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Buscerias - Mexico

Royal Decameron - Buscerias

Operator and Date: first choice   aug 2006

Opinion submitted in December 2006 by : B. Hankinson Cornwall  ( 44,  43,   15,   9 )

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

After an 8 hour delay, due to aircraft problems we finally got going.First  choice gave us vouchers   (£36 in total) to get food and drinks, and what we had left we could spend on the plane. The flight is long, 13 hours but the in flight entertainment was very good, food good did not pay the extra £200 each for upgrade (£800 total)not worth it in my opinion as the extra legroom in standard class is fine..Return flight was on time and only ten and a half hours.

The hotel is amazing, bigger then shown in the broucher it now has an extra block and another swimming pool and restaurant.

we were in block 4 and it was excellent, right next to the beach a pool and restaurant and away from the night entertainment.

Food was very good with 5 speciality and 3 buffet restaurants. The buffet ones having plenty of choice and had theme evenings aswell.
Of an afternoon the steak bar restaurant served hotdogs, burgers, pizza, chips, so kids and fussy eaters were happy  and a buffet Restaurant was right next door so you can all sit together.
Drinks are a wide choice and a few bars along the beach.

We done a couple of days out. Swimming with dolphins which was excellent.
The other was a trip on a light aircraft (cessna caravan ) 14 seater.went  to two villages in the mountain/jungle. It was expensive but worth the money to see real Mexico, and have real authentic Mexican food.

Rooms were good Huge king size bed in our room and two doubles in the kids room. They had good walk in showers balconys t.v. with a good choice including some american film and news channels. The only niggle is that there is no fridge in the rooms which i think is a must .

WE did not go into Buscerias , tried twice but to hot and came back to fall in the pool. Others who did make it said there is not a great lot there and better off going to Puerto Villarta .

Overall would i recommend it YES
Would i return  YES but in a few years, to many other places to see

I would give this holiday 17/20.
A very enjoyable holiday.

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Royal Decameron Flamingos / Tropical - Buscerias

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - October 2003

Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Rachel & David, West of England (30s)

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Royal Decameron Tropical, agreeing with all the good reports about food, cleanliness, etc. already written. To add something different here are our various comments:

We only had 7 coat hangers provided and twice requested more, but after 3 days went to Wal-mart and got a pack of 10 for about a quid! It is not drinking water in your room, although the rep never pointed this out; a new litre bottle a day is provided and you can refill these from treated water in the machines in the restaurants.

If you had tea in the mornings, different waiters gave it to you differently which was amusing! One waited for you to put the tea bag in the water then poured the milk, one put the milk in the hot water and left you unwrapping the tea bag, etc.!

The dancing shows were very good although some numbers were repeated on different nights.

The hotel money exchange seemed to offer very good rates when we were there, and there's no commission charge either. Our travel agent told us to take mainly dollars which we did but we would have got better value if we had taken all pesos or changed sterling there.

The security guards also tidied up plastic cups and straws left on the beach, you would think people could put them in the bins provided for themselves.

We took the local buses to Puerto Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta and Punta de Mita. It was 5 to 10 minutes walk to the bus stops (cross the main road for Punta) although you need to run the gauntlet of the taxi drivers! Paradise Plaza in Nuevo V. was a nice shopping mall with ordinary shops and no hassle from vendors.

We had a few days of rain and there wasn't much to do then, although they did bring out some board games.

There was some excitement one day as there was an iguana in the 'quiet' pool! A member of staff got a big net and after some chasing it around scooped it out.

On departure day, we were impressed that you can book a room for half an hour  in the afternoon to shower and change.

As a resort, Buscerias village was not really worth looking round, and street vendors hassled you!

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Royal Decameron Flamingos / Tropical - Buscerias

Operator and Date: First Coice - October 2003

Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Kirstin and Tony (25,31)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Well what can I say... this was our sencond visit to the same hotel which says somthing in its self, however this time we choose to get married there, and I must say (soppy as it may sound) it truely was a memorable experience and the best day of my life, totally exceeding expectations.  The tour rep and hotel staff were fabulous always available and always helpful.

As we had been before (2 years ago) we knew what to expect but all the family that came with us for this trip all agreed it was a lovely hotel and area.  The food was good we tried all the a la carte resturants although book quick to avoid disappiontment we were suprised to find that the food did not repeat itself that often considering we stayed for three weeks ( I believe it was a two week rotation).

The hotel is lovely very traditional looking and spotless there is always people cleaning and gardening, and if you look carefully plenty of wildlife geckos iguanas etc.

The beach is nice but gets really hot so we tend to opt for poolside but there is plenty of room, although this isnt always the case a weekends as the locals get weekend passes and can take over the place alittle (we did not experience this first time round).

Small tips do the business and ensure you get served first every time by the barmen.

Try some of the trips, recommend swimming with dolphins, snorkling, and the pont trekking through the mountains and rivers dont worry if you've only ever sat on a donkey your in safe hands, and don't leave before going on the local bus to the end of the bay (or any where for that matter) a once in a life time experience!!!.

The hotel and the area overall is excellent throughlly recommended rest assured we will return for a wedding anniversary!!

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Royal Decameron - Buscerias

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - Oct 2003

Opinion submitted in Oct 2003 by : Amit Panchal - Watford (27 & 26)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion:

I wasnt too sure about what to expect but this is truly a wonderful place to have a relaxing and good value holiday. The flight was very long - 14 hours going there and 10 hours coming back but aside from that the hotel and facilities were very good.

We were in the tropical section in a 1st floor room overlooking the hotel and some of the beach. Rooms are clean and beds very big and also cable TV.

Food was good in the buffet and varied although if you stay 2 weeks then the 2nd week repeats the 1st but not a big problem. The speciality restaurants were also good particularly the Piccolo (Italian)

It was only a 40 min bus ride to Puerto Vallarta which cost about 15 pesos per person which is good value compared to the taxi fare of 150 pesos (7 pounds) unless you are travelling with 4 people I guess.

All in all it is a nice place to go and the people are very friendly. Well recommended and very hot...around 30 degress when we went.

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Royal Decameron - Buscerias

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - September 2003

Opinion submitted in Oct 2003 by : Neil and Melanie Paragreen - Huntingdon ( 39,32 )

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We flew with Air 2000 at the end of september in their premium cabin. This is not the best premuim cabin we have been in and would not recommend it for the extra money. People who had booked extra legroom in economy had more legroom and paid a lot less. The positive bits are on the outward journey you have a quicker check-in, board the plane first and get you luggage quicker. On-board you receive free drinks and a couple of extras like ice-creams. The amenity packs, hand-held DVD's and choice of meal have been scrapped. There is also no guarantee that even as a two you will sit togther. I would recommend pre-booking your seats together and extra legroom and save your money for the trips.

The transfer once everyone is on the coach only takes 20 minutes. Do not be too put off by the drive and the amount of development work the resort is undergoing. On arrival all First Choice guests are checked in at the disco due to the volume of people. Around 3 coaches checked in with us. Thomson guests check in at reception. The disco check in is chaotic.

The hotel is good but definitely is a 3 star complex. The rooms are clean and basic. There are no amenities ie hairdryer, iron etc and remember to pack toiletries as there are also none left in your room. There is satellite TV showing a dozen channels, CNN etc. Most of the brits are allocated to block 4. We changed as did many others on our flight to block 5 which is the quietest despite being nearest to the disco.

Facilities

There are 4 main pools with the adult pool over at block 5. This pool was not used by families at all and generally was quite a friendly pool. The pool bar closes at 6 though, so after this if you want a drink you have to go over to one of the bars by the beach. All pool areas are cleaned daily.

There are 3 buffet restaurants and 4 a-la-carte. As the hotel was under occupied, only 2 buffets were open and the Japenese and Thai were closed with those menus running on alternate nights at the Tropical buffet. Both buffets served different menus. All menus are published outside the internet room at the Flamingos lobby. All a-la-cartes must be booked at the internet room between 8am-12pm. There are 2 sittings 6.30 and 8.30. To be guaranteed 8.30 you need to book by 8.30am. These reataurants are ok and made a change from the buffet. We ate at all of them and had no real complaints.

The only criticism for the restaurants is the service. Some days you would sit for over 30 minutes and not be served. The waiters are not the best but a few of them are very good, usually the older guys.

The entertainment team are ok. The shows are very similar to all the others we had seen in other all-inclusive resorts. The team did work hard though and lots of people took part in both night and day activities.
We did 3 trips. The first was the evening turtle camp. We would definitely recommend this. It really was lovely. You release 2 babies only hours old. The camp is a voluntary agency so much of the money goes to conservation which is nice.

We also did dolphin trainer. This was fantastic. I think the package has changed since so check with the rep. However we spent all day with the dolphins. we did 2 encounters, 1 swim with other guests and 1 swim by ourselves. You also have lots of free time to play with the dolphins and get to know them. We received a certificte, photo, video, t-shirt and assistant trainer cap. This was a great day and well worth it. The final trip was rhythms of the night. This is a night trip. You take  a 90 minute boat ride to Las Caletas and have a meal by torchlight, and watch a tribal show. It is very atmospheric and a good night out. The boat crew are also excellent fun.

Our biggest criticism of this hotel is that from Thursday to Sunday it fills up with locals. They have 6+ per room and really take over the hotel. The waiting staff also will always serve them before you. Other hotels we have been in do this but this hotel goes mad. All of the entertainment etc will change to gear towards them. Also they can be very rude. We heard many stories of people going to get a drink coming back and all of their things chucked on the floor so they could have the beds. The pool in block 5 does not get as full as many of thelocals bring lots of children, so this is worse at the other pools. There is not a problem with sunbeds and you usually could always get one. There is very limited umbrellas, about 8 per pool area so bear this is in mind if you are fair skinned.

Overall we had a good time and we made lots of friends with fellow brits and canadians. This is though a 3 star hotel and do not expect anything more.
First choice are dropping Puerto Vallarta next year as are all other brit companies. So if you do want to go you will need to soon.
The resort is tired and we certainly preferred Cancun as there is much more on offer.

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Royal Decameron - Buscerias

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - May 2003

Opinion submitted in June 2003 by : Jim & Annette - Birmingham (54 & 52)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Absolutely fantastic, highly recommended (although there are one or two downsides)we had a fabulous time.The 15 hour flight is a chore and air2000 767 has cramped seats for long haul, then mexican customs search everyones baggage (in & out),just what you dont need! Transfer time is only 15 mins and a lot of construction is taking place on the highway in between shanty towns, as well as the entrance road to the hotel, but dont be put off, on arrival at the pastel shades ragwash painted hotel, you are greeting with refreshing drinks and given bracelets (for AI) and quite efficiently organised into your room. 

The hotel is a complex of 3 sections -Royal,Tropical,Flamincos, we were in flamicos and the room is quite big with good storage,massive bed - comfortable- small table/2 chairs,big dressing table/mirror,large power shower and toilet area and there is a large separate sink & mirror area. There are 2 beach chairs on a big balcony overlooking pretty & well tended gardens. All the other complex sections were pretty much the same. Does need tea & coffee making facilites and chiller/fridge in the room as there are times when lobby coffee is not available.Air conditioning works well but noisey. Leave regular small tips for the maids who are inventive with flannels and flowers.Towels/flannels/sheets are changed daily. There are 4 pools, the royal pool at the back is the "quiet" pool - no under 16's - mostly frequented by Canadians (who talk very LOUDLY, maybe they are deaf!) the other 3 are just back from the beach, loungers are plentiful but can be reserved by putting a towel on but only supposed to left unattended for an hour. The beach is big enough but is on the narrow side with grey/white sand and has shades and loungers. 

The ocean can be a little rough at times (stirred up sand clouds the water a little) but makes for great boogie boarding and it does get HOT but about 1pm a strong breeze blows. Beach peddlars will politely pester you but a no gracias is enough to get rid of them (Bucerias is cheaper and better haggling cos you can walk away)There are 3 buffet restuarants in the day but only 2 in the evening as the royal doubles up as 2 (wok & jap jap)restuarants that have to be booked (other bookable are piccolo -italian -and the steak house,which is a burger snack bar after 11pm. We had no problems booking any before 9am, piccolo did seem to be popular and can be filled quickly) Food is plentiful and varied although sometimes a little strange(chicken stew for breakfast!)but there is enough choice to suit everyone. We used to wander through each place to find the best choice. Service is usually very attentive and friendly (as are all the staff)but at busy periods waiters can go missing.Flamicos generally the best.

Entertainment is available throughout the day but can be a bit on the butlins side but if you join in it can be fun. Evening show staffs are enthusiastic.

The trips we did are very worthwhile but can be expensive - dolphin swim, rythyms of the night, rough guide to vallata and Las Caletas in the day.

Go to puerto vallarta at night - it bounces with nightlife, but the main bar drinks are very expensive.

Use the local buses, cheap plentiful and an experience.

If you smoke free cigs are available singley at the 3 beachside bars - drinks come in plastic beakers and are not strong and did not seem to make the real mccoy. Sol from bottles is the beer, ok but drink corona when offsite. Cigs in the hotel are comparative expensive double the local shop price which are about 12/14 pesos (80p)per pack. HOWEVER if you smoke cigars take your own/duty free as they are exorbitant and not good. I did find cafe creme for as much as 280 pesos (£19!!!)a pack of 10 - haggled to 100 pesos.

Weather is good in may (80+ degrees)but we were told the rainy season starts in june (not much rain but can be cloudy)tempratures stays the same but gets very humid and sticky.

Overall however for us this place was paradise and is totaly recommended - but outside the hotel mexico is not cheap.

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Royal Decameron - Buscerias

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice.....April 2003

Opinion submitted in Apr 2003 by : Chris Whittaker.....43 & 48

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This was absolutely the best holiday that either of us has ever had. The hotel was terrific, you could not go out at any time of the day or night and not come across someone cleaning something.

The main entertainment venue was far enough away from the main hotel not to be intrusive, and we were very impressed with the coffee in both foyers so you could get a drink whenever you felt like it.

The food was excellent, perhaps a little on the samey side, but very good quality. If you fancy a change, just go to one of the themed eateries. If you need a quiet time, visit the adult pool. It's not what you are thinking, just no-one under 16 allowed. Very peaceful and it is, as they all are, a lovely pool. They are all 4ft 6" at their deepest.

All in all a great time. The local is a bit dusty and poor, but the people are fantastic. If the time share folk in town get to you, say you are English and they wish you "good morning" and leave you alone. Too far away. If you're missing the football or motor racing, go to the Bar Magana down the road towards Buscerias, and they'll put it on for you.

Have a great time, and don't forget to barter...I got my wife a bracelet that came at 430 pesos for 120.It's fun

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Royal Decameron - Buscerias

Operator and Date: Eclipse - Jan/Feb 2003

Opinion submitted in Feb 2003 by : Paul Knight - Tamworth (49,48)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

One of the best holidays with have ever had.

The Decameron complex is rated as 3 star plus by Eclipse ad First Choice, but was better than some 4 star hotels we have stayed in.

The hotel is very clean (always seems to be someone cleaning somewhere). The kitchen staff and some of the waiters/waitresses wear masks which we very impressed about. Food was good, and although the choice was sometimes rather limited, it would be very difficult not to find something to eat.

You have to book for the specialized restaurants, and the Italian was always full by 8am. The others you could usual get into if you went to book later in the morning.

The other negative point was that if you wanted a sunbed on the beach you had to get up very early, on most days they were all saved by 7.30am. Sunbeds round the pools were easier to get, especially around the adults only pool. We had no trouble with insects on the beach which one report has mentioned.

Our room was in the Tropical and was fairly large and clean but a little tatty, the beds and pillows are hard.

The activities and entertainment were on the whole very good, and some of the shows were excellent. We went to the disco on most nights were there where people aged from 16 to 70, and a good range of music was played.

Excursions we went on and would recommend are "the rough guide to Vallarta", the boat trip out to the Islands during which we saw Whales and Dolphins, and the swimming with Dolphins trip.

One of the few draw backs to this holiday was the flight out, we were on the plane for 16 hours. This was due to strong head winds and a refueling stop in the Dominican Republic. The flight home was direct and took only 9 and half hours.

We went with Air 2000, and paid the extra to upgrade to classic premium. It was better than the ordinary seats because you got more leg room, better entertainment and free drinks, but we didn't think it was worth what we had paid. Probably won't bother again.

Hope this report is of some use to anyone going there.

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Royal Decameron - Buscerias

Operator and Date: Lunn Poly - First Choice - Date Not Specified

Opinion submitted in June 2003 by : Bill & Jodie (38,25)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This was the best holiday we've ever had. Although the flight over was long and a bit boring it was well worth it. On arrival in Mexico the heat really hits you. It was 7 o'clock and 32 degree. The transfer to the resort is about 20 minutes on an air conditioned bus. When we got to the resort we were really impressed with the hospitality of the Mexican staff. They are genuine and sincere and very helpful. Nothing is too much of a problem....something you'll get used to as the Mexicans are the most laid back people on the planet. The resort itself is spotless, the food is good, the pools are very clean and you'll always see someone cleaning. whether it's the rooms, the pools or sweeping up leaves around the resort. If you want a quiet time then head off for the adult pool or if you prefer they have a activities pool run by the Mexican entertainment staff. The beach is lovely and clean. You will get people selling you things from silver to hammocks. Always haggle for a better deal, they expect it but always haggle with a smile. They are not a nuisance so don't be put off......it's all good fun.

There is so much I could write about the resort but one thing I would advise is that you use the local buses!!! It will cost you 9 Pesos to get to the centre of Puerto Vallarta and it's a ride you'll never forget.....very bumpy but an absolute must, and it's cheaper than the taxis!

Try and do some trips as well, Vallarta Adventures do a flight to 2 small villages in the mountains called Mascota and Talpa. It's well worth it.....ask the reps about the horseshoe on the plane( it's a 14 seater Cessna)!!

To cap off I will say that we will definetly be going back and Mexico and the people are superb, you will not find a friendlier bunch.

If you have read this and you decide to go this year, tell Jose Luis(Bald barmen)that his England shirt is on it's way(registered)from Bill....trust me he'll remember as he got me a Chivas football shirt!!

Spoil yourselves and go....you wont regret it!

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Royal Decameron Tropical - Buscerias

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - Aug 2003

Opinion submitted in Sept 2003 by : Becci - West Mids (21,23)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This holiday was our honeymoon so we wanted something where we didn't have to worry about money or anything.
We chose this complex because we had previously been the year before and loved every minute of it.
The food was fantastic, with a good range of restaurants and bars to chose from.
The staff were really friendly, and would do anything for you.
The room was cleaned every day and was always cleaned properly.
We never made the evening entertainment as it was always too hot to stay and watch it.
The hotel was directly on the beach so it was in a great location.
There were a number of pools to choose from, we spent most of our time at the adults only one, as it was the quietest.
We couldn't fault this holiday one bit, and I'd definatly recommend it to anybody, there is something for everyone all day and all night.
Definatly well worth the money!!!

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Cabo San Lucas - Mexico

The Chile Pepper Inn- Cabo San Lucas

Operator and Date: Opodo (flights) June-2003

Opinion submitted in June 2003 by : maya garcia-warner

Resort Rating: Poor

Accommodation Rating: Poor

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We planned a dream honeymoon, and it ended up being a nightmare.  We booked with the Chile Pepper Inn (hotelmex website), and booked the flights from London to Los Cabos through Opodo.  Three days before departure we received an email from ANOTHER hotel's manager, teling us that Marcos Kurcera, the manager of the Chile Pepper Inn, has 'done a runner'; stolen all of the guests' deposit money, transhed the rooms and the gardens, and taken off.  So we were forced to cancel the holiday, and only received %50 from Opodo for the flight from London to Mexico City, and nothing back for the internal flight to Los Cabos (also through Opodo).  I was misled by Opodo's customer service agent to think that we would receive a %50 refund on both flights, only to be told by email that that wasn't the case.  I also had to email Opodo, THREE times to re-confirm that we wanted to cancel the flight tickets.  And now our summer will be spent tracking down the owners of the Chile Pepper Inn, and trying to get our money back, and/or suing the hotel company for the full cost of our holiday. (About £1300). Brilliant.  What a dream holiday this wasn't!  I hope no-one was staying at the Chile Pepper Inn when you decided to wreck it and take off with everyone's money.  Whatever you do, DON'T book a hotel unless you know it belongs to the ABTA, or IATA, or do it through your travel agent  or you'll surely get burned.  The only company who acted responsibly through this ordeal has been Capital One Visa.  They've covered us for the hotel, and are tracking down the hotel owners to get compensation for the loss. 

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Cozumel - Mexico

Iberostar Cozumel - Cozumel

Operator and Date: june 2005

Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : 22,19

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This was the first time me and my boyfriend had been anywhere exotic and was really excited when we got there. We travelled on the 15th June 05. 

FLIGHT: The flight with first choice was second to none, staff were brilliant, so much leg room, films on the plane were great, was a great start to the holiday. Just a long flight and it is hard too sleep on any plane!!

HOTEL: We arrived unaware that the buffet area had burnt down and was still oblivious too this until a couple of days into our holiday, has no problems eating at the the 'new' buffet area though, always polite service, the staff at this hotel were second too none they would help in any way possible.
We has a couple of lizards living in our room the first few nights were not a problem but a few days later i was petrified they would fall on my head in the night, we spent hours trying too catch them on our own, but they are fast buggars!! Rang reception and they sent a guy arond fully kitted up in all white and a big net and caught them which was great!!

FOOD: I am a fussy eater and i found the food too be fine, not as much choice as i would have liked but my fella was in heaven 'all you can eat and dont pay a thing!'

We was quite lucky they only flew to cozumel via manchester at the time and we met5 other couples all around the same age and all lived in around manchester which was brilliant, these guys made our holiday what it was, we went out for a noght out in carlos and charlies for a meal in the main town and then went too senior frogs a nightclub it was brilliant definitely going just to see the difference in how the mexicans have fun, they go all out and nake you laugh so much and are so so friendly it is untrue.

ENTERTAINMENT: the entertainment was hilarious the star friends were brialliant so much fun, got everyone involved, didnt pester if you said no it was fine, we made good friends with the star friends so always joined in, the evening shows were so so funny obviously not a professional show but they put in so much effort and really enjoyed themselves.

There was only three things wrong with this holiday, 1 was the first choice rep, she was french repping in a spanish speaking country and could not speak a word of spanish which did not help when my boyfriend got stopped at immigration and they would not let him fly home (really long story!) she would tell you false information, we were told you could visit any iberostar's in mexico so some people we met over there went across to the mainland spent quite abit on ferry's etc then to get there and get told that was not the case at all. 2. The food was a bit all the same and 3. we went in frog mating season so you can imagine some of the wierd sounds you heard but it got amusing after a while and would stop around 10.30 pm so would not keep you awake.

All in all a brilliant hotel, brilliant excursions, staff amazing, rooms lovely, beach and pool amazing. i am definitely planning on going back in the future. Another hotel i would recommend is the iberostar hacienda dominicus in dom rep, absolutely out of this world, once you go to an iberostar you will never go back!! First choice also gave us a holiday voucher to say sorry about the buffet which was an added bonus as it did not cause that much of a problem!! Definitely recommend!!!

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Iberostar Cozumel - Cozumel

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice-june5th-19th 2005

Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : James coppenhall Lisa coppenhall (35 33)

Resort Rating: Poor

Accommodation Rating: Poor

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

My husband and I arrived at the above hotel with high expectations, the brochure description sounded great and for the last few years we have enjoyed the luxury of 4/ 5 Star all inclusive holidays

On arrival the lobby looked lovely and as we were transported to our accommodation by golf buggy the grounds and palapas roofed huts looked just as we imagined they would- that's where the dream ends and instead of the quiet luxury retreat we were expecting we found Butlins in the sun!!

When we got into our room the first thing we noticed was the revolting strong damp, musty smell. All our clothes became damp and the bed sheets always felt damp. We couldn't get anything dry in the room; some of our things actually have mould on them!!
Also, the air-conditioning unit housed above the bathroom ceiling caused condensation and leaking onto the bathroom floor which was always wet and therefore dirty from walking on it. As you sat on the toilet water from the ceiling dripped on you
Now, usually we wouldn't worry too much about the room- after all you only sleep in it. However, at this place the room was one of the only air-conditioned places on the site so we and many other couples had to retreat to our rooms to cool down so it was a big issue. The rooms to me were 2/ 3 star quality

The next thing is the beach; the brochure description states 'powdery white sands' which is incorrect. We were sold this holiday as a beach holiday and the beach and sea is as important to us as the pool area. Imagine our disappointment when we found the sea to be full of rocks and the 'man made' looking beach area held in place by highly visible sand bags making it impossible to get into the sea except off the jetty. This was really disappointing and something that I feel should be made clear in the brochure description so that people who love the beach and sea could immediately rule out the Iberostar

When we checked into our room we noticed that the block of rooms opposite ours were roofless and looked like they needed work. We asked at reception if building work was planned during our stay and were told that it wasn't so we decided to stay in our allocated room and unpack. Two days into our 'holiday' work started on the block opposite and although it wasn't hugely noisy it was inconvenient, around 15 men turned up each morning between 7-8am to work and were there all day, and this meant that we were never able to sit on our deck or enjoy the view.

On the first day of our holiday we noticed a boarded off area to the side of the lobby. We found out later that this was where the main buffet restaurant had burned down three weeks before our holiday. We weren't informed about this before travel or at the welcome meeting. I strongly feel that First choice should have contacted us before travel to offer us the opportunity to change our hotel due to this change to the expected hotel facilities.

Because of the fire the restaurant next to the pool became the main buffet. It was very crowded, no air- conditioning, mosquitoes, flies on the food, people feeding cats at the table and we often had to queue up at the door to get a table. Eating became a chore not a pleasure and we rushed through meals to try and get somewhere more pleasant and cooler (usually our room!)
In the buffet restaurant during the day the staff didn't enfource the dress rules so people were wrapped in towels or dressed only in  bikinis dripping pool water on the food- very appealing!!

I don't know whether it was because of the fire or whether the facilities were so poor anyway, but there was a serious lack of air-conditioned areas at the hotel for eating, drinking or relaxing. To me air- conditioning should be a standard in public areas at a 4/ 5 star hotel. The two specialty restaurants were air-conditioned, but you could only use them twice that's four nights out of 14, although we did find out that some people were slipping the restaurant staff a tip to ensure more nights because they were desperate to get somewhere air-con and away from the 'free for all'  of the main restaurant
After 11pm you could go to the steak restaurant which became a 'disco bar' or the Mexican which became a 'bar' in both areas the seating was hard wooden restaurant chairs around tables. Apart from the air-con there was nothing appealing about either area

During the day and in the evening for the 10 nights that we weren't booked into a specialty restaurant there was nowhere air-conditioned to sit. The lobby had fans and was slightly cooler than other areas so this became the main area for people to sit and drink. The chairs were limited and grabbed as soon as one became free; you dare not get up for a drink or to go to the toilet as your chair would be gone!

The theatre had rows of seats cramped in, no air conditioning and was open air so full of mosquitoes. When the show was on at night the temperature in there was unbearable and the longest we managed to watch a show for was about ten minutes, which is a shame because they looked good

My husband likes to play pool in the evening so we always make sure we choose a hotel with a pool table. We could tell that before the fire the pool tables were situated in the rock bar/ disco because the proper pool table lights were on the ceiling. The tables had been moved to one end of the theatre where the lighting was poor so once it became dusk you couldn't play anyway.

Neither I or my husband has ever complained about a holiday before, you always expect some little niggles, but make the best of things. This holiday however was 'one big niggle' and we are so pleased to be home!

One final thing which didn't affect us because we were already aware of it;
It is an offence to remove coral or marine life from the sea at a marine park. When we stayed in Cuba last year the rep made all of the guests aware of this. This should have been mentioned at the welcome meeting as when we reached the airport many people had there luggage opened and checked at check in and people were receiving fines for having coral/ shells in there luggage

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Huatulco - Mexico

Barcelo - Huatulco

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - May 2006

Opinion submitted in May 2006 by : Becky & Christian, 31, 28

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We really enjoyed our holiday to Huatulco and would recommend it to anyone seeking a relaxing holiday in Mexico.  The reason for lack of reviews by other UK visitors to this area is because our flight was the first UK flight to land at Huatulco and therefore we were the first UK visitors to visit the Barcelo and the 2 other hotels in this area. 

Flight with First Choice was fine, although be warned about the very long queues at Check In at Manchester airport - we arrived in good time to check in for our flight yet First Choice have all their flights checking in in the same queue, we therefore ended up queueing for over 1.5 hours - so get there very early or if you can check in the night before.  Also on the way home you will need to allow for a few hours hanging around the airport as they search nearly everyones luggage by hand and this takes ages & ages !

The hotel is very clean and well cared for and didn't reflect some of the comments we had read by US/Canadian visitors on tripadvisor who had felt it was shabby.  Our room was huge, you could have got 5 adults in our bed !It had a fantastic view over the pool and beach and had a large bathroom.  The maid called more than once a day, we had fresh towels daily, fresh fruit in our room, a chilled bottle of champagne on our penultimate night, 2 mini chocolates left on our pillow every evening and the mini bar was restocked daily. 

There isn't really anything to do outside of the hotel, apart from the very posh golf course or a couple of small shops across the road from the hotel entrance.  It is therefore best to get a taxi (25peso) to La Crucita, where there are shops, restaurants and cafes situated around the main square.  There are also cashmachines here - if you want to change travellers cheques you need to go to the bank before 1:00pm.

Evening entertainment in the hotel was pretty good, there were live shows in the Oxaca theatre which is adjacent to the hotel, the shows last about an hour and were based on Broadway, International or Tropical themes.  We also went to a very funny casino night and a Mexican Gala evening so all in all this was good.  We would have liked some alternative things to do in the evening - such as an outdoor bar area or similar.  There are two bars open in the evening, the Jorongo and the main hotel bar but this bar did get pretty busy.

Hotel is busy on weekends when the Mexican families come to stay, in the week the hotel does have conferences taking place and we did find that on a couple of occasions this compromised the service we got, having to queue for 20 mins to get a seat in the restaurant for breakfast.

Pool area is great, nice swim up bar.  Beach is very clean. Major downside is that you can't swim in the sea as there was a red, no swimming flag, up every day due to the strong current and largish waves by the shore.  We did see people going in to swim but its not recommended and certainly isn't suitable for children.

All in all we had a brilliant holiday, although this was our first all inclusive long haul holiday and some of the more experinced UK long haul holiday makers said it wasn't as good as other hotels they had been to.  However, we had a brilliant time and totally relaxed, weather was very hot and everyone we met was very friendly and welcoming.

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Barcelo Premium - Huatulco

Operator and Date: first choice august  2006

Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : linda douglas hull 45, 40, 10, 7

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

FANTASTIC, second visit to mexico this year, however it was our first visit to the pacific side. Very green lush country. Beautiful hotel, excellent service,great friendly staff predominantly mexican guests few american. Food choice somewhat limited and very mexican orientated rather than american, which was a change to our previous visit to mexico. Would have liked one or two more restaurants to chose from rather than just the two al a carte and the two general ones. 

Felt very confident allowing our 10 year old to attend the sporting activities without us, even the 7 year old got more freedom than we anticipated. Entertainment throughout the day BRILLIANT, staff great with guests of all ages, didnt push activities in your face. Rooms clean, smart, well kept. Beach beautiful however waves rather strong thus difficult to swim in if not the most confident swimmer. Water sports great and fun. My childrens first experience at all inclusive and they loved it. GO IT IS FABULOUS.

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Crown Pacific Resort - Huatulco

Operator and Date: First Choice - May 2007

Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Linda - West Yorkshire (56, 60)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just returned from 2 wonderful weeks at the Crown Pacific Huatulco 15th - 29th May 2007. We got a bargain late deal at half price (£479 each) with First Choice, which for 2 weeks all-inclusive is great value. The flight was barely half full so we could all spread out. My only criticism is that I wish First Choice would provide soft drinks free of charge on longhaul, as it is important to keep up your fluid intake while flying.

We arrived at the hotel and were welcomed with a face towel and drink. The check in was quick and efficient. There were only about 14 of us staying at this hotel, so only needed roughly 7 rooms. We were taken to our rooms by the shuttle bus and our suitcases followed quickly. Our suites were very large and comfortable. Us Brits were all very conveniently put in suites on the 7th level which meant it was only a few steps from back door to swimming pool, bar, and Cielito Lindo restaurant serving continental breakfast, snack lunches and light dinners. We didn't have a fridge, but we could always get an ice bucket from the bar and a cold drink when we wanted one and sit on our terrace with it. In the morning we could get tea or coffee from the restaurant and bring it back to our room or terrace.

It's the best-looking hotel out of the 3 at Tangolunda Beach. It's 3-star, so don't expect luxury, but it has a lovely atmosphere and the staff are so friendly. The grounds have beautiful trees and plants and you can see many iguanas.

There is a shuttle bus running all day round the different levels and on to reception, and also onto the beach club. We never had to wait long and the hotel staff will call for one if you ask. There is also a funicular which although slow does save the walk if it is hot.

