First, right after we booked our trip, we got a greeting email from Daniela letting us know how excited they were to welcome us soon. She answered a couple of our questions via chat/email, and we met up with her after our shuttle dropped us off. We recommend the Happy Shuttle or the USA Transfers, both work well and are safe. When we got to the resort, we were TIRED...up at 4am, airport, flight, airport, shuttle...if you do not hit traffic, it is only about a 15 to 20 min ride from CUN. We had told Daniela when we would be arriving and she was there to greet us when we showed up. NOW...the trouble...Travelocity! Do not use them! We had booked a specific room with Premium, which came with a 400.00 credit to be used at the resort. None of that came through to the resort! We had screenshots of all of this but they were back at home in the USA. So we spent hours trying to talk to Travelocity about all this and they simply denied everything. Jorge, the front desk mgr, offered us some different rooms and offered them at the best discounts they could offer. He was trying to help us as much as he could. We have since shown our screen shots to Travelocity and they still do not admit their error. Horrible way to start our vacation! Through all this, Daniela was an angel. She dealt with the two of us as gently and caringly as she could, getting us champagne and some cooling towels the whole time. In the end, she took us to see some of the rooms Jorge had offered and we chose one. She also took us over to the Spoon restaurant which is the buffet so we could have some lunch and decide on a room. We did so, met up with Daniela, and she got us our room keys, our bags to our room, and we were changed and hit the pool! Notice we said pool, NOT beach...so the whole peninsula has been suffering from CRAZY seaweed issues. Some of the richer areas have many people working day and night with machines to keep it in check. Azul has one crew they hired and they are out there every day raking, shoveling, and using an actual BobCat tractor to remove it. They have a huge net further out as well to block it...but NOPE, it just keeps coming. So you will not see the normal turquoise, clear water you expect in Mexico...instead, it is mostly all brown. We are told that the seaweed used to be just a one or two-month thing in October/November, but now it starts in April and goes to December. The staff and other locals said that construction in the area has destroyed the mangroves which is the normal filter for the ocean, and now it has a huge seaweed bloom. The other issue is that it smells bad, like a sewer smell. It does not smell ALL the time, but if the wind hits right, or whatever other conditions are right, you will smell it. For this reason, many people were not getting oceanview rooms as there was not the wonderful waters and there was the smell. If at the pool you did not really notice the smell, and on our balcony, we did not really get it, but we were on the top floor. The other issue with the beach is that it is tiny. Like, from the retaining wall to the water was maybe 20 feet, which is all taken up by things like their small stage/workout area, cabana beds, etc. They were taking down the beach volleyball nets because the poles were getting into the water. The tractor has created a bit of a small 'ledge' and the poles were right at that edge. We normally walk the beach every day, but do not expect to do that here. You can make the most of it, and we did actually go into the water a couple of times. It is VERY shallow (you could walk all the way out to their barrier net. We found a couple of spots that were not covered in seaweed. The resort is set up with sections which is really just the buidlings...two 'family' buildings, which we were in, then an adults-only building that forms the bottom of an 'L' with another building which is 'Premium'. Premium and adults only have their own pool with a bar and the Premium have a separate restaurant/indoor lounge. the adults only had real 'swimup ' rooms but they are not what we expected...there is a long pool that connects all the swimups, and you go out to your patio, and then there are stairs into the water. It is not really a part of your room. They also have 'walkout' rooms which is basically the same, but no stairs into the water from your patio. You just have to jump into the lazy river pool. That lazy river is just a long pool that winds around from one building around the Mexican restaurant, under some small bidges, and to the main family pool. The main family pool has a swimup bar which we hit up a couple of times. We never went to the adults only area as it was much louder...we stayed in the family area because it was quiet and we liked our top floor room. Spoon, the buffet, is in the center of the main building, at the bottom. It was air conditioned well and had plenty of tables. No