TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

First day - check in Check-in was quick and the layout/restaurant locations were explained by the staff. They also gave us a map with helpful hand written notes on which was a big help. They issue wrist bands that act as room keys. Kids can have one also if needed. Foyer Foyer is large/clean with flavoured water to help yourself to if you're just lazing on the comfy seating. We spent a few evenings here playing Uno and patience with our kids. There's also a bar in the foyer which serves lots of options. Many branded spirits are available so you should find something you like without any issues. Restaurants We mostly used the buffet restaurants which had a great choice for breakfast (recommend the made to order omelettes) lunch & dinner. There's always lots of salad choices and hot choices are rotated regularly with lots of options. Hotdogs & burgers are a daily option if your kids are picky. There's always fresh bread and a variety of exotic fruit available. The pudding choices are plentiful and I was impressed with the choices provided. We also ate in the Italian restaurant (no booking required) which was very tasty. Service took a while though! The starters/puddings are buffet style (lots of choice) with mains ordered from a menu. The only restaurant that requires a reservation is the Japanese (Bonsai). It's recommended that you get to your choice of restaurant 10-15 mins before opening as queues form quickly and there's limited space. A tip would be to bring some Tupperware's with you to the hotel. You can then put some fresh fruit or pastries away for later when laying by the pool or beach. Pool scene We loved the pool as did our kids. There's regular entertainment such as pool volleyball and various other games if that's your thing. Winners T-shirts are handed out for those that are victorious! There's two pool bars (open from 10am) that serve beer & numerous cocktails and a snack bar (open from 11am) that serves fruit, burgers, hotdogs, chips and nachos. There's also a buffet restaurant that is handy if you don't want to walk to any of the main restaurants. This restaurant initially opens from 9am for coffee/pastries then later for lunch. I recommend a nice cooling frappe to start your day! There's also a mini shop that sells a few essentials such as sun cream, snacks and swimming paraphernalia. One bit of advice would be to pack more sun cream than you think you need. We ran out 4 days short of our departure and the shop by the pool was charging between £24 & £37 for cream. We ended up walking to the Playacar Center where we found a pharmacy that was selling the same cream for £14. Still expensive but a hell of a lot cheaper than buying by the pool. Top Tips - To the side of one of the beach bars, there's two beer taps you can use to help yourself to beer. This is often much quicker than queuing! The taps are to the right of the water machine. Also, bring a thermos cup with you. A lot of people were getting these filled up by the bar staff which makes the drink stay cooler for longer and you also get more than in the standard plastic cup this way. Rooms Our room was 1641 and was fine for our use. Two double (not as big as UK double) beds, coffee machine (no milk was provided), fridge and a large TV were in the room. We also had a safe as expected and close access to filtered water from a machine just outside our room. You can't drink the tap water so ensure you bring some refillable plastic bottles for drinking by the pool/beach or at night. There are two big glass bottles that are provided for refilling and fit in the fridge laid down side by side. The fridge is also stocked with soft drinks & beer which are replenished daily by the cleaners. On the balcony, there was a small pull out dryer we used to hang wet clothes but we also brought a length of paracord & pegs to give us extra drying space. Everything dries easily overnight. Negatives - Our room was near the border of the hotel boundaries and there was some kind of large generator that was loud outside our room which would have made it unpleasant to sit on the balcony. It's worth noting that the noise couldn't be heard once the balcony door was closed. The storage in our room was also a little bit lacking with only the wardrobe and a cupboard under the desk available for putting away clothes. Our two big cases fit at the top of the wardrobe and the smaller case stood up nicely under the desk. We soon found our groove and made it work for us with no major issues. We could hear the entertainment from our room at night so if you're a light sleeper, it might be a good idea to try and request a room away from the theatre. The entertainment started quite late so we didn't get a chance to take our two young children unfortunately. Grounds The grounds house a lot of wildlife. Amongst other animals, peacocks can be regularly seen. There's a central 'rainforest' where a lot of other animals can also be spotted. If you're lucky you'll find a peacock sat on your balcony which you don't experience everyday. You can walk the winding paths that take you through the 'rainforest' or there's paths either side for a more direct route to the pool or beach. Beach The beach is made up of lovely soft white sand and a warm turquoise sea. Yes, there's sea weed but the staff do a good job of using a tractor/trailer that gather up the worst of it. Weirdly, the first two days we had there was no sign of seaweed so really think it's a case of luck. The beach is close to the two pool bars & the snack bar so everything is in close proximity. There's a lot of sun beds but you'll need to get there early (0630-0700) to stand and chance of getting one. There's a no reservation policy for pool/beach sun beds but everyone does so you'll need to accept this and join in if you want a bed. Staff do try to do their best and remove towels that have been on beds over 1.5hrs but there's only one guy doing it. We had to speak to him a couple of times and ask him to move towels on sunbeds as they'd been reserved over 2hrs and no one had used them. He was happy to move them for us and a note is added to belongings so you know why towels have been removed. I heard there's a $40 charge per towel if they're taken/lost but can't confirm. Other points of note There's 2 pool tables located at the back of the theatre. The pool balls/cues can be obtained from the Quetzal hotel lobby situated across from the Tucan lobby. The Plaza Playacar (10 min walk) is full of souvenirs and the shop owners are open to a bit of bartering but found that they didn't want to come down in price too much and most items are still over priced. Believe it or not, there's a tattoo shop next to the pool! People were actually getting tattoos done but I can't comment on standard or price unfortunately. WiFi WiFi is free and the connectivity stretched all the way to the beach. We never had issues with this dropping out and were always able to connect when we needed to. If you're looking for a reliable taxi to pick you up from the airport and drop you back, Cancun Private Transfers (cancunprivatetransfers.com) were absolutely fantastic. You can keep in contact with them via WhatsApp should you need to change any details once you've booked and the cars provided were clean and air conditioned. They keep an eye on your flight when arriving so wont just leave if you don't arrive on time like some companies I read about. I did my research before booking with this company and I didn't regret my decision. Cancun Airport When we left, we found Cancun Airport extremely expensive. We initially sat down at one burger restaurant and worked out it would have been approx £100 for a family of four WITHOUT drinks. We ended up eating at Starbucks and paid £7.50 for a cheese toastie which was fine and a good way to get rid of the last remaining Peso's. Final Comment My family had a fantastic time at this resort and would definitely come again. Staff are friendly, the food is plentiful, the drinks are varied and the grounds are beautiful. There's something for everyone and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to take a break in Mexico!