Breakfast was always in Restaurant Tamayo on the 2nd level and some nights the buffet dinners were here too. Breakfasts and dinners here are big buffets and lovely food with lots of choice and some food cooked to order. Mexican breakfasts are something else! We also had a la carte here on arrival, which we found to be beautifully presented and lovely food, and service was good and friendly. Lunches every day and dinners most of the week, are at the Beach Club restaurant by the beach. Both are big buffets with loads of choice and some food cooked to order, different food themes each evening and I would like to point out, that all cold food was left on ice. I don't know of anyone that got ill. I have to say that we couldn't fault the service anywhere. The staff was the friendliest I have met anywhere, they were attentive asking if we wanted more drinks every time they passed by, and clearing away our plates whenever necessary, and they like a joke! In fact, we became so friendly with the waiters and waitresses that they hugged us when we left. The entertainment is in the Beach Club restaurant whilst you are eating and the entertainment staff worked very hard. I am not a big fan of entertainment whilst eating, as it is very loud and it was the same shows 2 weeks running, but I think they did their best.

We had 2 problems in our room and both times we told reception and they sent someone immediately to fix it. In fact our blocked toilet got fixed by the time we had breakfast and went back to our suite. Very good service as far as I'm concerned and the reception staff were polite, friendly, and efficient and understood us well.

Lucero runs the bar on the 7th level by the swimming pool. She is excellent and prepares the most wonderful cocktails, speaks good English and is good fun. She actually went to a class to learn how to make different bacardi cocktails while we were there.

There is free internet access in reception - only one computer - but we never had any problem getting on it to send our emails.

The hotel was practically empty so we had no trouble getting drinks, service, etc. However, the Mexican families all come down from Friday to Sunday for a weekend break and then the hotel fills up. There is no problem with this, after all it is their country and they are allowed to go on holiday too. They are the friendliest people with lovely polite children, and if you bother to talk to them and say hola, they love to respond. They like to have a good time and party, but were not overloud in any way.

We never had any trouble getting sunloungers on the beach. However, the sea is rough and the red flag was up most days and one day the black flag too. It is disappointing if you want to go swimming in the sea. My husband likes to snorkel. You have to walk along the beach to the left, to the Gala hotel, where you can go in the water easily and it's not too rough to snorkel. You can also see the fish swimming there and can feed them with bread to see them jump.

Don't book any trips with First Choice because they are too expensive. Also, you can get exactly the same trips with the locals at a fraction of the price and I prefer giving the money to local people. We went into La Crucecita (only £1 in a taxi to the beautiful town) and in the square, or plaza, there is a tourist information booth. The man in the booth sent us to Teresa Lorenzano to book our trips. If you stand in front of the square facing the church, Teresa is down the righthand side of the square, situated in a booth in the front of a shop with tins of paint. She is a lovely lady and we booked all of our trips with her. She made sure that we had an English guide each time and even picked us up one morning to take us to the bay cruise. If you can't find her, ask the Tourist Information man. When some of the others saw that we were going on the same trips but much cheaper, they also went into La Crucecita and booked trips with other agents. They were also very pleased with their trips and service and mostly the lower costs.

We did 4 trips with Teresa. Four of us went on the Crocodiles and Turtles trip. We had a private car with Teresa's brother as our guide, and the trip also included a visit to Zipolite beach and Puerto Angel beach where we had lunch.  We passed the First Choice crowd on the lagoon looking for crocs, and they had paid around £40 each including lunch, whereas we paid £50 for 4 of us in our own aircon car with guide. This did not include lunch, but it wasn't expensive anyway. We saw lots of crocs and beautiful birds, and then went onto Mazunte to the turtle aquarium. They have big open tank laboratories at the back where they breed the turtles to preserve them and return them to the sea.

We also did the Waterfalls and Coffee plantation trip, and again we passed the First Choice crowd on the way. We went with a few Mexican people in a car with a guide who translated into English for us. He even made us sit in front so that he could talk to us. This trip was £15 each whereas First Choice was around £38. Also, it was really nice for us having our authentic Mex lunch at the plantation with the Mexican people, who showed us how to eat the food. We also got to visit the Butterfly House, which was really interesting, whereas First Choice people did not.

We went on the 7 bays cruise with snorkelling and a visit to Maguey beach for lunch (not included) at a cost of £7.50 and had a great day out. (First Choice £28!) We were the only English people on the catamaran, but one of the boat staff came and translated everything into English for us. The Mexican people love to party and they were line dancing on the boat to the music. It was great fun.

And Teresa arranged for us to go birdwatching one morning with a guide (£12.50 each, First Choice £25 each). He spoke excellent English and took us to a jungle area near La Bocana at 7 am, and we spent a few hours looking at wonderful birds. He provided binoculars, charts and fruit for breakfast, which we ate at a high point overlooking 2 wonderful bays and the Copalita River.

We visited La Entrega beach ourselves by taxi. This is a lovely beach, great for snorkelling, but try to go in the week when it's quieter. The Mexicans descend on it at the weekend. While we were there we met GilbertoAlegria who told us about his boat for fishing and bay trips. We hired him to take us fishing one morning. It was £50 for 4 hours for just my husband and myself. This was the cheapest price as most of the locals were quoting £80-£100. He was very good and picked us up at our hotel in his brother's old banger and took us to Santa Cruz where we picked up his boat. He provided the rods and bait, and he had a young lad to help him. I just went for the ride, and my husband caught bonita and mahimahi. Gilbert filleted the fish for us and dropped us off right on Tangolunda beach in front of our hotel. We took it straight to the restaurant and they agreed to cook our fish for us for lunch on that day and the next day free of charge. The kitchen not only cooked it to perfection but also presented it on the plate with vegetable flowers and small mounds of rice and it looked wonderful. Needless to say we tipped the cook who had really put a lot of effort into it. She did the same the next day too with a different presentation and it was delicious.

All in all we've had a wonderful holiday. Huatulco is a beautiful place, very safe, wonderful people, and lovely beaches. The Crown Pacific is a really good 3 star hotel. The food was very good and plentiful and drinks were always available. We were well looked after by extremely friendly staff. The other British people that stayed at our hotel were the loveliest bunch and we all got on extremely well. We would definitely recommend this hotel, as it's a lovely place to stay in a beautiful country.

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Gala Beach Resort - Huatulco

Operator and Date: First Choice - October 7th 2006

Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Eamon O'Hanrahan - Newcastle upon Tyne (48,48,54,56,,57,59,59,60.),

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Our party of 8 flew by First Choice Airways from Manchester and left on time. The flight was excellent with all leather seats with extra leg room, very good on board entertainment and excellent food.We arrives at Huatulco airport and the passage through was very quick. The journey to our hotel took 25 minutes and we wre greeted by staff dressed in traditional costumes and friendly smiling faces. Thr hotel complex was absolutely fantastic. It is 5 star deluxe and the staff are the most friendliest, helpful set of people I have encountered. There is nothing they wouldn't do for you and anything you wanted, be it room service, an iron, extra pillows, it was there in minutes.

The hotel is exceptionally clean and well laid out. Every one of the 5 pools were very clean and the jacussie was wonderfull. The food in all the restraunts was marvelous, with exceptional choice, well presented and always hot. There is a theme night every night ranging from Chines, itaian, mexican, Country, so there is something for everyone.The drinks ere good with branded spirits as small or large as you like, as often as you like. The cocktails were also great. The staff work tremendously hard al day long to provide entertainment and one woould never be bired as there is so much to do daily, or just relax on your sunbed and soak up the hot sun. the staff come around the complex all day serving drinks so you don't have to move to quench your thirst.The shows at night are fabulous and last about 1 hour.The staff are very fit and put so much energi into them. The local town of La Chichechita is a short taxi ride away and costs about £1.10 30 pesos with tip.It is a typical mexican town with plenty of bars, restraunts, banks, shops and a good market. The people are very friendly and you can barter without causing offence.

Overall, all of the party agreed that it was the best holiday we had experienced and we have been to most of the continents in the world. The service, facilities, staff, food, entertainment and everything else was first class and we would not hesitate to go back or recomend it to anyone. In fact we hope to go back within the next two years. Absolutely fabulous.     

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Mayan Riviera - Mexico

(see also Riviera Maya)

Aventura Spa Palace - Mayan Riviera

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - April 2005

Opinion submitted in May 2005 by : Darren & Lisa - Bournemouth (26, 25)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion:

We have just returned from our homeymoon at Aventura Spa Palace.  This resort is by far the most amazing place we have ever been to.  Fantastic accomodation, great food, brilliant staff.

If only we could afford a holiday like this every year!!

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Aventura Spa Palace - Mayan Riviera

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - 2005

Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : richard & louise

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

we had our room broken into and a very expensive camcorder & ipod stolen plus the security was non exsistent! they would not move us rooms after the break in ,or contact the police for help. now . . .apart from all that  wsh i still had the camera to remember this amazing holiday - the staff are really nice but if your partner has even a hint of blonde hair then you`ll constantly be stared at & every time you leave her side another waiter or chef is trying to talk to her of offer her food - which becomes ver very annoying after a while , the excursions were ammence especially theatv `s . - the night out we had on my birthday was quite good as you get to meet other holiday makers from other palaces and it was a great night ( waqtch the tequila !!!)

weather was roasting
food was . . . .ok
we paid around 2000 each for this trip
it was worth about 5000 .

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Aventura Spa Palace - Mayan Riviera

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - July 2004

Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : A Buckley - Staffs (27,30)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This was the most fantastic hotel that we have ever been to and I would highly recommend it to anyone. We went there for our honeymoon and loved every minute.

The Hotel is split into two sides, Aventura side and Spa side (Spa is the quieter side) and there is a bus service that takes you from one side to the other - it is that big. I would definately recommend asking if you can have a room on the aventura side because it is a bit more lively.

The rooms are lovely and big and you have a double jacuzzi and massive shower that you can fit twenty people in - if you wanted to!! I saw on review sites before we went, that the jacuzzis had a horrible brown gunge coming out of the jets, but that is rubbish. True, there is a brown gunge, but it is basically your suntan lotion coming off. If you shower before you get in, it is lovely and clean!!

The spa side is definately quieter, but it is nice in the day for sunbathing. And you have to try the spa facilities which is really nice and relaxing and pure luxury. The food is lovely and there is loads of choice. We had a dodgy tummy a couple of times, but we were sure it was the ice in the drinks.

We loved it so much here that we are going to go back for our first anniversary!!!

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Aventura Spa Palace - Mayan Riviera

Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours - june 2004

Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : maureen, james (21,32)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We came here for our honeymoon and it was fantastic would come back again if we could afford it. Great food with plenty choice. staff  very friendly and always ready to help.

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Aventura Spa Palace - Mayan Riviera

Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours - June 2004

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

A fantastic child free hotel (over 18's only) that offers excellent food (steak, meat, fish, pasta, chinese etc), drink (internationally branded) and entertainment.

Rooms were large, clean and have a private jacuzzi. Room service is availiable 24hrs a day for free!

The pool is massive and spotlessly clean. Beach (or lagoon) is ok but beware it does not have proper sand and is full of little sharp stones.

We had a fantastic holiday here and would recommened it to anyone!

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Aventura Spa Palace - Mayan Riviera

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - May 2004

Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Sue, Wayne (26, 28)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This hotel was excellent.  The rooms were cleaned daily and the hotel staff were very friendly.  The food was nice with 7 restaurants to choose from, although the non-airconditioned restaurants did have a few flys.  To sum up we would go back here tomorrow if we could afford it.

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Aventura Spa Palace - Mayan Riviera

Operator and Date: Cresta - August / September 2003

Opinion submitted in Sept 2003 by : M - 26 and J - 29

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just come back from paradise.  

This resort is beautiful and the rooms are great all with double jucuzzis.
When we arrived we had champagne in the large reception and we were taken to our room on a golf buggy.  The rooms are lovely and big with walk in showers that are massive and a double jucuzzi in the corner of your room. It was always very clean with towels made in to various shapes each day and your beds turned down at night. The mini bar is restocked every other day and there are optics on the wall. What with wonderful waiter service whereever you are in the hotel you will never go thirsty or hungry. Room service is included 24 hours a day and all food you eat from breakfast to dinner is wonderful and so well presented.  

The staff are fantastic and can not do enough for you.  They work so hard. This was our honeymoon and I can't wait to return to this hotel.  We had a honeymoon night a few nights after we arrived which was spectacular with a champange reception followed by a dinner in the ballroom that had been set up like a wedding reception, we met lots of people and loved visiting all the resturants and bars.  Overall I would reccommened anyone to go here.  The added bonus of no children was great when you are on your honeymoon. We had two trips included to Chitchen Itza and Tulum and both were great days out.  When you stop at the shops to buy souviners you will have to haggle to get the prices down, we found things were cheeper in the hotel gift shop which is quite rare.

You don't need to take beach towls as they are provided for you around the pools and beach and every room has a hairdryer and iron, so there is less to pack.  Beware though on the way back to England you will have to pay excess backage at 5 dollers a KG.  I was 7 kg over - packed too many shoes. This was heaven and we had a wonderful honeymoon

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Aventura Spa Palace - Mayan Riviera

Operator and Date: (JMC Discounts) JMC July 2003

Opinion submitted in Jan 2004 by : Jennifer and Daniel Tremain ( 24, 24)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We went to Aventura Spa Palace July 2003 for our honeymoon and were over the moon with our choice.
We were spoilt for choice between this hotel and Moon Palace but were told by another couple who we met out there that Aventura was much nicer than Moon Palace, they had stayed 1 week in each.  One major difference is that Aventura is an adults only resort which was particularly nice for our honeymoon.

I cannot recommend this hotel enough, the people are fantastic and will do anything for you.  The rooms are amazing, every effort is made to make you feel welcome, the food is top quality with plenty of choice at every meal time - I have never stayed anywhere like it my life.

If you are into beauty treatments etc then you are able to take advantage of the spa treatments at the hotel.  None were included in our holiday with JMC although some other guests who booked with other operators had theirs included.  The treatments are fairly expensive but from what I heard were very nice.

The weather was lovely, tended to be very sunny in the morning with the odd cloud here and there in the afternoon, wasn't really a problem though as it is very hot and was a welcomed break from the sun.  There's not an awful lot of shade around the pool so you have to get up early to secure a bed with a brolly.  However down at the beach there are plenty to go round.

One thing that did amuse me was the authorities at Mexico airport actually manually go through every suit case when you arrive and depart.  By this I mean that you have to open your case and the staff sift through your belongings to make sure you are not carrying meat and dairy produce into / out of the country.  Not so much a problem on the flight in but not so pleasant on the way home with a case of dirty washing!!

We only did 2 trips as there are plenty of things to do at the hotel.  Xel-Ha was lovely, this is an eco park where you can snorkel and see some huge fish, generally wander around and see the beautiful scenery.  This was only about 30 minutes on the coach from our hotel and an enjoyable and affordable day out.

If you have booked your holiday here already then you wont be disappointed.  If you are considering a holiday to Mexico this place comes with the highest recommendations

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El Dorado Royale - Mayan Riveria

Operator and Date: (MyTravel Direct) My Travel - 2007

Opinion submitted in April 2007 by : Kerry (30) & Warren (41) - Cheshire

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

If you have read with horror some of the reviews, below is a brief overview of our week out there.

We stayed in the Jacuzzi suite with garden views (the cheapest) and it was absolutely fine. The Casitas did look beautiful but I wouldn't pay the extra unless it was for a special occasion as our room was great.
An ocean view would be nice, but as the gardens are so beautiful you don't feel as though you've missed out.
 
I'm quite easy going so when it came to booking the restaurants I asked for around 8pm and let our concierge book whatever was available - as long as we got to eat in the places we wanted i wasn't too fussed in which order to be honest.
The food is definitely A La Carte with small portions in some cases but just order more - we ordered four starters instead of the normal two so we could sample more of the foods - there's no problem with that!
 
We had a great time (even if it did rain for three days out of the seven!)
 
The only problem with the resort is that it is very remote and a long distance from Cancun and Playa del Carmen and the trips to both are during the day.  If you want to stay later in Cancun you need to get a cab which can cost about $70 dollars in some cases!!!
 
Tipping is NOT expected but I find if you're getting great service then why not, they get paid so little that they deserve it.
 
Tip
If you do decide to stay in the garden rooms try and stay in room 1115 (our room)  the path behind is a short cut to the Casitas for the buggies and you'll find lots whizzing by all the time!
 
I hope this has been of use.

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El Dorado Royale - Mayan Riveria

Operator and Date: First Choice - July 2006

Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Alison & David Finnigan (24 & 25)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

WE went to the El Dorado Royale for our honeymoon theis year.  

The resort and service is absolutely first class.  The food is out of this world and would put Gordon Ramsey to shame.  We were there for a week before we discovered another part of the resort called La Fuentes which has its own restaurant and large swimming pool and swim up bar.
We were unhappy with our concierge who adv us only to book a couple of nights meals then come back for the rest of the weeks allocations yet when we did this there were no reservations left except at 5pm and 10pm.  Our advice is book for the week once you get there, The Mexican is very popular and also the smallest and gets booked up fast and the Italian and Oriental are also very good.  The Cocotal (Maoin restaurant) is big and always has spaces as does Jojo (Carribbean cuisine)

There is a free bus into Puerto Del Carmen every night where is worth a trip to pick up souvenirs and duty free.  There is also a free bus into Cancun but we never went on this as it runs during the day and we thought it would be far too hot.  The staff in the hotel cannot do enough to help you, and are very friendly.
Room service can be very slow, up to an hour and the menu is quite limited.  The breakfast is the main reastaurant was vast and included, smoked salmon, bagels, cold meats and cheese, english muffins, bacon, sausage, eggs, pancakes, fruit, omlettes

I would definately recommend this hotel and would returna gain as I thought the resort, staff, food and facilities were fabulous

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El Dorado Royale - Mayan Riveria

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook Apr 2006

Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Caroline and Simon (31,33)

Resort Rating: No rating

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The El Dorado Royale is a fantastic resort we spent an excellent two weeks there at the start of May.  We enjoyed it so much we have booked to go back again next year, this is very unusual for us and we haven't done this before as we like to try new places. We are treating ourselves and upgrading to a Casita for our return visit.
We were in an ocean view room which was a good size and had a jacuzzi and the hammock on the balcony was perfect for relaxing on.

There are 7 restaurants in the resort, all of which you had to book, we had no problems in getting bookings and booked for the first 7 nights first and then the second week when we had tried all the restaurants, we got the times we wanted and had no bad meals, our favourite would be a toss up between the oriental and the italian.

I wouldn't hesitate to reccommend this hotel and can't wait to go back next year!

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El Dorado Royale - Mayan Riveria

Operator and Date: March 2005

Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Tim Iwanejko - Sheffield (43,45)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We decided on this hotel as it was on a special deal at the time. We payed around 1200 each for a five star all inclusive. Our accomodation was a garden view type which had a seperate lounge area and a jacuzzi in the room.There was also a tv, minibar, safe, walk in seperate shower along with a magnificent bathroom. The bed was almost seven feet wide and there was a ceiling fan and air conditioning. Included in the balcony furniture was a hammock.

This hotel is has got to be the most luxurious i have ever stayed in, and indeed it is luxurious. There are about six or seven restuarants in the evening and we tried them all as you had to pre-book reservations up to 3 days before. As you can imagine the resturants were all top notch too. Our favourite was the buffet resturant which was used for breakfast but became a speciality resturant in the evening. We found the waiters to be more personal and down to earth. 

We also visited the asian resturant around three times as well. There weren't many Brits in this hotel, as most people seemed to be either americans or canadians. After our choice of many varied breakfast options, we would go and relax on the Hotels private beach, or lounge around one of the eight or nine pools.One of the bug bears i do have though is that there is a part of this hotel with select accomodation (Casitas) and although access is not restricted, any use of the beach or pools in that area is only for those who are staying in that accomodation.

Try the health bar and pool for a choice of fruit smoothies and different plates of fresh fruit to eat.
In the evening the Martini lounge is an excellent place to start the evening if your still sober after helping yourself to the numerous bottles of chilled champagne that is available in the lobby. What a lobby, must be 500sq mtrs, with a huge water feature in the middle.
When you change your money, do so at the bank or exchange as the hotel will give around 25% less pesos for your pounds or dollars or cheques.

We went on a few trips, Pirate ship - was a lobster meal on a pirate ship with a pirate duel, drinks etc. It was ok but we were the only brits there among half a ship full of spaniards.
Xcaret - was a good day out apart from the rain, and we decided to return early and missed the best bit. would like to do the full day again next time, recommend this

Swim with the dolphins - Excellent half day out and once in a lifetime experience, Though i thought it was expensive at 125 dollars each, the video was an extra 49 dollars but well worth the purchase. If you can't play it when you get back make sure you have a dvd that will play dvd+/- and is multi region.
speed boats in cancun - drive your own speed boat along the lagoon and into the ocean where you disembark, and put your snorkel on and go snorkelling, dont forget your under water camera, about eight pounds. Then drive your boat back - recommended.

Our holiday was an airtours prestige holiday, which meant we had additional luggage 30kg, pre booked seats and vip lounge at airport. excellent package, vip lounge was fab - that in itself must have saved us around 50 pounds in the cost of drinks and food at the airport.
SO IF YOU WANT ABSOLUTE LUXURY IN MEXICO - PRESTIGE - EL DORADO ROYALE
We've already booked for next year!!!

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El Dorado Royale - Mayan Riveria

Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours -  August 2004

Opinion submitted in Apr 2005 by : 25 , 27

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We went to this hotel for our honeymoon and I don't think that we could have picked a better place. It was absolutely perfect. The most relaxing holiday you can have, with no children!!

When we arrived we were blown away by the entrance foyer, with fountains, fresh flowers it was gorgeous, and we were given champayne on arrival too. Once we had checked in we were taken to our room on a golf buggy, via all other parts of the resort, a mini tour.

As it was our honeymoon we upgraded to a Casita Suite, a bit more expensive but I would definately recommend it. We had a hammock on the balcony, jacuzzi in the room, outside shower, it was fantastic. All of the Casitas are arranged in semi circles in a seperate part of the resort, where there is a pool with a swim up bar between about 10 rooms. This was fab, as a lot of people go to the beach so on occasions we had the pool completely to ourselves for afew hours.

The beach was beautiful, with clear blue sea, and if you got up early enough to get one there are actual beds on the beach to chill out on.

The resturants catered for even the fussiest of eaters and there was plenty of choice - italian, oriental, carribean, mexican,and international.
I would recommend the italian, it was definately our favourite. Honeymooners also got a free romantic candal lite beach meal, the food was quite fancy for this, but the setting was gorgeous.

The staff were great and the hotel was maintained to a very high standard. We would recommend this resort to anybody, if you choose this resort you will not be disappointed.

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El Dorado Royale - Mayan Riveria

Operator and Date: Tradewinds- Oct 2003

Opinion submitted in Feb 2004 by : Mark Bailey (24,27)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

First recommendation, if you can do it.  Upgrade on the plane, the journey is long and the extra leg room that you get upgrading is well worth it.
When we arrived at the airport have a pen handy, several forms need to be filled in, for immigration and customs purposes.

The eldorado royale, first thing we noticed as we got to the complex was a big building site, adn we both said to each other "hope we are not next to that".  We were greeted with a glass of bubbly and an aircon reception room, where you do the painless process of checking in. Be warned, there is time share people lurking in this hall, they call themselves some fancy name, but at the end of the day they will invite you to come and claim your free gift vouchers,but to do this you must go on a tour of the complex and get hassled a bit into buying a time share.  When i told the rep that i couldnt go on the trip around she got a bit arsey with me (obviously she was on commision). 

Eldorado royale is lovely complex, we had opted for ocean view room, we were taken by golf cart to our room, and guess what it was next to the building site.  complained to the reception (after an 11hour flight i was well in the mood for an arguement) was told the only way to move was to upgrade, which we did.  After that we were fine the rooms are well equiped (even if aircon is very loud when on) american TV, phone and hot tub, drink all you can fridge.  

The complex is well spaced out and very clean (the staff seem to take pride in their jobs).  There is either 4-5 al a carte returants which you have to book a couple of days in advance,and also a resturant that needs no booking.  I found after about 4 days of al a carte i was dying for something plain, the steak house did the trick. we liked the pool, the fact that you have a beach on your door step with a coral reef, if you have never tried snorkelling or are not a very good swimmer this is the place to try it, i spent many hours floating about watching the fish dart in and out of the coral, very pleasent.  We recommend the day out to Tulum, but take a hat and lots to drink because their is not muach shade and it was very hot when we went.  

My gripes
1) Time share- however it is wrapped it is still time share
2) Americans- either we were not nice to talk to or because  we were not yanks we did not get spoken too.  It seemed as though americans would meet and go "hello, im from texas" "hi im from iowa" and then they would be best of buddies and talk for hours as if they were neighbours, i thought the novelty of being british would of worked but nothing. very rude.
3) the pool staff- bless them but they did have the music really loud, and unecessary speedo's on.
4) the tour to tulum stops off at a little outlet store, wacth out, dont toucha nything or pick it up or someone will pounch on you.

Apart from those i would go again, but i dont think Eldorado is for us, it was too cut off and you couldnt get away from the complex.

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El Dorado Royale - Mayan Riveria

Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours - June 2003

Opinion submitted in Apr 2004 by : Allison & Colin (34, 33)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion:

Best holiday I have ever been on and I've been to plenty of far away places. Hotel is located on a beach about 20 minutes from Cancun.  Once in your hotel you do not leave unless you are going on a trip.

Hotel was fabulous in every respect and the staff very pleasant.  First time all inclusive and really good value.  Choice of five restaurants including japanese, italian, mexician and grill which were all top class. Hotel is adults only and is the perfect location for a romantic and chilled out holiday. before leaving I tried several beauty treatments in the Spa which left me coming home totally refreshed and my skin re-hydrated after the hot sun.

Spent lazy days around the many pools and the beach and great nights enjoying good food and drink, followed by nightly entertainment in main bar.

Went on full day trip to Tulum (really interesting for history lovers and beautiful scenery) and Xel-car natural park.  Had my first snorkelling experience which was brillant!  Never bothered with Cancun as it seems to tacky for me.
 
I never go to the same destination twice as I want to see as much of the world as possible but for the first time ever, I would consider going back to this hotel.
If you need to shop take the courtesy bus trip to Cancun or Playacar.

The only downside is Cancun airport!! No airconditioning and no scanners!! Every single bag and suitcase is hand opened for inspection both coming and going. Takes several hours before you get to your coach!! Also, only went for 7 nights but think 10 would be perfect.

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El Dorado Seaside Resort - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: First Choice - June 2007

Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : Steph Graham, Sunderland (34, 37)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Spent two weeks being completely pampered and looked after at the Seaside Suites.  An excellent adult only complex that I would, and already have, recommended to anybody wishing to go to Mexico to relax.

Firstly, the rooms were large, very clean (cleaned everyday) and very comfortable.  We booked a jacuzzi junior suite (the basic) which had the largest walk in shower we have ever had at any accommodation.

The gardens were beautiful and well tended to, every member of staff said "hola" as they passed.

The restaurants, five in total, were all a la carte dining on an evening and all provided superbly presented and delicious food.  Vida was the only restaurant that did not require a reservation but a small wait to be seated was worth it when the food arrived!!

The evening entertainment was fine although we were quite happy to have a quiet drink at the bar and watch from afar.

The entertainment team were around if you wished to join in activities during the day or on an evening but were not pushy in any way.  Special hello to Lalo!!

Overall I could not fault this resort and after staying at a Sandals resort in Jamaica two years ago, I would not book another Sandals holiday in a hurry.  The Seaside Suites offered a far superior standard of accommodation, food and services.

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El Dorado Seaside Resort - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: First Choice Nov 2006

Opinion submitted in November 2006 by : Steve and Lyn - Portishead ( 50,47)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Just returned from El Dorado Seaside Suites.

First we'll do the not so good bits
1 Weather, not really a lot you can do about this but make sure you check the time of year carefully.  Most brochures give you the average.  we arrived in a torrential downpour which lasted the whole day and the weather was very varied for the first week. To be fair the weather turned out glorious the second week.
2 Resturant services can be extremely varied.  We never had any bad food but the table service was erratic.  You have a choice of resturants but if you go back to the same one and get served by the same waiter the standard of service varied.  We went to the Asian resturant one night and we were served within 10 minutes.  Same resturant Same Waiter some 2 days later waited nearly an hour to get served.
3 First Choice advertise this as exclusive to them.  Do not believe that there are only British people at the resort.  the British are in the minority.  We met many really nice people from all over the world but some of the evenings were spoiled by loud, in your face americans so be warned.
4 Building Works are going on and some 60 new apartments are being built for First Choice which should increase the percentage of Brits here.  Downside is the noise of the construction and the fact that at present when the resort was full you struggled to find a space at Breakfast and on the Beach.  They will never deal with another 120 people unless they change their strategy.
5 Timeshare.  You are warned on the bus about it on the way to the hotel and throughout the holiday it does not stop.  Phone calls to the room and pamphlets left on the bed. Even when you are booking your evening meals you can get the hard sell.  It spoils it.

Anyway thats the not so good bits
The Great bits
1 Upgrades on the flight, Went Premier with First Choice and it can only be described as superb.  Great start and finish to the holiday
2 The resort is beautiful.  It has its own Private Beach which is cleaned every day.  Sea was clean and clear
3The room was excellent and had all the facilities that you would expect in a resort of this type.  Huge Bed, Massive Jaccuzzi and shower room and less than a minutes walk to the beach.  Cleaned every day and bedding changed every day.
4 Food was excellent wherever we went. Favourite evenings were probably in the Mexican.  Make sure at the end of the meal you order a Mexican Coffee its great watching them prepare it.
5 walk around the resort. You can walk along the jetty and feed the fish.  You can walk along to the next resort and see turtles nests.  You can also walk into the Mangroves where you can see loads of exotic birds and butterflies
6 Snorkelling is great.  Although most of the coral appears to be recovering from last years hurricane there is a fair amount of fish to be seen.  We saw stingray and parrotfish.  If you go out to the reef you can see sharks.
7 Kayaking is great and its all free.  All you do is sign out and its yours for as long as you want.
8 Bars are fantastic.  Never really had trouble gettng served even when it was busy.  The 2 main bars are swing bars which is a great way to relax and enjoy a cocktail.
9 Collectivos ( Mini Buses ) are the easiest ways to get around.  Just walk up to the main road and they stop for you.  Only 2 dollars as opposed to the 40 dollars they wanted for a Taxi because there was 5 of us.
10 Trips.  The only trip we went on was the Coba Mayan Jungle trip. We had a walk through a jungle and saw Spider Monkeys.  We climbed a pyramid which did not look high until you completed the steep climb to the top.  The challenge was to get back down again!!!  We then went swimming in underground caves and then lunch.  The final part of the trip was a visit to a Mayan Village.

Overall its a great place to relax but the shine was taken off the whole vacation by the timeshare hardsell. In future we will be avoiding any resorts which are part of the Karisma group. 

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El Dorado Seaside Resort - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: First Choice   Oct/ Nov 2006

Opinion submitted in November 2006 by : Norma and Peter Bracegirdle (56,64)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We had a fantastic holiday here - The best ever ! The one horrendous down side was an eight hour delay at Manchester going out due to technical problems with the aircraft.
When we were finally airbourne the flight was the most comfortable long haul that I have ever done - better than British Airways . Lots of room and individual tv screens for films,radio,television clips and interactive games.

We had no problem on arrival at the airport . we didnt have our bags or suitcases searched either inward or outward . Make sure you are not overweight or you will definately be charged on the return journey.

Checking in was easy and we were greeted by a gkass of sparkling wine , cases were taken care of and we were taken to our rooms by golf cart.With our delayed flight we arrived in the middle of the night and the Conscierge urged us to order food from room service as soon as we were settled in . we took his advive and cooked food arrived promptly as ordered. Room service 24 hrs is included at this place.

Our suite was fantastic . We had a first floor suite with sea view a few yards from the hotels private beach. To the rear was a small swimming pool with a swim up bar open during the day.
Our bed was  a huge four poster facing a large screen T.V. and a D.V.D. player.We had a small fridge filled with beer , water and soft drinks.A walk in shower was installed in the bathroom .In the lounge area we had a Jaccuzi for two , table ,chairs and coffee maker. The balcony was equiped with rocking deckchairs , small table and swinging hammock.We also had a hairdryer , big magnifying mirror, a safe , and an ironing board and iron.

The grounds are beautifully planted with coconut palms and exotic shrubs.Everywhere was guiet and peaceful.
Near to each block of suites you will see gazebos with a concierge sat at a desk with a computer . Here you can book your evening meals to save you going to the Main Lobby. Dinner is a la carte and you can choose from Mexican , Italian , Oriental and International. We tried them all and couldnt decide which one we liked best!The food is amazing . the portions are not huge so order several courses if you are very hungry. The presentation and service is wonderful. We found that as time went on we preferred to eat later as after eating we felt really lethargic and were heading back to our room too early!

Breakfast could be eaten outside or in the restaurant and you could choose buffet or a la carte . Make sure you try the 'Champagne'at breakfast --gives you a real buzz!I recommend the eggs benadict they are delicious. A cook will fix your eggs any way you like and you can ask for bacon too even if you dont see it on tha buffet, However it is very well done as they serve it in America so if you dont like it that way ask for it rare .

