Occidental Nuevo Vallarta: Better than anticipated

We enjoyed the fact that this is not a huge resort but one that is smaller and the staff recognizes you and call you by name. All staff went out of their way to assist you. A friendly hello by name a handshake and even carrying your dinner plate to the table for you. The food was delicious and varied each day and a theme night at supper. We celebrated our 30th anniversary at the Italian restaurant and were treated to an amazing meal with a bottle of champagne and fancy desert. The grounds were b [... read more]eautiful and always being maintained. A heated swimming pool was also a nice touch. We chose an ocean view room that was well worth the money. The sun set right outside our window with extraordinary views. The room was big and comfortable and the air conditioning was always cool. Water pressure in the shower was strong and water always hot. There was always outdoor music but not so loud that you could not enjoy yourself if you just wanted to sit and relax. The maids kept things in spotless condition and there was a turn down service at night with chocolates and towels being replaced as well. Drinks were of very good quality. The beach was amazing, soft sand, no debris and very wide. Will return for sure

Crown Paradise Club Cancun: Great vacation

Food was fantastic, drinks were cold, sun was warm:) Staff were mostly helpful and accommodating. Tower 2 (adults only) was definitely nicer and better maintained than tower 1. Pools were lovely, entertainment could have been better located. (Hot, stuffy and crowded room indoors). Elevator in tower 1 (middle one) was super sketchy....first day we hit "lobby" and the doors opened to a cinder block wall with spray paint on it. Scared the pants off my 9 year old daughter. But we were lucky because  [... read more]the next day other guests got stuck in it for 15 minutes. The other two worked marginally better (stopped at EVERY floor on the way down and up). Overall, we would definitely return. Loved the area and the weather:)

Bel Air Collection Xpu-Ha Riviera Maya: Quiet resort

Not a lot to choose from. Two restaurants, one side was breakfast and the other side was dinner. If it got busy they opened up both sides. Only one lobby bar and one pool bar. Staff very friendly. Great for people looking to just relax.

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Tips & Tricks for a great week

“Tips & tricks for a great week” 4 of 5 stars Pending review This is the longest review I have ever written but there is a lot to say about this resort. Let me start by saying I have never stayed at a large all inclusive and this place, part of a collection of resorts, seemed HUGE to me. (It's big enough that trams run continually to transport the guests.) This was a girls trip & my companions were also put off - we thought we'd made a mistake in booking here. However, as the week progressed [... read more], it really grew on us & by the end we were a little sad to say good bye. So here's the major points...we booked with Air Transat and decided to take the included transfer to the resort. Because of the size of the property, the bus ride was direct both ways so no need to book private transfer to save time. We read in the reviews before we left that we needed to book restaurant reservations immediately upon arrival - the resort does not allow advance booking. Well, we didn't realize that immediately meant IMMEDIATELY so we didn't book until after dinner the night we arrived. Almost everything was booked or had very late dining times, like 9:30 pm. We were not happy. One of the reasons we chose the resort was the restaurant options but we took what we could get at that point. Fortunately, the first morning we ran into a lovely Irish couple who told us they had taken to just showing up and asking nicely to be seated. We decided 'what's the worse that can happen?' It worked! We were almost turned away at one, when we were very late for our actual reservation, but we could see available tables so we told them we would wait for a while. I think they could see we were determined so sat us quite quickly. The key to all this is to be polite. Staying at the Akumal gives you access to the restaurants at all the sister properties. We had spectacular meals at Alux, Arlequin, Maiko & Rodizio. Rodizio was a sleeper hit for us - we didn't expect it to be so good! None of us really enjoyed Pescador, which was a casual pick. We had buffet a couple times because we were off the resort a couple days and the buffet is good. Nothing compared to the higher a la cartes, but good. We had most breakfasts & lunch at Los Corales on the beach, which was also right beside our building. The weak point overall is the house wines. We are far from sommeliers but found only a couple of the reds were decent table wines - the white house offerings, a sauv blanc & Chardonnay were both barely drinkable. I would guess the reason is because the resort is trying to upsell to the wine list, which isn't a great for a resort of this level - the house wine should be okay. Where the wine failed, the amazing staff shone. We had outstanding service from all but standouts were Jorge at Arlequin, Gerardo at Rodizio, Hermelindo & Alejandro at Los Corales & Miguel at the Beach Bar Hut. Make sure you have pesos - you'll want to tip these guys. Onto the rooms...our room was fine. A little on the small side but clean and the bathroom was huge. We had 2 double beds and a daybed, which we used becasue the beds were true doubles. We lucked out and got building 83, right beside the infinity pool, a breakfast/lunch buffet & the beach. We are all major beach people so it was great to be so close. The beach itself is nice and well maintained but it's not much of a swimming beach. There are big booms, I believe to prevent erosion, that stop the waves from crashing into the shore and create calm, shallow wading spaces. We walked all the way down to the furthest resort and it was similar all along. The resort gives you a towel card to redeem for a beach towel. You can only do this at one pool, which is just silly. At the end of the week you have to return the towel cards. An aside, the whole thing is actually silly. Why not have towels available at all pools and then you could drop them off each evening and not have to deal trying to find somewhere in the room to hang big, wet beach towels? A couple last things...very few mosquitos. We all got a couple bites but we also didn't wear repellant. It was very cool at night even though it was warm during the day. None of us brought enough sweaters, wraps, etc, so you should pack them. We went to the disco on the property a couple times - it was quite busy and fun. The resort is really close to Tulum. If you want to save some money, you can grab a Collectivo, a local minivan, for 30 pesos right outside the gates of the resort. We also did a full day excursion with Edventure. I booked it via email after we were already there & it was a great day. Overall, we had a great time & we might even go back.

