We have stayed at many all inclusive’s and have maybe being spoilt at others, but to feel spoilt at ones half the price of this is not great. There is no making you feel special here, it seems that every penny they can get out of you they will and every cut back they can make they will. Most hotels we have stayed at really make you feel welcome and if it is a birthday or special occasion, they will do something to make it special for you, don’t expect that here unless you pay. I believe it is 90 USD for a banner/balloons, most places do this kind of thing free. It was not a special occasion for us, so this is not bitterness, but I did speak to others that had paid a lot just for a banner on their door etc and it felt so wrong.
Also do not expect any room upgrade, again we have always been given either a room upgrade or at least a high floor etc if we have asked. I did e-mail the hotel prior to our visit asking for a room with sun on the balcony (I did not think this was too much to ask). We were given a room with nothing but trees right up to the balcony. You could not see a thing, not even the sky, never mind any sun! They say ‘you booked a garden view, thats what you got’. I guess fair enough, but this was not a garden view, it was just tree leaves right up to our balcony. Surely if they could have given a higher floor so we could at least have sun. We did move rooms on the second day, although still a low floor garden view with no sun, but we could at least see the sky! They really will not move an inch to try to welcome you and want over 1000 USD for the next room upgrade. I have never visited a hotel that do not want to please guests. Even if you want a late checkout, they will not even give an hour complimentary, everything is money to them. It is fair enough that they are a business and want to make money, but usually high prices and 5 star rating does make you feel that bit special. The thing here is you are paying 5 star prices for 2/3 star quality and then they want more and more.
The rooms lack attention to detail, two days we had bedding with rips in it, one day it had a make up mark on it. The bottom open end of the duvet was always made up and left near your face, so we had to remake the bed everyday. Little things like this are not 5 star. There was tile come off in the bathroom skirting board which had just been left. The wooden doors to the bathroom and wardrobe area are all swollen with water damage - it really needs some TLC.
There are two pools, one with music and things going on and a quieter one. Both are ok, although you need to be up early for a sunbed. If you do not mind your cloth sunbed mattress wet (they do not take them in overnight when it rains)/covered in bird poo/ripped/stained then you will be ok. Again I expect better than this for the star rating and price. The pool bar is ok for drinks, but there are no snacks, ice creams etc - normally you can get nuts, crisps, ice creams etc - not here!
The beach is not really usable due to the seaweed, they did clean it some days, although it is still there and you can’t go into the sea because of it either, unless you want to be covered in it.
We really were disappointed, I have never been on a holiday where I have looked forward to going home after only a few days. It was a very long 11 days!
The food in the buffet restaurant was repetitive, cheap foods and ALWAYS cold. I never once had a hot chip, potatoes etc. I have read on other reviews about the lack of butter and found this very strange too. They have a bread station with very limited breads, crusty rolls were soft, soft roles were rock hard - on a morning there would be butter near the breads, but lunch and evening none, you ask for it and suddenly they have no idea what butter is. After explaining in every way possible, they will just point to the bread, although trying to say there is no butter there, again, is not understood. Most days I would have to ask at least three different people and then wait a good ten minutes for butter. At least because the meals are all served cold in here, my meal did not get any colder! (Thats the only positive with this place and is not positive at all). The buffet restaurant is not a relaxing place at all. You are offered water quickly, although if you ask for a different drink, it can take a long time to arrive.
The food served is poor quality and no care has been taken in preparation, cut bananas served in yoghurt, still with the blossom end still attached, cut lettuce in a salad served with the root still attached - This is not 5 star at all. It just shows attention to detail is lacking. If I visited a restaurant and was served this, it would be sent back. Although that is too much hard work here as you would literally send EVERYTHING back as something was not right with everything you had. They say that if you want something different to what they serve, just ask, your wish if their command. Yet just asking for butter or ketchup was such an ordeal it was not worth even considering anything else. Even the fresh orange is like water as they have watered it down so much.
How they seat you in the buffet area is so weird too, you can’t just find where you want to sit, they will sit you as close to people as they can in a near empty restaurant. If you want a clean knife and fork between courses, good luck!
The coffee shop staff were the best on the resort, they were welcoming and the coffee/tea was good, although served in very small, very thin paper cups, again saves them money. The bakery in the coffee shop looks nice, but once you have tried it you stop asking for it as it is not nice at all. Again nowhere near 5 star. The ice cream we did find to be good, but there are no cones, no lolly's, sauces etc. You also can’t get them by the pools, only in the coffee shop, but I guess it saves guests eating too much and again saves them money.