Lunch can be informal outside -pizza cheeseburgers and fries etc or you can eat in the restaurant a la carte or at the buffet . The buffet had chicken or fish cooked to order and a selection of hot vegetables a salad bar and fresh tropical fruit.

The sea is very shallow and on a reef so ideal for snorkelling . The equipment is provided also canoes or pedaloes.
They have fabulous double four poster beach beds which are in great demand some of them swing backwards and forwards . if you fancy one of these you should put your beach towels on them to reserve them as early as possible. We got one almost every day.
The entertainment is very low key . The bar has big double swings around it and they are very relaxing .
It is definitely a relaxing resort you will not find a wild party atmosphere here at all.It is so laid back it makes you feel lazy .

Normally I like a more active holiday and I had doubts at first that I would be bored after the first week.
we did one full day trip to Coba in the jungle to see the ruins and visit a typical mayan village dwelling. we enjoyed this but on the whole found the organized trips rather expensive.
We went into Playa Carmen twice , once for shopping and once to take the ferry over to Cozamel. We went in a local Collectivo  a mini bus holding  about a dozen people which the locals use . it was very easy you just walk out of the complex to the highway and wave as one passes and they pick you up . Tell the driver your destination and pay  as you get off.Very cheap fixed fares .You have to go to Playa for shops as there is not a big selection at the gift shops on the complex and nothing immediately outside.

You can walk along tha beach if you want exercise as far as the next complex or even further if you want but will have to retrace your steps as ther is nowhere else to go on foot.If you do decide to use the local transport remember you have to walk the length of the driveway in and out of the complex - not good in the pouring rain! Taxis pick you up and drop you off at the lobby but the trip costs about 18 U.S. dollars one way. You can pay in U.S. dollars for more or less everything including tha local buses so dont really need Pesos .
All the staff were brilliant and we tipped at each meal although many people didnt. We also tipped our room cleaner a few times each week. They do such a fantastic job and dont get paid a lot .
The big bonus is this is an adult only place - no  kids and absolutly everything is included so you dont need to spend much money.

I must stress though that it is very laid back , quiet and relaxing . Not a party place at all . I didnt get bored with it it seened to get me into its spell somehow . I have never been so relaxed in my life and would be tempted to go back again . If this sort of holiday appeals to you go for it! You will feel like a millionnaire.

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Gran Bahia Principe - Mayan Riveria Resort

Operator and Date: First Choice - January 2007

Opinion submitted in January 2007 by : Turner - Shrewsbury (52, 64)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Just returned from a fabulous 2 week holiday at the Bahia Principe, fantastic hotel, could not fault the service or the cleanliness.  Although we had only booked a standard room we were put in a premier room (Junior Suite) in Coba Premier.  Maid, Jorge, was great, we had a different towel animal nearly every day!

Food was great, lots of choice, Al a carte restaurants were mostly good but we didn't like the Mediterranean.  Gourmet in Coba was great - we went twice!.  Only downside was could only eat in certain al a carte restaurants as they said Tulum was full and their restaurants could only be booked by Tulum guests.

Went to Tulum, Playa Carmen and Xel-ha on the local transport, the Collectivo, only 2 dollars and always transport waiting, just catch hotel transport to Hacienda and walk 50 yards to main road.
No need to take ANYTHING (except swimsuit) to Xel-ha if you go all inclusive, towels, snorkel, mask, fins and all food and drink included ($20 returnable deposit for snorkel gear).

Best beach at Coba/Akumal but still rocky so water shoes advised .

Take small change i.e. 1 dollar bills for tips as hotel never had any change! And the staff work so hard you want to tip them.

Went with First Choice, again brilliant, extra legroom was great, superb flights, no delays.

Would definitely go back to this 5 STAR resort.

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Nuevo Vallarta - Mexico

Riu Jalisco - Neuvo Vallarta

Operator and Date: First Choice - September 2006

Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Iain and Sandra - Wirral (55,53)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

My wife and I are relatively well-travelled and have visited many AI resorts over the past few years. We have been firmly of the opinion that while reviews are interesting, as a result of people's diversity everyone has their own expectations. I think a lot of the negative feedback on the Jalisco is from North Americans who do not seem to differentiate between privately booked five star hotels and package tour five star hotels and hence have a much higher expectation.

Our holiday was booked with First Choice, with direct flight from Manchester to Puerto Vallarta. We had upgraded to Premium class and were well looked after and comfortable: No queuing for check-in at either end is great. Having said that, the Star (standard) class cabin on their long haul flights has slightly wider seats and slightly more leg room than standard package tours, as I witnessed during a walk through the 'plane.

The Club hotel Riu Jalisco is at the north end of Nuevo Vallarta, a 'purpose-built' resort of hotels and condominiums with a shopping mall at its centre, and has no shops within walking distance. A taxi to the mall was 80 pesos, but for 'real' shopping or town life, a visit to Puerto Vallarta will cost about 180 pesos by taxi or if you feel adventurous, take the bus from the hotel immediately next door for 30 pesos. Building work next door, and close by, has little impact on your enjoyment.

It is a large hotel, which would possibly be noticeable in high season, and caters mainly for Americans, Canadians, Mexicans then Europeans. This is by no means a complaint but is probably a result of travelling distance. This was our second stay in a Riu group hotel and we were not disappointed. We found all the staff to be friendly and helpful - civility costs nothing and I think some of the complaints about staff were where the complainants forgot that. The food was of good quality and variety, and would become repetitive only if you treated yourself to gourmand six course dinners. 

There were theme nights in the main restaurant with Asian, Mediterranean and Mexican themes. The Nayarit restaurant, which has to be booked between 7:00 and 8:30 for the same evening, has a Brazilian theme and is a meat-fest. It was enjoyable, but may require dieting in preparation. Wine with the meals is part of the AI and should not be expected to be connoisseur or vintage quality; it is palatable, and I found the red more so. Drinks throughout the hotel will be made to your requirement and if you like them a little stronger or with less/no ice, just say so.  Noise after midnight in the corridors can be an irritation and must be difficult for the hotel security to curtail; its just a pity some people forget that they are not the only ones on holiday. We had room 6140 looking onto the well-kept gardens through the centre of the hotel. There was a slightly musty smell but certainly not overwhelming. The beds were very firm but we slept well on them. If you have any requirements - extra towels, glasses or bottles of water, a call to reception gets it sorted. During the rainy season, insect activity is at a high. If you do not bring repellent with you, buy 'Off' when you are near a pharmacy as it is very effective. Evening entertainment would benefit from more variety but again must be difficult when they are trying to satisfy a multi-national audience. It is generally either an audience participation fun theme or dance performance by accomplished dancers. The animation team works very hard throughout the day and are not as pushy as some we have encountered. Quite often, they announced at the end of the evening's entertainment that they were going to a club in Puerto Vallarta and interested parties should join them in reception at 23:45. Next to the Nayarit restaurant, there is a Disco which opens after the evening's entertainment )but is more popular nearer 01:00). There are two large swimming pools: One with a pool bar, for adults only and the other for both children and parents. Fresh beach towels available as required.

The First Choice representative was Sandra D. , a Canadienne who was very helpful. She was not pushy with the trips which was refreshing, however the trips were very popular getting booked up during our first week. We went on four (all through Vallarta Adventures; vallarta-adventures com): Swim with dolphins, Las Caletas boat trip, Sierra Madre off-road in ex-army lorries and a Cultural experience by air to two towns in the high Sierras - Mascota and Talpa. The guides were very knowledgeable, friendly and fun, and we had a great time. Trip transfers to Vallarta Adventures in Nueva Vallarta were not included in the price of the trips: This was the result of a transport 'war' between the tour operators/hotels and local taxi drivers. If you are confident with on-line booking and payment, it will be significantly cheaper to book your trips this way rather than at the hotel. However, you are not likely to accompany other hotel guests if you book this way.

In summary, this is a comfortable, well-run, large hotel with good staff, enjoyable food and a relaxed atmosphere. The standard is what one would expect of an all-inclusive 4+ rating.

Liked: Hotel and staff.
Disliked: Remoteness

4.5 out of 5

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Riu Jalisco - Neuvo Vallarta

Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours - January 2003

Opinion submitted in Feb 2003 by : Linda and John, Birmingham (35 and 28)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Flew from Gatwick to Puerto Vallarta via Puerto Plata, DM.  Fifteen hours!  After arriving at Puerto Vallarta airport it takes ages to get your bags, get your visas and then they make you open your bags to look for food!  If we were to go again, we would check in with the rep on arrival then get a taxi to the hotel (only 120 pesos) to save all the hanging around waiting for the transfer bus to move off.  We were the only drop off and as we drove up the hotel we were amazed by the size.  It looked huge and very very spectacular.  The reception area of the hotel is gorgeous.  Check in was fairly quick but the room we were allocated (1101) smelt and felt damp.  We asked for another room but could not move until a day later.  We actually moved from the second room they allocated as this was at the side of the hotel overlooking the drive way to the next door hotel (noise from taxis, etc.) plus the air conditioning units are to the front of the hotel and they are extremely noisy so we could hear those too!  Then they were going to move us to a room that was next to the ice making machines (extremely noisy).  We also heard that rooms situated by the lifts were noisy too.  Our third room was lovely (3127) with a large balcony overlooking the beautiful courtyard and gazebo with partial sea view. 

Rooms

The rooms are very nice and decorated in yellow with red wood furniture (plenty of drawers).  We had two double beds pushed together which was fine as although the floors were tiled, the beds did not move.  There are rooms that have king size beds in them.  The balcony doors also have mosquito blinds on them too which is a great idea but the air conditioning will not work if the balcony doors are open.  There is a ceiling fan too and we found it to be too cold to have the air conditioning and the fan on.  We had to put the spare blankets on the bed at night time.  In the bathroom area is the fridge (stocked with water, beer, 7UP, Fanta and Pepsi (regular - you need to leave a note for the maid to get diet).  The optics (full size) are tequila, gin, vodka and rum and we thought they were very poor quality (guaranteed hang over material) but we didn't actually drink that much from them.  The shower is very powerful but the shower unit does not drain very quickly and fills up with water so you are standing in soapy water up to your ankles.  There is also a hairdryer in the bathroom which is surprisingly very powerful.  There are plenty of towels and face clothes too and the maids will usually make animals out of them and put them on your bed.   We left our maid little gifts and about 20 pesos every other day. 

Food

There are two large buffet restaurants that mirror each other in what they serve each day.  You eat breakfast and dinner there.  There is so much choice for breakfast and stuff that you just would not think of eating.  They also serve fresh fruit smoothies and the chef will make you a fresh omelette too.  The waiters come to your table and bring you a jug of coffee or tea.  Lunch is at the beach steak house or the Nayarit restaurant.  There is also a daily barbecue and the fish (Mondays I think) is just gorgeous.  There is usually always something to suit ranging from salads, rice, pasta to chips, pizza and burgers.  You can eat at the Nayarit restaurant once a week during your stay and you need to make the reservation in the buffet restaurant early in the morning.  We went to it but the food is the same every day and to be honest, not that spectacular for the only speciality restaurant on site.  The food at the beach steak house is also the same in the evening but it is a nice setting for your evening meal and the waiters will make a speciality coffee for you (very nice) which they set fire to. 

Drinks/entertainment

There are three main bars open in the evening (two until 12 midnight).  The bar at the steak house is open for the duration of the evening meal sitting and you can get wine, beer and soft drinks at the two buffet restaurants.  There is a bar on the same level as reception too which is a quite bar (after about 7:00pm).  There is a disco open until 2:00am which is free as are the drinks.  The bar staff will make you up anything you want at the main bars.  They will also try and make you drink lots of tequila shots too.  They make up a very lethal mixture that they set fire to and you drink it down in one with a straw (before the straw melts).  The entertainment is not that great - they mime to everything like Grease but we didn't go for the hotel entertainment so it didn't bother us.

Pools/beach

We noticed that the loungers and parasols around the pool got snapped up (reserved) very early but we never thought it was that busy around the pool.  We sat on the beach and we were always able to get our usual place every day (there is quite a bit of shade too from the palm trees).  There is a free towel service too.  There were always plenty of loungers on the beach.  There are two pools and the bigger one is the noisier (has a swim up bar too).  There is a Jacuzzi in both pools.  You can body board, kayak or canoe free for one hour a day.  The sea is quite rough with quite a strong undercurrent.  The beach is not private and you can walk up and down past the other neighbouring hotels, apartments.

Hotel and grounds

Just beautiful.  It is rated a five star but not graded in the brochure yet as it is a new hotel.  We think it will definitely be a four star (suns) plus.  It is one of the best hotels in the area we think.  The grounds are tended to every day.  There is a beautiful gazebo and water feature in the middle of the courtyard which looks spectacular.  Great backdrop for your holiday photos.  Could not fault the hotel design, layout or grounds in any way.  The sunsets are pretty spectacular too.

Trips

We went to Las Caletas on the catamaran, swan with dolphins (great experience) and went whale watching (waste of money in our opinion).  The other trips we heard were good were the trip to San Sebastian and the Marietas island trip.  We thought that all the trips were overly priced particularly as you have to make your own way by taxi to the pick up point.  But you have to do the trips otherwise you are stuck in the hotel.  There is nothing around the hotel with the nearest town (Bucherias) being a good walk away (you can get to it by walking along the beach) but there is not a great deal there (flea markets selling the usual silver etc.).  The resort of Nuevo Vallarta itself is a taxi ride away (60 pesos) but we heard there were nice restaurants there.  We also went into Puerto Vallarta for the day shopping.  So many shops all selling the same thing.  It actually does your head in after a while.  The silver is cheaper than in the UK but still expensive and you have to bargain with them and stand your ground.  Lots of bars and restaurants too so a good place to go in the evening if you fancy a change.

Summary

All in all we had a great two weeks at Riu Jalisco and were very sad to leave.  We would highly recommend this hotel and we want to go back in October.  We met a lot of lovely people from our flight and a lot of Canadians and Americans too (the Brits are very much in the minority and  the Americans and Canadians make up the majority).  If you are going to the Riu Jalisco you will have a really great time.    Strangely, we did hear people complaining whilst we were there about the food, the drinks etc. but it is a large hotel and it must be very hard to cater so much food for so many people.  The people complaining were Americans and all we can say is that 5 star hotels in the USA must be out of this world if they didn't think the Riu was 5 star.  As the hotel is new it looks quite pristine.  Maybe in a few years it may have lost its sheen.  They are developing the area quite heavily and in a few years time the pacific coast line will probably be another Cancun.  Enjoy it now whilst it is still very quiet (if you like it like that). 

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Playa del Carmen - Mexico

Gran Porto Real Resort and Spa - Playa del Carmen

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - aug 2005

Opinion submitted in Apr 2006 by : darren, emma, sam (32, 24, 4)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

what can i say, fantastic! check in brilliant, very efficient service. we had a junior suite and they are well worth paying extra for as the standard rooms are just that, standard. room beautiful mini bar stocked up daily. food fantastic no dodgy tummies as you would expect all inclusive. steak, fish, chicken, pork, shark all cooked in front of you on the grill. all food was freshly put out and thrown away if uneaten, they were constantly putting out fresh food. loads of different salads, veg, fruit and cakes. staff at the hotel are absolutely fantastic they made a huge fuss of my 4 year old. waiter service on the beach brilliant you would just put your empty glass down and benito the waiter would bring you a fresh drink he is lovely. 

rooms and hotel in general absolutely spotless staff constantly cleaning. we gave tips a lot of guests didnt but we got fantastic service in return for just small tips. weather was good, very hot. just 1 day stormy but mainly rained at night so dont worry when you check the weather as we did! night time entertainment was very low key so make sure you take something to ammuse you at night. main street is really near hotel so is easy to go out at night if you want, we didnt bother with having 4 year old but thoroughly enjoyed holiday anyway was very relaxing. not a great deal for children to do kids club ran by spaniards so take something to ammuse kids. 

everything else about the hotel is fab and i cant wait to go again. visited dolphins fabulous well worth the money

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Iberostar Lindo - Playa del Carmen

Operator and Date: Thomas Cook - May 2007

Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Dawn & Marion (30 and 65)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We stayed at the Lindo with from 21/05/07 for two weeks until the 04/06/07.

We travelled from Manchester, England with Thomas Cook.  The outward flight was fine one of the new planes for long haul with slightly more leg room and good inflight entertainment, the way back however was on one of the older planes and the conditions were horrible and cramped.

When we arrived at Cancun airport the heat hit us as soon as we stepped of the plane it was wonderful.  Had no problems with any touts at the airport don't know whether it was because ours was the only plane that had landed or the time of day, so we were straight out to our air conditioned transfer coach.  Within 20-25 minutes we were at the hotel.  There was only us and another couple getting off at our hotel so check in was very speedy with a lovely cold cocktail.  We were given a map and told where everything was located.  The bell boy then drove us to our room.  We had requested a second floor room in building 53, we were given a third floor room by the time we had gotten up the stairs and into the room, my mum said there was no way she could manage those stairs everyday, so when the bell boy came through with the luggage he asked us if everything was OK with the room and when we told him the problem he was straight on the phone to reception and we were immediately given a ground floor room, which was fantastic it had one of those wrap around balconies I have heard so much about it was room number 5312 and was right opposite the main pool which was great when we came back to the room at around 5-6 as they seemed to turn the music up and we could sit on the terrace and just chill.  The room itself was huge two large double beds plenty of space to move around the bathroom was a good size and most importantly it was all kept immaculately clean.  We came back to towel art every day and had two bubble baths run for us during our stay.  We tipped everyday as we did seem to have a different cleaner every day as we sometimes came back to the room just as they were finishing.

As we had travelled for over 11 hours we were exhausted but we managed to unpack and book our alacarte meals for the first week and got the times we wanted and then headed over to the buffet restaurant opposite the pool close to the beach before our eyes closed.

The next morning we had a wonder around the Lindo/Maya complex to try and get our bearings, at first the place does seem overwhelming and so huge but after a few days you soon get to know where everything is and we didn't find the walking around the resort to be a problem.

The beach is absolutely gorgeous lovely soft white sands and the water was so warm couldn't believe it.  When we first arrived we had a yellow flag for the first two days which meant we could get in the water with no problems we could see the rocks large and small as the water was so clear and we had some nice waves to jump and also calm enough to swim and float and the weather was lovely hot and blue skies with a few clouds but after that it seemed to change it was a red flag constantly and getting in the water was tricky as you could no longer see the smaller rocks only the larger ones but the lifeguards who were great guys always directed us and other to the safe spots to get in and told us whether there was a strong current and what the conditions were like.  They were great always had time for a chat.  The weather also changed during this time we had quite a lot of rain and grey skies not something that is very nice when on your hols.  But it usually only lasted for half a day and it was still hot.  But towards the end of our holidays the sun came out full blast and the flags changed back to yellow and the water was the best it had been all holiday.  The best sections to avoid the rocks were straight out of the Lindo walkway then turn right until you are half way between the Lindo and the Grand no rocks at all here.  I think next time we go we will pick a different time of year to avoid the rain and cloudy skies and rough seas any opinions on the best times to go?

The pools at the Lindo were huge the main one with the swim up bar seemed most popular but you could still get a sunbed with shade during the day.  The pool next to this one seemed a lot more quieter and not used as much probably because you could not get to the swim up bar as the pool is not interconnected.  But it was nice to have a good swim in without bumping into anyone.  I never used the wave pool or the lazy river just couldn't tear myself away from the beach.  But it seemed mostly children using the wave pool and they looked like they were having a great time.  There is also a sports pool where all the water sports were done which I thought was a good idea as in previous hotels we have been at they do this in the main pool and you usually end up with a ball hitting some part of  you while you are trying to snooze.

Didn't really get involved with any of the daytime activities as we were happy just lazing by the beach.  But there always seemed to be something going on, the salsa lessons looked like fun.  The star friends were a great bunch of guys always smiling we saw them more in the evening before the shows started.  If you were at the theatre early they came around and tried to get you up for a dance and would come over and have a chat with you.  The pre show at 9.00 was always very funny, the main show started at 9.30 all of which were quite good just wished they didn't repeat the shows on a weekly basis fortnightly would have been better.  But there was so much to do at night that if you had seen the show before you could either go over to the commercial centre live music on Mon/Wed/Fri or over to the Maya lobby which is a great place to sit back have a drink a listen to some music, or chill in the lobby bar at the Lindo.  You could also go over to the beach/del mar for a change of scene but the shows were generally the same.

They had a beach party on Wednesdays and Sundays where they cooked a huge pan of paella and gave out sangria and they had bikini contents and libo dancing it was great.

The staff around the complex from the waiters to bar tenders to cleaners were all friendly and looked happy.  Every time we went to the buffet for breakfast and lunch they were always trying to teach us Spanish and always seemed really pleased when we got it right.

The only place where I wasn't happy with the service was the theatre at night if you waited for a waitress to come around as there did not seem to be enough of them to cope with the amount of people in there you had to wait quite a while for you order to be taken and even longer to receive your drink.  We tried going to the bar instead and for the first week of our holiday there was only two bar tenders who looked highly stressed and you had to wait ages to be served didn't seem very happy people either, towards the second half of our holiday there were two more bar tenders and things improved enormously.  So think it was just a temporary staff shortage.

The alacartes we went to were

The Cajun, the blackened grouper and chicken jambalaya were delicious and a great atmosphere

The Gourmet has a limited menu but the meal we had was cooked to perfection and delicious and it is also a smaller room and has a more personal touch.

The Italian went there twice nice pizza and pasta and we were serenaded by the matriarch (spelling) band.

The Mexican had a nice appetiser of nachos with cheese and salsa and nachos with guacamole that was before you even tucked into the starters a very filling meal.

The Seafood we went to the maya seafood and although the meal was delicious the choice was limited we had actually wanted the seafood at the beach/del mar didn't realise there was one at the Maya so it was our own fault and we never got around to trying the one at the beach/del mar.

The Steakhouse was not impressed with the food although the atmosphere was nice and authentic we had steak that we asked for well done it arrived to raw for us although others might prefer it that way and the steak although tasted nice it was a fight to separate the meat from the fat.  So we though we would give it another try the following week and just order something other than steak.  My mum order chicken it was raw in the middle, I ordered pork chops but received ribs, so we gave up and went to the buffet instead.

The Chinese we like had a nice meal here but as we went on our last night didn't have the chance to go again.

We didn't think the buffet restaurant at the Lindo for the evening meal had as a big a choice as over at the beach/del mar, but we still preferred it as it was smaller and the staff were more friendly.  We used the indoor buffet that changes to the Italian restaurant at night for breakfast and lunch as it was air conditioned and it was just to hot at the buffet near the beach in the day time.  You are seated to your table and before you can even look around to locate the coffee the waiters appear at your side offering coffee and fresh orange juice if you don't want orange they have all sorts of other freshly squeezed juices.  There is lots on offer at breakfast you will not get bored.  The service is the same at lunch at this restaurant and again lots of choice with Mexican choices which we usually went for as they were always yummy.  The desserts were all delicious I had seen pictures before I went and they tasted as good as they looked lots of choices.  Didn't think much of the wine on offer red or white so we usually stuck to champagne or cerveza or a cocktail with lunch and dinner.  There is definitely a lot of cocktail on offer we worked our way through the menu and also tried all the ones we were recommend.  The mohjtos and the margaritas were our favourites also served a very nice brandy which we usually had at the beach Presidente I think it was called.   Make sure you try the nachos and guacamole dip at the beach, I had never tried guacamole dip before and when I first got some I thought it looked like a cross between mushy peas and a face mask but it tastes yummy does it have avocado in it?  We never got around to trying any of the food at the commercial centre but heard good comments from people around the hotel.

Went into Playa del Carmen one day when the weather was overcast it is a nice little town with a mixture of souvenir shops and some nice clothes shops there is also a marina there and a beach, there was plenty of room on the free bus both going and coming and it was on time.  Unfortunately we didn't do any trips as the beach was just too beautiful for us to leave and we just wanted to completely relax and that is what we did.  But it does give us a good excuse for going back next year.

There are some cats and kittens around the complex which we fed as did others, but while we were there a gardener dressed in a green uniform threw a large rock at a little ginger kitty that hung out near the snack restaurant opposite the pool near the walkway to the beach.  We were just coming of the beach for lunch when we noticed a few families looking over the walkway into the trees and sounding upset.  We asked them if they were OK and they told us what they had just witnessed.  A few of us climbed over and had a look but there was no sign of the kitty.  I cannot believe somebody could be so cruel to a defenceless animal that caused no harm just looking for scraps, as we never saw the kitty again for the rest of our holiday we all assumed that it had died a very painful death.  But we still threw scraps over the walkway just in case and they did seem to vanish so I am hoping that it is still alive but to frightened to come out, so if you are due to holiday here could you please do the same?  We reported the incident firstly to reception but they didn't really want to know, they don't seem to think about animals the same way as we do, so we reported it to our rep who was disgusted and said she was going to speak to customer relations and see if she could get the gardener sacked.  But as we were due to go home the next day we don't know what the outcome was.  It certainly put a dampener on our holiday.  I hope it was just an isolated incident.

There are some gorgeously cute monkey type animals I think they are Coatis? That are in the trees on the way to the beach and they will take bananas right out of your hand they seem so tame, they stretch there little hands out begging for more I really wanted to tickle their tummys but wasn't sure whether they would appreciate that or not and I didn't want biting.

On the last day of our holidays when we were packing to go a jacket that my mum had travelled in and had put to the back of the wardrobe and forgot about as she was not going to wear it again until the trip home had been stolen.  As we had a different cleaner each day and fridge fillers and some people who turned the beds down at night coming in to our room every day we had no idea who it could have been.  Also when the cleaner was in the room as wardrobe is very close to the open door way and quite a lot of people walked past as we were on the ground floor it is also possible that someone could have nipped in while the cleaner was busy and helped themselves we just don't know. 

However even the above two incidents has not put us off the hotel or Mexico, most of the Mexican people we met were some of the nicest we have encountered on our holidays are we cannot wait to return.  We are just so upset to be home and have already started checking out prices for next year as we want to return to the same hotel, just need to pick a different time of year due to the weather.  I took piles of photos as well and will attach them as soon as I can.  I would definitely recommend this hotel.

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Iberostar Paraiso Beach - Playa Del Carmen

Operator and Date: Thomas Cook July 2007

Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : Denise Bolton 30 Years Lancashire

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This holiday was fantastic!!! 

The flight out with Thomas Cook was excellent. Upon our arrival at the hotel we were greeted with cocktails and excellent friendly staff, the hotel and its grounds were undescribable, much better than we expected, probably the best hotel I have ever stayed in.

Our room was excellent, huge superking size bed, mini bar and television with English channels.
The room and hotel were kept spotlessly clean by the really hardworking staff, who were always really friendly.

The food at the resort was excellent, a wide variety in the buffet which would cater for all tastes. All of the speciality resteraunts were excellent too, reservations required, but no problem booking them. Again, all of the staff were friendly and nothing was too much trouble. I've never eaten so much om holiday, everyting was fantastic, never went hungry. The added bonus of the shopping mall on site were there are places to eat which are included in your package was excellent, they included a taco bar, a tapas bar, a humburger bar and an ice cream bar, really good extra bonus.
The pool and beach areas were out of this world, I've never seen such a big pool, again this was kept clean, there were always sunbeds free and the pool bars were fantastic, order any cocktail you want and they will make it for you.
Entertainment was really good, although I dont think we stayed out past midnight.

Of the trips on offer we went swimming with the dolphins on the Isle of Mojeres.... It was unbeliveable, we were made to feel like superstars on the catamaran, the dolphin experience was excellent and the beach we were taken too was beautifull. I would reccomend this trip.

Overall a truly wonderfull holiday, would love to go back!!!

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Iberostar Paraiso Beach - Playa Del Carmen

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook July 2004

Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Alison - Hayley (39,33)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This was the first time we have ever gone to the Carribean & done 5* all inclusive so we were very excited.

Flight - Trouble free, movies on your own back of seat screen, good food and drinks.

Cancun airport - Had to queue for over an hour at passport control.  Prepare for your bag to be searched.

Transfers - Hassle free, air con coaches, only took 30 minutes.

Hotel arrival - Very impressive lobby area.  Has definate wow factor.  Check in was quick and professional.  Bell boys take your luggage and then you are taken by golf cart to your room.

I must say I was a bit taken aback by the sheer size of this place.  There are 3 hotels in one, these being:- Iberstar Parasio, Iberostar del mar & Iberostar Lindo.  It is huge.  Prepare to do a great deal of walking. 

Rooms - Fabulous.  2 queen size beds, air con, room safe, mini bar, balcony, desk area, sofa & chair.  Very nice bathroom with a bath & shower.  Plenty of towells.

Maid service - Room cleaned daily.  Fresh towells daily.  Bed made / changed daily. Maid will also make towell puppets like a swan with fresh flowers and chocolates.  Mini bar re-stocked every other day.  We left about 15 pesos tip every day.  Dont know if that was sufficient but i had read that $1 USD was also enough.

Room service - Quick and efficient.  Ordered food on a couple of occasions when we had been out on trips.  Very nice and hot.

Grounds / Gardens - Amazing.  Parrots, flamingos, turtles & fish in the pools.  Loads of beautiful flowers & plants.  Bannana & palm tees etc.  The grounds staff work very hard at keeping it immaculate.

Pools - Beutiful clean pools, swim up bars, waterfall, jaquizi's, plenty of entertainment.  Snacks & drinks etc.  You get a token for a clean towell each day which you can use at the pool or beach.  Water was very walm though so not much of a cool off!  Plenty of beds & straw type parasols.  You won't be dissapointed if you like a pool holiday.  Ther eare also kids & adult areas of the pool.

Beach - Just a short walk and there you have it.  A beutiful beach with white sands, blue sea, palm trees, plenty of water sports, bars & a life guard to keep an eye on the water.  Again if you like the beach you won't be disapointed.

Food - There are buffet restaurants and al a carte.  The food is plentiful, fresh & tasty.  However, vegetarians beware, there is not much choice.  I lived on salads for 2 weeks which became a bit tiresome.  The deserts are to die for.  We were there for 2 weeks and could book 5 A la carte visits to the restaurants each - Mexican, Brazilian, Italian, Mediterranean (sea food),Japanese & tropical.

Entertainment - Great stuff for the kids to do.  Adult entertainment was a bit dodgy though.
There is a gift market in the hotel every few nights.  Make sure you barter with them, you will be surprised how much they come down in price.  We got a silver bracelet for half the marked up price.

Telephones - We had already read that phoning from your room was expensive, so we used the call box phone in the lobby & reversed the charges (I was only phoning my own house anyway) Phone cards not available from the hotel or resort!!

Trips etc.

This is what we did - Playa del carmen was just a short free bus ride away.  However, we found it to be just like any greek local town - bars and souvenier shops etc.  Worth a visit of an evening especially if you like night life as it becomes alive and vibrant.

Xel Ha - Pronounced shell ha.  This is a eco park geared up mainly for snorkelling.  Worth a day out.  Try out the Snuba - great fun.  We booked via the hotel and went all inclusive.  You get lockers, towells, snorkle gear and food & drinks as well as transport.

Xcaret - Another eco park but with a lot wild life.  Butterfly farm, turtles, dolphons, Manatees, aquarium, beach with sun loungers. Well worth it.  Stay for the show at the end as you will get a feel for the Mexican history.  Very impressive and an excellent day out.  We ggot there at about 9.00am and left at 9.30pm & the time flew by.

ATV tour - You Get on an ATV (all terrain vehicle, like a four whelled bike) and go on an organised tour through the jungle and on the beach.  Really good fun, well organised & safe.  They give you lunch etc afterwards.

Weather - Hot and humid.  It took 2-3 days to dry a bikini on the balcony.  You will be glad of your air con in your room.  had a couple of cloudy days and a tropical storm but it didnt spoil anything.  Got a great tan anyway.

Journey back - Hassle free.  However, they have no scanning machines so all suitcases are hand checked.  this holds up check in a great deal.  Once you check in and go to passport control you have to queue for your hand luggage to be checked as well.  However, they do have scanners for this.

Overall impression of our holiday - we had a fab time in Mexico & would reccommend it to anyone.  Iberostar is a beautiful resort but we had a felling that we were living in a well groomed bubble for a forthnight.  Not knocking it but it does have a feeling of being paradise manufactured.  Give it a try, you'll love it.

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The Reef Coco Beach - Playa del Carmen

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thompson-August 2004

Opinion submitted in Jan 2005 by : Turnbull( 34,32,8,3)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We spent 2 fantastic weeks in Playa del Carmen at the Reef Coco Beach 4* and the Hotel, Beach and amenities lived up to its rating. The location of the hotel is perfect for a ten minute stroll into the town of Playa del carmen which is developing into a very cosmopolitan town and a far cry from the tacky brash resort of Cancun.We took our two small children to swim with the dolphins and on a catamaran called the fat cat which were both well worth the money, I would however advise travellers to book independently for excursions as thompson rates are highly inflated.

The hotel is relatively new and as such all the rooms and public areas are very clean and well maintained. The hotel has a fantastic team staff all of who are very polite and amenable, food is excellent and plentiful as are the long hot days in mid August. The Mexican sun is very fierce and the atmosphere is very humid but this did not spoil our holiday and as long as you keep out of the midday sun you wont have a problem.

