TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

We had a family holiday in April for 10 nights and we had the most wonderful time. I'm a foodie and the food was nearly always exceptional, always a different theme in the buffet and then there is an itallian, Japanese, Mediterranean, american smoke house and a mexican. You need a reservation for the japenese and italian. The staff were so welcoming and friendly, and work so hard. As a family of 4 , the children being aged 11 and 15 a bigger room would have been better, but we really didn't spend much time in it and it was always well cleaned and mini fridge always full as well as access to cold water and ice whenever you want it. The pool and beach were amazing, we did have to reserve loungers with towels which we learnt by day two as everyone else was doing it. I did a few walks along the beach and noticed toucan seemed to be the only hotel thst had umbrellas on the beach. The hotel is very good at being Eco friendly which i loved. The hotel grounds are full of Coati , Peacocks, spider monkeys, lizards and various other animals. We had a jungle view room a spidermonkey visited our balcony a view times. The howler monkeys are LOUD every morning although we never saw them, we are early risers and love animals so it was fine , but if you want a little more peace maybe go for a garden or sea view room. We also did a trip to Akumal to swim with turtles and swim in a cenote, that was a fab day out we saw loads of turtles and they were huge. We booked at the hotel, Mark was our tour guide and he was fantastic and very knowledgeable and you felt safe the entire time. I used the spa once and it was lovely, and had a little walk up to the shops outside the hotel a few days for an iced starbucks. Bring plenty of suncream, we ran out and the suncream price was insanely expensive at the hotel and not a lot better at the shops. We didn't do the evening entertainment much, it's not really our thing, but watched the Circus show which was fab, and the singer in the bar by the lobby does a few nights and that was a really nice vibe and the barstaff are extremely attentive. The drinks were fab, I'm not a big drinker but all the premium brands were there and enjoyed the odd cocktail. There's a mad queue for the pool bars at 10am when they open but during the day it calms down and you're served quickly and those guys once again work so hard. Overall I'd go back in a heartbeat, next time I'd bring stronger mozzie spray as my daughter and i were eaten alive, book a larger room and more suncream! Thanks for having us Toucan , you gave us an amazing well needed family holiday.

Location The location of this hotel is good. It is beach front and there is a small shopping area out of the hotel gates and right, approx 10 minutes walk which has souvenir shops, ATM and a pharmacy. It shares its grounds and restaurants with another Iberostar hotel and has jungle down the middle with different paths through down to the pool area. There are animals and birds everywhere which makes this hotel unique. Look for the monkeys in the jungle and the racoons that live in the waterfall area in the centre of the buffet restaurant. Room On check in we were offered an upgrade to a room closer to the beach but we kept our room which was in block 17. We were on the resort side of the block overlooking the walkways. We didn't find our room to be noisy (except for the peacocks during the night which we found amusing) but we did think the room was quite dated and didn't match the rest of the resort. The bathroom was more modern, with toiletries and a good hairdryer, however the shower often went from cold to boiling hot. The air con worked fine. Take an extension cable as the only plug sockets were on the far side of the room. The room was always well cleaned each day and they provide water bottles which can be filled from the water stations on each floor. Restaurants The buffet restaurant was brilliant, there was so much choice with different things appearing each day from seafood and sushi to more mexican styles. Even at breakfast there was so much choice. We tried all the other restaurants too and never struggled to get a table. There are 2 restaurants that require pre booking, the Japanese and the Italian. We booked these the 1st morning after check in. We weren't overly impressed with either. The Japanese is okay if you like the performance from the chefs but the food was nothing special, there was better sushi at the buffet. Plus the extractor fan dripped oil over my head and my top whilst we were sat there. The hotel were excellent and took my top to get it cleaned. Beach/pool The beach was nice, they try to keep on top of the seaweed each morning. There are a lot of loungers but a lot of people reserving them with towels, however we always managed to find a space. They offer some water sports and scuba/snorkeling trips from a hut near the beach. The pool area is big with more loungers all around it. There is an ice-cream shack which is opposite the beach towel hut. There are 2 bars next to the beach to get your drinks and at lunchtime they set up a food station which did paella style meals. Entertainment There was often entertainment in the pool during the day and sometimes volleyball or Zumba on the beach. In the evening there isn't much going on, there were a few evenings with events like the fire show on the beach. There is a bar in reception but it would have been nice if there had been a bar open near the beach as we spent most of our evenings sat on the loungers. Overall this hotel was good, there are some things that could be improved, mainly modernising the rooms. Food was excellent. All the staff were friendly and polite.

What seems like a simple stay in a hotel becomes something to forget. Honestly, that's what occurred to me. Hotel on the beachfront with a beautiful entrance, several restaurants, large pool... Everything just like the advertisement. Upon check-in, a room upgrade is offered for $40 per night. I become suspicious… Isn’t the chosen room good? It's not and they know it! Block 17 is next door to some facilities with engines that run day and night. The facilities are not seen, they stay on the other side of the wall... A hotel on the beach or in a factory? The noise is continuous and prevents rest day and night. I complained and asked for a room change. The room I thought I had booked in a paradise by the sea. No! A room in block 18 above the entrance bar with daily nightlife and where, although more faint, the noise could still be heard. On top of that, the animation was in terrible taste, bordering on depressing… Anyway, leaving early in the morning and arriving at night, after two days trying to enjoy paradise, tiredness overcame excitement… Now at breakfast: plastic in the food. At a dinner: a thread in the food. At breakfast, a tray with milk and coffee dumped on my table and on me in particular. Seriously!? Late check-out the day before: 4 hours for US$60; late check-out on the same day: only 1 hour but for free because the room would be occupied after all and I was complaining. All this in a conversation with a receptionist who went into aggressive mode because I had to pay for a dinner reservation. Now try explaining that this situation had already been dealt with at reception. Someone, who didn't have the courage to show their face, instructed the employee to stop and continue with the check-out without charging anything, whatever they could think of (let it be clear that there was nothing to pay). Can you keep the bags? Sure. I realized they were left in the lobby, unsupervised. When I went to pick them up to leave for the airport, they just pointed at them. I happened to collect my bags before anyone else did it for me… Unfortunately, an unpleasant experience. Very unprofessional, they didn't know how to deal with the situations as a whole. One bad thing happens, a succession of them puts good management at risk. Not even a single word in the end… Just an aggressive receptionist… Quality is also revealed by the way they deal with less positive situations. And we end up leaving with a bitter taste in our mouths.

Very big resort. Excellent reception staff. Choice and quality of food excellent. Clean rooms. The jungle feel and scenery of the hotel is amazing, along with the animals. Buggy drivers were very polite and helpful. The separate Japanese and Italian restaurants were great. Overall a fantastic stay. Negatives - A lot of broken sunbeds and issues with saving sunbeds. Rules are are inconsistent and some of the staff do what they want, removing towels without permission, but then leaving others. Alcohol is watered down and some cocktail requests were a struggle. Nexus, one of the companies who organises trips - the rep was unhelpful and rushed us into decisions. Some of us were ripped off.

Really fun resort that combines riviera maya charm with great food and great service. You’re not going to find very modern and updated rooms - to get that you’ll need to look elsewhere. But it was an easy trade for us. I’d rather enjoy the jungle and beach than spend time in the room. Also: take the scuba lessons and excursion! Ask for Arturo. He’ll bring you from no experience at all to diving comfortably in the ocean, all in under two hours. It will be the best activity you pay for all trip. Don’t let the price of $150 a person dissuade you, it will be worth it.