My wife and I stayed at the Iberostar Tucan April 3-11. This was our 11th stay at an Iberostar. We have spent the last 30 years going to various all-inclusives in Mexico and the Dominican Republic. The Tucan is a beautiful property and well cared for. We had booked the Tucan, but we Actually stayed in the Quetzal. It was very nice. The beach was beautiful , very little seaweed. The food was very good, only issue was the Smokehouse Restaurant . Not so good. I would say they should turn that into a steakhouse. This is the first all-inclusive I have been to that did not have a steakhouse. The pool is big and very nice, little deep in the middle. The staff is wonderful . I want to mention some of these amazing people. Israel and Jose at the swim--up bar. These guys are awesome. So fun and attentive. Alondra, Luis,Israel,Arleta Andy,Frida, and Alycia on the animation team ,energy and kindness. Mirian is a waitress at the resort and she is so very nice . Took great care of us . To all my amigo and amiga.....Que Pasa Calabasa ! Lol.....Cony and Alfredo at the reception area .... Thank you for all your help and kindness. Overall I would say you will enjoy this resort. I did wonder why they did not stock my fridge with beer unless I called.

Perfect holiday in every way! The hotel adjoins the quetzal hotel and you share all amenities. This hotel is spotless. Super clean, staff tirelessly work to a high standard. We had an amazing time - we travelled with my disabled mother, special thanks to Omar who noted we were trying to find a shaded seat for her and he immediately provided us with shaded sun loungers which he ensured was reserved for the remainder of our trip. Outstanding service and we were so appreciative. The food was of a very high standard - we ate buffet for lunch and breakfast and al la carte for dinner. Lots of variety on both. Always different pasta and pizza options as well as 2 fresh fish options, chicken, steak, salad etc. cakes, always fresh fruit. The a la carte are a turn up and queue apart from the Japanese restaurant which you need to reserve. My favourites were Mediterranean and Japanese. Japanese is like a show, my 4 year old son was very proud he caught the rice ball they threw at him in his mouth first go. Room was very clean, slightly dated but didn’t bother me. Air con was good. Big room. Didn’t spend time on the balcony but looked nice. Liked the stocked fridge in the room. Lots of wildlife - we saw monkeys, coatis, agouti (not heard of them before) peacocks and flamingos. The hotel is located in playacar which is an area which is in a tourist enclosure. There appears to be security gates to access and if and proof of reservation is needed to gain entry. It felt very safe. We went to playa del carmen by taxi ($10) it was ok. Need to haggle for everything including the taxi ride back. I guess that’s just the Mexican way. Will definitely recommend and come back.