I would not hesitate recommending the Reef Coco Beach and the resort of Playa del Carmen to anyone as the Mexican People are warm and friendly and blessed to live in such a beautiful place.

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Hotel Riu Playacar - Playa del Carmen

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - Nov 2006

Opinion submitted in November 2006 by : IAN & JUDY GLOVER (61,56)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We would thoroughly recommend this hotel.
The staff could not do enough to ensure that every part of our stay was made pleasurable. Food and drink to the highest standards. Hotel and grounds were imaculate. We stayed in early Novenber, weather was mainly sunny with a few heavy rain showers.

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Hotel Riu Playacar - Playa del Carmen

Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours/MyTravel - February 2003

Opinion submitted in Feb 2003 by : Ken & Mandy Lucas - Melton (49, 45) & friends (57,53,65,64)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Absolute paradise - we thought we had died and gone to heaven.

Accomodation, food, drinks, entertainment and facilities absolutely fantastic all set in idyllic surroundings.

Points to note:

Cancun airport on arrival is very disorganised, suitcases all seem to appear from flights on all three carousels, so there is a lot of confusion and backwards and forwards between the carousels before you eventually locate them. ALL suitcases and hand luggage currently being searched, specifically for food etc, i.e. milk and dairy products. Don't be conned by the local boys to pay for a trolley for your suitcases - the search point is ten yards from the carousels. Likewise don't allow the smart dressed lads to take your cases from the exit to the buses - that's only another twenty five yards. They will want a tip. However if you don't mind make sure you have some small amounts of cash with you. Transfer time on excellent buses is about 45 minutes.

Accomodation absolutly superb - room for two in the shower!!!! Wow!

The widely known culture site, Chichen Itza, and the Jungle speed boat adventure with snorkelling on the reef are trips that are an absolute must. Xel-ha (pronounced shell ha), is also a must see but that one you can do far cheaper youself and it is more interesting under your own steam and control - local taxi $8 (USD) and you can get either a taxi back or experience the local open sided buses - good experence.

Playa del Carmen is an OK village, lovely to walk there and back along the beautiful beach. However shopping is difficult as you are constantly hounded, but if you can be thick skinned it's OK. Don't forget to haggle.

Other than that just lay back and enjoy yourself, this is absolute paradise. The people are lovely and desperate to show you their country and try and improve there lives - outside you will note on the Chichen Itza trip, the extreme poverty the local Mayan people live in - but that is gradually improving. Fantastic holiday with plenty of sun, sea, sand and...!! well three out of four isn't bad is it?

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Riu Tequila - Playa del Carmen

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson-aug 2003

Opinion submitted in Oct 2003 by : Fosberry-Johnson(49,48,48,45,15,14.8

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion:

Ist time in Mexico, bit apprehensive,but this holiday was fantastic from start to finish.Hotel was 1st class as well as the food.The thompson rep was excellant. The entertainment you couldn't fault and the animation team were very professional and friendly.Beach 5mins away,plenty of free sunbeds.The mexican street was 2min walk away where the bank,chemist,shops and public phones ,easy for making calls back home.

We always said that we would never visit the same place twice as there is so much more to see but i am very tempted to go back to the riu tequila as this holiday will be very hard to beat,

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Riu Tequila - Playa del Carmen

Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours-aug 2003

Opinion submitted in Oct 2003 by : 41,40,17

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Well what can i say this was the best hliday i have ever had ,rooms were large and spacious,the staff excellant and always pleased to help,the food even though buffett style was excelant loads of choice and tasty too one down side was the stake resteraunt it was a bit of a dissapointment after eating in the normal one could do better here.. 

the beach was a short stroll away but if you were feeling lazy a golf cart type train would take you down there.prices in the town are a rip off they see your armbands and put an extra few dollers on the price so do haggle!!!!!!...

sights to see the pyrimids is a must you can get these in town cheaper than your rep..the italian tour operater was the best in town $35 per adult to chitzen itza,airtours wanted $68 for the same trip!!.

another must is the swim with the dolphins this was a great experiance the price for this is the same all over so might as well book with your rep,downside is the trip home mexican security take ages we were 2hrs before geting on flight home.no time for last minute duty free or anything we had to run to the gate to get the flight.. 

so if your going to mexico want 5* treatment you cant go wrong with the riu tequila enjoy ide give the resort the hotel and beach 10 out of 10 ..........

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Riu Tequila - Playa del Carmen

Operator and Date: (MyTravel Direct) My Travel - June 2003

Opinion submitted in Aug 2003 by : Anthony & Ana - Chelmsford (29,31)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This hotel was recommended to us by four couples. We were not dissappointed. It is 5* all inclusive. The hotel is made up of low rise buildings (2 storey), the rooms big: 2 double beds, dressing area, air con, tv, balcony etc, and mini bar (re stocked every other day) and your own optics! The hotel lobby and restaurants are amazing and the service from all staff, first class. If you wanted someting they do it / get it immediately. Waiter service for dinner, you dined at the same table each night which we liked. The quality of food and variety were again excellent. Most was buffet but they would cook to your own taste, ie rare for steak. Other A la carte restaurants could be booked too including the other Riu hotels nereby except the Palace. The two pools were good and the swim up cocktail bar brilliant. Free golf car to the beach (approx 800m) at the Riu hotel opposite.

So many excursions to go on. I'd recommend Chitchen Itza, Conzumel (for snorkelling / diving) and swimming with dolphins.

Evening entertainment was excellent the performers being extremely professional. Some shows were simply amazing!

Only a few niggles. Difficult to book the two A la Carte restaurants, sunbeds couldn't be reserved but this was not enforced and most were gone around the pool by 9am. The weather very hot and humid. Early May/ late October probably best time to go. I was sweating all the time in June.

Hotel has gym, hairdressers, massage, shops, the lot. Free daily towels for pool, everything is included, as you would expect.

You can venture out and see the town (5th Avenue) but there really is no need.

Overall our best holiday and best hotel so far. Would certainly go back. First class.

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Riu Yucatan - Playa del Carmen

Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland Direct - Nov 2005

Opinion submitted in May 2006 by : Mark & Kelly (25,25)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Fantastic holiday, what can I say about the hotel it simply was excellent, staff the best ever and the food even better, plenty of choice and in november not overly busy, the beach is lovely although the sea can be a bit rough on occasions, locals in playa del carmen very friendly and helpful and always felt safe, even though all inclusive must go at least once to play del carmen to experience real mexican food.  Went on day trips to Xel-Ha eco park, Tulum and a plane ride into the jungle to see the mayan ruins which were amazing, all trips excellent and well worth the money, off to jamaica next but will definetly be back!

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Riu Yucatan - Playa del Carmen

Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland Direct - August 2005

Opinion submitted in Mar 2006 by : Shirley, Dan & Craig 49, 50 & 12 - Poole

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We got the timing of out holiday just right (between the hurricanes)with some evidence of 'Wilma' evident but not too bad. The hotel is very good having been recently refurbished. It has a very attentative staff and is kept spotlessly clean.  There are 3 good restaurants and they have themes for food in the main one - very good standard - amazing seafood. The Asian restaurant had a very good selection of food to choose from  - do try the Deep Fried Ice cream it is lovely.

The pool area is very good but can be very busy and sunbeds reserved selfishly left all day with no one using them (by Brits too!).Beach is beautiful.  Plenty of wildlife around the hotel with a troop of woolly monkeys visiting the high trees regularly every 2/3 days.  There were also some small rodents capybara tehy were very cute and liked bananas.

We went to Chichen Itza and it was fantastic!!! what an amazing place.  It is a long drive but we hired a taxi for the day and it was quite reasonable. afterwards we visited a cenote, an under ground lake, it was also very good a real fammily day out. it is always very nice to get bck to the immaculate hotel and the refreshing air conditionin. it was a great holiday and we would go again

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Puerto Aventura - Mexico

Barcelo Maya Beach - Puerto Aventura

Operator and Date: (MyTravel Direct) My Travel May 2004

Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Mark B - Lancashire (27, 29 )

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

After trawling through lots of 'holiday truth' websites I was a little concerned over the holiday before I travelled due to the comments I found. However I knew I had made the right decision on the second day of my holiday. The hotel was absolutely fantastic compared to my initial expectation.

Transfer from the Airport was speedy and we arrived at the hotel about 45 mins after. Check-In was speedy and very informative.

After getting in my room (I was located in the 'Labna' block) I was quite surprised at the facilties in the room.
I have been to Mexico before and didnt expect to find Tea/Coffee making facilties. (Great for first thing in the morning!!!!). The rooms are spacious and the balcony I had overlooked the pool and the Ocean. The Mini-bar was well stocked and was stocked up every day (A maid comes to your room about 6 p.m. to ask you if you need any more towels/mini-bar drinks e.t.c.) The TV had a few channels but the channel that was on most was HBO!!!

The pool area is spacious and clean with plenty of loungers and tables. The beach also had plenty of loungers so no worry there. Dont bother taking Beach Towels either. These are provided by the hotel and saves room in your suitcase.

The food exceeded expectations too especially in the buffet and the A La Cartes were great too. My only disappointment was that on the Monday it was Seafood Night and there was only 1 alternative to Seafood on offer.

The entertainment area was great too. I tended to sit at the back near the doors as it gets very humid and so the breeze there was great!! The entertainment was great too and couldnt fault it at all.

There were a lot of American/Canadians there and they did get quite boisterous at times, but hey we all like to have a laugh on holiday.

Overall I could not fault the holiday at all and would definately revisit.

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Barcelo Maya Beach - Puerto Aventura

Operator and Date: (MyTravel Direct) My Travel (airtours) - Oct 2003

Opinion submitted in Nov 2003 by : Nick - England

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Just returned today!! and its cold

Hotel
Excellant, service very good and food varies from good to excellant
Found the steak house and spanish to be the best of the al a cartes, mexican was poor. Steak house was the best (you need mosie spray) but only open mon.weds & friday
rooms are large (best to keep air con on alltimes), they have mini bar (cokes, sprite, water and beer  modulo??? and occasionally sol), had to phone reception twice as my mini bar wasn't filled)
downside if have kids as no seperation (privacy) from tv & sleeping area...kids monned about loudness of tv and lights.

Bathroom okay, but have louvre door so again no privacy.

maids seem to try hard first couple of days and leave towels shaped in swans , rabbits, etc but give up on the 2nd day if you don't tip them

Even thou we were told the hotel was full, never had a problem getting a lounger (unlike ibiza..). 2nd week was less full and they closed one of the buffets, quickness of service declined with this

Only saw rep once (had 2 diff reps ... first wasn't exactly honest....my belief is that its better to arrange your own trips)

ONLY DOWNSIDE was other guests from a certain continent, considering i'd spent a year working and living in NY and always found these to be a very friendly and courtious people i was very disappointed. The americans we encountered were very loud ( lets hold a conversation across the pool or even across the resort....don't they have mobiles or is it they can't hold their beer), but more dissappopinting was the way they treated the mexican staff. They also seemed to be better queue jumpers (whats a queue?) than the Italians that we encountered there....just remember to point it out to them when they do it (they go away mumbling, but won't repeat it when you ask them what they said)

For the one downpoint (certain other guests) i would def recommend this hotel, only prob is that i'll now be comparing other hols to this.

Entertainment
Found this to be poor  but you make your own. Shows are okay if your like dancing, but it would be nice for an occasional change). Found the barstaff of the teatro to be more entertaining and so did my kids (they like playing the kids gba's)

snorkeling in the seq is ecellant, take sound bread and go off the pier....saw rays , fish id don't know the name of and a fish that looks like the deadly stone fish.

Trips

Chicken itza... you have to do
Dolphins - puerto adventuras...again have to do , but works out not cheap when you add in video and photos (tip you can get a taxi here and get one of your party to video)
Tulum...good, but doesn't compare to chicken itza. Made my lads day as we saw snakes (he walked within a foot of it). Sadly the the airtours trip wastes 30 mins at another rip off shopping place, would do it myself by taxi next time
xel-ha..excellant snorkelling took the all inc package but half a day was enough for the kids
coba- didn't go on this trip buta friends we met said this was very good
Captain hooks - again did'nt go on this but friends we met said the entertainment and food was excellant.. wish we had done
Playa del carmen - did this ourselves, a minibus for 7 cost us 60usd return. Place is full of overpriced tat. ensure thay know your not american and only pay 1/8 th of the price, you'' kick yourself when you go to a priced shop and find it at that price!
feed the sharks..didn't find this tilll our last day, but appar they do it in canacun...wish we had a done

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Barcelo Maya Beach - Puerto Aventura

Operator and Date: eclipse - june 2003

Opinion submitted in Aug 2003 by : honeymooners 28

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

excellent hotel that can be spoilt by other guests.

the hotel itself is in fact two hotels combined, each hotel has a lobby, a bar, a buffet restaurant, a grill restuarant, an al a carte restaurant, a swimming pool and a shop .  you are entitled to go to any of the two hotels amenities at any time.  This means that despite the hotel being fairly large at no time does it ever feel busy.

resort.
the hotel isnt in a resort as such, its on a long coastal road an hour out of cancun on the riviera maya.  the road is simply dotted with hotels every few hundred meters.  if you want to go out of the hotel the nearest town is playa, 20 mins away,  there are taxis outside the hotel which cost 13 dollars or you can pick up a mini bus from the street for 2 dollars.  thats if you dont mind sharing with locals.  we did and we had no problems.  playa itself is hardly worth the trip though, therefore its lucky that the hotel is so nice.

the hotel
its clear that the hotel is designed to cater for americans, the bed we had must have been 6 feet across, the rooms are all excellent sizes. there are 6 buildings in total, we were in building 3 on the first floor, we overlooked the activities pool, lovely view but could be noisy during siesta time.
the hotels swimming pools are worth the money on their own, both are bigger than an average hotels pool anyway, they have swim up bars.  if you want to play volleybsll, games etc then the activities pool is perfect, for a quieter time head towards the left hand pool

beach
probably the best beach we saw in mexico.  very long, pure white sand.  little bit of seaweed in the water at the edge of the beach but once you get past this very clear sea.  the beach is protected by a reef meaning although there is a little bit of surf the water seemed safe to swim.  there are lifeguards on duty.  hundreds of relaxers free to use.  the hotel was full when we were there but we still managed to find a quiet spot all to ourselves.  beach was better as it got a breeze.
food
you could easily eat all day, main buffets very good, food would often be cooked to order, omelettes, pasta, steaks, etc.  very wide range, my wife is a fussy eater and she found plenty to eat.  lunch is best in the rancho grande.  grilled items such as burgers daily plus specials like grilled king prawn.
a la cartes ok but nothing special, however its nice to break up the routine.  book them as soon as you can otherwise availablity goes.
trips
go to xha-hal.  do the dolphin trip in cancun.  dont do coba or chichen icha.  too far to drive, too hot in the jungle, millions of mozzies.

the only downside to the holiday when we were there were the other clientele. 95% american and i am afriad to say that they were obnoxious, boisterous, arrogant, ignorant and many more things that would probably stop this review being published.  we are not anti-american by any means, we have travelled extensively across america.  we were shocked at the behaviour of the people we met.  i guess that other countries would probably say the same about us if though.

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Cameleon Marival Hotel - Puerto Aventura

Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland DIRECT - MAY 2004

Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : KAREN & SANDY - BLACKPOOL (46&37)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Having just returned from staying in this great hotel,would like to add to the positive reviews we saw prior to enjoying it first hand. The first thing we would say is the 3* rating should be at least a 4* in our opinion.

We could not fault the hotel at all, the army of waiter/esses, barstaff, gardeners, cleaners etc..all ensured our stay was to be their first priority. They were always smiling and pleasant. A special mention must go to The animation team who work so hard to entertain guests of all ages,they are to be commended for their excellent efforts. They constantly encouraged participation but were not pushy if your choice was to just soak up the rays and watch.

The hotel room was cleaned daily and special touches like towels modeled into swans and the odd fresh flower left by the maids each day were added extras that raised a smile after a long day by the pool or on the beach.

The food in both the buffet style dining room and the snackbar we both enjoyed. We could always find something to enjoy from the wide range available.The a la carte Mexican, Italian and Steakhouse had to be booked and guests were only allowed to dine in each once per stay. Although you could ask if there had been any cancellations to secure another meal in each, never was though during our stay. If your on a diet, forget it for the duration of your holiday! The cocktails that flow constantly are lovely, most of ours contained coconut cream mmmmmmmmmmm

Puerto Aventuras has a small marina just 5 minutes walk from the hotel. There you can see the days catch made on the many fishing trips that run daily. One of the bars will even cook your catch and add veg, salad and a few drinks for a small charge.

There are ATM machines available by the marina too. As well as the obligatory souvenier shops.
The main attraction of the marina to us was the dolphins,for $125 you can swim,pet and enjoy there tricks. It was brilliant! Then again if you just want to sit and watch antics of others there are many small bars scattered around were you can enjoy a drink or a snack in the sunshine.

Our Thompson rep was a really nice and enthusiastic guy called Christian. His welcome presentation was both interesting and funny. We booked to go to Chichen Itza and Xcaret and had a fabulous day on both occasions. Would recommend both.

Playa Del Carmen is a fairly new resort with evidence of considerable building work taking place, especially the roads (wear good walking shoes or trainers), we would like to return to see what they finish up with in a few years time. There is a courtesy bus from the hotel that runs twice a day 9am returning 5pm, then 5pm returning 11pm. We found that we were ready to return after 3½ hours so got a taxi back that was only $12.

The mexican people are wonderful and we both felt safe walking around wherever we went.
All in all we had a really great holiday and will eventually return to Mexico and the Camelion Marival. We would recommend this hotel without hesitation.

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Cameleon Marival Hotel - Puerto Aventura

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson April 2004

Opinion submitted in May 2004 by : Sharon Camilleri - Essex  (26, 29)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

the hotel is really nice, the staff are really nice and helpful, always getting you drinks from the bar.
the bars were really nice in the hotel plenty of drink to have. Also the swin up bars were cool. the restaurants were nice (mexican and italian).
the marina was nice and i also enjoyed swimming with the dolphins there.
We also went to Xcaret which is a must as it was an enjoyable day.

Plenty of Tequilla!!!!!

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Cameleon Marival Hotel - Puerto Aventura

Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours - August 2003

Opinion submitted in Sept 2003 by : Gail and Neil  - Newcastle (25 and 29)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This hotel is gorgeous.  The staff are very friendly and accomodating and make you feel like royalty.

There is plenty to do, it could do with one or two more bars - but that might be our age, we like a bit of variety.  There is pay-as-you-go e-mail so you can keep in touch with home (in between sun-bathing!) and nightly shows at the theatre.  This is a bit hit and miss but it depends on what you like.

They have a tennis court, pool volleyball, beach volleyball, snorkelling, bikes, kayaking and more.  The entertainment staff are a laugh and there are plenty of poolside activities.

The marina is lovely, very quiet but a nice place to go if you fancy a walk.  There are some souveneir shops there too, which is quite handy.

The Senor Frogs tour to Playa del Carmen is good, as is the swimming with Dolphins.  Its a bit pricey but the dolphins are great and if you can spare the cash, its a must.

There is so much food to choose from you won't know where to start!  And as someone else on this page stated, the burgers are lush!  The Italian and Mexican restaurants are fantastic, you would pay good money over here to have service like it.  The self-serve buffet bar is good too, there is a lot of attention to detail and the staff all make a hgue effort to get you drinks etc - in fact, they're so fast they're almost too courteous!

I'd say this is a couples and family resort - there's not much single talent for groups of lads / girls, at least not when we were there.  But it might be different when the Americans are over there on their spring break!!

All in all a brillaint holiday.  We'd definatley go there again!

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Cameleon Marival Hotel - Puerto Aventura

Operator and Date: (JMC Discounts) JMC - July 2003

Opinion submitted in Aug 2003 by : Nicki & Keir (19,20)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion:

We have just returned from a brilliant and memorable holiday in Mexico.

The resort of Puerto Aventuras is lovely, it is a little pretty marina that has Dolphins swimming freely (this is where they do the dolphin swim, which you have to do, we loved it, its about $119 each then you have to buy the video approx $40 then the pictures approx $16).

At the marina you can sit and have a drink or if you want to eat you can do in some little restaurant. Watch the world go by and the Dolphins!!!

There is also lots of Villas for sale by the marina which look lovely, there is a habour with lots of boats. We were told that a lot of stars come here in their big expensive boats because it is so peaceful !

The hotel was brill, absolutely spotless, lovely rooms, some have brill views and some don't, so if you get a view you are not happy with just ask to be moved (we did). The pools were lovely, the laggoon was lovely too. The views were amazing!

The entertainment was fun (didn't join in much) oh i did join in the....tequilla volley ball which was brill, I lost which meant alot of Tequilla (Mexican water as its known).

The food at the hotel was nice, a big variety. There is an Italian and a Mexican & a buffet. They could be improved but overall I thought the food was good!

I have to say this hotel is gorgeous and we had a brilliant holiday and would go back...when i have gone through the rest rest of the Thomas Cook Tropical brochure.

Thomas Cook rep was excellent very helpful.

Mexico is a MUST and Puerto Aventuras is a BIGGER MUST, if you like it quiet and peaceful, you can venture to Playa del Carmen which is about £6-8 in a taxi(It is busy there).

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Cameleon Marival Hotel - Puerto Aventura

Operator and Date: (JMC Discounts) JMC 26 JUNE 2003

Opinion submitted in Aug 2003 by : Lisa, Shaun & Jack (21,20 & 09)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

What can I say FANTASTIC

Already re-booked for next year!!!!

Will be sending all my customers here..

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Cameleon Marival Hotel - Puerto Aventura

(new name for 2005 is the Catalonia)

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - Date Not Specified

Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Tony - 46,45,29,24,20,20, And 2 Year old.

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This was my familys first visit to Mexico but thanks to this hotel and its staff it wont be our last.
This hotel is better than the 3*** rating it has been given.
The hotel itself is outstanding,The rooms are cleaned everyday with fresh bedding and towels. The staff are always pleasant and go out of there way to help you.

The food is outstanding, I was worried about the food as we are fussy eaters, Also we had our 2 year old grandson with us. But there is nothing to worry about,
At every meal time  there is a huge variety, And yes you can still have the English fry up at breakfast.
The snack bar is open early morning until very late in the evening,Sometimes way past midnight. I read a couple of revues on this hotel before i booked and people kept going on about the burgers , Saying how you must try them, Well i did and all i can say is THANK YOU they are delicious as every other food is. My tip is the cakes
theres always 6/7 cakes at meal times and always a couple in the snack bar, They are just so good, Infact i could just go a nice slice of there strawberry cream cake right now. Right thats enough about the food,As you will have gathered its exceptionally good food.

The pools and surrounding areas are cleaned daily with a big clean up every evening. The bars are well stocked with a good selection of brand names to choose from,Also they have some really good cocktails, At the pool bar once my two year old grand son had his inflatable arm bands on he was off,He would doggy paddle up to  the the pool bar and ask for a Mickey Mouse (his favourite cocktail with no alcohol)the barman was always pleasant and would serve him his drink with a smile.

The beach is a little rocky in places but they have a beautiful sandy inlet with pedaloes and cayaks, This is great for snorkeling or if you just want to watch laze in one of the hammocks beside the sea front and watch.
There is lots of trips to choose from but check with your rep first she can do them a lot cheaper.
About 7 hundred yards from the hotel is Puerto Adventura marina This is where they travel all over the area from to swim with the Dolphins, My daughters swam with the Dolphins and loved every moment.There is also a few shops around here also.

If you fancy a little fishing this is the place to be, There is a huge selection of trips going from the marina and the fish they catch are huge, If when you have caught your fish you dont fancy leaving it on board you can take it to a restaurant right next to the harbour and for a few dollars they will cook it for you and present it with a salad and rice.

Right i think you have realised by now that this is a great hotel. Im sure if you visit you will not be disapointed.
So good luck and i hope your stay at this hotel was as magic as my familys.

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Cameleon Marival Hotel - Puerto Aventura

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - Date Not Specified

Opinion submitted in July 2003 by : MIchelle Parkin 25, Stephen Parkin 30 - Mexborough

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The hotel/staff was fantastic. Had the best time ever in Mexico and would recommend to anyone.

The hotel was clean and the rooms are great, plenty of room (2 X double beds in most rooms).

The Dolphin trainer for a day is a must. Had a fantasic time.

Plenty to do in the hotel with the animation team, but there not pushy if you just wish to sunbath.

Pools X 3 always very clean and the pool bar is great for the hot weather. (Fantastic cocktails)

The beach is great for snorkeling plenty to see, but if you are into snorkeling would recommened the day trip to X_Hel amazing fish (about 20 minutes from hotel in taxi)

Would recommend going to Tulum beach, very small but out of this world.

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Catalonia Riveria Maya - Puerto Aventuras

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - Mar07

Opinion submitted in March 2007 by : Mike Sparling 50,55

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just returned from the Catalonia Hotel in Puerto Aventuras,it is excellent,one of the best hotels we have ever been too, the food will suit anyone, with a great selection, the staff are better than anywhere in Europe,Taxies are cheap compared to U.K. Colectivo's run up and down the coast every 5 mins and cost 20 pesos per trip near or far,you can travel from Playa del Carmen to Tulum for just £1 or 2 USD.

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Catalonia Riveria Maya - Puerto Aventuras

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson-september 2006

Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Tom&Irene Mulvaney 48,48

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Fantastic resort & hotel,staff friendly and always smiling,always things to do,
without having to pay for trips.5 Min.walk to Marina & watch dolphins,manitees,seals
etc.,good shops and restaurants,recommend
Gringo Daves,huge Margueritas and 1st. class entertainment.
Remember to keep back 45 bucks each or Peso
equivalent for departure taxes (cash only!!!)and you will have a wonderful time.

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Catalonia Riveria Maya - Puerto Aventuras

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - aug 2006

Opinion submitted in May 2007 by : nics, herts 43, 43, 46, 43, 17, 16, 15, 14

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Stayed here for 2 weeks last auagust. It was our first trip to an all inclusive caribbean resort after many years going self catered in the med. The flight aside this place is beautiful and we had a fantastic holiday.

Food - Being so used to eating out every night we were worried that there would be a lack of variety, but there was probably too much to choose from if anything. Breakfast was my favourite personally with absoloutley anything you could think of. Breakfast was the same every morning, but then there is nothing more you could have for breakfast. We ate in the open aired restuarant, so have no experience of the smaller enclosed one. Lunch was also great, i ate in the snack bar which was great, the variety was limited but different every day, there was food available here all day long so whenever you wanted something to eat you could march on in and have a burger or some rice or some salad. You could eat in the open air buffet restaurant but you had to be wearing clothing, i heard the selection i here was far greater. Dinner was my leat favourite but by no means bad. There was something diffferent every night and i never felt bored. There are 3 other restaurants, the italian, the mexican and the steakhouse. our favourite was the mexican it was lovely, they were all nice but you only get 2 visits to each so be sure to book when you arrive.

Rooms - these were great. They were cleaned everyday, which was more than expected, the maids were so lovely and really worked alllll day, they would leave swans and hearts on your bed made from towels. Our room was very spacious with 2 double beds each, loads of storage and glorious air conditioning for when it got too hot. It was a really lovely room.

Complex - Stunning. What i loved about it was how low key and low rise it was. Some of the hotels we saw visitng cancun and playacar were very grand over the top huge things all trying to compete. This was all low key with thatched roofs and walls painted naturally. The pool area was always very busy but in a nice way the beach was stunning, the blue sea and blue sky was a picture of paradise. the place was so tidy garnders and maintencenace stuff all over the place all smiling or stopping to let you pass, could not fault any of the staff. The bar staff at the pool bar must have had the patience of saints as the americans were so rude and disrespectufl to them, to the point where you want to say something.

Speaking of americans, i myself have nothing against them, most were pleasant but some are very loud rude and in your face, making their presence known. they hogg the pool bar and do like to look at you funny, dont take any notice.

Trips - we werent going to go on any trips but when you get there you cant not. We swam with the dolphins and manatees and had time with the sealions. In all fairness i do think its sometimes a bit sad to see animals locked up but you can see they are treated well and have lots of space. Swimming with the dolphins was great, perhaps a bit too short though. Be careful to keep your mouth shut so as not to get any unwanted er....excretion in your mouth. We also went on the speedboats across the lake which was great fun, saw all the coastline, then we reached the other side and swam on the reef and saw all the fish, this was great as the water is so clear and its beautiful. We went to chichen itza - by plane. This was obviously more than going by coach but the view alone was worth it. the plane was small but it was a very nice journey. chichen itza was marvellous, even my mum who hates anything like that loved it, its beautiful and very interesting.

Other things to mention
...the airport is just totally unorganised and no one knows what they are doing. be aware on your way out of the airport when you arrive, you are hounded by men who take your luggage about 10 feet then want a tip, people also coaxing you into vehicles that arent the ones you are assigned to.

make sure you tip at the end, its well worth it. these people live on nothing, we gave one man some cigarettes and you think he had won the lottery the thanks he gave us, the staff work hard for you and deserve a good tip at the end.

dont be alarmed by rain! its actually quite nice!

have the $45 ready when you leave, its easy to forget.

we had a lovely holiday. No holiday is for everyone and there will be people who slate this hotel like any other. Some people ask why it isnt 4 star...i thinks it because there are no tea or coffee facilities in the rooms, but a nice walk down to get one in the mornings is no bother. You do get what you pay for here. its no frills, no fancy pancy buildings and food. its lovely and the views and staff speak for themselves. we are going back next year as we liked it so much, this place is well worth a try if you have never been all inclusive or even if ts what you do every year. hope this helped.

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Catalonia Riveria Maya - Puerto Aventuras

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - June 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Colin Robinson - Bradford (56,56)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Our first visit to Mexico, after the Dominican Republic last year. What a difference!
First though a quick comment on Cancun airport. The organisiation was rubbish! Not the tour companies fault, it appears they aren't allowed inside so when you land you wander around inside until someone tells you to go outside, where they are all huddled together with the taxis etc. what a scramble.
However, when you arrive at the hotel that all seems a million miles away.

What can I add that no-one else has said. How this is still a 3 star I cannot imagine, it does deserve to be a 4 at least. Still this makes it very good value for money.

Staff are marvellous, Maria the waitress on the beach chatted to us every day, although it was noticeable that she didn't to any Americans. Odd that!
If you like loud Americans you will enjoy the swim up bar. We don't so spent pleasant times on the beach watching them get married.
The A Team work their socks off for you, but you don't have to join in if you don't want, they don't pester you.
Shows were good, but repeated themselves on the second week.
1st Tip, take bread or bananas from breakfast and feed the fish at the bridge.
Food - again excellent, we ate mostly in the Yucatan restaurant. It was air conditioned and much quieter, although choice was slightly less.
2nd Tip, we didn't have a sweet for dinner but went up to the Creperie and had a banana split and coffee.
We enjoyed the speciality restaurants but as everyone else has said found the Italian the best of the 3.

Went to Chitchen Itza, although a 3 hour coach trip, with drinks it didn't seem that long. Worth the money, but you cannot climb the 365 steps up the pyramid now for safety reasons, pity as that was why I went.

We used to walk to the marina in the evening, have a drink and watch the dolphins enjoying themselves, why pay?

If you book in here you won't be dissappointed, we will be returning.

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Catalonia Riveria Maya - Puerto Aventuras

Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland direct - June 2006

Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Pete  & Cath,  Karen & Mike  & Linzi  Doncaster

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Holiday 17th June for Two weeks. Where do we start?  Hotel apartment's absolutely spot on. Air conditioned very spacious and clean. Rooms are cleaned every day all the staff cleaners, waiters, waitress, reception staff, gardeners all seemed genuinely pleased to see you, and every body speaks and smiles all the time. We did tip Quite a bit but you don't have to it seems that $1 is the norm. The Catalonia is next door to the Yucatan beach hotel you can eat at either hotel. There is two buffet restaurants. Both serve the same food but one is air conditioned. There is three themed restaurants Mexican, Italian and steak house you have to book, all get very full so book asp after arrival. The weather was brilliant very hot and sunny. 

The beach is on the hotel door step crystal clear water loads of tropical fish ideal for those who love to snorkel. Beach towels are provided free of charge, hand them in at the end of the day and get clean ones the next day. Dolphin discovery is on the door step, prices start at $79 then $99,$139,$179 these prices do not include the photo's $15 each or DVD $25-$57 depending on the package you choose. We did the catamaran trip the guide was very good a great day out. We also did the speed boat trip James Bond style, very good definitely do it again. T

he animation team work very hard every day and every night they put on a show in the hotels air-conditioned theatre. The resort is very quite and laid back, if you want to there is a free bus run by the hotel to Playa del Carmen. Book a seat at reception the bus leaves at 9:am and returns at 5:pm if you want to come back early a Taxi is $14. They also run a free bus at night it leaves at 7:pm and comes back at 11:pm.Three nights a week they have various clothes & craft stalls in the hotel grounds, be warned they are expensive and you can buy everything they are selling cheaper in Playa Del Carmen. 

It's our first visit to Mexico definitely going back.  

