TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

We booked this hotel just a couple of days before we went due to a holiday being cancelled Was slightly worried due to previous reviews Should not have worried, it’s a beautiful hotel , stunning grounds and well maintained. On arrival the receptionist( Alexandra ( sorry if not spelt right ) was very welcoming and was greeted with a cocktail and champagne, very helpful with information. The room was very spacious , clean and was cleaned daily , mini was topped up daily and bedlinen changed frequently, yes as previous reviews said was dated but wasn’t a problem. The buffet was very clean, plenty of assortment of food , yes could have been hotter but that’s difficult with buffet food. We ate in all the restaurants , our favourite was Thai and la fleur , the rest was ok ! Very easy to book , just use the app . The entertainment was good, lots going on most evenings The sports bar was good too , we ate in there one lunchtime and that was good too . Edwardo (sorry if spelt wrong )was an excellent waiter . The beach bar was good and food was basic but ok when you are on the beach . We found all staff was extremely helpful and attentive . The walk from hotel to beach was lovely , walking through lovely grounds , lovely to see deers , iguanas and saw a few monkeys too . The coatis are a bit of a nuisance, watch your bags and mostly food , they will take it , even jump on your lap if you have food but it doesn’t help that people feed them , even though there is plenty of signs saying do not touch or feed , yet we saw plenty of people feeding them. The beach was lovely , seaweed was there but they do there best to remove it as much as possible. Our only issue was again people ( not hotel’s fault) there are cigarette ends all over the beach , which is such a shame as it’s a beautiful beach . We didn’t use the pools as it was too hot so only went to beach but the pools looked lovely and swim up bars was very popular. We had a lovely holiday here and would definitely return. All the transfers were well organised.

1. CHECK IN - a breeze, champagne was our welcome drink and always a nice gesture upon arrival! 2. ROOM - very clean, beds, pillows and everything were comfortable. 3. POOL - only went to the fun pool, never too crowded. Tried another pool one morning but there were a lot of children and a swim up bar, it just felt strange with that mix. 4. SWIM UP BAR - just as you'd expect. For those that like slushie drinks, they had them. Only comment would be they were short staffed so there were long waits for drinks, double up and problem solved. 5. POOL ACTIVITIES - I never went out to different pools but, within the one week we were there we stayed mainly by the fun pool, by the french restaurant with the swim up bar I don't recall the name, there was only one "aquasize" class and one game another day. I've been to other resorts where at the fun pool they come by multiple times, and I always look forward to that. Not a deal breaker, just a comment. 6. FOOD - We enjoyed it, lots of options so in my opinion nothing to complain about! The hamburger bar at one pool is great and worth the short walk! Staffing in the buffets need to work on customer service. We didn't get drinks or have anyone check in to see if we needed anything. 7. BEACH/OCEAN - not super swimmable, there are certainly better beaches out there. Great views though, who doesn't love staring into the ocean. 8. A LA CARTE - we tried most. Mama mia and Tapanaki were favorites. We were definitely rushed and at two a la cartes we weren't offered dessert. There was little to no customer service except at the tapanaki. 9. APP & BOOKING A LA CARTE - this was the biggest challenge and most frustrating. The app didn't work the night we arrived, so I went to concierge to book the 3rd night as you can only book 3 days in advance. First time I did this, it was no problem and the booking was made on our behalf no questions asked. The following night I again went to book in advance because the app wasn't working again and I got yelled at that he can't do it and we have to use the app (which wasn't working). It was incredibly rude and this would be the main reason why I would NEVER RECOMMEND this resort. Oddly enough, the man working that yelled at me was the same man that did it the night before. But when I reminded him he had no problem doing it the night before and allowing us the opportunity to use the resort to the fullest, he yelled and through his hands in the air and said I don't remember everybody....maybe I didn't tip enough I guess. Regardless, I've never been spoken to like that at an all inclusive resort, I was shocked. He also did this in front of our group of friends, we were all shocked. Part of me wishes I would've asked for a supervisor but I've never been that person. I hope you don't have this experience. If their app would work better it wouldn't have happened I guess. It appears the app has been an ongoing issue reading other reviews. 10. POTTERY PAINTING - relaxing and fun! Met another couple there. I made a spoon rest but there were tons of options, it was $12 USD to buy it and paint it. She took it home to finish it and I picked it up 2 days later. 11. EXCURSIONS - We did one. The turtle swimming with cenotes right after. I was expecting a conservation or something so it was easier to see the turtles but it's a random beach nearby so you're not guaranteed to see them. There were tons of boaters and rough waters. We didn't see any turtles but our friends did. Lots of seaweed if that grosses you out. The cenotes were awesome! highly recommend! Had a hiccup in the booking though, booked through the resort Sunday for Tuesday. Monday he told us it was cancelled Tuesday because the weather was crappy and would be rebooked Thursday. We got ready and went up Thursday and no one came. Calls were made, apparently there was some miscommunication between the rep and the excursion specialist that we were rebooked to Wednesday and we no showed. Nonetheless, they made it happen Thursday and we got a private tour because of the mishap. 12. DRINKS - no complaints of course! 13. SPORTS BAR - kids were allowed inside, which was strange. We didn't spend much time there. 14. DISCO - seemed like it could've been fun but we only went the night before we left. 15. SHOPPING ON RESORT - lots to shop through having two resorts attached. Expensive but saves a taxi trip. Nice to browse though. 16. THURSDAY NIGHT MARKET - lots of fun! love this option. We got most of our souvenirs here. 17. CHECK OUT - we got the tiniest clown car to travel to the airport in. I'm talking major claustrophobia. Highly recommend asking ahead of time what the transportation is because a bus brought us there and a clown car took us to the airport. I wouldn't paid for a taxi if I would've known lol. We certainly had fun as a group, making it fun for ourselves and enjoying what we could but this resort does need to improve on their customer service skills.