Very nice place if what you are looking for is a nice and clean beach, the hotel is very beautiful and clean, the food is excellent and the staff is very friendly. Thanks to Mr Jan for the attention and help with the reservations. I would return without a doubt.

This was our first trip to Mexico and although we have been to other places in the Caribbean we were unsure what to expect and reviews of all hotels we liked at can be variable! But we need not have worried as our stay here was amazing from start to finish! My husband and I have 3 children aged 13, 10 and 7 years old and everyone loved it! It was a lovely time of year to visit as it was hot and sunny but not too humid. What a fabulous hotel! It is so clean and well cared for. We stayed in adjoining rooms and the rooms were nice and air conditioned and had a stocked fridge at all times! They had everything you would need and looked out into a tropical area where you could watch the howler monkeys play in the trees from your balcony! They liked to hang out in front of our rooms in the morning as the sun came up! We really liked the eco efforts the hotel made and the refill water from the coolers was a great touch. The jungle area was fascinating and added another fantastic dimension especially for the children. They got to spot all sorts of wildlife wandering around on the way to the pool or beach - such as monkeys, coatis, agoutis, peacocks, flamingos, tortoises, Iguanas and geckos to name a few and this was a constant source of amazement to the kids! I was apprehensive that due to this area we may get feasted on by mosquitoes but we only got a couple of bites each and the hotel provides a natural repellent lotion which worked a treat! I think we got most of our bites at the airport to be honest! The beach is wonderful - just a tropical paradise of white powdery sand and turquoise sea! This hotel do a great job of removing the seaweed that you find along this coast to leave the sea so clear with little sand banks to paddle to, truly beautiful. The pool is large and has different areas and was great for the kids as they were able to stand and play in the water as well as swim in the deeper areas. The team constantly ensure the pool area is clean and tidy and meticulously look after the pool water. There is a swim bar area for adults and a kiddies pool with slides for little ones which is fun! Whilst you sit in your lounger you can see the monkeys swinging in the trees above - so funny! The all inclusive cares for everything you need and we were wary that we might need to pay loads of extras but apart from giving tips to the staff we did not have to pay for anything. The bar near the pool and beach only ever had a queue of one or two people, and there is also an area where you can help yourself from the machines too! The cocktails were great and I sampled quite a few! You could eat somewhere at all hours of the day and most of the night! The ice cream bar was enjoyed by the kids everyday! The buffet for breakfast lunch and dinner was excellent and had something to please everyone. We visited the Mexican, Mediterranean and Italian too and had great meals. There is a beach bar serving hotdogs and burgers too which is great if you don’t want to have to go to the main buffet and there is a smaller buffet near the beach which was great too! I have coeliac disease which means I have to have a gluten free diet and this can be difficult when travelling. In the buffet there are lots of allergen signs next to the foods and the main chef took me around and was very knowledgeable in telling me which foods I could have and gave me deserts and offered to cook gf pasta etc from scratch for me. I never got ill and always had plenty of choice! He was so kind and thoughtful and didn’t make me feel like an inconvenience which you often experience as someone with coeliac. It was always delicious and everyone loved it! You do get asked if you want information for the spa etc a couple of times a day if you are by the pool or on the beach but if you say no thank you - you are never hassled by any staff. The enthusiast entertainment team were great and ran so many activities for kids, teens and adults and there was always something to do if you wanted! We just wanted to relax but it was fun seeing some of the pool side games in the late afternoon! We never really bother with evening entertainment at hotels but there was always something on - if you wanted to watch it! The fire show on the beach was really worth watching though - get there early as it gets really busy! There really were no major downsides to this holiday at all - just a couple of points. If you are travelling with a young teen they count 13+ as an adult for the all inclusive. When we checked in they queried if we had only paid enough for a child instead which we knew we hadn’t but couldn’t easily find the evidence. After a bit of back and forth and looking at how much we paid they agreed that we had paid the adult fee for her. We booked through an agent - but might be worth taking proof that you had put their age in as 13 months on the agents website to show them! Although they have a no reservation policy for sun beds this is impossible to enforce and people get up at 6am to reserve at the beach and pool. I’m not sure what the answer is to this really! The hotel can’t possibly remove all these towels and then re wash them! It’s unenforceable really! We happen to always wake early and start the day so we never struggled to find a lounger! We made some amazing memories on this adventure that we will keep with us forever and I am so grateful to the staff for making our stay so special in this beautiful country! X