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CANCUN

Barcelo Costa Cancun - Cancun, Mexico

Cancun is a very nice vacation spot. very close to Mayan Riveria where we went before but closer to downtown and busier than Mayan Riveria.

The hotel is only ok. A bit smaller than what i expected, and the beach is way too small.

The food is ok, not too many choices. My wife started to have diarreia and vomiting on the third day (could be an isolated incident). Took her around 24 hours to get better.

Although there are 3 a la cart restaurants to choose from, the booking person was telling me that you can't book it ahead of time, you have to book it right on the same day. And it is funny that she said that every morning they are all fully booked by 7am in the morning. But being there for a day, we already noticed that the a la cart restaurants were very empty. So we just went in and tip the manger a buck or two and we were seated. We figured the booking person is also a sales person for other trips and services, so if you are not buying any thing else from her, she would be telling you they are full.

I find it in this hotel besides the people who works at the front desk counter, everybody calls himself concerer, but they are sales people trying to sell you time share presentations or trips.

all in all, i gave this 6 out of 10

August 2010
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Grand Oasis Caribbean Beach Resort

This was our second time to Cancun and our 7th trip to Mexico. I can safely say that this was the most disappointing vacation we have ever had to Mexico. This was the first and last time we will travel with Sunwing. We stayed at the Grand Oasis Caribbean Beach Resort which was rated as a 4 1/2 * resort in the Sunwing brochure. The description of the resort stated that there were 3 pools, 6 restaurants, 8 bars , 2 snack bars, a fitness facility and on the website it stated that the rooms had balconies. This property did not have any of this. There was 1 pool. There were 2 restaurants. One for breakfast and another open 9 to 5 with a menu consisting of a fruit plate, a salad plate and a choice of 3 sandwiches. It was completely enclosed, dark and had loud music. I asked to have a sandwich to go and I was told that they would do that for me once only, and not to ask for that again. Eat in only! There wasn't even one guest eating there. There were 2 bars and no snack bars. There was no fitness facility at this resort. We had use of the "fitness facility" at the 3* Oasis Palm Beach next door. This consisted of 1 broken stationary bike, 1 broken treadmill, a rusted eliptical and weights that were mostly not useable. We did not have a balcony. The one time we tried to order room service there was no answer. We could eat at the restaurants at the Oasis Palm Beach but this was an inferior property with bad food. We paid for a 4 1/2* property and the majority of the restaurants, etc were at the Oasis Palm Beach next door. We could have paid less and basically had the same amenities. Both properties were very similar and very basic. The hotel room was nothing special. They rarely replaced the drinks in the fridge and getting more than 2 bath towels for 3 of us was usually a hassle. The lounge chairs on the beach were never cleaned and it was difficult to find chairs without bird droppings all over. We also had the usual timeshare people hassling us in the lobby and even phoning the hotel room and leaving information under the door. We purchased internet time for our daughter to use with her computer in the lobby. The timeshare woman would not leave her alone, even knowing full well that she was our daughter and would not be purchasing a timeshare. The last straw was when we were told that we would be picked up at midnight at our hotel for the departure, and when we were waiting in the lobby we were ordered to take our luggage to the Oasis Palm Beach next door in order to be picked up there.

I feel that we paid too much for an inferior property that Sunwing promised had many amenities that it did not actually have, and were in fact at the 3* property next door.
February 2010
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RIU Cancun

We had a wonderful time. Everything was great!! We loved the hotel, very clean,reasonably quiet, lots to do. Beach volleyball was fun! Sunquest guy at the hotel- I think his name was Jonathon was very helpful. Transportation to and from the hotel was very smooth.
February 2010
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Dos Playa

To be honest the experience at the Dos Playa is one that I would prefer to not experience again. The hospitality was non existent and the food during the 2 weeks we were there was not of a very good variety. There were no activities at the resort other then the ones that had to be purchased. I do not blame the tour operator due to the fact that I was the person that requested this location.
January 2010
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Barcelo Maya Palace

This was the third time that we stayed at the Palace. We have stayed at the other properties at the Barcelo Maya five or six times. We have watched it grow from the original two, the Beach and the Caribe to the five that are there now. It appears that they are in the process of adding another resort at the south end of the property. One thing that I can honestly say is that we have never had a serious complaint about any of the resorts a this property. The quality of the beaches are second to none. It is the most consistent of anywhere that we have traveled. The formula that seems to work for us is to watch for the Palace to come on sale for $1500 or less and BOOK IT!!!!
January 2010
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Casa Maya Hotel, Cancun Mexico

We had a wonderful trip. We enjoyed staying at Casa Maya Hotel as it was just a short bus ride away from restaurants & shopping.

We went to Isla Mujeures for the day-beautiful sand beaches. We paid for the ride over (should check on different ferries as little difference in price). Then we rented a golf cart $25.Only 2 main roads on the island so didn't take long to see. Didn't get a chance to shop before the ferry left at 4pm.

We are having quite a time cancelling a contract we signed for a vacation club at The Grand Mayan Resort. When we got home & started reading it over we decided it was not for us. They said we had 5 days to recind the agreement which would be at noon today.

I have e-mailed, tried phoning & finally I have sent a registered letter trying to cancel but not sure if it will do any good.

We may loose our deposit which was a substantial amount.When it sounds too good to be true it usually is.
March 2009
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The Royal Cancun, Cancun, Mexico

We had a great time. What a wonderful hotel. I would definitely go back there. I loved Cancun. It was clean and not once was I badgered to buy something or felt uncomfortable. We rented a car and went to Playa del Carmen which was a lot of fun. I even went to Coco Bongo's which was something else. Our hotel was most accomodating and I loved the location. We were right on the ocean and the rooms were beautiful.
It was a blast and I love the hotel.
February 2009
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Grand Oasis Viva Beach, Cancun, Mexico

It was a lot of fun!

Drew and I sat on the beach, ate a lot of food, went out a couple nights and then funny thing…() ate at Mexico airport and got food poisoning! Booerns! But overall it was a blast. I don’t know if we’d go back to Oasis hotels – they were good, but I think I would prefer to go to another part of Mexico. Cancun is very commercialized – although I’m sure a lot of places in Mexico are – but I think I would prefer a little more seclusion.

Connecting flight to Toronto worked out well – next time I WILL BOOK early though, to fly straight out through Winnipeg (or at least better times). We made a good time of it though, we fluffed pillows out of our jackets and found a good bench to crash on for a couple hours in the wee hours of the morning, Wednesday.

But yah, overall, we had a fun time. I’m less stressed these days so that’s great and we have some fun stories to tell. Drew has all the pics (the few we took-so bad at taking pictures), so once I get them, I’ll have to fire some off to you!
February 2009
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Grand Palladium Colonial in Cancun, Mexico

Hi Melissa!! The trip was excellent. Grand Palladuim Colonial/Mayan Riveria is excellent!! Great pools!! Lots to choose from for eating!! Thanks for all your help in booking us!!
January 2009
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Cozumel

Iberostar Cozumel, Cozumel

Came back from the Iberostar Cozumel and loved it. Food was good, they have 3 al a cartes. You can visit each of these once during the week. Very clean and staff friendly. No real oceanview rooms as all are low rise buildings, each with 8 units in them and they are placed throughout the gardens areas. So nothing over two stories so no elevators. Loads of privacy if you want.

The dive shop on site was amazing, did like 23 dives or something. It was only $25 per dive approximately in comparison paid $100 per dive in Tahiti.

Beach wasn’t the greatest, lots of coral so not so good for swimming.

It’s about 20 minutes from town. A cab cost about $20 each way and rented a car for $100/day including insurance.

Overall would go back, especially since we’re avid divers.
March 2010

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HUATULCO

Dreams Huatulco

We had a great vacation- first time I could have stayed longer than 2weeks. The rooms were very very nice. Food and drinks were good. Very clean everywhere. Landscaping is lacking which was surprising for a resort that has been there for such a long time- but looks like they r starting to do some plantings. I don't think it should be rated a 5 star(more a 4) when compared to other Mexican Resorts) Service in buffet / poolside was excellent and waiters so friendly .A la cartes not so great. weather was awesome. Would be a place I would go back to. we enjoyed the resort and the surrounding towns.
March 2010
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Dreams Huatulco

We really enjoyed the staff, ambience, and safety features at Dreams Huatulco. My father died on Feb. 25 and I had just ended a 16 year marriage so I was looking forward to relaxing times in our oceanview suite. Unfortunately, we understood that we had requested a junior suite with an oceanfront balcony with a private jacuzzi. To our surprise, Javier informed us that Signature does not offer the junior suite, which was not what we understood from Journeys or the Sig brochure, so we paid for the preferred service thinking we would get the suite. Please ensure that future agents are aware that Signature only offers rooms and that 95 percent of the rooms are oceanfront small balconies. We paid for the preferred service thinking that meant we got the suite.

