We absolutely love this place! We have stayed at Barcelo several times and every time I am…read moresurprised by how nice it is. We have stayed at Gran Bahia Principal and it was "ok" and we have also stayed at Xcaret, which was expensive. The Barcelo rooms are clean and nice, the staff is very friendly. This trip we used Barcelo's transportation from the airport and it was a little more money than private transportation but it went way smoother compared to past trips. We had a fun time comparing 20 year old photos from our first visit to Barcelo. It is just as beautiful now and we will continue to come back.

This place is absolutely horrid,if you've ever complained about the holiday inn in the states,I'd…read moretake those over staying here. To be more exact,we stayed at the Barcelo maya caribe.it is so dated and falling apart.the grout in the shower/tub is falling apart.hvac unit sensors are bad so it'll just keep blowing cold air no matter what temp it is. The door lock only partially works with having to try multiple times just to get the door open. The good is like eating elementary food from the eighties in the states at the buffet no matter if it's breakfast lunch or dinner.a few of the staff seems to be glad that they're working and the other seems like they're forced into labor be it in the dining hall or room staff. We're here for a wedding and booked here due to all the in-laws are staying here.the staff are rude and have no patience even tho there's a huge language barrier.we normally book our own stay and do our research before you choose a place but due to the fact we're not the ones that chose this place. So the buffet is always open to all but if you wanted to eat at some of the other they have here,you have to reserve ahead of time and if it's booked out,your eating dinner at 9pm or later.my in-laws ate at one of the Italian place and they said the food is horrendous.overly salted and over cooked.i would never stay here ever again and I'm posting this so it would save you the headache and disappointment. My nieces book a room that showed a double bed and they got charged for a double and the room only had a single,and when they went to the front desk,they told them it was their fault.thereis no discription for the room just pictures so there's no way to know and like I said earlier,the staff is very short and very rude. When the cleaning lady came by and asked if I wanted the room clean,I told her I just needed towels and water.she handed me the towels and told me the waters in the mini bar and before I could tell her it's out,she just took off. I don't understand,maybe it's because it's all inclusive or what but they seem to be miserable and give really bad

This was my second experience at an all inclusive resort. This is an adult only resort, so no loud…read morekids running around or anything like that. We were here for 1 week and absolutely loved it. Each building has a concierge that is able to handle bookings or notify you of upcoming activities. My concierge was very helpful and communicated with me through whatsapp. You can also use the hyatt app to find this information. The resort offered many things to do throughout the day. There is also a beautiful beach, and the resort is a short walk to the town of Akumal. Activities were endless (in the morning). There are also some activities that have a limit on participants, so you may need to reserve early such as midnight for paddleboarding, or get to them at least an hour early to have a spot. Unfortunately pools were shutdown by 7. There were multiple restaurant/food options. Drinks were everywhere! There was also drink service at the pools. Room service was included and mini fridge restocked everyday. Tipping was not expected here, but they did accept pesos / US dollars. Overall an amazing experience. If you are looking for a relaxing vacation, this is a great place to start.

We came to Secrets for our wedding anniversary. It was a very nice experience compared to the…read morepreviouse all inclusive resort. Secrets is an adults-only resort, so you wouldn't see any kids running around. We were there for a week, and it was a really nice and relaxing time. It was a really nice adult vacation where all you do is eat and drink. Also, the resort offers activities you can join, but some require advance sign-up, which you can do through the app or your building's concierge. There were a good number of restaurants that you could go to. And there was a good number of bars as well. The staff was really nice and frendly always greeting you and making sure that you are okay. One downside is that if you want to lie at the beach, you will need to get there early to get a chair. A majority of the time, we were at the quiet pool, where people would just be doing their own thing, such as reading a book, on their phone, or just taking a nap. Some people would go into the pool from time to time. But definitely more relaxing.

I think Catalonia Royal Tulum is a solid 3.5 star experience. It is definitely not some amazing…read moreresort but for what it is and how much it is, I think it does the job. I would like to shout out how clean this resort is. The room was very clean and the rest of the resort is very clean as well, including the beach and the pool. The food though is not great. There are some items that are better than others but the food is pretty mid otherwise so don't come here if you really really care about that. Although the food is not the best, no one got sick and that's all that really matters! The portion sizes were also weird -- some things were tiny and some were averaged sized. It was hard to gauge how much food you're ordering. Some things to note -- I do think it's worth it to pay up for the privileged room. It gains you access to the Bloved restaurant which without it means you can only eat breakfast and lunch at the buffet (which is fine but that would drive me crazy).