Riu Emerald Bay: Relaxing family retreat

Very well kept, great buffet with lots of food and great features every night, pools were clean with plenty of room to swim or lounge, kid pool was a bonus! Beach was huge and beautiful, drinks were fantastic... premium liquors at every bar. Great security always felt safe!

Bahia Principe Escape Sian Ka'an: Amazing Resort

Room, service and food A+. Buffet restaurant was fabulous, really no reason to go to specialty restaurants. Evening shows and bands were great and In the two weeks there didn't get duplicates. Shuttle buses to other area resorts with quick and easy.

Grand Oasis Cancun: Some good and some not-so-good

I had a great time on my vacation. The food was great, and the entertainment was really good. The beach was awesome, and the vendors that are always around weren't pushy. The Steakhouse was fabulous, and worth the long wait to get in. The drinks were yummy too :) However, the front desk staff and housekeeping are terrible. It took us almost 2 hours to check in. The housekeeping staff didn't receive a single tip from us all week, because the room was never actually cleaned...just beds made and s [... read more]ometimes we got new towels, and other times we had none at all. As far as recommending the resort to others...I would recommend it for groups of friends who just want to party...it is a lot of fun there. But bring your own beach towel.

Azul Ixtapa Grand Resort: great a la cartes

nice clean rooms, clean well kept grounds , repetitive entertainment at night not enough pool games /activities , staff amazing ,not much of a beach but great public beaches on either side to choose , great a la cartes buffet ok

Sunscape Dorado Pacifico: A Terrific Vacation

I would like to start this review with a special thanks to Mernie Shields from Trip Central. She went above and beyond to find us this wonderful vacation. Ixtapa is the best place that we have been in Mexico. It is small, quaint and the beaches and mountains are spectacular. Sunscape Dorado was beautiful and clean and the staff couldn't have been nicer. Our room was spacious and clean and had an unbelievable view from the balcony. Breakfast and lunch was consistently good but dinner was a bit hi [... read more]t and miss. We went into town for two dinners and that was delicious. Overall. The resort was very good value and we would certainly go again.

Secrets Aura Cozumel: Good Resort

Ground are amazing and maintained well, Room design is excellent, but still under renovation in presents of guests ; Restaurants are good, but buffet facility required to have better management and services, including meals variety; Staff extremely friendly; Entertainment Program developments required.