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Catalonia Riveria Maya - Puerto Aventuras

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - May 2006

Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Fran - Nottingham (29, 29)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Had a fantastic holiday at the Catalonia. This was our first long haul trip, and we couldn't have been more pleased with our choice of resort and hotel. We spent a long time trawling through the reviews on this site and that was how we finally settled on the Catalonia.

We stayed at the Catalonia for 2 weeks and found enough to do to keep us entertained. The resort is very quiet, but has a lovely Marina with bars and restaurants where you can watch the dolphins at Dolphin Discovery. We visited all the a la carte restaurants at the Catalonia and found the Italian to be the best. Couldn't fault the food at the hotel, there was plenty of choice and I wasn't ill once which is unusual for me! We tended to have breakfast and lunch on the Yucatan side of the complex as this was air conditioned. The hotel is a good 3/4 star, the rooms are massive and the air con is a godsend. We didn't pay a fortune for this holiday and felt we got what we paid for and was adequate for our needs. Obviously there are much more luxurious hotels in Mexico if you're prepared to pay hefty prices.

As mentioned is many of the reviews, the staff at the hotel are fantastic. They're so happy and friendly and can't do enough for you. They work really hard and long hours, and yet never appear stressed or fed-up. We tipped our maid and regular waiters/waitresses at the end of the holiday, rather than tipping every time we ate/drank.

Trips - went to Xel Ha which was a nice day out, but the entry fee really only entitled you to snorkel. Extra activities were quite expensive. Our ticket included all inclusive food and drink - the food wasn't great, so get your moneys worth from the drink! We felt quite bad about not seeing any culture so went on the trip to Tulum. This was just a morning trip so wasn't too hot and is right on the coast so has a nice breeze. There are iguanas everywhere, and I have to say that they were more interesting than the tour (couldn't really hear the guide as it was quite a large group). At least we can say we did something cultural! We also got the free courtesy bus into Playa Del Carmen a couple of times in the evening which has beautiful restaurants and great bars.

All in all, we loved Mexico and the Catalonia. Wouldn't hesitate in returning, however we really liked the resort of Playa Del Carmen so would probably go there next time.

Good luck with the return journey at Cancun airport, what a nightmare. There were queues everywhere, reps and staff didn't know what was going on, and the guy behind the desk gave our passports to the couple who'd checked in before us! Got sorted in the end but people were getting quite stressed.

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Hotel Catalonia Maya - Puerto Aventuras

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook-September 2005

Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Margaret and Chris-Somerset(44,43)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The hotel was great and the staff very helpful and friendly. The rooms were very clean and large with air con and balconys,some with sea view.The maids made lovely shapes out of towels and placed on your bed.We had an elephant,swan,mermaid,fish and many more.The staff are poorly paid so be prepared to tip.The food was good and plentiful with plenty of choice.

Location was on a private beach and a short walk to the resort of Puerto Aventuras where you can see dolphins,manatees and sealions.You can also swim with the dolphins there which is a must.

There are many different trips available through the rep or through the hotel which can be a bit cheaper.The jewellers Lapis are a short walk up the road and worth a visit.Chichen Itza is worth a visit but a 2 hour coach journey tho. The best place we visited was Xehla-an ecological park where u can swim and snorkel and see loads of different fish including baracudas.

We loved it so much here we are definitely going back soon.

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Catalonia Riveria Maya - Puerto Aventuras

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - July 2005

Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Steve and Hev - Taunton 41,31

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

All i can say is if you go to this hotel,you will not be disapponted. We were on our honeymoon,arrived late in the evening,check in was no problem,your bags are taken to your room by bell boys who do require tipping!! Our room had towels made into swans and flower petals dotted everywhere which was a fantastic touch by the hotel.

The whole hotel was spotless,continually being cleaned etc. Every Mexican person working in the hotel works long hours and are very helpful.

We were on all inclusive and there is a plentiful amount of food on offer although for some a better array would suit.

The hotel complex is right on the beach which is very clean and there is a lagoon aswell where you can use kayaks or snorkel,all free!!

Take a trip to Puerto Aventuras,a 5 minute walk and go swimming with the dolphins. a word of caution though its around $129 USD each but well worth the expense.

Took a trip to Xcaret(worth it),Xel Ha(eco park),this was ok if you like a lot of snorkelling and also Tulum which i would recommend BUT take your swimming costume because its right on the Beach which is absolutely stunning.

All in all,i would go back to this Hotel as it was worth every penny,but not until it has been renovated because it was hit by Hurricane Emily.The long flight and transfer will be worth it and i cant wait to return asap to Mexico. 

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Catalonia Riveria Maya - Puerto Aventuras

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - May 2005

Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Sharon&Kerry Bennett - Barry S.Wales (44, 45)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just come back from this absolutely stunning hotel, i would highly recommend it. The staff are very friendly and they are forever saying hola which means hello and they can't do enough for you, they make you feel like royalty.

The rooms are spacious and are cleaned daily, you even get swans made out of towels on your bed and also in the bathroom,you also get clean towels every day.
The entertainment staff are very friendly, you can join in if you want, which we did and we really enjoyed ourselves. And if you want to just relax by the pool its alright with them they don't keep on to you.
The food was excellent, I'm quite a fussy eater but they catered for everyone, i could even get burger and chips. The deserts were fantastic too, they even made flowers out of toffee for display purposes, but you can eat them if you like.

There is a marina which is about a 5minute walk from the hotel, you can swim with the dolphins there, which i did and it was out of this world, it cost $129, i did not book it with the rep, just go down to the marina and book it yourself its a lot cheaper. Another trip i would highly recommend is the jeep safari, which we booked at playa del carmen it cost $75 per person, you get to drive the jeep yourself. they took us through a 20mile dirt track, then they gave us a snack in a native village, then took us on a boat to a mangrove out at sea where we saw exotic birds, then they took us to see the manatees, turtles and manta rays, the guides were fantastic, they then took us to snorkel 5 miles out on a coral reef, where we saw thousands of colourful fish, there was also a nun shark, after that we were allowed to swim in the sea, then they took us for dinner back at the native village, which was excellent, we then drove all the way back to our hotel in the jeep, the tour lasted 12 hours and it was an excellent day. you must definately do this.
We are definately going back to this hotel and we are taking the children with us and we are also going to do the jeep safari again.

The hotel has 5 swimming pools and it has plenty of sunbeds, this hotel is right on the beach where you can do snorkeling, windsurfing,and catamarans which are free, you also get free tuitions.
There is also a lagoon where you can go canoeing and they also had pedaloes which are also free of charge and peddle bikes free of charge plus much more to do.
You can go fishing on the boats from the marina or hire a speed boat if you like for $59.
The mexicans are very friendly people, I have been to many places but this place is definately the best so far, it is very relaxing and everything is to hand, going to book for next year, can't wait.

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Catalonia Riveria Maya - Puerto Aventuras

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - November 2004

Opinion submitted in Nov 2004 by : 28, 36

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We booked Premium seats with Thomson, and would recommend it!  Not only was check-in, in both countries easier, but the seat comfort alone was worth the extra money.  In comparison the rest of the flight looked like battery chickens.

We were limited in choice of hotel, as I wanted a bath, and most in Mexico only have showers, but this hotel was exceptional! Modern, clean and very friendly, cheerful staff.

The resort area was wonderful.  Cancun, in comparison is a concrete jungle.  Even Playa Del Carmen was much busier.  Puerto Aventuros is quiet and very secure - only those with a geniune reason may enter the area.  The hotels a five minute stroll from Dolphin Discovery.  We spent many hours over the two weeks watching the Dolphins playing.

As for the hotel, I have never seen anyone work so hard to keep a place clean and tidy.  Our room was spacious and only lacked tea/coffee making facilities (so take a travel kettle if you like this).  There was a good choice of well presented food in the buffets/snack bar, (though we didn't see chilli con carne in two weeks.) Friut was often carved into attractive displays and we regularly saw staff checking the temperature of foods.  We didn't feel the Mexican restuarant lived up to expectations, but the Italian was out of this world - we visited four times and would recommend the Mushroom Steak.  (The Steak restaurant was pretty much as you'd expect).  The staff in all were great - very efficient (some English hotels could learn a lot).

Entertainment staff were also good (although not our cup of tea), but if you're into group activities there's plenty to do.  We found the Yucatan side (sister hotel), slightly quieter.  The Catamaran was fun - but book early.  Snorkelling was good in the Lagoon- esp. by the bridge.  (I took bread from the restuarant, sealed it in a plastic bag and feed the fish - I have never seen so many in my life!!).  Only made it too the Disco, once as we kept falling asleep, but it seemed pretty good for an all inclusive hotel disco.

We booked several trips through Thomsons - fairly good value a travel company. We drove a speed boat through a Mangrove Jungle in Cancun (which my Husband loved!!).  They drop you off for snorkelling (hundreds more impressive fish). 
The long journey (2 1/2hrs)to Chichen Itza was well worth it, and the journey wasn't too bad in Thomsons Luxary coach.  (The guides are very good! and refreshments in Chichen Itza are inexpensive. 
The shopping trip to Cancun is well structured (a Downtown flea market, then a couple of American Style Malls').  In the first Mall is "Coco Bongos" (where the Mask was filmed (there is an evening trip here - 'Juan Hell of a Night') and the second Mall (la Isla) is the Interactive Aquarium were you can Feed Sharks from a Shark Tank. (The rep didn't tell us about this, but I found it on a website before we travelled). 

We also visited Xcaraet (wildlife park).  Here the snacks are much more expensive - but it's worth a visit.  The underground river swim (included in the entrance price) is a worthwhile experience.  Even if you're not a water baby - you have a life jacket and the current floats you along.  But do hire, or take your own snorkel, you'll miss a lot if you don't.  Make sure you visit the Avairy - the parrots are hillarous - bickering amoung themselves, until you produce a camera, then they sit nicely, until it goes away again.  There are other things you can do at an extra cost including 'Snuba' and a 'Sea Trek' that looked fun - take plenty of money!  Lastly, if you want to see the Mayan ball game display - it's only on a Sunday at 6pm - take mosquito spray!!!!! 

The Dolphin swim is great - though the pictures and video are VERY expensive (get someone on the side to film it for you if you can - they are ok with this!).  I swam with Dolphins in Antiga, but this was better (the Dolphins tow you and push you out of the water!).  My only tip would be - don't book through your tour operator.  You're so near the centre, I wish I'd gone down and checked for a 'quieter' session -there were 8 in mine, on other days we saw groups of three or four - esp late on in the day!

This really could be the holiday of a life time and my social conscience was easied by the priority Mexico places on balancing tourism and enviromental protection.  Certain areas of Jungle/Lagoons are off limits, reef snorkelling requires a SMALL financial contribution to its protection, you have to wear life jackets to stop people diving and touching reefs and the wildlife parks rescue sea turtles, returning them to the wild when they are big enough.  In many places you can't wear sun lotion -to protect the Marine environment.  (So, its worth checking your lotions aren't oil based - water based ones like Boots 'New Soltan Sun Care' were ok).  

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Catalonia Hotel (prev Cameleon Marival) - Puerto Aventura

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - October 2004

Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : Jamie Illingworth - Leeds (31, 34)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just come back from Mexico and all I can say is - Brilliant. Even with the un-necessary 1hr wait through immigration it was worth the wait to enter the land of paradise.

We arrived at Hotel Catalonia to a refreshing cocktail and were given a superb air conditioned (well needed in this heat) room, only 1 min. walk to the fish infested lagoon (ideal for snorkeling). The facilities and staff were second to none, to the extent that when your glass was nearing empty, if you looked away then looked back you were confronted with another full glass. The Hotel has 3 restaurants as well as the customary buffet, Italian (the best), Mexican (try the flambe banana's for dessert), and the Grill. If all you eat is english food then don't come here! But if you like to try foreign cuisine then this is the place to come. The hotel is only 10min. walk from the marina which hosts Stingrays, Manatees & Dolphins, all of which you can interact with.

20mins. down the road by Taxi (190 pesos) is Xel-Ha, which is a natural eco-system water park where you can swim with dolphins, snorkel with even bigger fish and float down the rivers in inflatable rings, this place is a must visit for the day! We also went on a four day tour (organised with Thomas Cook thru travel agent)of the Mayan ancient sites (Tulum, Coba, Chitchen Itza, Uxmal & Izamal). For £140 it was brilliant value for money. There were only 6 of us on the tour, led by Mario, he took us to places not even on the itinerary, including a Mayan Indians home, a factory where they make rope from sisel cactus, a hacienda and a cenote (deep cave with a very deep pool to swim in).
If you are into Scuba diving then you can find 'Dive Aventuras' in the marina. I completed my PADI course successfully on four fascinating dives with Monica & Jorge, spotting a turtle, huge Eagle-ray and a couple of big lobsters on the way. 

All in all this was a perfect holiday to get away from the October blues, I fully recommend the hotel and the resort is perfectly situated to visit places such as the temples (for the culture), Playa Del Carmen (for the night life), Cancun (for the shopping), Xel-Ha & Xcaret (for the sealife). GO!

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Catalonia Hotel (prev Cameleon Marival) - Puerto Aventura

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - July 2004

Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Lesley & Peter (32 & 31)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Couldn't fault this hotel in any way.  As others have said, it definately deserves a 4 star rating instead of 3.
Food totally amazing - 3 resturants, and 2 buffets.  Hint for the resturants though, you only get tickets giving you 1 visit per stay, but you can chance your luck and book without your ticket - we managed 3 visits to the Mexican & Itallian during our stay which were well worth it.  Saying that, the buffet is just as good with plenty of choice.
Drink also very good, and the hotel had almost every drink you could want & branded names were available - not just local spirits.
Rooms were spotless, and cleaned every day.  Also fresh towels were given every day whether you needed them or not. 

The entertainment team were very friendly, and really tried to make sure that everyone was enjoying themselves.  However, you didn't feel that you had to join in with their activities, it was fine just to sit and watch!
There were 3 lovely pools, and the pool area was also spotless.  Fresh beach towels were also available each day.

All in all, I would recommend this hotel to anyone - couples or families, young or old.  Will definately go back.

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Puerto Juarez - Mexico

Blue Bay Club & Marina -  Puerto Juarez

Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays May 2003

Opinion submitted in May 2003 by : Lynne & Alan Howes - Norwich 48 ,50

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We had only just discovered this Web site  when we were about to travel to the Blue Bay Club. After reading some reviews were quite concerned it may be not want we were expecting!

But it was excellent value and the Staff could not help enough very friendly as soon as you finished your drink refilled every one answere you are welcome!  The rooms are very good a Mexican feel good size and were very pleased to have a sea view ( we did not book one ).  This is the ideal hotel if you want peace and quiet or a choice of more noise and different surroundings at the Getaway (sister hotel) at no extra charge.

The beach is ok but the sea does have a problem with seaweed so the pool is the best bet.  The entertainment staff are good 4 shows per week in the Theatre across the road so book meal options offered by vouchers on the second week if not you will see the same showes twice! You can book the Getaway Meals at the Blue Bay Club so there was no problem getting a reservation but arrange it early in your holiday to ensure you can go! 

A good tip is to visit the Island of Murjeres just over the bay not through the rep or hotel.  Turn left from the hotel walk 15-20 mins or take a bus 5 mins to the dock and take a ferry with the locals every 30 mins 35pesos per person.  It is worth it the beach and sea is better than the Getaway and the Club worth travelling over for.  Beware time share will ask you to take a free golf cart to get aroung the island ignore these as you get off the ferry walk to the left to the rentals and do not pay more than 35 dollars this will give you cart all day!

The jungle tour in the speed boat is also good !! The local buses are good and cheap to use.  But the hotel provides free transport to the Getaway boat or bus you can then travel to other places in Cancun but beware the shops are expensive!

All in all its a good all inclusive clean and ideal for a long haul holiday the flight is long but worth it very hot!!!

So do not worry if you have booked this hotel we had a great time!    

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Puerto Morelos - Mexico

Hotel Azul Beach - Puerto Morelos

Operator and Date: First Choice - 2006 / 2007

Opinion submitted in March 2007 by : Pauline Elliot 37,47

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This holiday in the main was expensive, however we have never been anywhere where the staff, food, accommodation has been of such a high standard.

The food was all presented very well, and tasted good.  The alcohol selection was of a high standard too - none of your cheap brands!!

I would say to anyone who is considering booking and may think it is too expensive - go for it - you will have a memory which will imprint on you for a very long time.

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Puerto Vallarta - Mexico

Canto Del Sol - Puerto Vallarta

Operator and Date: First Choice -  Feb 2007

Opinion submitted in April 2007 by : Sharon & Andy (40 & 30)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Well where do I begin.  After much deliberation we decided to book a holiday at the Canto Del Sol in Puerto Vallarta with First Choice.  

As it was a long haul flight and having read some holiday reviews we decided to upgrade to Premier Class but only if we were guaranteed to be sat together.  I phoned the number in the brochure and asked the girl "will we definitely be sat together because if not then we won't bother upgrading", she said "there are still plenty of seats available so you will be sat together, however you might be one on either side of the aisle" we agreed this would be fine and made the booking.  On arriving at check-in the night before the girl said "you do know you're not together don't you", she showed us the layout on her computer screen.  We were fuming as we were sat one behind the other, so spent a 14 hour journey almost in compete silence as it was not possible to turn round to chat, we couldn't interact with each other on the games - complete nightmare journey.  Yes the seats have plenty of legroom but the ones in normal class also have plenty of space.  The food was nothing out of the ordinary, chicken, beef or pasta and you have to give first and second choice as they tend to "run out" of things, normal class had a choice of chicken or beef. The only reason I would recommend Premier Class if you like a lot of alcohol to drink as this is free well that is until it "runs out"!!  My opinion is save your money for something worthwhile!! 

On arriving at the hotel at 9.30, first impressions were good, entrance hall nice, staff really friendly, checked in and at our room in approx 15 mins, room seemed a bit dirty and dingy but it was night time, we unpacked and went for a wander around, everything seemed OK.  We woke up early 6.30ish and decided to go for early breakfast and then find some beds and go for a walk on the beach hahahah despite there being big notices everywhere telling people not to reserve beds, they all had towels, books or papers on them, we had to take 2 that were in the shade until about 3 in the afternoon, that was our first disappointment, we learnt that if you didn't have a bed by 8am you stood no chance even though some people didn't turn up until 5pm it was diabolical.

We went in for breakfast uck disgusting, fried beans (re-fried beans by the end of the week), chilli beef, soggy bread, luckily you had a choice of cereal or fresh cooked eggs, we stuck to the fresh cooked eggs, toast and cereal and we were soon to discover that breakfast was actually the best meal of the day!!!  If you are fussy about food and like it plain then definitely stay away from the Canto Del Sol.  When you arrive - depending on the length of your stay - you are given vouchers for the A-La-Carte restaurant, we ate at 2 of them, the Steakhouse, the food seemed OK but I was actually ill for 2 days after that meal.  The Italian (in Villas Vallarta) was really nice and I would recommend this restaurant.  We gave the 3rd one a miss.

Once we had settled in we realised we had made a big mistake going to the Canto Del Sol, it was overrun with rude, obnoxious Americans and Canadians, they were loud and uncouth, they treated the staff like personal skivvies, 'bring this, bring me that, I want ex amount of eggs cooked this way', they obviously don't teach manners in their countries as there were none used, no please, no thank you.  They put their sun beds in other peoples spaces and didn't like it when they were asked to move.   Screaming in corridors at 3.00am, banging doors - absolutely appalling - the staff said they would deal with the problem or they would throw them out, luckily the warning did the trick (on that occasion).  On Sat 10th March, students arrived by the coach load, well the hotel changed completely and everything was then geared up to suit beer swilling, dirty mouthed students, we were woken at 2.00am, 4.00am, just what you want on a "nice relaxing holiday - NOT". we were so glad that we only had 3 nights left.  Canto Del Sol - Puerto Vallarta - NEVER AGAIN!!

On the plus side : Sandra D the First Choice rep was excellent, friendly and very helpful.

The trips she told us about with Vallarta Adventures I would highly recommend, they are worth every single penny.  We went to Yelapa, Marietas, Las Caletas and we also did the Dolphin and Seal Lion Adventures out in Nuevo Vallarta.  On the trip to Marietas we were lucky enough to see the Humpback Whales and Wild Dolphins it was awesome and something I won't forget in a long time.  Swimming with the Dolphins and Sea Lions is great fun and we were in with the dolphins for approx 50 mins and sea lions abt 35, you have to do this it's a fantastic experience.  We wanted to snorkel at Las Caletas as there were some lovely fish in the water but unfortunately it was overrun with jelly fish and even though the reps said they were harmless, 3 people from my group got stung so we decided not to bother.

Despite the downside we did have a good holiday but we certainly WON'T be returning, not because of the hotel or staff but because of the Americans & Canadians, it would have been quieter and more relaxing on a tacky 18-30 holiday in Spain!!!

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Crown Paradise Club - Puerto Vallarta

Operator and Date: First Choice, July 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Macdonald (37,36,8)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This was our first long haul holiday, and we were anxious, as we had read some of the reviews, but we neednt have been, Because it was the rainy season,  we were concerned our weather would be dissappointing.  This could not have been further from the truth.  

Our hotel was fantastic,rooms were huge and spotlessly clean, fresh towels every day. Food was excellent but if you are looking for tradional british meals (cooked breakfasts etc forget it)  we liked this fact. You could have room service at anytime of the day or night, and could even have your breakfast delivered.  There were other restaurants on the complex, and the french was by far the best Our experience of the italian was not good - (food cold twice after being sent back- maybe they were having a bad night, but we did not go back)The staff were the friendliest we had come across, even the sellers on the beach, were polite and took no for an answer.  Bear in mind that the staff work extremely hard and for the eqivalant of £15 p week!

Weather was fantastic, and there is no need for the family to take it in turns to get up early for sunbeds! there were always plenty, and towels were provided.  Hotel did not tolerate the reserving of sunbeds, which was great.
We did have rain more or less every night but it only came around 11pm, which did not effect us. The Shows that the entertainment  team put on at Club Nitro are fantastic, but unfortunately they begin at 9.30pm and finish at 10,30pm, if you have kids you have to leave the club by 11pm.  Obviously there are still bars open on the complex, but no other entertainment, that is probably the only negative comment we could make about the hotel.  

We will definately go back

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Las Palmeras - Puerto Vallarta

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - July 2003

Opinion submitted in July 2003 by : Doreen Cole 46,42,16

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Returned from Las Palmeras 18th July,so very hot..Our rep was Lynne she was lovely I was surprised to find the appartments where 4 star felt more like a 3 the appartments where large with a fan in the bedroom but heven help you if you slept in the lounge area very warm indeed.The pool was very good and all the outside areas clean and tidy,the open aspect at the rear of the complex was a joy sheep,roosters,chickens and a lovely donkey also lots of cats and kittens about.We where badly bitten by mozzies so take your plugs with you.

The surrounding area was a little quiet and remote so a car is a good idea and cheaper than the trips.
Not many places to eat three including the hotel which has the same menu every night which can be a problem for fussy eaters.

If you are used to big markets then don't bother going to any you can walk around them in 15 minutes.
Not a bad holiday but a bit more life would have been nice

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Marival Grand and Clun Suites / Puerto Vallarta

Operator and Date: First Choice July 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Collette Lee and Alfie, Welling Kent 44, 16,14

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This was the first time that I have been to Mexico and the hotel really made it special. The hotel was very clean and spacious the food was wonderful with 3 a la Carte restaurants to choose from.  The hotel situation was great not to far from the local town.  The rooms were very spacious and were cleaned every day.  There was always lots going on day and evening.  The staff were wonderful they could never do enough for you so nice and friendly.  The sea and the swimming pools [4in the hotel]were warm never cold.  There was plenty of trips to go and that were good value for money and I would recommend to try these, myself and my children thought that they were great. 

All in all a fantastic holiday and I would definitely go back when I get the chance.

Collette

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Hotel Playa D'Oro - Puerto Vallarta

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - Feb 2004

Opinion submitted in Mar 2004 by : Teresa - Stuart (27, 37)

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Arrived at the hotel after an extremely long journey - landed in Cancun to go through immigration, after an hour back on the plane to arrive in Puerto Vallarta to have every single piece of luggage hand checked.  (we were informed on our holiday that this does not happen to the Americans or Canadians).

The hotel was clean and the staff were friendly.  Towels were collected everyday - but dont expect them back until 5pm on ocassion. 
We asked for a quiet room which we did have apart from the corridors echoed so much I was glad I took my earplugs!

The entertainment was non-existent and consisted of the much mentioned keyboard player who sang the same songs everynight in the same order which totally drove us to sleep.

The karaoke was the best night pulling in the guests but this only happened twice a week.  The factory club across the road was included in the all inclusive, we went once as the entertainment only lasted until max 11pm when they then tried to get everyone to go to Carlos OBriens/Senor Frogs in the town to spend more money on drinks.  Nothing else happened after that time.

There were three restaurants, Kon Tiki which was very repetitive and we ate the same thing everytime we attended, the food also didnt change from lunchtime to evening - which was worrying.  We also found because of this there were no desserts left at evening time.

The japanese restaurant was really good and we ate there alot, the staff were really polite and friendly.  Be warned however, your clothes smell of the cooked food and burnt oil when you leave.

The Ibiza restaurant was great the first time we went but the second time the vegetables tasted of seaweed which put us off.

The other annoying thing we found was that music was played everywhere - from breakfast at 7am in the restaurant, loud round the pool all day and again in the evening when we ate dinner.   Same music for two weeks - and not that discreet!

We didnt sunbathe on the beach due to the fact there were no sunbeds only chairs and the beach sellers were extremely annoying, one asking you to buy things every few minutes, even when you were trying to eat at the snack bar or drink at the beach bar.

The gym was well equipped although the treadmills didnt work for the whole two weeks we were there.

There is a good beauty salon which offers cheap massages and manicures.

The best thing about the holiday was the weather - two weeks of glorious hot sunshine.   When it was supposed to be cloudy (as the weather forecast predicted) the clouds followed the hills either side of the bay, leaving the resort in full sunshine.

Overall we found that we preferred the carribean as it had a much more relaxed and friendly atmosphere, as such we will not be returning to Puerto Vallarta.

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Hotel Playa D'Oro - Puerto Vallarta

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - April/May 2003

Opinion submitted in May 2003 by : Emma & Marie  - Sheffield (28, 21)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The first of only two minor warnings is about the flight, flights to Puerto Vallarta (PV) are not 14 hours as advertised they seem to be 16.  Ours was 16 and we spoke to guests that arrived the following week who had also had a 16 hour flight.  We re-fuelled in Dominican Republic which took an hour.  Unfortunately we were not allowed to disembark which after a boring 10 hour flight (rubbish entertainment on way out) we were slightly disappointed at.  Other than that, good flight with friendly crew.  The tourist card was given to us to complete while on the flight, however, on arrival in PV we were given another form to complete in relation to foot and mouth!  Getting through the airport is slow (took about an hour) as there are no scanning machines so everyone's luggage is hand checked both on arrival and departure. 

The hotel was very good, clean, set in attractive grounds and the staff were very friendly and helpful.  The First Choice rep was also very friendly and helpful.  We never saw any evidence that any rebuilding work had taken place as experienced by others.  The rooms were of a high standard too, very clean and if you are travelling with First Choice they have a complimentary bottle of champagne waiting for you (although we have to say, it wasn't very nice!).  We asked for a sea view at the time of booking and were very pleased when we went out onto the balcony to find we had one.  We were not near the main pool at all and even the kids pool was far enough away not to bother us. 

We have to agree with all other reviews about entertainment.  However, we were told about the Factory Club (a club across the road that hotel guests could go to free of charge) at the welcome meeting along with everything else that was included with all inclusive.  The Factory Club had live bands and shows which were very good and drinks were included as part of the all inclusive deal.  Kids were allowed in for the shows but had to leave by 11pm when the club turned into a nightclub - apparently.  The hotel has regular karaoke in Margarita's Bar, the keyboard player and not much else really.  Occasionally there was a CD on it the background, sometimes English, sometimes Spanish, but quite often it was just the TV so didn't really get you in the mood for anything other than an early night.  There was a bar by the beach which most people went to if they were staying within the hotel, this had a nicer atmosphere and very low background music. 

The hotel has 3 restaurants.  Kon Tiki Food Court which was buffet style, Ibiza an a la carte restaurant and a Japanese restaurant the name of which we can't remember (that is by no means a reflection on the restaurant or food though!).  You had to use Kon Tiki for breakfast but apart from that we stopped using it after the third day.  The food was very nice but VERY repetitive, basically the same every day.  At the beginning of the holiday wine was available (in taps) but they were turned off.  Other guests we spoke to said they were never turned back on.  Ibiza restaurant was excellent.  You had to book in the morning when you went for breakfast but it was worth getting up a little earlier for.  They did a different international cuisine each evening which was always well presented, excellent service (waiter service) and wine.  The Japanese restaurant was also very good.  This has both hot food and sushi.  This was waiter service too but only after you'd ordered.  You had to order the hot food from a menu board at the front of the restaurant and tell the waiters which table you were sat at.  The food was very good too, fried rice, and lots of it, came with everything!  We didn't try the sushi bar.  Kon Tiki is open during the day but you can also get burgers, hot dogs, pizza, chips etc from a snack bar by the beach.  This same snack bar turned into waiter service with a different menu in the evening if you wanted to eat outside.  There was also a pool party and beach party each week where tables and chairs were put by the pool/on the beach and the BBQ was lit up.

Beach was very good, not crowded at all.  The sunbeds are free and on checking into the hotel you receive a card to exchange for a towel for the beach.  You had to return the towels by 7pm and get your card back to use again another time.  Beach vendors are a pain and seem to be approaching you literally every few minutes and this continued throughout our holiday.  None were pushy though and after a polite no thank you they walked away.  The beach bar was excellent too, your glass was being re-filled as soon as it was empty!

We went on a number of trips while we were there all very good - horse riding, sierra madre safari, swimming with dolphins and hard rock cafe.  Out of all of them, the one we'd probably do independantly was the hard rock cafe.  We didn't drink loads the night we went so it would have been cheaper for us to have got a taxi into town another night and just pay for our drinks.  Sierra Madre and swimming with dolphins were excellent.  The dolphin swim is expensive but worth the money. 

Overall it was a very good relaxing holiday and we'd definitely go back to Puerto Vallarta.  It's an ideal place for couples, families or friends (but not somewhere you would find large groups of friends) with a nice mix of little or lots to do depending on how you feel. 

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Hotel Playa D'Oro - Puerto Vallarta

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - Feb 2003

Opinion submitted in Feb 2003 by : Dave Razell - Sussex (40,44)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Playa D'Oro is on the main beachfront hotel strip about 5km from the old town of Puerto Vallarta (PV).  Don't expect to be in real Mexico at this all inclusive hotel.  The only Mexicans you will see are the (very friendly) staff and the throngs of beach sellers.  The hotel caters mainly for American tourists, many of whom we found rather loud and arrogant.

Having said that, the accommodation is of an excellent standard and set in very attractive grounds, much nicer than the many high rises.  The rebuilding work mentioned by others is complete and the hotel is now immaculate.  We saw no sign of workmen other than routine fixing.  We saw a video of the hurricane damage last October when the sea washed away the restaurant and flooded the ground floor.  It is quite incredible how they have got it up and running so quickly.    Rooms are spotless and have showers (not baths as in brochure).  Most rooms look out over one of the two pools with varying degrees of sea view.  Be warned however, some look out on the car park and wasteland in front.  There is an excellent children's play area, a noisy main pool with games going on all day and a quiet pool.  If you want peace and quiet you won't get it if your room overlooks the former two as many do.   Entertainment is confined to a dull keyboard player and regular Karaoke, which must have irritated far more people in surrounding rooms (us!) than the few who were listening.  Apparently the Factory Club over the road has live bands and shows but nobody told us it was included in the hotel price, we found out on the flight home!  In fact there was no written information on what was included, you were left to find out for yourselves!

The food in the newly refurbished and extended buffet restaurant is generally very good with much choice but we had major issues with the buffet food being left out for long periods of time, occasionally covered in flies.  We too observed the staff brushing off flies and leaving the food out.  We complained to the restaurant manager, the assistant manager, the (new) First Choice rep and the guest relations officer but none of these did anything about it other than covering the fruit at breakfast.  We did, however spot a hotel inspector taking samples so maybe something will get done.  It didn't inspire confidence.

There is an excellent brand new 'a la carte' restaurant on site.  The food here is beautifully presented with excellent service (seems to be run independently).  There is no extra charge but you have to book in the morning.  There was usually ample space.  There is also a Japanese restaurant with Sushi bar but we didn't try this.

The beach is good, although you won't find the fine white sand and turquoise sea of the Caribbean coast. More sunbeds and shades were appearing (all washed away in storm).  The beach vendors are a real pain and will not leave you until they get a 'No Thank You', even if you are asleep or in conversation.  Expect one every five minutes to start with,  they do get the message after a week!

