Although the selection isn't large at the buffet, we always found somet [... read more]hing tasty to eat. We only ate at the AlMar a la carte. It was unlimited, meaning you could opt to eat there every night. No restrictions to 3 a la cartes and wearing long pants for men was optional and no reservations required. The spa and gym are small but well appointed. On the beach there are tent like structures for shade and waiter service which not only brought you drinks, but would provide you with food as well. The staff are the friendliest I have found in all my 24 yrs. of visiting Cancun. If you don't see what you need, just ask. They will only be too happy to provide you with what you need. There was nightly entertainment. It was mostly restricted to the lobby area except for the outdoor circus night. They had a live band by the pool on Sunday. I'm sure once the new lobby area opens, there will be a better space to enjoy the entertainment. All in all, I really enjoyed my time at the Oleo. I would definately return and/or recommend this resort to others.

Ocean Riviera Paradise: Great hotel

I was pleased with every aspect of this resort. The room was nice, comfortable and clean. The food was amazing. The staff was great to deal with. The beach was nice but during our stay, the water was rough almost every day. It did not hinder our vacation in any way. The weather could have been better (hotter and less rain) but we cannot control mother nature.

Tukan Hotel Playa Del Carmen: Amazing Hotel/Resort

Wow, Wow, Wow. This hotel was in the heart of it all right on 5th Ave. The photos of the grounds do not do it justice. From the time you enter from the street until your room is reached it feels like a jungle paradise and are well kept. Even sitting on the balcony of our two bedroom suite it was a tropical view. Had a two bedroom suite as went with my sister. The rooms are very modern, beds were comfortable and were totally clean and fresh. Maids did a great job and everyone was ve [... read more]ry friendly. We had the breakfast plan and the buffet was very good. Their are tons of restaurants to choose from for meals within walking distance. We found the farther you were off 5th the cheaper meals were. Lots to choose from. We even found the cheapest place to buy cold beer from just two blocks from the hotel. Beach was very beautiful and depending on where you wanted to be was a 5 to 15 min walk. Pool was decent although a bit cool. There was what appeared to be a hot tub but it was not. Only disappointing thing. I would definitely stay here on a return visit to Playa del Carmen.

The Pyramid Cancun: Nice Resort

The dining was really good, the beach was amazing, and the pool area and grounds well kept. The rooms were clean but there was way to much noise after midnight and it was very hard to sleep. There should be an area setup outside for late night parties and not in the resort.