Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Very enjoyable time.

The resort was very clean and nice to look at. The staff was great and very friendly and helpful. The food for the most part was great although the Mexican restaurant (in Mexico) was very underwhelming. I would highly recommend the Oriental restaurant and Buffet. The group we went with had a great time overall and all stated we would go back. Negatives were that one day the pool with the bar was extremely cloudy to the point where I couldn't see my feet at the bottom of the pool. Also there  [... read more]was a strong smell of sewage at some parts of the resort including one of the pools. I would still recommend this resort to my friends as these are minor issues that are probably being resolved.

Barcelo Maya Tropical: Loyal Barcelo fan

This was somewhere between my 10-15th time at the Barceló in the Mayan. I've stayed at the Colonial or Tropicale each time. The grounds are beautiful, very well kept and the staff work really hard. The pool is the best I've seen and I travel a lot. Very clean, large and well kept. The food is very good at the buffet and a la carts but my favourite is the Japanese at the Mall - amazing! I only have a few things that annoy me. One is that wifi is free only between certain hours, usually during b [... read more]each time and only in the lobby. Who wants to walk back to lobby to send an email. I've traveled around the world, stayed in a little rom in a remote Greek village and it had free wifi. I don't think guests should pay extra in this day and age. Also, the rooms are too humid, our clothes and sheets felt wet. This wont prevent me from going back as we do our annual vacation there 17-25 people. Oh I am annoyed that as a loyal customer for over 15 years their computers only go back to 2012 so they can't see our loyalty oh and the front desk never picks up their phone

Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya: Lovely resort

This was our 3rd time back to Valentin and we loved it just as much as the other times. Resort grounds are lush and well maintained. Food is excellent with a nice variety of choices. Staff and management are easy to deal with, very friendly and accommodating. These folks work hard to please you. Rooms are cozy, private and quiet. Beach is clean with lots of chairs. As an adults only resort, you can find activity if you like it, or quiet places to relax. One of our favorite things to d [... read more]o is dance and the entertainment at the Valentin never disappoints. Each night they have a different theme in their central courtyard which makes it easy to engage and enjoy yourself. If you are not a dancer, just sit back and enjoy the evening. All in all, a great time!

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Awesome experience - highly recommended for couples/families

Great: Resort was incredibly clean. Staff incredibly friendly. Facilities well-kept and beautiful all around. Everything was at our finger-tips and people tried hard to accommodate any requests or concerns. My hubby found there to be far too much walking (other resorts this size have golf carts you can jump on and off of to get around more easily). This resort has busses that run along the back from one to the next... but they're not very convenient. I would definitely prefer a smaller resort  [... read more]in the future. The food was fantastic and there was always lots of selection. The Japanese Chef should be absolutely commended for his performance and I was surprised at how much I loved the food there (not having liked Asian food in the past). I don't think I'd change a thing about our trip if I could really... best beach I've stayed at along the Mayan Riviera (having stayed at four other resorts previously). Not-so-great: The excursion-coordinator failed to mention to us about all of the hidden/added costs when we booked one of our excursions. We elected to go snorkeling at Xhel-Ha and were told about all of the wonderful things we could do there... but there was no mention that after paying a huge amount to get into the park, all of the activities over and above snorkeling would be extra. We'd only brought $$ for photos and souvenirs and having no credit card with us, we missed out on several things we would have liked to have done. The front desk is absolutely terrible. The employees who work there speak very broken English compared to others we encountered, making every interaction with them frustrating and slow. At the airport and amongst other resorts, this resort has a reputation for terrible service at their front desk. I had to wait nearly an hour to get some American money changed into Pesos and check-in and check-out were very painful experiences.

Fiesta Americana Puerto Vallarta: Nice Resort

Decent rooms. Good staff. Being a smaller resort worked for us. I was a bit disappointed nothing was in place to help us celebrate our 60th Birthdays which was why we went down in the first place. Getting into town was easy, fun and safe. We would go back.

