Occidental at Xcaret Destination: absolutely beautiful I would definitely stay again

everything was good about this hotel lots to do service was great, big place but there was a bus to take you down to the beach very friendly place I would definitely go back the timeshare people were not too bad they do not bother you too much

Occidental Nuevo Vallarta: relaxing getaway resort

Generally good, right size (relatively small) with beautiful well kept grounds. Beach is long, great for walking, not so good for swimming, water was murky for the entire week we were there. Nightly entertainment varies in quality with not much available after 10:00pm. Room was good but lacks a balcony, mini bar is restocked daily with water, soft drinks and beer. Food was good in buffet and very good in a'la carte restaurants. All staff members encountered were friendly and helpful even the vac [... read more]ation club promoters who were always around. Lots of loungers available at both pool and beach but the best locations are gone early. Yes, the early risers do reserve their spots by 0800 but you can always find space later in the day. There is a reserved area on the beach for club members and they do get butler service, the rest fetch their own drinks from the nearby bar. Overall this is a lovely place for a quiet, restful getaway for families with young children and the more mature crowd not recommended for the party crowd.

Grand Riviera Princess: Spectatular Vacation ( A Must Go)

The resort was absolutely Beautiful, warm welcome upon arrival with drinks available and fast easy check out on departure, immaculate well kept property, Very Safe, food was excellent, plenty and lots ( except breakfeast bacon), drinks were very good, servers were very up beat and friendly. Ala carte's were very good as well, rooms were very modern, includes hot tub, clean and spacious. All our accommodations were exactly as requested. Resort is huge with lots of walking and to ocean (good to lo [... read more]ose a few pounds), Chill Out Bar at ocean front, waste of $13 / person. Chairs at ocean are free and same view. Staff were very nice and cheerful, had a GREAT time and were close to pools. Shuttle to Playa Del Carmen available for $4 / person, great deal. Trip to and from airport were very easy and aprox. 45 min. Would recommend this resort and come back as several people on resort were returning vacationers. Great vacation and memories, all was more than we expected. Would recommend to friends / family for future vacations.

Royal Solaris: Overall, a great vacation

The hotel has definitely recovered from being hit by the hurricane back in the fall. Grounds are spotless and lush. A few of the rooms have been updated/made more modern... hopefully all the rooms will get to that standard. Be aware of which view you get when booking... we had booked garden view and got an awful construction view with the tiniest balcony known to man. We did speak to the front desk immediately and they gave us a great location for our stay. This is a timeshare hotel, so they wil [... read more]l try and get you to commit to a short presentation but they aren't overly pushy. You also will notice the members vs non members. They do special breakfasts and dinners that are for members only so they tend to broadcast what you think you're missing out on. Entertainment staff was amazing!!!!! Every single one of them - great energy though the day with activities and games. Evening entertainment was also great. Won't be disappointed with that. Great feature about the resort is the 'whale bell'. At the beach bar there is a bell that gets rung when a whale is spotted out in the water. The bell want off regularly each day and it was a great sight to enjoy. The food was a 4/5. Breakfast each day was exceptional. Lucy at the Olmert station is an absolute star. The 2 a la cart restaurants were nice. Didn't like how the Italian restaurant became a French menu randomly during the week, but the first time we ate at the Italian joint was a 10/10! Food staff, atmosphere... best meal of the trip! Over all, it was better than we expected and we enjoyed ourselves.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Nice resort, but it was better in past years

This is our 4th year at Bahia Coba. It's a bit far from Cancun (and a long ride after and before a flight), but food and kids' club are amazing. Entertainment is geared towards an older audience, but okay. Better activities for parents at sister-resort Tulum. Coba beach was moved slightly towards Tulum and is not great (small, rough sand and lots of seaweed this year), but you can spend time either at the beaches of Tulum or Akumal. Overall okay, although it was nicer in 2012 and 2013. I would b [... read more]ook Tulum or Akumal next time just for the beaches and daytime activities by the pool.

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: This resort is amazing!

Beautiful resort! The staff were amazing, the food was plentiful and delicious. We liked the idea that we didn't need to reserve for any of the 5 a la carts restaurants. Clean rooms and grounds. Loved all the wild life wandering around. The only negative thing is that you are approached a few times by staff that want to sell timeshares.