A ten minute bus ride takes you into the charming old town.  This is full of characterful bars (Arndale's being a favourite) and very lively at night.  The bus drivers are manic.  You are fairly safe on the bus but watch out when crossing, we saw a very nasty accident.  All journeys cost 25p (UK).  Climbing right up the hill (keep going up steps when the roads peter out) gives great views.  Prices for most things are about 75% up to full UK prices.  We felt very safe wherever we went in Mexico.  They are very warm, friendly people

Excursions are (as ever) best booked independently.  Take a local bus to the Coach terminal where you can go pretty much anywhere.  We took a five hour trip to Guadalahara, Mexico's second City for £30 each return.  Stayed at the beautiful old 4 star Hotel Frances for £30.  Don't miss Tlaquepaque, very ethnic and near the main bus terminal.  Best deal we found on hire cars was in the big circular internet kiosk in the shopping plaza outside the cruise ship terminal (next to the hotel).  £30 per day inc insurance for an open top Beetle with unlimited KM (see the Canadian guy, they don't advertise it much) Beware may companies restrict KM.  Drive north up the coast and get away from the tourists, there are many beautiful deserted beaches on the way to Punta Del Mita.  Sayulita is worth a visit as is Bocca De Tomatlan on the south side.  We booked our boat trips from one of the two kiosks outside the circular internet café.  £20 buys a day trip to 2 isolated beaches plus snorkelling at Los Arcos (rather murky).  Lunch, breakfast and open bar are included.  A horseride to a waterfall is an extra £7.

This was our first experience of 'all inclusive'.  I don't think we'd repeat it.  We missed eating out and mixing with the locals.  Why travel this far to stay in your hotel?  If it's your scene then this hotel has the potential to be very good but they need to get their act together on the details.  We'd go back to PV but next time we'd stay 'room only' downtown.      

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Royal Decameron Buscerias - Puerto Vallarta

Operator and Date: First  Choice  Aug 2006

Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Brian - H ,  Cornwall  43, 44, 15, 9. 

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This was our first longhaul holiday. And what a holiday it was.
First the flights. On the way out there was an 8 hour delay due to a technical problem with the aircraft,better for them to fix it on the ground, but First Choice gave us vouchers to buy food and drinks ( nearly £40 in all) and what was not spent in the airport could be spent on the aircraft. It was a long flight (13 1/2 hrs) but the inflight entertainment was great, your own tv screen in the back of the chairs with a good choice of films,games,programs and music to chose from. The meal and snacks were o.k. too.
On arrival at puerto vallarta we were quickly through and onto our coach (about an hour and then a 30 minutes drive to the hotel.We arrived at about 2-3am and they had kept a snackbar open for us to go to if we wished ( there were about 40 guests arrived.)

After a good nights sleep and a good breakfast we decided to view the complex.
It is HUGE. 5 pools plus splash pools for kids. 3 buffet restaurants, 5 speciality restaurants and 2 snack bars, plenty of bars, great beach, fantastic gardens and loads more.
The rooms... We had two rooms of good size, a kingsize bed in one which is over 6 foot wide  and a twin which had two double beds. Both rooms had large walk in showers,a large wardrobe,cupboards etc. a t.v. with lots of channels including american news and film channels and a balcony with table and chairs. We were in block 4 which is right near the beach, in fact its near everything except the evening entertainment and probably the best block out of the 5 or 6 .

The food.... If you want good old British food then stay in Britain.  It's good food and somedays very good. Mexican food ,fish , pork, beef etc rice, potatos, pasta etc . If you go hungry you must be a fussy eater.
The snack bar serves burgers hotdogs pizza and fries from 11:00 to 17:00 . We used it some days for our youngest but its right next to one of the main buffet restaurants so we could use both and carry the food from one to the other.
Drinks .... Plenty of choice and plenty of bars to choose them from.
The hotel itself.... The hotel is great. plenty to do. Very clean. Good staff. Lovely tropical gardens to walk around with green lizards  Iguanas , and geckos all freely walking around. Huge Butterflies , Pelicans , and other large birds flying around.
The pools....5 great pools ( 1 adults only) kids pools and Jacuzzies. all the pools we used ( and i think the rest too)are a max of about 4 1/2 ft deep.

Days out.... We went swimming with Dolphins.Brilliant is the only word to describe it.  And we did a day out were you fly to a couple of the local villages in the mountains/jungle in a small 12 seater light aircraft .Sample real local food and learn about the area and the local people . This is a fantastic day but is expensive ( about £75 each but worth every penny).
The bad bits .... I say bad bits but they were just silly annoying things .
1. Trying to get a cup of tea/ coffee in  the morning. Sometimes you have finished eating before the restaurant staff come around to ask if you want a tea or coffee. MY TIP .. sit near the staff areas.
2. Trying to get drinks in the evning. do the same as above.
Thats the bad bits , but another tip . Buy cold drink flasks , the bar staff fill these up , this keeps the drinks cold and stops the wasps getting into your drinks.
3. a fridge in the rooms would be ideal.

The weather was HOT HOT HOT . There were some fantastic thunderstorms of an evening which everybody loved to watch and some great sunsets .
Overall.... Would i recommend this hotel? YES definately.
Would i go back again ? YES 
Finally score out of ten for the overall holiday 9/10..

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Royal Decameron Tropical - Puerto Vallarta

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - April to May 2003

Opinion submitted in May 2003 by : Dave + Dawn - Lee-On-Solent (44,43)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

One of the items on my list of things to do before I die was to dip my toe in the Pacific Ocean. The most practical way to do this was, I figured, a holiday to Mexico.

I booked my holiday via the Teletext web site. I initially saw an AI holiday to Puerto Vallarta for 14 nights for about £740 p.p. leaving on Easter Monday, through a company called globallatedeals.com so I gave them a call. The girl at the other end was ever so helpful, and informed me that if I left a day earler I could have 15 nights for £619 p.p.

Having never been on an AI holiday before I was a little wary as I'd noticed from brochures that the standard, and what is included, can vary greatly, so I asked if she could fax through the brochure details, which she duly did. It looked OK and though I also knew nothing about Mexico I took the plunge.

Being a late deal, booked about three weeks before departure, we were unable to book premium or leg room seats, which was a bit of a worry as Dawn takes medication before a flight due to a previous DVT, but were told if we got to the airport early we may be able to book them on the day, as they hold a few back. I didn't believe this but as it turned out we did get there early, and for an extra £25 each were able to book exit aisle leg room seats, which was well worth it. By the way, these have probably as much, if not more, leg room than the premium seats. I know the premium seats have free drinks, but at circa £200 I don't think even I could drink enough to make it cost effective.

The flight from Gatwick is the worst part of the holiday, long, very very long. Re-fuelled at Puero Plata in the Dominican, and although this stop-over was only about 1 hour (not allowed off the plane) the total time was about 16.5 hours.

Short transfer from the airport, 15 mins wait on the air-con coach and then about 20 mins to hotel.

The reception, at first, seemed a bit cattle-marketish as we were all herded together to a reception area. I was beginning to fear the worst. Far from it. We were actually herded to a grassed area with seating and cocktails and breezed through a very efficient check-in. 10 minutes later we were in our spacious room, with one of the largest double beds I have ever seen, and a balcony overlooking the pool and beach (2nd floor, or 3rd to them).

The rooms are air-conditioned, although this is quite noisy. But during the dry season when we went it is quite comfortable at night to sleep without the air-con.

I have given the hotel an excellent rating because of what I was expecting from a 3*. It far exceeded that. OK the rooms were basic but with clean bed linen and towels everyday, Sat TV with about 5 English speaking channels with movies etc (takes a while to get out of the habit of reading the Spanish sub-titles whilst trying to watch).

The Hotel has 4 A-La-Carte restaurants which have to be pre-booked, and if there are only two of you you will be seated with another couple as their are no two-seater tables. There are a couple of very good buffet style restaurants with as much choice as you could wish for. There were only two nights when I was fussing around looking for something I wanted. Dawn is a vegetarian and she was delighted with the choices available, in fact it was one of the best veggie selections I've seen. The buffets were so good we didn't even bother with the A-La-Cartes much. It is possible to eat any time most of the day from 7am to 1am. There are several bars with various opening times which between them cover the hours 10am to 3am.

There is a free disco with free bar, which is in the grounds but far enough away to not hear and a nightly theatre show, which we didn't attend but were told was good on most nights.

The hotel is literally on the beach which is clean and has plenty of loungers as do the areas surrounding the 4 pools, one of which is kid free if you want a bit of peace.

The usual hawkers patrol the beach, but as these are licensed by the hotel they are hassle free if you say "No Gracias".

The bay the hotel is on (Banderas Bay) is beautiful and quite dramatic as the Sierra Mardre mountains rise from it.

The sea is wonderfully warm but the currents are quite strong. I noticed that the flags were always either Yellow or Red. In fact I also noticed the flag posts didn't even have a Green flag on them. So Yellow is the calmest you are ever going to see. Because of this the water is very murky, so don't expect to snorkel here.

The staff are very friendly and most have a wicked, very English, style of humour which I loved, must tick the Americans off though. Having said that the hotel is very much an American and German free-zone, comprising mainly of Brits, Canadians and Dutch.

It's very family/couple oriented with a pleasing lack of groups of drunken revellers enjoying themselves whilst ruining everybody elses holidays, despite the extended drinking hours.

Something Dawn and I don't often do on holiday is excursions but this time we did, and how glad we were. The best ones are booked through a company called Vallarta Adventures. Whilst they are not particularly cheap they are superb value for money. The best is the Marietas Island trip on a large Catamaran. Fantastic party atmosphere throughout, unbelievable snorkelling, a secluded beach to die for and an open bar and party music on the cruise back, with a host called Giovanni, who is one of the best and funniest guys you could wish to meet. If you want something a bit more personal try the the yacht cruise roun the bay with a max of 14 plus 2 crew. Went horse riding in the foothills of the Sierra Mardre, which is another must do.

A thoroughly enjoyable holiday at an extremely well run and clean hotel. There is an army of people cleaning all day, and night, long. Oh and don't take beach towels as they are in plentiful supply and clean every day.

Can't wait to go and see the whales in December/January. We did actually see one on this holiday which is extremely rare this time of year, that with the myriad of dolphins and hundreds of pelicans formation flying sealed it as the best holiday we've ever had.

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Hotel Vista Club Playa de Oro - Puerto Vallarta

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - Jan 2003

Opinion submitted in Feb 2003 by : Paul,Tracy Jordan - Carlisle (29,29,07,02)

Resort Rating: Poor

Accommodation Rating: Below Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

On arrival into Puerto vallarta after a terrible 15 1/2 hour journey we were not impressed to be told that we could not disembark the plane until we had completed a customs card which we were later told should have been handed out during the flight(which was long enough for even the less educated to complete).

After leaving the plane we were submitted to a further hold up at customs control where to be honest there seemed to be no order with which you were dealt with thus it became a FREE FOR ALL with people everywhere.

We finally arrived at our Hotel to an efficient and friendly welcome with a very much needed welcome drink waiting for us

As it was such a long journey we only had time for a quick look around the Hotel before the need for sleep became to overwhelming.

Our first impression of the resort was as expected from the brochure but this time first impressions did'nt last,we soon realised that our room had no bath (detailed in brochure)which with a 2 year old child and only a shower was going to cause problems i must say that this was reported to the rep and a suitable arrangement was made this being the only complaint that we made to be rectified.

1 week before we departed we received a letter from our travel agent advising that certain restaurants had been changed a minor change which we thought nothing else of until we arrived and found out why.

It became apparent that a Hurricane had hit the area in OCT 2002 and had caused major damage to the Hotel something that we were not advised of before departure

I must say the work the people had done in such a short length of time was amazing but the Hotel still had a long way to go until back up to scratch,never been to the resort before it was obvious by the amount of work still going on:

work men drilling, sawing, hammering not to mention the painting going on with no warning signs, my wife entered the kids club area barefoot (as we were sitting by the kids pool)only to have the soles of her feet covered in red paint, staff had to clean them with turpintine !!

We reported all our problems to the First choice rep only to be told that it was "routine maintance" and as the Hotel was open all year it was on going throughout the year, i must add that while we were there (which unfortunatly was for 3 weeks)the Hotel was transformed with new loungers arriving, new tiling all over the resort and one restaurant that was closed been almost completed and ready for opening with new AIR CONDITIONING UNITS fitted at 3am on the managers orders!!!

The food was disgusting and repeatative and the attitude of the restaurant staff left a lot to be desired, on one occasion we reported MITES around the griddle area to the restaurant manager, only to witness him squash them with his finger and walk away.

The entertainment on site leaves a lot to be desired with a painfully irritating keyboard player who plays at full volume, the saving grace was the fact that entertainment was organised over the road at the FACTORY CLUB with the shows been outstanding and the drinks been decent.

This was the first time we have been away for 3 weeks and unfortunatly it was to here, it is not very nice to be pleased your holiday is over but all the family felt the same.

If you go to this resort take plenty of money (not for the beach traders, of which there must be 100's)but for eating out of the Hotel and for excursions(you will need to go on trips to escape the noise!!!)

Overall a holiday that we wish we had never had the only good thing i can say about the place is the weather was good and we got a tan but what a price to pay for a sun tan

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Riviera Maya - Mexico

Akumal Beach Resort - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson may 2004

Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : flissy  james

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

this hotel is wonderful, everybody is very helpful and make sure you have a good time,you can go to swim with the dolphines, see old buildings, go and feed the tropical fish at knee lenghth clear blue water, sit and wait for turtle to come to lay there eggs on the beach. you dont even have to carry you case up to the lovely clean rooms that the maids come in every day to clean. as for food they do everything you can possibly imagine, and know time limit on the bar.                 
the entertainment staff is wonderful they entertain you all day and night how they keep going i dont know. say hello to sergio
xxxxxx

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Akumal Beach Resort - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - Aug 2003

Opinion submitted in Sept 2003 by : Glen - Woking (29, 25)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Having arrived at Cancun Airport after the 10 hour flight we faced a 90minute queue to get through immigration and then another hour after obtaining our bags to get through customs as they were searching everyones bags for food (in total it took us just unnder three hours from leaving the plane to boarding our coach for the transfer to our hotel.

The reception staff at Akumal Beach Resort are very quick and guest services were asking people if they wanted to take their evening meal to be taken to their room or at in the restaurant.

We were allocated a room in the Chitchen Itza building which runs parallel to the beach and all the rooms overlook the sea with the rain forest along the back of the building.  Our room was simple but clean and well maintained.  The only two minor problems were the lock on the door was very weak and there were some tiny ants running about the place but they were never a problem.  Everyroom has a free safe in it and is air conditioned with individual room control (very quiet air conditioning).

The buffet restaurant food was very good with everything being properly cooked and a good variety.  The restaurant itself is only about 10m from the sea.

The Mexican a la carte restaurant was very good but the italian one wasn't very good.

The beach was clean and the further north along the beach you went the finer the sand became (and more palm trees to sit under)

The entertainment team were very good and always said hello to everyone.

One the whole this is very nice resort and I would consider returning if it were not for the fact that you have to use Cancun airport.  On the way home we faced a 2 hour queue prior to check-in whilst everybody's bags were searched (just before reaching the check-in desks) and our hund luggage was searched again at the boarding gate.  Those at the back of the check-in queue had no more than 20 minutes in the departure lounge before the plane boarded.

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Aventura Spa Palace - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Hayes & Jarvis Direct) Hayes and Jarvis - December 2003

Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Jade and Lee Elliott (21, 23)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We went here on our honeymoon and it was fantastic! The only bad thing was the waiting at the airport both ways (at least they have good security)and that the resort was full of americans...we found a lot of them to be rude and arrogant..not all of them but alot!

The hotel was huge and really posh, I have never been anywhere like it before and probably never will again on my wages!!!We didnt find that you had to tip all the time but did leave a big tip for our maid at the end of the two weeks as she was great, we had our room cleaned every day and she made our towels in shapes of swans, elephants, hearts...loads of things!

Our room was huge with a jacuzzi and mini bar which was filled every two days, you also got free room service which is handy when you're feeling lazy!
Food was great, you could eat as much as you wanted in any restaurent you wanted!
The pool and lagoon were really nice and clean and the lagoon has loads of tropical fish in...one was so big I thought it was a shark!!!

We went on two trips.. one to the ruins at tulum which was really interesting, we had a great tour guide and it was a baking hot day so got nice and brown too.

We also went to xpu ha palace, one of the other hotels in the same chain as ours which has an ecological park on site, it was brilliant and we would love to go there on holiday next, their snorkelling lagoon was huge and full of amazing fish, I think some people had seen sea turtles in it and we saw lots of iguanas and lizards walking about all over the place!!

There is so much more to tell, I could go on forever but all in all this place is wonderful...mexico is a beautiful place with lots to offer and I will definatly be going back one day

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Aventura Spa Palace - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - Nov 2003

Opinion submitted in Nov 2003 by : Donica Brown - Romford (23,23)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

What a holiday, it's horrible to be back home! 

We didn't actually receive a welcome drink like I've noticed many other people tend to say they got on arrival, however, that didn't bother us greatly. 

Got wizzed round to our room by one of the bellboys on a golf buggy and arrived to find a bottle of wine and a selection of cheeses waiting (which was nice seeing as we wasn't actually celebrating anything!) To our disappointment we realised we didn't have a hammock as we were in an end room therefore there wasn't two opposing walls for them to attach it to. Again, no great bother though as all the other available facilities make up for it. The rooms are massive and the personal whirlpool very relaxing after a day spent lazing round the poolside (warning: be careful with the bubble bath otherwise you'll be holding your own personal foam party in your room!! Half of the bottle they provide is sufficient).

The maids came daily and the room was always left spotless after they'd spent at least 30mins there. Each day you also get a different towel design on your bed (swans, dogs, tortoises... the list is endless!!)

On about our third day, the lock on our balcony door decided to snap. My first thought was "that's it, can't leave the room now" (as we were on the ground floor), however on reporting it to maintenance a gentleman was in our room within 15mins and gone within another 10 after having fitted a brand new lock!! :0)

Admitedly our first week was better than our second, mainly because in the second week more people arrived than left and so it became quite busy. Beware of the infestation of Americans... I'd say they made up approximately 70% of the guests! This didn't bother us at first however as more and more of them arrived, the waiters in the restaurants weren't as attentive to us Brits. 

It is customary that the Americans to tip the waiters before they've even sat down at their table and therefore the staff tended to drop everything for them at their beck and call. Don't feel as though you need to continually tip the waiters each night though for their attention, they do still tend to you but just not as quickly (which sometimes is a blessing in disguise if you wish to take dinner slowly). My advice would be to save your money until the end of your holiday and if a certain member of staff has made a specific impact on you, then tip them at the end of your stay.

Of the six restaurants to choose from, I cannot define a favourite as the standard in them all was outstanding. Unlike other all-inclusive packages I've been on, you didn't need to pre-book for the ala-carte restaurants, nor were you limited to the number of vists you are allowed. You are free to dine wherever, whenever!

There's plenty of aerobics, water polo, bike rides etc planned by the staff for during the days or you can simply laze beside the pool and no-one will pester you to make you join in. We attended a couple of the evening shows and was impressed by their dancing skills. There is a also a disco but this can be a bit hit-or miss. The first time we went in there we were dancing away to all the typical club classics but then on our next visit, they continually played all the typical holiday anthems (i.e. macarena, mambo #5 etc.) in Spanish!! But hey, it was still fun all the same (obviously depending on how much alcohol you'd consumed in advance!!!). 

There is otherwise several bars you can simply sit round by or pool tables to play on (if you can manage to get the Americans off them!)and plenty of waitresses coming round offering to collect more drinks for you! Again, tipping isn't necessary unless of course you feel they've really impressed you. One evening, we had a waitress running backwards and forwards from 8pm through till 12:30 constantly re-stocking our drinks (even though we hadn't asked her to!). On this occasion we felt she deserved a tip. Don't feel stingey if you don't tip though, just remind yourself that the holiday has already cost you an-arm-and-a-leg and although at the time a $1 tip doesn't sound much, calculate that by your 14 night stay and the possibility that you may tip on several occasions per day... it soon mounts up!

We took part in the following trips: Cancun shopping experience - This is very worthwhile as you get to visit little flea markets where you can haggle on your gifts, and two main shopping centres where you can purchase plenty of cheap goods. We found Clinique and Diesel goods at half the price [or sometimes even a third cheaper] than they are in the UK, so save some room in your suitcase for some new clothing!!!!!!

Chichen Itza - Wow, what a day! The view from the top of the main temple is breathtaking (although quite scary when it suddenly dawns on you that you need to get down after managing to make it to the top!!)

Boogie Nights - On this occasion, the Reps take you out of resort to two very different places... Senor Frogs and a Salsa club. Both venues are very entertaining and it's well worth the money!

Dolphin Discovery - How could I visit Mexico knowing I was only a 15 minute walk away from where the dolphin swims took place and not have a go?!? My partner didn't want to join in and so he simply spectated. Make sure you get specific instructions from the guide as to where your swim will take place if you want your partner to take pics. My boyfriend was informed to just "wander round" however the marina is set over rather a large area and the swims can take place in several locations... he therefore ended up missing half of my experience :0( .

Although we experienced a couple of days of rain whilst we were there, this didn't spoil things as there's plenty of things to see and do in the meantime. It has to be said, however, that 'sunbathing' in the rain is quite refreshing!!!
I would definitely recommend this holiday destination without a doubt. If I cannot find a suitable destination for next year that matches the standard we experinced this year, then we'll be going back!!

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Aventura Spa Palace - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - June 2003

Opinion submitted in June 2003 by : Emma and Russell - Sheffield (23,27)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

I Loved every second of it. On arrival we got sparkling wine whilst checking in and our bags carried to our door. all the staff are friendly and helpfull. we had one day where it did nothing but rain but the entertainment staff and the hotel and keep you amused . The indoor pool was useful when we was sun burnt. They have 24hr room service which is all fab and not just sandwiches. WE did not have to queue once at the restaurants and could always find a bed next to the pool. 

The pools are cleaned daily and are hardly used. You can stay round the pool all day if you wish and play volleyball ect with the entertainment staff. One activity was a musical quiz but all the theme tunes were American as it was mostly americans there. Food has been great and even the water in our room taps was purified so we have not been ill once all holiday. Security is tight so do not be worried if you see guards pass you on the beach with guns. The shower can fit 6 people in it and the room was made spotless daily. In the second week was where we spent the most of our money as the shows at the resort were repeated so we went off site every night into playa car. Make sure if you go to senor frogs you have the all inclusive band, otherwise they will rip you off like they did us. 

Taxi prices are reasonable but they soon mount up. all drinks and food in the day can be taken away so just grab a carton and relax. the snack bar arround the pools have the best hot dogs I have ever had and all burgers on the south side were cooked fresh on the barbeque. You can leave every thing at home as they provide an iron and board, coffee maker, hair dryer,towels (even beach towels), safe in the wardrobe , alarm clock, shampoo, bubble bath, shoe polish...  everything. If you forget anything the shop will probably have it any way. There are one on each side but i think they had the same stuff and the shops in town were not much cheaper. If you are taking gifts home T shirts are cheaper than Haribo sweets (big bag). also if you take any pictures of the fish that swim round the lagoon or if you go on any of the trips , mine did not come out very good. 

We did the Dolphins and the jungle tour trip through our agent but made our own way to cozumel. This worked out cheaper. beware that when you first land people will try to carry your luggage for for a small fee $1. also prices are wierd as they quote in american dollars in some places and pesos in others but with the same $ sign. You will also be targetted within the resort for time share they say it isn't but it is. you have to be 28 so we were to young but if you waste a bit of time you get $100 (american) in palace vouchers which you can swap for a massage or even t shirts in the gift shop. Also if you want your hair braiding it costs $65 at the side of the pool but only $70 in the salon and you get your hair washed and massaged so worth the extra. If you are going there soon then you are very lucky and I am verry jealous. Have a great time.

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Bahia Principe Akumal - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: August 2005

Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Tracy Jones - Tidworth (46,38,16)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This resort and its sister hotel Tulum are not closed and never were they were hit by hurricane Emily mildly and the small amount damage bar one spot is fixed. It did not spoil any of the facilities or resort. This holiday was the best we have been on so far and we have had a few.  This was our first all inclusive so were not quite sure what to expect.  We were not disappointed.  Would go back to this resort and would use Global Late deals at the drop of a hat.

It took us 45 minutes to clear the airport that was from touch down to leaving the airport on our coach.  We had no hassle arriving or departing at the airport, they xray your bags going into the country and hand search them on exit.  It cost $50 US Dollars or $500 pesos each to leave the country payable in Pesos or US dollars at the airport.  You have to pay this before you check in.  There is not alot in the airport abit basic, Burger King, Pizza place or sandwiches.  A few shops.  Cigarettes are cheaper on the plane.

The resort is 1 hour away from the airport.

The double rooms are clean, tidy, maid service daily, mini bar, balcony, bath, shower, TV and in room safe (the safe is not included and will cost $4.50 US dollars a day).  Swimming pools are big, clean, and warm.  The beach is right in front of the hotel. Word of warning if you go over the sand bags you will find the sea urchins like i did and they hurt.  If you are stung by one you have to wee on it and do this for at least 3/4 times a day for 3/4 days to get the spine out. If you go into the sea where the kayals are with some bread you can feed the fish.  We did that and had about 100 fish swimming around us i got some lovely photos.  There are not allowed to do any motorised water sportis at this resort because of the reef.  If you want to go on a jetski then the best place is Playa De Carmen on the right hand side of the ferry terminal.  It cost $55 us dollars or $550 pesos you get half an hour which my son and husband thouhgt was great they would have stayed out there all day.  The food well what can i say it was excellent there was something for everyone even if you have a fussy eater like mine is, he loved it.

We went to Xal Ha this is about a 15 minute bus ride from the resort its beautiful.  I would recommend the all inclusive package its $83 US dollars each and everything is included except swimming with the dolphins which is anohter $155.00 US dollars each.  We did swim with them it was fantastic you get an hour in the pool with them well worth it.

Buses you get a bus from the main road outside the resort.  They are not like oour buses they are white transit mini buses.  It cost 20 pesos each to go into Playa de Carmen about 30 minutes away.  Excellent shopping, i would not use the hotel to exchange money i would go into playa del carmen the hotel exchange rate is very low.  we took american dollar travels cheques.  If you go into playa del carmen beware of the guys and girls in t shirts with Mayan Place on promising you cheap or free trips.  They are timeshare or vacation package reps for a laugh we went on one it lasted 3 hours, yes the resort was nice but they want a lot of money and by the time we left i was ready to scream.  I don't recommend you do this.

Mozzies - the mozzie man sprays the around the resort twice a day,  we took insect repellent and found that we were biten more when we put it on then when we didn't work that one out.  The worst place for mozzies is in the sports bar at the Hacienda which is were the internet cafe is. 

This hoilday was well worth the money and we would recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Thomson need to look at there in flight meals. Breakfast was the only meal i ate. I prebooked my seated and was told that they had abit of extra leg room.  They lied we had no extra leg room and had the child from hell sitting behind us.  The seat are small and you don't have tv screen in the back of the headrests. 

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Bahia Principe Akumal - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours ( mytravel ) August 2004

Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Lynne, Oliver, Elliott and Carson Heatley  Heckmondwike   41, 11, 10, 50

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

What a two week experience! thought the Dom. Rep. was paradise but this time we found heaven on earth.
First impressions.

the airport at Cancun, what a nightmare, luggage comes down any shute not neccassarily down the one labeled with your flight details, the security guard reassured me it could take up to 4 hours before we'd see our baggage, but it wasn't that long.Once you find your luggage join a queue and have it opened and searched, by now you're thinking this is heaven?, and then you find your airconditioned hotel transport.

After about an hour you are dropped at the most beautiful reception area of the hotel, where you are greeted like a long lost friend and given a welcome drink.Once you have checked in, get your all inclusive armband, you are either taken or given directions to your accomodation depending on how close to the reception area you are.

The junior suites are exceptional, everything you would ever need. minibar, a bed 8ft. by 7 ft. a double bed for one child and a single for the other. Sounds crowded but believe me it is'nt.The minibar is part of the all inclusive and is restocked everyday. The bedding is changed every couple of days, with the towels changed daily. The designs the maids can do with the towels are unbelievable everything from a baby to an elephant.

The pool area is superb plenty of beds and space. The pool is safe for all only about 4ft. deep, with lots of signs saying no diving. Carlos at the swim up bar has the book 1001 things to do with tequilla and does.
Food

You could easily spend the two weeks eating in the buffet resturant the food is so good, but then you would miss the megafood served in the speciality resturants, six in all, from Mexican to a la carte.If asked to choose between them we would struggle to do so.

The hotel is so comfortable and the staff so warm and friendly it is a wrench to pull yourself away and do some trips, but we did three in all, one historical, swimming with the dolphins ( if nothing else this is a must) and one fun the pirates evening trip, eat your heart out Johnny Depp.
The only moan concerns the airtour rep, who spent as little as time as possible at the Akumal as there was more british guests at the Tulum. The reps local knowledge was poor and she constantly asked guests about activities within the hotel.

The sad bit was leaving and even considered not paying the tax at the airport so we could stay, but is was suggested that the Mexican jails were not of the same standard as the Hotel we had just left.
Once piece of advice tip the staff well, at the end of your stay, as most of them work for about 40 dollars a week ( £30 ) and I know I wouldn't do the hours they do for that, but they don't moan and always greet you with a smile and a cheery olla

Looking forward to returning as soon as possible.

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Bahia Principe Tulum - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours - October 2005

Opinion submitted in Dec 2005 by : Jo Park - Herefordshire (40, 37, 6, 4)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This turned out to be a memorable holiday - for all sorts of reasons!!!
We were extremely lucky at Cancun airport - we sailed through.  I was really apprehensive after reading all the reviews of the airport but we had no problems at all.

The hotel was fantastic and the staff couldn't do enough for us.  The room was lovely, clean and we had a great view of the sea.  Food was good - great choice which seemed to cater for a lot of nationalities.  The white wine was soooo nice - I was willing myself not to like it but it was just too drinkable and there seemed to be a lot of branded drinks available.

The first 2 days were absolutely fantastic but then we were hit by Hurricane Wilma and the trauma began...
Being approx 100m off the beach and being hit by 300kph winds was absolutely terrifying especially as it was predicted to last just a few hours but it went on for 2 days. We were holed up in our room in pretty much total darkness as we had hurricane shutters and no power.....
When it had passed through we were amazed at the damage and also at the way the Mexican people pulled together.  They basically risked their lives getting us food and putting the power back on.  They were brilliant.  Sadly the same couldn't be said for the Airtours rep with whom we had minimal contact and the other rep was unable to help us. 

The staff at the hotel worked around the clock to put the hotel back together and give us the best service they could.  Nothing was too much for them - they were brilliant.

Downside was seeing how bad human nature was.  Some nationalities had looted the bars and had taken the spirits and wine and some greedy nationalities had taken a lot of food from the restaurant (and I mean a lot of food!!)to stockpile in their rooms whilst Wilma was raging.  Very sad.

When we were evacuated the Airtours crew on the flight were brilliant (unlike the Airtours rep at the hotel)  Allowed the children in the cockpit and looked after us very well.  Can't recommend them or thank them enough.

To summarise, please, please go and support the Mexican people.  The hotel and it's staff were fantastic, and in a very beautiful location.  I most certainly want to go back - but preferably not in the middle of a hurricane!!

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Bahia Principe Tulum and Akumal - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - september 2005

Opinion submitted in Nov 2005 by : julie,chris,steve,sue (43 52 49 50)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Most fantastic hoilday we've ever had.resort was briliant,staff could not do enough for you.there was so much choice of food,all good quailty and plenty of it.as much to drink as you could possibley want all brand names,lots of tequila as we found out,some carried to bed.Beaches beautiful sand,very clean,plenty of loungers to choose from,sea was very warm if a bit rocky in places.
trips out not to be missed swimming with dolphins and chichen itza,bit of a climb but well worth it.
despite all the bad reports we had heard about Cancun airport we had no trouble at all,comming home we were in the departure lounge within 15 minutes of arriving there.
we will definatley be going back

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Bahia Principle Tulum - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours - Sep 2003

Opinion submitted in Oct 2003 by : Nigel Brooks- Norfolk (40,36)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

First of all, lets get the negatives out of the way. Cancun airport is becoming a joke, we took over two and a half hours to clear customs and immigration, this is something the travel companies must try to sort out.
The Hotel complex is HUGE and Airtours must tell customers this, we were 15 minutes brisk walk or a shuttle bus ride from the main buildings.

Airtours conveniently forgot to tell everybody that only three ala-carte meals are allowed per week, this is something that seriously affected our holiday as the buffet's were sometimes awful.You are unlikely to get a sea view as all airtours rooms seem to be a long way from the main buildings, they are available at $40 a day and are best booked direct in advance.

Now for all the positives, the Hotel and its adjoining sister the Akumal are excellently located and very well cared for by their staff.Both hotels have superb lobbies, the Tulum's being the pick of the two with the main bar and restaraunt located either side of it.The gardens are tended daily and everything is very clean.