Other than the mixup with the booking, we had an A plus trip.
March 2010
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Barcelo Huatulco

We had a very good time in Huatulco. It is a very scenic place, very clean, and people are very polite. The hotel was also very good. We didn't get the king size beds, but they seem to have a premium deal for anoher $30 per person per night to upgrade to a room with king bed, ocean view and premium liqour..but our room was just fine, and we had an ocean view. If there was one thing that i didn't like, it was the texture of the sand. I like the white very fine sand, but for that being the worse, we could live with it. We did a little touring, in town afew times, and jet skiing. We also went out for supper a few times, for pizza one night at la creme, very good....also for steak one night and ribs another. Both were also very good.
February 2010
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Crown Pacific, Huatulco

We love [d] Huatulco .. comments re the area

Very hot all the time 30-32 during the day and 20-24 @ night - not a place to go if you do not like lots of heat or high humidity

Very clean and easy to get around

- double lane roadway to the bays of Huatulco and La Crucecita and Santa Cruz
- taxi from hotel to La Crucecita and Santa Cruz was only 30 pesos

Lots to do...

-walking - can walk to La Crucecita [10,000] people - 1.25 hrs one way Santa Cruz [3.000 people] 1.25 hrs one way, along golf course ** must be done early in the AM

-fishing - can go on tour on book with local fishing coop. We took fishing coop X 2 last time and it was great - we caught several fish and also got to see many isolated beaches

-sea kayak, seadoo, small sail boat - anywhere on Tongulunda Bay [where the 6 big hotels are [las brisas, dreams, camino real, quinta real, crown pacific and barcelo] Some of the hotels have the kayaks and sail boats as an option

-golfing [right next to hotels in tongulunda bay]

-ecotour - turtles - we had an elderly couple go who liked it

-water falls - we had a young couple tell us it was very nice

-rafting - this is in the preserve near Copalita

-7 bay tour - can go with tour or local coop - great first time you go - there are virgin beaches here

-la Crucecita - great market, small shops, restaurants all located around the central plaza

-Santa Cruz - deep sea port where the cruise ships come in - nice little beach overlooking the pier, small local vendors, marina is here where many of the tours leave from

-santa maria de Huatulco - town a little way from santa cruz but very pretty and authentic

-Puerto Escondito - 2 hrs away by car or taxi - we took a day trip here, we rented a car and stayed over night

-snorkeling - some hotels have gear for rent- best to bring your own. Can snorkel in Tongulunda bay near Dreams near the rocks - do not go near the rocks as there are sea urchins, Entegra Beach, [at these two places the water is very clear and the fish will swim around you]. best place to snorkel is San Augustin beach - you must take boat or taxi in [if you take taxi make sure you negotiate a clear return time for your taxi and do not pay him till her returns]

-mud baths 80 pesos @ la Bocana - nice little bar there called Villa Escondida

-observing iguanas - look for them @ your hotel - in our hotel there were 2 resident ones - one behind level 8 and one near level 5

-eating out - good restaurants [ las abrilijes- b/c crown pacifc and dreams - ribs very good], Rigoletti [italian - VG - best with reservations] La crema [VG pizza and the chicken] La palata [ oposite the plaza in a crucecita - fabulous canadian style breakfast]

-horse back riding - nice along the beach

-renting scooter and cruising round to the light house and some of the small beach areas - la entegra, la bocana

beaches

- all beaches are relatively public

- some very isolated beaches only available by boat

- several available by taxi & short walk - La Bocana, Copalita, Conejos[where new Gala hotel "secrets" will be, La Entegra, Santa Cruz, Arrecito[we did not go here]

- some have significant undertows - beware - I go hit by a large wave and lost my sunglasses

- cannot walk in the sand in the afternoon as sand is HOT - risk burning your feet - bring water shoes/sandals on beach

- at the smaller beaches - generally there is some type of vendor - you can usually get a chair as long as you order something

- vendors - since you are at the public beaches

vendors and things to buy that you generally don't find elsewhere - in santa cruz near the pier - expensive but absolutely beautiful jewelry shop

- much easier to negotiate in La Crucecita
- stay away from santa Cruz on Cruise ship days - no barter power those days
- special to the region : black pottery, abrelijes [small brightly painted wooden animals], gourd purses
- one shop on the R side of the plaza facing the church has very unique and different T shirts

Our Hotel - Crown Pacific

multilevel hotel built into the hill/mountain - best view was from level 10. Must use cart to access upper levels - cart wind up and down - or you can walk [only for those in reasonable shape and with appropriate foot wear]— we walked it to burn calories and would not have seen the iguanas

- not a hotel if you have even the smallest amt of trouble doing stairs, walking or climbing [choose another hotel if you have difficulty]
- rooms were basic white , large king size bed and hide a bed and large round tub that had door so you could see view
- bar fridge which they stock standard 2 water, 2 pop, 2 beer - we had a tremor while we were there...
- you can get bottled water b/w 11:00 and 24:00 at any of the bars

beach/beach club - hotel is not on the beach but you could walk or take the cart to the beach club - the beach club included
the main buffet restaurant

-pool
-beach area - if you want a chair overlooking the water you will want to take you towel down early - at or before breakfast and stake your spot - hammocks her too
-kids club - small - but you can see the kids at all times
-bar
-activity center - activities included pool volleyball, basket ball, polo, pool aerobics, [these all daily] Spanish, -beach games, danse lessons, bingo, - we actually did several of these b/c you could move relatively easy from beach<->pool<->restaurant
-small little store - chips, gum, lotion

restaurants -

-main buffet is at the beach club - limited choice b/c hotel has only 135 rooms and usually not full during the week
-one a la carte - open Tues. and Thurs. only - some said it was ok - need to book
-snack bar - level 7 - near 7 th level pool - hamburgers, etc and sushi night Thurs.

pools

-1 at beach club [closes at 6 PM]
-1 on level 7 - open till 10:00 as well as bar - three levels here depending on how quite you want it - beautiful -view form here at night
-fountain and sitting area - level 2 - no one ever here

bars

-lobby bar - open 11:00-24:00 and later on Thurs. -fri-sat as there is disco
-7 th floor
-beach club

Transportation

-car rental/parking on same property
-taxi in front -
-cart on the property - to and from your room and beach club
-elevator - ? where the went funicular/inclinator - cool ... level 2-7 most buildings are walk up

Other

- ATM very close
- can exchange money at front desk
- towels/towel cards front desk
- internet access from lobby
- more than basic gym with free weight and some machines - but very hot as there was not air conditioning in the gym, nice tennis courts
- half of guests - Canadians from Manitoba, Sask, Alberta, Toronto area, BC - only one American couple - mostly couples mid 50s
- half of guests - mostly weekends - young Mexican families or conference groups
- shows 5x/wk on the stage at the beach club @ 8:30 - mostly dance and some comedy
- one casino night and kareoke night at the lobby bar - kareoke night was fun

would we return to the crown pacific - YES

would we return to Huatulco - YES

do I encourage others to go - YES

why we choose Crown pacific versus others

-price - others were > 25 % more for 2 weeks
-this hotel was still on the beach - tongulunda bay
-loved huatulco

difference b/w crown pacific and gala [ is now dreams - in here referred as the other hotel]

-price
-walking distance - other hotel closer to the beach
-rooms - other hotel fancier - ? who cares as we are hardly in our room ? does flat screen TV really make a different
-food @ buffet - better at other hotel but then you are feeding 450 verus 135 - I actually prefer to leave the resort and try other stuff
-a la carte - more options at other hotel - I actually prefer to leave the resort and try other stuff
-activities - more included at beach club for water sports at other hotel
-prettier for a wedding at other hotel

not really enough of anything to justify paying $1000 more for us

Gala [dreams] or barcelo I think would be a better choice

-if you have a large group for a wedding or
-you were older and/or had some diff. walking or climbing into the cart or climbing stairs [our building was a three story walk up - NO elevator]

I understand that for las Brisas too it is a lot of cart riding or climing up-down...
February 2010

Dreams Huatulco

We had a great holiday and really enjoyed the resort. We had been to it when it was the Gala and liked the changes that they had made. The flights were great and I think some non charter carriers could learn a few lessons from Skyservice!

Our only "disappointment" was choosing to do the preferred club and I'm not sure that for the extra cost it was worth it. The "preffered area" on the beach and the "exclusive" lounge were frequented by all guests and the amenities in the room were no different from other "normal" rooms. We actually in 2 weeks never got our toiletries replenished, although we called twice. Our room was never serviced until late in the afternoon (4pm and later) and we only got turn down service once! I wouldn't recommend this option!