Just returned from a weeks stay here which we booked very last minute, we were quite wary after reading some of the other reviews but were not disappointed. Admittedly I would say there were some elements of the hotel that were not five star however you get what you pay for! The hotel is very grand and exceptionally clean. The all inclusive buffet has plenty of choice available for breakfast, lunch and dinner but if buffets not your thing (it’s not really ours), then take advantage of the five restaurants but make sure you prebook the day before! Our favourites were the Italian and the Mexican. There is also a 24 hour sports bar where you can get food off the snack menu as well, we spent a lot of time in here as the air conditioning is great. The grounds of the hotel are stunning and there is plenty of wildlife, it takes maximum 10 minutes to walk from the reception to the beach - yes it is large but it makes the hotel not feel crowded! The beach is a must, the sea is absolutely stunning and exclusive to the hotel. On our first morning we got up early and went down to see the sunrise, another must! There’s plenty of excursions to do from the hotel, we did Chichin Itzá and a day trip to Cozumel Island. You can also get the shuttle bus from the hotel to Playa Del Carmen for a small fee. Overall we had an excellent stay and with the all inclusive found it very good value for money - a lot better deal that we would have got holidaying closer to home in Europe. We would definitely consider returning ??

This was a last minute booking so probably didn’t do the research I would normally do & having stayed previously at other 5* rated hotels in the area I expected similar to previous. Firstly it doesn’t warrant a 5* as it doesn’t ooze luxury, some areas are quite tired & dated & the customer service is very lacking. The food in the self service areas is mediocre & the hot food is very rarely hot. The cold buffet selections are left out in the none air conditioned service rooms & in my opinion a health hazard. The hotel states that it is no smoking apart from designated areas but unfortunately this is NOT enforced - smoking was regularly occurring all around the grounds including in the swimming pools. The complex is very large & can be quite exhausting to get around in the heat. There are definitely not enough sun canopies for the sun beds but thankfully we visited out of peak season so managed to at least secure a shaded area if not a canopy. I did unfortunately suffer a severe bout of sickness on my 3rd evening I can only say the response from the manager regarding this incident was shocking ! Thankfully when I was well enough to speak with my TUI rep she did a report which was then relayed to the manager who then contacted me with a backhanded insincere apology. The plants & wildlife around the hotel grounds are the saving grace along with the glorious weather but really this should not be the only positive from your vacation. Had we have paid the regular full price as opposed to the late deal price I would have felt cheated quite frankly.

Our vacation has been excellent. Huge shout out to Rodolfo for his excellent service at La Vaqueri & Hacienda. The pools are amazing! Always an open lounge spot anytime of the day. Highly recommend the Teppanyaki! The entertainment at night was good. The day time entertainment could be better as the entertainment staff couldnt muster enough engagement from visitors but the music is excellent at the pools. Maid staff are as excellent cleaning and stocking rooms in a timely manner. We asked for better pillows after night 3/7 and they brought better pillows promptly. Especially Alfonsina who assisted with most of our needs.