The Asian restaurant was very good and I could not complain about this in any way, although you don’t want the same food every day for 11 days. Most all inclusive which are 5 star have multiple places for lunch, not here, there is just the buffet or an area by the pool which has very limited choices and very small portions.
luckily I do not eat much and do not drink alcohol, so the tiny portions did not bother me, but the cheap cold food with lack of choice makes this hotel a no, no from me.
Everything was so inconsistent, the room cleaner rarely left any coffee pods, maybe twice they left 4 pods during a 11 day stay. Some days they left crisps (1 20g bag between two people), then nothing for days and days. They say if you want anything just call room service, but they do not seem to like to give you it when you ask. One example is we have always had a kettle and coffee machine in our room, here you only have a coffee machine, so if you are a big tea drinker, hard luck!! I did bring my own tea bags, as know some places do not give you many - but having tea bags and no milk or hot water is not great. I asked at reception if we could have a kettle in our room, to be told that we just need to dial for room service and they will bring the hot water whenever we want it. Apparently there is a box near the door to your room, where it can be left, although the first time we phoned for it, they do not want to leave it in the box for some reason, I don’t know why. They want to bring it into the room, fair enough. Although when I phoned three hours later for more (I am only asking for hot water, not milk and not tea bags) they spend ages questioning that you ordered some three hours ago and did you not get it? When you say you did, that you just want more to make another tea, you are told it will be 50 minutes. So if you like a cup of tea every few hours, either bring a kettle or keep ordering hot water as often as you can, so you know you always have some.
I was told (after asking) that there is an ice machine on our floor to get ice whenever we want it, although nobody can show me where it is and when I ask, so, again, I am told use room service, although it is a 50 minutes wait. When you want a drink, you just want a drink, not to wait 50 minutes.
Same with crisps, I am told that the mini bar is restocked daily and if you want anything else, just call room service. On day one we were left one 20g bag of crisps between two people, then none at all for days, so I called room service and asked for some, to be told that they do not have many. You can buy them from the shop though at 20 USD for two (large) bags!!!! - really not good enough for a 5* hotel that charges thousands per week. And certainly not what we have experienced in the past all inclusives we have stayed at. All the bars here only serve drinks and you can’t get a bag of crisps anywhere! Apart from the one bag between two in your room - if they leave that one!
It really is a shame as it is our first time in Mexico. My son visited in November last year and my mum in June last year, both paid way less than us (different hotels) and seemed to have a better experience. Like I say we usually visit the same place yearly amongst other holidays and they are way cheaper and much better service. It is sad as we had such high expectations.
We changed from out usual destination as though there would maybe be a bit more to do here in Mexico, as in have a walk out at night, but here you are miles from anything and a taxi to the hotel zone is $100 USD return. So not a lot to do at all. I think to stay in a hotel so far away from everything you need to be getting something special, which you do not here. We were told that Ubers are not overly safe in Mexico, so we used the 100 USD hotel taxi, although then decided to give Uber a go and it was 20 USD return and was absolutely fine. There is an outlet called Go Outlet a five minute drive from the hotel, although you could not walk there due to the set up - the hotel wanted 45 USD return for this five minute journey, an Uber was less than 10 USD return. So please bear this in mind.
Same with the spa, it was very expensive, yet if you go onto the beach, turn right and walk to the end, there is a hut with local people giving massages for a quarter of the cost, they were very good and relaxing and lovely to hear the sea as we had out massages.
I am sad to leave a negative review and have never felt the need to be so negative about any hotel in the past. If you look at my other reviews, you will see that I either love places and return, or see more positives than negatives. I am not a spiteful person. I simply do not want anyone else to feel like they wasted their money like we did. We booked this hotel based on the reviews we read, I have no idea how they have any decent ones to be honest. I can see that the hotel replies, saying that they will take the negatives on board and feedback to the relevant teams, although I do not believe that they do. I can see issues similar to mine, for example the butter issue and clearly this has not been acted upon.
I must admit I did not raise my concerns to the hotel, simply because even asking for simple things like hot water in the room, butter in the restaurant etc - they will not understand you. So why waste your time on anything more complicated. Also I did not want to go on holiday and every hour of every day be complaining. I mean what is the point in telling them the chips are cold, because by the time they get you warm, the pasta, veg etc is also cold. I would have had to plate up a meal and take the whole thing to them and ask for it to be made fresh. They do not understand the word butter, so no idea how you would tell them all the food is cold. Complaining about the TLC needed in the room and the filthy sunbeds was not going to magic up a new one, so it was absolutely pointless.
We feel like we have not only wasted thousands, but also wasted 11 days of our life too. I just wish I could find a positive, but sadly I can’t.