All in all though it was a great holiday and you aren't there to spend time in your room. The Kid's Club was fantastic and our 9yr old was well occupied and the room service option is great.
January 2010
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Las Brisas Huatulco, Mexico

Regrettably, not all went well....we arrived at the airport at 5am checked in and at 8am were told that the plane was being tested for mechanical problems and were told to return around 11am......we were also told that the plane would not leave until 1pm........ at 1pm we were told that they had a "problem with the crew" and would be loading when it was solved.......we left Winnipeg at 2pm losing a day at the other end. Saturday, not Friday, was used to get oriented to resort so right off the bat we felt we had been cheated of a full day of our holiday..........the rest of the week was: good weather, decent food, spartan room, poor quality "adventure tour",nice staff, good snorkeling off the beach, good beaches, good restaurants in the resort and the nearby towns.........all-in-all a good - not great- holiday because of its start.

Finally, I watched as a couple ahead of us at the airport were told that their luggage was 4k;s over and were charged $20per K to $80 US.....they didn't have the money and while they were trying to scrape up money, the signature rep came forward.....took what they had....100pesos......winked at the counter girl to which she responded with a head nod.......then he palmed the money off to her receiving a smile in return..........this transaction caused me to look closely at our weights which in Winnipeg were a combined total of 30.8k's and in Mexico without any additions of any kind were 40.4k's......that situation disgusted me and left a bad taste in my mouth at the end of our trip. As far as Los Brises resort was concerned......I would recommend it to anyone.......I will be sending our complaints to Skyservice.
March 2009
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Dreams Huatulco, Mexico

We had a wonderful stay in Huatulco! Weather was superb as usual and the resort is very nice! The Dreams is still under development, but at no time do you feel like you are in a construction site. The construction is off to the side in back of the building and you don't even notice.

They are still very short staffed in all locations of the restaurants, and the maid service is also short staffed. Some days the rooms were not cleaned until after 6 p.m.!!!! This was troublesome as you are coming in from the beach and wanting to shower and get ready for dinner and the maid arrives to clean your room. A few times we went down to the bar until she was finished, we traveled with 3 other couples and we all had the same experience with our rooms. The food is good, always fresh and the staff works hard to please the patron's. They are in the process of hiring more serving staff, waiters and waitresses as there can be a bit of a wait for service.

The rooms are very modern and clean! The hotel is very busy, they could use more palapa's and are in the process of building pergola's for shade by the infinity pools. The assistant food and beverage manager Luis told us that if we come back next year we will see a big change in the hotel as they are aware that they need more staff and are in the process of hiring more people, the problem is that Huatulco is not a big place and the hiring pool for experienced servers is small. So now everyone they hire is inexperienced and has to learn from the beginning and this is taking a while to do.

Over all, we had a Wonderful time at the Dreams Hotel, we stayed at the Barcelo last year, and also had a great time, but the food is slightly better at the Dreams, more of a variety at the buffets, no wrist bands, the a la cartes are nice for a change from the buffet. The beach is great, our vacation was wonderful!!!!

Skyservice was excellent, we always have great customer service with them as well.

Let us know when you start booking for next year!!!! I think Peter and I would like to look into going for 2 weeks this time. This week went way to fast!!!! LOL
February 2009

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Barcelo, Huatulco, Mexico

We had a great time!! The weather was perfect. The hotel is probably more like a 3.5 star just because its 20 years old and there have been no updates so tiles are pretty chipped in the bathrooms etc however it was very clean and the staff was really nice. Food was what you expect from an All Inclusive....I have had more selection at other places but again they were what I would consider real 4.5 stars. I'm not fussy about food as long as I don't have to cook it. :) We loved the mountains and "islands" in the ocean, beautiful location. We couldn't go for long walks on the beach cause the beach isn't that long but found we could walk on the sidewalks outside the resort and felt very safe. We were surprised at how nice the roads/sidewalks were and how clean it was.

We went to La Crucesita a couple of evenings...loved it there. Very local feeling without feeling sketchy...found a really nice restaurant on the second floor that we could look out on the square at and people watch. (Actually ate grasshoppers!! They were on top of our quesadillas...we just didn't realize it right away until we started noticing their legs...yuck!!!) ... an experience we won't forget :). Loved that our hotel had catamarans, kayaks, boogie boards and snorkelling stuff...used it all. The hotel next door didn't have any of it. We also went on a boat excursion going through about 5 bays, snorkelling with Tony Lopez...he was great and we are glad we went.

The hotel lobby bar had live entertainment every evening...a singer, guitarist and sometimes a guy on keyboard joined them...everyone thought they were great! What else can I tell you....oh yeah in the afternoons on the beach one of the staff came around with a tray of different drinks (from pop to cervasa to rum punch) every hour or so. We ate in the mexican and spanish a la carte restaurants and really enjoyed both. The Mexican fiesta night had good food and we really enjoyed the food at the Signature night...except for the steak :)...not quite a Keg steak but the rest was excellent.

Thanks for getting us all booked for the trip...we really did relax and enjoy ourselves!
January 2009
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Ixtapa

Fontan Hotel, Ixtapa, Mexico

First off, let's start with the situation with the hotel itself. Let me start by saying that I do understand that this hotel is considered a 3 stars hotel so I was not expecting 5 stars room/food but nobody had explained to me or knew that this hotel was in a renovation phase, with less than 50% of the rooms having been redone. So when I booked my package, I was asked what kind of room I wanted and Melanie booked a room with a queen bed or bigger with an ocean view. When I arrived at the hotel,I was first told that my agent had made no such reservations. I made it clear that I was standing next to my agent when she made the requests so it was the hotel mistake. I'm then told the hotel is quite busy and I may be able to get a "better" room tomorrow. So I go to a 2nd storey room with a rear view. We're Saturday and I realized the hotel is full of vacationing Mexicans, mostly families, all with several young kids, meaning the use of the pools at the hotel is rather difficult and the noise level from Friday to Sunday will be an issue. Ixtapa being a 50 minutes flight from Mexico City and with the downturn economic situation, tourism is down in Ixtapa and it appears this hotel has decided to promote themselves to Mexican families and the hotel is overrun by them over the week-ends. The day after my arrival, I went back to the front desk as requested and was "upgraded" to a 3rd floor room with "ocean view" and a queen bed. I was told that's the best they could do for a "modern" room as their top floors had not yet been renovated. I found out later that this wasn't true after talking to other Canadian tourists and visiting some of the other rooms on the top floors. My ocean view was partial at best being obstructed by palm trees and the building holding the main diningroom.The bed was quite interesting. Although bigger than the original room, it was a low grade mattress, thin and very firm and certainly not comfortable. As well,it was not quite a queen as per North American standards. The mattress was wide as a queen but short in length. I'm just under 6' tall and my toes were out of the bed if I slept straight so in order to be all in the bed, I had to sleep sideways. Even the sheets didn't fit the bed and were not long enough to reach the length of the mattress.

Now, this isn't my first trip to Mexico. I worked in Ixtapa and other regions in Mexico before for almost 3 years and been there countless times. I have been in several hotels all over the country and have to say that the Fontan Hotel could be a decent 3 stars if they cared about their North American clientele but it appears that right now they are keeping their best rooms for Mexicans unless you are willing to either pay for an "upgrade" or wait after the week-ends and move from room to room. I spoke with Canadians that have been going there for several years and said the same. The noise level is an issue and several people there said they would not go back to this hotel because of this issue. The hotel staff has a whole was rather friendly, helpful as they could but I have the feeling the front desk has been told what to do in cases like mine and there is just so much they can do. Speaking Spanish, I had conversations with some of the staff and it was made clear to me that my concerns/complaints were very common. I would have to say the hotel was very clean.

Another issue regarding this hotel is the check-out time. Although our bus pick-up is for 14:30, we are asked to vacate our rooms at 13:00 and there is no flexibility on this schedule. As the check-out is a 5 minutes thing since we're on an all-inclusive deal and usually there is no other fees, it would make sense we could have a late check-out. I don't think the hotel would have a hard time with letting their guest check-out 1 hour later. When I asked for such,I was told I would need to pay extra. Needless to say, I was not impressed.

