Hotel Castillo Huatulco: A relaxing vacation in a hotel located in downtown Santa Cruz, Huatulco

The Hotel Castillo is a wonderful place to stay if you are looking for a relaxing vacation. The hotel is an all-inclusive that is located in downtown Santa Cruz. My husband and I had not travelled to Huatulco and had always heard such wonderful things about the town. We wanted a vacation where we could have easy access to the town & restaurants and the opportunity to explore the area. We did not want to stay in an all-inclusive that was located 15 – 20 minutes out of town. After readin [... read more]g many reviews, we picked the Hotel Castillo and we were so glad that we did. What we liked best about the hotel; 1. Old world Mexican charm – an older hotel but very clean 2. Many locals stay here – it was really enjoyable seeing 3 generations of family travelling together and having a good time 3. The staff are genuinely friendly and provide exceptional service 4. Food was basic, very good… you will not go hungry. The fruit & vegetables were fresh, ripe and had amazing flavor, I could have eaten that alone all week (and I am not a vegetarian)! Eggs cooked to order and bacon were offered for breakfast every day (as well as other fare), the guacamole & salsa at the beach club was excellent as well as the fresh fish & clubhouse sandwiches. An evening barbeque was held in the backyard of the hotel on Monday night. Staff put a lot of work into creating a wonderful evening with linen covered tables & chairs and live music provided by a jazz duo. The food was a mix of Mexican and Canadian and the barbeque steak was really good. There was also an Oaxaca night held at the beach club one evening. Again, the staff put so much work into creating this special dinner & entertainment. 5. Beach Club – In my opinion, this was the best part of staying at the Hotel Castillo. The beach club is situated 2- 3 minutes away from the hotel when you use the shuttle bus. We had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel each morning and would arrive at the beach club between 10:00 am – 11:00 am and we never had any trouble getting a palapa on the beach…… and we were there for 10 days. The view of the water in the bay was amazing. Staff were super friendly in the restaurant and also provided drink service at the beach. There is also a large pool at the beach club. Lunch, either a buffet or an alacarte menu was available in the large palapa restaurant. There are other hotels in Santa Cruz that offered beach club services but in my opinion, this one was the best in town. 6. Hotel is located in downtown Santa Cruz and a short cab ride away to La Crucecita (30 pescos = $2.00 Canadian?). Excellent location. The only down side to our vacation is that I came down with an infected tooth. The hotel concierge directed us to a dentist at the medical clinic in La Crucecita – which was a 5 minute cab ride from the hotel. Dr. Jorge Arturo Blanco Cordova was the name of the dentist and he was fabulous. He spoke very good English so that provided me a huge level of comfort. I visited Dr. Cordova three days in a row and he removed my filling to get the infection out, cleaned out the infection and put in a temporary filling until I got home. He also wrote out a prescription for antibiotics and Motrin which I filled at the pharmacy around the corner. The total cost for his services was less than half of what I would pay for one visit to a dentist in Canada. If you are in need of a dentist while in Huatulco, I highly recommend him. Here is his contact information: (located by the Town Square/Church) Dr. Jorge Arturo Blanco Cordova Central Medica Huatulco Flabmoyant No. 205 Centro CP 70987 Bahias de Huatulco, Oax, Mex Tel (958) 587-01-04, 587-07-43 All in all we really enjoyed this vacation because were weren’t constantly dealing with time restrictions (ie. Getting up early to get a chair by the beach or getting to a restaurant by a certain time for your seating). As far as I am concerned, the Hotel Castillo is a new favorite – a true gem – and we can’t wait to go back.

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Disappointed this time

We have been to this resort 7 times and brought numerous friends and relatives here with us. Needless to say, we have really enjoyed this resort over the years. Since this resort has gone to luxury, the services in my opinion have gone downhill. We were treated like royalty last year including gold wristbands for extra perks, fruit basket ,champagne and the ocean view we requested. This year it was like we had never been here before, the friends we brought got a room in the new section, we got a [... read more]n old musty smelling room. We are not ones to complain, but this was by far the worst trip to this resort. There were a lot of little cutbacks from previous years. Don't get me wrong, the grounds are beautiful, majority of the staff were very pleasant and the food is very good. We really just feel that as return guest year after year and introducing new people to this resort would result in being treated better. We will be writing a letter to management, because I'm sure they would like to be informed of any complaints.

Excellence Riviera Cancun: Perfect place to go !!!

Everything, everywhere, everyone were perfect!!! All staff were trying to do the best what they could do for you. All rooms, floors and restaurants are amazingly clean and a perfect conditions. I really recommend this resort for everyone who want to get away. Thank you very much for wonderful service during our staying.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Great week in the sun!

