TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Absolutely loved my stay here :) Best parts: The resort is very accessible and accommodating to various physical disabilities. While there are aspects of the resort that are not accessible (eg theatre, disco, gym) the vast majority of the resort was which was wheelchair accessible (even a dedicated wheelchair accessible beach spot!). I have a dynamic disability and staff were very accommodating to my needs. I really loved the staff. They were very friendly and willing to help out! I was thoroughly impressed. I will note, I have a gluten intolerance and I realized the menus are not accurately labeled and the buffet is hard to navigate (more details below) but I ran into a Viva nutritionist and she was able to help me navigate things! I wrote out a detailed note about my allergies and showed it to a chef and after that every day he’d walk through the buffet and show me what I could eat. The nutritionist said the program is new so I’m hoping they’ll expand and get better with food labelling as the chefs were clearly knowledgeable on gluten! Hector (“the Protector”) and his daughter Michelle are awesome. Hector is in charge of selling various excursions, but he also just genuinely watches out for people. His daughter is a massage therapist and truly worth getting a back massage from her!! Some people get annoyed with the beach sellers, but if you’ve travelled before you’ll know they’re actually very polite compared to many other parts of the world and will take a polite no for an answer. The room was great and we had no issues with cleanliness. The last day the dehumidifier seemed to stop working, but this was a pretty minor issue. The food overall was good. The ceviche and octopus was incredible!! Tons of fresh fruit and an omelet bar too. The drinks were great. I don’t drink alcohol and the staff were great about never accidentally putting alcohol in (has happened to me at other resorts). I had seen reviews about poorly cooked meat, but I saw nothing like this. I felt the food practices were good and we had no issues. The resort attracts a nice balance of generations though most are on the older side which lends to an overall relaxed group. Less great parts: The gluten labelling on the restaurant menus provides a false sense of security that the meals not labelled are gluten-free. Unlike most people, I can handle cross contamination and even micro doses of gluten, I still definitely got properly glutened resulting in some allergic reactions. As noted above, this was rectified! But it’s just important to note, right now you’d have to be very careful and talk to the chef before every meal if you have celiacs. There are third party sellers there who promote time share stuff (light green shirts). They’re quite aggressive and will practically hunt you down. I got frustrated because they’re in the lobby and it makes it hard to get customer service without running into them. Don’t feel bad giving a consistent and firm no. Overall really happy and would stay here again :)

Viva Heavens Great staff, a bit outdated, very clean and a resort on the smaller side. Room 2214 Slow sink drain & no hot water just warm Shower - let it run for a minute. Super hot & great pressure Bathroom door needs to be shaved down as it scrapes the floor each time it opens & closes. Shower leaked on the floor. Housekeeping left us an extra towel rather than a bath mat to assist in soaking up the water. Housekeeping was very thorough. Happened to return to the room and saw the bed fully stripped and all clean bedding. Floors swept and mopped. Small room- didn’t realize when we booked that our room didn’t have a balcony. We were also at the front of the resort so could hear all the traffic starting early when staff were coming and going, deliveries etc. and late too. Our fault for not verifying and nothing was available to upgrade. The room although outdated, was fine. Supposed to be unlimited à la carte meals. Tried to book one per night but unable to book on our two last nights. Can book online with the hotel app but it restricted me and staff unable to assist. Travelling with another couple & they weren’t able to book either. Can book a day in advance. Book the Italian first (Rosmarino)- seems to be the busiest and most popular. Due to the booking issues we weren’t able to eat there. My lesson learned is book as soon as you can for all à la carte restaurants. We ate at the buffet, Pueblo222 & Sofrita. The service was great at both. Not a huge fan of our meal at Sofrita. It looked great and service staff were lovely. The open air atmosphere was great. The Mexican dinner was fabulous. The buffet was very good, offering typical buffet food along with nightly international options - pasta night, Chinese night, Mexican along with local dishes. The walk to the beach is both a pro & con. Good to have a bit of a walk for exercise after the great food & some drinks but it is a bit of a walk to the beach- about five minutes along a bricked path. Turtles & birds along the path to the beach were cool to watch. The restaurant at the beach for lunch was very good for snacky foods -nachos, fries, pizza, burgers etc. Beach was as expected. Lots of chairs with a volleyball court. Crew raked the beach. It was hard to keep up with the weather during the week and it caused red flags due to rough water. Around the bend the water was less rough because there is a small reef that blocks a lot of the seaweed and larger waves. Bathrooms around the resort very clean. Smoking allowed everywhere. We were not a fan of this. Around the pool, in the lobby, at the beach. We’re not smokers so again, our issue. Very few tables in the common areas to sit outside. We unfortunately had a couple days of rain and the few outdoor tables were quickly taken. Pool bar had 6 tables. Couches and some chairs in the lobby. 9-10 tables outside around the restaurants (buffet, Mexican & Blend). There is a sitting area where a vendor/ market also comes a couple times a week. There are about 4 tables with chairs. We did inquire about the opportunity to upgrade to the premium as we saw signs around the resort. Premium liquor only available for purchase or with the membership. Seems like a time share option to join for a fee with access to other Viva reports. We weren’t interested in this but would have paid an extra fee for our week for premium service access. This was not an option. We will probably not return as we’d like the option of additional services. Overall, a good week with great friends.

We are a family that came here for ten days and really enjoyed our stay. We loved the food at the buffet, also the Italian restaurant was excellent. We have been to a few shows and we they were beyond incredible. Very talented dancers. A special mention to Monica and Tina, we loved their solo and the trapeze number. We also want to thank Esther Speedy and Scarlet for always making us feel included in the activities. Also we really appreciated Kelsie, the nutritionists, presence here.

Close to airport. Small and lovely quaint resort with very attentive staff, love my Sofia. Rooms are a good size and very clean. Good value for your money. Noise level is good. Resort has 1 buffet and 4 restaurants; great selection of different foods. 3 bars. 1 pool bar, 1 beach bar, and 1 Viva member bar. 1 coffee shop; bars do make coffee too. 1 pool. 1 kiddie pool near the kids club. Viva members pool. 2 gift shops. Gym. Lots of loungers at the beach. Golf course across from resort. Medical clinic. Shopping plaza close by. Sidewalk across from resort if you like to walk. Lots of walking along the beach.

Cesar, the receptionist, made the trip a wonderful experience. I definitely recommend this establishment