TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Pros: - Beautifully maintained jungle atmosphere in the center of the resort. Lots of animals (wild and captive). - Resort cats are spayed & neutered and have dedicated cat cottages (loved that)! - Beautiful beach, no rocks, very little seaweed. - Excellent massages (you could choose locations on the beach, at the spae or in the jungle). - quick check in. - 10 min taxi from Playa Del Carmen. - Beach food was 10/10. Cons: - we had to change rooms because our first room was right beside dumpster, woke us up at 6am. - very basic amenities (shops, bars, gym etc). - safe didn't work. - lost electricity several times in our room. - we were there for our honeymoon (and have visited several different Iberostar resorts) and did not recieve any special recognition. - despite it being an all inclusive, some drinks and meals were chargeable. - one pool bar on entire resort and it was mostly shaded throughout the day, and the pool was always cold. - only one main pool.... and because this was a family resort, we found there were a lot of kids and the pool and surrounding areas were kind of dirty. - limited cocktail options. - staff was friendly, but unreliable. - buffets were quite basic, and food options did not change often. - a la Carte restaurants were good, but did not require reservations, so there were always long lines for the popular ones. - appearance of hotel was quite aged. Like I said, we've enjoyed Iberostar resorts in the past, and unfortunately, this one did not live up to their high standards, which was disappointing. However, would say this would be a good choice for youn families. Much preferred the Iberostar Paraiso Beach in Maya Riviera.

Can’t say enough great things about this resort! Beautiful and lush grounds! Amazing wildlife with peacocks, flamingos, turtles, monkeys, lizards! Food was great on buffet! Only needed a reservation for Japanese and only had a wait for Italian! Upon checkin Frank was very attentive to our needs and really helped us out throughout the week! We did the Iberostar presentation and were able to upgrade to a room with beach view for only $40. The beach was BEAUTIFUL! Amazing water color and no seafood! The pool was great too! The rooms are a little dated but we were only there to sleep. No room service or beach/pool side bar service. There was often a wait to grab a drink by the pool /beach bar but it didn’t bother us. Have been to many resorts and can tell you the food and service at Iberostar is what keeps us coming back to them!!! Would recommend! Wonderful and relaxing vacation!!

This was our second time at this resort in the past 3 years. Our first trip was shortened due to a flight cancellation so we wanted to have our full vacation. We have stayed at 5 Iberostar's in the past and many others in over 30 years of vacationing. We liked this location as it is a small resort so easy walk to anywhere. My wife and I walked from the beach to the lobby and back in 15min, It has beautiful jungle type grounds with lots of wildlife (including monkeys) and a nice beach. We also are divers and highly regard Dressel Divers, who serves Iberostar properties. My previous review of this properties has many details so I will hit the highlights and differences from the prior visit. Iberostar is now part of the Hilton group so our loyalty program is no more. This also may have brought about a change that now the specialty restaurants no longer require reservations (except the Japanese). This turned out to be nice because you are not limited to how many restaurants you can hit. Getting a table was easy, except the Italian. You had to get there at opening or have a long wait. (Not sure why as others were just as good) The Japanese was only so-so. It is the type where they cook in front of you as many resorts do. Maybe we have done this type so many years it is not special anymore. We also found the buffets to have improved. You do get a lot of the same food each day, but there are also specialty items that change each day which were really good. We only at dinner there once as he hit all the restaurants. Also each day there was something cooked on the beach. The snack bar was not as good as in the past. Mainly just hot dogs, hamburgers and french fries. There was fruit as well. Lines at the two beach bars could get long as it served the beach and the pool. The pool bar was a separate pool and did not get too busy. We were there for spring break and the one annoyance that was the same as last visit is people putting towels or items on chairs all day. (and sometimes not using them) We were at the beach for sunrise and people started then. If you did not put towels or something on chairs by 8AM you were out of luck. Since we were diving most mornings that left us hunting for chairs and hoping to get lucky. There were signs saying not to do this but that did not stop it. There just seems to be a shortage of places to sit during peak travel weeks. We had not experienced it this bad at the other locations. The beach was always being cleaned each morning and you could walk for miles each way. The activity staff was usually around getting things going, but timing was not always consistent if you wanted to join a specific activity. There always seemed to be beach volleyball going on if you like that sport. For diving, the one issue for the mainland side is ocean conditions. Half the week the harbor closed due to rough conditions so no boats could come out. This also meant no watersports. If diving is you primary reason to travel then stay at Cozumel. All the staff was very friendly and polite. Service was great. We are not late night people but things seemed to be quiet at night. We did a beach fire show that was busy but very good Like. The main shows did not seem to get very crowded, but we were done for the night by 9 or 10. The AC in the room worked very well. It has been hit or miss at resorts in the past but seemed to be upgraded. Rooms are simple, but we are only there to shower and sleep. We would recommend Quetzal as a resort on the mainland side unless you want someplace large. Iberostar has a larger resort in the area as well as well as other options.

Stayed at the Iberostar Quetzal for 4 nights in April. Pros: The grounds were beautiful- a gorgeous "jungle" in the center of the grounds that is the home to many well-cared-for animals including lots of peacocks, agouti, howler monkeys, iguanas, flamingos, raccoon, coatis, and more. They even have cat houses! So nice to see the animals being attended to. The grounds were also well-maintained and constantly being cared for. The beach was very clean and security at night was abundant. The Tucan and Quetzal are the same- one is on one side of the jungle and one on the other. The Quetzal seems to be set more back whereas the Tucan rooms are right on the paths/near pool. There are water dispensers on each floor and you receive two large glass bottles in your room to refill/use. There are also plenty of drink dispensers around the pool/beach restaurants so you don't have to worry about fresh water. Many of the restaurant staff seem very friendly and accomodating. Cons: Like others stated- there is a massive lack of lounge chairs at the beach and pool. These were "reserved" all the time. There were only three of us, and we could never find chairs. Many reviews stated this, so I took a beach blanket just in case- thank god I did. This was our only option almost our whole stay! This was incredibly frustrating that I had to lay on the ground all the time. I promised my family a calm vacation without excursions and we couldn't even do that. The only time we could find chairs was after 4pm. And usually one or two then. This place is not for those who want to relax. It is LOUD- everywhere. Loud blasting music at the pool, weddings on the beach with music at night and the shows are right in the middle of the jungle- which was right outside my room until 11pm. (or karaoke during the day!) We couldn't sleep during the day or at night! (PS- I love music and dancing, but to have no reprieve was exhausting) My husband and daughter both got sick from the food too and had a hard time resting when not well. The timeshare pitches are also excessive. Pushed on you when you check in, and anytime you ask the front desk a question. We had several other nuisances and it wasn't a horrible stay, but overall, I would not return. We came home completely unrelaxed, exhausted, and frustrated due to the fact that there was nowhere to lay down and rest.

My kids and I had an amazing time! The beach is clean and the water is turquoise and beautiful! The resort isn’t so big that you can’t find your way around. There is security and I felt safe to let my kids wander. They are 13 and 17. The pools are nice. My biggest shout out is to Monse. She was amazing! She rounded up teens to play different activities and sports. She was inclusive and fun. My son had the most wonderful time with her and the other kids that played. He had the time of his life! He gained so much confidence. It was great! This resort is nestled in a jungle setting. The animals are amazing! One thing I will say is that the walk ways are bumpy and could be a challenge if you have issues walking and almost impassable in a wheelchair. If these aren’t issues for you then it’s great. There are also waterfalls in the resort which is cool. The other recommendation I would make is if you want to splurge on yourself the jungle massage is absolutely the most amazing hour I’ve ever spent! You won’t regret it!