Amazing all inclusive adults only resort. Staff is attentive and friendly, the resort layout…read moreoffers good room privacy, and the pool and beach are right next to one another. Food was good at all the restaurants and drinks were available at a variety of bars. We were able to book all of our excursions through Amstar at a desk right in the lobby. I give Catalonia Royal Tulum a 10 out of 10. Best vacation of my life!

It's only gotten worse. Don't get the beach club membership if you want an umbrella. Just awful and…read moreno kids' menu, no happy hour, blah blah. I'll make my own food and drinks. It's just the worst class of service surrounded by million dollar properties. I'm surprised you can use the toilet. Everything has gone to total poop but they claim they are trying to be more "upscale." What? 1000 pesos to spend on food and drink in order to use an umbrella? That's $50 American! The attitude of the employees has gone downhill just like the general service. Unless you are staying at the hotel and eat all the overpriced mediocre food, forget it!

They brought in cheap sand with crushed up shells. It not only hurts your feet it has spread all…read morethe way down the beach. The white powdery sand we loved is no more. They should be ashamed of what they have done.

This spot can be more better. Loved their part that theres for Adult only side but it looks like…read moreits an easy access for below 18yrs. But i wish there more easy access on some and snacks (here u have to go in a restaurant to get some or front entrance by the coffee shop) I wish there more day activities for adult other than the pool or beaches. I was hoping for more entertainment during day time or evening time. There bath on the roof where we stayed was a struggle. It took us awhile to figure out the nobs (for water & massage). We also got locked out, good thing we figured it out how to maneuver the door nod ‍

Do not waste your time and money here. Hot tubs? All cold. Did your resort booking include $200/day…read morecredit? Good luck figuring out what you can use it on. Grifters, scam artists... nickel and dime you to death. AVOID THIS PLACE. DO NOT BOOK THROUGH COSTCO. CostCo should stop doing business with this place. There is ONE activity; sit on your butt and drink. Pools are cold too. Warmest water was the lagoon... Food is TERRIBLE. Rooms are rundown, dirty, and TINY after they put a stupid spa tub in every room that doesn't even work. 4 buildings with hot water not working. Go ANYWHERE else. Using AI photos to sell reservations, look at my included AI SLOP from THEIR website. The actual resort DOES NOT look like the photos online. Rooms: Rooms are dirty and need updated. Nearby activities: There is NOTHING to do at the resort. Include off-resort activities in your planning and after you see what the resort costs are plus costs to not be bored for 7 days? Anyplace else is a better value. Safety: Not sure what is in place to keep underage kids from drinking. Kids clearly seemed intoxicated. Did not seem safe. Walkability: They do have lots of golf carts wildly racing around the property full of drunk people and families... Drivers are staff and aren't intoxicated, just in a hurry? Food & drinks: Drinks are good. It's all they have. Food is gross in the Marketplace. Fries and chicken tenders were good poolside. Noteworthy details: Seriously... GO.ANYWHERE.ELSE! You will not be sorry. I am on day 2 of 7 and if they told me I could get on a shuttle and leave right now, even with no refund, I would go in a heartbeat. If you love this place... cool. Enjoy.

Staff was great, coffee shop was nice, beds were comfy but the restaurant situation on a rotating…read morebasis was very frustrating for an all inclusive.