Grand Palladium Vallarta: Amazing Time

Our 2nd time to this resort. Our first visit was in 2010, 2nd visit April 21 to 28, 2017. Four of us travelled together. My husband and I booked through TC and our friends through WestJet. This was a WestJet flight, Sunquest tour, booked though TripCentral. As this was our first Tripcentral booking we were a little worried going in. No need. From booking with Matthew Allen at TC - who was very helpful and knowledgeable - to our transfers with Royale Tours - everything went off without a problem. [... read more] In fact, we were picked up and dropped off 20 minutes to 1\2 hour ahead of the WestJet travellers. Once we arrived at the resort we did get offered a couple of upgrades, for a price. When we declined, we thought we would be stuck in a dumpy room, but not so. We received a third floor room in building 2 that was very nice, and renovated since our last trip. Beds are quite comfortable, housekeeping was excellent and our fridge was stocked daily with beer, water, and pop if we wanted it. Staff was amazing. Our favorites were Guillermo at the lobby bar, Enrique at the beach bar (yeah baby), and Victor at the adult pool. Food was excellent, with very much variety. Had lobster for my birthday and it was probably the largest I had had anywhere. Was served birthday cake with candles and a song, as well as receiving champagne in the spa on my birthday. There is a lot of stairs and walking uphill (both ways), but was it great exercise. Cannot find a single negative about this resort, except maybe to serve Bailey's in all the bars, not just Hemingways. We are already looking at booking a family trip here for November.

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: If you like LARGE.....

This resort is among five others, under the Barcelo name. Each has their own uniqueness. The Maya Beach has arguably the best beach of them all, with warm water, lovely white sand & lots of beach chairs. The pools are clean, with no shortage of towels and have a different mood & age group at each. There are many premium liquors on hand, you just need to ask. The rooms were moderately up to date, but clean & well appointed. There were no issues with water pressure or lack of hot water. Cleaning s [... read more]taff always did what was wanted... just a few tips goes along way. Our king bed had great support & the pillows were fine as well. Having been to the Dominican several times, I was hopeful that the food would be a step or two above. But I was disappointed with quality. While I didn't starve, it was a pain having to eat relatively the same items each day. Although the three ala cartes we attended were a welcome change & the food was hot and well prepared.....namely the Italian, Mexican & the Japanese were a treat. Being limited to only three reservations should most certainly be extended. If there was one strong complaint, it would be the check-in process. Each and every traveler only wants their room in a timely fashion, after which in our case, consisted of being on the go for eight hours, before reaching the resort. And to then have to stand in line until finally getting our keys, which was well over an hour.

Platinum Yucatan Princess: Not for Beachlovers!!!

The Platinum Yucatan Princess All Suites resort is a lovely resort with great amenities. Dining , rooms, activities, pools and grounds are wonderful. That being said, we were extremely disappointed with the beach which was the focal point of our trip as we are beach lovers. The beach is rocky, shallow, and entirely not swimmable. During the week we were there it was also very unappealing aesthetically, as it was full of seaweed and murky with none of the beautiful aqua blue that you would [... read more] expect at such a destination. Additionally, there was a foul smell ( sewage) that was constantly present. After day 2 we walked to the right to the beach to one of the sister properties. The beach was better there, but overrun with young families. Nothing wrong with children but we booked an adult vacation. This was the eighth all inclusive that I have visited in the Mayan Riviera and it was the worst beach I have ever seen . Because of this feature only, we would not stay again, nor would we recommend it to our beach loving friends. A word to the wise about snorkeling excursions. We booked ours though BD Travel, our West Jet rep. The 'Cancun Adventures" Tour group booked 9 catamarans full of people (30 each) , at 9 and again at 1. They took us all out on very turbulent seas, only to announce once we got to the reef , that it was too dangerous to snorkel. They should have cancelled the tour in advance . Instead they put the health and safety of their clients at risk in favour of the almighty dollar. We saw many young families with children embarking upon dangerous seas , knowing what was about to befall them as we had just experienced sea sickness, and people almost being bounced overboard. And nobody go to snorkel that day. This sort of thing gives Mexico a bad name. Time for us to take a break from Mexico for awhile.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Great resort! Amazing beach!