Now,let's get into the biggest complain I have about this hotel and it would have to be the food. Let me say that I'm far from a picky eater and that I spoke with several clients from this hotel, many repeat customers. Nobody was happy about the food and for those that had been there before, they all stated the quality of the food was greatly diminished compared to their prior visits and the common remark I heard was that people may come back to this hotel if it was a great deal but they would not book it as an all-inclusive as the food was too much an issue. Again,having worked in Mexico for almost 3 years in that industry, I'm very familiar with the issues the food industry is facing there. As well,this hotel isn't advertised as a 5 stars. But the food they were putting on their buffet spread was more like a low 3 stars in Cuba and I'm generous. It was that bad that I ended up eating more than half my meals outside the hotel, going to restaurants in Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo as I was not going to have this poor quality, tasteless, unimaginative and often plain bad food ruin my trip. And let me tell you that I was far from the only one doing the same. The food served my mostly all the same for each meals so your breakfasts would be the same each day and so were the lunch and dinners.At each meals,in the middle of the buffet line, they would be a cook making something fresh but I don't think hot-dogs and spaghetti like what was done one lunch and dinner is what I was expecting being on holidays in Mexico. Aside from a lack of diversity and a rather limited amount of choices, the hot food was in chaffing dishes kept warm by sterno cans and it appears the food had been sitting there for a while and/or made a while before as most of the hot food was overcooked,dry, tasteless and at times cold as the sternos cans had ran out and were extinguished and the food had gotten cold. One common complaint was that people were expecting to see some seafood on these buffets and the only item close to that was fish fillets that were all disappointing except for one meal. The only items that were good most of the time on the buffet line was the fruits. One thing that I found was clearly indicative of some serious issues with the kitchen in this hotel was the fact that even the Mexican dishes were bad and there was such a lack of choices of even basic Mexican dishes it made you wonder why. For example,even guacamole wasn't available at any of the meals. And one breakfast, I tried some huevos rancheros, a fairly typical easy to make egg Mexican breakfast item. Let me tell you that no Canadians aside me where going to try that dish based on it's looks. It sure wasn't appealing and looked like nothing close to the real thing. I talked to one of the cook regarding this dish and he looked embarrassed about it when I told him that I could get a more authentic and better tasting/looking dish at home. Part of the package was a coupon for one "a la carte" meal served at their restaurant and "surprisingly", the food there was excellent showing if you were willing to pay extra, they could cook you a decent meal...

Now,part of my frustration and disappointment comes from comparing this hotel to 4 other hotels on the same strip and to the other hotel I had been suggested as well originally. Now,the Fontan is being marketed as a 3 stars affordable hotel compared to the rest of the hotels on the strip, aside the Holiday Inn who is in the same price range but the reality is several of the hotels on the strip are actually very close in price depending who you are booking with. I realize that the noise issue regarding Mexican families is a difficult one to resolve and several hotels have this problem although some have a no kid policy but the food is entirely a Fontan issue. Most of the hotels I visited were charging anywhere from just under $100 more than I paid to almost $200 more than I paid. And let me tell you that for 5-10% more, all the hotels I visited were serving good to great food with all of them having a nice diversity and consistency in the quality of the food they were serving. I actually had one dinner and one lunch at 2 different hotels and both were excellent. I spoke to several of the people that were on my plane and nobody had any complaints regarding food from the other hotels. Some had issues with the noise in their hotel like I had with mine. Seeing I could have had so much better for so little more, it is disappointing to see Air Canada Vacations would not be concerned about this issue as it is a known issue to the local reps. Had I known how bad the food was at this hotel, I would have never booked an all-inclusive package there. I was told it was a good value and the price sounded right for a good value. It just was nowhere close to a good value.

As well, we were told that there would be some organized activities at the hotel each night. Well,what a joke that was. The first night, they advertised a Vegas show. Some old guy was playing piano in the diningroom for a few minutes and the "show" was over. That was a good representation of the entertainment offered by this hotel. Actually,the best entertainment was offered by some Mexican guests who had booked some Mariachis, a DJ,some fireworks,etc. for their daughter "sweet 15" which is a big thing in Mexico. Since the dinner and the festivities were right on the beach next to the hotel we could see/hear it all and it was the best I saw from my week there.

Before booking my trip, I had gone online and checked with Trip Advisor and most of my issues were the main complaints about my hotel. I guess I should have trusted my research and booked elsewhere. But I believe an outfit like Air Canada Vacations would not book packages in an hotel with such issues and that the issues mentioned had likely been resolved since the negative posts had been added to the site and other online travel sites. Unfortunately,it wasn't the case. Melanie,I think you did your best in selling me a package based on the information you had at hand but I would strongly recommend you avoid offering this product to other clients in the future,at least until this hotel is able to offer a better product and appreciate their North-American clientele instead of treating us like 2nd class clients. As well,I hope you can pass my concerns to Air Canada Vacations. I don't understand how they can sell such a package at such a price point when comparing to their competition.

As an aside, there is a troubling situation going on in Mexico and many tourists aren't aware of what is truly going on and the locals try not to talk about it with the tourists as they are rightly afraid it will scare tourists away. Mexico is in the middle of a drug war between government/police forces and the drug cartels. It has so far caused more deaths than the amount of casualties in Iraq and although it used to be an issue primarily in border towns, we were reminded during my stay in Ixtapa it was no longer the case. Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo is having some major drug issues as it is the last stopover for drug dealers flying their merchandise and several small airfields and small airstrips in the area are used to smuggle drugs into the USA. As well,being a port area,several ships bringing drugs to the area add to the traffic. During my stay,there was a gun exchange between the federal/local police and some drug dealers in a small town about 20 kms from Ixtapa that left 4 police officers dead, the day after, a detachment of federal police and anti-drug unit descended on Zihuatanejo and in the middle of the afternoon,they were on the rooftops one block away from the main strip, i.e. the Central/Municipal beach, looking for some dealers and were all over the place around the tourist area that night. The day after, 2 grenades were thrown over the entrance gate of the naval base but didn't explode although locals said they were just a warning to the army/navy there to back off. Even if no tourists as so far been in trouble because of this situation, it is worrisome and it warrants a warning to potential tourists so that they at least know what to expect. With my experience from living/working in Mexico, I wasn't originally worried about seeing so many members of the federal police in Ixtapa and in Zihua until I heard of the latest developments and saw how the base in Ixtapa had all their entrances reinforced and you can see how nervous and concerned these officers look. I sure hope the Mexican government manage to regain control of their country as it is starting to look very much like what Columbia went through in the 80's and early 90's.
March 2009
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LOS CABOS

RIU Palace Cabo, Los Cabos, Mexico

The Riu Palace was very nice. The resort was great, food was good, entertainment was ok but the staff were very friendly. The beach itself was very gravelly. Rooms were nice and very clean, never a lack of food. But the place itself was very empty. We walked over to the Riu Sante Fe which was very packed with young adults or young families so I was very happy we did not stay there.

I would recommend the Palace. They did not have the comment that we were there on our honeymoon which was a little disappointing.
December 2009
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Riu Santa Fe in Los Cabos, Mexico

This vacation was very good. The resort appears to be a popular choice with Spring Breakers (in our case Texas and Colorado) so you may want to keep that in mind when recommending it to clients. For the first part of the week the place was fully booked. This did not bother us however it did limit the opportunity for a room change (although we requested ocean view it was not guaranteed so we didn’t get it). Other than that, the other impact of Spring Break - the pool bars were very crowded (3-4 deep at all times) and you had to wait a while to get served but it made for a very lively atmosphere. If you’re into people watching there was plenty of opportunity!!

Towards the end of the week they all disappeared and it was much more subdued.

The location of the resort itself is very good. It’s close to the town of Los Cabos and the beautiful marina. Because of this there are lots of opportunities to do things outside the resort such as parasailing, boat tours, wave runners, horseback riding, checking out the nightlife (which is very good from what I was told) or eating at fabulous seafood restaurants – if you want to. You can walk to town along the beach (about 1 hour, 1 way), or take a cab for about $10 US. We took the local bus one day to do some shopping in town, it only cost 7 pesos and you can catch it right at the hotel. Or, if you don’t want to, you don’t have to leave the resort. Everything you need is there. They even bring in a market for shopping once a week. The prices are comparable to what you would find in the flea markets in town.

As far as the food goes I’d only recommend 2 of their a la carte restaurants. The Steak house and the Italian were very good. I’d pass on the others. The Buffet was good too. Lots of choices and the seafood was always very good. The pools are beautiful – just like the pictures in the brochure.

Sunquest used Westjet and the flight was direct which is all on the positive side. The weather was very good however it was far cooler at night than I expected. The breeze would always pick up and you definitely needed something with long sleeves. My husband and I both wore sweatshirts at night. Good thing we packed something a bit warmer.

Lots of Canadians come to this resort and Sunquest seemed to be the tour operator of choice among them. I’d definitely go back but I’d do 2 things differently:

1. I’d ensure an ocean view room – pay an upgrade if necessary, and

2. I’d stay for 2 weeks instead of 1

April 2009
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Riu Santa Fe, Los Cobos, Mexico

Los Cobos was great and our stay at Riu Santa Fe was very enjoyable. The check in process was extremely organized - did an excellent job. They had everything arranged ahead of time. The check in was fantastic and smooth- couldn’t have taken more than 2 minutes and we were given our rooms immediately, considering we arrived around 9:30 a.m. we thought that was pretty fantastic.

We were greeted with a mimosa cocktail and a fresh flower . The main restaurant was serving breakfast and after a four hour flight (which served a mystery object which might have been a breakfast burrito and a granola bar) it was most welcome. The hotel and grounds are very beautiful, well kept, and VERY CLEAN! The staff is great – very friendly and helpful. Front desk people were very helpful and all spoke English very well. We were able to make reservations at all the 4 A La Carte Restaurants . I have to compliment the restaurants – it’s been my experience in the past that all inclusive restaurants were kind of yucky – all the food at the Riu Santa Fe was very tasty and recognizable!!! We had no mystery meat at all. There were plenty of choices at every meal, and the presentation of the food. You really had to see the “fruit carvings” - I tell you they had to have a real “artist” just fantastic.

