Riu Dunamar: Loved the hotel. Perfect, very clean and the staff and food were amazing..

The hotel is perfect. The grounds are fabulous and very well taken care of. The food was amazing. The hotel was super clean and the staff go out of there way to cater to you. Would definitely go back.

Platinum Yucatan Princess: Amazing Vacation

We had a great time. The rooms were great everything was close by for us. The service was great had no issues with slow service. The only negative was the beach, but its that time of year and the beach was okay at the sister resort that you can go to. I was able to find something good to eat and that I liked everyday. Swim up room by the main pool was fun. Me and my husband had one on the premium side, if your not into the party or loud music book in premium side. Our friends had a swim out o [... read more]n the other side, which was a good change for us. If you are prone to getting bad bug bites wear bug repellent. The two of us had gotten bad bites, when no one in group of nine had any, but we had both had this once before years ago. I went to three different resort since October, but this is the first one were I got bug bites on the bottom of the legs. Over all it was great time.

Barcelo Maya Riviera: Barcelona Riviera

Beautiful hotel very clean with nice grounds. Food was good. Limited availability for a la carte restaurants. Not enough loungers people were reserving very early in the morning (5:30 am). Staff very friendly and helpful.

Sunscape Puerto Vallarta: Wonderful resort

We really enjoyed our week at the sunscape with our grandaughter beautiful pool lovely grounds great a La cartes wonderful staff here’s a few I remember Omar and Richardo at the swim up bar made my grandaughter awesome virgin mudslides and many other drinks Ivan at the Italian restaurant was amazing Gladis ,veriniece, and Catalina and the omelette girl who spoke wonderful English I forgot her name were all amazing and of course our wonderful lady Cinthia who did an amazing job in our room e [... read more]veryday thank you to all of u hard working people . That being said I do have a bone to pick with the hotel policy of not giving u access to the food or drinks before 1:30 in the afternoon I find that extremely disappointing when u arrive early to the hotel u have to sit around and wait till 1:30 to get a bracelet so u can get something to eat or drink that’s ridiculous I’ve been to many countries on vacation and have never experienced that before I understand waiting for ur room till 3:00 but come on not the food and drink issue hopefully they change that I seen many people walking around fully clothed in that heat waiting until 130 for a drink I felt bad for them anyways I would recommend going if u arrive at the hotel after 1:30 or else I would never go back there so many other wonderful resorts to discover hope this helps anyone wanting to go here nice to be fore warned great if u are going with small kids otherwise do adults only resorts lots of kids here

Catalonia Grand Costa Mujeres: Best all inclusive I have been to

I have been to the RIU in Bahamas and Aruba, the Catalonia surpasses them both. The food is superior, the service is friendly, courteous, and excellent. The cleanliness of the grounds, your room, your balcony is by far the best I have experience at any resort. This is our second time we have stayed at the Catalonia.

Secrets Moxche Playa del Carmen: Do not sleep on Secrets Moxche!

This resort was the best my husband and I have been to, and first time in Mexico! Every single staff were helpful, friendly and approachable. 7 pools, 9 restaurants, endless margs! Here are some specific notes... Beach: There is one yes, its not to wide but plenty of seating. Seaweed did accumulate but they cleaned up every morning. Honestly, we did not go to the beach except to see the ocean the day we got there and the day we left. Pools: As I mentioned, 7 pools! We did prefer the Sug [... read more]ar reef pool, as it was next to the busy activity pool so you heard the music but there was less activity. Good to relax, or bob around with a drink :) There are 3 cenotes, we did not take a dip in however, very cool and would try if we make it back! The lagoon pool (real sand at this pool) was crazy, and I loved it! With the sand at a pool, this is why we didn't feel the need to visit the beach. They made one for you! All pool concierge and bartenders were amazing. Shout out to Angel at the sugar reef pool! They all work SO SO hard! I will note, like all all inclusive resorts, reserving chairs is still a thing here. The pool rules note you cannot reserve with personal belongings but everyone does, and unless there is a body in the chair - its kind of fair game. I hate the game but you do what you gotta. Food: I cannot say enough! I was concerned with no dinner buffet but every meal I had was great, My husband chose a few that were lack luster but I am sure if we spoke up he could order something else without question. The quality is higher than I have had here in Halifax! Transportation: We opted to use a 3rd party transport as the resort is 45-60 mins away and we are glad we did - it was well worth the added cost. Resort theme nights: We arrived Tuesday evening, this is "Roads through Mexico" night. We did not realize how large it would be and ate prior but take my advice - do not eat before attending. So many amazing vendors and food setups we were too full to enjoy. Friday they hosted "Asado" a beach bbq at Sea Soul restaurant. This, unfortunately, was the largest disappointment of the trip. We arrived at 7:15, about 20 people ahead of us and we were told the restaurant was full. Additionally, we were told we could wait inside but not shown where, or if someone would some get us if a table was available and to make that worse - we could not take the food to eat elsewhere. This was a busy night as an hour after this dinner started, there is a fire show in front of the restaurant (amazing). I do not blame the staff for how this is executed but the management needs to alter this set up. As I mentioned we were early and I cant imagine over 100 people behind us not even getting any dinner here that night. To add - the BBQ was the least interesting meal. The entertainment that night thought were phenomenal! Accommodations: We were in the preferred king swim out tropical view - I will make it my goal to always have a private swim out pool now, haha. This swim OUT not swim UP was key - we could cool off after the main pool (it was chillier but needed in 30+C temps). The bed and pillows were a bit too firm for my liking but the pool chairs at sugar reef (thick padding) made up for it :) I will note the bathroom could stand to change a few things. The bathroom door was VERY heavy and glass. Semi worried it would smash without slowly letting it shut on itself. We had to do this ad the handle was a very small knob without a grip. I would suggest in the nest upgrades they swap to handles like the shower where its rounded metal. Only other odd thing was, I believe the toilet paper was scented? It was very very strong and I thought the room had a fragrance pumping in but thats how strong it was I finally realized too late but this is obviously not great for womens bodies. We had to get room service several times and every time superb! Late night shows + speakeasy: The shows were outstanding! There was always singing and a type of acrobatics. My favourite was the quirky show :) The speakeasy in the pharmacy was so so so cool! After the show, you head to the speakeasy tucked behind the pharmacy ;) Such a fun night of singing and dancing! We truly cannot wait to return - we may possibly try another Secrets resort but this one will be very hard to beat!

