TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

My husband and I stayed in a 2-bedroom condo at Marival Distinct Luxury Residences with our daughter, son-in-law & their two preschool children. Luxury Resdence: The condo itself was very spacious and tastefully decorated, with a balcony looking out over the main pool area. The resort is so beautifully landscaped, and each day the maintenance staff was very diligent about keeping it all immaculate each morning. We used the balcony a lot when we were in the condo, just soaking up the sunshine & the beauty of it all. There was a cooktop and a microwave . There were no cooking utensils or pots/pans. We like to boil water for tea, so the housekeeping staff brought us a pan to use. I noticed that there was a barbecue area out by the pool, so I suppose that if we’d wanted to grill a freshly caught fish, or something, it would have been possible. But with all-inclusive, why bother? Sleeping Arrangements: We slept in the king en-suite bedroom, and the rest of the family slept in a bedroom with two queens, and used the second bathroom. It was an ok sleeping arrangement, and definitely cost effective for two families with small children. I felt that the mattress was a little too firm for my liking. But all in all, we were very satisfied. All- inclusive option: This was my first time at an all-inclusive resort. We all felt so pampered & well-taken care of. The staff went above and beyond to actually anticipate and accommodate our every need. We especially loved the waiters at the Lemongrass poolside cafe. Just. WOW! One waiter even offered to clean our sunglasses. In addition to bringing our orders, they also brought around little desserts and drinks just to sample. Everything was just perfect. Some of the food was truly excellent. I wish I could have taken a jar of their fire-roasted salsa home with me. It was the best I’ve ever eaten, especially with the grilled fish tacos. Yum! We tried the two breakfast options, and ended up preferring Omaggio, simply because with two small kids it was quick and there were a lot of options, in fact an area for breads & cereals an area for delicious fresh fruit & yogurt, and a long line of hot dishes that rotated each day. One could also order a fresh cook breakfast. My husband loved the steak and eggs cooked to perfection at Mozza Mare. I am lactose intolerant, so I missed my preferred milk alternative (oat milk). The staff did bring coconut milk each morning upon request. The kids especially enjoyed the fruit smoothies. If that wasn’t enough, we took advantage of the shuttle service to the sister resort, Emotions. Here we enjoyed a beach party with more food and drinks imaginable. On another night, we made reservations at a high-end Italian Restaurant called Amalfi’s. What an extensive menu, all beautifully prepared and perfect ambience. The piéce de resistance was the flaming Baked Alaska for dessert. There is definitely a tip culture, but it means great service. Other services: I also want to give a shout-out to the concierge. They took care of our every need, even finding a local hair salon for me. We declined to take a timeshare presentation, and that worked out just fine. This resort is unforgettable, and our memories will definitely last a lifetime.

My family had a great time during our stay at Marival Distinct. Everything is top notch from start to finish. In particular we had a great experience with our waiter Lamberto, from the moment we met him he extremely friendly and attentive to my family's needs. We sought out his section by the pool every day and he made each day enjoyable with his A+ service. Definitely recommend staying here and when you do, look for Lamberto by the main pool!

We just got back home from a wonderful 2 weeks stay at Marival Distint. I can’t say enough about the resort we had the best time. First off I would like to mention the wonderful service we received from the beach servers at Mozza Meir. Thank you so much for the great service Julio & Victor you always made sure we were taken care of. Francisco (Paco) it’s always nice to see his smiling face and nice to talk too he’s a great server around the pool area. I’m sorry we didn’t get to say goodbye you were off. Food and drinks were exceptional good at Mozza Meir beach. We enjoyed are time around the pool by lemon grass. We loved the food and drinks and the pool servers were fantastic. Thank you Manuel & Ernesto. Felix always made sure we had dry towels and would come around and clean our glasses as well. Thank you Felix. We had some questions for the concierge and Carlos was very helpful to answers everything. I would also like to thank Javier at the Mai tai beach at emotions your service was excellent and my daughter thought you were the best. Food and drinks were excellent as well. The other beach club down at the end of emotions was very nice love the upgrades they made since are last visit. Best cheesecake & burgers out of all resorts. Thank you to Roberto the beach server for always taking good care of us. We enjoyed the nightly entertainment we loved the Michael Jackson night the show was fantastic thank you to animation staff. Lastly I need to say a special thank you to two wonderful staff members at the brick oven pizza at emotions Mary & Carol. My daughter and husband loved visiting you both for pizza in the evenings. Thank you for great pizza and being so friendly and caring. We will see you next year. We have been travelling to Marival for about 13 years and the reason we always keep going back is the food is great, rooms are spacious and always so clean, most of all it’s the staff. Marival Distint and sister hotel emotions always makes you feel at home.