The comfortable air conditiond rooms are located in villas comprising 18 rooms in each, spread over three floors.A mini bar with beer, soft drinks, crisps and chocolate was filled daily. Guests can use all the facilites at both hotels and shuttles run pass most rooms every 15 minutes.The hotel was full but never seemed crowded, the five pools at the tulum were always sparsely populated and sunbeds and parasols available.The beach has breakwaters to tame the sea and swimming and snorkelling were excellent.A resident dive school provides the towels for guests and most of watersports.The ala-carte restaraunts are all good and most serve food at breakfast and lunch,a 24 hour snack bar provides fast food as well. Drinks were of good strength and were also available evenings at the hacienda complex near the main road, which has many gift shops, bars and provides evening shows, as does the hotel theatre.

The football shirt brigade were thankfully absent and very few UK guests were at the hotel, the majority being italian, spanish and north american.Taxis are best picked up at the hacienda as haggling gets a better price than asking the porters to book it for you.Cheap buses also pick-up on the roadside.

Xel-ha is a great full day excursion and is very near to the hotel, an all-inclusive option is available.
Baby Turtles are released daily from March to October at the hotel at 6.00pm and
$10 gets you a better view and a t-shirt and helps pay for the conservation area.We would recommend this hotel to sun worshippers and people who want to relax.

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Bahia Principle Tulum - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (JMC Discounts) JMC - April 2003

Opinion submitted in May 2003 by : Ian Smith - Swindon (41,36, 14,11,10)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion:

I am writing this piece as a thank-you to the site as I found it very useful before I visited. As so many people have done a good job describing the Hotel I will leave you to read their comments but thought you might like to hear some of the tips, tricks and traps only.

The Hotel has its own water purification system. So you can drink the water and have ice cubes in your drinks. DO NOT do this outside the Hotel. Or, do so if you like being ill.

Exchanging British Pounds at Reception is a waste of time. They only offer 10 pesos!! (this should be nearer 17) and is almost parity with the $ and Euro.

Nobody tells you that you must pay 42.00USD each at Cancun airport if you want to leave! (for our family of 5 that's 210.00 USD) They only accept Peso and USD no credit cards or pounds. Many people get there without money. They are then directed to the ATM machine in the other terminal which means taking a shuttle bus!

At the Hacienda (next to the band stand) is an ATM machine where you can use your credit card to get cash. (normal rates)

If you want to use the safe in the room then get the lock from reception 4.0 USD per day. (I did and used it for money, credit cards, passports, camera, electronic gubbins etc)

The sign for the peso is a $ with single strike through (compared to USD or $ with twin strike through). This can cause confusion when looking to buy TicTacs at the Airport.

The constant breeze is great and keeps you comfortable in 33 degrees of Sun. Don't join the lobsters. Use high factor Sun cream as you really can not tell that you are burning!

The band at the Hacienda were very good. Drinks are inclusive there but you are asked to sign your name and room number. This is the only place this happens.

If you want to keep your room over for a few hours on leaving then see reception the day before. 10 USD per hour is charged.

Mama Mia's is the best restaurant. The Mexican has Mariachi music, The Yucatan Buffet is always good choice. The Tortuga is on the beach and great for breakfast and lunch (more relaxed than the Yucatan and the food selection is perfectly adequate and less oily). Fruit Del Mar (seafood restaurant at the Akumal) was very pleasant (little dry) Tip here before you eat to ensure good service and eat earlier in the evening if you want a great view of the waves.

Iguana's can be seen all over the place. They come from all over the world to stay at this Hotel and sun bathe. We did not find them to be great conversationalists.

If you see a guy walking around the reception in the evening dressed in feathers and a grass skirt carrying a little bowl of fire do not take his photograph. I did and he told me to hold out my palm whilst he put burning oil on it explaining that this was Mexican fire. Well it was just like British fire and it burnt my bl**dy hand before I could blow it out. So please, if the same thing happens to you please remember this and put out your little Mexican fire by rubbing it in his grass skirt for me. Thank you.

Xel Ha is 5mins up the road and Tulum is 10 mins. Don't bother getting ripped off just go up to the road and stand there by the side of the dual carriageway. Little white vans and big air conditioned coaches will stop and take you. Xel Ha is 54USD each adult and 27USD children under 11 for all inclusive. Its worth going all inclusive because the food is pretty dismal and the queue is a pain, the staff are tourist weary and you have to line up all the members of your party at the bar if you want more than one drink so that they can read out the numbers on the all inclusive wristbands. Then when you return to the Hotel you can truly appreciate the smiling staff and the free flowing quality of the food and drink in the Hotel.

Swimming with the Dolphins is 90USD a video of the event is 30USD pictures displayed as you leave 9USD

Whilst waiting outside Xel Ha a coach came by on the other side of the road. It stopped and three Mexican were thrown into the hedge. The Coach then did a U -turn and picked up 20 of us going the other way. The cost per person each way is 10 pesos. If your wife is a Nutter magnet, take a taxi.

Tulum visit on a Sunday is no longer free. We had to go back and buy a ticket at the little office back up the track. I would just like to say sorry to the Canadian lady that asked us if we thought it was going to rain as she did not have the top up on the Jeep.

No, we laughed, just a little shower to clear the air no need to worry. Well, I must admit that when I was sheltering in the little cave for 2 hours we found under the House of Cenote whilst 50 million volts made itself heard over head and the rain flooded everything in sight I did think abut that Canadian Lady and her new Jacuzzi Jeep.

Luckily for us our new found friends from the Hotel were with us in the Cave and Sandy had a Mummy's bag. You know, one of those big grass weaved things that has all things in it. Wet wipes, plasters, bottle of water and snickers bar etc which we share out amongst 8 of us. This was a bit brash as at then time we didn't know how many days we were going to be in cave.

Finally, the Hotel is 5 star. This means that it is luxurious with great facilities but without the formality of 6 star hotels. I love 6 star hotels but not with my children.

They loved their time at the hotel and made lots of new friends and would dearly like to return some time. And on a personal note I would again like to apologise to Sandy again and not just because my wife says I have to but I now understand that stealing the last page out of her book at breakfast was childish behaviour and not the refined humour that I thought at the time given that she had been reading that book for nearly 2 weeks, only to find that it ended so abruptly.

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Barcelo Maya Beach Resort - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays - August 2006

Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Paula Haywood - Leicestershire (39,37,12,6)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This was our secont time to Mexico in 2 years. We travelled with My Travel, and had an excellent journey both there and back. We travelled from Manchester Airport rather than Birmingham to avoid the re-fueling stop that we had to suffer on our last trip to Mexico, which adds hours on to what is already a very long journey.

It took longer than the brochure stated to get to the hotel, 1hr 45mins to be exact, which was disappointing. When we arrived there was only 2 very miserable reception staff to greet us.We were offered no refreshments on arrival, and although requested, we were unable to have a room that over looked the sea/pools, being told that there was alterations taking place on those rooms. We were then offered a smoking room that we declined, as none-smokers, then were given a 1st floor room overlooking the rooms that were having work done, needless to say we had to be moved. Once moved the room given was ok, but not brilliant. Paint was peeling off the walls in the bathroom and the bedside lamps were all stained brown.

The public areas were spotless, though the beach suffered badly with seaweed, that they tried to keep on top of.

Although I may have sounded negative, we did enjoy our stay, but would not rush back.    

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Barcelo Maya Beach Resort - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - October 2004

Opinion submitted in Dec 2004 by : Derek Bament - Sussex (57 & 55)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

An extremely pleasant and well run hotel, consisting of 5 buildings each of 3 floors in large wooded grounds. We had chosen this hotel as we had previously stayed at a couple of Barcelo hotels in the Canaries and were impressed with their overall attitude, facilities, food, etc. We were not disappointed with this hotel, which our First Choice brochure had indicated was part 5 star and part 4 star. We stayed 4 star and had the use of all the facilities. Not certain what the additional benefits of the 5 star rating entailed but think this could only relate to the room size or if suites.

At the time of our holiday we believe the hotel complex was around two thirds occupied, that would be about 1,600 persons, though in view of the space available along its beach and the two swimming pools there was never any problem regarding sun bed availability, nor for that matter restaurant facilities. The beach was very good with a shallow bay that provided safe bathing. Other activities whether motorised or non motorised had their own designated areas.

This holiday is primarily a beach resort holiday and for those that like scuba diving or snorkelling. Other than two water theme parks at Xel-Ha and Xcaret, where you can swim with dolphins (extra charge over and above entrance fee), and the Mayan ruins at Tulum, there are few other local attractions. The visit to the large ruins at Chichen-Itza is a full day trip, circa 12 hours, about half the time being spent getting there and back. The Yucatan peninsula landscape is very boring; flat forest. All you tend to see as you drive along straight roads are trees. As our guide said "the bus is the hill!!"  

The nearest major town was Playa del Carmen, where there is a tourist area where you can shop for souvenirs. The best way of getting there was by using the local minibus service that runs the length of the coast from Playa del Carmen to Tulum. The minibuses run about every 5 minutes and stop outside the entrance to the hotel if they have empty seats. The single fare to Playa del Carmen (about 20 minutes away was US$1.50).

Conclusion:- Probably the best beach holiday we have been on. The only real drawback is the travelling time. The flight time out was 10 hours 20 mins, to which has to be added getting through Mexican immigration, which is a bit bureaucratic, and an hour plus coach ride from the airport to the hotel. We live a half hour from Gatwick. Having left home at 11.30am for a midday check-in time we calculated that we went to bed at 5am the following day, UK time.

Lastly :- First Choice Airlines. Both journeys to and from Mexico were "on time" and the seating in economy class was acceptable to myself and my wife, albeit neither of us are tall and leg room is not normally a problem. However my wife has special dietary requirements, being diabetic and gluten intolerant. Notwithstanding being told that her requirements could be met when booking the holiday, rechecking the position upon receipt of the tickets, and at the check-in, when it came to the in-flight meals we were told the only special meals that are now prepared are "Strictly Vegetarian". Whilst the cabin crew on the return journey did make a great effort to mix and match a meal to my wife's needs, anyone flying with First Choice suffering from these medical problems would be well advised to make certain they have their own back up meal/food for the journeys.    

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Barcelo Premium - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (MyTravel Direct) My Travel -Jan 2006

Opinion submitted in Feb 2006 by : Margaret/Tony Jehu-Srewsbury  [56,57]

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Barcelo Premium,was excellent the rooms are in three story buildings with nobody overlooking and are large and clean.

The complex is massive with two theatre,s.The entertainment is very good.The swimming pools are large and clean and you walk strate on to a large clean beach with every thing you could want.In the sea you can see the fish swimming around your legs.

The food was excellent with plenty of choice and the mexican people are great,wether younge or old it is great place.Our only down side was My Travel alterd our flight and we were stuck on the plane for 15hrs and they only supplied us with one meal[which was not very good]and a dry cheese bap. On the way back it took 13hrs and the food was about the same.

We are going back again but with a different carrier. 

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Camelo Marival - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: Lunn Poly - Sept 2003

Opinion submitted in Oct 2003 by : Jo Govier - 23, Dan Blackwell - 26, Viv Meehan - 23, Keith Gibbs - 25

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Hi

We could not have had a better time, the staff and people were all very helpful and friendly, they couldnt do enough to help you and it seemed as if they really enjoyed what they did.  The pools, beach and lagoon are great, dont worry what people say about it being rocky it only is a little in some area of the sea but be careful when walking in and out and its fine.

The excursions were great we did the Cozumel Dolphin trip, expensive but worth it, Xh caret and Xel-Sha both these were great.

The food was nice and belive me im a very fussy eater, even for kids its great because they have the snack bar open at night time and if all else fails in the restaurant theres always pizza and salad.  We only went to the Mexican restaurant which was nice but we heard the Italian was even better but book as soon as you can as its very popular.

The entertainment was ok, it's all centered around the complex and the harbour is only a five minute walk away where there are some nice shops and you can see the doplhins.

1 last thing be carefull when buying things not to get pesos and dollars mixed up!!!

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Catalonia - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson  Aug 2006

Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Nicola 43, 42, 42, 41, 17, 16, 15, 14

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This was our first holiday in the carribean also all inclusive, we were apprehensive about being defined to one place every night but really neednt have worried. This holiday was the best we have ever had, we have enjoyed many holidays self catering in europe but once you have been to a place like this, it will always stand out in your mind.

FOOD: there are essentially 6 restaurants/ places to eat.....5 are open at a time. Theres the buffet restaurant...pretty much open al day but with a few hours between breakfast and lunch, and lunch and dinner. theres another buffet restaurant, serving the same food, but inside, we never went there, as we liked the open air style of la brisa. theres the bamboleo snack bar....which opens at 11 until 6, when it becomes one of the al a carte - the steak house. the other two restaurants are the mexican and the italian. you can eat at these restaurants once each per week. loved the mexican and grill, not so keen on italian. Buffet is outstanding, mounds of food, if you cant find anything theres something wrong with you, snack bar is also great for a quick snack during the day, its also open from 11-2am, if you want a late night snack, cant fault the food, breakfast probably the best. went to the creperie once, it was nice,not out cup of tea though.

BARS - we went in the lobby bar at night, which was nice, next to the theatre. there was the swim up bar...which was for a mid afternoon drink, was filled with loud, abrupt and extremely rude americans in the second week who were there for a wedding. they have no regard for the place they were in or the people around them, both fellow guests and the staff. however dont let them intimidate you, you;ve paid for the pool bar too!!Drinks at all bars were great, in smallish cups but this isnt a problem...not for the brits anyway. Cocktails were the best.

ROOM and STAFF: we were so impressed with both rooms and staff. the rooms were large with 2 double beds and a huge wardrobe, they were cleaned to a high standard every day we were there, sometimes the maids left gorgeous towel sculptures, proving theres almost nothing they wont so for you. Staff here are incredibly friendly, always saying hola, asking how you are, always a smile, always refilling your drink without you asking....its quite humbling, we learnt they made next to nothing so tried to tip well at the end of our stay.

TRIPS: we went on 3. We went on a speedboat over this huge lake and jungle thing, then snorkelled on a reef, this was great, the views are great, well worth it. we swam with the dolphons, sealions and manatees, this was amazing, we loved it. the photos and dvds cost a bit, but are worth it, you can go to the marina at any time of the night or day, its 5 mins away and see the dolphins swimming, playing, performing, even sleeping. LAstly we went on the plane trip to chichen itza, we didnt fancy the 3 hour coach journey...the flight was great, lunch was included, which was suprisingly very nice.

OTHER: There are 6 pools....3 on the catalonia side, 3 on the yucatan side. we never ventured over the other side, apart from to use the disco. they are pretty similar. beach is great, a little rocky but i ul find a way in. Lagoon is lovely, so are the grounds, forever someone watering and attending to the plants and grounds. We went kayaking, this was great, got stuck ona  rock in the lagoon though!!!

theres a shop at the hotel, sellign gifts, water n crisps and stuff, if you feel as though you need more food. interent access, pool tables, table tennis. nightly shows are a laugh, very well organised and funny. A team are great, really try their best to keep everyone entertained with hilarious antics around the pool, not loud or seedy a genuine laugh for all ages and nationalities.

we went into carmen, felt hounded and uneasy there. people were grabbing and chasing us trying to get us in their shops. its local orientated, but with a few nice boutiques.

Overall this was a fantastic holiday, dont be alarmed wen driving in, you are on the high way, the resorts are well hidden behind lots of trees. this is a great hotel, with great people working there, quite humbling really. take pesos, its not worth taking dollars, would go back again in a second....maybe with some extra leg room on the plane.....we recommend this place to anyone!!

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Catalonia - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - June 2006

Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Davison - Leeds (40, 36)

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We travelled out to the Catalonia to spend our two week honeymoon there.

After a very cramped flight and thanking god we booked extra leg room we arrived. we were shown to our buses at Cancun airport and after avoiding foreign porter kind of people who said they were your taxi drivers to take you to the hotels we found the reps for each coach. The journey down to Riviera Maya was supposed to be 1 hr give or take but after three drop offs and two hours later we had finally arrived.

The hotel itself is fantastic and a very high standard and definately deserves its 4* rating. All the staff are very polite and courteous and a quick Ola when passing you in the corridor is never too much trouble for them. The rooms are very spacious and we requested a double room which gave us a massive bed. The bathrooms again spacious and very clean. Air conditioning a bit noisy but very welcome with the heat there. The maids also left swans and mermaids on our beds made out of the towels which were lovely to see.

The Catalonia shares its facilities with its sister hotel the Catlonia Yucatan Beach which is next door. All told the resort has 5 pools all of which are lovely and warm and of a very clean standard, two buffet restaurants, a mexican a la carte, italian a la carte and an a la carte grill by night and snack bar by day. All the a la carte restaurants have to be pre booked for which you get a ticket for each one at the beginning of each week of your stay. We never tried the mexican as a lot of the food in the buffet restaurant was mexican but the italian and the grill were both well worth a visit.

Round the pool there are photographers that come round giving you the chance to have your photo taken with either an iguana or parrot and they work out at around $8 from the shop.
The hotels are based right on the beach and the Riviera Maya has its own lagoon which comes in from the sea where you can hire kayaks which are included in the all inclusive for 1 hour per day or snorkels also for 1 hour per day. The fish are amazing and come right up to you especially if you take some bread with you to feed them.
The entertainment team work very hard here making sure there is always something going on by day as well as by night and they are there from 8am until after the disco closes at 2am. They do a sterling job.

Thomson do not recommend car hire in mexico and having seen the amount of serious car crashes on our way from the airport to Riviera Maya its hardly surprising. If involved in an accident the police lock up everyone involved and only release you once the cause of the accident is assertained and who the driver is. Not a good way to spend your holiday so organised trips are a better bet. 

Excaret is an eco park where you can snorkel on the underground rivers, swim with dolphins and walk around the park which has animals there too. A word of warning this place gets very HOT and can be unbearable during the day. Also make sure when you do the underground rivers you hire one of their bags otherwise you will find yourselves walking a 2 mile trek back to the start over stones and gravel in your bare feet. The marina down at Puerto Aventuras is well worth a visit for the Sea Life Experience. This is around $149 USD per person but an excellent way to spend your time and money. You swim not only with the dolphins but do a dorsal fin pull and foot push along with the usual kiss and hug, then swim with the manatees and get a kiss from them too and then on to the sea lions where they also give you a nice fishy kiss. Photos and DVD's of your experience are available too and well worth investing in. Also whilst down at the marina check out Gringo Daves a little bar on the left hand side of the dolphin pools. Their cocktails are to die for and plentiful and their beer i am told by a very reliable source is a welcome change to the not so nice beer available on all inclusive in the hotel. 

The jungle tour is another most where you drive your own mini speedboat out on the lagoon at Cancun, go snorkelling on the reef for 3/4 of an hour and then speed back. Captain Cooks lobster dinner is another excellent excursion again run from Cancun but transport provided in the price. You go out on a pirate ship on the lagoon enjoy a show put on by your captain and the crew along with audience participation. Enjoy a gorgeous meal of surf and turf (steak) and lobster, pasta, jacket potatoes etc and unlimited free alcohol and then watch the duel of the captains of the green and red ship for the wife of the green ship captain and watch high falling tricks into safety nets above your head and then a disco as you sail back into the harbour. A good way to pass away a few hours. It does say a family night out but we had children on our trip and their parents said they were bored.

The only things we would like to point out to being a disadvantage is make sure you are aware of the departure tax to leave the country which is $45 USD per person and also that your hand luggage weight is taken into account with your luggage allowance so anything over 50 kilos and you pay through the nose for excess baggage which works out at $12 USD per kilo BE WARNED, unfortunatley we learnt the hard way.

But summing up this holiday was well worth the money we paid. The hotel and facilities are excellent and to a very high standard. This property would be highly recommended to anyone.

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Catalonia - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomsons - nov 2005

Opinion submitted in Dec 2005 by : lynne,ian (50) trina(52) dave(56)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

all i can say is that we had a wonderful holiday.from the hotel to the staff,cleanliness and to the people we met brill.holiday reps archie and hannah excellent.food wonderful.trips(which we did with thomsons) first class.celebrated my 50th there and what a day to remember.
our only little moan was that we paid extra to upgrade on the flight and the outward journey and service not worth the money we paid.just better to pay for extra legroom which i would say with thomsons is a must.
we will be back.

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Catalonia - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - June 2005

Opinion submitted in May 2006 by : Sharlaine Quick - 20

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Riviera Maya was fabulous! It was our first time there and have very fond memories of the place.
The hotel itself was fabulous, rooms were lovely and clean and the pool area also.
There was plenty of enetertainment going on in the day, aerobics, water sports etc.
You could eat all day every day if you wanted because there was some place open at all times to get something to eat.
Being a fussy eater, I am quite hard to please when it comes to food, so I mainly stuck to pizza and chips, but everyone else really enjoyed (no baked beans there though which was very strange for me!)
There were three a la carte restaurants there and the steak one was the nicest! Italian was nice if you like small portions of quite rich food!
Plenty to drink there too! Cocktails were lovely!
There's a mini night-club on next door in the sister hotel, which you are allowed to use, and drinks and everything are included in there too.
Bar staff were lovely and friendly and very accomodating.
We went on a couple of trips too. There was the jungle safari speed boat trip! Definitely go on that! It was awesome! You get to drive your own speed boat arouns gorgeous lagoons and then stop for a while in the sea to go snorkelling. We bought a under water camera and had some great photos!
We also went on the "Fat Cat" boat. We go on a boat trip every year, but this one wasn't really up to scratch. The guy that was running it was slightly annoying, they take they're dog on board, so be warned, it likes to take a nap on you! The boat was quite small, sea was quite rough, and we were all quite sick!! Never normally am sea sick, but I think the boat was just a little too small!

Didn't swim with the dolphins, much to my dissapointment...was going to but it didn't turn out as I expected.
The water looked really grubby and you didnt get to go in individually, but with a bunch of other people. You had a go at doing one or two moves, and that was it. A lot of money to pay for something that you were rushed through!

Not much to do around the resort really, entertainment on every night, which was of a high standard, but was a weekly run thing so ended up seeing things twice by the end.
We went into Play Del Carmen, I think it was called, and that's good for a night out of the resort. There's a free bus in and out of the hotel.

Now comes the downside. Unfortunately, we were caught out there during Hurricane Emily. A truly frightening experience, but made a lot easier by the friendly staff of the hotel.
We were 18 altogether on the trip and the hotel accomodated for us all to be together during the time of the hurricane. They boarded all of the rooms up and calculated which ones would be best to put the guests in. They supplied us with plenty of food, fruit and drink and managed a frightening experience in a safe way. Thankfully, everyone was safe and there were no injuries in the hotel. I am very impressed with the decisions that they made, as my mother and brother were staying in a room that was classified as unsafe, they were moved, and thank god, because the room was completely destroyed. Every room that had been trashed was empty.

All the way through the hurricane the staff were attempting to keep spirits high, even though some of the Americans were being slightly unreasonable! There are a lot of them about by the way! Didn't spoil my holiday, but was itching on my Aunty Norma was has a strong dislike to the drawl of the American accent!

Unfortunately, the hotel was an absolute mess when we were let out of the rooms, but everything was made safe before letting us wander around. What was nice was that everyone pulled together to help clear up the mess as everyone was so grateful for the work of the staff of the hotel. There wasn't one person that was standing by observing people picking uo the debris, everybody was helping!

We ended up leaving Mexico three days late as the hurricane hit on the day we were meant to leave. They transfered us as soon as they could to a hotel in Cancun where we could use all of the facilities.

Despite the frightening experience of the hurricane, the holiday itself was fabulous! If ever I was to go back to Mexico it would be to Riviera Maya and to the Catalonia. Some have been put off going abroad to somewhere where they have hurricanes, but I felt safe the whole time I was there, and wouldn't think twice about going again! Maybe not in June this time, but I would definitely go back! I really hope that the hotel has managed to pick itself back up after the devestation of Hurricane Emily, because its such a beautiful place! Highly Highly recommended!!!!

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Catalonia - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours - Feb 2005

Opinion submitted in Mar 2005 by : Ann Tony Ashley - Leeds - 42, 36, and 12

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

After a mix up with double bookings we finally arrived at the Catalonia 4 days late but it was well worth the wait!
The rooms were very nice and maid service was excellent. On arrival we were given champagne and chocolate strawberries, i don't know if everyone gets this or if it was a sweetener because of the booking mistake but never the less it was a nice gesture.
The Animation team are a great bunch, although they do ask you to join in they're not too pushy and a simple no is usually enough.

The reception staff although friendly enough, were sometimes a little slow at certain requests.
The bar staff and waiters are excellent, they were always on the go cleaning around the pool areas, and asking if you wanted anything from the bar.
The food was excellent, i'm a veggie and there was plenty of variety and it was always well presented and cooked properly. There are 3 a la carte restaurants, Mexican, Italian, and a grill. We visited all 3 and although in Mexico the Mexican restaurant wasn't very good. The Italian is the best. It states in the brochure you can visit the restaurants as many times as you like during your stay but book as soon as you can as it gets very busy, we only managed to fit in one meal at each.

The pools are very good, although we were never able to get to the swim up bar as the Americans wre there from morning till late evening, you just couldn't get near it for them.
We didn't do any trips (too lazy) but 5 minutes walk away you could swim with the dolphins, we went to watch this and although it looked really good it also looked like they rushed every body through to get as many people through as they could.

All in all we had a really good holiday an would definately go back, just not in February as this is a holiday season for the Americans and the hotel was heaving with them, nothing against them but they are a little too much in your face and we could never get any peace from them

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Catalonia - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson Jan 2005

Opinion submitted in Jan 2005 by : Guy Barry - Manchester (26,24)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Well just returned from two amazing weeks. 

I booked this holiday as a late deal and was very impressed with the outcome. We arrived to the hotel after a six hour delay as our flight had gone to Thailand to help out with a rescue flight for the Tsunami, which didnt bother us but some selfish individuals at the airport had the cheek to complain. Arrived at the hotel after a one hour transfer and checked in straight away. Our room was lovely, two queen size beds, balcony and tv. Went to welcome meeting and were very impressed by the trips on offer. We did the Jungle Tour, this is speedboating through the jungle, excellent value about forty pounds and you also go snorkling in the second largest reef in the world. Also did the Dolphins, which is a must, again good value at about sixty pounds. 

Went upto Cancun to sample the shopping and the nightlife which was very american and had a night out in Cocobongos, the place where they filmed the mask, amazing evening what I can remember of it. The only downside of the holiday were the americans in the hotel. Very OTT and very loud especially at 7am when going to reserve their sunbeds! 

Would I go again, definately!

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Catalonia - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - 2005

Opinion submitted in Nov 2005 by : Steve Low - Barrow (44, 41)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Had an excellent time at this hotel luckily fitting in our Honeymoon between 2 Hurricanes. 

There was some building work from Hurricane Emily on the sister Hotel next door but luckily only minor work on ours. The 3 A La Carte restaurants are excellent and you get a ticket to visit each one for each week of your stay. We managed extra visits by "forgetting" our booking slip a couple of times. The self service is basic but filling with themed evenings each night with food from different countries. There are an excellent variety of drinks with many international brands all included. 

The pool area can get a bit noisy with the daily entertainment but the lovely beach provides a good escape with great opportunities for snorkelling or just relaxing in the sun. Jesus, the barman at the Looky bar, makes the best Margharrita in the complex. Other than the trips there is not a lot to do as the Marina area is quite small with a few restaurants and shops but don't miss the chance to swim with the Dolphins. It's a bit expensive but not something you'd do every day so go for it. We returned days before Hurricane Wilma struck so what the area is like now I can't comment on however they were only just recovering from Emily which meant it was very quiet especially as the neighbouring hotels were not operational. 

Book this hotel with confidence you won't be dissapointed.

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Catalonia - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours-august 2004

Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : marie rowley (44 ,44,15)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just returned from a fantastic holiday at the Catalonia, it was our first holiday to Mexico and we are already looking at booking another. 

The catalonia is made up of 2 hotels and there is always something going on. the staff are so friendly. the rooms are quite basic but the maids come in every day to clean them and replace your sheets and towels. i even had my laundry done it took about 6 hours but came back pressed and on hangers. the harbour nearby (about 5 mins walk) is where we swam with the dolfins (which was fantastic). We went on lots of tours,our favourite was the dolfin swim but the captain hook one in Cancun was a great night out. There is no need to take beach towels as they are provided, we didnt realise and could have saved ouselves some weight. 

All i can say is dont be disheartened when you see the queues at Cancun airport because it is well worth it !

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Copacabana Beach Resort - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (MyTravel Direct) My Travel July 2004

Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Mr,S,James - Newport (39,39,11,10,)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We were relocated to this hotel 4 days before our departure date from the avalon grand in cancun.  This was probably the best thing that could have happened because this hotel is fantastic.

It is set in jungle surroundings right on the beach with powder white sands. The pool area is exellent with plenty of sunbeds (no reserving allowed - still plenty available at 11 am).

The daytime & evening  entertainment was very good. food was ok but became a little bit repetitive towards the end as with any all inc holidays.

We went on 2 excursions swimming with dolphins at porto adventuras and excaret eco park (expensive but well worth the money).

By far the best holiday we've ever had the kids didn't say Im bored once, Already looking to book up for mexico again next year.

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El Dorado Royale - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: First Choice - May 2007

Opinion submitted in May 2007 by : Rachel Pratt - Bristol (35, 34)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Wow!  Out of this world!  Just got back and I almost don't have the words to describe this place and this holiday.

You cannot fault this hotel.  I won't bother talking about things like cleanliness or service - those things are a given.  The food is out of this world.  It is "Gourmet Inclusive" and absolutely wonderful - imaginative, tasty and beautifully presented.  The quantities are fairly small which means you can enjoy lots of different tastes and have many different dishes and not walk away with that bloated, eaten too much feeling.  But you won't exactly go without!

We had an ocean front, swim-up suite, and I would recommend a swim-up!  You can sunbathe and swim right from your own terrace, and still the pool drinks waiters will find you and get you what you want.

There is an up-market, luxurious yet understated elegance about this hotel.  The setting is stunning with the beach right there with the sparkling Caribbean sea.  The water in the sea and the pools is as warm as a bath - honest!  The only disappointment was that the beach does not actually look how it does in the brochure.  They have put some very large man-made rocks out a few metres from the sea edge.  I guess this is to protect the beach.  It slightly spoils the look of the beach but means that the water is always calm for doing a bit of messing around in the water.  I think, and this is just a guess, that Hurricane Wilma did some damage to this hotel and therefore they have fortified the sea front.  Anyway, this is a very minor point and does not detract in any way from how beautiful the hotel is.

We did an excursion - Xel-Ha and Tulum which I would heartily recommend.  Xel-Ha is really special. It is a giant natural part sea and part fresh water lagoon. Going there, I fulfilled a dream of snorkelling and seeing tropical fish.  The place is like paradise and you go "all inclusive" there to so you can eat and drink whenever and wherever you want at the park.

All in all, I would strongly recommend the Riviera Maya and the El Dorado Royale if you are looking for a really special Caribbean holiday.  I want to go back now!

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El Dorado Royale Spa - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: First Choice May-June 2006

Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Carol and Sandy 52,56

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This is a fantastic hotel - we loved it here and will be going back as soon as we can.
 
There was a lot of American's there (no problem with that) they were nice people and most of them only stayed for one week - there was quite  a few weddings within the two weeks we were there..( I would choose this place if I was getting married again) 
 
Rooms - We had a Jacuzzi room Room (No. 816) and it was lovely- we looked over one of the main swimming pools and La Isla resturant. The room was kept very clean - Air con worked well didnt need to have it on so much as I normally do a there is one of tho's fans over the bed whiched worked very well.
 
Pool area's - There was two main pools one that was very quite and one that had a few activities going on through the day - but both were lovely with swim up bars. There were other pools which you could go in all had swim up bars - these were near the Casita - again all lovely.
 
Sea - when we first saw the sea with tho's very large sand bags in them i thought how ugly they look and coulldnt something be done to make them look more attrative - but I had to say once the sun was out and you were sitting on the beautiful beach with crysal clear waters and a lovely cool brezze,you just didnt take any notice of them. apparentlky these have been put there since the Hurrican and will be taken away a some point.
 
Bar's - The pool bars were all very good and we always got what we asked for ( Congac and diet coke..Ummm lovely) or a cocktail sometimes which again was lovely.
 
Main bar ( near Jo Jo's)- Again no complaints. all the stuff were lovely and nothing was too much trouble.
 
Martini Bar (in reception)  The guy behind the bar there was a bit miserable - but once we said about it he was ok - Please try a Chocolate Martini lovely jubley - I also had a brandy Alexander - that was very good too..Oh! and a B52 - yummy - it is cold in there tho - which i liked but  few people found it too cold?
 
There was s health bar which open during the day(Near the Casitas) for smoothies and health drinks - you could get lunch there too.
 
Resturants - You have to book these by the concerige ( sits by your hotel block in a little open hut each day
We had no trouble booking any of the resturants but apparently sometimes there is.My only gribe here was that we were not told about the theme nights.
 
Jo Jo's (Caribean) - We had lunch there and dinner and we enjoyed the food very much (Try the coconut ice cream) the service very good.
 
Italian - we only went to this resturant once ( supossed to go on the last night but couldnt make it) but I would of booked this more if I had know how god the food was in there.
 