Secrets Moxche Playa del Carmen: Secrets Moxche Playa del Carmen

The hotel is beautiful and the staff are extremely professional, friendly, and fun. From every perspective other than the food, I had a wonderful time. However, I'm not sure I would return to this resort. I have celiac disease. While the resort 'claims' to be allergy friendly, I did not have a great food experience. I tried to engage staff to ask questions, and for the most part it was embarrassing for me to constantly be the 'problem child' of our family. They didn't make it easy to get goo [... read more]d food. An allergy friendly resort is one that says: I've got you and I'm going to help you so that you don't have to make a fuss, and so you don't have to wander around trying to find someone to help you. That did not happen here. I have pictures of everything including the menus to back up this review. 1) Except for the dessert and bread station, the buffet is not clearly marked as to what is and what is not gluten free. It was very difficult to find help on the floor. 2) The daytime beach food venue did not have clearly safe gf options. There were pretzels and breadsticks spread all over the cheese and meat trays, and the soup had noodles. At the other all I could have was 'fish of the day' which is a giant, tasteless fish with a face -no sauces, no veggies, nothing. It was not good. 3) For the restaurants, their menu typically only one appetizer (usually a tartare or ceviche - and who wants to eat raw meat while travelling?), one main course, and one dessert item that was labelled as gf. When I asked the waiters if there were other options that I could have, they at first said no and redirected me to the menu, which was sparse. Menu items that should been easy to make gf weren't offered: e.g., Most of the meat dishes and salads (e.g., grilled lettuce) at Ember are not labelled as gf, Caprese Salad at Allora is not gf and there is only one gf pasta and sauce option, most of the sushi was not gf at the Japanese restaurant (even the veggie rolls were not gf), and most of the Thai Food was not gf at Bamboo (even though most Thai food is usually gf elsewhere). Almost all of these things can easily be made gf - you just need a clean pan, a gf soya sauce, and oil & vinegar to offer as a salad dressing alternative. 4) When I finally got fed up with the limited options (because I have never had such a hard time getting food at an expensive resort and we chose this resort bc of their allergy friendly claims), an allergist showed up. Her first approach was to try to convince me to chose the 1 appie, 1 main dish, and 1 dessert option at each restaurant. When I told her that wasn't good enough because I wanted an option that didn't involve a raw tartare appie, she finally said she would talk to the kitchen about which meats and salads could be made safely. Things seemed to get easier after that, but I shouldn't have had to get upset to get help and get good food. It's an expensive resort and it's really not hard to provide gf options. After making a fuss, at Ember, they agreed they could provide me with a chicken dinner and some vegetables. To their credit, when I finally got food, I didn't get sick and it was good food. It's just not a pleasant experience to have to advocate for yourself so hard to make it happen. It was embarrassing for me and my family. It's just not the way I want to spend my vacation. Note: I've been to three other resorts in Mexico that were wonderful and took care of me.