We arranged many activities with our rep in the hotel and they all worked out very nicely – we found lots to do. You can be as busy as you like with all types of activities. The hotel had entertainment – shows every evening starting around 9:00 p.m. Not the greatest but the entertainment staff really tried hard to get audience participation and people had fun.
April 2009
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Presidente Intercontinental, San Jose Del Cabo, Los Cabos, Mexico

Just came back from 2 weeks at the Presidente Intercontinental in San Jose Del Cabo. LOVED it and would definitely go back. The service was great although maid service was a bit iffy some days, but the rest excellent. The food was great, easy to book Al la carte restaurants. Grounds were great, beach awesome – was super wide and soft sand. You could actually watch the whales go by right from the beach, (next time bringing binoculars). From the hotel you could easily and safely walk to the old town to dine or shop. The hotel also offered a shuttle for $10 round trip to Cabos San Lucas, but it was too party-like and crowded in that area. Went on a whale watching excursion and thought it was fantastic.

Sunquest was wonderful, the rep was always around and very helpful, from check-in to landing back in Winnipeg it was great. Flew Westjet with Sunquest which of course is nice.
March 2009
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MAZATLAN

Casa Lucila, Mazatlan

Returned home ( unfortunately ) last night, West Jet flight returning was packed, but after doing the advance seat selection, was well worth it.

Casa Lucila, is a must, the quoted price of 1750.00 USD for the Lupita room does not include taxes, just as an fyi, my best guesstimate is around 2250.USD for 7 nights after a rough conversion, your bill is completed in Pesos of course. Looks like there is a national hotel tax and a 3% impotos habitation tax, whatever that is, anyway to be expected in one form or another.

The three rooms on the second floor all have a shared balcony, separated by small plants, but still seemingly private and great views.

The last few days should be marked on the calendar as it was national motorcycle week, parades and hundreds of motor bikes, pretty loud at times, but more of an entertainment event if you love motorcycles that is the week to go, the only other noisy week apparently is in February when they have their carnival, which is the second or third largest carnival next to Rio and New Orleans for those carnival fans.

Well what a gem of a hotel, well worth twice the price, the owner Conchita and the staff are awesome and eager to please, this hotel has a total of 7 or 8 rooms, the Lupita room is on the top floor, you just walk out of your room and you are on the infinity pool level with an awesome view of downtown Mazatlan ( The old Historic District )
They do offer massage and pedicure, manicures etc, you just need to order ahead of time.

The infinity pool area features two rooms, the Lupita and another room, there are usually 5 reclining lounges well padded and beach towels are supplied.

Room service is available.

Anyone looking for a very quiet hotel with a view and great staff should stay here, it is close to restaurants, banks i.e. ATM's, about a 10-15 minute casual stroll to downtown to shops, the old cathedral and square for sightseeing.

you can jump on any bus from this area for about 9-10 pesos for the 7 minute ride downtown, or just casually stroll down by walking, lots of little shops and restaurants, and lots of music in the square near the Angela Peralta Theatre.

We had a majority of meals at the hotel, excellent chef's and creative dishes, plus great service.

The hotel is very quiet, the construction and the design are excellent, once you close the windows, you hear very little sound due to their construction and insulation.

Our Room the Lupita, came with a huge walk in shower, closets for hanging clothes, iron, slippers and robes for use while staying at the hotel.
The closet area had drawers and all rooms have a safe provided also.

Also TV, Bose radio with Cd player, mini refrigerator with coffee machine etc etc.

The views from this hotel are just awesome. Would definitely go back and stay at this hotel, once again the staff and owner are really outgoing and will please even the most discriminating client.

A taxi from the airport in Maz to the hotel will cost about 310 pesos, just exit the airport and the taxi booth is right outside the exit doors, about a 20 plus minute ride from the airport to this hotel.

Now if people want to party, recommend they stay in what is called the 'golden zone' lots of clubs, bars,hotels,restaurants, but really busy and lot's of noise and people traffic as it is a major shopping zone for cruise ships also.Also this is where the time share people congregate.

Shrimp seems to be the specialty here, an average dinner with a couple of glasses of wine, maybe more-LOL will come to about 6 or 700 pesos max in the historic downtown district, if you like old architecture this is the area to stay in.
April 2010
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Las Flores Beach Resort, Mazatlan, Mexico

Back from Los Flores in Mazatlan. We had wonderful weather and overall our holiday was good. The hotel room/kitchenette was ok with a rating of 2. The hotel is situated in the best area of the golden zone. Perfect for everything that we wanted to do. Close to the Malecon so we did lots of walking. We had ocean view suite and it was terrific. The beach and the pool areas were all good. That part could be rated as a 4. Now the kitchen had fridge toaster coffeemaker and 2 burner stove. Quite adequate for making quick meals. On the down side of this is it really needs upgrading. It is in need of decorating and grouting for the ceramic tiles. It does not look good. The airconditioning was not working for 2 weeks. Also a sewer odor was very unpleasant especially in the elevator. The beds are hard as it is just a mattress on a cement slab. That could be upgraded too.

The staff is very good and would get a 5.

The time share salespeople were very aggressive on the street and we could never go out without being accosted 4 or 5 times within a 10 minute walk. We have heard this complaint from many people we have talked to down there. Even in restaurants the waiters could be a salesman, and they would try to give you a speil. If the tourist industry is concerned about this behaviour I wish it could be known to the City that we do not appreciate this kind of approach.

Despite all this we found it to be a pleasant place to go to and the resort people were freindly.
March 2009
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Sandos Caracol, Mayan Riviera, Mexico

Well first off I must say I was impressed with the Sandos Caracol, Signature Vacations and SkyService!

I observed many things, positive and negative people right off the bat, but from what I saw and heard everyone worked hard to accommodate customers.

The flight was good, Star Class is the way for me, yes its costly but I am a person with very little patience I hate all the long lines and waits-that is who I am so knowing that, paying the extra cost will minimize that issue for me, totally worth it. We were first on/off as well as our luggage, it was great everything ran smoothly.

The hotel I really enjoyed, it is fairly large but easy to get around.

The grounds were beautiful, the staff so friendly they had Terry speaking spanish every morning to them it was great. They do offer a free shuttle into PDC town but unfortunately it only holds 42 people, travels only 4 times a day and is always full so clients would take a taxi for 100 pesos each way and that was fine. A la Carte reservations need to be made early, the line up starts at 730am and certain restaurants only hold a certain amount so that became an issue for some, we lucked out every time.

Mexico food is Mexico food-all the same it was good we had 4 buffet restaurants to chose from plus enjoyed 3 a la cartes that where all good.

Entertainment unfortunately I can not comment on too much we were up usually by 5 or 6 and could barely keep our eyes open past 9 but we did see 2 great shows but once under the influence of TOO MUCH tequilla boom boom it was horrible.

The beach to me was nice sure beat looking at snow, it is unfortunate what Mother Nature has done but nothing could change that and it was still beautiful, I did not find the sand rough or anything, I even swam in the ocean which I NEVER do.

We had an issue once where he left his WALLET in the damn cab wow what a feeling that was-needless to say the staff at the hotel miraculously found the wallet but we had to pay the cab driver 200 pescos no biggie considering the consequences but what a helpful staff.

Overall I would recommend it for sure, I truly believe that you must have a positive attitude when traveling you need to know what to expect and hope for the best.
March 2009
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Oceano Palace/Luna Palace, Mazatlan, Mexico

We had problems with Oceano palace, a break-in next door and money missing from our room. The recreation workers played a cd with xxx rated lyrics, I advised them that it was highly inappropriate but they did not stop playing until Jose spoke to them. The food and liquor were substandard, but the real floor show was drunken women screaming obsenities at each other for about half an hour at midnight outside our room.

I talked to Jose Luis and he upgraded us to Luna palace at no extra charge for our second week.

The service at Oceano was good but breakfast was the only meal we ate there, going out for most dinners as the food was not very good. The Staff at Luna palace were courteous and professional dealing with the water that leaked into our room but it was very musty and the ac did not work (mold). Jose our signature rep. was sympathetic but after all it is Mexico.

The skyservice star class upgrade was a bonus with lots of leg room and bar service there and coming home.

We would have to think seriously about using signature again, this is no way a reflection of you, considering the price point of the trip. Next time we would not go with an all-inclusive but opt for Holiday inn or Luna Palace.
February 2009
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El Cid Granada, Mazatlan, Mexico

Thanks for the follow up. We had a wonderful 3 weeks in Mazatlan. No rain and not too hot.

The El Cid resort was excellent. There were many interesting parts to the 4 hotels that make up the mega resort. We tried to see as much as we could at the hotels, a city tour, and 2 country tours. In my opinion the city is getting too large and there is too much poverty and begging everywhere. Our next resort trip will probably be somewhere smaller.

