As many others have stated, the service is what makes this place memorable. Our butler, Charly, was excellent. He promptly responded through WhatsApp. While we didn't have many requests, the ones we had he took care of immediately.
I will list the Pros and Cons based on our experience.
Pros:
Only a 25-minute ride from the airport. It takes over 10 minutes to go from the entrance to the main building (speed bumps will slow you down). On the day we left, it only took us 40 minutes to go from the hotel lobby, through security at the airport, and into the main terminal.
Every team member we encountered at the property was very friendly and helpful
Serenity Club was definitely worth the extra cost. Top-shelf alcohol in the Serenity Club. Diner/Dance show at Tahani included, Butler service to make your dinner reservations.
Food was good at Satsu, Agua Bonita, and Tahani for the Dinner/Dance show, Flavors buffet for breakfast and lunch was good as well. Olios was less than memorable.
Salvador at Flavors offered to make us a special grilled fish lunch one afternoon. We assumed it was extra based on the way he described it, but it ended up being included (we obviously gave him a huge tip for this experience). It was 2 decent-sized grilled fish and 6 large prawns. Chef Miguel presented it to us, so we had him sit with us for a chat, and took some pictures with him and Salvador. They have these special things they can do for you, but nobody knows about them.
The view from our room (5208) was perfect. Building 5 is centrally located for the Serenity pool, Club, and restaurants. We spent one day at the Serenity pool, and our last day at the round pool, the rest of the time at the active pool. While the map makes the complex look big, it is actually very compact and easy to go from one end to the other in a matter of minutes.
Another plus was that the resort was only at 50% capacity while we were there, so you didn't need to get up at 0-dark-30 to get chairs by the pool. Plus, there were plenty of umbrellas if you overdid it one day in the sun. However, I will say that there was a trick to opening the umbrellas.
Cons
Unfortunately, as others pointed out, the rooms and buildings could use a refresh. The first thing I noticed was the elevators in building 5. They could only hold 2 people, and the interior paneling was ripped up from pulling signage off that must have had double-sided tape on it (not a good first impression). Some of the wooden doors inside the room were warped, from what looked like water damage. They keep the grounds nice, however.
The drinks at the pool are pretty weak, and I question the quality of the alcohol at some of the bars. We drink Titos, which they have, but we noticed it tasted different at different bars. At night, we would just go to the Serenity club and get Belvider. Also, the pictures they show on their site about alcohol in your rooms were a bit misleading. You get your choice of one bottle of top shelf, but it's only a small bottle for your entire stay, which would make only 3 drinks. Our butler took care of us on that issue, thankfully.
Service at the pools could be hit or miss. Once you engage with the wait staff and tip them regularly, they remember you and keep you hydrated. On our first day at the Serenity pool, they only had 1 person working, so it was just easier to swim up to the bar.
The beach, unfortunately, was unusable due to a ridiculous amount of incoming seaweed. Not the hotel's fault. They would have a tractor driving back and forth, collecting what they could, but from the shore to about 20 feet out, the water was brown.
In conclusion, we have stayed at several properties in Playa, Riviera Maya, the hotel zone, and Porta Morelos. Each had its plus and minuses. Would I stay at the Haven again, probably not.