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

WE INJOYED OUR STAY AT AZUL FIVES RESORT, FOOD WAS ADOVE AVERAGE FOR AN ALL INCLUSIVE, ROOMS WERE VERY CLEAN AND SPACIOUS (BUILDING 15 ONE BEDROOM SUITE)THE GROUNDS WERE BEAUTIFUL, THE BEACH WAS BEAUTIFUL AND THE STAFF WERE OUTSTANDING. JUST SOME TO NAME WERE DIAGO(BEACH BUTLER I THINK)JULIO AT THE THIA RESTURANT,AXEL AT THE FRT LOBBY WENT OUT OF THERE WAY TO MAKE OUR STAY COMFORTABLE. CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THEN IN PARTICULAR. THE RESORT IS QUITE SMALL BUT THAT I FOUND TO IT'S ADVANTAGE.

Barcelo Maya Caribe: Thanks Tripcentral for an amazing vacation :)

The Barcelo Maya Caribe in Riviera Maya was unbelievable. The moment we arrived we were overwhelmed - so chic and everyone so professional and helpful. Totally awesome, a shopping mall right off the lobby, 24hr sports bar with bowling lanes. This resort has everything for whatever age with an amazing beach you can walk from one end to the other. The buffets are all delicious, the al la cartes are totally worth it, the bars cater to whatever you desire. The pools, water slides, rock climbing wall [... read more], volleyball, basketball, tennis, etc. Nightly shows very entertaining and then a disco for the youngsters and the Jaguar for those of age. You must go and enjoy this resort, we are so looking forward to going back and can't thank Tripcentral enough, especially Karlol, for referring us to this wonderful place.

Crown Paradise Club: good value but has room for improvement

Overall great place for kids. The kids club was great and the food very good. We loved having unlimited à la carte meals. The service was good too. On the negative side, the pool heater broke down 3 days into our 2 week trip and they didn't get it fixed, the pool was freezing. The washrooms near the bars were dirty, and there were no video games for kids as advertised. Because they allow food outside the restaurants, the birds are out of control and there are people selling time shares inside t [... read more]he resort who are aggressive. Also, I have never seen a resort where beach vendors can come up onto hotel grounds. We were barely able to enjoy the beach.

Platinum Yucatan Princess: Amazing resort

Being a new resort it was impeccable. Ongoing cleaning. Grounds and decor were amazing. Very accommodating staff. All food incredible. Drinks great except house wines sucked. The beach was beautiful but inside the water a lot of rock and coral made it tough for swimming. Just had to walk down the beach a short distance for great swimming

Las Brisas Huatulco: Relaxing resort

This was our 5th stay in resort. We do like all layout. Grounds are well kept. Challenging aspect are stairs. They are a few. But you can always find a way to avoid stairs or use a "carts service" for free. Rooms are simple and and always clean. Food is good with enough choices. Also 5 alacarte restaurace available. Great ocean swimming and snorkeling. Good birding even on resort's grounds. Strongest asset of Las Brisas is staff. Very friendly, accommodating and always helpful.

Barcelo Huatulco: All round great resort!

We stayed one week from March10-17/2015 at the Barceló Beach Resort Huatulco. Have absolutely no complaints. Food was awesome...Beach fantastic...Weather out of this world. Only fault was we were in a room that was unrenevated and in obvious need of repair. We had no air conditioning for 2 days which made sleeping very uncomfortable. However the management was very accommodating and upgraded us to a newly renovated room with working air conditioner at no extra charge and because of this great s [... read more]ervice would be sure to return if we were given an upgraded room. The animation team we phenominal and keep our kids entertained. May just plan to return next winter!

Grand Decameron Los Cabos: Great Resort

The Resort was great. The staff was very friendly and always wanting to make you laugh and enjoy yourself. The pools were beautiful with plenty of pool chairs to sit in the sun or shade. Great entertainment during the day, and the shows in the evening were always different and entertaining.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Relaxing resort!