Riu Cancun: Great Place to take a vacation

The hotel and grounds were top notch. Everyday the place was cleaned top to bottom. Food was plenty, fresh good and lots of options. Service was excellent from the bar to the dining areas to the maid service.

Dreams Tulum Resort and Spa: Very good time

The hotel is very nice and the food was very good. It is very low key and good for families. I was a little concerned about the beach because of what I read about the seaweed but we did not have any problems. It was very nice. The staff was great - very respectful, helpful and pleasant. The only negatives I had was that the shower was never hot (luke warm at best); the pools were really cold, and we felt a lot pressure to join the "Hotel chain club". We really never had to wait for dinner (no re [... read more]servations) but the hotel was not crowded; but they are not very big so I would think in high season, it will definitely be a different story. Overall, we had a great time.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Great resort!

This is a huge resort! Very nice. Grounds well kept, pools are nice. We were in bldg 15 close to a pool but a lot of walking to everywhere else. Just be prepared to walk or waiting time for the tram. We did golden and can't say that the extra was worth it. We did have the robes and slippers, fridge filled were all nice but I think u get fridge replenished wherever u r. The private lobby, u still had to wait in that line and I would have to walk over there specifically to use the computer or bar  [... read more]when I had a bar closer to me at pool. Coba beach is nice, lots of fun waves! All in all, great vacation!!

Bel Air Collection Xpu-Ha Riviera Maya: Great Resort for Families

Great resort, the only two complaints I have was that the animals are noisy in the mornings and there was no sandy beaches on site. They shuttled you off to a local beach every 20 mins. The staff were very nice and attentive.

Riu Playacar: great resort

Very nice resort beautiful beach grounds are well maintained staff very cooperative the food was very good not too impressed with the steak house restaurant stakes weren't that great nightly entertainment and beach activities were excellent the one negative point about the restaurant was the vendors on the beach consistently day in and day out every hour of the day there were vendors on the beach walking right up to you asking if you wanted to buy silver sunglasses hats etc

Grand Decameron Complex Bucerias Trademark: Pleasant stay at this well kept and managed resort

A very clean resort through and through. Food was good, far from spectacular but a fair amount of variety. Good staff and accomodations. The beach is quite good with a fair amount of palapas and nice sand. The close proximity to the town of Bucerias means walking off resort widens your experience. My only complaint was the cold pools - they were too cold to enjoy. The ocean was warmer. I understand that the pools will be hot in the summer but why not use some solar heating in the winter?

Azul Ixtapa Grand Resort: Outstanding Resort, Superb Service

I came to this resort with 8 girlfriends - the entire hotel is immaculate from the main floor, throughout the pool area and the rooms - the staff are right on top of taking care of the entire resort. All the restaurants are different with their own unique ambiance and all the staff do everything they can to make each restaurant a thoroughly enjoyable dining experience - including breakfasting out at the boardwalk with a spectacular view of Ixtapa Island. The entire staff are ready to meet the re [... read more]quests and needs of each hotel guest - this outstanding attitude towards service seems to trickle down from the Hotel Manager, Front Desk Manager, room service, pool service and all dining services provided in restaurants and main dining areas. I am a returning guest, would definitely recommend this resort to all and look forward to returning in the future.

El Cid Granada: El cid granada

WE HAD a great vacation tks to everyone hope to be back next year. Everyone was really great,service and housekeeping ty.We had a relaxing vacation.the activities at the pool were great,the music was not to loud just perfect

Fiesta Americana Riviera Nayarit: Dreams Villamagna is a great resort.

The hotel was wonderful. There was 3 pools to choose from and a hot tube, plenty of restaurants to choose from, daily activities printed out and left in our room, all the amenities you could dream of were there, the hotel rooms where spacious and clean, and all the staff members were very hospitable.

Riu Santa Fe: A great week at Riu Sante Fe

This resort provides great value. The place is huge so there are lots of different areas to go to depending if you want quiet or lively. Nice to be able to take the bus to the marina without any worry. Will go back for sure.