This resort is beautiful! The food was really good, the beach is one of the best beaches I've seen, the staff is very friendly. I workout so I thought the gym was excellent! The downside was it does get quiet in the evenings at this resort unless you go to the one resort night club which had a lot of people and good music, if you don't feel like clubbing though there is not much entertainment at night ,I wish the theatre shows were better, they were a bit boring. Also I did not like how there wa [... read more]s no free wifi.

Platinum Yucatan Princess: Great Resort

Very clean, well kept, pleasant staff and food. Beach needs some work as hard to enter with so many rocks. Manageable size as you can make it from the furthest building to the beach in 5 minutes. Great a la carte restaurants. The buffet breakfast got a bit tiresome but there were options...

El Dorado Seaside Suites: Very nice resort

This is a very modern resort and has different features than what were are use to experiencing. Very modern and nice decor from the lobby to our room. The infinity pool was amazing to have and we enjoyed it several time each day between main pool and beach. The food was the best I have had in any resort since we have been travelling for the past 13 years. The freshness and taste was amazing. The staff was supper helpful and friendly going above and beyond the task they had. I would r [... read more]ecommend this resort to anyone who is looking for a new experience going to an all inclusive.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Beautiful resort

Well kept and maintained resort. Staff were friendly and helpful. Food was delicious and plenty of variety. Activities and facilities were wonderful. Second visit to Grand Bahia Principe Coba and will return for another visit.

Royalton Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa: Best Vacation Ever !!

The Royalton was an excellent resort to vacation at. The staff, the grounds, the food choices were all amazing. We could not have chosen a better place to vacation. We had a very relaxing week which is just what we wanted. Everyone was very friendly and willing to help us in anyway they could. The weather was hot but there was always a nice breeze to keep you cool. The pools were clean and very refreshing. We walked the beach every morning after breakfast. The entertainment staff were ver [... read more]y friendly and always offering great choices of things to participate in. The room was very nice and clean. The buffet was lovely and had a very good selection of things to eat. All the restaurants we tried had excellent service and great food. The bars were all nice and had yummy drinks and the bartenders were all very anxious to give us whatever we asked for. It was just a great all around vacation and we would definitely go back to the Royalton in the future.

Sandos Playacar Beach Resort: Good Resort - Large Beach, Decent Food, Mediocre Experience

The beach was large and had lots of chairs and space (the resort was quite empty) The food was good, the burrito and crepe place was amazing but the buffet had cheap meat but lots of options and a good breakfast. The overall service and feel was poor, half the staff was not very happy or accommodating, if you showed up a minute late or anything they would not serve you. This was one of the weaker points of the resort for sure. We only had the bottom tier bracelet but really a third of the re [... read more]sort is for higher tier customers, which was annoying even though it wasn't a big deal. The rooms were kinda run of the mill, same as every other okay resort. We did have an incident where some woman's panties (clearly not mine as I am petite and they were large) appeared hanging in our bathroom while my hisband and I were out in the morning, which was quite disturbing. The rooms were adjoining so we were not sure if it was staff or other guests but we were not pleased. Either way, after expressing our extreme disgust and numerous complaints we were moved (well we moved ourselves and packed everything up - how fun) to move to a higher tier section of the resort. The room was almost identical and I think we got to go to another smaller buffet in the morning but I really don't think there was a difference. Also some staff memever between me arriving on the bus to going to my room broke my suitcase (the handle could no longer be pulled out to roll so now it's trash) so that's another negative. All in all I think this is a meh resort, wasn't worth what I paid but kinda what you expect from this price point in Mexico. I will not be going back.