Hello, let me start by saying we had a fantastic time at BBGE. This is a great resort and did not disappoint. This was our first time in Mexico and the Riviera Maya is beautiful. We stayed at the BBGE the week of December 09th 2016. I would definitely recommend this resort. Our room was nice and kept clean and stocked everyday. The food was amazing. The a la cartes and the buffet were great. We went to the Mexican, Italian, Asian and the Steak house. All were really tasty and the service was the [... read more] best I have seen. The staff will help you at any time and are always extremely friendly. Hats off to Alfonso at the front desk, who made our stay feel like we were VIPs. The resort is very clean and well upkept. It is a long walk to the beach if you are in block 8' but you can always grab a trolley. While we were there the quite pool went a little green, the staff worked all night to clean and rectify the problem. By the next morning it was clear again. The beach was nice but the ocean was a bit murky and due to the recent storms that the area suffered, there was some ruff areas at the bottom. The night light was good at the Black and White bar and beach party at the wild pool right at the beach. It started everynight at 11:00 pm until 1:00 am. The dance shows are good. The only down side is the time share thing (Circle One) that they hit you with the minute you check in. They invite you to a VIP breakfast and then show you around the VIP area. Then it is up stairs and they try to convince you to buy in. It could be good for some but not for me, and don't forget you are on vacation, we don't want to know or have to think about anything legal or signing into something which is binding and expensive. They try real hard but just stick to your guns if you are not interested. The only good thing about it is that they offer you 150$ US in hotel certificates which you can use for different day trips and stuff from the store. You will also receive a beach bag, a Mayan calendar pendant and a bottle of tequila. Like I said they will try hard to get you to sign on and I am sure that they set up people in the room that sign on and they all clap to signafy the event. I believe this is a setup to get you to buy. Anyway this is a fun resort and we had a great time. I would definitely go back and I am already planning to. Hope this helps.

Friendly Fun Vallarta: Small and intimate resort

Friendly is a small resort in the heart of the hotel zone in Puerto Vallarta. The staff quickly becomes family-especially "Double Double" (Sergio) who served us in so many areas of the hotel (waiter at breakfast, lunch & supper and beach drink service). It's easy to feel like you are at your second home here! There were only two drawbacks that I need to mention: very uncomfortable lobby seating and continual construction noise. I assume the new pool will be ready to go soon but the couches and [... read more] chairs in the lobby desperately need to be updated! All in all, we spent a good 8 days at Friendly!

Grand Riviera Princess: Good time

Hotel was well kept and clean. Check-in was a breeze. Check out was pretty slow, took 45 minutes waiting in line. Food in thd buffets was marginal. We couldnt say that anything tasted good there, its all edible, but wasnt tasty. The a la carte restaraunts are much better except for the regular miso restaraunt. It was terrible. Rooms were good but had double beds and a pull out sofa for the five of us. Double beds are too small for two adults to sleep in. I would go back to this resort however as [... read more] it was a good option for our family of 5.

Melody Maker Cancun: resort was great

Hotel was good after a upgrade to ocean view we were not happy with the first room offered because it was above the restaurant and all we could smell was the food we asked for a new room and were given one

Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas: Fun in the Sun in Cabo!

My wife and I spend 7 days at the Riu Palace in Cabo, and the entire experience was wonderful. The Resort had just recently re-opened after being remodelled. We found the resort in next to new condition. We had a Junior Suite (#1112) which had a gigantic bed, great bathroom, and a nice sitting area. The room was clean, well maintained and the fridge and bar was well stocked. Our room was on the "Activity Side" of the resort, so we could hear music from the Show Lounge in the evening up until i [... read more]t closed at 11pm. The buffets for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner were quite good. There was lots of variety and everything we tried tasted good. We attended all of the ala carte restaurants except the Mexican one. We enjoyed all of them as the food and service was great. We found that the swimming pools were a bit cool, not sure if they were heated???

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: LIKE ITS NAME ECO, ECO, ECO RESORT!!

The name says it all, Eco resort, and that is what separates it from other resorts. It is aimed towards children, nature, and learning, as that is what I perceived it as, when I booked this resort for my children and Grandchildren. The rooms of this resort, are standard quality for the star rating. The services were also standard for the star rating. The food, was a little below standard for the star rating. The grounds, activities, entertainment were just above standard for the star rating [... read more]. It is definitely focused towards children! My grandchildren 5 to 12 loved the resort!! I found some of the entertainment was not appropriate for younger children, (scary and depressing) . I think some of the shows can still put the (teaching) aspect across to the audience of their Mayan heritage without embellishing on the dramatic and upsetting ritual of sacrificing!! It is great for children otherwise, and I hope that they lean more towards that clientele, and improve some of their theatrics, and add even more to the CHILDRENS experiences! Keep in mind if you are an adult looking for a relaxing, vacation with little or no children, THIS IS NOT FOR YOU? Needless to say, this resort is a much needed resort for Mexico, look at it as the beginning of a Mexican Walt Disney!! ( Still needs work) Very much enjoyed, we would all return. Children, grandchildren, and friends with children:)