I booked a double swim-up pool room through Capital One Travel, and even received an email…read moreconfirmation from Capital One stating the hotel had verified my room type, double beds with a swim-up pool. After a long day of travel, we arrived around 6:30 PM only to be given a standard room with no swim-up pool. I immediately showed the concierge and front desk my confirmation email, but they refused to honor it, insisting that "this is what Capital One booked." My wife is pregnant, and we were traveling with our two-year-old for a friend's wedding, not exactly the time to deal with such nonsense. After two exhausting hours of back and forth, they still refused to give me the room I had already paid for unless I paid an additional $400 USD. I managed to get Capital One on the phone within minutes, but the hotel staff claimed they couldn't reach them. Out of pure frustration and with a toddler in tow, I eventually paid the extra charge just so we could settle in. The concierge, Emilio, apologized profusely and promised to make it right with a complimentary Bali bed or other perks, none of which ever materialized despite multiple follow-ups during our stay. The manager, Karen, was equally unhelpful. It was clear they cared more about squeezing a few extra dollars out of guests than building any kind of loyalty or goodwill. To make matters worse, on our last day, $300 USD was stolen from my backpack in our room. I filed a report, and instead of offering any form of compensation or accountability, the staff searched our belongings as if we had misplaced it ourselves. Absolutely unacceptable. The food was decent, but service throughout the resort was almost nonexistent. If you wanted food or drinks by the pool or beach, you had to get up and fetch it yourself while several servers stood around chatting at the bar. Overall: avoid this place at all costs. I've already told friends and family to stay far away. For the price, the dishonesty, lack of service, and outright theft make this resort one of the biggest disappointments I've ever encountered.

Sick of the online photos that show a beach. There is no real beach at the Catalonia Riviera Maya…read more It's sand they put on top of rocks. Very hard to get in the water. The food is unbelievably bad and the exact same thing every day. The drinks are almost alcohol free. They put a quick splash of liquor in and then fill it up with other non-alcohol products. They have a "personal concierge" at the front desk that is actually a timeshare sales rep. If you don't buy, you never see them again. The good about this resort is that it's in a gated community and the rooms are nice. We won't be going back though.

absolutely terrible, would not recommend to my worst enemy. The 'unlimited' buffet provides an…read moreunlimited amount of slop, swill, and garbage. Every item is cross contaminated, so if you have any allergies, beware. I can't consume dairy in any capacity, and the server at the buffet was quite rude to me when she informed me that they did not have soy, almond, or oat milk. Every buffet item uses shared tongs and spoons, so it is impossible to guarantee that even a dairy free item is not contaminated. IF YOU HAVE ALLERGIES, ARE CELIAC, OR ARE VEGAN, DO NOT COME HERE!!!!!

Bad service! If you don't have dollars hanging out somewhere visible, these people will not be…read morecourteous or hospitable at all. My question to the staff- if I am at an all inclusive hotel, the rooms are basic and so is the food ...I am paying a large amount of money for the service I am getting , so if I don't tip at every step, every cup of water , every coffee, every hello- I should be still getting a the hospitality that is aldready included in the price.

Let me start with: The grounds and building are lovely. The staff is generally very friendly. The…read moreà la carte restaurants are terrific. The shuttle service is great. They try hard to keep the beach free of sea grass. Marco at the Portofino restaurant was great! Alex at the buffet, who recognized us in Playa del Carmen, was a personality. The poor guy my wife finally tracked down at nine at night to get towels that worked his butt off to help us out (didn't get his name). The sports fields are really nice. With that said, I had two rooms for my family of 5 (including three teenagers) for six days. We picked the hotel because it offered unlimited à la carte dinners. What they don't tell you is that they are generally booked up 2-3 days out and you can't book more than 2 days in advance. So we get there and are told me can't go to a special restaurant for the first two days. We're looking at the buffets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner exclusively. They're not great, and the choices never materially change. We then made a mistake by not trying to book Thursday and Friday dinner until Wednesday morning to be told... they're all booked up. I was finally able to get the concierge to get us into a dinner on Friday. Please keep in mind that most restaurants are only half-filled, but they are supposedly at capacity. We got into dinner on Thursday by visiting 7 different restaurants before we found a manager who was able to fit us in his half-empty restaurant. Housekeeping was terrible. For one room, they cleaned it on the second day. We had to escalate the issue three times, wait six hours to receive new towels, cups, and for the room to be cleaned on the 5th day. We then had to complain again on the last full day to get the room cleaned! We got comfortable going into the service corridors to get our own towels. We also grew tired of being told that certain features, pools, or drinks were "extra" for "Family Select" or "Preferred" members. I spent $5K for the hotel alone to be told that the basics and amenities were extra. Get used to waiting in lines... for the buffets, the bars, the concierge, etc. We waited an hour and a half at the sports bar (the only restaurant available between lunch and dinner) for terrible food. For example, the garlic bread was half a toasted hot dog bun. The potato skins were half a mid-sized potato. The two jalapeno poppers were roughly 2 inches long. You get the idea. At times, I waited 20-30 minutes to talk to the concierges. There would often be one on duty in each lobby for a hotel with many hundreds of rooms. Overzealous staff kept telling us what we could not do. I couldn't take drinks from the bar (soda) into the sports bar where we were waiting. My son couldn't carry an alcoholic drink for his mother (with me by his side). The entertainment was mediocre at best. Most resorts bring in travelling entertainers with good shows. Not here. The same group of hardworking dancers work all of their shows. Don't expect much variety. My teenagers got plenty of sleep. They had nothing to do at night and complained they were bored. For a family-friendly resort, it caters to young families and little kids. There's no teen club or teen parties. Activities scheduled through the resort (dive shop, excursions, massages) are ludicrously expensive. We got better options from the guys walking the beach. There were other issues, but to top it off, after complaining to the concierge *(especially about the lack of housekeeping, towels, and dinner reservations). They offered us two free hydro-therapy sessions (normally extra cost) at the spa as compensation. So... basically they offered us access to the only hot tubs we found for one-time use. That's not quite cutting it. Finally, we were never given the chance to talk to a manager or supervisor to try to make things right. THAT'S UNACCEPTABLE. Now that I've written the review, let's see if we hear anything.