Secrets Aura Cozumel: good location

The lobby is small but check in was fast, Hotel grounds needed trimming yet staff on hand was always busy and friendly. With the sister resort next door there was lots of restaurants and all were good.Pools were warm and relaxing with great poolside service from Isabel and Victoria and there secretary.We had the same waiter in two different restaurants and eric went out of his way to make sure all was well.Buffet seamed to be under staffed as sometimes no one to serve pasta or no one behind co [... read more]oking area at all. The food in general was good .Beach is very rough make sure you have watershoes.

The Fives Beach Hotel and Residences Playa Del Carmen: Good resort

Good resort but not on par with the Grand Palladium in Mexico. We spent 2 weeks here in April 2017 and had a very nice time but this resort did lack a few things. First, there was a great lack of evening entertainment and the resort seemed to be in business for the sole purpose of selling wine. Our 1 bedroom jacuzzi suite was AMAZING and the food in every restaurant was beyond our expectation. However, every time we turned around they were trying to sell us wine...even the house wine that is in [... read more]cluded with the all-inclusive. Upon check-in we were given the wrong room, a step down from what we paid for. This was corrected the next day but not without a 2-day inconvenience. The service was top notch and above what we could have expected. The food was an A+++. Any and all issues were dealt with immediately and with great care and if it wasn't for the constant attempt to sell us wine it might have been perfect. We have visited the Palladium on 5 occasions and were never pestered to purchase wine, or anything else. We prefer the laid back feel of the Palladium and the much more available night life that they offer over the Azul but having said that, the Azul was a solid 5*.

Hotel Marina El Cid Spa and Beach Resort: Wonderful Staff

Hotel was very nice. Wonderful friendly staff. Avoid timeshare people in front lobby...some can be very pushy. I asked at front desk which one was the concierge to book dinners. We loved the pools and to walk abit around the grounds. The beach is to be desired...has alot of seaweed and was a bit rocky in water...wear water shoes. But plenty of chairs on beach and cabanas. Plenty different foods at buffet at every meal...something for eveyone. We ate at to a la cart dinners....was not to ex [... read more]cited about meals....mexican and the marina (seafood) thought there would be more variety. We tipped just about everyone so bring alot of small bills. They are adding on many new bulidings so it will be much bigger resort. We do enjoy smaller resorts so we may not go back but we did have a good time. Also wanted to add the small town of puerto morelos, a small fishing town, is good for a walk or bike ride in to do a bit of shopping. We walked the beach but didnt enjoy it..too much seaweed and difficult to walk on.

Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta: Beautiful resort

I did enjoy the resort. The elevators were very slow and the rooms were great. The food was excellent. Dining at the Blaze was awesome. Oscer was our waiter and his was the best. Very attentive and so nice.

Secrets Huatulco: Fantastic

My husband and I were on our annual vacation for his Birthday and our 25th Wedding Anniversary. This is our 5th time to a Secrets and it didn't disappoint We thought we would have been upgraded under the circumstances. The room was very nice and clean and Elizabeth the maid did a great job. We had a great view of the Ocean from our balcony - probably the best in the South. The hotel was fabulous. Food was great and service fantastic except the Bourdeaux, which is disappointing as the French [... read more] is usually great. The waitress did not bring my wine or any bread and barely understood what we said. Other than that the food was great and service also. the best was the Castaways where we had a private lunch under a tree with a gorgeous view of the ocean with the seafood filled grilled pineapple boat. AMAZING. Pools were fantastic and clean. Beach was very well kept and the servers worked really hard especially Margarita. THANKS!. Only complaint I would have is the smoking. You really do need to re-inforce that it can only happen in designated areas. Also you should spray for mosquitos. I got a lot of bites which I've never experienced at other resorts. Great job Secrets - we are definitely going to have a 6th visit somewhere. Diane and Rob

Hilton Vallarta Riviera Resort: The Best

I can not say enough about this resort. The food in all the restaurants was fantastic. The service was the best. The resort itself was a 5 out of 5. The only down fall if you consider this a downfall would be its a little remote from town but the bus which you get across the street would take you there.