Catalonia Playa Maroma reviews
13230 TripAdvisor reviews
Honest review
Mike T on Jun 05, 2026
So, here is an honest review. The resort itself is absolutely breathtaking. It’s clean, well kept and absolutely beautiful. The abundance of the wildlife, especially the Coati, made the trip more enjoyable for my wife, myself and truthfully anyone who loves nature. The breakfast buffet was awesome. The lunch and dinner buffets were decent but nowhere near breakfast. The beach area was pristine and well maintained except for the sargassum but that couldn’t be helped. The pool was amazing. Clean water and pool itself was free of dirt, debris, etc… . The Activities staff were lively and energetic and seemed to really enjoy their jobs. My wife and I probably would have done some of their activities with them if we could’ve understood what they were saying. We don’t know Spanish or French and that was the only language they spoke in. The drinks weren’t good but they weren’t bad… average at best. Speaking of the pool there were signs everywhere about how it’s against hotel policy to save chairs but it’s not enforced. At all. There were chairs that weren’t used all day but had towels on them. And lastly the bar maids and bartenders… some were speedy and polite and others rigor mortis sets in faster than it took to get a drink. And our mini fridge was never restocked with soda. But overall had a fantastic vacation and would possibly return
Vacation Stress Caused by Billing Errors and Poor Managem
Marquis G on Jun 03, 2026
My experience at this resort was extremely disappointing and frustrating from the moment I arrived. On the very first day, I was forced to change rooms three separate times due to mistakes made by the resort staff. After the inconvenience of repeatedly packing and moving my belongings, I was told that the only solution was to upgrade my room, which cost me an additional $200. What made the situation even worse was what happened at checkout. Despite already paying the $200 upgrade fee, the resort attempted to charge me another $180 for the same room upgrade along with additional resort taxes that had never been clearly explained beforehand. Waiting until a guest is ready to leave to present unexpected charges feels deceptive and unprofessional. I will say that one of the highlights of my trip was the massage service. The massage was excellent, and the spa staff provided a relaxing and enjoyable experience. Unfortunately, even that positive experience was overshadowed by being heavily solicited to purchase a timeshare valued at approximately $35,000. While I understand resorts may promote ownership opportunities, the sales pressure felt excessive and took away from the vacation atmosphere. The constant room changes, lack of communication, surprise fees, and aggressive sales tactics created unnecessary stress during what should have been a relaxing vacation. I felt as though the resort was more focused on generating additional revenue than providing quality customer service. Guests should not have to pay extra because of mistakes made by the property. I would strongly advise future travelers to carefully review all charges, keep copies of every receipt, and verify any upgrades in writing. While there were some positive aspects of the resort, my overall experience was negatively impacted by poor customer service, unexpected fees, and persistent sales pressure.
Room and services 10/10
amrit H on Jun 02, 2026
Nayeli our cleaner was amazing it was so exciting coming back to our room knowing we had a cute towel animal waiting for us. She paid attention to what we liked and even knew what pillows we liked and kept them out for us. Overall an amazing hotel. Sebastian, Alexa and Christopher from the photo shop were amazing and so friendly they took amazing pictures of us.
Disappointing
gshemi (Sheffield, UK) on Jun 02, 2026
Really disappointed with this. I'll start with the good stuff. The wildlife is amazing and was the highlight of our holiday. Coatis, Spider Monkeys, Iguanas and even a baby porcupine :) The grounds are really nice and everything is kept spotless! Our room was very spacious the bed was huge and comfy and we never heard a sound. There is a coffee shop we went to every morning for coffee and cake which is really nice. Now for the bad stuff. Not the hotels fault but the beach was absolutely covered in Seaweed piled high, couldn't go in the sea for it and it stank. Tractors up and down all day trying to clear it but it was an impossible job! We tried to sit round the pool but the idea of sun loungers crammed next to each other aint my idea of fun, I like my personal space and if you aren't there early enough chances are you aren't getting one. The hotel is in the middle of nowhere and they wanted £50 return just to Playa Del Carmen and back in a taxi! Our first week we ate in the buffet but had to give up, unless you are there as soon as it opens we found the food cold and a bit samey. We ate in the restaurants the following week which was much better but not a huge amount of choice. I've never been anywhere that's so difficult to find fries :) not round the pool not in the buffet! The service was bad, we ordered drinks round the pool a few times which never turned up but then they came again an hour after and asked if we wanted anything else!!!!! The fridge in our room was never restocked with beer or soda (our friends was) I had to go round chasing the maid every day to try get it stocked up. One day they didn't even leave water so we put a complaint in and within a couple of hours everything was stocked up and we got a small bottle of bubbly the next day. Every day walking back to our room we were accosted by the upselling men trying to get us to upgrade to VIP which got a bit annoying after the first few times. The last moan of my review...1 bar open after 6pm!!! A nice pool and beach setting but nowhere to have a drink after 6, you have to walk all the way to the lobby to get a drink which isn't really a great atmosphere sat in reception and very uncomfortable seating to sit and have a few drinks at night. Overall we did have a good holiday but this hotel is not a 4 or 5 star hotel and we wont be returning unfortunately.
Excellent
Elmar S on May 29, 2026
excellent night shows.High level entertaments Claudia, Carla and Edgardo amazing dancers.