Krystal Grand Nuevo Vallarta: Krystal Grand NV

This was a great 4* resort! We travelled with 4 generations between ages of 4-85 and all of us had a great experience! Pros- good food, lots of fresh options. Comfortable rooms, beautiful beach, fun activities and nice pools. Cons- advertised yoga was only an amateur stretching and Teppanyaki restaurant was only an Asian restaurant. A la carte restaurants were almost impossible to reserve. Air conditioning was sporadic in our rooms. Overall, recommend this resort!

Blue Diamond Luxury Boutique Hotel: Beautiful, quiet gem of a resort

In all of our years visiting resorts in the Mayan Riviera, this is hands-down our favourite. Is it showing it's age a bit - yes. BUT...we found absolutely nothing to complain about. The grounds are spectacular, our patio junior suite was perfect. The plunge pool was cleaned and filled every day and it was extremely private. The hotel staff was super friendly, courteous and helpful. And...i don't know where they stole their chef from - but the food was INCREDIBLE. We couldn't be happier w [... read more]ith the Blue Diamond luxury boutique and we're already looking forward to a return trip.

Iberostar Waves Paraiso Beach: Too unorganized and too many changes

We have been 7 times to iberostar parisio beach, but due to the changes in restaurant booking procedures, pushy concierge to attend members recruitment, decrease in amenities, poorer entertainment theatre programs and overall lack of organization this time, we will not be returning.

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Reasonable

Food: excellent. Buffets have a lot of variation. You won't starve, A la carte.. Really good. You do have to go online to pre-book restaurants. Get the app, pre check in, pre book restaurants... And then day of leaving, pre check out. Pretty painless Room was clean, but very musty smelling 7516. They were made aware, but did nothing. Definitely need water shoes. There's lots of rock/Coral.. Especially adult section. They did their very best cleaning the sargassum. The big beach is busy [... read more], water is shallow, so good for little kids. Pools were clean. Not freezing cold. Really big resort. If you don't care about the beach and are a pool person, you'll love it.

Krystal Ixtapa: Lovely

Room service was above average. The buffet foods were good. The Stone Soup was amazing! It was really great that there were enough chairs on the beach, although lounges would have been a welcome addition to the hard wooden Adirondack chairs. The A/C unit in our room needed cleaning; we could smell the mould.

Plaza Pelicanos Club: Peaceful resort

Resort was nice and quiet. Rooms were clean although we did find a couple bugs and they can use a little upgrading but other than that it was comfortable. The staff were friendly and helpful. I like how we had the option of using two different pools in two different locations. Made for a nice change of scenery every day. Most bars except one closed at 11PM and didn't open until 11AM the following day. I thought this was a bit weird as we couldn't get drinks before 11AM. All in all we had a [... read more] great stay.

Barcelo Maya Riviera: Beautiful resort, but beaches are weird

Everything about the hotel is perfect! The service, the room, the cleaning, the food! The only comment I have about this resort is the beaches. I understand the seaweed situation is out of the resort's control, but the rest is manageable. On the first day we came, we went for a swim in the ocean and my husband stubbed his toe really badly on a random rock. We found many dips in the water where there was just rocks. I stubbed my toe, but not as badly as my husband (his toe was purple for 5 days [... read more]). I feel like it's either lacking sand, or rock removal is necessary. But adding sand would make it more shallow than it already is... so you can't snorkel unless you go really far out (close to the ropes).

Riu Palace Las Americas: Best Service I Ever Had: but won't return

We had a really nice week at this resort. Service and Food was 10/10. The resort is extremely well-staffed and very very clean!!!!! Our housekeeping service was exceptional as well. Why I won't go back: 1) Concrete-Jungle. Just not my cup of tea. Missed all of the beautiful vegetation and local critters that you see in places like the Dominican. 2) Insufficient Air Conditioning: We literally slept in wet/damp sheets and wet pillows for the week. I cannot do this again.