Cocotel - Again the food was lovely - dont think it is open for lunch - but you can have breakfast in there
 
Ia Isla - This seems to be the main resturant
Breakfast  This had all fresh fruit,cheeses ,meats yohurts etc -lots of different breads to toast - You got a choice of cooked breakfast that was waiter service -  lovely
Lunch - very Nice
Dinner - Very Nice
 
Fondue - we only booked this resturant once and was glad we did as it was a differnet experience for us - there are about 8 different cheese fondues to have with varied meat and fish and to follow the choice was white or dark chocolate fondue or a fruit compote
 
Japanese - This was lovely too we went there twice and both times we had a lovely meal.
 
Mexican - this was out least favorite - The food was ok but the waiter was very miserable.maybe just an off day!
 
As a whole the resort was lovely and all the reviews that o read where they said the food was not varied and other negative reports well!! all i can say is that - they must of had a bad experience or they are extremly fussy and beleive me tho i am fussy too and i though it was wonderful.
 
Tipping - no need to tip -(but it always helps)anyway, we did as we felt the service was that good the tip was well deserved.

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El Dorado Royale - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: Instant Holidays - Aug 2005

Opinion submitted in Jan 2006 by : Lauren McLachlan

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We were given the El Dorado for our honeymoon in August 2005 as our original hotel had been trassed.

I honestly think we ended up better off!

This place is the most amazing place I have ever visited, the staff cannot do enough for you whilst you are there are there are lots of activities to join in on.

There were seven restaurants all in all, with the main (buffet style restaurant in the morning) being the Coc-au-tal.  The breakfast choice is vast everything from fruit,, cakes, bacon, eggs, omlettes (designed to your choice), pancakes and for those reallt wanting to hit the ground running, champagne breakfast.

All restaurants need to be booked for your evening meal, but the hotel offer a service to book these up to four days in advance.  Everyone raves about the Itialian restaurant, which is beautiful and very difficult to get into, but we found the seafood restaurant the best place to eat.

Lobster dinner on the beach is offered at an additional cost but is well worth the money.

Rooms are fabulous, with a jaccuzi in the main room and a very ample bathroom.  Minibar is restocked every two days, but more often than not ours was re-stocked with non alcoholic drinks every day.

Water sports are good and the snorkelling is excellent, although I would highly recommend you do the scooba diving lesson in the pool and then ask the guys about doing a trip.  It is not a 'fobb off' like most diving trips in the med.  We went down about 35ft and we allowed to swim around supervised of course, it was the most amazing experience of my life.

The only down side to this holiday in my opinion we the Americans, who thought that because they tipped the waiters they could speak to them and you like a piece of trash.  Constantly pushing in a bars where there is a queue, and generally always finding a little fault with something.  A prime example of this is when we were asked to fill in a survey on the food quality and the American man sat at the side of me told his partner off for putting 'excellent' because it should only be 'satisfactory' and carried on to say 'didn't she remember that two days ago he got olives with his salad, but yesterday he didn't!'.....says it all!!!

There are casitas which are a room upgrade to normal junior suits which have their own pools, when we went, these were not exclusive and could be used by anyone....take advantage of them, for a bit of piece and quiet.

This place is not for those looking for the busy nightlife of cancun etc, go here if you want to enjoy each others company nd totally relax and unwind.

This really was the perfect place to be on honeymoon, and I can safely say I don't think we'll ever match it...

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El Dorado Royale - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - 2004

Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Brian Leach - Leyland (51)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We arrived at Cancun Airport from Manchester after a long 10 hr flight, we were greeted by the Thomson reps to be told our hotel we had originally booked was full and we had been upgraded to the El Dorado Royale.

On arriving at the El Dorado Royale we were given a champagne reception and an effortless booking in process, from there we were taken on a electric buggy along with our luggage to our suite.

The suite was large, spotlessly clean, complete with everything you need including a jacuzzi.
The hotel has five restaurants, all serving excellent food and staff that take great pride in offering you 1st class service, in fact all the staff, and there are many, seem to have these same high standards.
You can also dine in candlelight on the hotels private beach although there is a small charge for this.
There are several swimming pools at this hotel and no problem whatsoever getting a sunbed.

This is a fantastic hotel with staff who are second to none, anyone who has booked this hotel and is reading this report, you are in for a treat.

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Eldorado Resort - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - Date Not Specified

Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Wton - (23,30)

Resort Rating: Below Average

Accommodation Rating: Below Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Terrible destination.  Beaches where beautiful but that was the only thing of any good there.  Food and service in restaurant and bar of poor quality, management were very rude and argumentative, for the two weeks we were there we had major construction work going on around us.  Had to move rooms two times due to noise and mess.  The pools were always dirty and the spa was cramped and noisy.
Avoid at all costs.

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Grand Colonial Palladium Resort and Spa - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - April 2006

Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Amy Gibson - Coventry (Wedding Party - All Ages)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This holiday was absolutely brilliant. My brother was getting married over and had asked the whole family to join them. We were there for two weeks, all inclusive.

The hotel facilities, accommodation, food and service were all 5 star.

As soon as you walk into the reception area, all you see around you is marble and a gorgeous large fountain. When you first come into the resort, you should be able to see flamingos in a cut off area just outside the reception. To get to most of the resorts rooms you have to walk along a walkway, which is shaded by a thatched roof, with trees and shrubbery everywhere; you feel like you are walking in a forest. Some of the trees were damaged, due to the hurricane last year but the staff had done all they could to make it look it's best. Everywhere in the resort was spotless - nearly everyday I saw the grass getting cut or maids going in and out of rooms - the service here was extremely good.

The rooms were very good. Depending how much you pay for the holiday, there are some rooms that have outdoor showers - these are near the beach end of the resort. We had a suite, which sleeps up to three, with a balcony looking towards the adult pool. The room was quite big for two people but it was a bit small for three people - not enough wardrobe/drawer space. There is a mini bar in each room and this is included within the price of the holiday. It includes water, pop and bottled beers. It gets topped up three times a week, I think. (Just a note - please remember that the water over there isn't brilliant to drink so remember to use bottled water!!)

There were many pools - two main very large ones, and several other small ones dotted around the resort. Near the side of most pools, there is a large hut where you can get a beach towel (with the towel key provided when you first get your room key) - so you don't necessarily have to take a towel with you on holiday. At the main pools, there was always some activities going on - salsa dancing, table tennis, volleyball, belly flop competitions, etc. As part of the main pool, there was a swim-up bar - this was really cool!

There was also a spa - I would DEFINITELY recommend you going there. There was a lazy river, a main pool, jacuzzis, steam rooms, saunas, etc. It was included in the price but if you wanted a massage or to get your hair or nails done it is extra - and watch out for the prices. On the price list, it is in mexican currency - pesos.
The beach was absolutely gorgeous. If you want to get a sunbed underneath a wooden parasol, you will need to get down to the beach very early as quite a lot of the guests would go down early before breakfast and put a towel on the sunbeds. We walked right up to one end of the beach to the next resort, it must have been over 1.5 miles long. The sea was beautiful - it was nice and warm by mid-day. We went in April and it was very hot. It was lovely to be able to go into the sea for a relaxing, refreshing dip. The snorkelling was good but you had to find the right spot. TIP FOR SNORKELLING: take a peeled banana with you and the fish will come from nowhere; they are amazing - an under-water camera is a must!!!

In the hotel, there are lots of different restaurants to choose from but you do have to book the special restaurants well in advance, as they get booked up pretty quickly. The brazilian was one of our favourites, as well as the italian (we went to the italian for the wedding night). There are lots of little bars dotted around the resort and there were some really nice bars on the Kantenah side of the resort - Hemingways was one of these and the waiter, Victor, has to get a big mention as he was absolutely brilliant. There was nearly always live music being played outside this bar - all sorts of music that you can think of. There was also a disco/night club - this was over in the White Sands part of the resort. This played all sorts of music for all ages.

If you wanted a little entertainment, there was always something on in the theatre - resident dancers doing lots of different types of shows i.e. Broadway, Grease, Walt Disney films (for the kids), etc.

The Thomson Rep was great - a bit persistent trying to get his commission but all in all, a helpful chappy. I know they are laborious but if you go to your welcome meeting, he shows you a slideshow on his laptop of all the trips - this way you actaully get to se pictures of what sort of things you would expect. We went on a few of the trips through Thomson and they were very good and worth the money. I would definitely recommend going to Xcaret and Chitzen Itza. Chitzen Itza was a long day but was worth it. (Remember to cover up and put on lots of suncream for the Chitzen trip - you are in the sun most of the day).
We also went by local bus to Playa del Carmen a few times. There are the usual tourist shops and you get a lot of hastle by shopkeepers who try and drag you into their shops. As long as you don't mind haggling with the shop keepers, you can get some brilliant bargains, as we did. It is great here for a night out though - great pubs and bars. If you didn't want to go by bus, you can get a taxi from the hotel reception. Remember to get one of the staff to order the taxi, otherwise you won't get the prices stated in the foyer.

My brother's wedding was in the second week of the holiday and it was gorgeous. They were allowed to choose out of several options where they wanted to have the wedding. They decided to have it on the beach, where you could choose from two sorts of gazebos. The weather on the day was lovely and the photographer (photographer costs are extra) took some fabulous pictures of the wedding and everyone running in the sea, jumping up and down. They had both arranged for the wedding dinner to be in the Italian restaurant - the food was delicious! The whole day was fabulous and I would definitely recommend getting married at this resort.

A note for people when leaving in your last week, don't forget to keep some small currency notes for your departure tax, as they don't give change - I think it was $46 when we were there or you can pay in pesos but this sometimes costs more - depending on the current exchange rate. You pay this at the airport at the end of your holiday, on your way home.

Overall it was an excellent holiday. I would definitely recommend this hotel and resort to anyone. We actually had trouble spending money as the hotel really is all inclusive, which also includes most NON-MOTORISED sports i.e canoeing, wind surfing, etc. The only thing you'll spend are tips, which you will gladly pay for as the service provided was excellent. The waiters / waitresses will physically come up to you to serve you all day, even at the pools.
All in all, very very clean and very friendly staff.

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Grand Colonial Palladium - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - nov 2004

Opinion submitted in Mar 2005 by : jd - 46,44

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

this holiday was the best ever. went for 3 weeks all inclusive.
didn't want to go home.
hotel facilities, accomodation, food, service all 5 star.
the staff couldn't do enough for you.
thomson rep david also 5 star service.
main restaurant fabulous, japanese, mexican & italian good , steakhouse ok but terrible service.
beach picture postcard.
entertainment by resident dancers very professional.

went a couple of trips. chitzen itza fabulous but a couple of hours away. also went the day trip into cancun. stay away from the flea market unless you want to be constantly hassled by shopkeepers. it really is bad.
went by local bus to playa del carmen. usual tourist shops only and again a lot of hastle by shopkeepers who try and drag you into their shops.
rather then get the bus back to the airport (2 hours)we decided to get a taxi. fix a price before you go. prices are displayed in the hotel foyer but our driver decided to charge us almost double. when questioned he lost his command of the english language and a huge argument ensued. when two policemen with very large machine guns approached i decided it would be better to pay up.also when you pay the departure tax have the correct money. they don't do change.
if your baggage is over the limit you should see the eyes light up with check-in staff. pay the extra before you leave the uk. they were very disappointed  when i showed them i had.

overall an excellent holiday. no problem going back again.
actually had trouble spending money as the hotel really is all inclusive which also includes windsurfing, canoeing and sailing. all you'll spend is tips which you will gladly pay for the excellent service provided. the waiters/waitresses will find you to serve all day even at the pools.
very very clean and lots of security personnel.

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Iberostar Lindo - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice June 2005

Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Hayley Duff - Doncaster (31,27,4 & 1)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The Iberostar Lindo is quite possibly (so far) the most beautiful hotel i have ever seen.  

The lobby was stunning! Mexicans are lovely people and love children, they are very relaxed so do not expect the shops or buses to be on time! Please tip the waiters and maids as they are the lowest paid, we normally left $20 peso for the maid each day. The buffets were great and were changed daily, the only thing we didnt think was that great food wise was the Italian. 

One of the good things about being in the Lindo is you have access to all the hotels which was nice as we would walk accoss to the Del Mar and not see anyone and then walk to the Maya and not see anyone, it was nice not to bump into lots of people. This also means you have access to the Iberostar in Playa Del Carmen & Cozumel if you decided to go and have lunch at one of those while you are in town, which i though was good as you might not know what you eating in other resturants (we didnt do it as not into people trying to sell you things!). I would definatly advise not to bother packing beach towels (which take too much room up in cases) as you can get towels all over the place, with the cards you are issued. 

The pools were excellent and the wave pool and lazy river are great fun for adults and kids. You will have no problem find a lounger either. The beaches are stunning and nobody bothering you except to take glasses (plastic) away.
The evenings are fun and they really try to make it nice for adults and kids.

Anyone who says that it is TOO big are mad, i noticed complaints before i went regarding to shuttle, for my kids i was abit worried about dragging them round a huge resort but the shuttle was always going up and down and we didnt use it once as we walked everywhere as it was just such a beautiful place i didnt want to whizz passed any of it, the kids loved see the flamingos, peacocks, iguanas etc. 

If you are lucky enought to be going to this hotel i envy you as my family and i cannot wait to return and we wouldnt stay anywhere else. Enjoy!!!!

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Iberostar Parasio Del Mar - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: Eclipse May 2006

Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Sellers - staffordshire (43,38,15,13)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This hotel is absolutely fantastic. The grounds it is set in is immaculate. There is a great range of restaurants to choose from all of which are to a very high standard with a huge quantity of choice.

The entertainment team are very friendly and try their best to make your holiday enjoyable, although the entertainment in the evenings may get a little repetative on the whole it was good. The day time activities are plentiful and are great fun for all ages.

Xel-Ha is a great day out if you enjoy snorkelling with masks snorkels flippers and life jackets provided.

This is an all round fantastic hotel and we will definately be going back in the future.

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Iberostar Parasio Del Mar - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: Eclipse - May 2003

Opinion submitted in May 2003 by : Sarah Elliott - Kent (31, 37)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This was a delayed honeymoon for my husband and I and it was by far the best choice we could have made.

The flight from Gatwick (we flew with Air 2000 and upgraded) was OK - it was the winter timetable on the way out so flew via Manchester.  It took about 30 minutes from the airport, this hotel is the first drop off, and when we arrived we were delighted to see the reception which is very impressive.  After a very quick and easy check-in we were taken by buggy to our room which was big, clean and very well air-conditioned.  We had loads of storage space for our clothes (enough hangers!).  The first thing I did was have a shower and go to bed as I had an awful headache (I know you are not supposed to do that but I had to!), my husband wanted to eat and to his delight discovered that room service was part of the all inclusive - so he promply ordered himself a pizza and had a couple of beers from the minibar!

The next morning we had a lovely breakfast in the main restaurant, they served traditional cooked breakfast, lovely fresh croissants and donuts, fruit, yoghurt, cereals and the man doing the omlettes. 

The pool is amazing starting off as a waterfall and then a lazy river down to the adults only pool with swim up bar then to the activity pool (which does get really noisy) and another swim up bar.  There are loads of beds and it was quite refreshing not to have to fight for the beds or get up at the crack of dawn to reserve one!

We spent most days on the beach where, again, there are loads of beds and lots of shade - you have the added attraction of the sea breeze here as the pool area does get very very hot!

We ate in some of the speciality restaurants, personally we found the food so good in the main restaurant we were not that bothered but the steakhouse is definately worth a visit and our favourite was the meditarreanean - we saved that for our last night and had the most delicious meal.

All the staff from the guys maintaining the grounds to the bar staff were friendly and efficient and always smiled and said hello.

The grounds are amazing with all sorts of animals and birds to check out - the flamingos at reception were stunning, as were the peacocks and blue crabs.

I will definately go back to this hotel - we were so impressed with Iberostar that we will always try and use them for our holidays going forward.

You've got to go - it really was amazing!

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Iberostar Praiso Lindo - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Hayes & Jarvis Direct) Hayes and jarvis. may 2005

Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : 39 36 5

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

yery long journey, watch for porters at airport they are not needed, hotel superb. pools fantastic never too busy,cleanliness everywhere, staff 10out of 10 for friendliness.food excellent plenty of choice for kids and adults,beach grt right on hotel grounds,pool bars excellentfrom soft drinks to alcoholic, waiter service around pool.a perfect 5star hol,bbeach area has massage bar,cold drinks machine free , towels for pool on hand ,ample sunbeds,ithought we had died and goneto heaven.please go and take us with you.... 

a must to swim with dolphins. the staff work extremley hard and make your hols bliss. even plenty of gardeners in the grounds you must go.....

remember when leaving the country you need airpot tax it was around 75.00 for three of us. and the queues n arrival r large it take about 2hrs you have paperworkto fillin and then queue for cases search be warned...

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Riu Tequila - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson-December 2006

Opinion submitted in February 2007 by : 59,40,35,14,9,

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Poor

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We were looking forward to a great christmas in the sun as we do every year,around this time.We occured a 23hour delay and did not arrive in mexico until late christmas day(thats another story).Advice DONT FLY THOMSONS youve been warned.

We arrived at the riu tequila expecting 4 star quality, what we got was no more than a 2-3 star at best. It was like a cattle market when we arrived to get keys, wrist bands etc.. we went to our rooms, pokey,basic and smelt of damp. Our beds were hard,rusty shower(if you can call it that). My daughter used the toliet and it overflowed, called for maintainance they fixed the light that also didnot work, but not toliet, husband fixed overflow, asked them to send a cleaner, this didnot happen.We spent our first night in a room smelling of pooh and damp. I could go on but i wont bore you.

Next day asked rep to move us, they did, room cleaner, but still rusty shower and damp ceiling,2star rooms at most.
 Food was repetitive, i went for the mexican food,it was awful, ok if you like pizza and chips, oh and salad. Meat was like leather and the steak house WAS NOT a steak house,enough said.
Bookings for the al carte were a joke my husband was up early one day around 7am, a woman in front booked for 24 people, we didnot get a reservation that day.

Beach packed with sunbeds, as far as the eye could see, and volley ball nets. The beach was rubbish.
The grounds of the hotel are nice and can be classed as 4star, but thats just the grounds. Pool was in two parts,and cleaned regular. Sunbeds saved all the time by people who are not using them.
Constantly harrassed by photgraphers around the pool, to have your picture taken with monkeys, parrots etc.. not nice.
Entertainment-rubbish what can i say, new years eve was grease,mimed and tacky.
I am not a moaner and travel alot, we paid nearly 8,000 pounds for this holiday and work all year round for it.
If you like butlins type holidays, this may be for you, its very over the top,the only good thing was the weather. I promise Do not go here.

A few people i know who have been to mexico went to, moon palace and aventure spa and palace both said to be beautiful, try those. Do not go to a Riu , riu yucatan and riu playacar were as bad.

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Riu Tequila - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson March 2004

Opinion submitted in Mar 2004 by : A Bevis London 36,32

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Excellent flights with Britannia, both bang on time. Tedious procedure on arrival and departure at Cancun. Room very comfortable with 2 large beds, plenty of English TV and fridge full of soft drinks, beer and water etc, also optics of gin, vodka, whisky and tequila all restocked regularly and included in all inclusive package. Room cleaned and towels changed every day. 

Food at hotel was superb and awsome selection at main buffet restaurant (La Jalisco) for breakfast and dinner and pool restaurant for lunch. Chefs are constantly preparing fresh food in front of you and nothing appears to have been standing under hot plates for very long ! For a change at dinner, waiter service can be booked at La Putita (Pool side restaurant), where steaks & ribs are served or at nearby Riu Yucatan, where there is a fish restaurant. Unfortunately you have to be in the queue at 7.00am to book and tables are reserved very quickly. Staff run around like ants, serving you promptly and keeping this hotel in immaculate condition, 24 hours a day. Pools are very pleasent with the only let down being staff allowing people to reserve sun loungers by laying towels across them. This problem is easily overcome by removing them yourself and moving the lounger ! 

Bars at hotel are excellent apart from La Panita disco, where staff were quite happy to serve youngsters with alcohol. This practice appeared to be quite common throughout the hotel with youngsters being given adult wrist bands for the all inclusive package. Hand over tips directly to the the member of staff you want to tip, as they don't appear to share them ! This hotel is far nicer than the nearby Riu Yucatan and Riu Playacr where you can use the facilities whilst on the beach. Do not be put off the Riu Tequila by the short and safe walk to the beach, it is a much more pleasent enviorement than the sister hotels.     

Although the hotel was great we did go on several excursions, including swimming with dolphins (US $119), well worth it. Spent an entire day at Xcaret theme park (US $49),snorkeling through mile long tunnel and staying for the fantastic night show, which went on till 9.30pm. Chichen Etza (US$79)is a fascinating day out and including lunch and drinks on the long coach journey. Also went horse riding along the beach(US$69), which although very pleasent, don't expect the same standards as UK re equipment and instruction. Snorkeling tours (US$29) to a nearby reef, available from the hotel. We went twice as it was so good. We also went on the Fat cat catamaran cruise (US$79), which was good fun. We ran out of time and couldn't fit in a trip to Tulum. Found that the cost of tours did add up a bit, and I've put the price in dollars per person as the dollar is accepted everywhere. Overall a fantastic all inclusive holiday and plan to go back in about 2 years time. It rained twice during the night and was well worth getting up at 2.00am just to watch it chuck it down for half an hour !

Although all inclusive, be prepared to spend a bit of cash as it would be a waste to not leave the hotel and beach complex and see some of the sights

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Sandos Caracol Beach Resort - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: First Choice May 2007

Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Michelle - Wirral, Geoff - Wirral (32,40)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

What a brilliant hotel.  I would rate it at 4*.  When we arrived we where a bit dubious about the dirt track road which we went down to the resort but our fears where soon diminished when we got to the lobby.

During our stay there was construction of a new and better road which was being used 12 days after we arrived.  When we checked in we where the only ones so this was quick and painless.  We where taken to our room straight away and helped up with our luggage form the bellboy.  Our room was a junior suite and looked out onto the trees.  Our rep asked us the next day if the room was ok, it was but it just looking out on to the trees.  So we went to the reception and he asked if it was ok for us to change rooms and the lady on the reception did so for us.  The room we got was amazing, it was much bigger than our original one and it looked out over the La Iguana pool.  Brilliant view.

We had a massage while we where there, it was lovely & relaxing.  It was 2 for 1, so listen out for any offers they may do.  My husband & I had the same massage and went in the same room.  The big jacuzzi and hydro-pool outside where lovely too.

We enjoyed looking at the wildlife around the resort, blue crabs!!!! iguanas, birds, fish and turtles.  We often fed the fish and turtles, with bread from buffett.  It was funny to watch.

We thought the layout of the resort was really good.  The walk to all the restaurants, beach, pools, bars etc, where not as far as people make out.  In fact it was nice to walk around and walk some for your meal off!!!!  The food was really good, so much choice you would not go hungry.  The waiter/ess would always come and fill your glasses with water or wine, at lunch and dinner times.  Breakfast would be tea or coffee.  The main buffet restaurant would have a themed night every night, these would be Mexican, Spanish, French, international, Caribbean, gala & fine cuts.  One each night.  So never the same meal & always a large selection, something for everyone, even fussy eaters.  The entertainment was good the staff worked hard, but a bit more variety & it would be great.

The bars where good especially our pool bar La Iguana, Valerio and Roman where brilliant, they would make you any drink you wanted.  They would even make you some of their own drinks for you to try.  In the evening we would go to the show, then have a few drinks in the theatre bar and then go to the piano bar and then the lobby bar.  All very good. The staff worked really hard.   

The security was good in the resort.  Very prominent.  We did use our safe in the room and had no trouble like other people said there would be, with things going missing from it.  We checked our things a few times and it was all still there. 

If the mosquitoes like you then take all precautions.  Including antihistamine cream.  They like me, although I covered myself in deet the little bu***rs still got me, but not as much as some people. Put insect repellent on in the day too.

If you intend to go to Playa del Carmen on the shuttle bus get there about 20-30 minutes before the bus goes, the buses will only take a maximum of 22-24 people, & it is a first come first serve basis.  The buses leave on the hour from 8am break for lunch at 12 then start again at 1pm until 5pm.  Coming home meet in the same place you get dropped off on the ½ hour.  It takes 10 minutes on the bus to get there.  To get to 5th Ave walk down the road and when you come to the roundabout turn right, this is 5th avenue.

All in all we had a wonderful honeymoon and would come back again.

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Sandos Caracol Beach Resort - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: First Choice May 2007

Opinion submitted in May 2007 by : Mark & Sue 35 & 32

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Arrived at Cancun Airport definately an improvement as we visited 3 yrs ago and can see a drastic change for the better. 45 min tfr time to resort stayed 2 wks. Cannot fault the service from the staff they make you feel so welcome and there is no need to tip everday. Rooms are spacious, basic but always cleaned daily. Minibar restocked 3 times duing our stay with beer, pop and water. Sheets and towels changed daily. All bars stock some international and local spirits, very rare to find a que. Gardens and grounds kept very neat and tidy - look out for the local wildlife!!! (Iguana's, Crabs, Frogs, Fish and Turtles.)
It all adds to the enjoyment.

Various Restaraunts to try inc 3 speciality restaraunts that you reserve at the lobby. Well worth a try. Buffet resteraunts good selection of meats, seafoods, pastas and desserts and fruits. You will never go hungry!!

Failing that you can get food 24 hours at 1 bar or another i.e Burgers!

Beach is a bit rocky in places but lovely and warm with white sand, very pretty.  All in all a great good value holiday will be returning.!!!

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Sandos Caracol Beach Resort - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - Oct 2006

Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : L Wood - Birmingham 31

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion:

Wow!! What a place, unless you live in the Ritz and eat at 5 star restuarants every night you CANNOT fault this resort in any way. The food, the rooms, the staff, the drinks, the comlex - everything was excellent!! There is so much quality food & drink to choose from you would not believe it!!  I have travelled all over the world and have never been to a resort like this, I would not hesitate to return. The staff are so helpful & friendly, the facilities are amazing - from the 6 restaurants, the 6 bars, the entertainment provided (and the staff), the rooms which were cleaned (and bed linen changed) every day, to a fully stocked mini bar in the room (refilled twice a week) at your disposal. If you like seafood & kingprawns/tigerprawns - you just died & gone to heaven!!!

You can`t please all the people al the time but us & the other 100`s of guests we spoke to loved it & didn`t want to come home!!! There were many sad faces - in the reception checking out to return home!!

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Sandos Caracol Beach Resort - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: First Choice - September 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : Amanda & Adrian (24,33)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The flight went very fast, and was hassle free when we arrived at Cancun airport. The first thing we noticed was the heat, it hit us as soon as we stepped off the plane.

When arriving at the hotel, we wondered where we going as weavelled down this long dirt track, but as soon as we saw the hotel we forgot all about it. As soon as we stepped off the coach, our luggage was taken care of and we were offered drinks as we qued for check in. When we finally found our room!! it was amazing, we were quite far from the main area which we didn't mind, it was nice and quiet and we had the trees surrounding us. We had a jacuzzi in our room,(the water is green though!!)so it puts you off a bit! You are advised to drink bottled water. The room was cleaned every day with clean towels and bed linen and the mini bar appeared to be restocked every other day.
The staff were all very friendly and nothing was ever too much trouble. They have some staff riding around on golf cars, so you can catch a lift with them if you can't be bothered to walk!!

The weather is unbelievably hot,i love the heat but it was too much for me, I had to sunbathe in the shade! and was constantly getting in the pool.

The food is fantastic, there is so much choice, we stayed for 3 weeks and it was only towards the end that the food started to get repetitive, the restaurants are really good, we weren't so keen on the chinese, it is their 'real' food, none of your sweet and sours!! The restaurants have air conditioning which I found a little chilly so you might want to take a cardi with you ( the buffet restaurants have fans) There is food and drink served around most of the pools, they don't measure the spirits, and at times we couldn't drink the cocktails as they were far too strong.

I fell ill during the holiday, with bad stomach cramps, after a few days of it not going away and getting worse, I went to see the on site doctor, it cost $40 before he'd said a word and prescribed me 3 lots of medication which cost $65, he later explained that I didn't need them all, so I paid for what I needed and a couple of days later, I noticed the exact same tablets in the resort shop for a fraction of the price.

The excursions are fantastic, we did quite a few and the only one I can say we didn't enjoy was CHITCHEN ITZA, you had to be on the coach early (about 8) we were told you get breakfast, we did, a coffee and a muffin!! We travelled for apx 3-4 hours, picking people up, we did stop once for a toilet break. We were given a tour for about an hour and a half, some parts of it were really quite interesting, you are not allowed to climb Chitzen Itza due to people falling. Beware of the constant harassment from people trying to sell you things, they followed us the whole time we were there.

SWIMMING WITH DOLPHINS was out of this world, we chose to do dolphin trainer for a day and although it was expensive ($250 each) it was totally worth it, you were with them constantly,we fed them, we were taught how to interact with them and how to tell them what to do, at the end of the day, you had an hours swim with them. Lunch was also included.

THE COBA JUNGLE TOUR was brilliant and I can't wait to go again, seeing how they live and playing with the children was great, they have nothing compared to us yet they are so so happy, if your planning on going, take some pencils or some sweets with you to give to them, they love it!!
XCARET is also brilliant, we got there at 08.30 and were the first ones there, we headed straight for the cave, where you get to swim the whole of the park in the under water cave, it takes about 45 mins and you are given a life jacket (make sure you wear biodegradeable sun cream) A few hours later the que for the swimming was really long so well worth going early if you can.

I only really have one fault and that was with First Choice, your rep gives you the chance to pay for your seats on the way back in order to sit next to each other, we explained that we had already paid for that when we booked our holiday which she said was fine and that there would be no problems, BUT when getting our boarding pass, we noticed that we weren't sitting next to each other, there were no spare seats so there was nothing they could do about it. In their defence I must say that they were very apologitic and did give us a voucher to spend in flight, needless to say the bottle of vodka has gone down a treat!!!!

If your heading off to this hotel, you have made a great choice, we can't wait to go back.

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Sandos Caracol Beach Resort - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: First Choice   September 2006

Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : derek  53 thelma 52

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Flight although 10 hrs went quickly good entertainment choice, quite comfy seats food very good for plane food
cancun airport very busy when we arrived but organised and not the nightmare we expected one stop transfer to resort in air conditioned bus and informative rep on board
entrance a bit of concern but a long windy bumpy road opens out to a efficent clean well manned reception transport by buggy to room

food 3 buffet resturants with at least 20 choices per meal of good quailty and variety  3 a la carte resturants booked in advance  again well cooked and well presented with at least four choices
several snack bars available with burgers hotdogs chicken nuggets etc available
Drink readily available strength dependent on the barman some strong some weak( could always be topped up with solo spirts) named brands if preferred at no extra cost mini bar alternate day top up again at no extra cost
accommodation  clean and comfortable no shortage of towels or bed linen changed daily with added touch of towel animation

Staff very helpful and courteous to all (although we did witness some appaling behaviour from guests to the staff)but this did not seem to faze them and they remained cheerful and upbeat
10 pesos about 50p is gratefully received for services rendered
Beach towels readily available and can be changed daily if required
Courtesy bus free to playa del carmen many vendors vying for your custom a bit annoying but there is a cracking walmart air conditioned and cheap 
Journey to airport and flight home was trouble free Cancun airport is a shoppers paradise and very very reasonable for an airport

Overall this holiday will be hard to beat as it is truly all inclusive safety deposit boxes,pool tables, spa, gym and most water sports at no extra cost a big saving if taking children. Trips can be taken but at an extra cost all were great value and are varied so it is down to individual choice We would highly recommend this hotel as having experienced a fair few all inclusive holidays this was as near perfection as you can get We would be quite happy to return

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Sandos Caracol Beach Resort - Riviera Maya

Operator and Date: First Choice - July 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Beckie & Andrew (24,28)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Me and my boyfriend stayed at the Caracol for 2 weeks from the 9-23rd July and went with First Choice.

I was slightly scared about going after reading all the bad reviews but once we arrived these fears went away. After the long flight we were checked in immedietly and was in block 6 right near to the main pool and beach which was good but it was very noisy at night and in the morning, one morning they were mowing the laws at 7am, not good if your not an early riser! The room was really clean and was cleaned every day by the cleaner and the mini-bar restocked every other day.

The only big complaint I can find about this resort really is the food. Twice after having evening meal in the main buffet I was sick and my boyfriend suffered with the 'runs'. The a la cart restaurants were really nice and we had no problems making reservations. I found the food in the buffets boring and bland to be honest and by the start of the second week I was fed up of burger and chips for dinner. There was internet access which was 5 dollers (around £3.50) for 30 minutes which I thought was a rip off, the hotel phones are even more expensive to call from so the nearest place if you want to call home is Playa del Carmen. Halfway down the 5th avenue there is a little shop with a few telephones in which you can call from and it was 5 pesos per min (25p) to call the UK which I thought was good value.

As everyone else has said there are a lot of europeans staying at this resort and a lot of topless sunbathing too. If you want a parasol in the shade you either need to get up early or go and put your towel on which you aren't supposed to do but loads of people did it. The entertainment was a bit naff but it's something to pass the time.

We did one day trip to Xel-Ha which I think to be honest is a bit over-rated and overpriced. The only thing to do thier is