Just back from a week at El Dorado Seaside Suites in Mexico…read more We spent the week there during Día de los Muertos and it was incredible -- they really go all out with the celebration! The resort grounds are spotless, and the staff couldn't be more genuine or helpful. Now, this isn't a full-blown five-star luxury spot, so keep expectations realistic, but for the Bang for your Buck, Seaside Suites is one of the best values out there. Bali Beds: 10/10 -- free, first-come-first-serve, and perfect for a lazy beach or pool day. No need to pay extra like at some of the fancier resorts. Food: 7/10 -- not Michelin-level, but solid, and room service was always on point. Beach: 9/10 -- calm, clean, and perfect for morning walks. Pools: 7/10 -- great vibe, never overcrowded. Vibe: Totally chill -- perfect for relaxing, unplugging, and recharging. They've even added more inclusive perks now, like daily excursions to Maroma Beach and the Animal Sanctuary -- a really cool bonus that adds even more value. Yes, it's about an hour and fifteen minutes from the airport, but do a private transfer and it's no big deal. Overall: 8/10 or 4 out of 5 -- clean resort, great service, peaceful vibe, and solid value that keeps us coming back. Just my honest opinion -- everyone's experience is different, but if you have questions, feel free to drop a comment and I'll try to answer.

I cannot wait to come and stay here again!…read more The property is so secluded and so beautiful, the shuttles take you all around the property and are speedy. All of the staff are happy and incredibly helpful. The room was comfy and the AC kept the humidity under control. We had a swim up room right on the beach and wow. You just can't beat the views. The food was mediocre, and I wish there were more dining options. But overall the experience and vibe was so relaxing. Not a party resort, definitely a more middle aged group; but still enough of a "party" element.

This review long overdue We visited this resort in March…read more2026 and it was everything we wanted! We were looking for a smaller resort, not somewhere you had to take a trolley to go everywhere, you could walk across this resort in a few min. My first thoughts upon arrival were how beautiful and tropical it felt. The view from our room was amazing! I believe all rooms have waterview? We did get to try all 4 al la carts and the meals were fantastic! We really enjoyed.. the Brazilian / steakhouse! The staff were excellent, especially Alan in customer service, he went way up and beyond! German always there to help around the pool area.. and many others whose names escape me. The music at night was just right, Raymond playing for awhile and then bands would play for an hour or 2.. done by 1030 -11 so not too late, it is not a big party place, was exactly to out liking! I would highly recommend this resort if you are looking for a great reort to relax and can't wait to return!

I visited this resort over the summer and it's ok. There are definitely a lot of highlights which…read moreinclude : a great spa- the ladies working there were great and I had a very relaxing prenatal massage, nice large pools and access to a beach area, location overall is somewhat secluded which generally makes you feel safe. Downsides were: food/drink quality - nothing I ate or drank here blew me away, including buffet or specialty restaurants, availability of daybeds are limited- if you don't wake up before 7am to snag one, they all will be occupied by either people or their belongings marking territory, limited activities if you're not into snorkeling or water stuff. They had a tequila tasting and one night claimed to have salsa lessons but that didn't happen. The rooms are ok but getting to them, you'll see lots of bugs. I guess it is the middle of the jungle but be prepared!