Catalonia Grand Costa Mujeres: Beautiful Resort

We just came back from spending a week at the Catalonia in Costa Mujeres. Overall, our stay was great, super relaxing. The property is beautiful and well taken care of. The resort is a beautiful blend of modern architecture and lush landscape. We did book the privileged suite which gave us a couple of parks the first being you’re on the top floor with a very large balcony, including a shower and tons of seating. The shower is huge with double showerheads at each end of it. The room was spacio [... read more]us and clean and well stocked every day. With booking the privileged suite you get access to the beloved restaurant that is only for those guests. The there was good. The menus are not huge, but there are always options to pick from. The rest of the à la carte restaurants in the resort or good I wouldn’t say fantastic. The Teppanyki table was our favourite dinner we had at the resort. The buffet was always good with quite a bit of variety. We ate all of our breakfast there and our lunches there as there were just more options for me. My biggest complaint of the entire trip would be the lack of gluten-free options that were either not clearly marked or nonexistent, especially when it came to desserts not a single pastry cookie or any sweet was available gluten-free. The only desserts were ice cream and sorbet’s and at the Beloved restaurant, I was able to get a delicious Crème brûlée. They did have a gluten-free bread available that was actually quite good but things definitely need to be better marked. If you are full celiac, I feel like you would have difficulties. That being said, I didn’t starve. But I have had better options at other all inclusives. The pools are some of the cleanest I have seen at an all-inclusive resort. I usually never swim in them, but went in several times, the beach is more of our thing. The beach is beautiful, white sand, and not too much seaweed, and it kept pretty clean by the machine that comes by. As far as the water goes, it was a little rough for my liking but it was beautiful and you could walk forever in either direction as the beach is long. We enjoyed the beach more on our excursion to Isla Mujeres. Getting chairs on the beach was not too difficult, but we did have a privileged area with our booking that is roped off. I keep in mind the resort was not at full capacity. I feel like it would be more difficult if the resort was fully booked. The pool area was definitely busier and most loungers were taken up early in the morning. There’s lots of bar options down at the beach plus they serve drinks right to your lounger as well, which is always great. Check in and check out was probably one of the quickest and smoothest we’ve ever experienced at an all inclusive resort. And final note would be the staff, they work super hard and we’re extremely kind in all aspects. Always going the extra mile for anything you ask for. Although tipping is never required we always do at all inclusives. These people work extremely hard long days and the tips are very much appreciated.

Platinum Yucatan Princess: PRETTY GOOD

This resort is beautifull. The property was clean and well kept. The staff was very helpfull and language barrier was not a big problem. Enrique from the bellboy staff was especially helpfull with all my small enquiries and he always met us with a big smile. The beach was okay with lots of rock on the adults only side but was much better on the family side. Crews worked tirelessly to keep the beach free of seaweed. Kudos to them. The food was very good. No complaints there. My only complaint wou [... read more]ld be the layout. The party pool was at the opposite end of the property from the beach. This resort was very quiet. So if you are looking for a quiet and relaxing vacation, this would fit the bill.

Ocean Riviera Paradise: The good and the bad

First the bad, the beach is just awful for swimming, not at all for children, large rocks everywhere, my 7 year old grandchild cut her foot, easy to stub toes too. We asked for a wake up call on 2 different occasions, the first time they called twenty minutes late the second time they did not call at all. Now the good, I thought the food was excellent at every restaurant we went to, the buffet could get crowded in the morning but it had so many choices of really tasty food. The a la carte rest [... read more]aurants were all very good my favourite was the privilege. The pools were fun. The staff friendly and helpful. All and all a nice place to have a holiday unless you are strictly a beach person.

Akumal Bay Beach and Spa Resort: Hidden Gem

This resort is the right size for us, it isn't filled with wild parties or loud music. It was busy but we never waited for food or drink. The staff are amazing ! We had room 1002 which I think was the best view at the hotel...we lucked out...Building One is the Best. It was a very windy week with lots of seaweed but that did not put a damper on our holiday. Our room was clean and if we had an issue or request it was looked after. This resort could be an "Adults Only". I do wish there was some mo [... read more]re activity..eg: Bingo in the Lobby Bar or Corn Hole ,etc....my husband does not like to just lay around and always joins in the activities at the other resorts we have stayed at...my daughter did do the painting class and we listened to the music in the lobby bar each evening. We loved the restaurants which was a nice change from the Buffet. We were right at the beach close to the bar and the infinity pool so we had all we needed in our little corner.

Occidental Tucancun: Clean Place

Enjoyed our week. Rooms were very clean. Hotel very clean. Staff very friendly. Entertainment was ok. Not very exciting. The lobby music entertainment was the same every night. Same music. Didn't start until 10:15-10:25 and ended at 11:00pm. There was nothing else to do so went up to our room. Only 3 a la cartes. Mexican (didn't like), Seafood (they had a chicken dish for those who didn't eat seafood/fish) and Italian which was by far the best. Had to line up at 7:00am to book your a  [... read more]l carte. We managed eat at one every night. Buffet was ok. Not an assortment of food, but could find something to eat every day. Preferred the Seafood restaurant for breakfast and lunch as it was close to the pool. Adult pool area was nice. Always found a lounge. Didn't have to wake up at the crack of dawn to reserve one. Didn't go to the family/party pool. Ocean was very rocky. Red flag every day so didn't go in the water. Very little seaweed. Beach clean. No one bothers you on the beach. Didn't venture out of the hotel as we got there late at night. Had I'd known there was a mall across the street, I would have ventured out!