I realize you want to know if everything went as planned/expected. Well, not everything did. Here is my list of problems and dislikes about the El Cid Granada:

1. They did not give us a king size bed like we requested. Moving the 2 double beds together was okay but the crack was a bit uncomfortable as you can imagine. They said we could upgrade our room to the Castilla hotel if we paid another $15 each night. We liked the room itself. It was quite large with a big counter, a kitchen, a fridge, and a patio area beside a cool well treed garden. Being on the main floor I could go out for my morning run quite easily.

2. Not all the restaurants and bars were available for our all inclusive package like you and Signature said they would be before we left on our trip. Our expectations were therefore not met right from the start. They told us what restaurants and bars we could eat at with their daily newsletter. I cannot complain too much because we did have 3 very nice a la carte restaurants and 1 buffet restaurant to eat at each evening. For breakfast we either went to the a la carte restaurant beside our room or the big buffet restaurant in the Castilla hotel. For lunch we always ate at the beach buffet. We went to the El Cid Marina hotel twice but we could not eat or drink there without paying extra (not part of our all inclusive).

3. The Granada hotel is older and the air conditioner is too loud at night. At times we had to put the fan on because the room was getting stuffy and that made it noisier.

4. At the beach beside the hotel there are far too many people trying to sell tourists a wide variety of items. I was getting quite annoyed at their persistence and we often had to move 10 minutes down the beach to get a quieter place. Fortunately the pool areas did not have that problem but the pool areas were crowded in the afternoons so we often went back to the Granada hotel which had a quieter pool area.

Actually we were very happy with the Granada hotel. It is a good 3 star hotel with parts of the 4 star Castilla and El Moro hotels available and parts of the 5 star Marina hotel available. If you asked what I liked best about the trip, I would say it was a very relaxing place with good food and beaches.

If we book a trip together in the future, I will ask how we can follow up on issues before we leave so we do not have disappointments when we first arrive.

Thanks for all your help and phone or email if you want to discuss this further.
February 2009
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El Cid Granada, Mazatlan, Mexico

We had a wonderful time the resort could not have been nicer. Clean,very clean food was good[I'm not huge on mexican food] my daughters like it better than I. the El Cid Granada has one a la cart restaurant and 1 pool. We ate most of our Breakfasts there. We really have only good to say about this resort. I would like to take my husband there.
February 2009
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Playa Mazatlan, Mazatlan, Mexico

Thanks for your help in setting up the trip. Mazatlan offered many opportunities that we were looking for. We enjoyed exploring the city, climbing to the lighthouse, visiting nearby Copala and walking miles and miles of beaches. The hotel put on a fantastic New Year's celebration complete with fireworks and a lively band (playing big-band tunes).

My only complaint, and this is a rather serious one, is that it was impossible to know what was in the food I was eating. The cooks and servers seemed to have no knowledge of food allergies, which I have several of, and I was sick the entire time due to contanminents that they said were not there, but obviously were. I met with the restaurant manager on my first day and explained my situation and his suggestions made it evident that he was not educated in food allergies. This was disappointing for me given that the Playa Mazatlan is a high-end hotel. I have not had the same problem in other countries, so I think it may be linked to the fact that Mexico is a developing country with a lower level of general education. I would not purchase an all-inclusive food package again in Mexico and would rather go to the local grocery store where I could read the ingredients of foods I was selecting. This would be my advice to the many other travellers out there with food allergies planning a trip to Mexico. Sad to say, this factor impacted my trip very seriously and overshadowed every thing good and beautiful because I was constantly ill.
January 2009
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MAYAN RIVIERA

Royal Playa del Carmen in Mayan Riviera

Great location and really like the no reservations needed concept for the restaurants and there was decent variety.. Didn’t have much trouble getting beach chairs but think that may be a reflection of the lower occupancy rates. The beach was also well kept and a good location. Easy as well to just stroll into town to 5th avenue as it was 1 minute away from the hotel.

Wouldn’t book the presidential suite again unless we had a group and wanted a place to socialize. We didn’t use half the space such as the dining room and the living area. The balcony although a very good size was one of the few in the entire complex that didn’t have any cover in the event of rain or a whole lot of privacy. the plunge pool was also very cold and given that the balcony lost the sun by about 3 pm each day it really didn’t get much of a chance to heat up. The suite is also on the 3rd floor and overlooks the tequila bar with the Mexican music playing and is also centered above the main lobby where the entertainment is so It can be noisy at night.
March 2010

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El Dorado Seaside, Mayan Riveria

We are so thrilled that we stayed at the Eldorado Seaside Resort.

There will always be minor things (that will not be as expected when travelling). But our vacation was beyond all of our expectations.

It was 2 weeks in absolute paradise.

I actually walked around like a child, skipping and saying "Wow, this is day 3 in Paradise."

That chant never changed.

We have only absolute positive feedback for the facility, the staff, and the huge attention to detail that they pay, which makes everyone feel extraordinary and special.

To say that this facility goes above and beyond, really does not adequately describe the Eldorado Seaside. An example would be that while chatting with the concierge one day, we started talking about the beautiful Mexican hand-blown glassware. We mentioned that had been looking for a particular item. The totally unexpected reply that we received was.

"No Problemo. I will go to Cancun tonight and have them for you tomorrow."

And he did!!!!

So, yes ... we had the best vacation ever . . . and would go back in a heartbeat.

We cannot do justice is describing this facility!! Awesome, amazing, fabulous, wonderful . . . all seem lame in comparison to what we experienced.
March 2010

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Royal Hideaway Playacar

It was better then awesome, I have never seen such a beach. The ocean was crystal clear, the colors amazing and had absolutely no rocks or coral anywhere in sight, you could walk right in the water with any worry. Hands down that side has the best beaches in the Mayan.
March 2010

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Sandos Caracol, Mayan Rivera

It was wonderful from beginning to end! We had an awesome time Zip lining, snorkeling, hiking, laying on the beach & of course eating & enjoying the tropical cocktails that they specialize in! The staff were wonderful & we didn't encounter anyone or anything negative during the entire holiday.
February 2010

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Catalonia Yucatan, Mayan Rivera

The trip was great. A little disappointed with Nolitours though. There was apparently a dinner for all of us from Nolitour but we did not hear about it. I heard it wasn't a great turn out. They weren't very helpful either. The hotel was good. Food was good along with the service.

The beach was great, but you did need water shoes but I had brought mine so no problem. You might want to let people know that when they stay at the Catalonia Yukatan
March 2010

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Catalonia Yucatan, Mayan Rivera

It was a good trip.

The resort was over booked so we ended up in the Mayan side of the resort. (the Sister resort)

Did not mind that at all. Nice shade and breeze on the balcony. No in front of the pools, so it was quieter.

Food was wonderful. Resort was great.

There were 2 negatives. Bit by a spider the 2nd night and the beds were very hard. We have memory foam on our bed, so it was impossible to get used to.

Over all, very nice.
February 2010

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Occidental Grand Xcaret

The trip was great!! We would highly recommend the Occidental Grand Xcaret, food, service was excellent and the Xcaret Park is a MUST SEE.

We came home with pretty good tans and now all we can say is Brrrrrrrrrrrr!
February 2010
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Catalonia Yucatan

It was a very good resort. Our last 4 vacations were in Cuba, and compared to Cuba the food was fantastic. The serice was also excellent. We had 1 bad incident. They have these heavy carved masked as wall decorations over the bed. One fell off and hit my wife in the head as she lay in bed. her head is still sore.

Other than that vacation was great.
February 2010
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Catalonia Yucatan

The trip was great. The hotel was really good. Food was good, rooms were clean, pools were nice and the beach was pretty good ... a little rocky at places but the lagoon and all the fish around the walkway made up for it. I really liked the way the pools were set up. They all had large areas that were about a foot underwater and then dropped off into the deeper area. Perfect for a place to sit and dangle your feet. I also thought they would be great fun for our boys!

One issue we had was sewer back up in our tub on the Tuesday! Seriously gross! Scott went to the front desk to let them know and it seems they were having plumbing troubles throughout the main floor. However, they upgraded us and put us in a suite for the remainder of the week. Was wonderful and certainly made up for any inconvenience (or grossness!). I would definitely consider going back there another time.

That brings me to a question for you. Scott and I were thinking about going there over Christmas with the boys. What are rates like during that time? The boys will be 10 and 5 by Christmas. What would you suggest? I know there are places that let the kids stay for free while only paying airfare. Does the Catalonia Yucatan offer that? If not, where else would you suggest? We're not into staying at a family only resort. Any advice or suggestions you could offer would be great!

Thanks for your help.
February 2010

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Iberostar Tucan Quetzal

What a fantastic vacation! I will totally recommend that people travel to the Mayan....what a beautiful area.

The resort was fantastic and very accommodating. We did not have access to the beach for the first few days but they gave us an option to take a bus to the other Iberostar Resort to spend time on their beach...which was breathtaking! The staff was soo friendly!