Coba was clean, friendly and easy to navigate around. Our room was spacious, clean and well stocked.The food was delicious and plentiful. A little disappointed that a couple a la cartes were closed.Sunrises were amazing! The beach was a let down due to all the washed up sea weed but we realize the resort was not at fault for this. The pools were clean and warm. We recommend this to anyone with children. Our 2 teenagers weren't interested in very many activities but enjoyed the family friendly at [... read more]mosphere. Although we felt very safe all throughout the resort our teenagers lost $20 each from their wallets. Their wallets were in their room in their luggage. So I would recommend using the safe in the room. Overall, we enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere, great food and beautiful sunshine.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: We didn't want to leave!

Traveled March 12-19 with another couple. This was my 1st trip to Mexico, 4th to the Caribbean. To say this resort met our expectations would be an understatement! To start, Alan Medina was in contact with my husband prior to our trip and booked all our a la carte reservations for us so that we didn't have to worry about it once we got there. He also got us rooms in the same building, with balconies. My husband and I had champagne and a plate of fruit waiting for us upon arrival, which was a nic [... read more]e & thoughtful touch. There's been a lot of talk in reviews about Timeshare "vultures", and our Sunwing rep even warned us but we weren't approached once by anyone so maybe they've changed this because of the negative reviews. The Guest Services staff did talk in our welcome meeting about the benefits of booking directly through Sandos, but this was a 2 minute bit and that was it. Resort: This is an absolutely beautiful resort. It's an eco resort, so there has been little clearing and you really feel like you're in the middle of the jungle. There are cenotes and Mayan Ruins on the property, as well as lots of wildlife and special features to look at. We did a lot of walking, but there are golf carts available to shuttle you to and from. Yes, this is a family friendly resort. We didn't really find this a problem, there didn't seem to be any more kids than we have normally found at an all-incusive over March Break. The only issue we had was there seemed to be a lot of kids in the main pool, and it often seemed like they had the run of the place with no supervision. Splashing, doing cannon balls right over your head, etc. This is more a parenting issue than a resort issue. There is a kids club & pool for your child, I shouldn't have to be worrying about other people's kids. Although to be honest, sometimes adults were more annoying (someone was spitting chewing tobacco into the pool one day- what is wrong with people?!). That being said, this isn't a "party" resort, but we weren't looking for that atmosphere anyway. There were people drinking and being social, but it certainly wasn't a "Spring Break" type of place. There are yoga classes offered every morning except Sundays at 8 am. Unfortunately I only made it to one class due to excursions and being the only one in my group interested- that being said it was hands down one of the best classes I've taken! It's Ashtanga/Flow style, but very doable as Juan Carlos is an excellent instructor who makes you feel comfortable (while challenging you at the same time). I would definitely recommend! Wifi is free, but is only available in public areas- Sports Bar, Theatre, Pool/Beach, Lobby. Mosquitos weren't an issue for me for the first half of the trip, second half I got lots of bites so make sure you bring bug spray! Room: We were in Building 44 which was a decent walk from the pool/beach. You can certainly get buildings closer to beach, but then you're a walk from food. I don't think you can lose out on rooms...we didn't bother upgrading to Adults Only as it seemed to be quite isolated from everything else and the furthest from the beach. We just didn't feel it was worth it! They don't have bottles of water (which is great), but instead a water cooler in each room. Bring a water bottle with you! If a hair dryer is a necessity, bring one. The one in the room was old and looked like a vacuum cleaner. Beach: Yes, the beach isn't as beautiful as other beaches in the area. I thought the note in other reviews about water shoes was an exaggeration, but if you want to enjoy the water you really do need them. We had some cut feet before we found a path out to a sandy area. There was lots of seaweed, but this was the case everywhere from what I heard/saw. Vendors do approach you but they're very friendly and we didn't feel pressured. We never had any issues finding chairs by the beach, even on the day we didn't make it down there until after lunch. The pool was a little tougher, but we were usually in the water anyway so just set our stuff on one chair. Food/Drinks: Since this was our first trip to Mexico, we were blown away by the food. There is one main buffet that is open for all three meals. Lots of options- I don't eat a lot of meat but always found lots. We also liked the Mexican for breakfast, and the Italian for lunch. These become a la cartes in the evening but have great selection for breakfast/lunch. The 24 hour sports bar wasn't anything fancy, but you could get burgers, hot dogs, nachos, fries, etc. Guacamole on everything. The a la cartes we visited were the Teppanyaki, Mediterranean & Brazilian. All were amazing butt the Teppanyaki was my favorite, mainly because of the experience. Drinks were standard all-inclusive: lots of sugary/slushy drinks but still good! Mojitos were fantastic, and often the little drink stand by the pool made delicious things not on the regular menu (rum punch, Oreo milkshakes with Baileys). Entertainment: Wow. Just..wow. This was the best entertainment we have seen in our four trips south. The Michael Jackson show was insane. The Mayan shows were so different from anything we've seen, and I loved that they had them in different locations around the resort (Mayan Ruins, beach, cenote). You have access to the Sandos Playacar as well. We went one day, because we were told the beach was amazing and had friends who had stayed there. It was a $40 return trip by taxi which was reasonable for two couples, and we weren't disappointed! The beach is gorgeous, but I found the Caracol grounds were much nicer, maybe just because they were different. I don't want to call these complaints, because they really didn't bother me that much but these are a few things we noticed during the week: It would be nice if there was a snack bar (even if it was small) on the beach. We really liked this about the Playacar. The disco doesn't open until 11, but often the shows only go until 9:15-9:30, so there was a large gap of time we had a hard time filling. Because of this we only made it to the disco one night. It would be nice to separate the main pool into family friendly/adults only...it's big enough that I don't think this would be an issue. This is the first resort we've visited where I didn't want to leave, and would go back in a heartbeat! If anyone has any questions feel free to message me!

