TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

On the whole myself and my husband loved it here, and I’m struggling to see how some of the previous reviews align to the experience we had. The good: - From the off the staff was incredibly helpful and everyone was constantly saying hi. - We were in a deluxe room and from the reviews I was dreading it, wishing we had opted for Royal Level instead. Honestly the standard room type was very pleasant with aircon that was almost too cold, a good size and a really good feel. The bathroom could have done with some TLC but was still clean. We were building 18. - Food was also on the whole good. Buffet always had a really good selection (though some breakfast items definitely felt like leftovers from the night before) and I’ve read loads of horror stories on here about booking the a la carte. We had no issues reserving spaces and could rock up any time of the day and get what we wanted, plus they let us book days ahead too. - Busyness - a general point but everywhere did feel very quiet so I don’t know if that’s because we went in quiet season or it was just the hotel. The shows looked to only be about half full, we didn’t queue anywhere except brief waits at the bars, and no issues with getting loungers or anything. - The pool and cove selection was great and we would often spend the day hopping between them. Didn’t spend too much time in the family pool, the cove is brilliant for the wildlife and just generally hanging out in, the pool bar pool is the most lovely but also outside of when activities were on would go quite quiet, and the adult only pool is a much more chilled and nice place to be, it’s also the best reliable spot we found for seeing wildlife. The bad: - On the subject of animals, the one slight downside is that with them roaming so freely there were times that we would see faeces around the pools or in one case in it (dropped from an iguana in an overhanging tree). Completely appreciate that this comes with the territory of the animals and there is only so much the hotel can do to combat it. - As others have said the concierge approach is questionable and we ended up getting the sales pitch on the Occidental vacation club as others have flagged. The concierges at the building entrances are only too happy to say hello but it did start to feel like they were on the prowl ready to sell you park tickets or get communion on vacation club referrals. The guy who signed us up for the pitch openly admitted to us that he was in marketing once he’s got a deposit out of us and made us sign. In the end we decided we weren’t that bothered about the deposit and chose not to go to the full ‘tour’ the next morning but it also meant we spent the rest of our trip doing everything we could to avoid speaking to the concierges for any length of time. Did it ruin it? No. Did it taint part of the experience? Yes.

The entire staff at Occidental are committed to ensuring you feel like an honored guest in this tropical paradise. Our regular server, Samuel, at the Royal restaurant always went above and beyond for us each time we came in. Whether it be the diligent landscapers, the attentive concierge, or the vibrant Zumba instructors and nightly entertainment hosts, everyone did their absolute best to ensure you enjoy your stay. This resort is heavily geared towards families. Check out the La Hacienda restaurant (this was our favorite of the restaurants). Make sure to check out Xcaret park and the adult only salt water pool as well!

This resort is far and above worth its cost, especially if you go through costco. The location is stunning, we felt like the resort had everything! Beach, pools, all inclusive food and drinks, wildlife, you name it. You don’t need to do excursions because the hotel has so much to offer, but one or two was well worth it as well. Going not speaking a lick of spanish was a bit intimidating, but the staff really does their best despite the bit of language barrier. Most speak a good amount of english, so you’re not completely out of luck, but there were moments communication was difficult. The attentiveness, friendliness, and good attitude of all the staff was well enough to compensate. Roman at the pool snack bar literally made our trip. There are so many resorts to choose from when looking at Riviera Maya, but I don’t regret our choice one bit. There is only one thing I would request- more insulated rooms. We could hear literally everything happening in the rooms around us, which was especially annoying while trying to sleep. Overall wonderful time!

We stayed on this resort twice now (3rd one on November) - that's how much we love this resort. I'm reviewing the Royal Level service. My favorite: (the reason why we kept coming back) 1. Natural beach - calm and relaxing (we didn't use the swimming pools since this one area is the best! No chlorine) The water is from the beautiful Carribbean sea. The also have this circle pool that feels like you're in a spa - ahhhhh so relaxing 2. Price and value. The Royal Level is averaging $1000 per person per week. Huge rooms, comfy beds, excellent service from checkin to checkout - they make you feel special. 3. Food: great variety in the menu. Taste and quality is excellent. 4. Staff in the Royal level is so friendly. Areas they need to improve on: 1. Facilities that's open 24 hrs such as: karaoke room, arcade games like dance dance revolution, yoga room. After swimming and eating, the only activity I do is sleep - lol. They do have scheduled games and entertainment but I'm not into those things. 2. Royal level breakfast buffet - never changes. It's always the exact same food. I also wish they have a small buffet offered for lunch and dinner. Lunch and dinner is menu-based and it takes them more than 1 hr to serve the food. Tip: If you want a nice massage, contact MeetPlay transportation to take you to Playa del Carmen ($50 roundtrip). Go to Mia Spa. Couples massage is only $90 for 60 mins!!! You will spend half the price including transportation.

We chose this hotel as the perfect place for our first family holiday in a few years. First impressions were great but the first issue was our 2 rooms being set a distance apart despite requesting them to be close together and booking a year in advance. Rooms in building 12 can be noisy due to nightly entertainment. On our second night we were woken by a couple violently fighting in the room next door. My wife ran to reception to get help only to find that none of the staff including security were interested in helping. The sound of a woman being beaten did not prompt them to call the police and when I confronted the reception I was given the response of “different country, different rules” We of course were then asked to move rooms for our own safety and the couple were allowed to remain which we felt was shocking. One key thing to note is the constant hustle of the staff. We were invited by multiple staff members to take a tour in order to get us to sign up to a premium membership to enable a direct booking instead of using an agent in future. The staff have targets to meet and will offer you various discounts on excursions and gifts in order to sweeten the deal. The food was fine and of a decent quality each night but do remember that if you want to dine in an a la carte restaurant that long trousers and closed shows are mandatory for gentlemen which was not communicated to us ahead of our stay. The beach and Xcaret park were a highlight for us with a range of activities to do and enjoy the wildlife up close. The rooms were distinctly average with a lot of maintenance issues experienced so it is clear that there is a lot of work to do in order to improve. Be careful about leaving cash in the rooms also as our friends had money taken presumably by the cleaners on their final day. The layout of the hotel is very odd also with an enormous lobby that has very little seating in order to socialise on an evening. Should it rain then the marble floors become an absolute liability so despite the staff throwing mats down it is never enough to make the walking areas safe. I also became concerned at the smell of drugs within certain areas of the hotel. My 16 year old was asked by a staff member is he’d like marijuana which was refused but the smell was pretty evident in places. The restaurant staff throughout as well as the bar staff were passionate about you enjoying your experience, having fun and embracing Mexican culture which was also a highlight for us. The onsite shops have a variety of items from a pharmacy to clothes, jewellery and souvenirs but all come at a price and are fairly expensive. A taxi to Playa Del Carmen will be around 400 pesos if you want something different. All of the above would not stop us from returning in future but we certainly did have our eyes opened during our 10 day stay.