Overall experience was 5/5!
February 2010
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Iberostar Tucan Quetzal

Everything was awesome and we are sad that we had to come home! Everyone was happy with everything and had a fantastic time! The weather was perfect the whole time we were there-just rained on the day that we left!

After communicating back and forth with the wonderful wedding co-ordinator at the hotel, she had advised us on the Saturday- the day before leaving-via email, about the construction of the beach. She sent us actual pictures of the beach being closed and the huge Cat trucks beginning the re-building of the beach and explained to us what was happening and what to expect. Word traveled around very quickly to most of my group and after reading many news articles on the net about the re-construction of the beach along Playa, we knew that it was real and that we werent going to have a beach for the first few days. The wedding co-ordinator was so good with providing other options for us that in the end...turned out beautifully.

We arrived at the Wpg airport exactly 3 hours prior to flight time and surprisingly, there was a long long line up-which moved pretty swiftly. We were not able to sit together as a group on the plane going to Cancun- we were in fact all spread thru-out. No big deal though as I think most of us wanted a little shut-eye on the plane.

The Signature signs were very easy to see at the airport in Cancun and as busy as that airport was, we all managed to get on the bus quite quickly. The rep on the bus to the hotel was very funny and informative. Upon arrival to the Hotel, we did receive our welcome cocktail as outlined, as well as welcome gift in rooms. Some of us, including myself, didnt receive bathrobes in the room-not a huge deal as they were quick to bring some in for us a couple days later when we needed them. My husband and I received our fruit basket in the room, but no bottle of wine as indicated- but really we didnt mind as there was plenty of excitement around the hotel to be worried about that.

Our friends all put money together and upgraded us to the presidential suite on our last night. It was a huge beautiful, fully loaded room that overlooked the amazing ocean! Something I wish I would have had on the day of our wedding, as myself and bridesmaids could have gotten ready there together. I had some friends that upgraded to the Junior Ocean View suites and they loved it! for $50 a night more, it would be nice for a romantic get-away! Our Signature room was just great for us, as we like to keep it simple and of course hardly spent time in the room. The hotel and staff was wonderful. Because the beach was under construction, the hotel had a sign posted in the lobby that welcomed you to visit the other Iberostar resort(s), with free shuttle and use of their facilities and of course access to the beach! Our very nice and informative Signature rep at the hotel also mentioned that if anyone was not happy at the Iberostar Tucan (because of beach) then they were willing to move you to the Iberostar Paraiso/Playa...... at no charge. No one in our group left but it was nice to have that option. The Signature rep at the Hotel, Elaine was so accomodating to all of us and very personable too! It was nice to hear about the excursions and all the exclusive perks by booking with Signature-(getting your money back for cancelations) The hotel was amazing and would recommend it to anyone of all ages and lifestyles. Our group was very diverse in age, lifestyles and personalties that I found it very satisfying that Everyone had a good time.

The Tucan was not too big of a hotel nor not too small-just perfect. We visited the other Iberostar grand hotel(s) and got to experience the larger hotels on a much bigger scale, and we all liked that the Tucan was just the right size- as we always saw people in our group and it didnt take long to walk to the beach or pool or lobby etc. The night shows were amazing and the Star Friends entertainment group, just fantastic. The Staff at the hotel seemed very humble and appreciative of the guests and always remembered you, which was nice. The beach did open up on the last day that we were there, so we did get to swim one last time in the gorgeous turqoise water and new, bigger beach! The seven days that we were there, were so action packed, we wish we could have stayed longer. Even though the beach was not accessible at our resort, we still had plenty to do- like go to the other resort, excursions, shopping in Playa Del Carmen! It was awesome! We are back now in Winnipeg, married and planning for the next event. We have another couple who came with us on the trip and ironically both caught the garter/bouquet, and are now wanting to plan their wedding in Mexico, and at the same resort! We can' t wait to go back and enjoy the new beach and of course explore more of the area.
February 2010
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Iberostar Tucan Quetzal

We loved it. We have been there before and really like this particular resort because it has something for everyone. Suitable for families but adult couples can get away from the kids too if they want to (swim up bar and the resort setup is such that you don’t have kids running everywhere). Lots of stuff for kids too (play area, great pool area, food selection is excellent, jungle and all the animals are cool for animal lovers).

Disappointing the govt closed the beach but there isn’t much our resort could do. That they provided us a Coach to take us to another Iberostar for the beach was excellent.

For our group size The Tucan was great because if you wanted to get away from the group, you could. But if you also wanted to find others in the group or see what everyone was doing, it was easy to cover some ground and find some people in your group. Whereas when at another Iberostar for the beach, it was huge. Joining up with others in our group to do things without a great deal of advanced planning, would have been almost impossible given the size of the resort.

The Tucan is a great resort for groups as it has something for everyone. As an aside though, I hosted a conference at the Tucan 4 years ago and their business services are a little lacking (FYI).
February 2010
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Iberostar Tucan Quetzal

We very much enjoyed the Tucan Quetzel Resort, so much so we will go back there with the kids.

Pro:

• Wonderful serving staff

• Good evening entertainment

• Walking distance to Playa (we walked it 3 times)

• Great room, king bed, away from stairwell… Nice and Quiet! Others weren’t so lucky

• Jungle in the middle of the hotel

• A la carte restaurants were nice

• Adult activities, we played beach Bocce, what fun!

• Good breakfast buffet

• Appeared to have good kids programs (want to bring the kids next time)

Challenges:

• Buffet dinner, not so great (I’ll eat just about anything; alas the buffet was simply edible)

• The beach was closed, hotel offered to bus us to their sister hotel (45 min each way), we did it twice

Note: The bus departed twice daily to and from the other hotel. As we had a time issue with the wedding on Tuesday, the hotel offered to pay for the cab back from the beach, allowing us to sit on the beach all morning then make it back in time for the wedding. I was very thankful they stepped up and accommodated us.

Day one, ordered a non-alcoholic drink from the beach bar (at Tucan) the bar tender argued with me that it was all inclusive, after I told him I’m not a drinker, I became known throughout the hotel as “Senior No-Alcohol”. They were all so very well accommodating and very good at remembering our preferences. Another fine example, every morning as I walked in for breakfast, our server chased me down with my daily juice and double espresso.

Great hotel, great vacation, will do it again, with kids in tow.
February 2010
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Sandos Playacar, Mayan Riviera

Our stay at Sandos Playacar was excellent. The weather and food was great, the accommodations and service were fine. The only complaint I have and nothing could be done to remedy this was that we did not have access to the beach for three days because the government was doing some construction.
January 2010
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Iberostar Paraiso Lindo in the Mayan

We had a wonderful time at the Iberostar Paraiso Lindo, it is a beautiful resort with great service. We liked that the hotel is so close to the airport. West Jet was also a pleasure, they had small shuttle buses for the transfer from and to the airport.
January 2010
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Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda, Mayan Riviera

The Blue Bay resort was a very nice place and the Staff was excellent. Food and drinks were great and activities were fun. Personally we will try to stay in Playa Del Carmen next time. There is lots to see and do there.
December 2009
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Gran Bahia Principe Akumal, Mayan Riviera

We truly enjoyed our stay at the Gran Bahia Akumal. We definitely would say I preferred being there over the Coba because we were on the ocean. The Coba, you were further away. Depends on what you wanted. The resort was beautiful, excellent food, the room were really nice. The only the complaint was the beds were extremely hard, it was like sleeping on a sheet of plywood. After the 2nd night I had to take advil because I was in so much pain from the bed and had to request them to put a foam pad on the bed. If I wouldn't have had that added to the bed it would have definitely affected my vacation. I would definitely go back and loved being on the Caribean side of Mexico.
December 2009
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Grand Riviera Princess, Mayan Riviera, Mexico

Our trip was fabulous. It was one of the nicest all-inclusives we have stayed at and would go back in a minute. Ryah and Trevor enjoyed all the pools and Ryah learned to swim without a life jacket. We were upgraded to a room with a Jacuzzi tub and we were so happy about that as the girls used it everyday (sometimes more than once). It was big enough for all of us girls.

It rained for a long period one day which was a great break for the sunburns and Ryah & Trevor still went swimming so it didn't stop anything. There was usually a breeze on a daily basis which also helped with the heat. The ocean was warm as well. It is rocky at first but once you walk past the rocks it is sandy and nice. If you walk down the beach and then go swimming there is no rocks. They are opening a new hotel right beside the one we were in and it should be ready next year. It is identical to the one we were in and is a Princess resort as well.
April 2009
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Gran Bahia Coba, Mayan Riviera, Mexico

We had a great time at the Gran Bahia Principe -gorgeous, lots to do or not, great food (except I learned the hard way to avoid milk based sauces at the 24 hour snack bar), Beaurtiful landscaping and pools, lovely beaches with a choice of active or quiet spots, very nice and helpful staff,.......-It was really super, and we'd go there again without hesitation!
April 2009
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Gran Bahia Principe Coba, Mayan Riviera, Mexico

I had a great time. The hotel was far more luxurious than I am used to (I must have got a great deal on the price) and I went on three excursions which were worth it. However, I thought the second excursion was overpriced ($139 to go to a water park a short distance away and then to the Tulum ruins for only an hour, again a short drive away) compared to $99 for a full day excursion to Chichen Itza. I was disapointed with the beach at Gran Bahia Principe and it was too wavy to do any serious swimming/snorkeling at the beach. Otherwise, quite enjoyable.