real views to sit at, but there are some window seats looking at the grounds. The Italian restaurant is in the same building, but off to the right, near the other family building. You can recognize if from the outside by these greenish lights inside the restaurant. It is indoors and is air-conditioned. Further down on the right is the kids club. The Mexican restaurant is right in the middle of the place and our balcony looked out over it. It is in between the two family buildings, closer to the beach. It is open-air, so be prepared to be HOT while dining! Behind it, closer to the main building/Spoon, is a Starbucks. It is not included, you have to pay for it separately. We did not, and did not see anyone else either. Sometimes people just hung out there as it has tables, a couple of swings, new age music playing. it is all open-air. The last restaurant is Tapas, a mediterranean/eclectic restaurant which is in the main building top floor, off the lobby. It is indoors but gets very warm for some reason. Coolest places were the Italian and Spoon. Also off the lobby, next to Tapas, is their main show area. it is open air as well but has some fans (sit under them!). You can walk down a wide stair case to the pool/Spoon entrance. Next to the show area is Mojitos, their night club bar. They play loud, upbeat music and have an open area to dance but it is quit warm and noone was dancing. Most just went in and got drinks before/after a nightly show. All of this is off the main lobby, as is the gym/spa. They are on the top floor of the main building. The gym is great, one of the best equipped we have seen at a resort. It is 24 hours and we made use of it. They provide bottled waters there, some chlorophyll water, towels, and some wrapped fruit if you want it. They even had a Smith machine squat rack. To finish off the layout, there is an archery area and tennis courts off to the left if facing the beach, on the other side of that side's family building. There is also the kid pool/splash pad. We used the tennis courts and did the archery activity which was neat. However, the most important thing over there is a tiny restaurant off the splash pad which we at first thought was just a kid thing...Pizza Pizza! OMG, best pizza around, made my our guy Jesus! He makes the best pizzas fresh in a brick oven! Get the four cheese and the one with pesto/prosciutto and their mozzarella caprese appetizer, you will not regret it! The entertainment staff who have worked all around said it may be the best pizza in the whole peninsula. It is a tiny open air place with a couple inside tables and some outside, The waiters there are also great and will take your pics, get you drinks, etc. Do not miss it!! So that is the layout/setup of the place. Now for some actual review/opionions. Already talked about the beach situation, that is what it is. The pools were fine, never felt crowded but they were way way down on numbers of people saying...they said that they were about to be at 22% capacity the week after we left. So if it was fully filled up, it may get pretty full in the pools since noone was going to the beach. Entertainment staff...we mainly saw Eric and Gio and they were both awesome. Eric ran most of the athletic stuff like yoga, boot camp, pilates, water aerobics, standup board aerobics, etc. Gio did some of this when Eric was not there, but also did stuff like the coconut painting (done at Starbucks lounge, more fun than you might think and was mostly adults) or bingo, etc. We did some yoga, boot camp stuff...usually about 30 mins, not long. Boot camp, yoga, etc, was done on their open air wooden stage thing which had a roof that helped block the sun in the mornings. They would bring out some weights, mats, music, one boot camp had those huge ropes you use to work your arms/shoulders. We did not do the pilates. The water aerobics were fun, with things like races with your partner on your back, etc. The floating boards were tough. You will fall in, lol. They would also to the archery which was fun and some soccer on the tennis courts, but that was usually kids. The most fun was the water polo and the water volleyball which we did each day, usually around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. For some reason, the resort was nearly all filled with Brits, outnumbering the Americans, and they take their water polo seriously lol. Lots of fun playing with the same people each day, everyone having a good time. Thanks Gio and Eric!! Oh, they also have times when they open up the kayaks, which we did use once. Gio helped us with that. There is a 5.00 USD fee you have to pay for some environmental coral protection fund, but it covers you the whole stay. Something to note...the resort is at a point there you will not see sunSETS but you can see sunRISES....but you need to be facing east, which means your balcony needs to be on the LEFT