I have a big family (12 of us - my wife/me, 3 kids, 3 spouses, 4 grandkids) who vacation together. This was our first time staying at an all-inclusive resort. The things I really cared about the most was ease of enjoying the beach/ocean, the pools, the restaurants and bars together without having to split up or reserve cabanas or plan each minute ahead of time. Marival Distinct was perfect. There were always enough lounge chairs open on the beach. There were always enough by the pool. We got in to every restaurant we wanted, on the night we wanted, without reservation or waiting. The service was incredible. Elian at Lemongrass and the pool took great care of us. Felix got us whatever supplies or assistance we needed with umbrellas, sunscreen or whatever. Orlando made sure Lemongrass was always taking good care of us. Juan at the beach bar is a master mixologist, and Jose and Noemi provide great service… The food at Distinct is good, not great. If you like Applebees and Olive Garden, that’s the level. We had three suites on the top floor, and the rooms were fantastic. And room service was always quick, and always good. The beach is beautiful, the water warm, and the pools small but not crowded at all. Every one of us had a great time!

What an incredible resort. One of, if not, the best vacations we’ve had. We took our kids (7 & 10) to Marival Distinct over Spring Break, 4/5 - 4/12. Hands-down the best All-Inclusive we’ve visited. The vibe was more reserved and relaxed, never felt crowded. The grounds were beautiful and their team was always working to keep the aesthetics of the resort at their best. We visited Marival’s sister resort, Emotions, to check out the water slides. Quickly realized Emotions was not our vibe and only stayed for a few hours. Emotions is much larger with a more classic All-Inclusive resort feel. LOTS of kids, very loud, felt crowded… This is NOT the case at Marival Distinct. Marival Distinct is more intimate, more chill. The jazz & longe music while you walk the property set the tone… Our room was top notch. The views were unreal, and the deck and room itself were spacious. Rooms were clean and well designed. Beds were pretty firm. They provide a pillow menu which I should have utilized. The food, for an All-Inclusive, was great. Desserts were so-so, but meals were always great. The hot dog at Lemmon Grass is not to be missed. Get the hot dog! Lemmon Grass (yes, spelled with two m’s) is the main pool-side restaurant. Choice of traditional sit-down or pool-side service. Staff was THE BEST. So attentive and the service provided was outstanding. One of our favorite spots at the resort. The large pool is shallower which our 7 y/o liked. Hot Tub, no kids allowed, is large and secluded. Loved it. My wife and I, and our 10 y/o, LOVED the beach club. Five minute walk through a beautifully landscaped pathway. Again, the jazz and lounge music lines the pathway. At the end of the path, you reach this glorious beachside oasis with a great restaurant, bar, infinity pool that overlooks the beach, cabanas and beach chairs. This spot is out of a dream. I want to go back and I just got home… Food/Drink service provided at your beach chair or cabana. The staff, again, were AWESOME. Great service!! The food was great!! The drinks were great!! The beach club area is truly special. The beach vendors are a little annoying but keep their distance and not as many as we encountered at Emotions. The water and waves were great, and the beach was clean. My wife and daughter loved boogie boarding in the waves. The sunsets… burned in my mind for eternity. Gods paintbrush… Incredible! I want to call out a number of staff members. These team members provided us with incredible service. And no matter which staff member we interacted with, no matter how small, the service was always top notch. Always “my pleasure…” Incredibly polite and always willing to help. To: Elian, Manuel, Sergio, Octavio, Abdi, Felix, Olga, Vanessa, Irvin, Miguel, Daniela, Vicki, Mario, Rodrigo and countless others… THANK YOU for making our vacation so special. Additional insights… Omaggio, restaurant near main lobby… The taco bar on weekends, near the hot tub, is not to be missed. Fresh tortillas. I’ll dream about this taco bar for years to come… I don’t understand why Emotions has a cocktail menu, but Distinct does not. That said, this creates conversations between guests and some wild discoveries. Do not miss the Dirty Monkey or Oaxaca! (1) dirty monkey + (2) Oaxacas and I’m in my happy place… in an infinity pool overlooking the ocean. Distinct is paradise! We didn’t use the kids club, but probably should have. We wanted time with our kids, honestly. Next time we’d explore. The kids we did see in the kids club looked to be having a blast. Don’t miss the Sky Bar. Main lobby elevator to the “T”op… Bring cash to tip. The service is top notch and these workers deserve tips. Iguanas. Can’t wait to go back one day…