In the future, I would prefer smaller, less luxurious and more remote locations on the ocean with more opportunity to interact with the locals.
March 2009
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Viva Wyndham Azteca, Mayan Riviera, Mexico

Trip was great. Hotel was very nice and I very much preferred the smaller hotel atmosphere. Mostly families. Buffet was so so but you certainly won't starve. The staff worked very hard and were very friendly. The place was spotless.

I would recommend this hotel and hope Signature keeps it on it's list of properties.
March 2009
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El Dorado Royale, Mayan Riviera, Mexico

Flight with Skyservice was good. Opened the counters late in Winnipeg but the return was trouble free and quick in Cancun. Drinks were free but who’s having booze at 5am even if you’re on holidays?! I never have understood all those airplane food jokes. We got hot food both directions and they were dee-lish. Also had yogurt and a bran bar.

Royale is a beautiful resort, the grounds are amazing. Service wasn’t 5 star, maybe a 4 although others around considered it 3.5. Fountains and water sprays were quite often not working, but the pools, rivers, etc. were still so beautiful. The grounds were well-maintained – manicured lawn, trees trimmed, no garbage on the ground, etc.

Meals were definitely upscale – Mexican restaurant was decidedly not your typical Mexican food (disappointing because we were looking forward to that!) But Fuentes (Mexican) did have the best breakfast buffet. Tried all 7 restaurants, pretty good. Fondue was hit and miss depending on your server. We went three times and only once did our food not burn and we got drinks in a reasonable time. We went to dinner early each evening so never had trouble getting seated anywhere. Loved the pizza/burger joint at the main pool – ate lunch there almost every day. Tried the dinner on the beach – it was nice but definitely not worth the money. Kampai (Oriental) is tricky to find if you are coming down the inland path and not the beach-side path (just a word of warning – we ended up in the staff dining hall!!!) Also, they didn’t seem to be enforcing dress code at all for dinner in any of the restaurants – saw some really inappropriate clothing.\\\Jr. Suites guests definitely not as important to Royale as Casitas guests. The differences may or may not matter depending on your vacation style, but one thing was really obvious: ½ the guests at the property are Jr. Suites and at the public section of beach there were 6 beach beds; the other half of the guests are Casitas and they had about 20 beach beds that were NOT for “regular” guest use (several signs posted). Good luck finding somewhere to sit/lie on the beach on a nice day if you’re staying in a Jr. Suite.

Watch the bartenders making your drink; they quite often didn’t know the drinks. Black Russian came as White Russian, daiquiri came as margarita, Black Russian made with Kahlua and rum, and so on. And of course the usual switcheroo with cheaper brands (to be expected with most all-inclusives I would assume). If you have a swim-up make sure to tip a dollar with each “delivery” or she’ll never come by again and you’ll have to go find your own drinks.

Jr. Swim Up suite was great!!! You had your own little area, plus you could wander your lazy river or visit the big pool too. We even swam over to see friends on the other side – 5 minutes away without ever getting out of the water! Much better than the Casitas – their swim ups were part of a VERY small system, just a couple buildings huddled around a small pool. Jacuzzi in the room sure was nice. And we had a really great bathroom (better than our friends on the other side of the pool). And when you just wanted to veg and keep cool there were 2 English TV channels that carried good shows to kill an hour or two.

Room warnings: Fridge is supposed to be re-stocked every day but that only happened 3 times (after complaining) the entire week. Even after we tipped him $5 he still didn’t return for 2 days until we called and complained. Also, the maids don’t always switch the towels, sometimes they just hang up the ones you asked to have changed. One day Housekeeping came in when the Do Not Disturb sign was on the door (we forgot the latch on the inside). In our room the tub was dirty, curtains were very moldy and floor was fiiiiiilthy!

We had tried to talk to our concierge about a problem we had on our third day and boy was he rude! What an unfriendly unhelpful guy. We also had something we needed help with on our last day and he was downright miserable and basically treated us like you-know-what.

Went to Playa one day and Cancun another plus a Tulum tour the day before we left. Free shuttles to Playa and Cancun book up almost a week in advance so plan ahead. We had to take cabs and it cost $35USD each way for Cancun and $25USD each way for Playa. 5th Avenue in Playa was a nice afternoon… just watch for those pesky aggressive store owners. Cancun was more like shopping at home, you go to the mall, hit the stores you want and buy or don’t buy – nobody leaning on you about how their rent is due in 2 hours and their kids can’t get to school because they don’t have shoes and the whole family was wiped out in a fire that also took the family dog and car after they were mugged, etc. etc. etc. If you’re looking for a little taste of home there were LOTS of recognizable food options in Cancun: Hooters, Chili’s, Bubba Gump’s, Applebee’s, Hard Rock Café, Rainforest Café, Outback and of course, the ever-present Golden Arches. Also, cab drivers from Playa were much more friendly than cab drivers from Cancun.

Tulum was great. We saw Chichen Itza several years ago and of course the pyramid is pretty darn impressive, but Tulum was much more beautiful. There are a lot more buildings, the site is smaller, and Tulum is definitely less trampled. Chichen Itza looked like herd of elephants didn’t just go through but took up permanent residence and had regular square-dancing contests. Plus, shots of ancient ruins set on a backdrop of amazing blue water makes pretty great vacation shots.

Coming home was good, but if you’re on a charter that leaves at some ungodly hour there isn’t much to do at Cancun airport. There is one store open and it’s WAAAAY overpriced comparing the exact same items from Playa and Cancun. Most airports are overpriced but this place still surprised me.

Sadly the weather didn’t cooperate; we didn’t see the sun until we’d been there 5 days – but 20 above is still better than 20 below! All in all a fun time, but we wouldn’t go back to this resort for the cost. Restaurant servers, housekeeping, grounds staff, front desk staff and even the concierges (especially the concierges) were not 5 star quality.
March 2009
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Mayan-Barcelo Maya Beach, Mayan Riviera, Mexico

Unbelieveable! I have nothing bad to say about Barcelo, the food was good the service was excellent, the resort was beautiful, I only wish we'd stayed for two weeks.

The Only part of the trip we didn't like was the sky service flight there and back. We didn't have seats together either way and the food was disgusting.

We will be going back to Mexico for sure, the experience was out of this world.
March 2009

Sensatori in the Mayan Riveria, Mexico

Everything went very well. The resort is very nice and the food is great.

Our only complaints were more on the personal side.

After being in resorts in the Playa Del Carmen area, we enjoy the larger grounds. It allows you to get away from people at time. You will also have more birds, wildlife, and better landscaping.

We found the resort to be more like a typical resort in Cancun than the Playa area or beyond. More concrete than landscaping. Very sterile.

The beach is not very good. Constant winds drive a large amount of seaweed onto the beach and they are constantly cleaning using a tractor and a surf grader.

We also found this resort to be very isolated from the main roads. In the past, we have been able to easily catch buses, collectivos to move around. Here it was a $13 US just to get to the main highway.

We found it strange that it would have been cheaper to go to Cancun from the Grand Sirenis last year (90 km.) than it would have been from this resort which is only about 25 km. from Cancun.

Our second day (Feb 8), we came back to the room around 5:00 or so and found water dripping into the bathroom from the fan. We were on the top floor. However, after a quick look from maintenance, the concierge had us moved into a new room in a little more than an hour. It took them 4 days to repair our old room.

The adult section we were in had a great view looking directly over the pools and the ocean. The balcony has a nice cushioned bench seat on it we we really liked. Great for early morning or evening relaxing.

A real problem is they do not have enough pool chairs/umbrellas for the number of people and very little shaded area. The adult pool has 15 beds surrounding the pool with little room if any for pool chairs. These were generally gone by 6:30 in the morning and you then had to try and find somewhere else to sit (not always successful). This was frustrating at times.

We also found service at times to be slow or worse although they seemed to be addressing this problem later on.

All in all this resort wasn't quite what we liked although again that's more of a personal preference.

We did inquire into moving to another resort, but were told by the Signature reps that everything was full.

All in all it was fine...just not what we had enjoyed in the past.
February 2009
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Grand Palladium Riviera, Mayan Riviera, Mexico

This resort has probably been the best one we have been at. Staying at the royal suites were fantastic, treated like royal. Food was excellent we ate 6 nights at the ala cartes all were excellent. Grounds were very beautiful, beach was nice, I would highly recommend this resort as long as they went junior suite on the royal side.
January 2009
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