Sandos Playacar Beach Resort: fantastic for family's with children!!

Returned from a week's stay at Sandos Playacar on March 18th. The food was fabulous. There was a wide assortment for every taste, including fresh baked breads and pastries. They also had lots of kid friendly options. The a la carte restaurant's were very good as well. There are four pools, however if you are looking for a swim up bar...you need a special bracelet for that which is an upgraded price, as is several other areas throughout the resort, including some areas on the beach. The fancier r [... read more]ooms are far from the beach and main dining and entertainment areas but there is shuttle service, but the unrenovated rooms are comfortable, clean, and convenient, and you're there to enjoy the sun and fun! I have never been to a resort that has had sooo many family's with kids under 10 and they really cater to that as well as teens there was plenty of activities for all ages of children and teens. Location was good too. Quite close to Playa del Carmen. So I had a great vacation but I wouldn't go back as I don't have children but if you do definitely check it out!

Barcelo Karmina: "Palace "

This was our second stay at the Karmina Palace. Beautiful, clean, and spacious rooms. We arrived very late, instead of 7:30pm, it was 11:00pm. To welcome very tired tourist, there was a special room set, with registry tables, and all the food and drink anyone could want. A great way to start 2 weeks of sunshine.

The Fives Beach Hotel and Residences Playa Del Carmen: Best Resort Experience Ever

Azul Fives was to date the best resort we have had the pleasure to stay at. The customer service was amazing, the food and drink unsurpassed, and the amenities were all over and above our expectations.

The Fives Beach Hotel and Residences Playa Del Carmen: Not suitable for couples looking for a quiet time!

I booked this resort for the infinity pool, but wouldn't go back again. it was always noisy with the kids...the infinity pool...the restaurants. So because of the constant din, there wasn't much of an ambience for my husband and me, looking for a quiet, relaxing time. The food was great though. staff were nice too. if you have little kids, it offers fantastic facilities. We upgraded to a 1 bedroom Suite, because the double bed deluxe was pretty horrible..felt like some regular 3 star motel in th [... read more]e US. Poor design for bathrooms. The 1 bedroom suite has a nice jacuzzi in the bedroom, though it was a bit creaky when my husband and I got in (we're both small built)! The beach is pretty disappointing too...small and very weedy. In other resorts we've been to in Cuba and Antigua, we spent a lot of time on the beach...not at Azul Fives. So we had to spend time in the swim up pools to find the quiet time we were looking for. Entertainment (shows) was excellent!

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Wonderful Holiday!

The resort was beautiful and very big. So big that my husband and I had trouble finding our way the first day or 2. The food was delicious and there was quite a variety. We also enjoyed the 4 a la cartes as well. While the room was lovely and very clean, it was very musty smelling. As a matter of fact, I had to wash our winter coats a few times and then hang them outside to get the smell out. The staff were friendly and very helpful at all times.