side of the building if facing the beach. If on the right side you will not see anything. We had ours on the left (again, facing the beach) and saw a great sunrise. Just something to keep in mind if you like that sort of thing. Room service is 24 hours. We used it, but keep in mind that it can take 35 minutes to get anything. We like their brownies and caramel desserts. No chocolate chip cookies though. Housekeeping came every day and our room as was spotless every day. They even cleaned the hot tube each day (every room comes with a hot tub). The room was large, more than enough for two people. We loved it, actually. Bathroom setup is odd, with a separate toilet room, then open double sinks area, then separate shower which has a rain shower and a sprayer on a metal cord you can move around. We did have an issue of no hot water the first night but they fixed it quickly. A/C was ice cold and this is from someone who likes it COLD. The toilet and shower doors are fogged glass doors that swing on hinges...they do not actually fill up the whole doorway, about 3/4 to 1-inch gap all around. The shower was odd in that control for hot did not go where the pointer/top of the handle went (one handle that your turned from center to left or right), but instead where the BOTTOM of the handle pointed. Seemed strange to us. We thought we were out of hot water again, but nope. There is a metal tube/button you push in or pull out to switch between the rain or hose sprayer, cannot use both at same time. Room had a hairdryer and robes as well. We asked for extra blankets (wife likes warmer) and a mattress pad which they brought and put on for us. The king sized bed was great, tv was fine, lots of HBO, Cinemax, etc, and in English. They filled our mini fridge each day, and would customize based on what we wanted...usual beers (no Corona at the place), Coke products, chips, etc. Lots of bottled waters for which we always asked for extra since you cannot drink the water from the tap. No issues with extra anything. Elevator was quick but we used the stairs mostly, only 4 floors to the top. Elevator/stairs are in center of the building, which has an opening at each end and on each side in the center of the building. the 'Presidente' suites are the suites at the FRONT of the buildings, facing othe ocean directly. They have HUGE balconies that look out over the water directly but as mentioned, we stayed more pool/oceanview (Presidente are more oceanFRONT) because of the seaweed/smell. The grounds were perfectly maintained, you saw people working at that all the time, every day. They had a shuffleboard area by the pool as well but we did not use it. Everyone from the housekeeping to the maintainers had a smile, an 'hola', and everytime you said thank you, they responded with 'it's a pleasure'. EVERYONE. Food....best we have had at any resort in Mexico and we have been at a bunch. We chose it because they mentioned it was a gourmet all-inclusive and it really was. Spoon...at breakfast, omelette station (yes please!), all the usual stuff, but standouts were their sausages, cheeses, different juices (try the green juice!), breakfast burrito/quesadillas, smoothies made to order, and these chocolate frosted donuts (think Hostess chocolate donuts) and their chocolate croissants. We did not find their waffles/french toast/pancakes to be very good as they were often a bit cool...but so many other things! Always got some mimosas with breakfast! We did lunch there a couple of times and it was also good...pizza area was not so good (again, go to Pizza Pizza!!), and they do not put out French fries (odd right?). However, we asked for fries and they did bring some out, fresh, as they did not like to leave them out to get stale. They were delicious, crispy. Each day had different options, some the same, but their chicken tica was awesome...and their burgers! They make them right there to order and were awesome. Also there is this little basket of rolls with white flour on them. Get them, find them! They were so soft and delicious! They also had a chocolate fountain each day at lunch with marshmallows on sticks!! Yum!!!! Some desserts were awesome, some not so much. If they have out the nachos with salsa verde, try those too! Tapas restaurant...delish as well. We did dinner here twice. If you can, ask to sit in a booth in the back area, it is the coolest section. They have those little 2-seaters where you have a booth that everyone is sitting on top of each other....no thanks, we asked for a separate table. The food was awesome...try the slider, but keep in mind that it is nearly the same as their short ribs main course...but it was delicious! Fish was great, shrimp, desserts...we tried them all! Husband got a beer, wife had wine...there is only one kind of beer around the resort on draft, Dos Eqquis. Just bear that in mind. It is warm/humid here though! The