The Pyramid Cancun: great stay

I have been to this resort 6 times now and as always pretty good. my only complaints are the pool bathrooms smell realy bad. now i have went into some nasty bathrooms before but the smell was almost unbarable.the bathrooms were clean but really need some air flow in them,problem solved.A/c did sound like a freight train but called the front desk and when we came back was better.we are from northern alberta so a warm room didnt bother us we turned it off and opened the door at night. all good. t [... read more]ime share people got annoying after awhile but whatever.so other then that hotel was great always lots of food didnt starve thats for sure. food was good.hotel room was clean. now martine with trip central tottaly awsome probably the best agent i have ever delt with. i highly recomend her very helpfull. did not try to over sell us but sent us all posible deals she had. well thats it.

Riu Palace Riviera Maya: Amazing Resort

One of the nicest properties I have ever stayed at. It has the most amazing architecture, manicured grounds and beach front. The staff are very good and the location (PlayaCar) is a great jumpoff spot to many activity areas including the town of Playa Del Carmen.

Park Royal Beach Huatulco: Waves, Birds and...Cumbia !

Interesting layout. The "terrace-floor" concept ( a trolley works as an elevator, taking people up and down from one level to the other) is definitively ingenious, but it is also a bit tedious. The personnel is very friendly, polite, the hotel is extremely clean and the food is adequate. The only problem I found was the music on the beach (the management concept of "entertainment" ) which was playing INCESSANTLY , loud and VERY tiring. The "music" of the ocean, of the birds, of the nature was k [... read more]illed by this permanent sound track "offered" by the hotel . Too bad as the view of the ocean is magnificent.

Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Cancun: Amazing Resort if you have kids

The best resort I have ever experienced. Food was amazing, the rooms were nice, and the service was great. They have a great kids club, which has various activities for kids that are 4 or older. If your child is under 4 you have to stay at the kids club with them or pay $20 a hour for babysitting.

Barcelo Huatulco: Amazing place

This place is a hidden secret. Staff very friendly from housekeeping to reception and everyone in between. Rooms alway clean and bar fridge always full. Beach very clean (no seaweed ) . Went to buffet and restaurants both had very good choices and tasty food.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Great Resort!

We came to this resort with a group of 13. 6 adults and 7 kids! We really enjoyed this resort. The staff was helpful, our room was simple and clean and we were never bored! The grounds were beautiful!

Paradisus Cancun: Wonderful family resort

We loved staying at the paradisus, the views were gorgeous, it was the nicest resort we have ever stayed at. Our kids thoroughly enjoyed their activities and all the food was delicious. There was plenty of entertainment, the grounds were all very clean and well kept, we had a wonderful family vacation and the kids never said they were bored once. The staff went above and beyond during our stay, always friendly and eager to help.

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Loved this resort!

This resort is geared to accomodate a mature crowd by making them feel relaxed and comfortable. Anyone seeking to enjoy great food/drinks, entertained and pampered with 24/7 service should stay here. My only issue was the suite washrooms were a bit under developed for such a nice resott.

Riu Palace Mexico: Wonderful resort - repeat guests

We have been here before and will be back again. There was absolutely nothing that we would criticize. One day while we had our afternoon coffee in the lobby Cafe, departing guests came to embrace the employee who runs the Cafe - they were just like family. Waiters in the specialty restaurants exchanged names with their guests and talked about seeing them again "next time". My husband and I are seniors who travel quite a bit and who enjoy quality service, and this was it. Other reviewers wi [... read more]ll tell you about the great beach, the friendly activity staff and the waiters at the beach who served drinks non-stop.

Grand Palladium Select White Sand: Very nice big resort.

Nice design,very clean,well maintained and quiet place.People very friendly and helpful around.Can book some trips around,Air Transat guides friendly and competent.Local personel very good.We really like the food,especially the superfresh fruits dayly served.

Secrets Huatulco: Secrets Resort - Huatulco, Mexico

This hotel was beautiful! The scenery was breathtaking with an ocean view; excellent landscaping and colourful decor. The restaurants served first class meals right down to the Market Cafe which was buffet style. The bartenders were attentive and friendly and served name brand liquors including "grey goose" vodka for a delicious martini!! The weather was perfect for the duration of our one week stay...very sunny and hot!! We would return to this location for sure...