slider comes with fries, fyi. Italian restaurant was probaby the best, we did this for our anniversary dinner. Very cute inside with nice lighting, some alcoves, brick, wine barrels, etc. Was cooler in this place. Now...the food?? Everything was AWESOME. Try the gnocchi pesto, we almost got two! Fish was perfect, husband loved his steak. Bread and oil was good, and their desserts were wonderful, including the tiramisu! You may not expect good Italian in Mexico, but we found it lol! Mexican restaurant...very hot inside. One the back of it, facing the beach, is where they also do their 'special dinner' that you pay 125 for, and they do make it look nice...but kind of rough with the seaweed smell coming off the beach at night. Anyways, the food in the Mexican restaurant was great too, we loved their melted cheese appetizer, and the tacos (you can order one of each) were great. Husband loved the steak option he got for a main course...everything was great, again very warm, no fans...but they have tres leches here and it was really good. Better than the one at Tapas. Churros were too. Very cute inside with lots of Mexico paraphernaiia, tons of hats hanging from ceiling, etc. Sit in center if you can, as sometimes you would get a nice cooling breeze there. Overall, they really did the best they could given the beach situation which was top of everyone's mind, including the staff. The food was a great offset, though, and we had fun each day, with husband doing the activities while wife laid in the sun, reading, drinking something tropical, which is exactly what we were looking for. Oh, they do have hammocks too, in a spot in the center, next to the Starbucks. Anyone can use them at any time, which we did. At night some locals set up little shopping carts near the steps up to the show area. We bought cigars (Cubans) the first night. They were not there every night, but their prices were much better than in the resort store. Nightly entertainment....usually two options, one at around 7 or 730, and one at 9 or 930. It varied, though we are sure it rotates the same each week. Unlike some resorts with their own in-house entertainment staff, this one brings in different acts each time. The earlier show is usually more kids/family, like a family movie night, but the magician they had was actually good and you should see him. You will learn why. First night they had the IL Divo tribute....4 tenors that brought the house down, it was probably the best show of all of them. Other nights had a Queen tribute which was pretty good, another a Bon Jovi tribute, and another was called the 'British Invasion' which we thought would be something like Beetles, but it was not. It was a variety show with dancing, acts, singing, etc. Kind of neat. Again, very warm, sit under a fan! There is a waiter to get you drinks, but often you would just go next door to Mojitos and get a drink yourself. On our last night, it was the fire show couple with a Jamaican band. The situation on the beach, with it being so narrow, made for a very tough seating setup, with seats going way way back. Still, it was good, there was a bar at the beach, and the Jamaican band was actually excellent. Some people even danced lol. We were lucky for the most part with not having any neighbors...but on Friday, neighbors came in on both side and they were LOUD. Walls were pretty good, but you could still hear the 'bass' of people slamming drawers, objects, etc. If on the balcony, you could hear everything even with slider shut. Having the TV on and having a box fan helped, we suggest asking for one! If you like iguanas, you will see them and geckos all over during the hot part of the day. Beware your 'personal concierge'. Not the check-in person, but the person you see after you check in. They act like they are almost your butler, but they really are just there to get you to join the Premium Club. Offered us a bunch of things, but when we said we would not go to presentation, we never heard from him again. Also, for our anniversary, they put up a banner on our door, sent us a special cake, and decorated our bed in roses, so sweet!!! Nearly everything was 40 to 45 minutes, though some actually went an hour. Will post more if we think of anything else. We did have to take a shuttle back to CUN at 230 in the morning for a 6am flight! CUN does not open until 3am, but even then there was already a line formed at the check in area. We all stood there as they opened up the place. You need a mask to go through security...very confusing, as nothing was noted, no signs, nothing needed at check-in...but there was a guy sitting at the beginning of the ropes for security/passport check saying the word 'masks' and everyone walked by...only to be sent all the way back to get a mask from that guy. So odd. So, make sure you get a mask!…
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.